My Favorite Beauty Products

Today I decided I'd blog about something completely unrelated to life...no bar exam, no school, not even Liliana (as hard as that'll be).  I just wanted to write about something light hearted and completely irrelevant to anything important: my favorite beauty products.  You know how magazines always list the best beauty products of the year (such as "best face wash" and "best lotion?")  Well...here are my tops ones!  If you guys have any of your favorites, let me know!

Best Face Wash: Clearasil Daily Wash

Out of all my favority beauty products, this is #1.  I've been using Clearasil for over 10 years now.  And, I have to admit (as conceited as it sounds) that I very rarely ever got pimples (even through my puberty years).  Another thing I love about this product: it's CHEAP.  People spend so much money on face wash.  When I was about 14, I started getting some pimples and my Mom took me to Clinique.  Sixty bucks later I came home with a bar of soap, the toner, and the lotion.  Three months later, I still looked pimpley.  When I changed to this ($4 a bottle!), the pimples went away and I've been addicted ever since.

Best Face Scrub: Clean and Clear Steam Scrub
I tend to have pretty dry skin, so I only use this once a week, but when I do, I love it.  You put it on your face and wait a minute in the shower.  After that, you scrub it in (it exfoliates) and your face feels so much smoother!  If you have more oily skin, I'm sure you could do it 2 - 3 times a week, but I don't recommend doing it on a daily basis.  This is basically a little facial that you can do yourself and it's cheap...yes please.
 



Best Face Lotion:  St. Ives Collagen Elastin Lotion 
After my loving Clearasil, this is my #2 favorite beauty product.  I found this face lotion on a complete whim one day.  I used to use the Clinique Dry Face Lotion and hated paying $24.00 for the bottle.  Well, one day I had run out of lotion and we were at the grocery store.  I saw this stuff and it was $5 so I decided I should just go ahead and try it out...best decision EVER.  This tub lasts you well over a year (I'm still using it and it's been 13 months).  And, trust me, I use lotion on my face EVERY SINGLE DAY since it's so dry.  Another reason this stuff is great: guys can use it too.  My husband uses it every other day after he shaves.

Best Body Lotion: Ahava Body Lotion
This post is about my favorite right?  Well, then it's Ahava.  However, this stuff is beyond pricey.  A huge bottle of this is about $40.  WOAH.  I have never come close to paying that much though.  They sell this at Stein Mart and at TJ Maxx for cheaper...around $20.  Still though, that's more than I'd like to pay for my body lotion.  My mother-in-law found it at CostCo once with a couple other bottles in a package for $20 and bought one for me...LOVED having it.  That being said, I haven't bought it again.  It's just too pricey.  What lotion is my favorite after that?  Honestly, I don't really have a favorite.  Since I have such dry skin, I'm picky.  I usually just get whatever is on sale and dream of using Ahava...

Best Make-up Products:  MAC and Too Faced Brands
I'm going to seem like a total snob when it comes to my make-up products, but let me explain: I can't buy make-up products from the drugstore because I've had allergic reactions to both Maybelline and Cover Girl.  Granted, this was approximately 10 years ago, but it's a risk I'm not willing to take again.  I used Clinique for years to avoid this problem, but wanted a change and fell in love with MAC stuff for my eyes and Too Faced for my lip balm and powder.  Truth be told, I don't wear too much make-up.  Growing up, my parents had to kinda force it on me...I was a tomboy.

One thing that took me a while to find was my favorite lip balm.  The product was called Bunny Lip Balm and the tin was $11 but lasted me over three years, so I didn't mind spending that.  The sad thing is...as I was searching their website right now in order to post a picture, they don't seem to be selling it anymore!! OH NO!  Now, I don't know what I'll do.  You can still get it from other websites, but I don't think it'll last long.  Snag some while you can!
As for the eye products, I really only use MAC for the eyeshadows.  The colors are gorgeous though and the color stays put all freaking day.  Warning though: not cheap.

Best Fragrances: Ralph Lauren Blue and Victoria's Secret Love Spell

Let me tell you, my husband is obsessed with the Victoria's Secret scent.  I can't tell you how many times I've sent my sweet mother-in-law in to Victoria's Secret to get me this stuff for my birthday or Christmas.  It's not my fault though...it's the only scent that Evan actually notices on me!  I even use their Shampoo and Conditioner.  As far as my favorite perfume goes, I'm in love with my Ralph Lauren Blue.  Evan might not comment on it (he just doesn't' notice it), but trust me, the scent is strong and lasts all day.  My brother, who I think would consider himself a perfume and cologne expert, always comments on how nice I smell and how much he loves this perfume.  The bottle is big too!  Highly recommend these two.  You'll love the way you smell and guys will too!  : )

Hope you enjoyed my top beauty products!  I am by no means an expert in this area, but I sure as heck am loyal to a few things and wanted to share.  Let me know if you disagree or have recommendations of stuff you just can't live without.