Beauty Picks

I’ve actually been working on this post since Monday but things have been so crazy that I haven’t had much time to put some effort into it! I’ve been loving some new (and old) beauty products and wanted to share them with you.

1. Eyebrow kit by E.L.F. 
I’ve always been under the impression that my eyebrows have never needed any help looking more full but a recent makeover I received for a wedding showed me what my brows could be with just a little fixin’. I heard of this eyebrow kit through a makeup tutorial on Extra Petite and the best part is it’s only $3 at drugstores. The left side of the compact contains a brow gel you comb through your brows and the right side holds a setting powder. If I was in a rush and could pick only one makeup product to put on my face before I run out the door, this would probably be it – your eyebrows frame your face and give you a look of completeness.

2. Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer
I’ve always been a huge advocate of finding a daily moisturizer that has SPF in it, and this Neutrogena pick hits the mark at SPF 30. If you’re going to protect anything, it better be your face! This moisturizer applies like silk and I sometimes use it for my hands too since your hands can never escape the sun. Of course, the only downside of using a daily moisturizer with a higher SPF content is your face frequently doesn’t match the rest of your body – but when I’m 40, hopefully my face will thank me. In the meantime, there’s always bronzer. You can find this product in drugstores for about $12.99.

3. Target brand nail polish remover pads
I change my nail polish quite frequently, so I need a heavy-hitter for my remover! Bottled polish remover is a better bang for your buck but I also like having these pads in my purse or car just in case a nail disaster occurs (oh it happens) or I just can’t take the chipping anymore. I can’t find these on Target’s website but I think they run around $3.99 for a pack of 10, and one pad can usually take care of all your nails (stubborn glitter may require two).

4. A blending brush
After watching the tutorial on smoky eyes I referenced above, I became obsessed with blending! I always wondered how people get their eye shadows to look so flawless and the key really is to blend, blend, blend. But you need a blending brush first! I don’t have this exact brush (actually, I don’t even know what brand mine is) but here’s one from E.L.F. At $1, it’s an excellent investment. You can use your fingers to blend as well, but I find a brush works better and is less messy. A tip: don’t be afraid to get a lot of shadow on your eyelids – it’s ok for it to look bad before you blend! That’s what blending will do: even out the shadow “edges” and create natural-looking gradients. Practice makes perfect, I promise.

5. Blush
My cheeks are not naturally rosy so I can’t live without a blush compact. I think this is a step a lot of people skip but blush is instrumental in livening up your face and giving you a little glow. I can always tell when I forget blush because my face looks so BORING. A little blush makes you look alive! My all-time favorite blush was by Bobbi Brown but I have no idea what shade it was so I’d have to go back and get re-matched. I prefer trying out blush before buying because it’s hard to match a packaged shade to your skin tone, no matter what the marketing people tell you (warm tone, cool tone, olive complexion). I’ve had many more fails than wins with blind drugstore buys so I’d rather save myself the guessing game and let the professional match me with a color with which I know I’ll be happy, because once you have the compact then you’re stuck with it!

Now that this is a novel, I hope you’ve gotten some ideas! What are your current favorites?