January 5, 2012

Make Me More Beautiful, Please!

OK: I have a confession to make... Here it goes... I have a beauty product addiction. It's not normal. But I'd rather have this addiction and know what to use than be stuck in our capitalistic society clueless about what I need to make myself look better. You can waste alot of money that way, trust me, I have. The gimmicks, the "good deals" - I've been through it.
My theory with makeup & hair: why not wear it if it enhances your beauty?! There is something about being au natural, but hey, I love my mascara, eyeshadow, foundation, my extensions... hell, I love it all! Don't get me wrong, I can go camping or hiking and not even bother putting on makeup or doing my hair, but what girl doesn't want to look good as often as they can?

I'm the girl that loves to do my friend's makeup!  Whether its to go out & hit the town, or just for advice on what products they should buy -- I've tried it all, so I'm the one they ask! :-)

I thought that I'd share them all in one blog post for all to see! 
These are the beauty products I cannot live without!

1) L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black: Ladies, I have tried EVERY SINGLE MASCARA KNOWN TO MANKIND. Cheap ones, expensive ones, waterproof ones, colored ones... Everything. I always go back to this mascara. ALWAYS. Everyone who has tried it in my presence has fallen in love with it. It lifts your lashes, doesn't clump, doesn't come off very easily, and is affordable. I look like I'm wearing false lashes everytime I swipe this on. The only downside? It's not waterproof. But hey, waterproof mascara isn't really that great for your lashes anyways! ;-)



2) MAC Powder Blush in Melba: This is the most gorgeous, simple peach matte blush I've ever tried. I love it. It gives me a natural glow. I have medium skin, but with a light touch, you can use it on light skin as well. It's simply gorgeous and I don't usually go a day without wearing it!



3) MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation: When it comes to foundations, I've tried all of them as well. In fact, I've tried every MAC foundation and returned every single one except this one. I love it. Your skin looks flawless from the moment that you put it on. I use a traditional foundation brush, and make sure you let it set! I use the concealer that I mention below before this foundation, so then you don't have to use as much! You won't be disappointed. Just make sure the MAC counter matches your skintone correctly, otherwise it can go from "oh wow!" to "whoa.... gross..." REALLY quickly. Looks great in pictures too



4) MAC Pro Longwear Concealer: This concealer does wonders. It does exactly what the name says: conceals (literally everything) and lasts forever. I call this my secret to my flawless face makeup ;-) It's a really light formula too -- not heavy or cakey -- so you can use just this if you only need light coverage, no foundation necessary!



5) MAC Pressed Blot Powder: This powder goes the extra mile. I usually swipe all of my face after my concealer & foundation set to solidify it. It helps the products last all damn day. Even through sweat & humidity. I personally do not like the microfine powders that are on the market these days, because they do as much as this blot powder! Use a fluffy powder brush to apply though, not the blot pad that comes with it - no need to look cakey & gross by blotting more product onto your face! NOT cute!!



6) NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in Beige (pink) & Natural (nude): These lipglosses are simply gorgeous. Not too sticky, not too shiny... and they last a fair amount of time for a gloss. They keep your lips moisturized as well! There are a wide range of colors for these NYX glosses. The only downfall might be the smell, but I really don't care if my lips look nice & fresh!



7) EcoTools Brushes: I'm not one to be a brush snob, but I do own quite a few MAC & high end brushes... However, I always seem to end up grabbing this brand, at a fraction of the price of one MAC brush! I love then. They last forever, pick up just the amount of color/foundation/whatever product your using, and they are natural. What more could you ask for?




8) InColor Fabuliner Liquid Eye Liner in Black: THIS IS THE BEST DEAL I'VE FOUND FOR LIQUID EYELINER EVER! Whew -- yes I just yelled that. It is amazing. It's not waterproof, but who cares. It lasts all day if you wear a primer on your lids. The felt tip pen is angled in the most perfect way for a cat eye effect and it's $2. Ummm... hello?! What are you waiting for?



9) L'Oreal Infalliable Never Fail Eyeliner in Black: I use this if I want a pencil liner. It doesn't move all day if you set it with a black eyeshadow over it like MAC's Carbon. I've been a big fan of putting this on first, then putting the liquid liner I mention above on top for a more defined, sophisticated look... I also love to rim the bottom outer corners of my eyes to make them look wider :-)



10) Clean & Clear Makeup Dissolving Foaming Cleanser: I used to use Neutrogena Makeup Removing Wipes to take my makeup off before I cleansed my face at night... but those wipes are expensive and wasteful! I saw this genius find at grocery outlet for a steal and I decided to try it. THIS PRODUCT IS AMAZING. It removes ALL of my makeup except for the remnants of my eyeliner or mascara. I used to have extra makeup come off of my skin while cleansing with the clarisonic, but not any longer! If you can find this in your local stores, pick it up before it's gone!



