Happy Monday friends! I have de-Christmasfied the house and have started in on Mission: Organize and Declutter!
With all of the Christmas decor down, I do admit I’m a little sad. The house is looking super naked and bare. I am working on redecorating, so things look a little more normal. I also watched the Netflix show from the lady who wrote The Life Changing Magic of Tidying-Up, and after watching how organized she made everyone’s home, I looked around my house and, #1 thought burning it all to the ground might be easier (kidding), and #2 I better get started on my bedroom as it might take me until spring to get everything folded into tiny little squares like her.
I have made my way through half of my giant dresser so far. Today I am tackling the other half.
I am also contemplating doing another juice cleanse. I did one last year around this time from 86 Cold Press, and I felt so much better afterward. I did a 3 day cleanse last year, and I’m not going to lie it is challenging. I was hungry and really, really wanted to chew during those 3 days. I also know I would never make it doing one any longer than 3 days. If you want to read more about click here.
We have been doing a little reflecting over the last year this month. I went over my thoughts and goals for the new year here, and the Readers Top 10 Favorites From 2018.
Today we are talking beauty. In the course of a year I try out a ton of beauty products. Some I am sent by companies and some I purchase myself. No matter how I receive them I always give my honest opinions on them.
As we age our skin changes, and so do our makeup and skincare needs. Products that I used to use for years have now become too dry or cakey on my ever-changing skin. 2018 did bring some amazing new makeup and skincare products with it. If you follow me on IG, you will see me rave on and on about most of these products from time to time.
With my main demographic being women age 30-55, most of you have the same maturing skin as me, and you have loved these products too!
Let’s go over the Top 10 Beauty Products of 2018:
This face mask is life changing! First of all let’s start with the fact that it is made by Drunk Elephant. If you have not tried any of their products you are missing out my friends. I have been in love with every product of theirs that I have tried. If you use a Retinol (which any women over 30 need to be) it helps speed up cell turnover. As it does this, the cells just sit on the surface until you exfoliate them. The Babyfacial Mask exfoliates these dead cells with a whopping 25% AHA’s, which is huge. Basically it leaves your skin feeling baby soft afterward and brightens, shrinks pores and fine lines and wrinkles. It is pricey, but I only use it once a week in the winter and twice a week in the summer, so a bottle lasts me almost an entire year.
9. Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil-
I’ll be honest, until this year I didn’t really know anything about face oil. I am the driest person on the planet, and I didn’t really think that an oil could be as effective as some of the super thick creams I have plastered on my face in the winter. I had received a few oils from different companies early last year, and I was really surprised at how well oils worked. Then I tried out this one, and I knew I had found the winner. This Marula oil is full of antioxidants, and it helps reduce the size of wrinkles, fine lines, blotchiness and redness. I use this right after I use the Babyfacial, and in the morning my skin looks brighter and so glowy! I also use it nightly as my last step after my serum, retinol and eye cream as it acts as a seal to keep everything in! It comes in two sizes if you want to try out the smaller.
8. Je Ne Sais Quoi Hydrating Color Awakening Lip Treatment-
Being incredibly dry, my lips of course are too. I am on the constant hunt for the best lip products, and unfortunately most of them just aren’t up to par. That is until I tried this lip product. It feels so silky and buttery soft when you apply it and it lasts for hours. This one also has a slight rose hue to it making it look like it’s your natural lip color except it isn’t. It also comes in a clear color if you don’t want the color. I promise you will thank me for this one!
7. Soft Light Blurring Powder-
This is not your normal setting powder friends. This is like a real life wearable beauty filter. Soft Light Blurring Setting Powder acts as a veil to blur imperfections, set makeup with subtle radiance, and add dimension while eliminating shine for a natural-looking, perfected finish. It has a flattering veil that does not cake or settle into fine lines and pores and leaves a velvety finish with a beautiful glow.
6. Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara-
What woman isn’t looking for the best mascara out there? I can assure you I have a drawer full of ones that didn’t work for me. I have fairly long lashes, so what I was looking for most was one that was volumizing. Most mascaras are either great at lengthening or volumizing and this is one of the few that happens to do both! It is a cult favorite for a reason! It has a buildable formula that was developed with plastic surgeons to stretch the look of your lashes longer and wider. It also conditions them to keep them healthy and strong!
