3.12.2013

February Favorites!




Yes, I know, it's been a short month but man, it flew by. I don't have any crazy new products to show this month, and I think many of you have seen these or may have used them before. However, one of my favorites this month is not a thing but rather a process that I am very excited to share with you all. Next month I should have some awesome favorites (hint hint... Someone's been shopping!) so be on the lookout for that.

Maybelline The Falsies - Why have I not tried this before? Why have none of you ever said, "Hey Elise, go get this, you need it?" I know I only have myself to blame for not trying this before, but it makes me feel better if I say no one suggested it! I am on an eternal search for my holy grail mascara. This isn't it, but it sure is a great stop on my journey. Volumizing, lengthening; it does both really well. The formula is also pretty wet, which I'm a huge fan of, but it does have a tendency to clump. I've already repurchased this in a double pack from Target!

Clinique Even Better Foundation - Recently I've been a bit bored with my drugstore foundation. Fun Elise fact - I have never purchased a high-end foundation. You would think that's the most important area to invest in, but I never do. Strange. Anyway, I decided to raid my mom's makeup stash. I normally know what products are in there because either I buy things for her or I give her suggestions, but I found a little Even Better bottle. Why not? I was pleasantly surprised. I never think to buy Clinique as it was a "mommy brand" to me growing up. It left my skin looking matte all night long and it didn't emphasize my incredibly dry skin.

Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner - Brilliant. A jet black liquid liner with the skinniest felt tip I've ever seen. If you're as big a fan of sharp winged liner as I am, this is for you. I heard about this first from Makeup By Alli (she's fab!) and I decided to give it a go while it was on sale at Target. I also give it my stamp of approval for longevity. My bad habit of not washing my face came in handy - I woke up the next day and my liner was as opaque and sharp as it was the day before. I've now put the franchise tag on this liner. A new permanent addition to my collection.

Sinful Colors Easy Going - Another product I am conducting an eternal search for? An opaque, extremely light, almost white pink nail polish. I do love my Essie Fiji, but I want something I can swipe on with no streaks and not have to apply four coats. I had heard of this and stumbled upon it at the evil empire that is Walmart. These polishes are typically great and only $1.99. You can't beat that. It was still a bit streaky on the first coat, but it's very opaque. It can be a bit thick, so as long as you're careful with application, it'll be a winner.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - I tried this after seeing some raves about it by British YouTube beauty gurus and I'm liking it a lot. The full line of Rimmel products isn't sold in the US, but I stumbled on the concealer at Walmart. (Still on the hunt for the foundation, though.) I haven't used a liquid concealer with a doe foot applicator in a while, but it's very smooth and doesn't settle into fine lines. It also has a great brightening quality to it without looking too white or shiny.

And now, for my new beauty secret. Well, it might not be a secret to everyone but this is definitely new to me. I have extremely dry skin and along with that comes a very dry, flaky, and itchy scalp. What's interesting about that is even while it's so dry, my hair is unbearably oily even a day and a half after washing it. So what gives? I've heard many times that washing your hair too much can cause your scalp to be irritated and since you're stripping all the oils, your follicles go into overdrive to produce more oil. I tried to wait longer between washes, but it just wasn't working out. I just can't go 4-5 days without washing my hair. I asked my stylist what I could do about this and she suggested washing with only conditioner for two washings in between shampooings. This way, the hair is clean and the oils are distributed throughout instead of being stripped. After a while, your hair will simply stop producing as much oil.
I tried it.
AMAZING.
How have I never heard of this before? I had no flakes when I got out of the shower and I didn't have the nagging urge to scratch my scalp with a comb. I highly suggest you try this method - it has completely changed my shower routine.

Although I didn't have too many products, this was quite a rambly favorites post! Happy March!

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