All my ladies put your hands up! Some beauty life changers. If you like this kind of stuff.

2/09/2013
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{awkward close up, pixelated iPhone picture of myself? don't mind if I do.}

Well I've finally done it. For anyone who is interested, here is a list of the beauty products/changes that have changed my life. Just in case you want your life changed too.

1 // Hairdryer - The thing about my hair is this: it is long, incredibly thick and slightly unruly. Up until last year I have spent my life using a cheap walmart hairdryer to blowdry my hair. Insert expensive and grand blowdryer, dun dun dun, and life changed! Husband laughs and rolls his eyes at this one. But men, they just don't understand. With my new dryer my hair dries in five minutes time, and to top it off it dries straight. Straight! With my cheap dryer my hair took at least 20 minutes to dry and was nothing but a ball of frizz when I finished. So needless to say, I will never go back.

I use this gem force hairdryer.

2 // (speaking of hair) Dry Shampoo - A couple of years ago I discovered dry shampoo along with every other woman on the face of the earth. I think it's a lifeline for most of us nowdays. After trying a few, my favorite is the suave because of it's easy on the wallet price and it's easy on the nose smell! It smells delightful. If you're interested, the hair routine that I have fallen in love with is as follows (try to keep up): I wash and dry my hair on Sunday & Thursday nights. Monday & Friday mornings I curl my hair. Then all days in between I simply spray in dry shampoo and comb through my hair, which leaves me with wavy voluminous locks! Easy. That's what sells me, you know. If it's EASY.

Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo.

3 // Eye Primer - maybe you don't have this problem, but I have me some oily eyelids. The kind that soak up eyeshadow like quicksand. After college I made a discovery that, dun dun dun, changed my life! The urban decay eyeshadow primer potion. I've tried many other primers that all didn't work a lick, but this little lovely works like a charm. A CHARM I tell you! I've used it for about five years now, and I still love it with all of my heart. I used to use the wand, but now they have a nifty tube that I love. And you can get it in shimmers if that's what floats your boat!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. (cache valley girls: you can pick this up at ulta now!)

4 // BB Cream - I know I posted about this recently, but I just can't ever emphasize how much I love this stuff. Initially I bought the maybelline brand, but days later I went back for the Loreal Magic bb cream and my socks were knocked off. It is amazeballs you guys. It feels light and sheer, but gives great coverage and a dewy glow. It comes out white but turns into your skin shade as you rub it in.

Loreal Magic BB Cream. (I get the light)

5 // Mascara - I don't know that it's any secret that I'm a little obsessed with eyelashes. I like 'em long baby! But falsies are such a burden. So much work, and so hard to find good ones. Anyway, not long ago I picked up a tube of Covergirl Lash Blast, and holy moly batman! Hands down, THE BEST mascara I have ever tried. And believe me that I've tried them all! Even those fancy shmancy expensive ones. The lashblast gives me killer lashes, and I can apply multiple coats without clumping. (Just don't do waterproof. As with any mascara, that waterproof will clump like a fool.)

Covergirl Lashblast Mascara (I use the volume one, which is in the orange tube)

{And just for good measure, here is a very unflattering close up picture to show you my lashes.}

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6 // Eyeliner - I'm not a huge liner girl, but last year I discovered why. It's because I've always been doing it wrong. Black is too much, brown is not enough. (maybe this is just a blonde hair fair skin girl problem?) So last year I discovered Lancome Le Crayon Khol Eyeliner in BLACK COFFEE. It's a deep brown color, and it turns out it is PERFECT. And the liner lasts much longer than the typical drugstore buys, because it's a bigger crayon. (a little more expensive though.)

Lancome Le Crayon Khol Eyeliner in Black Coffee

7 // speaking of eye pencil - recently I read an article on oprah.com. It's called "Makeup Mistakes That Add 10 Years". One thing it notes is that you shouldn't use liner and mascara on your lower lashes. Interesting, right? So I thought I'd give it a try. (dun dun dun....life changer!) For me this has been the greatest discovery. 1, I love not feeling so high maintenance. Losing a step in a makeup routine is easier and makes me feel more natural. And 2, I like my eyes that much better! I don't know how or why, but I'll take it. So try it out, see if it works for you!

