CONFESSIONS of a 50 Y.O Makeup Junkie...

Why hello there!

How are y'all doing today?

It's just me, your friendly, LAZY blogger:)

What can I say.........

I've been getting a few things ready for my friend's shop AND for some reason,

I've had a run on tutu orders.

The Beach Gypsies are back in business!! 

 I think. LOL

But more about that another time.

For today it's a beauty blog..........

for us chickies who are over the magic number of 50.

(And everyone else, too:)

So let's get to it!

I really am a makeup junkie.

But fortunately, I am a CHEAP makeup junkie!

And when I love something, I will use it to death.

(Or at least until something else catches my eye;)

HOWEVER,

this time, I feel really good about what I have chosen

AND

I have been using this stuff for quite awhile now.

See what you think..........

First up is SKINCARE!

OOOOOHHH.......this is a biggie for us over 50 chickies:)

Some things go unspoken but assumed.

Like...........SUNSCREEN!

~Considering the fact that I grew up BAKING in Michigan as a teen,

and have lived in South Florida (ahem.......the sub-tropics, technically)

for just over 20 years, I know a bit about sunscreen.  

Actually, I know about the PRICE you pay for baking in the sun,

which led me to know a little about sunscreen:)

Here is what I have to say about it...........

Use ingredients that have it added so when you forget, you have some help.

If not, use at least 30 SPF.  50 SPF if you really want to.

But most dermatologists will say the 100 SPF is just hooey.

Don't ditch your 30 and run to the store for 100 thinking it's better.

That's just good ol American marketing at work!

I like SunBum, Australian Gold and Neutrogena.  But that's just me:)

But here's what I really want to show you and it's for every day skincare.

For less than $40.00, 

y'all can keep your skin soft and mostly wrinkle free!

* Prices above are approximate, within 20cents, from Amazon.

Let's face it.........most of us are fighting dryer skin in these magical years.

And wrinkles.

So those are the issues I'm addressing here.............

#1 Coconut Oil  

I've talked about this (as everyone else has) many times before.

But in a nutshell, it's the BEST I have found for removing makeup (especially eye makeup),

moisturizing skin all over your body, and adding shine to hair.
Oh.......and it is a FABULOUS shaving cream:)

Seriously!  

I use the brand pictured above 

but just make sure you get any extra-virgin coconut oil.
I also use Lou-Ana, found at the grocery store.

#2 Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Serum

It's actually a very light cream in a tube, but we'll go with serum;)

Now, it boasts the claim that you will see improved skin in seven days.

And guess what?????

I DID!!!  I really LOVE this product and slap it on AS WELL AS coconut oil.

#3 Pond's Cold Cream

 If you are buying expensive cleansers, you're kinda crazy.

Sometimes you have to give Grandma credit for her soft skin back in the day.

My absolute FAVORITE cleanser is Pond's Cold Cream.

Again, I'm SOOOOOO SERIOUS!

Makeup...........

For simplicities sake, I am sharing my number #1 favorite drugstore line.

After that, I'll show you a few favorites from other lines.

But for me, the winner in the all-around make-up line,

the one that makes you say your friends are crazy for buying expensive stuff is.............

NYX.  (NEVER to be confused with NYC makeup)

I was a bit of a M.A.C junkie..........and I still could be.

(more about that later:)

But this is a copycat line that is significantly cheaper!

My advice is to go to Ulta for your NYX.  

They carry a HUGE selection and drugstores are only just adding in bits and pieces.

In the above photo, you will see the items I use.  

Shades are individual but I can say I like the brown, purple and black eyeliner,

 mascara in jet black, blush in desert rose

 and the lipstick is awesome in Audrey, Tea Rose or Natural!

Honorable mention goes to:

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer, 

which I also use with the desert rose blush.

Since my eyelashes seem to have disappeared, 

I use a primer before my mascara.

My fav is M.A.C Prep + Prime.

Lip Pencils........

You're gonna love these, cause they are awesome and even CHEAPER than NYX,

 which are pretty cheap:)

ESSENCE Lip Pencils (at Ulta) are $1.49!!!!!

