What beauty products do I use?  I get asked this question quite a bit and I ask it of others because I’m curious how much or little people pay attention to beautifying themselves.  Now, I am not  Luxetips, who is the queen of beauty products, but I know what I like and what works for me.  As I say in my bio, even though I consider myself somewhat of a pseudo-hippy and I am very low-maintenance in my beauty routine and application, I do believe in taking good care of my skin and a little glam never hurt either.   

First, my skin care routine.  I am not loyal to any one product and I am always trying new ones, but if I find something that works for my skin, I stick with it for awhile.  

For a facial cleanser I currently switch back and forth between Dr. Perricone’s Nutritive Cleanser and DDF’s Brightening Cleanser; both make my skin stay blemish free.

Next I use Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion (toner), but only once a day as not to dry out my skin.  

My eyes are prone to dryness, so I always use eye cream.  I am constantly changing eye creams–always looking for the best one–but I really like what I currently use, Eminence’s Wild Plum Eye Cream.  

My esthetician hipped me to Eminence Organic Skincare line and it’s wonderful; I use the Apricot Whip Moisturizer as well.  

Sometimes at night (when I remember) I use a night cream by Roc, but I haven’t used it consistently enough to say if it really makes a difference or not.  

Finally, during the day I always apply sunscreen because I truly believe that the sun causes pre-mature aging and I’m hardcore about protection against skin cancer.  Neutrogena’s Age Shield Face Sunblock protects my face without leaving a dulling residue.

 Once a week I use MD Skincare’s Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel.  It’s easy to use, only takes a few minutes (I hate spending too much time on beauty routines) and leaves my skin glowing.

Unlike skincare products, I am pretty brand loyal about my make-up.  My routine is easy;  I can apply it in about 3 minutes on a daily basis and maybe take as long as 7 minutes for a special occasion.  

I do not wear foundation at all, but use an under-eye Creamy Concealer Kit by Bobbi Brown in the color Golden.  I really like this concealer because the included powder is very fine and settles well on my skin without caking.  

Next I apply a coat of DiorShow Waterproof Mascara; I’ve tried many mascaras and this is my absolute favorite.  

My eyebrows get a flick of Anastasia Brow Gel and that’s it for eye make-up.  At first I was skeptical about paying $21 for this brow gel, but once I got a free sample from Sephora, I was hooked.  I can have unruly eyebrows, but this gel keeps them in place.  

I only wear eye shadow for nights out on the town or maybe to church, but when I do, it is Stila Eye Shadow Trio.    

I was not a big fan of blush until I was introduced to this Tarte Cheek Stain by a salesperson at one of my favorite department stores, H. Bendel.  I like that the stain just gives my cheeks a hint of color; I don’t look like I’m wearing blush, but rather like I am really healthy and happy.  

Finally I put on lip gloss; this is the one make-up product that I experiment with the most.  Currently I use lip gloss made by Fresh, Benefit, Smashbox and Vincent Longo, but I am always on the lookout for a new shade and brand.

And that’s me in one tiny make-up bag.  I think my lip gloss takes up more room than anything else.

What about you?  What do you use in your make-up and skin care routine?

It’s cold today in Atlanta.  It’s May 19th!  What is this?  I didn’t even know how to dress today because I felt foolish wearing winter-type clothes, but it was too cool to wear a short-sleeved shirt.  One of my Lucky Brand hoodies zipped all the way up fit the temperature.

********************

I got up at 6:00 a.m. (which is sooooo early for me) because my husband was catching a flight and making tons of noise, even though I know he was trying to be quiet.  It’s my first time solo with the dog and kids for the morning routine and of course the dog pooped under the kitchen table.  Sigh.  Still, I managed to get the kids and dog taken care of as well as exercise when I really wanted to go back to bed.  

After showering I checked email, Twitter, Facebook and find an Army website to buy my son camouflage pants and tee shirt for a musical performance costume.  They are doing Suessical for the Jr. High musical this year.  Don’t ask me how Army clothes fit into the plot.  I also need to find black disco-type bell bottom pants.  That should be easy (not).  

