2010 Cosmetic Trendspotting

Welcome to the year of Turquoise, Soft Pinks, and Slate Grays! Beauty buffs, expect a summer season full of indefinitely colorful cosmetic surprises! I've tried and tested the best cosmetics of 2010 and here they are! They're sure to keep your summer bright, no sweat!

Best Lash Primer: Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus

Looking for a primer that conditions and lifts your eyelashes without the hard white residue that is oh-so unflattering beneath your mascara? Search over. This primer slides on translucent while it separates, moisturizes, and lifts lashes so that mascara goes on clean. Unlike other primers, it makes eye-make removal easier so that you won't have to spare any lashes at the end of the day!

Best Mascara: Maybelline Lash Stiletto

Say goodbye to sticky mascara! Lash Stiletto contains a Pro-Vitamin B-5 formula that grips lashes like silk without clumping or drying out lashes. The elastic enriched formula also really stretches lashes while making them shine!

Best Eye Liner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil

My new favorite eyeliner! As a glitter-wary metalli-phobe, I tend to cling to smooth, matte colors when it comes to cosmetics, but Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On Pencil has turned me into a loyal fan. This pencil glides on like gel (no, really it does) and is easly smudged into a shaddow with a good brush (I suggest the Smashbox Creme Eyeliner Brush #9). Even better, the metallic/glitter composition is just light enough to make the yellow & green highlights in my brown eyes pop.

Speaking of Brushes...

If you've fallen prey to our current decade of "green marketing" like most of us, allow me to say... natural isn't always better. Brushes made of natural (animal) hair absorb dirt, oil, and cosmetic build up just like our natural hair. Unless you want to commit to cleaning these brushes at least once a day, count on breakouts and red, itchy, irritated skin. Bare Minerals brushes are particularly harsh on the skin as the hairs are cut with sharp edges for better application of the mineral makeup. These sharp hairs can jab the pores with dirt and oil making the skin look and feel less than nice. Synthetic brushes on the other hand, are antibacterial, last longer, are less harsh on the skin, and only need to be cleaned about once a week with soap and water.

Best Brush: Smashbox Creme Eyeliner Brush #9

This brush is the mother of all professional eyeliner brushes! Turn liner into shaddow, create smoky eyes with a few strokes, and smudge liner to create softer lines without sticking yourself in the eye with too-sharp bristles.

Best Foundation:
Urban Decay Surreal Skin Universal Mineral Powder

Surreal Skin by Urban Decay gives you the same lightweight coverage as other leading mineral powder makeup Bare Minerals without poky brushes, bismuth, and mess. Not to mention, it's lighter on the wallet!

$30.00 at Ulta

Best Highlighter:
Benefit High Beam Satin Pink Highlighter

Hands down, the best highlighter of 2010. The small brush applicator makes for easy application in delicate places. The best way to apply is to create three small dots along the cheek line and a couple dots beneath the brow. Then smudge this lightweight creamy highlighter in. This formula is not heavy or sticky and creates a healthy natural looking glow.

Best Under Eye Concealer:
Smashbox High Definition Concealer

Smashbox's High Definition concealer may not only be the best concealer of 2010. It may be the best...ever. If you have been on a mission to find an under-eye concealer that will cover dark circles without sinking into creases or fine lines, or giving you that albino raccoon look, this is it! Smashbox's weightless color-matching actually works. Not to mention, this line, originally created for photo shoots, is boss at catching light just right. Not only will you not feel like you're wearing anything under your eyes, you won't look like you are either. Just naturally rested, without the freakish yellow/orange tint that other concealers so fabulously provided in the past.

Best Lip gloss: Smashbox Limitless Longwear Lip gloss

It does exist! Cocktail-proof lip gloss-and you thought it was just a myth! Limitless Long Wear lip gloss by Smashbox stays on for (up to 6) hours; even happy hour. My favorite shade is "Infinite," a light pinky-nude gloss that goes with everything. Unlike other popular long-wear glosses (like Estee Lauder's High Gloss) that use glitter to create a metal-slick shine, Limitless Long Wear is infused with vitamins A, C, & E for a healthy conditioned shine that won't leave your lips dry and glitter stained after a a drink with the girls.

Best Polish/Color Trends:

These shades are sure to be this year's hottest trends! The 2010 color pallet is all about girly, earthy, and bold. Expect to see less of the classic apple red/hot pink and more Indigo, Teal, Yellow, Robins' Egg, Soft Pink, and Slate on lady fingers.

Pop Nail Glam in "Turquoise"

O.P.I "Soft Pink" Collection

Rescue Beauty Lounge in "Concrete Jungle"

Misa in "Sorry"

O.P.I in "No Room For The Blues"

O.P.I in "Banana Bandanna"