I didn’t post anything yesterday because I figured no one really wanted to hear about how Caroline was home sick again and I stayed in my pajamas until noon and we ate cheese and crackers for lunch because it was all we had since I still hadn’t been to the grocery store.
But now you just heard about it anyway. Sorry.
By the time Tuesday morning rolled around, I woke Caroline up for school. She complained of a sore throat but I told her to drink some water and assured her she’d be fine. And I was right.
While she was at school I did all the things that had been neglected for the last two weeks. I washed clothes and made a list of things to cook for actual meals and then even followed through with a trip to HEB to buy all the groceries on my list. The whole thing was terribly productive.
I had big plans to cook a real dinner, but then P called me mid-afternoon to tell me he’d decided to make a trip to the ranch and so I certainly wasn’t going to cook for just Caroline and me. I figured we’d pick something up, but then my friend Leslie called to me she was bringing by the Girl Scout cookies we’d ordered and, just like that, dinner was served.
Not really. We also ordered pizza. But my pizza to cookie ratio erred greatly on the side of cookies because THIN MINTS.
Anyway, a few weeks ago when I did that little video interview with Edie at Life in Grace, we talked about beauty products for a few minutes and she said maybe I should write an updated post about some of my favorites. And I thought that today might be a good day for it because why not?
So here are some of my current beauty products. You will notice there are various price points represented. I try to mix it up, but as I’ve headed towards my mid-forties I’m not playing around with my skincare. You only get one face.
1. Dr. Gross extra-strength alpha beta peel
I’ve mentioned these a few times but it’s because I’m in love with them. They come in handy little packets so you don’t have to guess about how much to use. I use these every other night after I wash my face and it’s like a little mini-peel for my face.
You can also just buy five day sample here if you want to try them out.
Here’s a true confession. On days when I’m really lazy and not really going anywhere except the grocery store, I’ll just use some moisturizer and then brush this over my face. It’s a nice glow without being overly shimmery.
If there were just one thing I was going to buy for my face, this would be it. I bought my Clarisonic two and a half years ago and it has made such a difference in how clean my skin feels at the end of the day. It’s a little pricey, but you’ll have it for a long time and use it every day.
4. Rimmel London Lash Accelerator
Sophie told me about this mascara a while back and I think she’s now moved onto something else because she is always in search of the mythical unicorn of mascaras. (I have no idea what I mean.) But I’m still using this. It’s only $6.00, has a great brush and coats my lashes without being clumpy.
5. Revlon Colorstay Liquid lipstick
If you’re looking for a lip color that will last all day, then look no further. This stays put no matter what you do. Now I will tell you that it feels a little dry and I always put a lipgloss on top of it, but it’s my go to lip color when I know I have a long day ahead of me and little chance to check to make sure I still have on lipstick.
6. Paula’s Intensive Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Serum
This is the newest product for me on this list, but I already love it. My skin tends to be really dry and so whenever I use any type of Retinol or Retin A, it gets really dry and often starts to flake. But this is actually Retinol in an oil form. It only takes one drop to cover your whole face and you can even use it around your eyes. I love the way it soaks into my skin and doesn’t leave me feeling itchy and dry.
7. Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm
This is a product I discovered through Birchbox. (Birchbox is a monthly subscription where you pay $10 a month to receive a box of beauty samples. You can sign up here if you’re interested.) I’d heard about Dr. Jarts but wasn’t sure if it was worth the money, but I can honestly say I’m a fan. It definitely leans more towards coverage for fair to light skin so I don’t think I’ll use it this summer. However, it is the perfect amount of coverage for my face. It doesn’t feel heavy at all and is so moisturizing.
But for the summer, I’ll probably stick with Garnier beauty balm. It’s great, light coverage at a great price.
8. Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick
I love these color sticks from Neutrogena. They go on so smooth and the color is much more subdued than it looks. I keep a couple of these in my purse at all times.
9. Anastasia Brow Wiz mechanical pencil
So in the last year I’ve developed a bit of an eyebrow obsession. It all began when I realized I was over-tweezing my eyebrows and needed to let them grow in a bit. I blame my overzealousness on a very powerful magnifying mirror that shows every hair on your face before it’s even out of the follicle.
I think there is something to fuller eyebrows making you look more youthful. In fact, as I’m writing this I’m looking at J.Lo’s eyebrows on American Idol and they are stunning. I’m sure they’re like interwoven with real mink or something. (I also need to know about her self-tanner. Good night at the glow.)
For those of us who can’t afford mink eyebrow extensions, I recommend this eyebrow pencil. It just gives a nice soft color without looking too harsh.
10. Cetaphil
This is the basic staple of my face cleansing regimen. I use Cetaphil with my Clarisonic brush every night. And then because I am very fancy, I take off my eye makeup with Vaseline.
11. Hummingbird Farms lavender lotion
I tend to mention this a lot but it’s because it is my all-time favorite lotion. P and I both couldn’t live without it. The scent is about the best thing you’ll ever smell and it moisturizes even the most dry skin.
And so there it is. My current beauty favorites.
I’d love to hear about yours in the comments if you feel like sharing.
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Also, in case you missed it yesterday, some of you mentioned Antelope was out of stock on Amazon. It’s back in stock now. You can find it here. It’s also available at Barnes and Noble here. And you can always walk into your neighborhood LifeWay store or Barnes and Noble or Sam’s Club and find it there.