Thursday 13

Thirteen Beauty Products I Love
(I can't believe I've never made this list! I am a HUGE beauty product junkie!)

1. Clinique's High Impact Mascara-- Inky black, thickens my skimpy lashes and elongates them to a glamrous level, without making you look like Tammy Faye Baker. Love it. But I'm not gonna lie--it gets clumpy when it's time to replace it. Which is kind of a good thing. I tried everyone's favorite, Lancome's Definicils, but I found it gray in color and very very clumpy. I am the odd one out, I guess!

2. Jergens Skin Smoothing body lotion. Oh man, this stuff is the best. Cheap, odorless and makes your skin smoooooth, thanks to the AHAs in it. I like that it is odorless, so it won't compete with my perfume. A friend in college introduced me to it and I've been hooked ever since. And it's not too heavy, which is good if you live anywhere with lots of humidity like I do. Although, they just redid the formula, so hopefully I will like my next bottle.

3. Vaseline-- Great for chapped lips, dry feet (w/socks) and rough cuticles. It's been around forever for a reason. I put some on my lips when I go to bed at night so I don't get chapped lips.

4. Lancome's Juicy Tubes--Actually, just about every woman would have these on their list. Fabulous colors, amazing shine...no wonder they have a cult following.

5. Pantene's Deep Fortifying Treatment--I have been using this on my hair for years. My hair is baby baby fine and fairly long, so it gets really tangled. This stuff not only smells good and makes my hair incredibly soft, it makes detangling so much easier. Seriously, I have the softest hair of anyone I know. Thanks, Pantene! Oh, btw, the best price on this stuff is Target. Wal-Mart is almost a dollar more.

6. Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 55- I have really oily skin, but this one isn't greasy at all. Nor does it make me break out--big bonus. I like the super-high SPF and it even smells nice. It's a little more expensive, but I think it's worth it. But I have to admit, I didn't use much at the beach...oops.

7. Clinique's Superdefense Triple Action Moisturizer SPF 25--If you are willing to drop $40 on a jar of face moisturizer, this one is great. I use it only in the winter since it is very moisturizing and expensive. They make a normal-to-oily one for me and a normal-to-dry one for that type. Anyway, it has sunblock already built in, it absorbs quickly and I don't have any tightness or see one dry flake all winter! Even the packaging oozes luxury.

8. Ok, I know I am biased because I used to work for them and I have literally tried every single one of their products, but Clinique's hair products are awesome awesome awesome. I especially like their Natural Hold hairspray, the Healthy Shine Serum and their pomade (for updos). I hope they didn't discontinue their pomade--I don't see it on their website. They used to make kick-ass shampoo, but I think it's gone forever.

9. Neutrogena's Pore Refining Cream SPF 15 -- So far, I have only found this for sale at Wal-Mart. It is the only thing I've ever used that really made my pores and blackheads (ew, sorry) minimized. Plus, it has retinol in it, which helps with skin cell turnover--read: keeps your skin looking new and young. It cleans out all the gunk in your pores. Adore this stuff. I haven't tried the cleanser or the toner in a looong time, so I can't really give a good review.

10. Biotin supplements-- Take it from me. I have the worst nails in the history of nails: thin, peely, bendy, brittle, chippy...you name it. I have finally found something that makes them long and strong. For the first time in my life, I can ignore my nails and they will be fine. I just take one pill in the morning (I want to say it is 500 mg). A couple months later, I have nails! You can also take Appearex, but it is mega-expensive ($25/month) and it made my stomach very queasy--I think they pack 1,000 mg into each pill. I can buy a big bottle of 500 mg biotin tablets for around $5.

11. Brocato America Texture Cream -- Like my nails, my hair is also very thin. A teeny tiny dab of this spread through my wet hair will make it thick, voluminous, shiny and yummy-smelling. It will also hold curl better, which truly is a miracle in my stick-straight hair. It's kinda hard to find unless you buy it on the Internet.

12. L'Oreal LeKohl Eyeliners -- Cheap and extremely long-wearing. These are the only eyeliners I have found that will "stick" to the inner rims of my eyelids so I can get good n smoky with my makeup. I have other eyeliners, but I like the eyeliners you have to sharpen because you can make them as fine or as dull as you want. One of these mega-long pencils will last me years. My only beef is that they don't come in enough colors.

13. Ok, it is really really hard for me to only name 13, so I am adding this one as a bonus. Clinique's lipsticks are the only ones I have ever found that have absolutely no taste or smell. I don't know if it's because I have been wearing them for so long or what, but I can't wear any other brand now--the smell drives me nuts. My favorite shades are Bamboo Pink and Extreme Pink. Even their glosses are odor and taste free.

14. Allure magazine -- The bible of beauty products. Just about everything I have learned, I have learned here. If you are clueless about makeup or are a junkie like me, you must read this. They pack so many reviews, tips and ads in here, it's amazing. I love the October issue, because that is their annual beauty award issue. Thanks to Allure, I know that Estee Lauder owns 10 of the most famous cosmetics lines (including Clinique and M.A.C.) and that L'Oreal and Lancome are the same company. This means that a lot of the products are very similar, if not identical. Thanks to Allure, I know the best way to apply fake tanner, pluck my brows and make my lipstick last. So if you need any tips, start reading, girls! (Or you can just ask me and I will tell you.)

Do you have a favorite product I haven't listed here? If so, I'd love to hear about it!!!! I can never satiate my appetite for new beauty goodies. I will probably make a part 2 to this list at some point, since it was to tough to pare down my list.