vintage plum

A friend of mine asked me a few weeks ago if I wear makeup, which tickled me. I wear just enough so that it looks like I don't, which kind of made me think, well, what's the point of wearing it then? {But isn't that the point...? To look au natural?} Okay, too many questions.

Anyhoo, her asking me prompted me to go through my stash, weed out the old stuff (as in REALLY old) and add a couple of new items (mainly blush brush and some new foundation). I decided to squeeze my daily regimen into a cute little mug, which now sits on my dresser. Since I've run into a couple of makeup posts lately, I thought I'd add my two cents.

So. Two cents:

From left to right...

Ulta's powder blush in Fame. I've read that to choose a cheek color, it should match the inside of your lower lip... this one does the trick.

NYC Dual Eyeliner, Through The Storm. I just bought this, and so far so good. It's a cheaper brand, but for as minimally as I use it, it works just fine. I love the dual black and purple colors.

Maybelline's Blackest Black Mascara. I love the rounded brush, and have been using this brand of mascara since I started wearing it... I've tried lots of other brands, but keep coming back to this one.

Neutrogena's Healthy Skin Makeup in Natural Tan. Goes on light, feels good, and the best part is that it has SPF20.

Ulta's lip liner in Chocolate. Not much to say about this one, except I like how subtle it is. I haven't quite found a lip liner I love yet!

I also have a few shimmery eye shadows, but that's about it. Makeup is fun, but to be honest, I don't know how to apply some of it, and I can't bring myself to spend more than a few bucks a pop. I walked past a Sephora store in the mall this last weekend, and while I was tempted to look, I knew I wasn't going to spend anything... Maybe if I had more knowledge I'd wear more? {thinking} Nah. I like wearing Just Enough, and admiring those of you who wear exciting eye shadows and lip liners well. :)

Growing up, I had awful skin. Just when I thought things were beginning to clear up, I became pregnant with Livvy; my hormones went wild, and back came the acne. Pregnancy caused me to change a couple of products though, which helped hugely. Here's my regimen beFORE I put makeup on (which is what I actually enjoy more anyway!):

Neutrogena's Fresh Foaming Cleanser. If you don't have a cleanser you're in love with, please try this one. It takes off makeup, is gentle on your skin, and really leaves you feeling refreshed. I switched to this as my other cleanser had salicylic acid (a no no when pregnant), and actually think it works better.

St. Ives Timeless Skin Apricot Scrub. With alpha-hydroxy acids (ok with a bun in the oven} and exfoliators, this scrubs away dry skin. Feels awesome. Note: I am all about exfoliation these days. If you only have a few minutes to pamper yourself {and it's important that you do from time to time!}, go with a nice face and body scrub. Throw in a pumice scrub on your heels in the shower, and you will fall into bed feeling like a million bucks.

St. Ives Body Polish - Oatmeal and Shea Butter. Not impressed with this product...Smells great, and feels good initially, but the exfoliation pieces dissolve pretty quickly. Boo. I've had this forever, and should probs use it up soon.

Aveeno Active Naturals Smoothing Body Wash. Yum. Smells awesome, feels great, and the beads or rice or whatever is in it don't dissolve as soon as the water hits it. Bonus!

Olay Complete Face Lotion, SPF 30. A nice lotion. Normally, I use Neutrogena's brand with SPF 15, but my mother-in-law gave me this and so far I like it. I'm not too picky when it comes to lotion, but I do have very dry, tight skin, so I need it!

I taught my neices this last weekend about the fun of facials, as you can see in this creepy pose {we were trying our hardest not to laugh!} It's become a new tradition, I think:

What are your favorite face/body products? Do tell.