Favorite Things

No one is coming to this blog for beauty tips, lest a rogue google search landed them here, but nevertheless, I thought that it would be fun to write about some of my favorite hair and makeup things these days. This is one of those posts that I'll later wonder why I wrote it, or perhaps laugh about one day, but still, here we go.

Hair

MetaGrip Premium Bob Pins in bronze.  I've used a lot of different bobby pins, and these ones have lasted the longest and are the only ones I'll ever buy again. I purchased them at someone's recommendation at the end of 2012 or the beginning or 2013 and I am still using those same bobby pins. Is that of no significance to you? It should be, because I used to go through maybe four or five packs a year. I was skeptical of these because they don't have the grippy things on the back that my previous ones did (I think those were Goody or Scunci brand) but for some reason, they're the best. They don't "stretch" like other ones do, and even with my thick hair, they stay put all day (I actually find them in my hair while I'm showering a lot of the time).

Face

The best thing I've ever used to wash my face? Baking soda. I wet a corner of a washclosh, pour a little baking soda on it, get that damp, and massage it into my face. It's the cheapest thing ever, and my skin is way better when I'm using it. Not great for traveling, as I'm paranoid that my friends in TSA will think it's illegal drugs. Basically no chance that that would happen, but it's one of those strange fears.

For traveling, I love using face wipes. These ones are my favorites and they're from Forever 21. They were way cheaper than the ones at the store, with more in them. I've bought these three times in three different scents. The Grapefruit is my favorite. They're great for getting makeup off and take my mascara off surprisingly easily.

Lips

Covergirl Outlast Lipstain in Flirty Nude. I wanted to try a lip stain, so I chose this one once upon a time, probably because it was the cheapest I could find, or I had a coupon. But anyway, I chose well. I love this and have used this color many times. You need to make sure there's no dry skin on your lips and make sure you put something moisturizing over it, but other than those high maintenance things, I recommend.

I associate the smell of different chapsticks with different phases or specific places, and this Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil is one I associate specifically with my job. I like this chapstick so much that I bought it in bulk and keep tubes in pockets of different purses and in the pocket of my apron at work. I've used this for a long time and love it.

Makeup 

My favorite mascara is the L'oreal Voluminous Original in Carbon Black. However, I always use this one with another mascara. I will choose a random one that looks interesting and layer the random one, let it dry, and put this over it. On its own, I still like it, but to me it's best with another one. Right now the other one is L'oreal Voluminous Miss Manga in Blackest Black. The wand rotates, which is weird at first, but gets the bottom lashes and to the root of my top eyelashes. I'll buy it again!

I don't like spending lots of money on makeup, but I like makeup that works for me. A long time ago, I used liquid foundation, but found the application difficult with the little sponge thing, so I thought I didn't like liquid foundation. I switched to powder foundation and used  Bare Minerals, but it was far too dry, cost a lot, and ran out quickly (cost too much per use). So on a whim and probably at the positive review of a random blog, I bought the Rimmel Match Perfection liquid foundation. I use Ivory right now but in the cooler months I think I use the Light Nude.

Other cheap makeup that I love? ELF brand eye makeup. I use the eyelid primer in Sheer (I've used the Pearl, but the Sheer is my favorite), which costs $1, and I love it more than the tiny $20 Urban Decay tube. I think part of the reason I love it more is because I'm not spending that much money on something so small. But it also works exactly the same. I started using eyelid primer a few years ago and it was a makeup life-changer. I use the Baked Eyeshadow too and love it. I have the Bark and the Toasted colors - a dark brown and a pinkish brown.

For eyeliner, I love Revlon Colorstay liquid in Black-Brown. I don't know what it is about me, my eyes, or other circumstances, but eye pencils are not my thing. They pull, they look weird, and there's a gap between my lashes and the liner that I can't fix. But this is great. It lasts all day and is easy to put on. My sister-in-law told me about this. I've also used the liquid eye pen, which isn't as bold as the liquid liner is, but still great. I like that one best for lining under my eyes.

Nails

I'm not allowed to have painted nails at work, but I love painting mine when I have more than one day in a row off of work. My favorite nail polishes right now are Wet n Wild Heatwave and Sinful Colors Hazard (links are to Google Image results pages). Heatwave is my favorite-favorite and I keep going back to it, and Hazard is fun but takes awhile to dry and also several coats, so I don't love it quite as much.

Supplements

Carson worked for a supplement store for four years. This means of course that we take supplements. At one point, I took 17 pills a day, but I didn't know what I was taking and thought that it was just too much to expect myself to swallow every single day. So now I take a more sensible 4, and two of those are the same pill. I know a small amount about these, so everything I say here is probably wrong. Carson's the supplement guru so he chose these for specific reasons.
I'm not pregnant, but I take a prenatal vitamin everyday. It's essentially a multivitamin, but it also has things I will need should I ever become pregnant. I take this GNC Women's Prenatal Formula with Iron. Never in my life have I had a blood test with normal iron levels, but with this, I have. And it doesn't make me nauseated, as other prenatals have. I used to take a gummy prenatal, which was tasty, but sometimes I wouldn't remember to take it until right after I brushed my teeth. This one is better quality and I just swallow it.
I also take melatonin, which helps me settle down and fall asleep at night. I'm actually not 100% sure this works. It could be a placebo. But it makes me FEEL more settled and better rested when I get up, so I keep taking it.
I also take DHA, mostly because I refused to take fish oil ever again. Fish oil makes me feel weird (Carson doesn't believe me, so this is possibly made up) and I feel like I have fish breath and fish (sorry) burps when I take it, so no thanks. But this is still getting some of that good stuff in me.