A few of my favorite things

We all have our favorite beauty products.  Some of them are luxurious splurges, while others are bargains.  Here are a few of my favorites and why.

Shea Moisture- Target

This is my favorite lotion when my skin is feeling a bit drier.  I love the coconut scent and the non-greasy feel.  It is strongly scented though, so it doesn't work with perfume.  I like that this on its own is enough of a scent for daily wear.  A BARGAIN

Almond Milk - The Body Shop

This is my absolute favorite light moisturizer.  I use this in the summer when my skin isn't really dry.  It leaves a nice sheen on my legs and absorbs super quickly.  It doesn't have much of a fragrance.  Just a clean scent that blends well with whatever perfume I choose.  I've had this bottle for a few years now, so it lasts a long time.  Not quite a BARGAIN, a little SPLURGE

Organix Cherry Blossom Ginseng Shampoo and Conditioner - Grocery or Drug Store

This shampoo smells great and leaves my hair soft and full of body.  The conditioner is light yet moisturizing.  I also use an Organix deep conditioner once every couple weeks.  BARGAIN

Chance Eau Tendre - Sephora

This was my birthday present from Tony this year.  I love the clean floral scent.  Its a little stronger so a little goes a long way which is good because this is definitely a SPLURGE.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer - Drug Store

This light weight formula is applied with the foam sponge at the top.  Just a few clicks and the sponge is loaded.  I find that this blends really well just using the sponge on top.  I have very fair skin so a good concealer is on my "don't leave home without it" list.  For me, dark circles have nothing to do with sleep and everything to do with the thin skin under my eyes.  BARGAIN

A couple other favorites include:
The Body Shop's super absorbent hair towel.  I've had the same towel since 1999 and it still works great!  This towel has held up remarkably well and has ruined me for other "normal" towels.  It buttons at the base of my skull to keep it in place while my hair dries.  SPURGE (But after eleven years I'd say it was money well spent.)

bareMinerals Original Foundation in Light.  This is my favorite!  I have a lot of trouble finding foundation that are light enough for my fair completion.  I also have an uneven skin tone with a pinkish cast.  This evens things out without being heavy.

I'm sure there are a few things I'm forgetting, but these are the basics.  I am always trying new products.  Sometime I end up with a wonderful new item, and sometimes I wish I'd never bought whatever it was.  But most of the time I just end up with things that are forgettable.  I have this problem with eye shadows a lot.  I will buy this wonderful color only to find out that it is: a. too shear, b. too opaque, or c. exactly like a color I already own.  Is this just me or does it happen to other people too?

What are your favorite items?   Any thing you couldn't live without?  I used to love the magazines that would post celebrities beauty routines or favorite products.  One common thread between most of them was mascara.  Just about all of them said they never leave the house without it.  I'm just the opposite.  I rarely use mascara.  I have allergies and rub my eyes a lot.  Most every mascara I've ever used, even the ones that are supposed to stay, end up making me look like a raccoon.

I would love to find a non-running, non-crunchy mascara that comes in brown or brown/black.  Any suggestions? 

On a completely separate note.  Today was THE DAY FROM HELL!  I went into work to find absolute chaos.  All of our registers were down.  For hours!  We kept having to reboot every few minutes, and multiple times during transactions.  So frustrating.  Here's hoping that everything is working tomorrow.