Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2013, and 3 Honourable Mentions

Now that it's almost the end of 2013, I thought it might be good to do a recap of some of the most popular posts from the year. Some of the results are expected, some were unexpected, meaning that when I wrote them, I didn't think too much about it - it was just a post I threw together that surprisingly did well among my readers.

I've chosen the top 10 by raw number of blogpost views, because it's the simplest way to go about doing things, but I feel like this method invariably leaves out posts that are popular but were written at the end of the year, or posts (like posts on classic topics like skincare, foundation, etc) that may not garner as many initial views, but tend to do very well over a longer period of time. I tend to think of these as "evergreen" versus "trend" posts, e.g. a post on sunscreen, versus, say, a post on MAC's latest collection. But regardless, every method has its flaws or is just too much work, so I'm just going to roll with the raw views. (As an aside, I briefly thought of roughly pro-rating the number of views to length of time post was up, but that seemed quite problematic because the pro-rating wouldn't be linear for all posts, and assigning linear vs non-linear pro-rating would be an on arbitrary basis, and even with pro-rating, it's impossible to predict posts with long viewership tails anyway.)

Alright, without further ado, let's do a quick recap of what you guys read in 2013!

New Blog Design From Ling Yeung Design!

If you haven't realized yet, I have a new jazzed-up blog design! This design is from Ling Yeung Design, whose talent has graced some of the loveliest blog designs I've seen to date - she also designed for Noveau Cheap and Chalkboard Nails among others. Her portfolio includes not just website and online work but also print and design work, so yes she not only has mad coding skillz, she also has a good eye for colour, style and function. I love the colour scheme, the nifty bar at the top, as well as the side bars with the sorted labels! And she's really helpful and easy to deal with, even with the fact that I'm literally halfway around the world from her, and I couldn't be happier with my awesome blog template. I'd absolutely recommend her if you're looking for a web designer (although I think just looking at her portfolio will convince you of her talent - you won't need me to convince you!). So thanks Ling! And I hope you guys love the new design as much as I do!

Kiehl's Patchouli and Fresh Rose Aromatic Blends: EDT, Body Lotion, Body Cleanser

Kiehl's has added Patchouli and Fresh Rose to its Aromatic Blends range of products, and now, you can enjoy the scent of patchouli and rose when you shower with the Body Cleanser, moisturize your skin with the Body Lotion, and spritz on the Patchouli and Fresh Rose EDT (Eau de Toilette). Awesome! A whole bathroom and scent range, and boy, do I get excited by things that make my fragrance-nerd senses tingle with joy!

Kiehl's Patchouli and Fresh Rose: Perfect for Winter!

I realized that the Patchouli and Fresh Rose range covers two product classes, skincare, and perfume, so I'm just going to dive into both the Body Cleanser and the Body Lotion for my typical skincare ingredient analysis (which you guys like, right?), and then I'm going to totally switch modes and put on my perfume-loving hat to review the Eau de Toilette! So if it sounds like I'm switching gears halfway through the post, you guys know why! But I figured it's the best way for me to proceed with this post, because I certainly don't want to either skimp on the skincare analysis, or write less about my thoughts on the perfume, just because I'm dealing with multiple product types in one review. So buckle up, and let's get on with the review!

Beauty Blog Link Love

If your hair is chemically treated or heat styled, you need to check out Pretty Little Elixir Vegan Hair Masque! It's a dream come true for Phyrra.

Jenn from Spiced Beauty shares her favourite long-lasting eyeliner sets for the holidays!

Musicalhouses looks at the products in her stash that are like 2014's Pantone Color of the Year, Radiant Orchid!

How do you surprise a beauty lover? Over at theNotice, Rae has five gift ideas for the woman who has it all that she'll never see coming -- and three others that are even more obscure.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed sparkles with the new collection from Carrie Underwood Nicole by OPI - check out her swatches and see if you'll be adding any to your polish collection!

Jenny creates a soft olive khaki smoky eye with MAC Flourishing and Sumptious Olive at My Funny Valentine.

Excited about the movie American Hustle? Here's how to get the looks from the movie, on Gouldylox Reviews!

Beauty Info Zone is taking some daring steps this holiday season. See what the ladies found from Senna Cosmetics to help them stand out from the crowd.

RiRi Hearts MAC Holiday Collection is an amazing collection that FabDiva20 hauled from. Check out her MAC RiRi Hearts MAC Holiday Collection Haul: lipsticks.

Beauty Reflections feels like a real makeup artist when using the Shiseido Eye Color Bar Eyeshadow Palette! Come see the looks she created with it!

It is the time of year for Festive Glitter, Shimmer, and Sparkle! Find out Pammy Blogs Beauty's Top 10 Picks for Glittery Shimmery Favorites!

Butter London Jack The Lad: Christmas Green Glitter

This year, I happen to be pretty busy during the Christmas season, so unlike previous years, I didn't get the time to do any Christmas nail art. But, I did manage to squeeze in a little Christmas cheer on my nails! Behold, probably the most Christmassy green ever, Butter London's Jack The Lad!

Butter London Jack The Lad: My Christmas green this year.

