Current Beauty Favorites

I was going to try and do one of these each month, but honestly, my favorites don’t change that often.  I tend to be one of those people who when I find something I like, I stick with it.  That being said, I have found a few new (and old) products that I love so I thought I would share them with you!

The tea tree oil has been a life saver in clearing up the last of my deep hormonal acne.  I use a Q-Tip to apply a little bit morning and night right after my facial cleansing routine, let it dry, and then moisturize.  Works wonderfully without tearing my skin up.  You can find it at your local drugstore, health store, or Target (that is where I got mine) and it costs anywhere between $9 to $20 a bottle.

The BareMinerals Warmth All-Over Face Color is something that I have had for quite some time, but never really used, mostly because I do not know how to apply it.  I spent some time figuring how to use it and now I use just a bit each day to give me a little color.  Perfect sun-kissed glow!  It can be purchased on the Bare Escentuals website, or at your local specialty beauty store for $18.

These products I bought from my local salon way back when I still had the perm.  I would use them occasionally, but never really put the effort into figuring out how to properly style my hair.  Well, with my recent hair cut I decided I would finally learn.  My stylist showed me how to use these two items in the salon and I was able to successfully repeat the look at home (at least 90%).  The Defining Volume Mousse is fantastic and gives my hair a lot of extra body and doesn’t leave it crunchy.  The Glossy Modeling Putty (which smells delicious) allows me to define the waves a little bit more.  They are a bit pricey, at $18 (putty) and $25 (mousse), and can only be purchased at salons, but for my fine and chemically treated hair, they are worth it.

A few months back I put in an order to the relatively new makeup company, e.l.f. (eyes lips face).  Mostly I ordered a bunch of lip products, as I wanted to give wearing products on my lips a try without having to make a large financial commitment.  Since receiving the order the box has been sitting there, just waiting to be opened.  Finally I broke into and gave a few items a try.  The Lip Primer & Plumper is pretty interesting.  The Plumping end apparently works by using cinnamon (it tastes quite yummy) to make your lips tingle and swell up just a little.  At least I think that is it.  The Primer end puts a kind of concealer/foundation on your lips which is suppose to help your lipstick or gloss stay on longer and pop in color just a little more.  Overall I like the Primer end a lot more, but I will continue to the other end just so I can get the cinnamon taste.

The Hypershine Lip Gloss is a lightweight and sparkly lip gloss which gives my lips an extra pop of color.  You have to use your fingers to spread out the application, but it stayed on for quite some time (combined with the primer) and didn’t leave my lips super dry.  It comes in a variety of colors, from nudes to bright reds.  Each one is $1 (or you can buy a set of 5 for $5).  The primer/plumper stick is $3.  All items can be purchased from their website.

I am always on the hunt for a new favorite mascara.  For quite some time my favorite was the Covergirl Lash Blast Length (the one in the yellow tube).  I adore the length that it gives my lashes, and that it never clumps or looks messy, but I miss having a little extra volume.  A few weeks ago I was in the local drugstore and they were having a buy one-get one free sale on CG mascara products.  I picked up something special to send my pen pal Rachel, and then picked up this one for myself.  So far, I love it.  It doesn’t give quite the length of the length one, but it does a good job combining length and volume, and the application is ALMOST flawless.  It has become my go to mascara for the past few weeks, and I plan on using it until it runs out.  You can pick it up at any location that sells CG and it costs $8.99.

A few months back I was on a bit of an eyeshadow kick and was looking for some inexpensive, but highly pigmented shadows.  My friend Jess introduced me to BH Cosmetics and I instantly was intrigued.  I ended up ordering their 28 Neutral Color Palette, and then built my own 6 Color Eyeshadow Pro Palette (which you can see here).  While my Urban Decay Naked Palette is still my go to one most days, I must admit I am quite in love with what I ordered from them.  I use the neutral color palette at least a couple times per week.  There is a bit of fallout when applying the shadows, so you definitely have to keep an eye out for that, but combined with my eyeshadow primer, the pigmentation is great and the color lasts all day.  The 28 Neutral Palette is currently on sale for $17, while the 6 Color Pro Palette is on sale for $12 (normally $20).  You get more shadow for each individual color in the customizable palette, so I highly recommend going with that one.  You can purchase both items, and more, from their official website.

What are some of your current favorite beauty products?

May Beauty Favorites

I have seen a number of other bloggers do these monthly beauty products favorites and I absolutely love them because they introduce me to new products that I can try out.  So, with that said, here are my May Beauty Favorites.

Skin/Hair Care Favorites

~ BareMinerals Purely Nourishing Moisturizer – This stuff is absolutely fantastic.  It is extremely lightweight and makes my skin feel soft and smooth without that greasy feeling.  It retails for about $20 for 1.7 ounces, which is on the pricey side.

~ Burt’s Bees Herbal Blemish Stick – This thing has been a life saver in clearing up those deep under the skin blemishes, and it smells delicious thanks to all the delicious essential oils.  It retails for $8 and can be found in local drugstores.