8 // Olay Pro X Advanced Cleaning System - another one I've told you about recently. I love this baby! I've backed off to using it twice to three times a week rather than every other day. My skin has never felt better!

Olay Pro X Advanced Cleaning System

9 // Dry Brushing - just discovered this, and not to be redundant or anything but...life changed. I found it from my favorite blogger Natalie at babble here. Read up on it in her article, try it out, change your life!

10 // Fake Bake - okkkaayyy, this last one is probably not applicable to all. But here's the thing about me: I'm full of freckles and I am scared of skin cancer. Only in high school and college, I wasn't scared of skin cancer. I ignored it, really. Tanning beds were my very best friends, ESPECIALLY during these dreary winter months. But then I met a man who loved me for who I was, and very strongly discouraged my tanning bed addiciton. (it's my husband, if you didn't already catch that.) Thanks to him, I quit going to tanning beds and I even started wearing sunblock outside. I won't look like a piece of leather when I'm 30! I won't have skin cancer when I'm 40! I won't have unwanted wrinkles and course skin! Giving up tanning and getting sun has been the best thing for me.

To ween myself off of the tanning addiction, I found a perfect self tanner and I fell in love with it. But this year, as I've been making new beauty discoveries and feeling prettier inside and out, I made a decision. This whole tan business, well it's nothing but exhausting. It fades so quickly that it has to be reapplied each week. And if I step foot in a pool or hot tub, well bye bye tan! It felt fake and so...not me. I'm always searching for ways to feel most beautiful while looking my most natural. So you know what I did? I trashed that tanner. And (I'm sorry, just one last time okay?) dun dun dun dun...life changed.

I think it comes down to acceptance, rather than trying to change. I have accepted my freckles and I don't try to hide them. I have accepted my pale skin and found ways to enhance it as it is, instead of covering it with a fake color. And I daresay it's no coincidence that I feel prettier now then I ever did before. Bye-bye tan! Hello soft, natural skin.

Annndddd...Even though that last one was long enough for a whole post in itself, that is the end! There you go dears. The beauty products and advice that have changed my life for the better. On an ending note, I always work hard to drink a lot of water and moisturize like crazy. Those are my secrets.

If you try any of these, I'd love to hear how they work for you!

PS one problem I have that I have a hard time getting rid of are those fun once a month breakouts that accompany my time of month. so while we are giving advice, if anyone has tried anything for this that works for them, I would love to hear about it! *MUAH*

2 comments:

  1. Okay, totally loving your recommendations!You might not want all the info and details I'm gonna give you, but oh well. As you know I bought the mayebelline bb cream. Still loving it, but might try loreal when it's gone. I've used the Suave dry shampoo for several months, but in a different way. Sometimes I think my hair is too clean or too healthy (is that funny or what?), and I'll spray the dry shampoo in to "dirty it up" I guess. It makes my hair behave better. Before I colored my hair in January, I would wash my hair probably twice a week and was loving that routine. Now that I'm using a different color safe shampoo, I have to wash it every other day. it just gets too greasy for my liking, even with dry shampoo. It's been a big change for me. (and my new shampoo is the expensive salon stuff instead of my trusty treseme).

    I also just bought the olay pro x today on your recommendation. used it as soon as I got home and I really liked it. Moving from hot and humid Indiana to South Dakota has been awful on my skin. I am so dry and flaky here I hate it. Any awesome face friendly lotion advice?

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    1. Yes, I "dirty my hair" sometimes too! Sometimes I even use dry shampoo on the day I wash my hair. As for facial moisturizers, I have used Olay Complete for years. Most anything else makes me break out, I've had the best luck with the Olay. In the winter I use sensitive because my skin is so dry & in the summertime I use normal. And we always find good coupons online!

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