Me..with no make up (and holding my friends adorable baby)

I came to a really rough realization today….ladies you may relate, and men you just don’t have to (whether that is fair or not is another story). After looking at a bunch of recent pictures of myself I have come to find that I have reached that point in my life where it is necessary for me to wear make up…yes..it’s true…this once easy going face that could go out into the world daily with out a trace of make up, now just looks pale and splotchy when I show my face with it out….The pale faced monster has emerged.

Even though I love all things Vampire these days, I honestly don’t wish to to be as white as one. Some people can pull the look off…like Nicole Kidman. She has a BEAUTIFUL pale complexion. Her skin is like porcelain, but mine??? White, red, splotchy and dry…WTH??? I was always happy to be the girl that throws on some moisturizer in the morning and call it a day. I actually took pride in it…but not anymore!

Look at the picture to the left…it’s kind of small so you may not be able to tell…but my chin is red, my nose is red and dry and I seem to have dark circles under my eyes. I know tanning and the sun is bad for you, but I look and feel so much better when I am tan!

I guess my carefree no make up days are over. I guess I am left to feel like a lot of women do, that I need to put on make up every day…that is if I want my skin to look good of course! Now I’m bummed….Just Great!

When Santa asked me what I wanted for Christmas I was browing through a magazine and found this eye shadow kit. It had like 50 different shades of eye shadows, all in one nice case. It was perfect! I tend to stick to browns and purples, but always like to experiement but I don’t want to buy a bunch of different two color sets…so when I stumbled upon this set I thought it was great! And the good news was it wasn’t expensive! Not when you think of what it would cost to buy 50 shades of eyeshadow! I have been using it since then and the colors are great!

Take the Sephora Brand Palet that appears in the picture on this post.

Sephora Brand Set Contains

- 20 x eyeshadow shades
- Compact powder
- 4 x blush shades
- 24 x lip gloss shades
- 2 x double-ended applicators
- 2 x lip gloss brushes
- Powder and blush brush
- Built-in mirror
- Sleek compact case

And it’s only $34! Just think how great this kit would be to travel with? You have your make up needs all in one little compact case! I think Sephora is great in general since you can get so many great brands all in one store, and they have everything out so you can try. That part is my favorite. I am actually a huge sucker when it comes to make up…and even a bigger sucker when they offer to put the make up on me..I must have a sign on my forehead that reads WILL BUY WHATEVER MAKE UP YOU PUT ON ME. But the bright side with this product is that it’s all in one!

So next time you are in Sephora don’t pass by the Sephora brand. They are great products and best of all you won’t break the bank when you buy them. To other things people love check out the Diaper Diaries Things I love Thursday.

Expensive Skin Care

I have not yet decided if it’s worth the money to buy expensive products. Personally, I feel that it’s important to get good quality when it comes to the products I put on my face. But how much is too much?  

La Mer products are heavily advertised in “fashion” magazines. Many celebrities claim that they use these products, but who can afford that $230 price tag? Does it really work miracles? Honestly, if I found out it really helped prevent wrinkels, and really was a wonder products I might consider it! On the other hand, year after year Oil of Olay wins awards for being the best drug store brand, as well as a brand that has stood the test of time! Is it best to go in the middle? I tried using the Clinique 3 step Process. It seemed to be fine. I learned that I have very dry skin by going to their counter, but other than that I did not find the products to be that spectacular. I am not sure what I imagined would happen when I found the best products for me, but I don’t think that was it.

My Skin Care

Back in October I hosted an Arbonne party for my friend who sells the products. Arbonne is like Avon or Mary Kay in which the salespeople are independent consultants. The products are all natural. She was new in the business and needed a start, so I graciously offered to host. It was a decently successful party, successful enough that I was able to get free products out of it. Now, I must admit that I am easily sold. Any trip to the makeup counters leave me spending much more cash then I wanted. This one time my friend brought me to a free event at Laura Mercier and specifically said I didn’t have to buy anything…well that day I got a Saks credit card and spent over $300 on products! I guess those people did their job! At this Arbonne party my friend gave me samples of their face wash line. They have many different lines but I chose the anti aging line because as I mentioned above, I feel like now’s the time to get ahead of those nasty lines! I LOVED the products. I tried the face wash, the toner, the facial jelly, and the night cream! Together I honestly believe that may face has never felt better.

The downside of using these products is that when I need it, I can’t just go out and buy it. I am an instant gratification type of girl and it drives me nuts to wait for the products to be shipped in. Another downside is paying freight for the products. This is an added cost, and in most cases I don’t order items online due to freight costs. But where does that leave me? I found products that I like, and enjoy using. Do I stray for the sole reason that I have to pay freight? For now the answer is no.

I am still on the quest for the perfect eye cream. Currently I am using dermilogica eye cream. I had a gift card to a salon and they sell the products so I figured I’d give it a try. So far there have been no miraculous changes, but then again, my face is still pretty wrinkle free.  Crows feet are not coming around my eyes prematurely if it’s up to me!

So what products do you use on your face? Do you have an eye cream that works wonders? Am I supposed to feel it working? Do you believe that you get what you pay for when it comes to these products? Is the added cost of an expensive product worth it? Or are drug store products just as good?

As a side note if you are interested in the Arbonne products and need a consultant, let me know and I can get you my friend’s information!