Favorite Things

Once a month, the girls from our Sunday morning Bible class get together for a "Ladies' Night."  The last time that we met, we had a "Favorite Things" party (and I didn't take a single picture!).  Basically, everyone who came to the party brought five of their favorite things... all the same item.  We put our names in a bowl five times each, and then drew the names of five other women.  We went around the room showing our favorite product and why we love it, and if you drew that person's name, then you got their item.  At the end of the night, each person went home with five of their friends' favorite things!

So I thought it would be fun to do a blog post about five of my favorite things... which all happen to be beauty products (I didn't plan that by the way... I must just be feeling really girly today!).

Again, if you were going to host a "Favorite Things" party, you would have your guests bring five of the SAME item.  The item that I brought is the first of five things that I am going to show you on this post.  It is NYC's Liquid Lipshine in "Nude York City."  One of the partners at Greg's firm told me about this lip color, and I agree that it might be the perfect natural lip color for pretty much any skin type.  Plus, it smells like cupcakes!  I've been wearing it everyday, and I love it!

The second product that I'm in love with are Suave's dry shampoos.  I don't have oily hair, but I do have oily skin, so the hair around my face gets dirty as the day goes on.  I spray this on the front of my hair and it helps keep the oil gone throughout the day.  Some of my friends also use it to just give their hair extra body at the roots.  Suave has two kinds, a gold can and silver can.  I like the way the silver can smells the best, so I use it the most.

My third favorite product (in no particular order) is Cover Girl's Smudge Proof mascara.  I have used this stuff for over a decade, and I might boycott all makeup if they ever discontinue it.  The reason that I like this mascara is because it is half way between washable and waterproof.  It doesn't smear down my face if I cry at a sappy commercial, but I don't have to use eye make-up remover to get it off, either.  It just washes off with face soap and water.  LOVE IT!

Next up, I'd like to introduce you to my favorite nail polish top coat.  Let me tell you why you should wear a top coat... because your polish will last forever!  This one from Sally Hanson is the best drugstore top coat that I've ever found.  Two coats of my nail polish and one coat of this, and my nails last for well over a week before chipping.  Plus, it drys in minutes (which is fantastic if you always mess up your wet nails like me, ugh!).  

Finally, my last favorite product for today is St. Tropez's line of self-tanners.  My dad was diagnosed with melanoma in 2007, and that day, I decided that I will never tan in a tanning bed again.  I'm not a sun-hater, but I am much more aware that skin cancer (even the terminal kind) can happen to anyone.  In comes self-tanners!  I hate most of them, but I got a free trial size bottle of the St. Tropez gradual tanner one time, and I loved it!  It doesn't smell like self-tanner, it doesn't smear like self-tanners, its not orange like self-tanners.  It's amazing.  I have both the gradual tan lotion on the right (which I use the most) and the foaming tanner (which I use when I want a darker tan, but it is messier).  When I put on the foam, I use the mitt that you can see in the picture, and it works really well... a lot better than you would think a mitt would work, and I actually think it smooths it on better than your hand.  Honestly, this is the easiest self-tanner that I have ever applied.  It is magic tan in a bottle.

All of these products, except the St. Tropez, can be purchased at the drugstore.  I get my St. Tropez at Ulta, but I haven't really looked for it anywhere else.

So there you go!  These are my favorite products, and I want everyone to know about them!  Let me know if you try any of them!