And their lipstick is pretty great too...I like Natural Beauty.

Okay, I think that covers makeup:)

Moving on to HAIR.........

Mine is short these days.  (Very short!) 

So I wear it piecey and I like it soft and shiny.

So.........Garnier Fructis is my choice, partly because of the AMAZING scents;)

I love Pixie Play for the tousled/messy look:)

And next to Coconut Oil, I am in LOVE with shine serums.  I use this one,

 but most work great.

And not just for hair.........they are AWESOME for dry skin too, everywhere:)

Okay BEAUTIES, I'm done.

Rambled enough.

Showed you how cheap I am:)

Shared my confessions with you.

Hope you enjoyed this and found something you want to try also!

Suzanne

Wait.........I forgot to show you what I'm excited to see.

M.A.C Cosmetics CINDERELLA line, coming out this week.

So pretty............

Aaahhhh...stay tuned.  I'll be sure to let you know if I try it;)

Friday Favorites......Beauty Tips and Favorite Looks

happy friday!

(actually, i thought it was Thursday when i woke up)

i was so convinced that when i saw "Friday" on the morning paper,

i thought they made a mistake!

duh......

i'm just a little freaked out cause

that means it's LESS than a week till Miss Taylor Ballerina

heads to Boston Ballet for 5 weeks.

YIKES!

i can't think about that right now.

because.......

i have to show you a few of my favorites!

beauty tips:

i love when i see something demonstrated so simply,

 like these eyes...

~simply natural eye shadow

light shadow on the lid, light/med brown in the crease,

touch of black eyeliner on top lid and smudged brown shadow liner lightly under the eye, followed by black mascara.

 talk about timeless.

(one make up artist says lining the top with black and the bottom with brown creates a soft, sexy eye.  so there you go:)

~this next eye is obviously more dramatic but the step by step photos are so clear,

no need for words:)

~layer your eyeliner

liquid eyeliners are popular,

but this pro says they are too hard for the average user to apply accurately.

ahem.....she must mean me:)

anyway, she suggests layering eyeliner to get a precise look and stay put wear.

start with an eye pencil and apply to eyelid.  

then put liquid eyeliner on top, following the line you

already drew.

supposedly it's perfect and lasts! 

~make-up brushes

according to total beauty,

we only need basic makeup brushes.

1.  Foundation Brush (?)

2.  Concealer Brush

3.  Fluffy Powder Brush

4.  Blush Brush

5.  Small Blending Brush

6.  Flat eye brush

7.  Precision angle brush

8.  Lip Brush

i guess you could say that means i don't need the other 10

 i must have floating around:)

~get rid of blemishes with vinegar?

that's what they say!

apparently you mix one part apple cider vinegar with

10 parts water. 

put it in a clean glass container and after washing your face.

dab the solution on your blemishes with a cotton ball.

you can apply it several time/day without drying  out your skin.

vinegar helps adjust the PH balance in your skin, treating and preventing blemishes.

go figure!

worth a try:) 

~toe nails

How to get white nails -- make a paste using 1 tbsp peroxide

 and 2 1/4 tbsp baking soda. 

Let this paste sit on your nails for 5 minutes and voila!

 White nails! Totally works!

moving on to my favorite looks.......

i love her hair.

so pretty!

the hair i would have if i could.

but mine is too short.

not straight at all.

and my husband would probably ask me what's wrong with my hair.

but i love it:)

~boho purse/handbag

by the way, which is it?  purse or handbag?)

i grew up calling it a purse.

my grandma called it a pocketbook.

and it seems most people i know down here call it a handbag.

whatever, i LOVE this boho/gypsyish

 purse/handbag/pocketbook!

can't you just see it with jeans, sandals and a white tank top?

(my favorite look:)

speaking of favorite looks,

i am such a casual person.

i would wear jeans everyday of the week.

