The Best Of A Very Sweet Blog 2021

Putting together The Best Of A Very Sweet Blog is a tedious, but rewarding task. What's funny is, I never think I do enough in a calendar year for my blog (bloggers are always hard on themselves HaHaHa), yet I'm always amazed at what I accomplished (and this is a hobby/business). It truly makes me feel good to see what I've done. Let's get started!

Lancome (L'Oreal) Collaboration

Lancome asked me to collaborate with them in 2021. It was a great match, because I loved working with L'Oreal in the past and they make excellent products. I also like the fact, they let me give my honest opinion (not all companies do that). I've now had a chance to try five of their perfumes: Idole, Idole Aura, Idole L'Intense, La Vie Est Belle Intensement and Tresor. I enjoy wearing each and every one of them. I've been using their mascara Lash Idole daily. I've fallen in love with their L'Absolu Rouge Drama Ink liquid lipsticks. Each lays beautifully on the lips. I'm a huge fan of eye pencils (over liquid eye liner) and their Drama Liqui-Pencil Waterproof Eyeliners are superb. Lancome came out with a super fabulous face serum called Renergie HCG Triple Serum. It's so good, my mom snatched mine. I'll have to buy my own. Towards the end of 2021 (I wasn't expecting this), Lancome collaborated with the popular Netflix streaming tv show Emily in Paris. I was so surprised to receive the entire collection!!! Thank You Lancome!

Brand Collaborations

I collaborated with a number of brands this year! My first love is makeup and skincare, but I LOVE trying out other products. Threads (Canada) makes high-quality antibacterial and antiviral triple-layer face masks. They also make hosiery. MP Magic sent me their new Egyptian Cotton Waffle Towels. MP Magic also makes wonderful bedding, bathing products and socks. Illamasqua made my Summer and sent me products from their Summer Collection and more. I love their Hydra Lip Tint. I got to try Splendid Spoon. I highly suggest trying their Recovery Shots. I made a delicious ice cream & root beer float using Virgils Root Beer. VShred sent me their ever so stylish active wear weightless jacket. I thank each and everyone of these companies for sending me these products and letting me try them.

Online Magazine (Wanderful) Travel Guide Feature

It was so delightful to wake up and receive the email below. I was showcased in a post titled "Plan A Trip To New Orleans: Tips From 28+ Travel Experts" on the website Wanderful Blog. They linked to a post, where I wrote about a popular tourist attraction here in New Orleans, called Cafe Du Monde. I visit restaurants and go to various places throughout New Orleans. I come back and write about those things, but you never know if it's reaching anybody. So it was nice that someone took notice. 

 

My Favorite Makeup, Skincare And Beauty Tools For 2021

Bobbi Brown

My Bobbi Brown Favorites List just keeps growing and growing. You guys know I bow down to her Vitamin Enriched Face Base (for my dry skin). Well, this year I tried her Hydrating Water Fresh Cream and Hydrating Eye Cream. I love them as well and they are a great option for the warmer months. I'm also in love with her Vitamin Enriched Eye Base. And "hint hint" you guys, it's going to be HALF price January 7th on ULTA's Love Your Skin Event 2022. You don't want to miss that one!

Beauty Blender

Beauty Blender came out with the cutest ice cream and sundae themed packaging for their popular Beauty Blender sponges. I purchased Beauty Blender's Loaded Sundae, Single Scoop Blend & Store, Dream Swirl and Bio Pure sponges. Do you think I have enough makeup sponges? I use makeup brushes and sponges when applying makeup.

Beauty Bakerie

Beauty Bakerie did not play in 2021. They've always been very creative with their packaging. It draws me in all the time. Them and Too Faced have a knack for scrumptious packaging. I can't resist. But Beauty Bakerie really came out with products THAT WORKED for me. Some of their lip products in the past were hit or miss with me. I love their Eyes Cream Paint Job eye makeup brush set. I hope she comes out with a full face makeup brush set. They really are good! Now, I don't wear false eyelashes, but Beauty Bakerie's Anything For The Cookies is so cute. I use the cookies as compacts. I love the Lemon Bar Face Palette. And Beauty Bakerie's Butter Hydrasilk Primer is fabulous on the go. Your lips will love their Sugar Sticks lip liners!

Charlotte Tilbury and Too Faced

I started using Charlotte Tilbury when she came out with her Pillow Talk Collection. I think I have everything from that collection. So, I'm still trying some of her other products. I love her Very Victoria and Pillow Talk Medium lipstick. What I loved from Too Faced was their Cinnamon Bun Melted Matte Lipstick. It is a shade that looks great on everyone. It's very universal. It's on sale right now, so if you want it, now is a great time to grab it. A collection that I thought I would just use for aesthetics was You're So Hot. It turned out to be a really good bronzer and I love the lipstick.

