2.05.2010

Show Us Your Life: Beauty Edition

Happy Friday, Blonde Ambitioners! It's snowing here in Northwest Arkansas, but my office is toasty warm. One of my co-workers and I are celebrating our last day in our current office, (we're moving to another part of the building), and our entire department has been partying hard, gorging ourselves on chips, queso, hot tortillas, guacomole, brownies and more ALL MORNING LONG. So good...

Today I'm taking part in Show Us Your Life over at Kelly's Korner and the topic is beauty!

I wanted to share with you guys about some of my personal favorite products for stayin' pretty : ) I'll be the first to admit, I'm a product junkie. In my opinion, a girl can never have too many beauty products in her arsenal.


Let's start with skin:

I love Cindy Crawford's entire Meaningful Beauty line. You've probably seen infomercials for this product line on TV and wondered if it really worked. Let me tell you...from the cleanser and moisterizer, to the anti-aging eye cream and clay mask, everything is miraculous.



I'm also a fan of Sephora's Face 30 line of eye make-up remover disques for washing away hard-to-remove waterproof mascara or eyeliner. It's gentle and totally safe for sensitive skin.

Next, a few of my make-up staples:

NARS makes the best blush on the planet, as I'm sure many of you know. My favorite colors are Amour (peachy pink) and Sin (berry with gold shimmer).


When it comes to lashes, I'm obsessed with Fiberwig mascara, a top-selling mascara in Japan that is now available in the States through Sephora. So what's so great about it? Fiberwig contains real microfibers that help to build your lashes to perfection with every swipe. It's totally smudge-proof and great for contact lense wearers like myself!

We all need a little pick-me-up in the mornings and sometimes, caffeine alone just won't cut it. Enter Smashbox High Definition Concealer. This soft, liquid formula masks dark circles and imperfections, like redness and blemishes. Best of all, it contains soft focus "pearls" that deflect light to minimize the appearance of fine lines. Not that we have those or anything, but...


Some of my favorite products for the body are:

Yves Saint Laurent's new Parisienne fragrance is positively heavenly. It's not too heavy, but the notes of blackberry, damask rose and sandalwood will linger on your skin all day.

For the shower, I like Sexy Little Things Noir Shower Cream from Victoria's Secret. It's a super rich, luxurious formula that won't dry out your skin and the smell is simply divine. You'll definitely feel a bit more sexy after using this product ; )


On my hair, I'm all about Aveda.



I'm not even gonna play, I wreak havoc on my hair. Between the highlights, flat-ironing, blow-drying and teasing, my hair takes a beating on a weekly basis. Aveda to the rescue! I use a combination of the Color Conserve shampoo, which keeps my color fresh between trips to the salon, and the Damage Remedy conditioner, which makes my hair oh-so-soft and shiny.


Finally, for nails I prefer the natural look.

I love Essie polishes, mainly because they don't chip easily and it only takes 1 or 2 coats to cover the nail completely.



My favorite colors, (or non-colors, I guess), are Limo-Scene and Allure.


As far as actual beauty routine goes, I keep it simple. I try to wash my face and moisterize every single night before I go to bed. There's nothing worse than the feeling of day-old mascara caked on your eyes in the morning.

Also, and this is super important, I make sure to go through my make-up bag every month and throw out old products. Make-up and skincare products age and expire just like anything else, so be sure to keep a mental list of what needs to be tossed.

Lastly, I always use a foundation brush versus a sponge or cosmetic wedge. Sponges soak up tons of icky bacteria, which can result in breakouts (yikes!) Be sure to wash your foundation brush at least once a week with a mild shampoo or soap to squelch any residing germs.

Got any winning beauty tips or make-up advice? Hop on over to Kelly's and play along!

Alright, I guess that about wraps it up. Have a great weekend and I'll be seeing you guys Monday!

16 comments:

  1. Hi over from Kelly's!! I have seen info-mercials for Cindy's Meaningful Beauty line and have wondered about it! Thanks for the advice! I think I am gonna order some....So the Sephora face cleansing pads rock?! I am gonna have to get them too! Thanks for all the tips
    I looove VS Sexy Little Things Shower Cream....It's a go to for me! Your bloggy blog is super cute!
    Have a Happy Friday :0)
    Summer

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  2. I am an Aveda girl all the way! I use their face wash, facial moisturizer, shampoo, conditioner, and hair products. If I had time to wear make-up I would use their make-up too. I listed my faves on my blog, if you want some new ideas for their products... but as you know they are all great!

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  3. Great post! I had wondered about Cindy Crawfords products. I need to try them. And I too am addicted to NARS blush, it's my favorite!
    Have a great weekend!
    xo
    Blair

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  4. I adore Essie polishes, my favs are ballet slippers and mademoiselle:o) I'm def going to check out the Fiberwig mascara, it sounds great! My mom and two of my friends use Cindy Crawfords skincare line, maybe I'll give it a try as well!

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  5. ooh, thanks for all the suggestions. i'm a huge fan of essie nail polish, too. my favorite essie color is called "sold out show." :) i've been quickly using up a YSL Parisienne sample, and i can't wait to pick up an actual bottle of it soon. :)

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  6. I love La Parisienne perfume. It's on my to be given to by Hubby.hahaha.
    Come see my blog and let's be blog buddies. I am a french designer.
    www.lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com

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  7. I enjoy using Aveda products, and I love my Nars blush! Love your tips! :)

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  8. hmmm...i am going to have to look into that cindy crawford face cleaning line up...i always love to find cleansers that REALLY do what they promise!

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  9. That photo is super cute! So I have some things to chk out now, thanks for the reviews! Also, I am a huge fan of simple light nails!

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  10. good post. those are all good items. i have wondering about the meaning beauty line and if it worked or not. thanks for posting.

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  11. I posted a long time ago about that body wash from VS. The scent is hard to describe, but it is so wonderful!! I enjoyed your post, and I just love your blog :)

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  12. I been meaning to try Essie polishes, I hear they are fab!

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  13. Great new products...I really want to try out the Essie nail polish, looks great!

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  14. First of all - Aveda is all I use. I tried to go back to other brands when I ran out once and it was awful. So, three years strong now - I'm purely Aveda and man do I have points adding up!

    Also, about the mascara you like. Does it flake? I use MAC right now, but I'm finding it flakes as the day goes on and the tips of my eyelashes end up bare and without mascara, and little black flakes under my eyes!

    Lastly - does the blush stay on for a decent amount of time? Is there an eyeshadow that you like that stays on? I use Elizabeth Arden, but it fades and creases very easily!

    Liked this post!

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  15. I love damage remedy, but I can't afford it.

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What'cha got?