TAG - Naughty or Nice List 2010

[This post was made a few days ago but I didn't have the time to finish and publish on the date]

So I've decided to do another tag post even though I wasn't specifically tagged for this one. This tag was actually created by YouTube beauty guru Jen from frmheadtotoe :) I thought it'd be a great idea if I went along and did this tag in the form of a post instead of a video. Mind you, I actually did record half of it with my iTouch camera but it went for almost 20 minutes O_O Yeah that would be heaps boring to watch haha...

For this tag, all you gotta do is list 5 items that were 'naughty' for you this year i.e. products that you regret buying, didn't work, waste of money and 5 items that were 'nice' for you this year i.e. products to recommend to others, continue using, repurchase etc.

Starting with the naughty list:

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo Tropical

I decided to try a dry shampoo this year to see whether I can maintain nice hair in between washes. I don't wash my hair everyday, and I know for many they'd be thinking 'ew' but my hair doesn't get oily or dirty that easily. My hair is fine the day after I wash it so I wash my hair every second day. This dry shampoo didn't seem to do anything for my hair. It just made my hair smell like the tropical scent, which I wasn't a huge fan of anyway. I regret buying the regular size of it, even though I got it at a discounted price! There are now smaller versions of it which I would have rather purchased. The aerosol can is very close to still being full and unfortunately I can't give it away or sell because aerosol cans aren't allowed to be shipped in packages :| It's going to go to waste if I don't use it...

2. Australis Extender Lash Mascara in Clear

Clear mascara doesn't seem to have the same formula as regular dark mascara. This clear mascara did absolutely nothing for me. It couldn't hold my eyelashes after curling them; in fact they made them straight again o_o It also took forever to dry on my lashes. All it did was make my eyelashes wet. I would definitely not repurchase this or any other clear mascara!

3. Australis Mineral Eyeshadow Contouring Brush

Don't call me hypocritical but I liked the function of this brush. I'm only being biased about what it does - I love how it contoured my eyeshadow and the shape of the brush hair. With that I'd be biased with any contouring eyeshadow brush. What I disliked about it was the quality of the brush hairs and the handle.

The brush actually detaches from the handle which is so not good quality! And the brush hairs shed like crazy.

Although the brush looks like it has high quality, it really isn't. The thing about Australis products is that their prices are similar to other drugstore brands like Maybelline and Rimmel but their quality is not even close to those! Either Australis drops their prices or increases their quality. I will not purchase anymore brushes from Australis, even if they are half price! It isn't worth it for me.

4. Clearasil Pimple Blocker Pen

I bought this when I was desperate for something to decrease the size of an abnormally large pimple on my face. I paid full price for this - $13.95 and let me tell you - it was a waste of my money! I didn't see my pimple decreasing. And also, it didn't seem to do anything on my 'fresh' pimples. It is advised that you use it when a new pimple forms. Luckily there's no scar on my face from the large pimple x] Another thing is that I hardly get pimples on my face so this product really did go to waste. It said not to share this and it is only intended for personal use, I'm guessing for hygiene reasons. So there's no way I could give this to someone else to use :/ Even if I could... it has already expired =[ It expired a few months after I purchased it. What a waste! $13.95 for 1.9mL was not ideal. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures...

5. Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover

This makeup remover was actually on my blog sale, but I decided to give it to a friend since she uses it and was running low of it. Again, I see both positives and negatives on this product. It removed my makeup really well, one swipe would do the job. It reminded me a lot of the Lancome Bi-Facil which is the makeup remover that I adore. The thing about this makeup remover was that it wasn't gentle on my sensitive skin and eyes, and I believe that it gave me an allergic reaction :/ It made my eyelids red, swollen and itchy... not a good look. If only this makeup remover was gentle *sigh* So if you do have sensitive skin like me, I don't recommend this eye makeup remover however if you don't have sensitive skin, then I think you could give this a try.

