My beauty must haves!

At the moment there are several things that I can't live without when it comes to my beauty/skin routine. I am going to list them here, along with why I love them!

Are you ready??? Well....here we go!:

Skin care:

I really don't do much with this, and that is probably the biggest reason I have the issues I have, but I am going to put it down anyway, more than likely I am not the only person/woman out there that doesn't have a whole list of things to wash your face with.

I have Eczema, which makes your skin extremely dry, and sensitive to boot! So I use Dove bar soap, fragrance free dye free, it does feel like it leaves a film on my face so after washing my face I use an apricot face scrub to get that film off, and it doesn't make my face feel tight, like when you wash with something to harsh. Make sure to pat dry! This is very important for anyone but especially for dry skin. After I pat dry I use Aveeno baby lotion as a moisturizer on my face because it has been really my savior.....not to greasy as most heavy creams can be, and not so watered down feeling that it seems like it soaks up really fast, for me it has been just perfect.

That is it......really....that is it =)

Make up must haves, please know that these aren't in any particular order of how much I like the product. I am just going in the order I would when sitting down to do my make up. So here it is:

1. Smashbox Photo finish foundation primer - I love this foundation primer because first it has sunscreen (spf 15) and it leaves your face feeling like satin! I have noticed that if I don't use it, my foundation needs touch ups more often than when I do use it, which is the purpose of primers =) Now, this product isn't inexpensive but a little does go a very long way so I really feel like I get my money's worth. The one I have now is a travel size, it was I think around $16.00....HOWEVER....I've had it at least 6 months.

2. Benefit Stay don't stray concealer primer- Ok so I use this as an eyeshadow primer and not so much a concealer primer. I put this all over my eye lid and under eye area as well. I love this one because it doesn't feel "cakey" and goes on really smooth. Not to mention my eyeshadow doesn't crease after a few hours!! Benefit brand cosmetics isn't super expensive, but when you are used to only buying drug store brands it does sometimes give you sticker shock =)

3. Almay Smart Shade concealer- again love this because it has sunscreen (spf 10) it is supposed to match up to the tone of your skin/foundation and so far it has done it's job really well! This product is also one of those that a little goes a long way, which is really important for me because I, along with many others don't have the money to just be throwing away.

4. L'Oreal Infallible Never fail powder- SPF 20!!!!! Seeing a trend there??? I LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff!!! It gives me great coverage, and doesn't make me feel like I have Spackle on my face!

5. Too Faced- Smokey Eye collection, it has three different looks in one little box!! A day time smokey eye trio, a fashion smokey eye trio and a night smokey eye trio, the day time smokey eye are browns, the fashion smokey eye is a cream, emerald green and royal blue trio and the night smokey eye trio is silver, smoke gray and black. They have great color payoff and blend extremely well! A lot of times you get eye shadows and either they are more pigmented in the little case than on your eye, or they don't blend well. The ONLY thing I can say that I don't like about these shadows is the fall-out.....the dreaded fall out......

6.Benefit- High Brow, this product is like a giant eye liner for your eyelid....you draw a thin line under your eyebrow, following the curve of your eyebrow and blend it in, and it instantly makes your eyes brighter and gives the illusion of a higher brow.

7. Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara- the one I have comes in an orange tube, but I also really love the one that comes in the purple tube. The reason I love this mascara is because it separates your lashes beautifully. I don't like them when they are brand new, only because they are very wet and tend to clump the lash slightly.....however when it is used a few times and is a little more on the dry side it is AWESOME!

8. Maybelline Eye Studio gel eyeliner- this comes in a little pot, and with a really neat little brush. I purchased the Black, and I haven't found any other colors so far, and that may be because the other colors were sold out or the stores I went to only had black, I'm not sure really. I love gel eye liners because they are easier to use (for me anyway) than the liquid eye liners, and the plus for me as well is the fact I don't have to wait for it to dry.

9. L'Oreal Voluminous mascara- this is my old school love, awesome mascara!! Gives you great length and volume......( Side note: every mascara I buy is the Blackest Black color, and I do believe L'oreal has the voluminous in Carbon black)

10. Cover Girl Wet Slicks- These are are lip glosses, the one I currently use is # 505, Guava Splash......its a really pretty pink color, and smells FANTASTIC....it is a sheer pink so its not over powering and has a little bit of a shimmer to it.

11. Benefit blush in Dallas- the bottom of the cute little box describes the color as "dusty sunset plum" ....it really is very pretty, it has a bit of a shimmer to it, so you don't want to over do it, but it gives you a little bit of a dewy look. Love the color as well, it is a gorgeous pinky plum .

