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10 of My Picks for Head of the Class: A+ Makeup and Beauty Department Store (and Other) Products of 2011

December 27th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

Best Department Store Makeup and Beauty Products of 2011

2011 was another awesome year for feline and human makeup and beauty. Along with rediscovering/falling in love again with a slew of pulse-pounding permanent products from some of my favorite lines like MAC and NARS, I also bumped into bunches of beautiful products to lurve on drugstore and department store shelves.

If you’re on the market for something special to spend a Christmas gift card on, consider one of the overachieving A+ department store products below. All of them are looking for new homes just like yours and can be found in stores now. 🙂

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush$25 Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush

Chanel Sophisticated Eye Collection Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Vanites$57 Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Vanites

Pacifica Color Quench Lip TintsPacifica $9 Color Quench Lip Tints

MAC 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush$24.50 MAC 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush

Kerastase Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Balm$42 Kerastase Cleansing Hair Balm


Becca Professional Brush SoapBecca’s $15 Pro Brush Soap

Tom Ford Beauty Violet Fatale Lipstick$48 Tom Ford Beauty Violet Fatale Lipstick

MAC Cleanse Oil Tranquil$30 MAC Cleanse Oil Tranquil

MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencils$18 MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencils

Jillian Michaels Banish Fat Boost Metabolism DVDJillian Michaels’ $10 Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

10 of My Picks for Head of the Class: A+ Makeup and Beauty Department Store (and Other) Products of 2011 / Originally published December 27th, 2011

Categories: Just For Fun, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To Keywords: best of 2011

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Comments

  1. Katherine says

    December 27th, 2011 at 8:41 pm

    I really LOVE that Tom Ford lipstick!
    Katherine recently posted … EXPRESS Beauty Collection

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 27th, 2011 at 9:11 pm

      It’s a fantastic splurge. I hope you give it a try!

      Reply
  2. Julie Fischer says

    December 27th, 2011 at 8:53 pm

    Oooh, I need to check out the MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencils! Your list rocks.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 27th, 2011 at 9:12 pm

      Thanks, Julie. The Pro Longwear Lip Pencils rule. So do the eyeshadows!

      Reply
  3. caitlin says

    December 27th, 2011 at 9:39 pm

    thanks for the list! i’m wondering how soft that becca brush cleansing bar leaves brushes… i have used everything from legitimate brush cleansers to gentle shampoos to bar soaps and i’ve never really been entirely happy with anything i’ve used. i seem to recall one cleanser that left my brushes really soft but i can’t remember what i might have been using!
    i love that chanel quad, i NEED that eye brush and i’d love to play around with that tarte blush.. they’re all currently on my wishlist. after that i want those lip tints and the mac cleanse off! sigh…

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 27th, 2011 at 9:41 pm

      Hi Caitlin,

      The Becca soap leaves brush bristles super soft. I’ve used a bunch of brush cleaners, too, and it’s by far my favorite.

      Reply
  4. Heidi says

    December 27th, 2011 at 9:49 pm

    Definitely agree on the Tarte blushes. They’ve restored my faith in powder blushes!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 27th, 2011 at 9:54 pm

      Hi Heidi,

      Do you have a fave shade? Mine is Tipsy. 🙂

      Reply
      • Heidi says

        December 27th, 2011 at 10:11 pm

        Oh, Tipsy is awesome! I like a subtle blush most of the time, so I usually reach for Glisten or Peaceful.

        Reply
  5. Chris25 says

    December 28th, 2011 at 4:33 am

    For me, MAC Me Over was a pretty good collection for this year, and Wet n Wild’s The Gilded Age trio deserved all the hype. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Sunny says

    December 28th, 2011 at 5:37 am

    Wheee I have Tarte Exposed and I love it (Peaceful is on its way)! Kerastase is my all-time favorite hair care brand. I have long hair (halfway down my back) and with the perm I had the ends are pretty dry, but the mask for thick hair continues to work its wonders!
    Sunny recently posted … Review: Tarte Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing Powder

    Reply
  7. Nina says

    December 28th, 2011 at 6:24 am

    oh my goodness — what a great list! i love love love the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes! ive said that those blushes are my 2011 best product of the year!!!

    Reply
  8. Wendy says

    December 28th, 2011 at 7:39 am

    Just bought Chanel’s 2011 Spring quad Eclosion. The plum color is so pretty! I’ll have to search to see if you’ve reviewed any GA’s Eyes to Kill shadows. Looking to add a couple.

    Reply
  9. Olfactory Obsessed says

    December 28th, 2011 at 9:18 am

    Chanel Quad and Tom Ford lipstick are tempting but I have to go for the Jillian Micheals Banish Fat Metabolism boost. I don’t even want to know how many pounds I’ve gained between Thanksgiving and Christmas! :/
    Olfactory Obsessed recently posted … New Discoveries: Stunning Fragrance Jewelry from Aromawear

    Reply
  10. Miso says

    December 28th, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    I love the Tom ford lipstick but it’s so expensive!! Is there a dupe colour MAC makes that u know of??! I may have to splurge if you don’t know of any 🙁

    Reply
  11. shiny says

    December 28th, 2011 at 2:17 pm

    Karen, gurl, I bought the 226 based mainly on your recommendation. AND IT ROCKS (OCKS OCKS Ocks Ocks ocks ocks – that’s supposed to be an echo). Anyway, dramatic hyperbole aside :D, this thing does everything you said – it’s fantastic.

    THANK YOU KAREN! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

    Reply

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog
Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my two-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my cat (Tabs).

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