{2011 FOF Awards} The envelope, please…

The Academy Awards may have been given out on Sunday… but, today, we present you with the 2011 FOF Awards. As part of this FabOverFifty annual tradition, thousands of you tell us your favorite things from the past year, from beauty to fashion to technology. Then we narrow the results to three finalists in each category and have a run off! At long last, the big winners:

—————————————————————————————————

FOFs are loco for coco…Coco Chanel that is. Chanel No. 5, voted the No. 1 fragrance by FOFs for the second year in a row, was launched by Coco Chanel in 1924. A bottle of this ubiquitous, musky-jasmine fragrance is sold every thirty seconds, generating sales of $100 million a year. Clearly, Coco has FOFs to thank.
(Runners up: Amazing Grace by Philosophy, Beautiful by Estee Lauder, Angel by Thierry Mugler)

—————————————————————————————————

See ya later, washcloths! This electric, facial-cleansing brush has tickled the fancy (and faces) of FOFs for it’s ability to deep clean our pores. This past year, it won the FOF vote for best beauty product discovery.“I thought I had good skin until someone convinced me to buy the Clarisonic Classic. It went from good to amazing in days,” says Kari Soljyntes of beauty blog, Faboverforty.com. “It’s like a Sonicare toothbrush for your face. (It’s made by the same inventor!). It gets all the day’s dirt and grime off and lightly exfoliates. When you use it, your other skincare products work so much better because they penetrate the skin deeper. It’s an investment for my skin!”
(Runners up: Olay Regenerist, Bare Minerals Products, Brazilian Peel)

—————————————————————————————————

iPad, youPad, we allPad. FOFs are hooked on their iPads and using them for both business and play. “I hardly use my computer now,” says FOF Patty Smith. “I can do everything on [my iPad]–read magazines, books, check email, bank, Facebook, shop. I am never without it!” Another FOF, Corinne Garrett, a university professor and painter, uses it for business. “It beautifully showcases my artwork for clients, manages my calendars and holds all sorts of media,” she says.
(Runners up: iPhone, Kindle Fire, Nook)

—————————————————————————————————

Aw, shucks you shouldn’t have! But, you did…and we’re thrilled! Thanks for voting us #1, FOFs.

(Runners up: Facebook, Amazon, Pinterest)

—————————————————————————————————

Beating out Macy’s, Coldwater Creek and Kohl’s, FOFs chose Nordstrom as their favorite place to shop for clothing and accessories. “I love Nordstrom for splurges,” says FOF Pat Pelland. Another FOF, Mary Robins, found her mother-of-the-bride dress there. “I had great luck at Nordstrom. I bought it there, then compulsively went to every bridal store trying to beat what I purchased and couldn’t. Was delighted with the service and in-house alterations.” Others tout the lingerie department. “The fitters usually have a great deal of experience and they have an excellent return policy as well,” says FOF Kelly Yamauchi.
(Runners up: Macy’s, Kohl’s, Coldwater Creek)

—————————————————————————————————

“Have you ever read a book and then gotten sad when you realized you were close to finishing it? asks FOF Deborah Martin. “Have you ever just fallen in love with characters and wanted to know what else was going to happen to them after the book ended? This is one of those books.” Deborah is not alone–The Help captured the hearts of millions of women, spending more than 100 weeks on The New York Times Bestseller list and selling over five million copies in 35 countries.
(Runners up: The Bible, Bossypants by Tina Fey, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)

—————————————————————————————————

Who said a movie can’t be as good as the book? Clearly not FOFs! “I loved both the movie and the book. We’ve come along way,” says FOF Annette Brinkerhoff.
(Runners up: Bridesmaids, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Midnight in Paris)

—————————————————————————————————

Beating out French macarons, greek yogurt and gluten-free foods–PopChips are the official FOFoodie favorite of 2011. These all-natural snacks, made from popped “kernels” of potatoes, clock in at just 120 calories and 4 grams of fat per bag. “Yum!” says FOF Mary Beth Schriver. “All-natural sweet potato Pop Chips–a great snack–and good for you!”
(Runners up: Greek Yogurt, French Macarons, Gluten-Free Foods)

—————————————————————————————————

This one was close! Vitamins beat out massage (just by a hair) for the product or service that most improved your health in 2011. “None of us get 100 percent of everything that we absolutely need,” says Dr. Tanya Edwards, a Family Physician who consults at the Cleveland Clinic Center. Dr. Edwards recommends that all FOFs take at the very least–a multi-vitamin. “Our standard American diet is grossly lacking in so many things.” (Read about other vitamins Dr. Edwards recommends for FOFs, here.)
(Runners up: Massage, Yoga, Weight Watchers)