Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The List: 10 Beauty Products I Can Always Count On


My Top 10 Beauty Products

They say French women never give away their beauty secrets. Let's face it folks, no matter how much I might want to be, I am clearly not French! I love it when ladies divulge their beauty secrets, so I thought it was time to return the favor. It's all about give and take, right? I've tried A LOT of products {and been disappointed many times}, but these are the 10 skin, hair, and beauty products I keep going back to, because they actually work! What are the products you love, love, love?

  1. Chanel Red #14 Lipstick: this has an absolutely gorgeous texture and is the perfect red shade for my pale-pinkish skin tone.
  2. Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Cream -- I use this every night on my face and neck and always wake up dewey and uber-mousturized.
  3. Clinique Mild Liquid Facial Soap -- cleans without stripping or overdrying.
  4. Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara -- I apply about a million coats of this, but it never looks clumpy, and it never rubs off during the day.
  5. Origins Modern Friction Natural Microdermabrasion -- I love that this is made with natural ingredients, but even more, I love that it works like magic. It makes my skin insanely soft and smooth!
  6. Bare Minerals Foundation -- this is the only foundation I have found that keeps my oily skin under control, evens out my blotches, and looks truly natural.
  7. Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser -- smells lovely and helps extend the days between shampoos.
  8. Brite Smile Whitening Pens -- I hate whitening strips, so these are a revelation! They are easy and quick to use and actually taste good.
  9. Smashbox Photo Finish Face Primer -- I never understood the purpose of primer until I used this: my makeup goes on smoother, my skin stays fresh all day, and my pores are minimized.
  10. Frederic Fekkai Anti-Breakage Hair Mask -- since I've been using this {about 3 times a week}, my hair has been softer, more manageable, and less tangly.

::Do you have any beauty secrets you'd like to share?

6 comments:

AuntieWicked said...

Unrefined Shea Butter : Its amazing for patchy dry or combination skin as a night-cream. Really evens the texture of the skin.

Olive oil and Sugar : One of the most perfect scrubs. Also, if you don't have those, a bit of olive oil, salt, and left-over coffee grounds do marvelous things for skin.

Black African Soap : I don't know how I lived without it before. It makes my skin sing.

CompassRose said...

Mine are very simple.
Smashbox Anti-Shine

Benefit Lemon-Aid (the perfect yellow to hide the purple under my eyes, and doesn't make my eyes itch like Physicians' Formula)

Smashbox Photo-Op for over the yellow to finish off the dark-circle hiding

Dior Show Brow Styler in brown

Blinc Kiss Me mascara (a truly miraculous product! I spent YEARS picking mascara bits out of my contacts and regularly wiping it out of the gutterlike crease under my eye every half hour, no matter how "smudge proof" the bottle promised. Kiss Me truly, honestly DOES NOT BUDGE off my lashes until I wet it with water and rub gently. And then it comes right off.

Aveda Green Science eye cream and face cream, the only creams that make visible difference to my skin (although I wasn't impressed at all with the Serum when I tried it). The Green Science eye cream really does shrink the bags under my eyes a little.

Aspirin masks. Amazing skin refiner, and fun to make too!

{Tara} said...

Miss Spite -- I was just watching a program the other day about the benefits of shea butter...I need to try this out!

Compass -- We have similar brand-preferences! An aspirin mask?? I must know more about this!

CompassRose said...

Oh, the aspirin mask is super-easy.

Take three aspirin, preferably uncoated. (The coated work too, but there'll be weird plasticlike bits of coating in the final mask. Uncoated can be tough to find, though.)

Crush them with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon.

Mix in:
about a quarter teaspoon of honey
about a quarter teaspoon of plain yogourt (any kind, any fat level)
(if you have oily skin) about a quarter teaspoon of green or white cosmetic/medical type clay (available in health food stores)

If I'm feeling fancy, I will add a drop of rose essential oil, but don't do this unless you can get really good quality essential oils.

Mix it all together. Add another drop or so more honey or yogourt if it's too thick. Spread on your skin, avoiding eyes. Leave on for anywhere from 3-10 minutes. Rinse off, rubbing gently in circles anywhere you feel you need extra exfoliating.

I can't remember where I got this. Some beauty board.

I like Smashbox because (so far) it doesn't cause my princessy skin to break out. Lots of stuff does. MAC is poison to me, as is Clinique and Olay. (Olay Regenerist made the skin peel off my face like a bad sunburn.)

(Which reminds me, I forgot the sunscreen that let me finally follow the advice to "use sunscreen EVERY SINGLE DAY to prevent aging. A decade or two too late, but whatever. La Roche Posay Anthelios, the spray kind for oily skin, 30SPF. Before that, I kept trying, but frankly I'd rather have sun damage than outbreaks of cystic acne, thanks.)

{Tara} said...

Compass -- that does sound fun to make, albeit a bit messy! I agree about Mac, I haven't had much luck with their products [minus lipstick]; I'm just not a fan of the texture and I prefer more natural-looking makeup. I think I am lucky though in regard to skin sensitivity -- my skin is tough! LOL ;) It's odd though, because when I was younger and tried Clinique, it gave me problems, but now it seems to work great for me! Thanks for your suggestions, btw.

Veraluna said...

Hi Tara

Here are some tips

1. Clear mascara from Zulu. It is completely natural and leaves your lashes long and beautiful without the dark eye afterwards.

2. Organix Coconut Milk anti-breakage serum. After blowdrying my hair I apply a few drops and it looks and smells great.

3. Origins set for facials (scrub, mask, toner, serum and moisturizer). It is a must for every other week when you want to have great skin without paying big money for it. You can do it yourself.

As you see I try to use natural products that do not contain parabens or strong chemicals. You can go to skindeep to check if your cosmetics are good for you and the environment