Glossier and Patrick Starr

A good blog friend of mine from Little Luxury List Blog sent me Glossier's FutureDew Oil Serum. It is so good! You'll only want to use it during really cold months and at night (because its heavy), but you'll wake up to soft, supple and moisturized skin. She also sent me a tube of Glossier's Cloud Paint in Storm. Oh Gosh! I super love the formula and color. I dab this on my lips and cheeks nearly every day. It gives me the perfect wash of color over my makeup. I always get so many compliments. Now, Patrick Starr's Secure The Blur really was a SURPRISE for me. I don't really follow influencers like I use to. I received a sample of Secure The Blur in a Sephora order and OH MY GOSH! I thought my beloved Smashbox blurred. This is even better. So its my new go to primer.

Natasha Denona and Jaclyn Hill

Natasha Denona is my new FAVORITE MAKEUP BRAND! It's expensive but so good. I'm starting a little collection. She came out with Glam Face Palette and I love it. I also purchased a lot of her I Need A Nude lipsticks. I took pictures when I had to evacuate for Hurricane Ida so they were not that great, but I love her lipsticks as well. I haven't tried anything from Jaclyn Hill since her Becca Champagne Pop Collection. Her newest eye shadow palette Divine Neutrals, caught my eye. It's a beautiful assortment of neutrals and the quality is excellent.

Coola, OPI and Sally Hansen

I have to wear sunscreen on my face or else my eyes will swell up (sun allergy). I've been a fan of Coola for a really long time, because their sunscreen is lightweight but super effective. I use Sun Silk Drops on my face, but I wanted to try some of their other products. I love their Refreshing Water Mist for face and Organic Fragrance Free Sunscreen Spray for body. When I paint my toenails, I need them to dry FAST! I love OPI's Rapidry. It gets the job done. Need to nourish your nails? You've got to get Sally Hansen's Cuticle Rehab. I LOVE IT! You just brush this stuff on your nails and they look like brand new.

L'Occitane, LUSH, Sephora and Mason Pearson

If you want a lip scrub that tastes like real fruit, try L'Occitane Delicious Lip Scrub. Want a SWEET cookie lip scrub? Try LUSH's Cookie Dough. Sephora came out with a lip scrubber, that I've been using a lot. I'm now on my SECOND Mason Pearson hair brush. Excellent brush, that lasts a long time.

Comptoir Sud Pacifique, Aveeno, HUM Nutrition and Tocca

I've always wanted to try Comptoir Sud Pacifique perfume. Well their Vanille Banane smells so delicious! I absolutely love it and can't wait to try more of their fragrance selections. What a great brand! If you have sensitive skin and are on a budget, I really liked Aveeno's Calm + Restore Collection. I found it to be really good. I love REN Skincare (Evercalm) for my sensitive skin, but this is another excellent option. I Aveeno's body lotion all the time. HUM's Private Party is great for your vagina! If you don't have time for cranberry juice and yogurt, give this pill a go. It will keep everything in check. I've heard a lot about Tocca perfume and lotion. I purchased Tocca's Cleopatra lotion and it is divine.

2021 Issues

2021 wasn't without its problems and issues. Two major ones that came up. I had to evacuate for several weeks this year from Hurricane Ida. Thank God, nothing major. Just a huge disruption to life. But many people were affected (homes, cars etc) and are still dealing with those issues today. While I was out of town, I was contacted by a fellow blogger that heard about the situation on the news. She contacted me. You don't know how that made me feel. It just wasn't about blogging, she heard what was going on in New Orleans and contacted me. That's as sincere as you can get. What a gracious heart. I thank you. I wrote an emergency evacuation guide and checklist to help others. I've had my laptop for awhile, so the battery said it needed to be serviced. So I need to start saving for a new one! So glad I could pay about $250 and prolong its life :)

Mariah Carey x McDonalds

I love Mariah Carey! I've followed her since her first song and video, Vision of Love. I saw her Caution Tour concert at Beau Rivage in 2019. I purchased her MAC Collection. Yes, I'm a fan! Mariah Carey teamed up with McDonalds. She had her own MENU for practically half the month of December. I got a bag! LOL I didn't try for the beanie or tshirt. I wasn't driving to McDonalds at midnight. But I thought this was great. Was it healthy? No, but sometimes you have to cheat.

Biden Inauguration

Biden has only been in office for 1 year. Doesn't it seem longer? He has had to deal with SO MANY problems just in one year! I don't know how he does it. Whenever I feel lazy, I get my patootie UP, because if he can do it, I can do it. Loved Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez at the January 20, 2021 event.

Moderna 1, 2, 3 Vaccination Shots

In one year, I've had 3 shots of Moderna. I'm BOOSTED up you guys! For some reason, shot #1 and #3 were doozies. I had fever and chills with shot #3. I'm glad I got vaccinated, because people are being hospitalized and dying from this new Omicron variant. There seems no end to Covid right now unfortunately.

Blog Friends

I've been blogging for 10 years now on A Very Sweet Blog. You meet some wonderful people along the way. Two that have been there from the very beginning are Emmy and Little Luxury List. They sent me these beautiful Christmas gifts. When I received them, it just put a smile on my face. Just really good people. Other bloggers that have been with me from the beginning are Desle, Jo, Sonia and Mica. They always lend an encouraging word. I'm grateful for you all. 

That wraps up my 2021! Stay tuned to find out what I have in store for A Very Sweet Blog in 2022.