~ Suave Professionals Touchable Finish Hairspray – I don’t like the feeling of a lot of product in my hair, but like the hold that some hairsprays provide.  This is perfect because it is extremely light, doesn’t make my hair feel crunchy, and costs only $1.50 at Target.

~ Burt’s Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Lotion – I adore the smell of this lotion.  When you first squeeze it out of the bottle it feels like it is going to be greasy, but as you rub it in, that feeling disappears and it leaves you feeling soft and smooth.  You can get 6 ounces for $8.

~ Clinique Acne Solutions – After Proactiv started doing me wrong I began looking for a system that would help clear me up.  After reading many reviews I decided upon the Clinique system and have been using it religiously for 3 weeks.  So far I am loving it (will do a full review soon).  This small bundle, which lasts about a month, costs $32.50, which is pricey, for sure, but for clear skin, worth it.

Makeup Favorites

~ Mary Kay Timewise Firming Eye Cream - I bought this a little over a month ago in hopes of getting rid of the dark circles under my eyes.  I use it morning and night, and so far I am seeing a definite improvement in color and firmness.  It is on the pricey side at $30.00 for .5 ounces, but it lasts quite some time.  I am not even halfway through the bottle.

~ L’oreal Infallible Lipstick in Eternal Rose – I am not a big lipstick person, but I have been enjoying this particular color.  It is about the color of my lips, but a bit more bright.  I do have to wear it with a chapstick underneath, or it dries me out, but that is true of nearly all lip color for me.  It goes for about $9 in drugstores.

~ Clinique Superbalanced Foundation – I still love my BareMinerals, but I wanted something that would help me control the oil on my face better, as well as feel lightweight.  This foundation is PERFECT for that.  Because of my few remaining blemishes I can’t wear it alone, but I use it as a base and then put a thin layer of the BareMinerals over that for the perfect coverage.  It retails for $22 a bottle.

Urban Decay Naked Palette & Eyeshadow Primer - I have now had my Naked Palette for about three months and absolutely love it, particularly when used in combination with the primer.  The colors are perfect and there is nearly ZERO fallout when applying.  The palette is on the pricey side at $48, but trust me, you won’t regret it.  I wear it every single day.

~ BareMinerals Mineral Veil – I use this to set my foundation/powder.  I have been using it for years (as long as I have been using BareMinerals) and will likely never use anything else to set my makeup.  The large container is $19 and lasts 3-4 months.

~ Covergirl LashBlast Mascara - I have been on the hunt for the perfect mascara for quite some time.  After reading a bunch of blogger reviews of this one, I decided to give it a shot.  I was not disappointed.  It is the perfect mascara for every day wear, and at only $9.50 each, I don’t mind replacing it every few months.

~ Benefit CORALista Blush - I decided to give this blush a try after reading a review on Sofia’s Journal.  I am not generally a blush person, but when I wear foundation (which is all the time), I tend to look washed out or super pale.  This blush is phenomenal.  As with all Benefit products it is super gentle.  Additionally, it is not too heavy, sparkly, or dark in color.  You can layer on if you want more color, but one or two sweeps and I have the perfect glow on my cheeks.  The 120g box costs $28, but it lasts for AGES.

What are some products that you loved in May?

 

Product I Love: BareMinerals Makeup

I am one of those people who when I find something I really like, or makes me feel really good, or works really well, I stick with it.  Yes, I am always willing to try new things, but I will never forget or completely give up those things that are tried and true.  In honor of this, I would like to introduce a new “feature” in which, on a semi regular basis, I discuss some products, brands or items that throughout the years, I have found myself to come to love.

Bare Minerals Makeup

I actually feel a little weird writing about this, as I don’t usually like to promote makeup or beauty products that I use. I figure, to each, their own.  However, this particular line of makeup, particularly the foundations, completely changed how I feel about makeup, and myself.  You see, growing up, I hated makeup.  Actually, it wasn’t that I hated it, I simply didn’t understand how it worked.  There was no one who taught me how to apply it, how much to use, what colors to stay away from, etc.  Thus, after a few disastrous attempts, I decided makeup wasn’t for me.  I spent all my high school and college years never wearing makeup, save for a bit of mascara here and there (the one piece of makeup that is pretty straightforward on how to wear it).  I was relatively lucky, as my skin, though sensitive, was relatively clear and easy to keep clear.  Still, I was camera shy, as I hated how splotchy it looked in pictures, and I never really felt….confident.

After I graduated college and moved out to California I actually started experiencing issues with my skin.  I am not sure if it was the climate change, or if at 22 my skin had finally decided to enter puberty (which I skipped during my younger years), but I started experiencing small breakouts, oily spots right next to dry spots, and uneven skin tone.  I hated the way I always looked pale, yet splotchy.  I completely avoided having my picture taken.  My confidence plummeted.  No matter what I did, whether it was diet, exercise, vitamins, creams, or toners, none of it worked.  I thought about trying makeup, but it terrified me.  I didn’t like the “fake caked on look” so many girls had.  I wanted it to look like I wasn’t wearing any makeup, that I had a perfectly flawless complexion, naturally.  I figured I would never find that.

