{My Faves}: September 2013

September Favorites!

It’s October, y’all {and I’m behind, I know}!  It’s also officially FALL.  The weather here in Mississippi has turned a little cooler, but we aren’t out of the clear of the sweltering weather days just yet.  Here are my favorites from September!

HAIR

Suave Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo

I’ve been using the Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo for a while and I like it a lot.  I went to get a new bottle at my Wal-Mart at the beginning of the month and they were sold out of it but had the Keratin Infusion kind.  I grabbed it and figured it would do.  I like it SO much more than the original kind.  It smells better.  The original has a fruity scent, which I do like, but the Keratin kind has a more “professional salon product” scent that I can’t explain, but it smells great.  It also seems to spray on less powdery which I like due to having dark hair.  They are both $2.99 at my Wal-Mart which is a steal!

MAKE-UP

e.l.f. Liquid Liner in Black

This stuff is great.  I generally use the Wet n Wild liquid liner, but this e.l.f. one has a longer applicator which helps me get that perfect winged look.  It also has great staying power.  The best part is that it is $1!!!  It also comes in brown.

M.A.C. Prep and Prime Highlighter in Light Boost

I love this highlighter!  It has a click applicator which distributes the product out of a built in brush at the end.  It goes on super creamy and blends perfectly.  My under eye area has stayed bright and fine line free since I started using it.  It is a bit pricey for a highlighter, but it’s M.A.C. and the payoff is worth it if you are going for that bright-eyed look.  It comes in other shades, but this one I found to be the best for eye brightening.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Pencil in Brunette

I know I’ve discussed this product several times over the last few weeks, but it has seriously changed my life.  It is so easy to make it look so natural and my brows look so put together now.  I will never just use a shadow to shape them again {as long as they keep this product for me to purchase}.  It is also easy to wipe away mistakes, while still having staying power in the areas I want it to be.  I’ve gotten tons of compliments since I started using it and I couple it with WhiteningLightening’s Brow Bar to Go, however, on days when I’m pressed for time, I just use this pencil and my brows still look great.  I really recommend it if you’re trying to grow out over-plucked brows… it really does change the overall look of your face!

BEAUTY

St. Ives Blemish Control Green Tea Scrub

I went through about a three week spell where I was having a lot of tiny heat-bump like breakouts on my forehead as well as a lot of black heads.  I blame it on the sweltering Mississippi summer heat, however, I also felt that my usual skin routine and products were just not strong enough anymore.  I do have sensitive skin and for the longest time, I’ve used Aloette products because they are very gentle and enriched with aloe vera.  I still love them, but I wanted a change.  I grabbed the St. Ives Green Tea Scrub on a whim at CVS one night and figured I probably would use it a few times and forget it on the shelf – that wasn’t the case.  I think it has greatly cleared up those “heat bumps” as well as cleared out a lot of the pores around my nose where I was having black head issues.  I use it every other day and usually at night.  It is very gentle for a scrub and the exfoliators are extremely fine, so it does not feel harsh at all.  I also like the scent – green tea!  It is also a good price at under $4.  I have not felt that it has over dried my skin either, which is usually the issue I have with exfoliators. 

Studio 35 Alpha Hydroxy Crème

I’ll admit it, I stalked the crap out of the folks at the Walgreen’s stores in my town to find this {Studio 35 is the Walgreen's brand}.  I heard about it on YouTube and saw a blue million comments about how great it worked.  I HAD to have it, but it wasn’t anywhere to be found in my stores.  One of the beauty reps at one of the stores told me that they usually get a few in every month or so and they sell out quick.  I opted to just order it online at Walgreens.com, but to my surprise, it was sold out there, too!  After stalking for almost two weeks, I finally found one tub of it and I have been so impressed with it since.  I am usually very lazy about my skin care {I know, slap my hand, I’ll regret it later on if I don’t start taking care of it}, but over the past month or so, I’ve made a conscious effort to wash my face every morning and night and use products for anti-aging.  This cream is really amazing.  It smells awful {like glue}, but once you get it on your face, the smell fades and it’s not even noticeable any more.  Alpha Hydroxy is a chemical exfoliant.  So, just like the green tea scrub I use which I exfoliate with manually, this cream does its magic on its own.  I apply it after I’ve washed my face and used an astringent at night before I go to bed.  It does leave a sort of sticky-ish/oily residue on the skin, but why does that matter if I’m sleeping in it?  It also should be cleansed off after use, as it eliminates dead skin and impurities.  When I wake up in the morning, I cleanse with Cetaphil and I’m good to go.  This cream is also around $8 which is WAYYYYY cheaper than most night creams.  It improves the overall appearance of the skin and rejuvenates it while you sleep.  I recommend it for all skin types – it really does make the skin feel softer and smoother.

