I threatened earlier to write a post about beauty* products, and none of you seemed too frightened by the idea, so here I go. I have always worn makeup, but only in the last year or so have I taken a serious interest in it. I thank/blame the internet for that, especially You Tube.

By serious interest, I mean that I spend time reading blogs and watching vlogs about makeup. I go to stores like ULTA and Sephora** and just stare in wonder. The whole thing appeals to me on many levels. I like trying new things and experimenting with new looks, I’m attracted by all the pretty colors, and I think makeup makes me look better.*** Makeup even appeals to my serious love of organizing.

For a while, I mostly used select high-end products, but just recently I’ve been getting back into cheaper drugstore brands. There are quality products at every point along the price spectrum.

I think I’ll just run through some of my favorite products. All of these came recommended to me from multiple sources, so I guess I’ll pass on the love.

Makeup

• Bare Minerals: My most recent obsession with makeup really got started last summer when I decided to try Bare Minerals (a mineral foundation). If you’re interested in trying it, I’d suggest getting a starter kit. I’ve used only this foundation since last summer, and I love it, but I’m currently experimenting with liquid foundation again. My favorite Bare Mineral product is Mineral Veil (an awesome setting powder).
• NYX Lip Gloss: NYX (not NYC, which you’ve probably seen in drugstores) is a really awesome and inexpensive brand that is frustratingly difficult to find. There’s a small selection available at most ULTA stores, and just this weekend I found NYX at Longs Drugs. I’m currently testing out their eye shadows and blushes, but I’ve been using their lip glosses for a while, and I love them. My favorites are their Megashine lip glosses in Sunshine and Smokey Look.
• Loreal HIP Jelly Balm: I love these. They’re basically lip balm in little pots. They work well and come in fun colors. My favorite is Savory.
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil: This is my favorite pencil eye liner. It goes on really smoothly, and it’s really easy to use, which is important for eyeliner delinquents like me. They come in all kinds of fun colors, but I just use Zero (black).
• Styli-Style Eye Liners: You can find these eyeliners (which come in all varieties) at CVS. They work really well, especially for a drugstore brand. Again, they come in all kinds of fun colors, but I haven’t ventured beyond black and brown yet.
• Loreal HIP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner: This is a gel eyeliner I’ve wanted to try for a long time, and I just finally purchased it. It’s awesome and really easy to apply with a good brush.
• NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils: These are basically cream shadows in stick form, and I use them as eye shadow bases. They help your eye shadows stick to your eyes, and make them look more vibrant. I also use Urban Decay Primer Potion (like everyone else), but I don’t know if I’m really sold on it.
• Cover Girl Lashblast and Loreal Clean Definition Telescopic: These are my two favorite mascaras. They are almost opposites in form (Lashblast has a huge brush with tons of bristles and the Telescopoic has a narrow, clean looking brush), but they both work really well for me. I think Lashblast makes my lashes look fuller, and Telescopic makes them look longer.
• Maybelline Mineral Power Blush: LOVE this stuff. I’m a huge fan of blush, and I have been since I discovered makeup forever ago. Pale as I am, I depend on it to make me look alive. These blushes are really pigmented, and they come in great colors. I’ve just started using them, and I love them. I actually love other Maybelline blushes too. Great colors. Milani, NYX, and NARS (duh!) also make great blushes.
• Essence of Beauty and Sonia Kashuk brushes: I’m still building my brush collection. If I had the money, I would invest in MAC**** brushes, but I don’t have a few hundred dollars to spare, so most of my brushes are from Bare Escentuals (came in the Bare Minerals kit), Essence of Beauty (CVS), and Sonia Kashuk (Target). I like these two brands, because they are cheap, but very soft and otherwise very good brushes.

Hair

• CHI Iron Guard: This is heat protectant spray, which is a must if you blow dry, straighten, or curl your hair. I’ve just started using it, and I can’t really explain how it works, but it makes my hair very smooth and nice after straightening. Like other CHI products, though, it smells like mens cologne, which is not my preference.
• CHI Silk Infusion: I’ve been using this for a while, and I didn’t get the hype at first, but the more I use it, the more I realize that it makes my hair look awesome and smooth and not frizzy at all. We all know CHI makes awesome straighteners, and I think their hair products are all awesome too.
• Aussie Shine Enhancing Gel: I’m not sure if this is really worth mentioning, because I don’t know that it’s better than other gels, but I’ve tried several curling sprays,and I still prefer this gel for when I wear my hair curly. It smells good and holds all day.
• Batiste Dry Shampoo: This product is amazing. I’ve heard of dry shampoos several times before, but this is the first I’ve ever tried (you can get it at Sally Beauty Supply). Dry shampoo might sound weird, but basically you spray it at your roots, and it comes out as a white powder. You massage it into your scalp a bit and then comb it out. After you comb it out, it looks like you just washed your hair. Like, it rids your roots of that oily look, which is awesome for me, because my hair starts looking greasy one day after washing, and this helps me go a bit longer before washing it again.
• Sedu Straightener: Unless you have super-fine, stick-straight hair, then investing in a professional straightener is so worth it. Buying a CHI several years ago was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. After my CHI stopped turning on, I decided to try a Sedu. I really like it.

Nails

• Seche Base Ridge Filling Base Coat: I don’t know quite what to say about this stuff, except that it’s a great base coat. I’ve also tried the Essie base coat, and I think this one works better.
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat: Everyone will tell you that this is the best top coat ever, and everyone is right. You apply it while your polish is still wet; it smooths out the polish, and then makes it dry hard almost immediately. It’s amazing, and I went without it for a while recently, which made me not want to even bother painting my nails. You can get this at Target, ULTA, CVS, and Sally Beauty Supply. The one problem I have with it is that it seems to get kind of goopy in only a few months, which sucks, but it’s worth replacing.
• Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream: I don’t like many Burt’s Bees products, but this stuff is amazing. You rub it on your cuticles, and it keeps them soft and moisturized. It also smells really good.
• Burt’s Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme: This stuff smells so amazing that sometimes I just open up the jar and smell it. It’s also a thick creme that works well. But, oh the smell!!
• China Glaze, Orly, Essie, OPI, and Wet ‘n Wild: These are my favorite nail polish brands. I think Essie is the best, but it’s kind of expensive, and I love the color ranges of the other brands. My favorite colors right now are Orly in Country Club Khaki, China Glaze in VIII and Calypso Blue (and a million other colors), and Essie in Greenport. I just got MAC’s Peppermint Patty too.

Okay, that covers most of my loves of the moment. I hope this was fun or helpful in some way. Let me know if you use any of these or if you have any recommendations for me.

*I hate the term beauty, because I’d prefer something a little more humble.
**I don’t really like Sephora that much. Their staff is all over you the minute you walk in, and I am just so aware the whole time that everything is so expensive and I can’t afford anything. That’s why I prefer ULTA.
***I know some people (usually guys) say that they don’t like the look of makeup, and while I respect that opinion, I think it’s often uninformed. Wearing makeup doesn’t mean having your face plastered and lacquered up. That’s wearing makeup poorly.  Plus, people often thinking I’m not wearing makeup when I am.
****The only thing I own by MAC is one nail polish. That’s a slippery slope I’m just not prepared to approach on such a limited budget. MAC is definitely the favorite among the You Tube makeup gurus, though.