Favorite Beauty Products As Of Right Now (Summer/Fall 2012)

So this is highly awkward. Who knows if anyone is listening right now on account of I haven’t blogged in forever, but this summer was another chlorine-filled one like the last. However I did not bake as much as I did last summer. I did make some yum treats though. Fresh strawberry cupcakes, strawberry muffins, salted caramel cupcakes, cake batter muddy buddies. Probably a few more. Te he. Today I’d like to show you some of my favorite beauty/hair supplies.

*One note before we begin:

In my profile picture I’m donning pigtail braids, so it’s not obvious what texture my hair is. I have naturally curly/wavy/frizzy/thick/huge hair. From December/June I tend to straighten it with a flat iron very often. Now I swim during the fall so there’s normally no time/reason to go at my hair with heat. In the summer I normally don’t use heat on my hair except on special occasions. Lately I’ve been trying to blow-dry my hair straight although sometimes it turns out extremely puffy. My hair is also really long (I don’t know if this matters), but I do have split ends so I guess that might contribute to the type of conditioner I use? I don’t know. Anyways it’s like 5 inches away from my butt when it’s curly. It’s obviously a lot longer when it’s straightened out.

Oh and another note:

My hair does not have the normal outside forces ruining it everyday. I swim everyday in chlorine which dries out my hair and changes the texture.

Ok, now that we’ve gotten that aside, let’s begin!

Photos: Courtesy of http://favim.com/image/492614/

So, let’s begin with my shower products. I use a face wash. I have tried plenty of face washes. Plenty! Again with the swim thing, my face gets extremely dry and I can’t use any ol’ face wash. Before I swam I would use Biore Warming Anti-Blackhead Cream Cleanser. This stuff works beautifully and it makes your skin feel so clean and refreshed. It not only minimizes pores and blackheads but it also treats acne. I also used to use some alcohol-smelling cleansing pads from the dermatologist and some cleanser that works really fast but it does bleach the face and dries it out. I also used to use Clean & Clear Morning Burst Shine Control Facial Cleanser and I occasionally use it still. I also shower every other day and sometimes longer because of my hair texture. So I used to wash my face every other day and then use the alcohol pads on the days I didn’t wash my face. Now, I use Alba Coconut Milk Facial Wash. I can use that normally every day without my face peeling from dryness. P.S. I have provided links for each wash so you can go to the site and see what it looks like :)

Kay, now... drumroll please...

Hair Care!

Last summer I had an epiphany with Tresemme weather control shampoo and conditioner or whatever it’s called. This summer I’ve been using Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo and then Aussie Moist Conditioner. I wash my hair first with my shampoo and after I put the conditioner in I brush it out with a wide-tooth comb. Then I wash it out in coolish water. Brushing it out while it still has conditioner in it makes the hair really smooth and detangled and when you wash your hair with cold water it seals it in. Both my shampoo and my conditioner smell heavenly so that’s always a plus :)

Now, let’s see. When I get out of the shower I always moisturize my face. I swear, I have to slap that moisturizer on as soon as I get out or my face will start peeling. Oh, and my go to moisturizer is Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture for Combination Skin. The amazing thing is that they have 3 kinds: for oily, sensitive, or combination skin. I probably should be using sensitive skin right now but I used to have oily/combination skin and it still works excellent.

Makeup

Now after I moisturize I brush out my hair with a wide-tooth comb (never use an actual brush on wet hair, it’s too harsh) and detangle it with Aussie Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner Spray. This stuff also smells amazing and detangles great. I’ve been using this stuff for about a year and I think I’ll stick with it. But this summer I’ve been also using Garnier Fructis Style Pure Clean Smoothing Cream. Now I don’t think it tames my frizzies very well but it does work well as an extra detangler. Then I use Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Define & Hold Creme. It works pretty good on keeping my waves/curls smooth and defined but I think I could do better. Although it also smells really good :) 

Today I just bought some Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk and I’m trying it out to see if it’s any good. Wish me luck!

Honestly, I don’t wear makeup, but I still have some that I use on special occasions that I really do like. Maybelline’s the Falsies Mascara seemed to really enhance my eyelashes the one time I used it for pictures. For foundation I like Covergirl NatureLuxe Liquid Silk Foundation with sunscreen in Aspen. I’m not much of a gloss or lipstick girl so I really enjoy Maybelline’s Baby Lips. It slides on easily and it’s not cakey like lipstick. Also the cherry color smells really good, like cherries! For lip balm I religiously love Burt’s Bees. I have the Ultra Conditioning kind right now but I have gotten the Honey balm before too. Oh and back to lipstick, during the school year, on busy mornings, it was so simple to just put on the Baby Lips just like chapstick! I also use Covergirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm in Grenache which looks beautiful!

Pretty much that’s it when it comes to beauty products! Bye bye!