10 Beauty Products I Love
I think I may do a series of posts on things I like and things I hate. Today’s topic: 10 beauty products I love:
- Dior Diorshow Mascara (in black) – Ok, this is a bit pricey, but I love it and when I do buy it, I try to make it last. This mascara is the best for creating a “false eyelash” look, which I love. It just makes my eyelashes so thick and long looking. It may sound odd, but an added bonus of this mascara is that it actually has a very pleasant rose-like scent. When I’m not using this mascara, I’ve found that CoverGirl’s Lash Blast does almost as good a job for a fraction of the price.
- Caress Glowing Touch body wash – This leaves a very subtle shimmer on your skin.
- Olay In-Shower Body Lotion – This leaves my skin super soft and moisturized. I can even skip regular lotion. Small warning though – it will leave your shower floor slightly slippery.
- Solia hair straightener – It straightens really well and leaves my hair super shiny. Plus, it’s still going strong after nearly 3 years.
- L’Oreal Voluminous Eyeliner (Black Brown) and Smashbox Cream Eyeliner (Midnight Brown) – Ok, we have a tie here. Since they’re similar products, I figured I’d lump them. I actually do use them in different situations, though. The L’Oreal eyeliner is a liquid that comes out of a felt tip, which makes it super easy to apply. The Black Brown color is also a good color for brunettes, since it’s not quite as harsh as black, but still dark enough. Perhaps the best bit is that it doesn’t flake like some liquid eyeliners can (it can smudge a bit if it’s very hot out though). I use this one when I just want a quick look that includes eyeliner, mascara, and blush. The Smashbox eyeliner is a cream eyeliner, which is applied using a slanted eyeliner brush. It takes a little longer to learn how to apply, but doesn’t smudge once it’s set. I use this eyeliner when I put on a more dramatic look that adds in eyeshadow for a smoky eye.
- Dior Hypnotic Poison – I love this scent. It’s spicy and musky and vanilla-y, which are all scents I like on their own. It also happens to be one of the few of my perfumes that doesn’t send my husband into an allergic frenzy, so that’s always nice.
- All of the products from the Dove Pro-Age face line – I use the foaming face wash, day moisturizer, rich night cream, and eye treatment. My face looks and feels amazing after I use these products. The night cream leaves my skin really soft and moisturized without feeling greasy. I’m also happy to have a day moisturizer that has a bit of SPF in it that doesn’t clog my pores. It was particularly refreshing to find an “anti-wrinkle” regimen that doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin.
- Natural Ice Lip Balm – I’m not a fan of lipstick at all and I only put on lip gloss for special events, so this is what I always put on my lips. It’s basically medicated chapstick, so it protects and moisturizes my lips and leaves them tingly. I actually find that the tingly component tends to emphasize my natural lip color, so I don’t feel I need anything else.
- Bare Minerals – I always find that these products leave my skin looking airbrushed. I’ve been lucky to have pretty good skin to start off with, but it’s pretty sensitive, so if I’ve got irritation from something else or a few blemishes, this just makes my skin look flawless, without giving me any further irritation. I only use the foundation powder (I use Light) when my skin is looking kinda funky, but the blush (I use Secret) and bronzer are always helpful.
- The Venus Embrace – I used to think all these Venus razors were the same, but I swear this one gives me the best super-close shave. My legs are soo smooth after using this 5-blade razor. If you’ve already got a Venus razor, skip the whole starters set and just get the replacement blades since they’re all universal fits for each other. I use the blades on the Vibrance body. I wonder when we’ll be up to the Mach20…
My Hair
I’ve been thinking of changing my hair for, I don’t know, 6-7 years now. Every time I think of making a change, I chicken out once I get to the salon and end up with the same style I’ve had for years and years.
A little history:
-I’ve had reddish highlights and they always faded way too fast (like within 2 weeks).
-I’ve had sideswept bangs, but they never cooperated. I don’t know if it’s a cowlick (or whatever it’s called) or what, but even with a blow drier and hairspray, they never actually swept across my forehead as they should. Here’s a picture of the reddish highlights (freshly done) and sort of sideswept bangs (the bangs have also been a bit shorter than this):
-I’ve had very very dark brown (almost black with a reddish-brown sheen in the sunlight) overall color which I really liked, but that also faded into my natural color.
-When I was little, my hair was about chin length. In all of the pictures I’ve looked at, my hair looked very fine and limp (unless I crimped it, and sorry, I won’t be returning to crimping!).
-In elementary and middle school, I had bangs. I grew to become quite a perfectionist over how they looked, and unfortunately, they became almost like clip-on bangs, they were so hairsprayed. I think they’d be easier to handle now, having a straightener, but I fear the perfectionism and the helmet-look…
Here’s what I’ve got now:
-Color is dark brown. I haven’t colored it in over a year. The last color I had was the very dark brown I mentioned above, so I don’t think there’s any noticeable distinction between my natural color and what’s left of that.