I hope these recommendations are helpful to you!  Have a pretty weekend, y'all!

{My Faves}: July 2013

July Favorites!

I realize we are half way into August, but I really wanted to start offering a monthly favorites post which highlights some of my favorite products that I use every month.  In the future I will try to post these within the first few days of the following month so I can accurately document month to month what I currently love just for you!  So, let’s get started!

HAIR

L’Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray

I am IN LOVE with this Hairspray!  When I say IN LOVE, I mean it’s a true affair – now, I might not be ready to rank it up there for my feelings for boys; however, it may be up there with how I feel for chocolate! {ha ha}  I purchased this for the first time back in June and surprisingly it took me until last week to use up the first bottle.  Now, with that being said, it is pretty pricey for a drugstore brand.  I’ve found the general price in my area to be around $14.99.  I know… go ahead and gasp, I’ll wait.  I did too when I first went to purchase it.  I saw a lot of my favorite YouTube gals using it in their hair tutorials and I figured I’d go and grab a bottle for around $5.  Much to my surprise when I got to CVS and it was $10 more than I expected, I still decided to give it a whirl.  Now I’m hooked and my wallet is sad, but at least my hair is fabulous! 

This hairspray is very lightweight on the hair, but still holds like the crunchy hairsprays do.  I’ve never been able to find a happy medium when it comes to hairspray – they either work great and leave my hair crunchy, or are super wet and add too much weight or moisture to my hair.  The Elnett is a spray and stay without the crunch.  It comes in several holds and the option of scented or unscented.  When I got my first bottle, I picked up the unscented {pretty much because I didn’t even pay attention} and I didn’t really notice any kind of odor from it.  With this last bottle, I decided to live on the edge a little and check out what it smelled like by purchasing the scented bottle.  For some reason, I expected a sweet scent from this product; however, what I got was a time warp back to the days when I spent a lot of time with my Granny.  For lack of a better way of putting it, it smells like old lady hairspray.  My Granny was a classy lady and went to the salon once a week to get her weekly style.  She slept with a foam head wrap every night to keep her style shaped and every morning after using her pick to even out her do, she would go to town spraying away with a spray that smelled just like the Elnett.  Some would find this to be a negative aspect, but every day when I use the spray, I remember my Granny and it takes me back.  Wondering how to try the Elnett without paying so much?  Well, right now I have three suggestions for you:

• CVS offers bonus bucks for frequent purchases when using their customer card.  I save those extra savings for purchases like these.  If you don’t shop at CVS a lot, still grab a card and go in periodically just to swipe your card at the coupon kiosk – they have coupons every week and usually they are geared toward beauty or hair care.  This week I got one that was $3 off any hairstyling product of $10 or more.  That would allow me to get the Elnett for $3 off… better than the full price.
• Ulta is another great place to buy it.  Sign up on their site and they will send you their catalog every other month.  There is usually a $3.50 off coupon on the back of the catalog.  I used this to purchase my bottle last week.  Don’t have an Ulta?  Wait until you need several things to justify shipping costs and use the coupon for online shopping. 
• Ulta also has travel size bottles of the Elnett for around $6 {I’m sure other stores do, too, I’ve only noticed it there}.  To me, I think that is a joke because the bottle is tiny and the size comparison from spending $6 -$15 is not worth it; however, if you are skeptical, it is worth it just to try the spray.  If you like it, that small bottle can be your purse/travel bottle when you buy a big one – which I’m sure you’ll want to do!

Tangle Teezer Brush

I had seen these odd looking brushes for a while and just never really felt the need to get one.  On the flip side, the longer my hair has gotten, the more difficult it has become to brush – especially when I neglect getting it trimmed and my layers start to grow together.  It is also much easier to damage your hair when it is wet due to the elasticity changing with the abundance of moisture.  I saw the Tangle Teezer online about six months ago and pinned it to one of my Pinterst boards for later evaluation.  When I was at Sally’s Beauty about two months ago, I saw them and decided to just get one and see what I thought.  I picked up a hot pink one {the only other choice in stock was purple – I pinned a leopard print one…but, we all have dreams} and tried it the very same night.  Amazingly, it runs right through my hair with minimal snags in comparison to a regular brush.  I find the top of my head to be the most tangle prone area for me due to the amount of products I use on a daily basis and the teasing I do – this little brush really helps get those tangles out without the breakage.  I use this after every shower after I have towel dried my hair and it gets everything smooth.  I really recommend this brush for those with long hair or sensitive scalps.  These are $13 at Sally’s.  I had a $5 off coupon from a previous purchase and I have a Beauty Club card, so my savings were well worth it.  They can be found all over the internet if you don’t have a Sally’s Beauty nearby.  I did not notice them at Ulta when I went last week {you know I was still looking for that leopard one}. 

Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray

I have tried a lot of dry shampoos over the past year and there was only one that I was really unhappy with {Got2b Rockin’ It Dry Shampoo – it was too powdery for my dark hair}, and I can honestly say most of the ones I have tried all work the same.  The reason I think this one tops the list is because it’s super cheap {under $3}, works just as well as the $6 brands, and it smells GREAT.  It has a very citrus/fruity smell, but clean.  My hair is very prone to becoming limp and oily after washing and I also use Moroccan oil when I blow dry if I’m using a straight style.  Sometimes only a little bit of that oil can really ruin the volume and body of my hair.  I can spray a little dry shampoo at my roots once I’ve blow dried and it sucks out a lot of the oils and leaves my hair looking super clean, volumized, and smelling great.  I also use this after a long work day if I’m going out or to an event and don’t have time to wash my hair – it makes it smell so good, sometimes people ask what shampoo I’ve used.  I highly recommend it as a competitor for the more expensive brands.  The only small downside is that is does run out faster than some of the others I’ve tried.  Not super fast, and not enough to matter for the price, though. 

MAKEUP

L’Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black Mascara

I mentioned this mascara in a first impressions post back in February and I’m still involved with it.  The mascara and I are taking things slow, but I really see a future!  Really, I’ve purchased three of them since February.  I love it.  It makes my lashes so long and full.  The only downside I have found about it is that it is very wet and slow drying.  I have to really pay attention to blinking quickly and looking up for a few minutes after I’ve applied so that it doesn’t deposit onto my lower brow bone.  I’m usually pretty mindful of this and it isn’t really that much of a burden; however, I have had some surprise sneeze attacks immediately after applying that have really done a number on my shadows that I applied beforehand.  I couple this mascara with it’s cousin, L’Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions, and they really do make my lashes look flawless.  Save by waiting to shop until your drugstore does it’s L’Oreal BOGO for the month – buy one and get one half off.  If you only want the Carbon Black, get two and put one in your stash for when you run out!

L’Oreal True Match Foundation

Wow, I just realized just how much L’Oreal I have purchased lately – they are really climbing the drugstore brand ladder!  This foundation is great.  I’ve had a lot of issues with dryness lately.  It’s very strange.  My skin is oily, but then it gets super dry on the tip of my nose, so I combat that with some super moisturizer {Clinique Moisture Surge – heart it}, which then makes me a little too oily.  It’s a process I cannot explain.  Either way, I get really cakey when it comes to foundation.  I was using the Covergirl 3 in 1 for a while and I do love it, but I think it will be more of a winter makeup for me.  The True Match has really proved to be a great little foundation!  It goes on easily, is buildable, and sits on my skin nicely.  I do have to powder after a few hours, but when I do, I rarely see any buildup like I do with other foundations.  They also have a wide variety of color choices and a diagram for choosing based on warm, neutral, and cool skin tones.  I do find that when swatching on your hand in the store that the foundation does go on lighter at first and changes once it has set to a shade slightly darker.  I had to exchange the first color I chose in the store due to this.  I use shade W5 Sand Beige.   I would suggest swatching the color you think would best match your skin, go do your other shopping for a few minutes, and then look at the swatch again and see if it is too dark.  This foundation is under $11 at my CVS and you can also take advantage of the BOGO sales with it and the mascara {or go cray cray and get a new liner or eyeshadow}!

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment + Concealer

Umm… the name is aMOUTHFUL, but the product is aMAZING! {see what I did there?} 
This is another flashback from my February first impressions post.  I LOVE the product, but I do very much dislike the packaging.  It comes with a sponge attached to the end and you simply twist to replenish product into it.  This is very wasteful and I honestly don’t feel like the sponge does much good.  I removed it and I just twist out product and apply with my finger tip or with my concealer brush.  This product really does brighten my under eye area and doesn’t accentuate lines under the eye.  I set it with my Ben Nye Banana Powder, but you can use any translucent powder you’d like.  I chose the Brightener 160 shade.  I paid around $8.99 for this at CVS and I will purchase another when I run low.  

NAILS

My most recent nail polish purchase is made by Essie.  It is in the shade Turquoise and Caicos.

I love the pretty minty shade and it's perfect for summer! This polish was $8 at CVS.



That's all I have for my favorites for July.  Check back next month for August favorites!  

Have a pretty day, y'all!