What I'm Using Right Now Tag

Hey, ladies! Tag taken from Awilda Hearts blog.
What I'm Using Right Now Tag

HAIR

Shampoo - Bumble & Bumble Creme de Coco Shampoo

Conditioner - I only condition once a week because my hair is very fine and silky...any conditioning treatment completely weighs my hair down!

Styling Products - Bumble & Bumble Styling Cream (I gotta keep the products to a minimum, too, since that can flatten my hair as well!)



BODY

Body Wash - Lush "I Should Coco" Soap (not a body wash, but it's what I use!)

Body Moisturizer - Hmmmm, today I used Johnson & Johnson Aloe Baby Oil, but I switch up so often.

Anti Perspirent - Gotta use Secret...it's the best!!

Fake Tan - nope!

FACE

Makeup Remover - Target brand eye makeup remover

Cleanser - Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

Exfoliator - I don't usually exfoliate with an exfoliating product. Most aggravate my skin. I'll use my Cetaphil Cleanser with a facial sponge and gently exfoliate that way. **See my Nighttime Skin Care Routine post below.**

Mask - I usually make my own oatmeal mask. I'll post the recipe for that at a later time!



MAKEUP

Primer - Laura Mercier Mineral Primer

Foundation - Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation (I love this stuff!)

Concealer - MAC Studio Finish Concealer

Powder - MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, Medium


Blush - Bobbi Brown Pale Pink cream blush

Bronzer - N/A

Highlighter - MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Blonde (a great dupe for those that missed out on Petticoat!)

Eyebase - MAC Painterly paint pot

Eyeshadow - MAC Gesso, Stars 'N' Rockets, Dazzlelight

Eyeliner - ULTA Eye Kohl pencil in Black

Curler - Uhhh, the Sephora brand...not the greatest in the world, but works fairly well.

Mascara - I'm wearing two today, actually. Maybelline Colossal Volume (or something like that) & Cover Girl Lash Blast Luxe. Great products!

Lipstick - MAC Girl About Town (yep, the bright fuschia!)

Gloss - MAC Fast Friends

Nail Varnish - N/A

I'm tagging whoever reads this and hasn't done it!!!

Nighttime Skin Care Routine

Hey, all! As a follow up to my morning skin care routine, this is the routine that I follow every evening. This routine includes exfoliation and intense moisturizing...this lets my skin really soak in and "repair" from the day's damage while I sleep. Prior to doing anything, I always remove my eye makeup with makeup remover and cotton balls. I'm not particular about my makeup remover - I generally use the generic brand from Target. I do prefer the oil-free type...it's not nearly as greasy-feeling! Here is the rest of the routine...

1. Washing my face, again using my Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser. I like to use a facial sponge (like a Buff-Puff) as a light exfoliator with my cleanser in the evenings. This removes any additional makeup and extra dead skin cells and allows for rejuvenation as I sleep! My skin feels all nice and tingly afterwards!






2. Apply my Neutrogena Clear Pore Astringent. Just as in the mornings!




3. Focus on my under eye area! At night, I use three products on my undereye area. I make sure to pat (never rub) the product in under the eye as well as the lid and outer corners. I use...

Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Eye Cream


Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Life Daily Targeted Deep Wrinkle Treatment


Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Anti-Fatigue Eye Cream


4. Moisturizing the face. At night, I use a more intense facial moisturizer. I basically look like a seal when I go to bed! I make sure to fully "saturate" my face and neck. I use Garnier Nutritioniste Anti-Wrinkle Firming Night Cream.


As you can probably tell, I love Garnier Nutritioniste products! They are very affordable and are great for my sensitive skin! Love, love, love them!!!

Until next time....Later!

My Morning Skin Care Routine

Good morning everyone! I am actually updating this blog from work....Shhh! Don't tell anybody! I'm supposed to be working! :)
I have gotten some questions regarding my skin care, so I thought I would give you guys a break down of my morning skin care routine. Very simple and basic and the products I use are very affordable and work well! I have very sensitive skin and several products that I have used either dry my skin terribly or cause me to break out. So, here we go:

1. I always use a very gentle cleanser on my skin. I need something very simple, but I still want my skin to feel cleansed. I really like Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. It has a wonderful creamy consistency, which feels amazing.


2. After patting my face with a towel, but while it is still slightly damp, I use Neutrogena Clear Pore Oil Eliminating Astringent on a cotton ball and cover my entire face - focusing on my chin, my hairline, and the corners of my nose. My face feels incredible after using this...slightly tighter and rejuvenated! The only downfall to this product is the scent - it's very strong! So be careful when going around the nose if you're sensitive to alcohol scented astringents!


3. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! I cannot stress how important this step is! Retaining your skin's moisture is key in fighting early wrinkles! My favorite under eye cream is Garnier Nutritioniste Anti-Wrinkle Firming Eye Cream. It is so rich and creamy! I keep it stored in the refrigerator, which keeps the product cool to help decrease puffiness as well! I just dot it under my eyes, focusing on the inner portion and outer (where the Crow's feet show up), as well as the lid and just dab it with my ring finger until it dries I never rub it in! The skin in the eye area is very thin and delicate - we don't want to pull the skin. We're trying to fight wrinkles, remember, not promote them! :)


4. Last step - facial moisturizing! Another product I love is Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture. All I need is one pump for my entire face! I try to apply this while my face is dry yet still feels supple. It will hold the moisture better if it is allowed to "dry into" the skin instead of just applied on top.


Hope this answers some questions for you! I will follow up with my nighttime routine, which varies slightly from the daytime routine. Until then, I have to get back to work! Unfortunately, I don't get paid to blog! :)

FOTD: I feel pretty, oh so pretty!!

Hi, all! I'm not really much of a matte eyeshadow kind of girl - I love shine and shimmer! However, I am trying to get myself used to them and break out of my norm...as hard as that is! So, I was playing with my Hello Kitty palettes today, and this was the result. I'm surprised by how much I like it! Hope you like it, too!

FACE:
Bare Escentuals mineral foundation
MAC Emote blush
MAC MSF in Gentle and Tippy blush
NARS Albatross blush

EYES:
MAC Bare Canvas paint
MAC Yogurt
MAC Romping
MAC Slately Black
MAC Boot Black liquid eye liner
Ulta Kohl eye pencil in Black
Cover Girl Lash Blast Luxe mascara

LIPS:
MAC Pervette l/s
MAC Fashion Mews l/s
MAC Fast Friends l/g
MAC Mimmy l/g







Update on the master cleanse diet: I quit! I tried, I really did! I gave it a whole day faithfully, and it actually worked well. But, with my crazy life right now, I just didn't have what it took to continue for 10 days! Maybe I'll give it another go sometime soon!

FOTD: Rockin Kat Von D Beethoven palette

Hey, all! So, today I broke out my Kat von D palette that I haven't used in quite a while. I've been so stuck on my Hello Kitty from MAC since I got, I've basically neglected everything else! Hope you enjoy!

FACE:
Bare Escentuals mineral foundation
MAC Hello Kitty blush in Tippy
MAC Emote blush (contour)
NARS Albatross blush (highlight)
MAC MSF in Medium

EYES:
MAC Bare Study paint pot
Kat Von D Tequila e/s (from lid to brow bone)
Kat Von D Galeano e/s (on top of Tequila on lid only)
Kat Von D Sinner e/s (outer half of lid on top of Tequila and Galeano)
Kat Von D Rad Purple e/s (in crease and lower lashes)
MAC Boot Black liquid liner
Too Faced Starry Eyed glitter eye liner in Ooh & Aah
Ulta Kohl eye liner pencil in Black

LIPS:
MAC Subculture lip liner
MAC Creme d'Nude l/s
MAC Sugarrimmed Dazzleglass





Later! :)

Haul For Y'all!

So, I checked out this discount beauty supply store that I found in Raleigh. I can't believe that I hadn't found it sooner! They had a great selection of Ardell lashes (big love!) as well as OPI nail polishes. I picked up a few lashes, since they had them for less than $3!!!
Then I headed on over to the mall for a few goodies from the MAC counter. I didn't want to get much, since the Sugarsweet line is coming out later this week. So, I picked up Swimming, Juxt, Shale and Aquadisiac eyeshadows and Fascinating eye kohl liner, which is a beautiful bright white liner. I'm anxious to use this! I've heard great reviews on it. If used on the waterline, it opens the eye and gives this "wide awake" look - and I'm all about that! :) Here are some pics for ya! I apologize for the blurriness of some of them!





















On a completely different note, I am beginning this fast called the Master Cleanse. I'm sure many of you out there have heard of it. It is a detox fast used to cleanse the colon and GI tract of toxins and give your body a rejuvinating pick me up. So, tonight I had to drink this laxative tea before I go to bed...it was nasty! Then first thing in the morning, I have to drink this sea saltwater flush. The rest of the day consists of drinking this concotion of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water in addition to a bazillion ounces of water! I will be waterlogged! LOL!! This can be done for 10-40 days. I'm starting out with 10 because I think I would go crazy if I had to go any longer without actual food! I will keep you guys posted on the progress!

Well, now that I've guzzled my nasty tea, I am off to bed! Until later!

Welcome aboard!

Hey everyone! I am so excited about this whole blog-thing! I've been wanting to do it for quite a while, after being inspired by so many others. I will try to make this as fun as possible, and keep it loaded with interesting stuff...however, I do have tendencies to ramble, so I'm sure it will be full of some of that, too! :)

So, I thank all of you who are stopping by to read this! I am always open to questions, suggestions, etc. Look forward to blogging soon!!!!