Favorite skin care and makeup products

Quick unrelated note...girls' nursery/bedroom reveal coming soon! We're almost done with it, so I'll post pictures!

I've changed a lot of things with my makeup and skin care routine lately and have been extremely happy with the results. So much so that I often find myself saying "man, I LOVE this stuff" every morning. Literally. I'm not being asked or paid to promote these products. I just like to share about stuff that really excites me. So here's what I use for makeup and skin care:

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First up is my skin care regiman. I have oily and acne prone skin...but it's also extremely sensitive, so I have a really hard time finding something that doesn't give me a reaction or dry my skin out too much while still treating/preventing blemishes. I've used expensive products like DDF and Dermatoligca to less expensive like Aveeno and Alba Botanicals. All of them contain some sort of acne medication...either salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. And while those medications are in there to help clear and prevent breakouts and control oil production...they always leave my face feeling crazy dry and stretched out. And the topical pimple creams do help with red and swollen blemishes, but they also dry my face out something awful. The last product I tried actually gave me an allergic reaction that took a prescription strength hydrocortisone cream to clear up. So that's when I'd had enough of all the chemicals and medications and decided to try something more natural. Natralia is a homeopathic type acne system. It doesn't contain any harsh chemicals or medications, so it doesn't dry me out. And because it doesn't dry me out, I actually don't even need a face moisturizer anymore. And the acne rescue cream is awesome. I wasn't real convinced it would work or be effective but thought it was at least worth a try. And guess what? After about a month of use, my face is clearer than its ever been my entire life. And that's saying a lot right now considering pregnancy hormones turn me into a pizza face. I still get a couple pimples, but they never get all swollen and nasty and if I pop them (I know, shame on me), they're usually gone or almost gone the next day. My face is so clear I actually ran to the bank for some cash without a drop of makeup on! I hardly liked to let my hubby see me without makeup before just because I was so self conscious. I also haven't gotten a single one of those nasty, painful under the skin pimples that make your whole face hurt since I started using Natralia. Needless to say, I'm thrilled with my new skin care regimen! 

Moving onto makeup products...I mentioned in a post a few months ago that I switched to a brand called Jane Iredale. I felt the brand I was using before that had really messed up my skin and clogged my pores...causing even worse acne than usual. Jane Iredale is pricey, I will admit. More than I have ever spent on a makeup product...but it lasts forever and it does wonders for your skin. My best friend's mom (she's an esthetician and cosmetologist) recommended it to me. It's actually a medical makeup specially designed for people with serious skin issues to help restore and heal. But it's also totally natural and free of harsh chemicals, so it doesn't clog your pores or screw with your complexion. You can check out more about their products and ingredients on their website: www.janeiredale.com. 

Here are the products I use:

Liquid Minerals Foundation 

(bisque color because I'm as pale as they come)

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I use this as the first layer to help moisturizer my face and even out my skin tone. 

Amazing Base in Ivory

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This is a loose mineral powder type foundation. The Liquid Minerals helps give the Amazing Base something to cling to so it stays on my skin. I use a powder brush to apply a light layer all over my face (it helps absorb oil throughout the day and keeps me from getting too shiny). Then I go back with a concealer brush and apply the Amazing Base to trouble spots (blemishes and the exhausted mommy circles under my eyes). It does an awesome job as a concealer. I never have a need for anything additional. 

PurePressed Blush in Tawny

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I apply a little blush to the top of my cheek bones and the tip of my nose to keep me looking healthy. I'm naturally so pale that I can look a little sickly without some blush to add color. 

Balance Spray

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Two or three sprays of this to my face set the makeup so it stays on all day and also helps with oil production. Oh, and it smells amazing too. 

(If I decide to wear any eye shadow, I'll put this in BEFORE the balance spray and spritz afterward.)

Blinc Mascara in black

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I don't typically wear any eye makeup outside mascara unless it's a special occasion or date night because I have horrible allergies and get itchy eyes a lot...I usually end up wiping most of my eye makeup off by the end of the day anyway, so I just forego it. Anyway, this mascara is awesome. Because of my allergies and sensitive eyes, I almost always wear waterproof mascara or I have flakes and raccoon eyes by the end of the day. The problem I have with waterproof mascara is that it's a complete pain in the rear to take off. Even using special eye makeup remover designed for waterproof makeup doesn't always take it off completely...and I wake up in the morning with raccoon eyes. Blinc is water resistant and will not flake. But it also comes off SO easy. They have come up with a new technology (check out their website for more info) that actually forms water resistant tubes around your eyelashes instead of painting them. And at the end of the day, the only thing you need to take it off is a little warm water and some pressure from your fingertips...and the tubes pull right off your eyelashes! It's awesome! I actually really enjoy taking it off because it's so cool to watch. Haha! This mascara is wonderful for contact wearers and people with sensitive eyes. I find myself itching my eyes about half as much as I did before. 

Magic Mitt

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This isn't makeup. It's a makeup remover. And you don't need anything but warm water! It's this great little mitt that is designed to remove all your makeup (including eye makeup) without anything but water. Simply wet it with warm water, wring out the extra water, and wipe your makeup off (if one side gets too icky, turn it around and use the other side). When you're done, use a little hand soap to clean your makeup off the mitt, and hang it up to dry. That's it! Super easy, and it takes off make far better than anything else I've ever used (I used to use those Pond's moist towelettes specially designed to remove makeup and oil). 

