Five Friday Favorites

I wanted to share 5 beauty products that I am currently using that I absolutely LOVE!

1.  Revlon Colorstay Under Eye Concealer

Unfortunately I have been noticing dark circles under my eyes lately and so I picked up some of this concealer at my local Walmart.  I will say that I bought this concealer in "Light" and it is a tad too light for my complexion.  I didn't see that it was sold in different shades and would have bought it in a darker shade if I had known.  However, I REALLY love this concealer (although it does not last very long and is kind of pricey) and feel like it does a great job hiding those pesky bags under your eyes!

2.  L'Oreal Lash Serum

I have probably the shortest, thinnest eyelashes EVER.  When I picked up this serum, I didn't really have high hopes of my lashes looking any differently after using it, but I have REALLY noticed a difference in my eyelashes in the couple of weeks that I have been using this serum.  Now, I don't know if it is that they are really growing, or if it is that they are just better "prepped", so to speak, to hold the mascara on them once I have applied the serum.  Either way, I love the way this makes my eyelashes look fuller and thicker!

3.  Maybelline Pearly Pink Lipstick

Even though this lipstick is called "pearly pink", it comes out very neutral looking on me.  This is my favorite neutral color to wear, and is probably the lipstick I wear most frequently.

4.  L'Oreal Tickled Pink Lipstick

This lipstick is my next favorite - it looks light pink on me and I LOVE the look, especially when I have a little bit of a tan!  Which leads to my next and last product I'm sharing today!...

5.  Sunlabs Sunsation Self Tanner

During these winter months I tend to look like a ghost if I don't apply any kind of self tanner or I don't frequent a tanning bed.  It can get costly to keep up a tanning habit, not to mention it is not great for your skin.  I have a love/hate relationship with this self tanner.  I absolutely HATE the smell of this tanner.  I have yet to find a self tanner that does not smell bad.  If anyone knows of one, PLEASE SHARE!  However, this self tanner is AWESOME in every other way!  It can be used on your face and on your body, and it has a color guide as you put it on so that it is streak free.  It also does not come out making you look orange, so that makes it a winner in my book!  I just apply it a couple nights a week right after I have bathed (I wear latex gloves while applying it), put on an old pair of pajamas so that it doesn't stain my good pjs, and then I shower as soon as I get up in the morning to get rid of the nasty smell!

So  there you have my current five favorites! What beauty products are you currently loving?

A Look into my Beauty Routine...Part Two

Today I'm going to show you what's currently in my makeup bag.  Pretty much all of my cosmetics come from Walmart or Walgreens, because I just don't want to spend a lot of money on makeup.  I'd rather save that money for clothes ;)

For my foundation, I use L'Oreal true match.  I have used this for about two years and love it.  I do change up colors in the summer and winter, because I tend to have a nicer tan in the summer and I need a darker shade.  On days when I am going to church or somewhere nice, I use the L'Oreal true match foundation, sun beige W6.  When I am in a hurry and don't want to spend a lot of time on my makeup, I simply use the L'Oreal true match liquid powder (compact makeup), and I use the neutral buff beige N4.  The reason I use two different colors is that they don't carry the same colors in the compact makeup as in the foundation, and I also realized that the compact makeup tends to go on a little lighter, so I needed to go with a darker shade in that.

After my foundation is applied, I use the L'Oreal true match blush in subtle sable, warm W5-6.  I just recently changed colors and I really love this color on.

Once my blush and foundation have been applied, I use the Ulta Powder bronzer.  I love this because it evens out my foundation and darkens up my face in general just a bit.  Sorry about the picture below; that was the best I could find!

 Once the foundation is all done, I apply my eyes - I start out by lining them with L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner.  I have used ALL.KINDS. of eyeliner and mascara, let me tell you.  I just recently tried this new eyeliner, and I absolutely LOVE it!  I almost didn't try it because of how thick the pencil is, but I have loved the application of this liner and it really lasts for a long time.  I bought it in black but next time will buy a brown pencil.  I think brown makes your liner not look quite as harsh.  I also use my liner to fill in my brows just a bit, because my brows are very thin.

Not long ago I tried out the Revlon eye shadow, and I cannot even tell you how much I love it!  I bought the 555 Moonlit Revlon colorstay with the four colors in it, and on the back it instructs on how to wear all four colors.  I don't know about you, but I have a tendency of getting into a rut of wearing my makeup the same way for like 15 years, so I have enjoyed changing up my eye routine a little bit.  This eye shadow lives up to its promise to last 16 hours!  I was surprised with how long this shadow lasted!

As I said earlier, I have tried so.many.kinds of mascaras, and the last time I ran out, I tried the Almay Get up and Grow, and so far I am really liking this mascara.  I don't know if I have seen any significant growth ;), but I do like the wand and feel like it helps with volume and length of my lashes.  It does say on the bottle "one coat", but I have to apply two or it does not look like I have very much mascara on.

After my face is pretty much done, I apply my lips.  For a while now I have pretty much done a fairly neutral lip.  I start out by lining my lips with Maybelline Rose 05 lipliner, and then I apply my lipstick, L'Oreal1165 Tickled Pink. 

And that's it!  I have had to try lots of products and spend a good bit of money on things I didn't like to get to where I am today - with a makeup bag full of products that I actually like!

I'm always up for hearing things that are working for you with your cosmetics!  If you have anything great that you just can't live without, please do share!  Hope you've taken some ideas from the last two days of beauty posts.

Happy Sunday :)

A Look into my Beauty Routine...Part One

Do you love to see what beauty products girls are currently using?  I know I sure do, especially if it is affordable beauty products!  I thought it would be fun to show some of the beauty products I am currently using and loving.  Today I will show you what products I use for my hair care routine, and tomorrow I will share my makeup routine.

As far as my hair care, this is something that I do not take lightly, because I have EXTREMELY thin hair.  I am currently wearing my hair a little longer than I normally wear it, so I have to choose my hair products very carefully to keep it looking healthy and thicker than it really is!  I just recently changed shampoos, and I am LOVING everything about this shampoo, from the fragrance to the texture of my hair after I shampoo.  I also love that it is convenient to buy, as I can get it at the salon in my local Walmart.

I always look for a sulfate-free shampoo and I NEVER use conditioner.  Conditioner weighs my hair down very heavily.  I also try not to shampoo my hair every day, because I notice it getting limp when I have to wash it daily.  One to two times a week I will spray this Matrix total results moisturizing spray pictured below on the very ends of my hair just to keep it from looking dead on the ends.

 

After shampooing and drying my hair, I use the Big Sexy Hair root lifter to give it some volume.

The Big Sexy Hair root lifter is a non-negotiable to me, as I have seen that it majorly makes a difference when I don't use it.  I also use a flat iron spray to protect my hair from the heat, and a spray starch ironing spray.  I just lightly spray these over my hair before I apply any kind of heat to it.

When I am done styling my hair, I use a L'Oreal root lifter that I LOVE and I pray they never quit making - it tends to lift while at the same time gives my hair a little texture, as well, without being hard and crunchy looking.  Then I spray it with Suave max hold.  I absolutely love all of these products, and they are all very affordable (unless you run out of them all at the same time, which has never happened to me but could be pretty pricey if it did!).

 I know this sounds like a lot (and it really is, for as little hair as I have haha), but it is not cumbersome and seems to be working well for me and for the length of my hair right now.

What are some of your favorite products?  I love to hear what others are using and how it works for them!  Hope this gives you some new ideas.

Happy Saturday!