-Length is just past my shoulders. It WILL NOT grow much longer than this. I don’t really know why. I used to think it was damage from straightening, but I don’t straighten much anymore and it still doesn’t grow.
-Wavy texture – if I let it air dry with no product, I end up with frizz and pouf out the wazoo.
-I’ve always straightened it (up to this year). I like how it looks straight (it’s even pretty shiny), but it takes more effort and is more damaging to my hair.
-I’ve started wearing my hair curly this year, simply because it’s quick and easy. With a curling mousse (I’ve tried all sorts of gels and sprays and cremes – the mousse gives me the best, longest lasting result), I can get it to curl decently. I don’t know how to use a diffuser on my blow drier (or if I even should) so unfortunately, when I use product, it looks fairly crispy and wet until at least midday. By the end of the day, I have soft curls which look pretty nice. Also unfortunately, the longest part of the back of my hair doesn’t hold the curl well, so I end up with curls all around my face and in the shorter layers around my head, but a straight chunk in the base of the back. It’s infuriating. Here’s a few picture of it curly:
From the front, near the end of the day
From the back. Notice the straight bits at the bottom.
-I also have no idea how to use curlers or a curling iron. Every time I try, the curls on my right side are gone by the time I get to the left side with the curling iron. I’ve also had a professional use a curling iron on my hair for my wedding and this is me, a few hours later – still somewhat curled, but this is much looser than right after it was done:
Picture by Gina Frederick of Allan Reider Studio
As for changes, I’m fairly open. I just want something that looks good on me – doesn’t emphasize my chub, make me look stuffy, or make me look too much older. I prefer to keep the color at least somewhat close to what I have now, just because I can’t afford to maintain touch-ups right now. Also, as I stated above, my hair won’t grow too much longer than it is now, so longer than present is out. Anyway, I need ideas!
As a side note, I really dig this hair, but 1. I’m not sure I could pull it off with my face and bone structure and whatnot, 2. I’m not sure if it’s really a look for a suburban, southern, everyday life, and 3. I would definitely be restricted to straightening it (this isn’t a deal breaker, especially if it looks awesome, just slightly less convenient).
Crush from American Gladiators
Yes, American Gladiators, I know. This is why I’m a bit hesitant. But, doing my search for good pictures of her hair, I’m finding that a lot of people seem to like it! It’s kind of just a longer version of the Posh haircut. As a little experiment, I found a few pictures of Crush online (before I found the ones above from a video), and inserted my head! I mostly just thought these were funny, so I thought I’d share them:
Skirts and dresses
I’ve never been much of a skirt girl. I don’t really know why. When I look through magazines and online, I think lots of them are cute, but I just never wear them. I guess I just see them as dressy, like what you wear to church or something, therefore they must be uncomfortable. However, on our vacation, my sister had a variety of really cute dresses and skirts that really made me want to go get some of my own! I think I’m in kind of a rut, wanting to be more stylish, but sticking with my jeans and tees. Thing is, skirts and dresses need to convey cute, comfy, and summery rather than dressy and I have no idea where to get something like that. Plus there’s the issue of having a large bust (and being all around fairly full figured), which eliminates several of the popular styles, like skinny straps and tiny triangley-topped dresses.
So far, I’ve tried on dresses and skirts from New York and Company and Old Navy. I like these stores because they generally have inexpensive, but cute and stylish stuff. I do like Lane Bryant for jeans, shorts, and capris, but their smallest size tops tend to be a bit baggy and long on me, so I figure dresses may be in the same boat. I also like some stuff from Macy’s, but I haven’t really been there in a while, and I generally like to wait for their sales. Here’s some of what I tried on today:
Jersey City Style Dress
This is one I tried at NY & Co. that didn’t work out so well. My boobs did manage to fit into the alloted space, but the rest of it billowed out so much it looked like a tent, and seemed to emphasize my butt.
The other dress I tried on at NY & Co wasn’t on the website, so I can’t show a picture. It was mostly similar; it just didn’t have the empire waist. Meaning it looked even more like a tent on me. <sigh> I tried adding a belt, but that look just doesn’t seem to work with me. It’s almost like a reverse-muffin-top. What do you do with the extra fabric that bunches up around the belt? Maybe I’ve just got the belt too tight?
Women's Color-Block Tank Dresses
Now, I know this one from Old Navy goes against what I just said about no skinny straps, but I thought I may be able to stick a tank underneath and get away with it. I could not. The bust was also very tight.
Women's Knit Circle Mini Skirts
This skirt from Old Navy isn’t exactly the one I tried on, but it looks close enough. It wasn’t a mini as the title states – it came to my knees. This actually looked pretty cute. And I may actually get it, but I wasn’t sure if it looked too sloppy. How do I ensure a skirt looks casual, but not loafing-around-the-house casual?
Women's Pleated Skirts
This skirt from Old Navy was super cute on the hanger. My legs looked pretty good in it, too, as it seems to hit at a good thin spot on my legs. Unfortunately, the material is pretty full, which made me feel huge in the hip area and the rear-view was not good.
