55 Secret Street : Top 10 Beauty Secrets of 2007

Can you believe that 2008 is Tuesday? Time really does fly!

It's been a a busy, fun year here at 55 Secret Street. My list of 55 Favorites for Fall and the Holidays never made it out of my BlackBerry, but I did want to close out the year with a list or two. Here are my Top 10 Beauty Secrets of 2007 - in no particular order with the exception of #1.

10.) Coconut Oil - Women of color especially love it as a hair conditioner and moisturizer. All of my favorite blogger pals were talking about it, from Tia to Andrea to the Dominican Enigma and that ranting Creole Princess in D.C. It is constantly discussed on the Long Hair Care Forums as well.

9.) Metallic Eyeshadow- I'm still dusting it on and loving it. Using just a little bit with my fingers makes it look like I've put in far more effort than I actually did.

8.) Curly/Kinky Hair Care Products - Led by the ever popular Miss Jessie's, several independent beauty companies like Mixed Chicks, Curl Junkie and Blended Beauty have emerged and keep growing. They have all created unique blends of conditioners and super moisturizing creams and constantly improve on their formulas . Naturally Curly is a great resouce online and I've been very lucky in Ricky's in New York, scooping up Mixed Chicks and other hot products.

7.) Flat Irons- You can't argue with the curl revolution, but bone straight hair is still very much in style. Who has the best flat iron? CHI? Sedu? T3? Conair's new Infiniti Nano Silver flat iron has also been making waves. They just keep getting better and better.

6.) Pretty Underarm Protection - And then some. This is one secret weapon you'll want to keep around for 2008, starting with that sexy New Year's Eve dress you'll be wearing. Hollywood Fashion Tape's Hollywood Nights Evening Bag Essentials will serve you well.

5.) Dr. Scholl's Moleskin Plus Padding - A Fashion Week trick gleaned from the New York Post of all places. Happy Feet = a beautiful smiling face.

4.) Hair Mascara - I lamented about my lack of success in finding it and resorting to using regular mascara to cover my few gray strands. Thankfully Frederic Fekkai got the memo and introduced Frederic Fekkai Hi-Lights Hair Mascara in Gold and Cognac.

3.) "Green" Beauty - Everything was green, green, green in 2007 and why not? Personally, I am not bothered by the right set of chemicals in my skincare, but I was pleasantly surprised by Stella McCartney's new skincare line.

2.) Lightening Knees & Elbows - Very much under the radar for some, but this is one of the top three search topics on 55 Secret Street. Inquiring minds all over the world want to know if it is possible to lighten dark knees and elbows. The answer? Yes and no.

1.) The Dominican Blowouts, Roller Sets and Conditioners - While many were shocked and amazed, plenty of you were already in the know. It was easily the most popular post this year on 55 Secret Street. From Alter Ego to Nacidit, you just couldn't get enough.

Comments

i love that brand of coconut oil

Posted by: andrea | 2007.12.28 at 08:54 PM

Love your site.I am an unreformed and unrepentant beauty product junkie (I use everything I buy) and it is always a pleasure to find out what I dont know. Its great to see products for people of color and done so well too:)
Best wishes for 2008.

Posted by: Shoppinghaze | 2007.12.29 at 09:21 PM