5. Sweetie Pie Radiant Matte Bronzer-
If you are like me, you are always in a hurry and you want your makeup routine as easy and streamlined as possible. This amazing product is will definitely help you with that as it is a bronzer, blush and highlighter in one! I have turned tons of my friends and family on to this, all with different skin tones, and this product looks good on all of them. I swirl my brush all over in it and swipe it where you would normally wear blush and bronzer. I also dab a bit across my hairline and chin for a little extra color in the winter. It gives you some color and a little highlighted glow that makes your look healthy and bright! I have been using my same compact for over 6 months, and I’m not even close to running out!
4. Primed & Peachy Cooling Matte Perfecting Primer-
I’m embarrassed to say another product I hadn’t tried until this year was face primer. I guess I really didn’t know what the purpose was, and I didn’t want to add another step to my routine. How wrong I was! Using this before my foundation not only makes my makeup go on smoother, it makes it last longer! It also helps fill in those pesky fine lines so you don’t have such noticeable crows feet when you smile. It fills in your pores so they aren’t as noticeable either. Out of all of the ones I have tried this year, this one is by far the best as it smells good and has a cooling effect when you apply it.
3. Peach Perfect Comfort Matte Foundation-
If you have been following me long, you know that I went on a year long journey of trying to find the perfect foundation for my mature skin. I tried so many that did not make the cut as they settled into my fine lines, looked cakey, or made my pores look giant! I finally came across this one after hearing many beauty bloggers rave about it. It not only smells wonderful (without being overpowering), but it has a velvety finish that makes my skin feel moisturized. It is a medium coverage foundation that can be made more light or heavy depending on how much you layer on. I use a very small or light amount which works best for me. I use the color Nude which works for me year round.
2. Under Eye Brightening Corrector-
One of my least favorite parts about getting older has been dark under eye circles. I started noticing them around the time I turned 37, and they have been getting darker every year since. As we age the skin under our eyes gets thinner and we start losing fat and collagen under our eyes. As this happens the dark blood vessels under the eyes become more visible. Add insomnia to that (which many of us suffer from) and you have a hot mess to deal with.
There’s really only a couple of things that will fix this. 1. adding fillers like Restylane or Juvederm to fill in your tear troughs, which is extremely pricey and has to be maintained or 2. Find the best product you can to help reduce the circles.
No matter how much sleep I was getting, my circles were always super visible. No concealer was enough. I found this Brightening Corrector and how things changed! I use a tiny amount of this after I have applied my primer and my number one product down below, right in the darkest areas under my eyes. I gently dab it on with either my finger or a small brush if my nails are too long, and I don’t want it stuck under my nails. What it does is reflect the light to draw attention away from lines and wrinkles creating a lifting effect! It’s like having 8 hours of sleep in a jar! While nothing will make you look like you did 20 years ago, this sure does help! It is a little pricey, but I have had the same pot for over a year and still have more than half left.
1. Anti-Fatigue Under Eye Primer-
This has been my most life-altering product of the year! I just starting using this in December, but I already know I will never be without it. It is one of those products I want to hoard just in case they would every stop making it. Yes, I know that makes me sound like a crazy person, but it is really that good! Okay, I know it looks a little crazy because it is green but when you apply it there is no tint to it. As I have gotten older, not only do I have dark circles, but I have been getting this crepey texture under my eyes that my concealer and foundation settle into. No matter how I would moisturize or what primer I would use, that area stayed the same.
This is a cooling, anti-fatigue eye balm and primer in one! Coverage can only go so far. This priming balm smooths and blurs the look of fine lines while reducing puffiness. Infused with cucumber, matcha green tea, and caffeine, the sheer and velvety texture effortlessly melts into the skin to condition the eye area. It perfectly preps the under-eyes for corrector and concealer application, so makeup never creases or looks cakey.
Here’s what I do: I use moisturizer containing hyaluronic acid; next I apply my face primer (product #4); next I apply the Anti-Fatigue Under Eye Primer; then the Under Eye Brightening Corrector; then my foundation; and last my concealer. I know that’s not the order some people go by, but to end up with best under eye results, this is what works for me!
I’ve linked all of these products to either Sephora or Nordstrom as they allow you to return the product (within a certain time period) if it doesn’t work well for you!
What new beauty products have you discovered lately that you can’t live without? I’m always looking for new goodies to try!
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