The Colorblock Dress
I really like this dress from Chadwick’s. But I’ve never heard of Chadwick’s. Do they have stores? I really don’t like to order stuff online because I don’t get to try it on first. But, I do really like the colorblock thing and one of the reviews said it was flattering on a plus sized girl! AND it’s on sale! Maybe I’ll try it. Blue or black? I like that the black one has purple. Maybe I’ll try that.
I just don’t know what to look for, really. I don’t know what would flatter my body type. I want it to skim the bulgy bits, not make my boobs look gimungous, and if possible, show that I have a waist. Unfortunately, I don’t really have anyone to go shopping with. My husband will go with me around my birthday (January), but he’s not much help judging and I just feel bad for him the whole time, knowing he’s bored. I need Stacy and Clinton!
Almost time!
Yay! Almost time for vacation! We dropped off Buffy at the kennel/kitty hotel (I always get sad leaving her, but I know she’ll be fine) and we’ve got a flight out tomorrow at 5:45 am. Don’t even get me started on that departure time. I’m totally not a morning person, and I think I’ll probably be better off not sleeping tonight, since sleeping only 3-4 hours makes for a cranky Mel.
Speaking of flights, I just found out that a lot of airlines are going to start charging for the FIRST bag you check. Are they kidding?? Like I’m going to go on a week-long vacation with only what fits into a carry-on? Now I’m a girly girl, who likes clothing options and my own shampoo. Even pared down to the minimum, a carry-on would get me a weekend’s worth of clothing and no toiletries of any sort since we aren’t allowed liquids on planes. I suppose I understand that with fuel prices what they are, they need to charge more, but it seems awfully restrictive to make us pay to bring stuff with us on a vacation – it’s not really optional. Heck, it may be cheaper to Fed-Ex our stuff direct to our hotel room.
Tanning Update: Well, I’m noticeably tanner than the hubby finally. Not that that’s saying much, since he’s a video game nerd like myself, and therefore generally is only exposed to the glow of the computer rather than the sun. We’ll see tomorrow how I compare with my sister, who got all the tan genes in the family (and the light-colored eyes, darn her). At the very least, I actually feel more confident, so I’m happy.
Anyway, I’m really excited and really looking forward to seeing everyone. I keep a journal while on vacations, so when I get back, I’ll try to post some highlights with a few pictures!
Sooo…
Well, again, not a whole lot going on. I do have a post in mind about my irrational fear of spiders, but seeing as how it’s nearly bedtime, I don’t think I should be thinking about spiders.
I’ve been reading lots of young adult fantasy novels (Harry Potter type books) lately, so I think I may start up a little book review feature on here. I loved the Harry Potter series. Like, huge nerd love – I got books 4-6 the day they were released (I was a bit late getting into the whole thing), I went to the book release party at my local Barnes and Noble for the last book (and proceeded to wear earplugs for the rest of the weekend to avoid spoilers because I had to travel), I must see the movies the first weekend they’re out and buy them the day they are released on DVD, and I’ve even read fanfiction (and liked it…though I do try to stay out of the naughty fan fiction, some of those are just disturbing). So now that the last book is done <pouty face>, I’ve been trying to find another series to get into or just some individual books that are good.
Tanning update: I’ve tanned maybe twice since this post and got a little pink each time, but the little wedge of paleness in the fleshy bit between my thumb and forefinger is getting more noticeable (this is one of my indicators of getting a tan) as is the ring tan line on each ring finger, since I’ve kept the bling on while tanning. I’ve also bought a new gradual tanner that has gotten good reviews from Beauty Addict. I’ll probably use that a few days next week just before I leave. Though maybe I should test it once this week just to make sure it doesn’t make me look like an oompa loompa.
(I think I need to work on transitioning. I’m clearly a pretty crappy writer…just bouncing from topic to unrelated topic and all. Well, at least the years of scientific writing hasn’t rubbed off here. )
Tanning
I’ve been trying to get a small tan before I go to Disney World, but so far, the tanning is minimal. I did turn a lovely shiny shade of red after 2 hours at the beach on our trip to Myrtle Beach for our 1 year anniversary a few weeks ago. However, that has since peeled and faded into a weird pattern on my back that my hubby calls the X-Men symbol. Also, it was only my back that burned. Silly me forgot to roll over and at least burn both sides so that each side could fade into minimal tan. Hopefully I’ll get a bit tanner before I go.
Yes, I know it’s terrible to get a real tan and that I should be using tan-in-a-can, but I really can’t stand the smell and it always comes out orange. The last one I used, Dove Energy Glow did actually produce a realistic color, even after one use, but again, the smell was awful. That was kind of surprising given that it is a gradual tanner, which I would think would have less smell because it has less DHA (the stuff that reacts with your skin to turn it tanner). I guess if I’m still fluorescent a few days before leaving for Disney, I’ll use it again for a few days. And proceed to smell gross. I’ll keep you updated.
