My Favorite Beauty Products

In my last post, I mentioned my favorite face lotion by Estee Lauder and I got to thinking. Why stop there? I'm no expert, but I do have products that I use religiously and really love, many of which I received through tips from other friends. So in the nature of sharing, here are my top five beauty products that keep me looking oh so young ;-).

1. Sparkling Clean Purifying Mud Cleanser: Since my skin decided to become oily in last 5 months, this face wash has been amazing. It has kept my skin in check. Plus, I love the way it smells. I definitely think adding the toner has helped too!

2. Urban Decay's Eden Eyeshadow Primer Potion: This one I got from my friend Kristi. Her make-up is always flawless and we are often hanging out at night after work where naturally make-up just doesn't seem to survive. But hers always looks so great. I figured she was just on top of her game and would redo her make-up before we met. Then, she let me in on her little secret. This stuff! You put it on over your lotion before putting on any of your eye make-up. Then, you apply your eye make-up and go about your day. Your eye make-up WILL NOT MOVE! It's crazy! My eye shadow looks the same at 6 p.m. as it did when I apply it at 7 a.m. It's truly amazing.

3. Cream Blush under Powder Blush: This is a secret I picked up online after Kristi revealed hers to me. Once I got my eye shadow to stay put, I figured there had to be a way to make my blush stay put too. So I did some googling and, let me tell you, it's soo simple! First, put on cream based blush after you moisturize. Follow with your powder blush on top of the cream blush. And, lastly, put on your foundation (which mine is also powder based). Somehow the cream makes the powder blush not sweep off during the day. I'm not really sure all the science behind this method, but it works!

4. J Beverly Hills ADD BODY Volumizing Shampoo: I came across this shampoo by accident. Actually, I think it was God. You see, I won a huge basket with tons of beauty products at an event last year. This was one of the products. I didn't think much of it until I started using it. For some reason, at the oh so young age of 26, my hair decided it was going to change. It was going to become more oily. Then, it decided to turn into a wavey mess when the pregnancy hit. This shampoo, like the face wash, has put my hair back in it's proper place. The grease is at a far distance, the wave is being treated with some of their other styling products, and I look like a normal person rather than a form of Carrot Top. Thank you, gift basket!

5. Exercise: Ok. So this isn't really a beauty product, but it definitely is a priority for me in my beauty regime. Why? Well, for one it makes me feel better and when I feel better, I look better. Two, it helps me sleep. I am a horrible sleeper. I fall asleep slowly, wake up constantly, and usually end up dragging myself out of bed in the morning from exhaustion. But if I am in the routine of working out daily, I notice a huge difference. And third, and probably if I were honest the most important reason, is that it gives me cute calves, a firm butt, and tightish abs. And really, ladies, who doesn't want that? So what am I doing right now to stay fit? Prenatal yoga, lunges/squats, arm weights, kegel exercises and a lot of walking. I mean, seriously, I've got to get ready to push a watermelon out of me and I'm determined to do it faster than any other woman. ;-)

Now, it's your turn! I'm curious: what beauty products do you rely on??