Then, one day in 2008 I happened upon the Bare Escentuals store at Westfield Shopping Center in San Francisco.  Mineral makeup you say?  I had never heard of it, but the pretty storefront sucked me in.  I walked through the door and was immediately overwhelmed.  Powders and brushes and makeup everywhere!  I had no clue what to do or where to begin.  One of the sales ladies clearly saw this and swooped in to save the day.

“Are you looking for anything in particular, Miss?”

“Ummm, well, uh…Actually I don’t wear makeup, like ever, but I would like to learn, and I really hate how liquid foundation looks, and I am lazy and it is a pain to apply, and I want to be able to finish my makeup in 5 minutes, and I want it to look natural, but pretty, and help even out my skin tone, but my skin is really sensitive…”

“You came to the right place then.”

Five minutes later she had swirled, tapped and buffed my face into perfection.  I was astounded.  It felt so light and breathable.  Where was the caked feeling?  The clogged pores?  The annoying shine that most makeup seemed to give you?

“This is too good to be true.  I will never be able to do this at home.”

“Can you flex your wrist?”

“Well of course I can.”

“Then you can do it.  Swirl, tap and buff.  That is all you need to remember.”

I was still skeptical, but I was willing to give it a try.  After all, it had taken her less than 5 minutes to find a shade that matched me and apply it until I looked as though I had the most flawless complexion.  I bought my first container of foundation right then and there.  Actually, I purchased the bareMinerals Get Started Kit, which included three brushes, two half size containers of foundation (two different shades to try), a powder that would add warmth to the face, and a translucent powder that helped to set the makeup and keep it fresh looking.  It only cost me $60.  The brushes alone were worth at least $70.  I still buy the kit when it is time to replace my brushes (every year or so) because it is the best deal.

When I got home that evening I was pretty sure I was not going to be able to recreate what had been done earlier.  It was going to be money wasted.  But I would never know until I tried.  I took a shower, washed my face clean of my pretty complexion, moisturized, and hoped for the best as I broke out the foundation and the brushes.

Approximately 5 minutes later I had the beautiful complexion that the magical sales lady had given to me.  Only this time, I had done it all on my own.  She was correct, all I needed to remember was to swirl, tap and buff.

Since that day I have never looked back.  Over the past three years I have had more compliments on my skin and looks than in the previous 22 years.  People tell me how lucky I am to have such a fantastic complexion.  I pull them close and tell them my secret.  They don’t believe me at first, but I reassure them, give it a try, you never know what may happen.

Swirl, tap and buff, it is as easy as that.  Applying my foundation takes no more than 5 minutes, and it looks virtually flawless every time.  It provides a natural look (most people don’t even realize I am wearing makeup), with medium coverage, which is ideal for me since my skin is a bit uneven in tone, but not riddled with scars or blemishes.  You can wear less, if you prefer, or you can make it heavier.  Regardless, it always feels light, and as though my skin can actually breath.  I only have to touch up once a day, and generally only around the creases of my nose and my chin.  Because I use the “matte” version, I don’t experience any excessive shine, and if it does get a bit shiny by the end of the day, I just apply a light layer of powder to soak it up.  It lasts all day, and looks as good at 8pm as it did at 9am.  And the best part of it, as the years go on, I actually have found my skin to be healthier as I use it.  My skin tone has actually evened out a bit, my pores have shrunk, and those super sensitive areas I used to have, they can withstand a little bit more now.

Most importantly, I now feel more confident when I look in the mirror.  I let people take pictures of me.  I smile and laugh more.  It helped to give me the self-confidence I always wanted to have, but never managed to.  For that, I will remain forever faithful to this product and return to it time after time.

My Foundation Routine Includes:

bareVitamins Skin Rever-Upper ($21)
bareVitamins Prime Time Foundation Primer ($21)
bareMinerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation in “Fair” ($28)*
bareMinerals Mineral Veil in Original ($19)
Flawless Application Face Brush ($22)
Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush ($20)
Full Flawless Application Face Brush ($28)

*Note: A large size of the foundation is approximately .2 ounces, and though that does not sound like a lot, wearing it every day, with a medium coverage level, it lasts me approximately 2 months.

Please Note: These posts are not meant to promote any particular brands, or persuade you to buy/use them (they may include links, but I will NEVER profit off of them).  Rather, it is something I found myself reflecting on with a friend and thought that it could make for an interesting series.  I know I find myself curious what kinds of products/brands other people use, and why they started using them, so I figure you might too.  And if you don’t, well then that is ok too!

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Do you have a foundation that you love and use regularly, or are you still searching for the perfect one?