Beauty Review

So I decided to write a post on the beauty products that I use and my thoughts on these and other products.

I know you aren't supposed to wash your hair every day, but I do. I mean I am a clean girl, but many people warn that this will dry your hair out. My hair is healthy. Maybe it's because it's at a short length and I don't use straighteners or a curling iron on it. I have used many shampoos over the years and I have found a few favorites. The shampoo that makes my scalp feel the best is Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special shampoo. You can't find it everywhere. The only place I could find it most recently was at Rite Aid, and now they don't have the "special shampoo". I cannot attest for the other kinds- Chamomile and Lavender, but the special mint shampoo really invigorates your scalp and makes it feel fresh. Now this shampoo is expensive, but for me it makes sense because I don't have to use as much as someone with very long hair. Also, it's worth the money. Recently I have been using Dove Daily Moisturizer Shampoo. I also have the matching moisturizing conditioner, but only because I bought the conditioner thinking it was the shampoo- don't you hate that? But it has really been working out. Doesn't make my head sting with minty coolness but it doesn't keep my hair healthy. I would suggest it.

I also wash my face in the shower daily, and I have been through numerous face washes. Some clinical and some not. I once used St. Ive's Green Tea Face Wash, which I was very addicted to, until they stopped selling it. (I must have bad luck with products). I tried the other St. Ive's face products but them seemed so harsh on my skin, and dried it out even more. Now I have been through a few cycles of Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Oil Free Scrub. It seems to work pretty well and does not have any side effects that I know of.

I am a firm believer that shaving cream is the worst. It doesn't seem natural and it is hard to get the closest shave with foam shaving cream. I use Eos shave cream. It's very smooth and moisturizes my legs instead of leaving them dry and scraped. It goes on more as a lotion or cream than a foam, and it leaves my legs feel better.

One of my favorite products ever is Neutrogena Oil-free Moisturizer "sensitive skin".  (I guess Neutrogena really has my vote in the facial products.) My skin doesn't always feel dry but I try to moisturize after my shower every day in preventative action of wrinkles when I get older. Who knows if it will work or not, but it's worth a try. This moisturizer works really well and soaks into my skin as soon as I apply it feeling completely "oil free" as it says on the bottle. I was at first hesitant to apply lotion to my face because I figured it would clog my pores, but I learned that as long as you wash your face, cleaning out your pores, it is okay to fill them with lotion such as this.  I think it actually is better to apply the lotion before make up, not only because the makeup appears more even, but I know that my face is protected by the lotion and the makeup isn't going into my skin.

I started wearing makeup at a young age because of acne. Unlucky hormones. And I always used a liquid foundation, until my cousin introduced me to powder foundation. It is more natural and feels lighter, I guess because it really is. My profession does not leave a lot of time for makeup, and I don't doll myself up to sweat in the kitchen for eight hours, but my makeup is very easy to apply and feels like it isn't even there. I use Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Powder Foundation. It comes  with a very soft small brush that fits easily in my makeup bag. The powder comes through small holes in the cover and so it is easy to control how much you are applying.

I have a hard time with mascara because I already have very long eyelashes and so I have to be careful or else the mascara I pick will make me look like I have glued on some crazy long fake lashes. I recently switched my mascara from CoverGirl LastBlast Waterproof mascara (general mascara) to CoverGirl Clump Crusher by LastBlast. As you may have guessed I am not high maintenance when it comes to makeup and I try to stay very natural, but the switch to the Clump Crusher made a big difference. It does exactly what I want to my eyelashes. I go with the color brown because I guess brown brings out blue and black is pretty dramatic. I also go brown for my eyeliner which I also use CoverGirl, I go for the Perfect Point Plus. Not too thick so I don't get it in my eye.

These are the main products I use, but other products are Dove GoFresh Deodorant, Dove GoFresh body mist, and Garnier Fructis Curl Sculpting Cream Gel. These products I think are definitely specific to each person. I can't say that Dove Deodorant doesn't leave white marks on your shirt if you aren't careful, I just try to be careful. I use the body mist not as perfume but to just make myself smell fresh, it's not overwhelming and isn't for everyone, but for someone who doesn't wear perfume everyday, it's nice to at least feel like you are smelling super sweet everyday. The sculpting cream is not the best ever. Honestly my hair has probably been through the most products, probably because my hair changes so often. Do I want it crunchy, soft, free, tight, curly, straight, etc....so it always changes.

I reviewed some of these products because I had hoped that maybe it would help some people who are not happy with the products that they use now or are wondering if they should try a new product. Whenever I am looking to switch I always do the research after I have already purchased and had a negative reaction to the product I have used. So I hope that some of you who are smarter than me are encouraged to use some of these products I have reviewed above.