Wednesday, June 8, 2011

{Some Favorites}

I absolutely love hearing beauty tips and tricks.
I'll take it from anyone who offers; magazines, newspaper articles, coworkers, friends, the back of a cereal box... you get the picture...

But, you should know that I am the LAZIEST person when it comes to beauty routines. I still care about my skin/hair/nails/appearance,
I just don't want to dedicate a bunch of time to it all.

SO, I've come across (after many, MANY trial and errors) a few incredible products that allow me to get ready (be it for the day, or to go to bed) in the least amount of time possible.

Hopefully, some of these will allow you to shorten your routines as well...



I use the Clarisonic Mia to clean my face morning and night... seriously, Best. Investment. Ever. It softly exfoliates while getting rid of the dirt and oil. And for those of you with sensitive, acne-prone skin like me... this is a must-have!


With the Clarisonic Mia, I use CeraVe as a gentle cleanser... nothing with bubbles or beads - they're too harsh to go with the brush.


For the times when I DO get those ugly red zits... I dab some Tea Tree Oil on with a q-tip before bed, and voila! It's gone by morning
(even those under-the-skin buggers)
I can't take credit for finding this lifesaver, my mom let me in on the secret...



I know everyone has their opinion about Mac makeup Vs. the rest, and I can honestly say i've tried them all (or almost all), and this is my favorite! The Studio Fix powder has full (and I mean FULL) coverage, but it's only one step. I hate doing concealer, cover-up AND powder, so this is my quick fix :)


Ok, so I ONLY wear liquid liner. I love the dark, clean line, especially since I do the cat-eye style every day. Palladio is sold at Sally's in a wide range of colors... it's brush is perfectly pointed, but still soft... and the liner itself stays on ALL DAY.



Lash Blast by Cover Girl, is my tried and true mascara... it makes my eyelashes full without the clumps, lasts long, and doesn't flake!



As many of you know, I wear red lipstick every day, all day. This (Two-Faced Borderline Anti-Feathering Pencil) allows me to not worry about how my lipstick's holing up. It's a waxy coat that you pencil in on the outside of your lips to prevent feathering (that nasty thing that happens when the lipstick/gloss leaks into the cracks around your mouth). But it also helps keep the lipstick on and perfectly placed.


As many of you ALSO know, I HATE washing my hair. Umberto for Beverly Hills' dry shampoo (found at the beloved Target) honestly works, and well! I spray it on my roots in the morning (or when my hair's lookin' a little down) and it absorbs the oil without appearing like I just dumped a bunch of white powder on my head, and simultaneously volumizes my do! If I can recommend (beg) you to get one thing off this list... the dry shampoo is at the top.
I'm not kidding.
I can't tell you how many girlfriends I've gotten hooked on this stuff...




Last, but not least, my favorite nail products: I am a (recently commited) Essie girl. (Fab polish available at Walmart?? I'm so down...) The brush is always nice, the polish not too thick, and the colors are always in.
Russian Roulette is my favorite for a bright summer red.
(are you noticing a pattern with the color Red in my life? Hair, nails, lips...)

Now on to most fabulous top coat I have ever had the pleasure of coming across... Seche Vite is sold at Ulta. It's like putting a thick gel coat on top of your color that dries in, literally, 30 seconds.
And we're not talking surface level dry...
We're talking the fully smudge-proof dry in 30 SECONDS!
AMAZING.
My only regret is not finding it sooner and having to wait 3 hours before my nails were completely dry, and then having them chip the very next day!


I hope this list helps those of you who like beauty tips as much as I do. And for your convenience, the pictures are links to the stores/websites where you can find each product :)

6 comments:

Kelsey Farr said...

Woo woo! I love beauty tips and I love you! I am totally going to get that top coat since I just smudged the paint I did on my nails after waiting 45 minutes. Also you are cute :)
xoxox
miss you too!

Jenna said...

Hey Chelsea! I'm so happy I found your blog! Great secrets. I'm going to have to get some tea tree oil -- apparently it's amazing for other reasons, too! Someone recently told me it cures canker sores.

Ashley Bagley Nielson said...

yay! thanks for the great tips! i too love my studio fix, and i use cetaphil for my soap, but i'm pretty sure it's basically the same thing as yours. now i want one of those clarisonic mias! and that tea tree stuff!

LaNae said...

Great tips--I knew those magazines would come in handy! I love red--just not on me and especially on you!

Mom Roberts said...

This needs to be your profession...Do you think any of this will help you ole' aunt? P.S. Come visit and you can help me look "younger"! :)

karajean said...

So weird, I was just researching dry shampoo this morning b/c I hate washing my hair! I've never used dry shampoo before so I didn't know where to start but I am so happy for this recommendation!