11) Clean & Clear Deep Action Oil-Free Cream Cleanser: I have been using this since middle school. Yes, right when I started getting pimples & acne, I started using this. I've since switched off & on, and I decided that I'm sticking to this. It's amazing. It doesn't take off makeup, but there are other products like Neutrogena's Makeup Wipes & the product I mentioned above by Clean & Clear as well that will. THEN use this cleanser. It leaves your skin feeling fresh, clean, and tingly. I've since turned alot of my friends onto this product and now it's their favorite cleanser as well!


12) Clarisonic Mia Cleansing System: So this product is worth it, but it's an investment. I use it with the Clean & Clear cleanser, and it gets deep into the pores. It takes off makeup I didn't know I still had on... It's basically ridiculously necessary for my skincare routine. I don't know how I lived without it. It comes with a charger and a skin cleanser. I didn't particularly like the cleanser, but others have raved about it. I feel gross when I don't use this product now, because I know there is still dirt & grime in my pores that only the Clarisonic can get to! Don't try any of the lame immitation products -- just invest in the real thing. Tweet @clarisonic if you have any questions :-)



13) MAC Eyeshadows in: Naked Lunch, Woodwinked, Brown Down, Vex, Carbon, & Satin Taupe: I can't stop talking about these eyeshadows. I use them all day every day. Use with a primer and you will never go back to regular eyeshadows. There is no fallout and the pigmentation is phenomenal, well worth the price. Some of my favorite combinations are Woodwinked on lid/Brown Down in crease, Vex on inner lid/Satin Taupe on outer lid/Carbon in crease, or Naked Lunch all of the lid for an overall natural look.


shown in satin taupe

$14.50/each or $11.00/each in pan form

14) Urban Decay Primer Potion: This is a cult classic. Do I even need to get into this? They changed the packaging so it's an easy squeeze tube now, and a little of this product goes a long way. I have extremely oily lids, and I put a little of this on, let it SET, and then put a bit of blot powder over it again and continue onto my eyeshadow. It stays on until I take it off. 




15) Revlon TopSpeed Nailpolish: I hate painting my nails. Some people love to paint them all the time, I don't. It's not relaxing, it's annoying. But I feel naked without nailpolish... This is the best of both worlds! Cute colors, extremely fast drying formula, and stays on with a good top coat like Seche Vite for a good 5-7 days. My favorite colors are Cupid (a lavender pink), Peachy (a peachy coral), and Candy (a bright pink).

 

shown in peachy

16) MoroccanOil Oil Treatment: My hairstylist Celeste had to go into emergency-mode when I went to her about 6 months ago. I had over processed my hair one too many times... big mistake, I know. Trust me, she scolded me... but I'm impatient when it comes to coloring my hair... Anyway, this product has SAVED my roots/ends over the past few months like nothing else could. Celeste recommended it, and I've found that it's worth every penny. It works for all hair types too!



17) Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover: This is something I've been using since I first started using makeup. I happened to pick it up, and I haven't looked back. No other product works like this does. Just put a swig of this onto a cotton pad and let the cotton pad soak over your eye for 10 seconds or so to breakdown the eyemakeup and then swipe off! ALL gone! :-)



18) Vitamins: This seems obvious, but take them! They matter! Especially if you aren't getting a very balanced diet like me... I'm guilty of eating out of convenience!


Up&Up Women's Daily MultiVitamin: Target, $2.00 in stores only

19) Water: Another obvious one. I don't particularly like the taste of water unless its filtered (spoiled girl alert!) but I just add a bit of lemon juice and I'll chug it like a keg of beer! Drink as much water as possible throughout your day -- you'll have more energy too.


20) Sleep!! I used to not take this advice. I figured any product out there could fix the damage I had while NOT sleeping. Bad idea, folks. Sleep is so important. Since I have vowed to get at least 7-8 hrs daily, if not more, I have noticed a big difference in my hair, skin, nails, and energy. Less coffee is consumed also ;-)



So there they all are! Hope you've learned something out of this extremely long post!
I really enjoy all of the products listed above, and I didn't get paid by anyone to recommend these. Trust me, if I'm paying out big bucks for a product, it means I really do love it. I don't like wasting my money!

Xoxo,
Carlene

All images found in google.com search. Thank you!

2 comments:

  1. I have mixed feelings about the telescopic mascara, when you've used it on me it looks really good. But when I use it... Not so much. I was using the covergirl mascara before... Ick. So I DO like it more than that at least. I loooove my clarisonic. And sleep... Need more of that for sure.

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  2. Maybe you are applying it incorrectly? Alot of people blame the mascara for not doing a good job, but you have to make sure you are applying it correctly! Covergirl mascaras are alot easier to apply, thats for sure!

    Try this with the Telescopic: Start at the roots of your eyelashes and wiggle the wand while moving it up towards the end of you lashes so it coats them thoroughly. On the 2nd coat, make sure you focus on the ends of the lashes instead of the roots to create length! ;)

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