Happy New Year! It’s 2009 and I’m not looking back.

While 2008 was mostly wonderful for Makeup Bag (the WWD feature, the Elle mention, PARIS!), it was also a very difficult year for me personally. I lost my dad in January which has crippled me in ways that I can not explain. I’ve also spend most of the year away from my husband who is working on a business project in Hawaii that requires him to spend most of his time on the island of Kauai. For these reasons, most of 2008 was rather foggy and I haven’t really felt quite like myself.

This year, I’m taking my mom’s advice and moving forward. I have so many fun ideas for Makeup Bag but just haven’t had the mental energy to execute them.

This is the year I’m going to make it happen. Makeup Bag will be bigger and better than ever and I hope you’ll stick around for the beauty-adventure.

Here are some of my favorite products from 2008:

1. Bobbi Brown Mauve Palette Everything I need for makeup on-the-go is in this palette. Kudos to Bobbi Brown for creating yet another perfect palette.

2. CHANEL Haute Chocolat Nail Colour It was love at first sight with this deep brown, shimmery polish—and the honeymoon’s not over yet. I love this polish.

3. CLINIQUE Comfort on Call moisturizer This has been my go-to moisturizer for weeks. There is no scent to irritate my dry, sensitive skin.

4. CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara I like the waterproof formula—it does amazing things to my lashes.

5. CLINIQUE Blushwear Cream Stick in Shy Blush This color is so perfect for my skin and I love the convenience of the cream stick.

6. Jurlique Citrus Hand Cream The incredibly creamy texture and amazing scent of this hand cream make up for the price.

7. Zoya Nail Polish in Erika How could I NOT include my namesake polish on this list?

I’ve seen a few lists from other beauty bloggers around the web this week. Check them out:

• The Makeup Girl

• 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic

• Rocketqueen

• Blogdorf Goodman

• Makeup Minute

• Jolie Nadine
  

What were your favorite products of 2008? Leave a comment with your answer and be entered to win a selection of products from the Makeup Bag Beauty Closet.

Winner will be selected at random on Monday, January 5. Feel free to enter as many times as you’d like. Good luck!

Last month we told you about our favorite Jurlique Citrus Hand Cream and now there’s another Jurlique product that keeps us awake at night: Citrus Silk Finishing Powder.

Our skin is kind of crazy in that it’s mostly normal to dry, but somehow manages to get oily in the t-zone. We never leave home without powder to tame our shiny reflection and this one by Jurlique is currently topping our list.

Citrus Silk Finishing Powder is a loose translucent facial powder with the same citrus scent as their hand cream. Light and refreshing, this powder helps to absorb excess oil to reduce shine without using color or clogging pores.

Jurlique Citrus Silk Finishing Powder is so amazing, we find ourself using it as a mid-day pick-me-up even if we’re not shiny.

If citrus isn’t your thing, this powder is also available in Rose and Lavender scents to respectively offer balancing and calming properties.

Hand cream is a must here in the high desert. If we don’t slather it on after every hand washing (and then some) by the end of the day, we’re a dry, cracked mess.

Back in November, at Space NK in Soho, we found the most amazing rose scented hand cream by Jurlique, an independent alternative skin care company based in Australia. No other hand cream compares to this rich, creamy formula. It is, by far, the best we’ve ever tried.

Jurlique has two certified organic farms spanning over 165 acres in South Australia where they practice biodynamic farming (a philosophy based on preserving the inner balance of the farm’s ecosystem by growing mutually beneficial companion crops near one another—what one crop takes from the soil, another gives back). Over 50 different varieties of plants and flowers are grown on these farms and transformed into Jurlique skincare products.

This month, our favorite hand cream is now available in Citrus scent: a blend of tangerine, mandarin and lemon that is beyond divine. (Also, our children no longer complain that we smell like a rose-scented-grandma.)

Jurlique Citrus Hand Cream is available at various retail locations and online at jurlique.com.