Beauty Resolutions and Hopes 2010

Hello and Happy New Year!

I have just read the excellent Temptalia's post but have to admit that I am in the massive camp of those left fuming, in spite of her earnest protestations and experiments. You see, MAC have replaced their sturdy squat pigment jars with little nail polish designs. And now instead of getting 7.5g we'll be getting 4.5g. For the same price, naturellement.

MAC have sneakily done this on a small scale before, with the ever rich pigments, or whatever that collection was when they gave us some BS about different texture dictating the pigment amount and volume... Oh please! Now though, the packaging is changed as "the new jars were designed to reflect the packaging of MAC’s entire line, particularly their nail lacquers and foundations." That is such a laughable excuse for what is essentially an underhand price hike.

Personally, I would take less offence if they had simply raised the prices. I believe they have raised the price of the lipsticks and eyeshadows already... at least, I seem to recall they were £10 in recent memory, and since when were MSFs ever £19.50? But anyway, Pigment in particular represented the true wow value MAC staple. It's no use Temptalia arguing that we still get more than we ever could use. In fact I am shocked and disappointed that a makeup enthusiast could ever use these arguments - what next: You don't need 12 different pink blushers???

I would not dare say that powerful blogs have to provide a measured response to troubling news and play devil's advocate to preserve good company relations. In any event, this, so hot on the heels of the new year, made me think about what I'm hoping for for the rest of the year - namely, none of these dirty tricks that undermine me as a consumer. In short, I want a consumer paradise: where products deliver, and do more than one thing, and give you a decent amount of product for a not too ludicrous price. I want brands to stop discontinuing favourites and packaging. I don't want to be faced with gimmicks that masquerade as revolutionary, but on the other hand I don't want the same old tired shades. I don't want a billion new limited edition collections, yet I realise that that probably is the only way to keep us in a state of eager enrapture.

I don't believe my collection is an unmanageable monster yet, so I plan to maintain that. However my downfall is backup buying, I will try to curb that. Also, to stop buying lipglosses as I hate the feel of gloss on my lips; and to respect my HGs enough to never cheat on them again. It's not worth it.

There are some new brands I want to try, in particular Ellis Faas, who I first heard of via my friend Witoxicity, who first posted here then reviewed some products in depth (creamy lips)here and (creamy eyes) here. The concept of having colours inspired by human bodily fluids is not unknown: artists have long realised that decay and gore play host to an array of beautiful vivid reds, yellows and purples and blues... But there is nonetheless something very off-putting about it, I feel quite repulsed at picking up a mustard colour - only to be faced with the question of what bodily function communicated itself to the Ellis Faas imagination for this?? etc. But still, I'm looking forward to seeing it in person once it hits Liberty's.

OxfordJasmine ran a retrospective feature, some bloggers (including myself) pick out a fave 2009 product. Check it here. Have you got a standout 2009 product? A brand or product you'll be looking out for in 2010? What are your beauty resolutions and hopes this year?