A Few of my Favorite Things

Let’s face it, we all have those favorite products that we use all the time.  I’m talking beauty staples that you probably have stock piled under your bathroom counter.  (Or is that just me?!?)  I thought it would be fun to highlight 10 of my favorite things and maybe inspire some of you to try something new! 

I'll start with something that everyone has in their shower. Bar soap.  My favorite kind is Dove because, let's be real, it's the best.  I currently have a 14 pack under my sink that I got from Sam’s Club.  You can never have too much soap, right?  This was also a great purchase because when I bought it one of the bars was missing, so it was marked down and the average price for each bar was less than $.75.  I absolutely love Dove because it doesn’t leave my skin feeling weird after I use it and I can use it on my face without causing breakouts! 

Speaking of breakouts, let’s talk about skincare!  I don’t really have much of a skincare routine, but I do use one product every day.  After I wash my face at night with Dove soap, I use Noxzema Anti-Blemish Pads.  I know, what you’re thinking “I didn’t even know they still made those!”  Well they do and they are amazing!  One of my friends introduced them to me my senior year of high school and I have used them ever since!  The smell can be a little overpowering at first, but I absolutely love these things and I really do credit them for helping keep my skin clear.  I can usually find these at Wal-Mart for $3.99. http://www.noxzema.com/products/anti-blemish-pad

Another item that every girl uses and probably has way too much of is lotion (most likely of the Bath & Body Works persuasion).  I’ll admit I have a whole drawer full of Bath & Body Works products.  Who doesn’t?  One of my favorite scents is Twilight Woods.  I use the body lotion every day and I can’t even tell you how many compliments I get on it!   Next time you’re in B&BW, give it a sniff! (BTW, the B&BW semi-annual sale is going on now, so you may be able to get a great deal on your scent of choice!)

A product that I recently started using is Maybelline Baby Skin.  This primer is supposed to help minimize the appearance of pores leaving your skin looking, you guessed it, baby smooth.  While I don’t notice a crazy difference, it’s enough that I still use it every day.  It’s known in the beauty world as being very similar to Benefit’s the Porefessional which is much more expensive.  I’ve tried both and found that I like them both pretty equally.  The major difference?  A tube of the Porefessional is $31 while Baby Skin is only $6.99.  I think I’ll save that $24 thank you very much! http://www.maybelline.com/Products/Face-Makeup/Primer/Baby-Skin-Instant-Pore-Eraser.aspx

I never wear foundation.  I’ve tried a few times, and maybe it’s just the kinds I’ve tried but I can feel it on my face and hate that!  However, to even out my skin tone, I like to use a powdered bronzer.  I’ve tried a lot of different brands from N.Y.C. and E.L.F. to Almay and Physicians Formula and liked them all about the same.  I like bronzer because it has a bit of a shimmer to it that gives you an extra glow.  I wear it every day!

My favorite part about doing my makeup is putting on eye makeup.  It’s just so much fun to play around with all the different color combinations!  I bought a BellaPierre Mineral Eye Shadow Shimmer Stack in Serenity several years ago at one of those mall kiosks and it’s my absolute favorite eye shadow!  It has 9 different colors that are perfect for an everyday neutral eye look.  It’s advertised on their website for $89.99 but I definitely did not pay that!  I’m thinking I paid around $50, but like I said, it was a long time ago!  One of these days I am going to bite the bullet and buy the Naked 3 palette, but until then, this set is definitely my go to! http://www.bellapierre.com/shop/shimmer-9-stack.html

 

Everyone has their eyeliner of choice and the Jordana QuickLiner is mine for a couple reasons.  First of all, it’s a twist up eyeliner which is my preference as opposed to a liquid or pencil.  The formula is super smooth and so easy to apply.  The best part?  This eyeliner is only $1 at a store near me called Benjamin Franklin!!! $1 for an eyeliner that I love? Best eyeliner ever!!! ttp://www.jordanacosmetics.com/p-73-quickliner-eyes.aspx

So I happen to have the shortest eyelashes of any girl ever.  Well maybe not really, but it sure seems like it!  I find myself getting eyelash envy quite often.  It especially makes me jealous when I see guys with the fullest most beautiful eyelashes that they have done absolutely nothing to.  I've tried so many different kinds of mascara and my current favorite is Maybelline The Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara.  While it does not make my eyes look like cat eyes (which I don't really think I would want.  How creepy would that be?), it does have a curved brush so it’s easy to apply and it hardly ever clumps up on me.  A lot of times mascara is either lengthening or volumizing, but this mascara does a great job of doing both! http://www.maybelline.com/Products/Eye-Makeup/Mascara/the-colossal-cat-eyes-washable.aspx

There is a very good chance that if you looked in my make-up drawer, nightstand, and every purse that I own, you will find roughly 1,785 lip products.  Ok, so that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously, I am never using all of this stuff!  My current favorite is Covergirl Wetslicks lip gloss.  Most of the lip glosses I’ve tried are super sticky (I’m looking at you Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush) but this one is not sticky at all!  It feels smooth like chapstick on your lips but has the juicy look of lip gloss.  I realize that is a really weird way to say that, but it’s the best descriptor I could come up with!

This last thing is not really a beauty product, but it is something that I am currently obsessed with.  It’s the Honeysuckle Bouquet 3-wick candle from Bath & Body Works.  I absolutely love honeysuckle so when I smelled this at B&BW, I knew there was no leaving the store without it.  You have no idea how hard it is to resist the urge to go buy every single one that they have in stock.  It is just AMAZING!!

I know everyone has their favorite products, and these are just a few of mine.  I love each of these products, and I definitely think it would be worth your time to check out any of them!  Thanks for reading!!

~Sarah