Now with the nice list:

1. L'oreal Gentle Makeup Remover for Eyes and Lips

Speaking of gentle makeup removers, I was able to find a great one after I discontinued using the Neutrogena one. I did a little review of this here and I must say, I still have the same thoughts on it :) It's very gentle on my eyes and I love how it clearly states that it's suitable for sensitive skin! Although it takes a few swipes to properly remove makeup, I still love how it doesn't give me an allergic reaction and it works well for me. I would repurchase this unless I can find one that ticks all the boxes - gentle, for sensitive skin and can remove makeup in one swipe.

2. Maybelline Pulse Perfection Mascara in Waterproof

I don't know why it didn't rotate, even though the photo on my computer has been rotated!

I also did a mini review of it here and this is still my favourite mascara. It works well with my lashes and it does everything that I want it to =] Luckily I purchased this when it was half price (now it's $23.95) because I don't think I would try using a different mascara. I would love to repurchase this but maybe when it's on sale again x] $23.95 might be too much for me, unless I want to spoil myself hehe.

3. Pupa products

This is upside down. Oops...

Ah, this year I discovered Pupa products at Priceline when they had a 50% off sale on all Pupa items. Now Pupa products are no where to be found in my city or in any of those Priceline stores anymore but that's okay. I have enough Pupa items that will last me for a while x] I'm just going to be glad that I was able to try high-end makeup for the very first time! In Australia they aren't considered as high-end but in Italy (where they originated from) they are high-end :) Maybe if I visit Italy I can purchase other Pupa stuff. I was happy that I could also have some Pupa items in my blog sale (which have all been sold) and also in my recent giveaway. I definitely recommend Pupa products because they are high-quality and have unique packaging x]

4. Rimmel and Revlon Lipsticks

This year also marked the year of me buying lipsticks for the first time, and also blush xD I had bought and tried every other makeup product except for those. It took me a while to realise my liking for lipsticks and blushes! I'm very glad that I have lipsticks from Rimmel and Revlon. My first purchased lipstick was Rimmel's Pink Blush which is known as a dupe for MAC Viva Glam Gaga :D It's a very Barbie-pink and it doesn't suit my skin tone that much so buying the Lady Gaga one wouldn't have been worth it as it costs a lot more! Revlon lipsticks are also my favourites :) Rimmel have the cheapest drugstore lipsticks and Revlon are the most expensive but definitely worth it ^_^

5. Urban Decay Primer Potion

Last but not least is my Urban Decay Primer Potion! This is my most expensive makeup product but it was worth every cent :D Well for me it was haha, not sure if it'd be the same for others. At the start of the year I was just looking for any ordinary eyeshadow primer to keep my eyeshadows from fading or creasing and I was happy when I came across this one online. When I bought this, I didn't know anything about the brand 'Urban Decay' and I had no idea about its quality. It was $30.95 but I clicked the 'add to cart' button in a flash because of the product description on the site that I purchased from. The price didn't affect me and I just wanted an eyeshadow primer so bad! There are so many cheaper ones but I don't care - this one is SO good! I can't rave about this enough. Urban Decay is quite expensive for Australians especially but you can't go wrong with this. I could use the chalkiest and least-pigmented eyeshadow and I'm sure that this primer potion will work its magic to make it look fabulous. So there you go - with this you're able to get away with buying cheap, low-quality eyeshadows by just using the Urban Decay Primer Potion first :) Eye makeup stays put and can last for the whole day and/or night!

I tag everyone who would like to list their 5 favourite items of 2010 (doesn't have to be cosmetics, they could be clothes, shoes, accessories etc.) and 5 disliked items =] I'd love to see what you've discovered in 2010 and maybe I can get some ideas!

PS. Sorry if the pictures seem a little unclear, I used my iPod Touch camera. Also I didn't watermark because I got lazy :/ I've been so busy in the last couple of days and now I'm dreading my school results D: Wish me luck.