My Favorite Beauty Products

...for now. Shout out to Lindsay Rotella for giving me the idea for this blog! If you haven't heard, she is baby bumpin' these days, so she gets what she wants! Right, Chris!? ;)

Fashion and beauty are constantly evolving, and we are constantly adapting! Well, most of us are...I hope. It's what we must do in order to not end up looking like the conductor of the hot mess express (aka Tara Reid.)

I get a lot of questions about my hair now that I'm red! For those of you who don't know, being a faux redhead is hard work! Red fades VERY easily, so this is what I have to do to maintain my color.

1. After I get it colored, I don't wash it for 3 days. I know, gross.

2. Wash it in cold water. Miserable. Especially in the winter! Invest in that detachable shower wand thingie.

3. Use sulfate-free shampoo! You should probably do this whether you color or not.

4. Wash it every other day. Dry shampoo is the bff of a faux redhead!
5. I never use a straightener, and very rarely curl my hair.  I try to only use heat on my hair when I blow dry it with a round brush after it has air dried for about 10-15 minutes!

My favorite shampoo and conditioner at the moment is Redken Color Extend Magnetics. Most sulfate free shampoos don't lather, which just doesn't feel right, but this one does!
 

About twice a week I use Arrojo's whipped deep conditioning treatment. It smells heavenly, and really works wonders on maintaining color and preventing split ends.

I mentioned dry shampoo is my best friend, and I have tried several brands trying to find THE ONE. I have to say, Batiste is the best!

 

Okay onto the face. I know, mine is incredibly beautiful, and I'm sorry you won't be able to copy it exactly, but there is no harm in trying! ;p

I love the Beauticontrol Spa Facial skin set. The kit includes the cleanser, scrub, toner, moisturizer, and eye cream. Yes, you should be using eye cream and moisturizer with SPF no matter how old you are! Prevention is key! Once a wrinkle is there, it's there! I order mine from the wonderful, beautiful Deb Elkins. So, if you're interested, I'll hook you up with her!

I have used BareMinerals since I was in 10th grade, and I can't imagine using anything else. I hate the feeling of liquid foundation on my face. Also, because I am oily/combination, it just makes me too shiny. BareMinerals is a powder, so it feels light, but it still covers and conceals! I even use it to contour my face...and ladies, I'm telling you now, you need to learn how to contour! It makes a huge difference!

I don't do eyebrows.  Okay, so when I colored my hair red, I started paying more attention to other redheads. I kept noticing that they colored on their eyebrows...in red! I was curious, so I tried it.  I swear to you, I looked just like Ronald McDonald.  I don't mind the bold brow look, but I do mind when girls pluck/wax most of their eyebrow off, then color it on. Sillyness.
 

Oh, eyeliner. Stila liquid eyeliner is so great! I like to use it for my top eyeliner because it is so easy to apply in a straight line. I previously used Estée Lauder's eye pencil, and I still like it, but I recently discovered the Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet pencil, and I love!

When it comes to mascara, I have tried all the fancy brands, and I am telling you, nothing compares to a good ol' fashioned drugstore mascara! The new Covergirl Bombshell is fabulous, but it could be used as a weapon! You might want to take it out of your purse before a security check because that sucker is huge. I also like the L'Oreal Double Extension eyelash growth serum and mascara set! It actually does work. I noticed a difference in my lashes when I was using it every day!

For everyday looks, Urban Decay Naked 2 can't be beat. If you want something fun and bright, you need to hit up the Mac counter.  My friend, Brittany, is the Mac eyeshadow queen! She has any color you could ever want!
 

I am a Mac girl all the way when it comes to lipstick, and that is Brittany's fault.  I love their colors! I have everything from red to nude to hot pink! I'm not crazy about their lipgloss though! Too sticky!  I'm not a huge fan of lipgloss because it seems to be more trouble than it is worth, so I just use whatever comes in my Ipsy bag that month!

 

Three things I use every day- Porefessional, Benetint, and Highbeam. The porefessional minimizes the appearance of pores, so I like to use it on my nose! I use the Benetint stain on my cheeks and lips, and the Highbeam highlighter seriously brightens up my whole face! Benefit is a fantastic brand!

I'm not a nail girl, but if I must paint my nails, I like Essie or Ciate. I really only do nails with Matt's cousin, Jennifer! She also introduced me to Birchbox and Ispy! For just $10 a month they send you samples of awesome beauty products! Birchbox sends different things for hair, skin, nails, even food sometimes, but Ipsy is strictly make-up! Click here to sign up for Birchbox, or click here to sign up for Ipsy!

 

Okay, that's all you get! A girl can't reveal all of her secrets! I usually get these things in my Birchboxes and Ispy bags, then, if I like them, I purchase them at Sephora to earn points for free stuff! Who doesn't like FREE stuff!?  Make-up can be pretty expensive, but it is something you wear every single day! I mean it's my face, skin, eyes, and lips we're talking about here! Things worth protecting if you ask me!

 

Now, I'm not claiming to be some beauty extraordinaire! Everyone has their favorites that work for them, which is fabulous! That's what makes the make-up world go'round!  Half the fun in make-up is that it is creative and fun, and it is what makes us all beautiful in our own, special way! :)  If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or just feel like sharing and chatting about your favorite products, please do!! There is nothing I love more!