A Few Of My Favorite Things

I love hearing about the products other people use on a daily basis. Their tried and true favorites. Too often I'm reading (or writing!) reviews of makeup (samples) and there just isn't good enough information to persuade me to buy the product. In the race to get reviews up ASAP (which is a good thing, just difficult) it's hard to really give products a fair shake. That's why I decided to shout out some of my actual favorite products, and I hope to write more posts like this in the future!

 

1. Lush, Jumping Juniper Shampoo Bar: I have the delightful difficulty known as "combination hair." My roots get very greasy, very easily thanks to the strange nursing hormones still circulating throughout my body, and my tips are as dry as straw thanks to seven straight years of bleaching. Since R's birth I had been on the lookout for a shampoo that cleansed my roots while leaving my tips intact, and I tried many other Lush shampoos before chancing on this in Las Vegas of all places (there was a Lush AND a Starbucks in my hotel, it was what I envision heaven to be like.) I was a bit hesistant about trying a solid shampoo but when I used it for the first time I realized that all I had to do was rub it on my head like a bar of soap, and it foamed up beautifully! I have been using this shampoo bar for a year now, and I have no plans to ever use anything else!

2. Supergoop!, Daily Correct SPF 35 CC Cream: When the BB cream trend hit America (finally! I was thisclose to ordering some from Asia!) I wanted to jump on the wagon so bad. Unfortunately I have been having huge problems with my skin ever since having R (thanks again nursing!) and I needed to find something with a little more coverage than the average BB cream. When Birchbox sent me a tiny sample of this Supergoop! cream, I decided to test it out with no expectations. When I saw the gorgeous coverage and how well it matched my skin I was hooked. I've ordered two full size tubes since, and though I often wear powder foundation over it for extra coverage, this has replaced my foundation for good.

3. Lush, Rose Jam Shower Gel: I almost wasn't going to include this on my list because I only found out about this two weeks ago, but I have fallen fast and hard. My mom and I were grabbing stocking stuffers at Lush and I smelled this on a whim, and that was all I needed. One of the sales associates told me to wash my hair with it (after I use my JJ bar of course) so the smell stays with me, and does it ever! I find myself smelling my hair throughout the day and swooning. Cruel, cruel fate has made this a limited edition item, so I will be back to Lush as soon as possible to try and stock up until next year!

4. Lancôme, Cils Booster XL Super-Enhancing Mascara Base: This stuff is magical. It's a primer for your mascara that amplifies the length of your lashes. I have literally had people ask me if I was wearing fake lashes when I use this under my mascara. It is definitely worth the money!

5. Urban Decay, Naked Basics Palette: If you don't have this palette already, you need it, trust me. Although it doesn't have the glitz and glamor of it's big sisters, it has six of the most perfect matte shades you could ever want. I use Venus, Foxy, and W.O.S. for highlighting, Naked 2 for subtle color, Faint for my brows (it is the PERFECT brow color for medium-dark brows!), and Crave as eyeliner. All the shades have the perfect pigmentation that all UD shadows have, and the possibilities of use are endless. This palette gets far more use than any other one that I own.

6. Bobbi Brown, Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner (Black Ink): I always line my upper and lower waterlines in black. I know some people say you shouldn't do that because it's not great for your eyes, but I poo poo that because I look completely haggard if my waterlines aren't blackened. Seriously, I need to get them tattooed. Anyway, for a long time I used a waterproof Chanel crayon, but they discontinued it and I was heartbroken until I discovered this. You apply it with a itty bitty brush, and it's definitely not as user friendly as a crayon, but the color lasts a really long time on your waterline, and could probably make a permanent mark somewhere else on your skin- it is that good! They didn't use to sell it at Sephora and the last time I went in there I asked the sales girl if there was something similar I could use. She smiled and pointed me towards a brand new display and lo and behold there my beloved Bobbi Brown pots were! Sephora is carrying them now and will get the entire BB line in the Spring. Huzzah!