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Kristen rings in the new year with new favorites from 2005

Ahh, it's that time again where we give you our personal favorites from the past year. I like to think of it as the Top 40 Countdown on the radio, but don't fret - I don't think I have 40 favorites, but I can list a few things that made my hot list this year.

The most recent, and one of my better successes this year was the introduction to Renee Rouleau Skin Care. After several months of religious use, I still am not tired or bored from using the products for day and night and my face is looking better. Granted, I still get breakouts and have the redness, but my skin just seems to bounce back quicker after a pimple or the occasional gentle extraction. I've enjoyed her products so much that I ordered more! So watch out for a review on those in the near future! You can check out her products at reneerouleau.com.

Next up is the T3 Tourmaline Professional Ionic Hair Dryer. It was on my Christmas Wish List and at that writing, I'd just ordered it online. Well, I got it in and darned if I don't love, love, love that thing! I was almost secretly wanting to hate it because of its cost (a whopping $200), but I hate to admit that it is worth every penny. My fellow panelist who tried it first said it was "the goddess of all hair dryers," and she was soooooo right. I have thick, naturally curly hair that is just past the middle of my back - very long - and while I don't think it dries my hair 60% faster, it does dry it much faster and my hair just looks healthy and fabulous. I really didn't notice the difference at first, but then my husband commented on how my hair looked and felt. And then I saw myself on video camera and that put it all together for me. My hair just swung around like you see in the hair commercials and it looked so smooth and shiny. Normally, if I get in a bright light I can see little flyaways and I never saw any when I use this dryer. I can actually wake up in the morning and wash and dry my hair, which is something I never ever do because of the time. After a couple of weeks of using the dryer and my husband commenting on how nice my hair looked, he finally said, "Your hair looks amazing! How much is this going to cost me?" My husband, the tight wad in the family (well, I suppose someone has to be), didn't even flinch when I told him how much it cost because he said my hair looked so good. You can see the 1800 Watt T3 Hair Dryer at Sephora.com.

Something I still love to use and won't be without is the Sephora Indulgences Coffee & Cream Morning Body Scrub. Yummy yum yum is what I think about when I think of this stuff. Smells like coffee sans the jitters and it happens to be a pretty decent exfoliator. The scent is unbelievable!

As a general mention, I have to mention Tarte Lipgloss. The products I used were an introduction to the line and these are some unforgettable lip products. Soft, creamy, smooth and long lasting, these double-ended beauties are fabulous and there are so many to choose from. I still wear Adam & Eve and Rhett & Scarlett often. They are like silk for the lips. Check out the offerings at Sephora.com.

Finally, one of my other favorites is the Smashbox Spider Club. Eyes, lips and cheeks in the smallest double-decker palette I've seen. If the size doesn't entice you, the products will. I still carry this thing around everywhere and use it like crazy. And I keep coming up with looks to try. Check it out at smashbox.com or Sephora.com.

Well, that's it! Sure, there are other products that I have liked and loved, but these are the foremost in my mind if I had to quickly name some in 10 seconds. Hopefully this year will outdo the last!

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Posted January 3, 2006

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