These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

I submitted my final project for my very first graduate class, yay! My next class starts Monday, so for a moment I'm going to talk about things that make me feel pretty by linking up with the gals over at Across the Hall in 2nd Grade for their favorite Beauty Basics linky :)

 

1. philosophy's Amazing Grace fragrance - this was my first buy on QVC ages ago. I was skeptical about buying a perfume before actually smelling it & when I first got it & used it, it was really strong. Then after going back to an old faithful scent I wasn't excited about it anymore I tried Amazing Grace again. I haven't gone back to any other scent or brand for that matter since. I have tried other philosophy scents, but I always come back to Amazing Grace. It's very feminine without being overbearing. It's floral & clean scented, but not crazy heavy floral. I get sooooo many compliments from my students & coworkers. I do have to warn though, a friend of mine was always complimenting me about how good I smelled :), so I got her a sampler gift. She said it didn't smell the same on her as it did on me, so she wound up giving it to her daughter. My only other favorite in the grace line is their Pure Grace. it smells like soap & water coming from the bottle, but then when I'm wearing it, it smells like sunscreen lotion, no clue why.

 2. A coworker was using Wen conditioner, she's a low maintenance kind of woman, very no nonsense :) I love her death. She mentioned using Wen and when I saw a childhood idol on the infomercial, Alyssa Milano, I had to try it. I do use a shampoo every so many days cuz my hair is oily already & just using a conditioner, no matter what kind of formula, does not bode well for my tresses.

3. My niece's friend was selling this, in the fashion of that other independent consulting make-up company does ;) Now being a fan of philosophy, I tried the purity cleanser, I tried Neutrogena, Cetaphil, Oil of Olay; I even went down the ProActive path, which was way harsh on my sensitive skin. I tried Beauti Control Spa Facial system & honestly no other facial cleansing system has cleaned my skin & not been harsh the way BC does. I tried taking a break from it, trying similar products from the drugstore, for cost's sake, but it was so not worth it.

4.  Too Faced's Shadow Insurance - Don't want eye shadow creeping into your crease lines by the end of the day, want to maintain full coverage color on your eyelids, this is THE product. I haven't tried other eye shadow primers, but that's because this one worked so well I didn't need to try other products.

5. tarte cheek stain in flush - Yeah, it looks really dark in the tube (it's got s push pop applicator), but this stain stick gives you just a hint of color or more if you want. It can be applied to fresh clean skin since the company is all about being eco-friendly & no harsh chemicals in their products or on freshly make-up'd skin :)

6. Cover Girl Last Blast Fusion - I've tried sooooooo many mascaras. Other drug store brands, expensive department store brands, but when I got this as a sample to try & review for a consumer website I was completely hooked. This is the only mascara that does'n't flake off or give me raccoon eyes. It stays on my LASHES all day long. THE BEST mascara I've EVER used! No joke :)

7. eos Sweet Mint Lip Balm - one of my friends posted about how her hands were as soft as bunny fur when she used their hand lotion. I always wind up wasting hand lotion, but lip balm, that's a different story, I can't get enough of it. I first got their sweet mint flavor, then branched out to honeysuckle honeydew. I've since acquired summer fruit, tangerine & lemon drop, still missing strawberry sorbet & pomegranate raspberry. My lips are kiss ready at any given moment when I've got these babies handy.

8. Cover Girl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm - now when I need a little bit of color I reach for my Gloss Balm. It's got a hint of color, not too ostentatious. Perfect blend of color, gloss & balm, great for summer :)

 

9. OPI I'm Not Really a Waitress - this is my go-to color for any time of year, any season, any occasion. It's the perfect red, which is hard to come by with my pale skin. Some reds can be too orange or too blue. This is just right. Can't go wrong with INRAW. Really & truly almost all the colors I've tried with OPI are awesome. Plus, you can't beat the fun names ;-D