Let's Talk Beauty...

I thought I'd change things up a bit and talk beauty products today. Do y'all exfoliate your face? I keep hearing how good it is for your skin, but I have to admit, I've been a slacker in the exfoliating department. :) 

One thing I read was that it's really good to exfoliate before you apply a moisturizer or anti wrinkle cream because your skin is better able to absorb the product if it's just been exfoliated. 

Oh, and I should pause right here and say I originally looked into getting a Clarisonic. I have a few friends who have it and love it. But after finding out the cheapest one is $100 AND you have to replace the brush heads every three months, I decided to go another route. You can get a four pack of replacement brush heads for around $80, but I didn't want that kind of upkeep. 

So, I decided I wanted two different exfoliating products...a light one and a little heavier one. I wanted a lighter exfoliating product for those days when I don't wear much makeup or maybe for using in the morning before applying makeup. Then I wanted a heavier one for that once a week deep cleaning job. :)

I knew what I wanted for a light exfoliating product, but was having trouble finding it. What I wanted was an all cotton disposable pad that I could use with my OWN soap. Every one I found came pre-loaded with a soap that I didn't want.

Then I finally found these...

They were exactly what I was looking for. I love them! I got them at Target for about $4. They're plain cotton two sided disposable pads that I can use with my favorite Neutrogena soap seen here...

Here's a close up of both sides. This side is great for removing eye makeup or applying lotion, etc...

And this is the exfoliating side...

I simply wet my face and apply my Neutrogena transparent soap, then wet the pad and move it around in a circular motion, using the exfoliating side. It does a great job of lightly exfoliating my skin. 

Here's the heavier exfoliating product I found. I know you're all going to be surprised it's Neutrogena... lol!

It's Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub. 

I got this at Target as well for around $5. It has these neat little microbeads that gently exfoliate. I keep it in the shower and wash my face with it about once a week. My face feels so soft when I use this! 

Here's another tip I recently read...it said to always wash your face AFTER you shampoo and condition your hair.  The reason for this is because shampoos and conditioners can sometimes leave a film on your skin. Even though you rinse your hair, some of that residue can remain on your face. 

Okay, now on to a few new makeup items. I recently tried this new mascara...

It's Neutrogena healthy volume waterproof mascara. 

I can't believe I never tried Neutrogena mascara. I love it! It doesn't seem to melt off with our humidity, so that's good. It also does a good job of separating my lashes and it hasn't clumped at all. 

Then I tried this eyeshadow. It's also by Neutrogena. It's a creamy stick, not a powder. 

It's Neutrogena crease proof eye shadow. You just roll it on like a crayon. :)

It really does stay on all day, which is a miracle in our climate. 

I've been using this concealer for over a year now and it's still my favorite...

Neutrogena 3-in-1 concealer for eyes.

It's very creamy and goes on smooth. It blends easily too. It says it's for around the eyes, but I use it on the sides of my nose and pretty much anywhere else I want to even out my skin tone. 

And last, but not least, this is my new eyebrow kit...

It's the e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit, purchased at Target. You can tell it's gotten a lot of use. ;)

It comes with a cream and a powder. I apply the creamy side (on the left) with the thin side of the applicator and then I apply a little of the powder (on the right) with the fluffier side of the applicator to kind of "seal" it in. It fills in my brows and keeps them looking natural. 

Okay, whew! That was a lot of info! Have y'all tried any new beauty products lately that you love?

~Lisa