There ya have it. My complete skin care and makeup regimen. 

A couple tips for good makeup application:

Wash your brushes regularly. I clean my liquid foundation brush daily so nothing clumps or builds up in it. I wash my other brushes (powder, concealer, blush) once every week. It's really important to clean your brushes at least weekly. It gives you the best makeup application because it keeps makeup from building up (like when you've gone so long without cleaning your blush brush that you don't even need to dust it across your blush compact to get the proper amount of your face...yuck, right?). And it also prevents bacteria from your face from getting into your makeup and being transferred back to your face...which keeps your makeup better longer and keeps your skin clearer. 

Make sure your foundation colors blend completely with your natural complexion. The best way to test it is to apply a little to your neck. If it blends and you cannot even tell where you've applied it, it's perfect. 

What are your favorite skin care and makeup products? Any must-haves?

iphone cases

Ahhh. In love with a bunch of iPhone cases from society6!

Here are some of my faves...

It's a little bright for my taste, but I still think it's really cute.
Get it here!

Get it here.

Very in-line with my current mustard and zig zag obsession.
Get it here.

Get it here. 

I love Penguin books. What a great idea!
Get it here.

Get it here.

Get it here.

Diaper bags

Diaper bags...why is it that the cutest ones are the most expensive?? *sigh* I'm one of those people that doesn't really want my diaper bag to *look* like a diaper bag. Apparently I have expensive taste. I happened to see a woman with a diaper bag at Target (doubt she bought it there, but she had it attached to her stroller) that I fell in love with and wanted. And then I saw it again on a blog. I had no idea what brand it was...I just knew what it looked like. So I googled the general description and was able to find it. Guess what? It's from Nordy's (well, that's where I found it anyway). Which means it costs money. After my family baby shower and getting most all the things we needed, my very sweet hubby told me to go ahead and order it. I used the remaining balance of a Nordstrom giftcard I had from Christmas to help with the cost and ordered away! I promised him I'd use it for all our babies and take good care of it. So without further ado, here she is...

Is she pretty, or what?! And oh, so nice! The outside is made from a wipeable (like vinyl...except it's not) material that's also antibacterial. It comes equipped with a very cushy changing pad that detaches for washing...has a travel-sized wipe case to keep your wipes moist and air-tight. And has a few pockets inside that also are detachable for washing. I am in love with it. Thank you to my hubby!! Can't wait to put it to good use :)

Green baby

I'm not really that into being super "green" for the sake of the planet/environment. If it doesn't cost me anything extra to help out, then that's fine. But I won't spend more money on "green" products just to save our planet. I'm more about the green and natural/organic stuff because I'm not into the effects of chemicals and all that nasty stuff. So...all that being said, I've made a few household changes.

First off, I've switched from the 409, bleach, windex, etc cleaning products to Method's cleaning products. I decided to try them out for a few reasons: 1) they are reasonable priced at about $3 a product (at Target); 2) I'm pregnant and was afraid to use all these other chemicals and breathe in the fumes and have anything seep into my skin and potentially harm our little one; 3) I had tried Green Works products and hated them...never felt like they actually cleaned...I started off with just one Method cleaning product and was completely awestruck with how well it worked (the tub and tile scrub)...I'm hooked! Plus, they're stuff just smells amazing. I'll admit I still use soft scrub on the stainless sink in the kitchen because nothing cleans a metal sink like that stuff.

Secondly, I started making my own laundry soap. I did this both for budget reasons and for personal reasons. I constantly felt like something was making me itch and noticed skin rashes (like hives) sometimes even though I was using "free and clear" detergent from the store. I also didn't want to have to buy a second detergent for baby clothes. The homemade stuff is amazing! Not only do I not itch anymore, but it works great, saves a ton of money, and is completely safe for little Eden.

Third...I would love to use only natural wipes, diapers, and baby products. However...they are expensive. Twice the price of normal diapers. So while I know I can't really afford to do it all the time, I'm going to try to buy them here and there. I think I'm going to use the Seventh Generation products. I've read some scary stuff about all the chemicals used in diapers now to keep all the mess "locked in" and to keep the baby dry. My poor niece had some horrible reactions to them. Knowing that both my hubby and I have a lot of allergies and extremely sensitive skin, our little girl is bound to have the same thing. I'm planning to make my own wipes for the most part (more on that to come), but I'll hopefully be able to buy the Seventh Generation wipes for backup when I run out or don't have time to make my own. I really wanted to do cloth diapers to solve this issue altogether, but my hubby was horrified/disgusted by the idea and refused to change diapers if I went that route. I guess you have to pick your battles, right? Unless she just can't handle disposables. Then I'll go cloth, and that's just the way it'll have to be.

Baby products...I had seen some of the natural and organic baby products at the store, but they're so much more expensive than the typical Johnson & Johnson products that I didn't feel I could justify the difference. Well, guess what? I did some reading and research on the Johnson & Johnson products (including their Aveeno line), and I found some extremely disturbing things. They have some pretty scary ingredients. And my niece also had some nasty reactions to these products. That was enough to convince me the money spent on organic products would be worth it. So I'm going for Dr. Bonner's all-natural castile baby soaps. Method also makes a few baby products I plan to try out.

Anyone else have any natural/organic suggestions for household or baby use?



**I was not paid or compensated in any way for posting about any of the products I mentioned. This is completely my opinion**