Favorite Beauty Products of December 2011

If any of you are familiar with any beauty gurus on YouTube then you know that many of them will post a video of their favorite beauty products for each month.

Well, since I am a total girly girly when it comes to makeup and stuff, I decided it would be fun to share MY faves from December. I, being the creep that I am, love reading about what products others use, especially other moms. One thing I always do every single day (well ALMOST every day), no matter how tired I am or how much I have to get done, is take a shower and do my hair and makeup. When I feel I look my best I have more confidence and I am more productive then if I were to stay in my jammies all day. I feel ready to face the day and handle whatever challenges are thrown my way. Plus, you never know you may run into or what oppertunity will arise. Many people ask me why I bother to get all gussied up if I am going to be in the house with the kids all day. The answer is simple: I don't do it for other people (Well, I don't do it ONLY for other people) I do it for myself. Taking a half hour each morning for myself makes me happier, thus making me a better mommy. Now when I say I get done up, I don't mean that I deck myself out in my best dress with a full face of makeup every day. Some days it is just a dusting of  powder on my T-zone, a swipe of mascara and a dab of lip gloss. But it is always something. And my look is never complete without a spritz of my favorite perfume (which varies month to month). So, today I am going to share with you my favorite products of December, the ones that I cannot live without and use pretty much everyday. I will try to include the product prices when I can. Here we go!


DECEMBER FAVES:

Favorite Foundation-

  My current fave foundation is Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse in #4 Light-Nude. When it says on the bottle "Airbrush Finish" they really mean it!! It goes on so incredibly soft and smooth and covers EVERYTHING. Plus, it gives a nice matte base, not shiny or oily looking like some other foundations. Retail: 12.99$ at all major drug and department stores.

Favorite Powder-

My fave powder is NYC (New York Colors) Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder in Translucent. I have always preferred loose powder to pressed powder because I find it gives a more natural look, while pressed powder can look cakey. This powder is great for setting your foundation or used alone to control shine. It doesn't add any color to your face so it doesn't throw off the color of your foundation. Plus, it is SUPER cheap!! Retail: 3.99$ at most major drug and dep't stores.


Favorite Blush-

I have two favorite blushes at the moment. The first is Covergirl Instant Cheekbones Contouring Blush in 240-Sophisticated Sable, Retail: 6.99$. I love this trio and frequently use the lightest shade as a highlighter for my cheekbones, brow bones and tear ducts. My second fave, and most often used, blush is Clinique Soft Pressed Powder Blusher in New Clover, Retail: 27.99$. This blush is pretty pricey but it comes in the most adorable pink and white floral compact, along with a mirror and brush. This is my go to blush for day to day. I love it because it shows up as a nice dusty rose color and has no shimmer, which I prefer for daytime.


Favorite Mascara-

I ALWAYS use two mascaras together. Ideally one should be lengthening and the other volumizing, but I just use my two current faves. The result looks like you are wearing falsies, and if you know me you know my lash motto is Go BIG or Go home!! The first is Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express Mascara in Black Drama, Retail: 7.99$. The second is Covergirl Volume Exact Waterproof mascara in 125-Very Black, Retail: 6.99$. I always put the Maybelline first then follow with the waterproof CG one to seal it in and prevent streaks.

Favorite Eyeshadow-

This doesn't really count as an eyeshadow since it is really a pallatte of 12 shades (as well as a mirror, eye liner/brow pencil and brush), but I absolutely could NOT live without it. It is the only eyeshadow(s) I need. It is the E.L.F Beauty Eye Manual Natural Eye Edition in The Natural Look, Retail: 5.99$. It is the perfect nude palette and it makes it easy to go from daytime to an evening look by adding darker shades on top of your daytime look. My most used shades are the third, fourth, eighth and number twelve. It also includes a daytime and smokey eye tutorial on the inside flap. What a great deal!!

                                             

My other fave eyeshadow is Maybelline EyeStudio in Carbon Frost. It is a duo of sparkly black and then this crazy shimmery blue/purple/pink swirl of colors on the other side. Sounds crazy but looks awesome!

Favorite Lip Color-

My favorite lip colors du jour are Covergirl Outlast Double LipShine in shades 285 Coral Shimmer and 215 Rose Quartz, Retail: 12.99$ each. All I'm gonna say about these is they really do last ALL. Freakin. Day. You will need a makeup remover to get them off. I am also loving Covergirl Outlast LipStain in Bit of Blossom, Retail 8.99$. I love how it goes on matte and soaks right into your lips. I don't wear lip color that much but when I do I reach for one of these.

Favorite Lip Gloss-

I am a lip gloss junkie and wear it all day, every day. I just love how it makes my lips look so plump and luscious. Right now the lip gloss I am OBSESSED with is Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Apricot, Retail: 13.99$. It is THE prefect nudish-pink lip gloss and I can't live without it. It goes on so smooth and isn't sticky or gooey. It makes my lips feel sooo kissable!

