Good morning!
Hope everyone is gearing up for a relaxing/fun/exciting weekend. My brother and his girlfriend, Emily, are coming to visit us this weekend (!!!!) and we are basically exploding with joy a la Kermit the frog:
My favorite GIF of all time, in case anyone was keeping track.
This is certainly not a beauty or fashion blog, but I do happen to love both fashion and beauty products. That being the case, I thought I'd share some products that I routinely use - some tried and true, some new to me - but all of which I can't live without these days.
Walk with me.
1. Micellar water.
I've been using this product for almost a year now, and I can't believe how much I love it. Micellar water is used in place of a face wash. Inspired by French women (who are famous for their beautiful skin), micellar water cleanses your skin without stripping it. In fact (and this is the part that always makes my friends say, "What?!"), there's actually no water involved at all. You add this magical potion to a cotton round, swipe it all over your face to remove makeup (sometimes two are necessary if it's a particularly heavy makeup day), and your skin is smooth, clean, and cared for without the slog of splashing water all over yourself twice a day.
The magic of this product is in the micelles, which are simply molecules of oil in otherwise pure water, are attracted to the impurities on your face (dirt, makeup, etc.). They cling to and remove what you don't want on your skin, leaving behind a really moisturized and even tone.
If you're skeptical about this product, let me challenge you with this: remove all of your makeup and wash your face with a traditional cleanser. Then, use micellar water on a cotton round and swipe it over your face. You will be shocked at how much dirt and makeup has been left behind.
To read a little more about it, visit this link. After a year, my skin has never looked better or been more dewey and clean. Give it a shot.
2. Moisturizer.
I'm sure that everyone has their own favorite moisturizer, and this is mine. The smell always reminds me of watching my mom get ready in the mornings - makes me happy!
What I love about Oil of Olay is that their products are super gentle on my skin, and that this one includes an SPF to protect against fine lines and wrinkles.
If you don't use a moisturizer with SPF in it every day, watch this video and prepare to never leave the house without sunscreen again.
Long ago, I realized I'd never be blessed with a dark complexion. Jordan calls me "queso skin," because he thinks my extremely fair and easily scarred skin looks like the layer of skin on top of cheese dip at a Mexican restaurant. Because you can see my veins.
...cute, right? ; )
More than anything, what I've adopted since college is a regimented moisturizing routine that includes my face, neck, decolletage, and hands. Everything I've read about skincare regrets older women have lists that their hands were neglected from sun protection, so while their faces are supple and young-looking, their hands are leathery and wrinkled.
Don't forget the hands, you guys.
3. Spot treatment.
So, I'm finding it a little vulgar to talk about blemishes, but this is such a miracle product that I'm pushing past my discomfort with this subject.
I am lucky to have "normal" (not oily, not dry), fairly even skin, but sometimes everyone get a blemish. Recently, I had a particularly stubborn cystic bump that would not. Go. Away.
I researched every method on the Internet for getting rid of it - toothpaste, ice, you name it - and finally bit the bullet to buy this rather expensive (for its size) magic bottle.
Y'all, when I tell you that bump was gone in almost 24 hours, I tell you no lies.
The redness and soreness of any blemishes you may find yourself with, whether they're cystic or not, are immediately reduced by this formula. If you put it on before you go to bed, by the time you wake up, you'll see a difference.
I recently recommended this admittedly pricier product to a girlfriend of mine who is known for her thriftiness. She bought it, and now she swears by it. Even if you don't have a bump today, you know you will at some point - why not be proactive and make sure you have something with which to treat it? I'm telling you - miraculous.
4. Brow gel.
Anyone who knows me well knows that for years, I've been saying that "eyebrows make or break a face." Now, the entire world has caught on to my thinking - thanks, Kardashians, for making brows a thing people are universally obsessed with! Hehe.
On days when I'm in a hurry, I use under-eye concealer, a little mascara, this brow gel, and leave. Having neat, shapely brows makes my face look put together, even when I barely have makeup on.
This product is technically a clear mascara, but I use it as a brow gel and it works just as well. After filling in your brows, it's a great way to get them to keep their shape all day long.
Confession: before purchasing this product a few months ago, I would use a comb and hairspray to get my brows to stay in place all day. Classy, huh?
Okay, ignore the tacky selfie and ignore that I cut my face off - I took this to show how well this product works, but I look 100% cross-eyed in this picture, so...the rest of my face had to go.
I actually haven't had my brows done in months (because I'm lazy) and so this picture features them as grown out as they get, but filled in and styled with my brow gel.
The point is, brow gel covers all manner of sins.
5. Hair powder.
Shoutout to all my Southern girls - the higher the hair, the closer to God, amirite??
I have come to call this product "hair velcro." It is an absolutely unreal little powder that, when sprinkled on your scalp, gives you volume and texture that locks in freakin' place for hours and hours. You can lightly tease your hair and sprinkle this on to hold the shape, or use only the powder for nearly the same results.
I have lots of very fine hair, so getting it to hold a style has always been a challenge. This sweet little power is the antidote to having to carry around a teasing comb (because I do) in my purse for the moments when my hair falls flat as a board.
Okay, friends - now I'm inspired to go take a shower and get super-glam! But in reality, I'm going to put on workout clothes and clean the bathroom floor. Such is life.
Happy weekend!