Butter London isn't actually a UK-based brand, despite the brand name and the colloquial British names. Butter London is actually based in Seattle, USA, and if you look at their About Us page, you'll notice that also, the top C-suites of the brand are all people from the US, too. It seems like the only vaguely British thing about the brand is that was founded by a British person, Sasha Muir, who now lives in the USA. I've never pointed this out before, but as the brand picks up in popularity, I realized I was coming across people who actually thought it was a British brand (doesn't help that esteemed fashion publications like Elle UK, no less get it wrong, too), and they seem so surprised to think that a US brand could capitalize on the world's Anglophilia. It's not the first time I've seen brands trying to masquerade as coming from another country - if you recall, my post on Elianto cosmetics noted that the Korean stylings of the brand really belied a Malaysian origin.


Butter London Jack The Lad: Just so you know, Butter London isn't actually a British brand.
But let's proceed. Brand image and marketing aside, I've honestly been slower than most nail bloggers to take up Butter London with significant enthusiasm. Part of it is the price. $25 for a nail polish is just not really splurge-friendly - not that it has stopped me from racking up a tiny Butter London stash of my own. The other part of it is the fact that, well, Butter Londons seem to vary highly in quality. Some shades are really excellent, some are four-coats-and-there's-still-VNL kind of less excellent.

Pantone Colour of the Year Radiant Orchid: Look at the Radiant Orchid-ish Stuff I Already Have!

Pantone has officially announced Radiant Orchid as the Colour of the Year 2014, and this time, I'm actually pretty excited for it because, as I've been saying in my previous blogposts, purple is my favourite colours. If you've been reading for a while, you'll also know that I think that this whole Colour of the Year thing is just another means of making them companies more $$$ through commercialization of a single colour shade, and those feelings still hold, but hey, at least this year I'm going to have companies try to make money off me with a colour I actually can get on board with! I wasn't feeling last year's Emerald or the previous year's Tangerine Tango, so FINALLY! Come get my money with a colour I actually like, companies! Haha.

Radiant Orchid is Pantone's Color of the Year for 2014. Here are my Radiant Orchid-ish makeup items!

Anyway, before I get all ready to get my commercialization on (yay retail therapy!), out of curiousity, I thought I'd just run through my beauty stash and pull out all the Radiant Orchid-colour-alikes I already have in my stash, and show them to you guys - and really also to myself, as a reminder to not bust my budget when Sephora puts out their Sephora X Pantone Radiant Orchid Limited Edition Makeup Set with Unicorn Whiskers, or whatever they have up their sleeve. Just a little reminder to myself. So here we go!

All the Radiant Orchid products we'll be bombarded with soon in the coming months! LOL! (Source)

Polish Addict Nail Color Jellyfish I: Like Glitter and Snow (and Jellyfish)!

Continuing my thing for indie polishes, today I have to show you another indie polish - Polish Addict Nail Color's Jellyfish I! I bought this from Mei Mei's Signatures sometime back when the brand was on sale. Apparently Jellyfish I is so named because there are multiple Polish Addict Nail Color shades named Jellyfish. There's Jellyfish, Jellyfish I, and Jellyfish II. Looking at other photos and swatches I've seen, they all follow the general formula of a white crelly base that flashes some other shade, and varying colours of contrasting glitter.

Polish Addict Nail Color Jellyfish I: White crelly base with purple and blue glitter bits

Jellyfish I is a white crelly base that flashes gold, and has small round purple and blue glitters in it. It does kind of remind me of jellyfish, but with this season, it being Christmas and all, I'm also vaguely reminded of snow when I look at the nail polish. Snow with bits of dirt and rock in it. Slushy snow.


Polish Addict Nail Color Jellyfish I: Reminds me of jellyfish, reminds me of snow

MUFE Midnight Glow Palette Swatches: Officially My Favourite Holiday Eyeshadow Palette!

MUFE has come out with the Midnight Glow Palette for the holidays, and I am absolutely in love with this palette and it's gorgeousness! I always love MUFE's releases because their makeup is consistently of high quality, and the lovely Midnight Glow Palette is no exception. There's an Aqua Rouge too, in a really lovely universally flattering shade that works on all skintones - but I'll get to that in another post! For today, we're found to be just all about the eyes!

MUFE Midnight Glow Palette: Eyeshadows with glitz and glitter for the holidays!

If you're tired of seeing the same few shades incorporated into holiday palette releases, you'll be pleased to know that six of the eight shades are new and exclusive to the palette. The six new shades boast a new "diamond" formula, specially created for an extreme shine. The other two remaining shades are good ol' basics that everyone needs - there's Matte Black and Metallic Taupe 127.

Olay Aquaction Long Lasting Hydration Gel Review and Ingredients Analysis: A Light Moisturizing Gel

Olay has launched its Aquaction line, and one of the key products in the line is the Long Lasting Hydration Gel. As a woman in my 20s, I always remember Olay as the brand my mum used, but looking at their products and displays, I'm always impressed how a brand with such a heritage has managed to keep its image and products modern, relevant, and up to date!

The Aquaction Long Lasting Hydration Gel is just such a product of the brand's ability to modernize. It's a light, gel-based moisturizer, that still touts itself as being able to provide hydration and moisture to the skin. A weightless feeling while still providing moisture? Sign me up!

Olay Aquaction Long Lasting Hydration Gel: The latest deep hydrating product from Olay

As you guys know, I always like to start off my skincare analysis by looking at the ingredients list - it really helps to cut through all the review preliminaries and gets straight to the point. So here we go!