Favorite Eye Pencil/ Liner(s)-

I have three lip liners in rotation at the moment. The ones that I use most are my L.A Colors Auto Eyeliners in Black, AE661and Navy, AE664. They are the perfect eyeliners, they go on super smooth and dark, you don't have to sharpen them and they are CRAZY cheap. They retail for a measly 1.99$. The other liner I like is CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus Eye Pencil in Starlighting, Retail: 5.99$. Very pretty shimmery silver, love to use on lash lines, includes smudge tool, no sharpening required.

Favorite Nail Polish(s)-

My favorite nail polish shades right now are Nicole BY O.P.I in Respect The World, Retail: 7.99$, which is this awesome turquoise/jade green color that I am wearing in the picture (although it looks more blue on camera). It looks wicked if you put a black Crackle polish over it. (I ran out of mine *tear*) and it dries super fast. My other fave is L.A Colors Color Craze Nail Polish in Live, NP409, which is a cool silver color and retails for just 1.99$.

Favorite Perfume-

My favorite perfume right now is one I got from my sister for Christmas ,called Love Wishes. It is an Eau De Parfum and I have no clue were it was bought or how much it is. I tried Google but came up empty handed. It is such a romantic, girly scent and I LOVE it. I really wish you could smell it because you would fall in love too!! I am pretty sure it is a cheaper brand of perfume but it still smells heavenly.


Favorite Hair Products-

I have super long (to my a$$) and curly hair, so putting some type of product in it is a must. However, my go-to hairstyle is a simple messy bun because it is just too annoying to have it down with kids yanking it and such. Usually I just scrunch it with some gel and a tiny dab of smoothing serum then pile it all on the top of my head, pinning the front back into a little pouf. My fave hair gel right now is Dippity Doo Sport Pro Styling Gel Concentrate. I use a LOT of hair gel in the run of a month so I do NOT want to be spending an arm and leg on it. This gel works great and is just 2$ for a 175ml (5.7 fl oz) tube. I also always use a touch of shine serum to tame all the frizzys that pop up, especially along my hairline. My fave serum right now is Got2B Smooth Operator Smoothing Satin Drops, Retail: 6.99$. It gets rid of flyaways and smells ah-may-zing!!Plus, the bottle has these cute little charms dangling from it:)

Fave Body Wash-

Right now I am LOVING these adorable little body washes I got for Christmas from my Mama. They are by Beauty Insider and have the cutest names such as Berry Flirtini, Blue Lagoon and Lime Margarita. It comes in a box of four different scents, 100ml's each. I absolutely HAVE to find some big bottles of them because they smell delish! I'm not quite sure of the retail price but I am guessing around 10$ for all four.

Fave Feminine Care Product-

I hesitated before including this category because it isn't a beauty product, BUT I just had to show someone because it is just so dang cute. For around 5$ you get a pack with two little boxes like the one pictured. You get one small box of Regular absorbancy and one box of Super absorbancy, each containing ten OB tampons. Now, normally I use tampons with an applicator but this box was so cute and the perfect size to throw in my purse for emergencies. My periods are so effin' random I never know when it's coming until BAM!    Okay,TMI...Sorry.                                               


Favorite Makeup Bag-

I made this category because I absolutely HAVE to show off the adorable makeup bag I got from my Nanny for Christmas. It is by Clinique and is just so cheerful looking with its bright pink, orange and purple blossoms. It is large enough to fit all the makeup I just showed you plus a bit more, but still small enough to throw into my purse. I think it may have actually been a free gift my nanny got with a purchase. Either way I LOVE it!


Since this is a Mom Blog I figured I should include SOMETHING baby/child related, so I am going to share a few of my favorite baby/children's products really quickly.

Favorite Baby Wash:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         I absolutely LOVE Johnson & Johnsons Vanilla Oatmeal Baby Wash, Retail: 6.99$. I use it on both of my kids every bath and it leaves their skin so soft and smells incredible. Seriously, I can't stop sniffing them afterwards, It makes me wanna snuggle them all night. Confession: Sometimes I use it too!!

Favorite Baby Shampoo:

Johnson's Extra Conditioning 2 in 1 Shampoo, Retail: 4.99$ is the ONLY shampoo I use on my kids hair. Both of them have curly hair like me and this makes it smooth and great smelling while being super gentle on their eyes. No More Tears!!

Favorite Diaper Rash Cream:

Desitin Maximum Strength Diaper Rash Cream, Retail: 14.99$ for 454 g tub. This is by far the best and most effective diaper rash cream I have used. I got a huge tub for free with a coupon I had on the recommendation of the pharmacist when my daughter had a gnarly rash and it worked like a charm. It is 40% Zinc Oxide (double the amount of most regular strength creams) and is super thick. It does NOT come off on the diaper, you gotta scrub this shit off.

Favorite Detangler:

Until just a few weeks ago my son had long, super curly hair (It was a big curly, shaggy afro but we cut it short) that I could not get a comb through without using conditioner and a few tears. I grabbed this L'oreal Kids Tangle Tamer Spray in Burst of Sweet Pear scent, Retail 3.99$ and tried it and it works great. I still use it on my daughters hair and sometimes even my own. It smells awesome and you can use it on wet or dry hair.


Well there you have it!! You now know my favorite, can't-live-without items of the past month. So tell me, what products can you not live without? Do you do your hair and makeup every day? What are some of your fave baby products?