Blogdorf Goodman along with Beauty Addict, eBeautyDaily, Shake your Beauty, Jack & Hill and Lipstick is my Crack are featured in the latest issue in Allure. We were interviewed by Margaret Lee, who asked what are favorite products are. So, I wanted to go into more detail concerning my answers along with giving a "shout out" to the products that did not make the cut.

1. Bond 9's Chinatown: I can not stop talking about this one. It is one of my favorites. I have decided to retell the first time I smelled Chinatown since the answer in Allure was slightly vague.
I visit NYC with Cavewoman every few months to meet friends and sniff perfumes. We have been doing this trip ever since we have met. We take a bus from Ohio and drive all night. We arrive in NYC at 8 a.m. and proceed to shop all day. At 8 p.m. our coach arrives to take us back to the buckeye state. Our day is filled with stops at Barneys, Bergdorfs, Bendels, Bond, Caron, Saks (sometimes) and TAK. One specific trip included a stop at Bond that we will never forget. The owner, Laurice, met us there with her lab bottle of Chinatown. She brought it there for her number #1 fan...Cavewoman. She unscrewed the lid and the scent wafted throughout the store. It knocked all of six of us to our knees. This was a rare occurrence because we all have such different tastes. We all agreed that this was "full-bottle worthy." This would be the last time all six of us agreed on one single perfumes merits. In case you are wondering, full-bottle worthy means that a perfume is worth purchasing in its full-size form.

2. Lancome's Mille & Une Roses: This is a reissue of 2000 et une Rose. It is the best rose scent in my humble opinion. Cavewoman gifted me with my bottles. I always prayed to the fragrance gods that it would be reissued, but I never believed it could happen. You could have knocked me over with a feather when Robin at Now Smell This spilled the news. I have both bottles and it is the exact same fragrance. I owe the entire Lancome company a huge hug for making my scent dreams come true.
Saying that, can you bring "Rouge Now or Never" back?
Pretty please...

3. Shu Uemura pressed eye shadow in ME gold 370: Allure wanted us to do an accurate count of our beauty products. This was a scary assignment. In the end I was relieved, as the total number could have been worse. I know Makeup Alley members who have fragrance collections that number more than 300 and eyeshadow collections that need their own insurance policies. I wrote to Allure and told them my final total. I also wrote that the only part of total that disturbed me were the shower gels. A wise woman (Bela from the blog Slap of the Day) once said that she did not want to be survived by her shower gels. This statement haunts me. I rather be survived by my fragrances or lipglosses. (I am joking of course! Or am I?)
In the end I purged my shower product collection.
As for the Shu shadow....this is the only shadow I have hit pan on. This is MUA-speak for "getting to the bottom of the eyeshadow." It is that first glimpse of the bottom. You can only hit pan once in a single shadow. My Shu looks like it has been through wars. The cover lid is scratched and hanging on by a thread.
It is loved.

4. Smashbox Primer: Cavewoman wrote all the primer reviews during the 40 Days and 40 Nights of Primers. This was our first Blogdorf Goodman project. She tested high end and drugstore along with cult products. Not everyone was happy with her reviews. ( I am looking at you DHC fans!)
We took the project very seriously. Cavewoman decided to use one foundation to make sure the results would be more fair. She used her best at the time---La Prairie. She soon got sick of this foundation after 20 straight days. The top primer for its quality and price point is the infamous Smashbox. I am a convert and could not agree more. It is like a layer of glass over your face. It makes foundation easier to apply and last longer. It really deserves its cult status and all the raves.

5. Tocca Body Cream in Stella: Let us hope that the brass at Tocca see that and finally get the Stella out in fragrance form. The rumor has been around since 2003.


The products that did not make the cut:

1. Ormonde Jayne's Ormonde
A swoonworthy fragrance that gets compliments. Mysterious and addictive. It is damn good.

2. Estee Lauder's Perfectionist [CP+] with Poly-Collagen Peptides Correcting Serum for Lines/Wrinkles/Age Spots: This is an incredible skincare product that does not get the press it deserves. It feels like a well hidden secret. It has dramatically changed my face for the better. It has fixed problems and has made it appear younger.

3. Proc!aim's Glossing Polish
During a work trip in Columbus my co-worker Gela was examining my defrizzing gels and polishes. She stated that my products had the same ingredients as hers, but she pays significantly less. She then took me to the African American hair product section at my local Sally's Beauty Supply. This gloss is incredible. It eliminates frizz and gives the most incredible shine. It also nourishes the hair. A 12 fl oz bottle only costs $9. I really wanted this product to get a shout out in Allure.

So tell me your favorite beauty products.
What are your best finds?