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Judith says so long, 2005, helloooo 2006!

2005 brought many new products for me to try. In fact, it brought almost too many new products, because just as soon as I found a new favorite, another new product would be in line for me to test and I'd love it, too! Many of these products are new, while some are just new to me! All are current favorites which I encourage you to try!

Ahava is not a new product line, but it was a new discovery for me when I visited Israel last winter. Made with minerals from the Dead Sea, Ahava is great choice for daily use for normal to dry skin. The products are gentle and non-irritating and the prices won't break the bank! Ahava Cleansing Milk is a super mild creamy cleanser that cleans my face beautifully and leaves it super soft, but in no way greasy! This is now a basic in my skincare routine. You can find it for $24 at The SkinStore.com.

L'oreal Age Perfect Day and Night Creams with Marine Collagen were my facial moisturizer faves for 2004 and they are still at the top of my list, but for warm weather when I want to use a lighter moisturizer, I've had great success with Ahava Smoothing Moisturizer for Normal Skin. Very light and instantly absorbed, it's perfect when I need a lighter face cream. 1.7 oz for $28 at The SkinStore.com. One more all-time fave from Ahava is AHAVA Dermud Enriched Intensive Foot Cream for Dry Skin which is absolutely wonderful to use on your hands! My hands turn to sandpaper in cold weather and this non-greasy product is by far the best I've tried in a long time for both hands and feet! ($16) If you do a search online for Ahava, you can always find great specials on Ahava products shipped directly from Israel at a fraction of the US price. Check out the prices at dead-sea-cosmetics.net.

I've long been a fan of Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream, which has been redubbed Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, and which isn't a cream at all, but a petroleum-based product that is useful for everything under the sun from split fingers and heals to chapped lips and cheeks. The only drawback is that the product is the consistency of Vaseline! Elizabeth Arden has now come out with the same wonderful product in Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturizing Hand Treatment, a lightweight cream that is absolutely great! I keep at tube in my desk and on my night table and slather it on my poor winter chapped and cracked fingers! Both products are $15 at Beauty.com.

This was a GREAT year for foundations. In fact, I really liked almost everything I tried, but my very favorite list starts with Jane Iredale Liquid Minerals in Warm Silk served up in a pump bottle containing beads of mineral color suspended in a clear gel. Finally, after all the hoopla about the benefits of minerals for your skin, Jane Iredale makes liquid minerals for those of us who want the benefits of minerals for our skin, but can't tolerate the dryness of powder minerals. Jane Iredale's Liquid Minerals give layerable coverage with a perfect finish when applied upon a well moisturized face. Pricey at $46, you can usually find good discounts online by searching for Jane Iredale's products in Google or Yahoo.

Other Jane Iredale products that have become my favorites this year are Jane Iredale Blush in Dubonnet ($26). This wonderfully flattering natural looking powder blush looks great with all of my foundations. I wear it every day! I also really like Jane Iredale's Circle\Delete Concealer ($29) which consists of two shades of concealer (#2 works for me), so that you can blend the color to match perfectly. Contains Vitamin K, which is great for reducing under eye circles, and jojoba and avocado oil for moisture.

Jane Iredale's products are expensive, and usually only available at salons and spas, but you can often find good prices by searching on Google and Yahoo. I'm a big fan and highly recommend these products! This is one expensive line of products that is definitely worth the price!

I've tried a lot of mascaras this year. Kevyn Aucoin's The Volume Mascara has a slender brush that thickens your lashes without clumping. One of the best, albeit pricey, mascaras that I have tried, the brush makes it possible to catch the tiniest of lashes. Available in Rich Pitch Black or Magic Black Red for $25 at kevynaucoin.com or bergdorfgoodman.com .

You don't have to spend a fortune to find good mascara. From the drugstore, I have fallen in love with Cover Girl's LashExact Mascara in Very Black! Its unique brush makes my lashes ultra long but not clumpy as most other mascaras I've tried. The flexible bristles of the brush also makes if easier to get to your smallest bottom lashes! If you want thick lashes, try The Volume Mascara described above. If it's length you want, you can't go wrong with LashExact! ($6.35 at harmondiscount.com) and at your local drugstore.

I confess that I am a first rate lipstick addict! I like a semi-sheer or creamy lipstick without frost. My 2005 favorites Clinique's Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick ($14) which incorporates color into the texture of a soft lip balm. It's totally unique and the colors are great! I especially like "Praline" a neutral brownish shade and "Delovely" a neutral pinkish brown and Berry Blush, a natural darker rosy pink that looks terrific on! Available at clinique.com or at your local Clinique counter.

An absolutely fabulously luxurious new lipstick I've fallen in love with is Yves Saint Laurent Parfums Rouge Pur Shine Lipstick. In a gorgeous range of colors, when applied, it feels like a liquid - It is absolutely the smoothest, silkiest lip product I have ever tried! (Yes, I am really gushing about this one!) While closely resembling a gloss it is not a gloss and there is absolutely no stickiness to it. The product delivers sheer, clear color. The other part of the product that is really special is its nifty little golden case. You click the lipstick out of the case by pushing at one end and the smooth golden-colored cap can be used as a little mirror! I tried #9 Golden Violet, a violet tinged pink, #7 Brown Sugar, a neutral pinky brown. and #1 Red Strass , a shimmery dark red, which is one of the few true red shades that works for my coloring! Splurge and give this a try! It's definitely at the top of my fave list for 2005!

Happy 2006 and Happy Shopping!

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Posted January 3, 2006

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