Pheeewwww....that seemed really long!! There are so many products out there that are fabulous, and these were just a few of my faves. I would really like to get more colors in the gel eyeliner, as well as a few more of the Benefit blushes, they have gorgeous colors!!!

Well I think that is it for now, I will do another blog when I am able to go out and get more items!!! If you have any suggestions, or want me to try some of your faves let me know in the comments, I would love to try them out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Make up

Growing up my mom always wore make up, I am talking not just a little bit of mascara...but a full blown, take two hours to get ready kind of deal. This was for anything we did, be it go shopping or just go get the mail. I asked her once why it took her so long to "get ready" and why she was ALWAYS wearing make up, and she told me that when she was growing up her mom would always tell her to go get some make up on and do her hair, because you always have to put your best foot forward regardless of if you are going across town or just down the street.

I admire this quality in a person, because lets face it not many people live by that standard anymore. Take for instance a trip to the grocery store or Walmart....filled with people who do not care what they look like, people in pajamas, slippers, barefoot, hair a mess...make up smeared.....you get the point. There are other people that go to Walmart that do care and do make sure to look their best, they are the minority though.

So lets get this show on the road. Several months ago I went to a store called Sephora, a cosmetic boutique really. They had all kinds of sparkly pretty make up, all different types and colors. They had make up to make you look like you aren't wearing any make up, make up that covered things you didn't want seen....you get the idea. For the most part I have always purchased my beauty products at Walmart, Rite Aid, CVS, places of that nature, until now.

So, as I browsed the little stands with the different products and brands, I came across a brand of foundation that I had seen many tutorials and hauls on youtube, saying this was one of the BEST foundations. I decided I would go ahead and try it out, I have always been in search of the perfect foundation! One that gave excellent coverage, didn't feel like cake on my face, didn't have to be re-applied every couple of hours, etc....so I check the price......$35.00.......yeah I know CRAZY!

So after I got over the shock of the price ( which by the way, wasn't the most expensive one in the store, that would be Bare Minerals) I checked out and home I went (OK lets get real I bought a few other things as well...but we will talk about that later ).

So I get home super excited to use my $35.00 foundation!! I head to the bathroom with my goodies, and get started. Dun Dun Dun, I was soooooo not happy with the results....the reason I wanted something with "excellent" coverage is because I have the following issues with my complexion:

1. Spider veins- for those of you who don't know what those are...they are pesky little blood vessels that pop and leave a little ( although sometimes big) red dot. Fun huh?!

2. HUGE pores- nuf' said

3. Sometimes a blemish or two...or three

4. Redness- under my eyes, on my cheeks, forehead.

So with that in mind, I really wanted to find something to cover all of those issues. Now any good cosmetic boutique will tell you that you need several items along with the foundation in order for the foundation to do its job correctly. Those items are as follows:

1. Primer for your face- this is so that the foundation sticks without resting in your pores or looking like you need to re-apply

2. Primer for your eyelids - to make sure your eye shadows stays on all day without creasing, or looking like it needs a touch up.

3. Concealer - this is where you can spend some bucks as well because there are all different types of concealers. There are green concealers for redness, natural colored concealers to cover other issues, salmon colored concealers to cover blue under eye circles....SOOO many!!!

So anyway, I purchased a face primer and eye lid primer, along with the expensive foundation and it didn't cover hardly anything.....but there was no way I was going to not use it, I paid way to much to just throw it away. After using it all the time, I still don't like it, but I am going to use it until it runs out and get my moneys worth!

I went to the fair a week or so ago with Shana, and she had to put her make up on, she pulled out this compact thing and started putting her foundation on, and I loved the coverage it gave her!! The packaging had kinda worn off and she said she thought it was L'Oreal.....I looked online at the L'Oreal Paris website and found it!!!! Wooohoooo!

Drum roll please......it was L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Powder. This powder is amazing, you can use it dry and it gives you a heavier coverage, which is what I need, and you can also use it with the sponge a little damp and it gives you more of a liquid feeling coverage. I used it last night first on my sister in law Megan, who has almost the exact skin tone as I do, it looked beautiful on her! Did I mention it is SPF 20???? Awesome!!!! Not only does it give great coverage, but it goes on silky smooth and has sunscreen!!! What more could a girl ask for? Once I use it some more I will update this and give a better review.

Another favorite of mine is Maybeline gel eye liner, it comes in a little pot, with an applicator, it doesn't look like much but let me tell you, with this product a little goes a long way! This eye liner is great if you aren't confident in using liquid eye liner, or you have a reaction to liquid eye liners like my sister in law. It gives you a liquid look but easier to manage.

I will be putting together another blog today of my other favorite products, maybe one of you will try one out and love it as much as I do!!