A Few Of My Favorite Things

A while back I posted some of my favorite products with the hope that I would do a weekly "favorite things" post....but that just isn't possible for me right now. So I hope that you'll take whatever little tidbits I can toss out and maybe you'll find something new to you to try that you will enjoy as much as I do.

Before I list my new "favorites" let me tell you how some of these products came to be for me. Recently I was contacted by an old friend from high school telling me that we needed to get together to see if there would be any interest in having a class reunion next May/June.   We've been out of school for a number of years.  According to my kids, I'm "older than dirt"!   When my friend contacted me I knew I had to get my game on since she is still as beautiful now as she was in school.   I wanted to step it up so I looked like I had it together after all these years. My husband sweetly said I didn't have anything to worry about but of course he'd say that (if he wanted to continue living here ---ha ha)!.

I started my search on Pinterest for the best mascaras. I rarely wear mascara and was amazed at all the different ones available.   I ended up buying Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express.

This stuff really delivers!   I brushed on a couple of coats and wondered if I would even be able to put my reading glasses on.   It didn't clump and I liked how full my lashes looked.   So this gets an "A" in my book.

The next item I bought was for the bags under my eyes.   These have recently developed and I think it's partially because I'm not sleeping good.  I think a lot has to do with my stressing over the situation with my mama....plus I've heard the older you get the less you sleep.    I usually turn out the light between 10:30 p.m. and midnight but then sometimes wake up around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m.   I've heard a lot about this next product and bought a tube of it but the jury's still out on the results....so far I haven't seen a difference in my "bags".

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For the last couple of years I've been using an eye pencil as my eyeliner but with all the humidity we have here, it doesn't take long for me to get "raccoon eyes" and I'm just not into that!   So when recently shopping with my daughter she picked up some liquid eyeliner (her eyeliner always looks good) and I used to wear the liquid liner so I got one too.   I'm really happy I did because it stays on all day without smudging and I don't have to keep re-applying it.   Here's the one I use:

L'Oreal Telescopic Waterproof Eyeliner in Black/Noir

For my base I recently switched from Merle Norman to Neutrogena Healthy Skin makeup.   It's a little lighter than the one I used from Merle Norman and I just want a little light coverage.   Although the Neutrogena covers very well, it's just not as heavy to me as Merle Norman.

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I've been reading a lot about skin brighteners/primers and while looking around for the eye products the other day, I saw one that sounded interesting and made a lot of promises so I picked it up too.    Wow!   This stuff is a-m-a-z-i-n-g!    A little goes a long way.   I found (on Pinterest) the points where you should apply face illuminators and followed those instructions.    I can't recommend this product enough and will NEVER EVER be without it!

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This product states it is a 'light infusing primer; instant illumination and enlightened complexion'.   It truly delivers what it promises.   But don't get carried away with it....a little goes a long way.

Another product that I'm loving is by Suave.    

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It's their Moroccan Infusion Dry Body Oil.   I squirt this on my legs and arms for a little healthy glow.  I also will squirt on some of the L'Oreal Magic Lumi on my shoulders and down my arms with the Dry Body Oil....makes your skin gorgeous!   My granddaughter Taylor tried it at the house the other day and loved the smell (like a day at the beach) so we got her a little bottle too.

I also believe in using a good moisturizer.    I featured the one below on my first products review and still love it.    You can't beat the price point either!

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I also like this next product and mix it with the St. Ives moisturizer.   It comes with a day and night serum.    Saw this one advertised on Dr. Phil and bought mine at Target. 

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One product that my hairdresser recently introduced me to is by Redkin.    

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 I like to use this along with my regular hairspray when I need a little "poof" to my hair.   I bought mine at Ulta with a coupon...makes it a little more reasonable.

If you decide to try any of these products, I hope you love them as much as I do.   Also, please feel free to share any products you recommend....I'd love to know!   I don't spend like to spend a ton of $$$ on my beauty products and I think most of these are affordable for anyone.   I know there are a lot of crazy expensive products and they may be worth every penny but I don't know if I'll ever make that kind of investment.  

I do plan to research other products that offer some maintenance programs for "mature" skin and will share my thoughts on those when I add those to my beauty routine.     If you'd like to check out some of my pins about beauty products on Pinterest, you can see those here.   I am by no means an expert on any of this but I have found a lot of helpful information and inspiration on Pinterest and of course, my own experience with these products.

Oh, and for the record, we had our first reunion meeting the other night where we had about 8 classmates there...3 girls and 5 guys.    I'm happy to report that I got a lot of compliments and one of the guys said it looked like I'd been drinking from the fountain of youth!    So now if I can just lose about 20 pounds by next summer....I'll be good to go!