Some of My Favorite Products

It is storming! Which means that I am snuggled in bed with Bentley and my other dog Madison has made her way to my room so we can protect her from the thunder.

So I figured I would take some time and post some of my favorite products, what I use them for, and where you can get them. As you can see, I have quite the collection of products and this is what is not under the sink and on a shelf outside of my bathroom. I won't even post a picture of my make up collection because it is actually quite embarrassing how many make up products I own.

First up is Body Dew body moisturizing spray in vanilla passion. Admittedly this was introduced to me at a sex toy party, but this stuff is worth the money. Its light enough for Summer, but essential in the Winter. You spray this light oil on your body after you are done showering and before you towel off and rub it in. A little goes a long way, a bottle will last quite a while. It is not greasy, it smells wonderful, it takes care of that ashy look especially on your shins and elbows, and you can layer lotion over it for more moisture. Did I mention that it smells wonderful? :P

Next is hair moisture! I found this on accident and I am so glad that I did. Orofluido hair oil is a mix of argan oil, linseed oil, and cyperus oil. I saturate the ends of my hair with this oil (the ends of my hair are fried from the ombre coloring) and it really brings them back to life and keeps them from looking so damaged. Between my bottle of Moroccan oil and this, Orofluido gets way more use. Its fragrance is to die for as well. Like a mix of vanilla, a floral note, and some musk. For days when I don't wash my hair (with curly hair, I just can't wash it every day or it will break into a million pieces) I can add this oil to the ends every day with out it looking oily.

Out of all the hair styling products I own, this gel is always a go to for me. This TIGI Bed Head Creative Genius gel is available at Target and even in some drugstores and grocery stores. It is awesome for both straightening your hair and keeping it that way, curling your hair and holding the curl, finishing and texturizing in dry hair.....you name it, this is good for it. I am a huge TIGI fan. I really think all of their products to include shampoos and conditioners are freaking amazing, however this this is the one product that I have bought over and over again through the years.

Yep, its a hair sock. You knew this was coming right? This versatile tool is available in your very own house! A tube sock works best, so if there is a man in the house, find one of the miss matched ones and put it to good use! Cut just the tip of the toes off and start rolling from that end until you make a donut. You can use this sock to curl your hair, or put your hair in a bun. The bun can be sleek and chic, messy and fun, on the top of your head, low on the nape of your neck, or off to the side and accented with a flower (my personal fave). I often use this handy dandy thing just to get my hair out of my face and out of my way.

Here is the messy bun I was rocking today while I was writing this :)

I wore my hair curly today and decided when I got home that it needed to go up. I pinned my bangs back and to the side both for comfort and to make the front of the bun look a little better. I believe that every woman should have at least 2 of these on hand.

On to make up! On the left we have my all time favorite, MAC Studio Moisture Tint. I am not a foundation type of girl, never have been. This tinted moisturizer has enough pigment to even out my skin tone but its not so thick that it completely covers up my freckles. It is a very natural looking finish for my skin and it has SPF 15 in it which is great.  On the right we have Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm. Yep, I jumped on the train when I heard about the BB creams and I went out and bought one. Why not? In addition to moisturizing properties, it has anti-aging ingredients, minerals and can double as a primer. The only thing I find odd about this product is that on the box it says "apply every 2 hours".....seriously? You really don't need to, one application is enough.

 I just picked this product up from Target, but it has quickly become a staple in my beauty routine. PIXI Line Relax Serum is proving to be pretty damn awesome! I use this with my MAC tinted moisturizer and I think layering the 2 ends up making a beauty balm LOL. Basically this serum alone has a cooling effect on your skin which helps relax it and help with fine lines, de-puffing around your eyes, soothing irritated skin, and helping combat dark circles around the eyes. It goes on so smooth and thin you would never know it was there. It also has this luminescent finish to it which makes your skin glow. You can use it by its self (you know we all have those days when we only have the energy to put one thing on our face!) or you can put this on under your tinted moisturizer or foundation! It can act as a primer. One half of a pump covered my whole face, so this bottle will last....and thank God because its $32. Yikes.

Since I received this in my $10 Birchbox, I swear by this bronzer. And yes, I received this Stila One Step Bronze worth $32 in my $10 box....and yes you should immediately join if you have not already :) This stuff can go on a make-up-less face to add a nice bronzing touch to your already gorgeous face or you can put this on over your tinted moisturizer to add to your Summer glow! Again with this, a little goes a long way. I use about a pea-sized amount which is about a half a pump. The first time I used it I fired off an entire pump and was so sad when the rest went to waste. Its a thin formula, goes on smoothly and evenly, easy to blend, dries to a matte finish and helps control oil! Since I apply this to my forehead, nose and cheeks, and chin, I can really say that I love that oil-controlling factor. Instant Stila fan, and it was all thanks to Birchbox.

 Ohhhhhh I am soooooooo in love with this palette :) I am not a palette person, I have no idea why, but I never have been. Over the years MAC had warmed me up to the idea of a palette and when I bought this Urban Decay Naked2 Palette it was freaking love at first use. All of the shadows have a fantastic consistency. By just lightly dabbing the brush on the shadow, it picks up the fine pigment and the pigment on your skin is really soft and easily blended. You do not need much of these shadows to have them show up on your face, although I do recommend using a primer. All the colors in this palette work wonderfully together to create a number of nude, natural, or smokey looks. Every single time I have done my make up with this palette I get multiple compliments on how amazing my eye make up looks....and trust me I am spending about 3 minutes applying it.  Worth the $50? Yeah, I would say so.

To finish off the eye, every girl loves a great mascara. In fact my local Sephora has a little kiosk dedicated to finding the right mascara. I have 2 favorites and they are both by Benefit Cosmetics. I don't think this is a coincidence! Starting on the left we have Bad Gal Lash in plum. This mascara is one of my favorites for 2 reasons: consistency and color. The formula for this is awesome (so check it out in black too) and it really creates full, thick, long lashes. The color is this awesome rich plum which pairs wonderfully with a nude or natural eye! This color makes my eyes look greener, pulls out plum undertones in some of my eye shadows, and is not your boring old black so it makes people look twice. My other favorite is they're REAL! mascara which is a glossy finish formula. While this one does not make my lashes appear thicker, the brush grabs every single lash and coats it so it makes all of my lashes appear dark and long.

Now, take it all off! Yep it is another product from Benefit Cosmetics. Gee...that was quick! eye make up remover is oil-free and tends to get the job done with out making me rub my eyes. I used to use Mary Kay make up remover that my mom gave me, but it caused my face to be oily and I would get make up particles in my eyes. This works much much better and doesn't make the area around my eyes shiny.

Terrible picture, I know, but if you can't tell this is Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle perfume. This is my signature scent and has been for the past few years. This perfume is feminine, fun, flirty, not over powering, and fresh. It is in the oriental family and it is just clean, simple, and straight forward....much like me! Its great for year-round use, scent stays with you all day, and its what I always put on for special occasions.

There it is, a list of most of my favorite products! As you can see Sephora, Ulta, Birchbox, and Target get a lot of my money. I'd love to work at either Sephora or Ulta for the discount, however I am fairly positive that any money I earned there would go right back into the store :P

Jenn