Next a quick stop at Target for random stuff (a trash can lid–yes, just the lid, toothbrush, headphones, orange juice, apple juice and La Croix, which my son drinks by the six pack) and off to lunch with my  friends at Sabroso.  It was great food as well as great conversation; five women…you know we talked non-stop!    

I’m back to the early baby days of watching the clock when I’m out because I have to get back to Chili Dawg, who can’t be in his crate for too long, so it was a quick lunch.

**********************

Speaking of Chili Dawg, this is his new spot to take a nap, under the window.   Look at the whoop-ti-do curl of fur he has on his head; it looks like he rolled his hair.  It’s too cute!

********************

So, I had been searching forever for a jewelry box to match my newly re-decorated bedroom and had given up hope because most were too big or just not the right style .   But while shopping with my Girly on Sunday at Nordstrom , I found this jewelry box (or course, when I wasn’t looking).  It’s the perfect size and the right color to compliment the colors in my bedroom.  

It’s 2:00 p.m. on a total random Tuesday.  What are you doing?

On Saturday my family and I attended a grand opening red carpet event at a local new pet boutique, Glamour Paws.  

Nestled among the trendy boutiques of Virginia-Highland, Glamour Paws is an adorable shop for chic pet owners.  Even before we had Chili Dawg, Girly and I had browsed this cute shop in anticipation of adorning him with the best and most fashionable dog accessories.   Once we got our puppy there was no stopping us; shopping for a new puppy is just as much fun as shopping for a new baby!

Look at the beautiful decor!

Drinks and food were served for people and dogs alike.

DJ Salah provided the music while chatting with my husband.

My daughter would love to put Chili Dawg in one of these very hip doggy tee shirts.

Juicy Couture!  It’s a good thing that we don’t have a girl dog!

I have been to many pet boutiques looking for a cool collar and leash; I found them here.

I bought Chili Dawg this Bessie + Barnie collar and leash because my Chili must be stylish!

And no ordinary dog tag will do for my puppy; I ordered a Red Dingo tag for him.

Glamour Paws has so many great products for sale: grooming aids, treats, toys, clothes, carriers, beds.  There is even a Spa (grooming salon) in the back; I’m sure that we will be taking advantage of that.   Because nothing is too good for my Chili Dawg!  

(Oh my….I’m becoming one of those dog people!)

Today Girly and I had a good time shopping at Nordstrom.  First we had lunch in Nordstrom Cafe, one of our favorite lunch spots; the salads, sandwiches and FRIES are the best!  Seriously, we will go just for the fries.  Don’t even get me started on the white chocolate bread pudding (which I managed to avoid today)!  

Fortified with a good meal, we made our way to the kids’ shoe department to find Girly a pair of dressy sandals.  Kid shoe shopping is a task that I absolutely dread, made even more dreadful by that fact that my daughter has very narrow feet and a definite opinion about she likes.  But the customer service at Nordstrom is so wonderful that our experience there is not only bearable, but even pleasant.  I buy most of Girly’s shoes at Nordstrom, so the sales people know us very well and can suggest shoes that will fit her.   We started off with this stack of shoes:

and narrowed it down to these three pair of Lelli Kelly sandals.

All of them were really cute, but we settled on this pair:

They are dressy enough to wear with all her dresses, but still comfortable and rugged enough for play.  Also, they are very fashionable and stylish without looking too grown.  

Although we got what we came for, we couldn’t resist buying these Havainana flip flops as well.  As you know, I love Havaianas and Girly does too!  These will look really cute with the Mini Boden swimsuit that we just ordered for her.

Armed with the super cute shoes, we had to go check out the new summer clothes in the girls’ department.  We had already bought most of her clothes online at Mini Boden, but I let her choose two outfits: one for everyday/school and one for more special occasions.

This Lucky Brand tee is too cute!  Girly loves peace symbols like me (or because of me).

Girly couldn’t wait to get home and show her daddy this outfit:

Nothing for me this shopping trip; this was all about my Girly.  We got the shoes that we came for, some cute clothes too and more importantly had a good time together.   A perfect Sunday afternoon!