October 8, 2009

I had to respond to your post yesterday, LilSis.  Being 3.4 years older more mature than you, my essential list needs to be 30 instead of 3, but I’ll try to limit it. 

First off, mascara has to be one of the 3, since my face feels bare and featureless without it.  I’ve tried the cult-favorite Maybelline Great Lash, and I just don’t like it.  I need more oomph than that.  My favorite is Loreal’s Voluminous.  It gives me volume and thickness, and doesn’t flake, smudge or smear.

My number 2 pick would have to be a good lip balm.  I can’t STAND dry lips, in fact I’m a little obsessive about it!  My current inexpensive go-to is Aquaphor in a tube.  I apply it in the morning and at night after brushing my teeth.  It does a good job of keeping my lips chap-free and prepped for lipstick or lip gloss.

Last but most importantly, I have to have an excellent facial cleanser.  The key to keeping my skin out of the weeds (ie: broken out) is to cleanse deeply and faithfully.  I can’t get by with those little wipes you use, LilSis.  I need something serious to keep my skin clean and my pores clear.  My current favorite is Serious Skin Care’s Glycolic Cleanser.  It’s serious, for sure!

That’s my top 3 list.  If I could add a few more, I’d include Relastin Eye Silk, Tazorac Retin-A,and Urban Decay 24-7 Eyeliner in Underground and 1999.  And MAC eye shadow, powder and blush.  And Prescriptives foundation.  And Borba Shimmer Contour Cream.  And L’Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil.  And Essie Nail Polish for pedis.  But I’m really not high maintenance.  Really!  You don’t think that’s a lot, do you??

~BigSis

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October 7, 2009

I was originally going to call this post “The one beauty product that I can’t live without”, but as it turns out, I actually have three. To qualify as a product that I absolutely cannot live without, it has to be one that I NEVER EVER go without using, not even for just one day. Here are my three.

Mabelline Great Lash Mascara

In number one position is my Mabelline Great Lash Mascara.  If I had to narrow it down to just one product, this would be it. I don’t care if I don’t have on another stitch of makeup, but I CANNOT leave my house without my mascara.

MAC Select Sheer/Loose Powder

And in second place is my MAC Select Sheer/Loose Powder. I should have gone to Macys days ago when I noticed that my powder was running low but I thought I could stretch it a few more days until I could make it over to the mall.  When I took the lid off of the container to try to get the last few flecks of powder from the bottom, it was already gone! I did have a little meltdown but I managed to survive until I could get to Macys later that day.

Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant

And the third product that I can’t go without for even one day is Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant.  I recently talked about how much I LOVE this deodorant.  I ran out a few weeks ago and had to use something else that morning before my walk and it was such a noticeable difference. I can’t live without this deodorant!

By narrowing this list down to three, I had to be very choosy. If I wanted to make this a list of five, I would add Relastin Eye Silk and Borba Firming Diamond Shimmer Contour Creme to the list. Oh, and I really couldn’t live without my Origins No Puffery. I probably should have made this a Top Ten list!

Are there one or two or ten products that you can’t live without? I’d love to hear about yours!

~LilSis

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January 17, 2009

We’ve been talking about beauty and skin care products a lot recently, so I have to ask a question that’s been on my mind. I want to be transparent, so I’m not going to hide this vulnerability.  Tell me I’m not the only one who suffers from this anxiety and insecurity.  Please tell me.  Here’s how it goes.  I have to go into a department store to pick up one of my can’t-live-without-products, like the foundation I finally found that covers just the right amount AND doesn’t cause any breakouts AND matches my skintone AND isn’t too dewy or too matte.

Prescriptives Flawless

This should be a quick little errand, right?  Bing bang boom.  Wrong.

For me it causes dread, and seriously … anxiety.  Because I know that when I – a normal,  confident, professional woman -  march up to the counter with my request, I’m going to feel like the Hunchback of Notre Dame with a bad case of leprosy within minutes.  I can’t just pay for my purchase and leave.  No, no, no, that would be too easy.  The salesperson has to try to up-sell me or cross-sell me, or whatever the heck they call it.  I’m bombarded by:

“Have you tried our new eye cream?  It really works on those wrinkles and puffiness and crow’s feet”.

“Would you like to make an appointment for me to give you a makeover, dear?”

“Do you use our new wrinkle-erasing-lifting-super-duper-youth-restoring-magical-miracle-night-cream?  I think it would really help you.  Let me give you a sample!”

“Would you like for me to recommend a product to help with that redness/those wrinkles/that dryness/your oiliness?”

By the time I slink away to my car, I feel like the most flawed woman ever to approach the counter.  Now, in my mind, I’m droopy, dehydrated, shiny, dry, red, pale, wrinkly, baggy, saggy, and puffy.  All at once!  In reality, I do have my own little challenges like every woman does, but usually I’m content with what I have to work with.  Not overjoyed, (I AM forty-something, for cryin’ out loud) but content.

So I’m wondering.  Is it just me who feels like a frappin’ troll after they’ve just handed over their hard-earned money for a product?  Should we pay for someone to insult us?  Maybe it’s worse for me since I had skin problems as a teenager, and so I’m over-sensitive to salespersons’ “suggestions”?  Maybe the dermatological afflictions scarred my self-esteem more than my skin, and I’m still reeling from it years (and years) later, even though I spent a bajillion dollars last year for six Fraxel laser treatments, and my skin is in better shape than it has been since I was 12 years old?  I have the feeling that my anxiety, insecurity and paranoia in this area are more common than I know.  Does anyone share this with me, or do I need some psychotherapy?  Give me some support, sisters, before I bow to the pressure to make all my purchases online!

~BigSis

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