(and pretty much do:)

so it's no surprise that these 4 looks have a pair of jeans.

starting with my favorite look right now.......

cute, cute, CUTE!

and what do i love about the second one?

jeans, of course.

paired with a dressy/glitzy tank top in cream.

all the gold (i'm into gold or rose gold these days)

basically just all the natural colors mixed with denim!

the one above is a great go to a movie or shopping outfit.

the jeans are the PERFECT shade of faded denim 

and the natural tan sandals and purse are

perfectly.....NATURAL:)

this last one i must have "pinned" 10 times.

every time i see it i love it more!

if i can't wear cream/white with my denim,

give me soft grey!

 but the shoes are not me.

cute, but not me:)

and LASTLY, the most perfect beauty tips of all time......

 CIAO!

Suzanne

Stuff i Love...Beauty Products

what on earth am i thinking...

sharing my "beauty picks"?

HECK, i don't know much about it...

but i do know what i LOVE right now.

and for some reason, i do get questions when i'm out.

some very KIND women, trying to make my day,
will often ask what i use for this or that.

so you see, i'm doing this for them! (haha)
AND...i'm showing you a before make-up and after make-up photo too.
just like oprah:)

now before i start, i should say that

I'm CHEAP!

let me rephrase that...
 i like a good buy:)

oh...if i thought it made a huge difference, maybe i would pay big bucks for cosmetics and stuff.

but having dabbled in makeup for many years,

even selling it,

i know that it isn't about where you buy it or what you pay...

it's about what works.

so please forgive how downright CHEAP some of my stuff is!

but i really do love it:)

let's get down to the good stuff...

1.  Face cleanser: PONDS COLD CREAM!

 seriously...i LOVE this stuff.

gentle, refreshing, great for my dry skin, removes my eye makeup...and CHEAP:)

i am absolutely hooked on this cool, white cream.
and i LOVE the clean scent!

2.  Dry, Cracked heels and fingers:  Gold Bond Healing Ointment!

 Very thick emollient...a little goes a long way.

lasts through hand washing. even helps my dry, brittle nails.

AWESOME!

and for all over dry skin...new Gold Bond Ribbons Body Cream.

again...AWESOME:)

 3.  Primer: Pur Minerals correcting face primer.

all of us chicks are in LOVE with this stuff!

 this fixes our skin before we even do foundation:)

4.  Foundation:  L'oreal True Match in Warm 6.

 I've tried SO many foundations...probably 6 this year alone...and come back to this every time.  Just right coverage and goes on nicely with a sponge.

5.  Blush:  I like a pinky-brown shade...and can't find one i love...
so i make my own!

 i dab my brush in a bronzer by Rimmel..."Sundance".

 and then i dab it into "pink passion" blush by ELF cosmetics ($1.00)...

 the two combined give me a perfect pinky-brown shade:)

6.  Eyeshadow:  I used to wear Clinique and still recommend it. But these days i like NYC eyes in "Union Square".

 wow...it's amazing!

Comes with a plum accent color, 2 browns and a beige shade for highlighting.

PLUS a primer for the eyes and pearl shimmer for highlighting cheekbones.

all for about $4.40! 

I also like L'Oreal eyeshadow quad in "Neutral".

These shades are great for accenting my hazel eyes and bringing out the green.

7.  Eyepencil:  "Purple Passion" by Sonia Kashuk, sold at Target.

 My favorite for a few years now...makes my hazel eyes green:)

M.A.C. waterproof pencils are great too.

8.  Mascara:  wish i had a secret here, but it all comes down to preferences.

My lashes are short and sparse...

yet i don't like a gloppy mascara to thicken them.
oh, i've used Lancome to thicken. but i never stick with it...
so i must not be crazy about the stuff.

these days I wear black waterproof mega-length mascara by Wet n Wild.

 Really thin brush and 2 coats gives me lashes longer than normal.

stays on with no smudging but comes off easy with my Ponds Cold Cream:)
but i really do believe mascara is one of those things you really have to experiment to
find your favorite.

9:  Lips:  I line with a neutral rosy brown pencil and fill in with NYC pink lip pen in persistent pink.

again...i'm going for a subtle pinky-brown shade.  Then I follow that with a gloss or sometimes JUST the gloss and lip pencil. Shimmer gloss...always shimmer!

i LOVE Galactic by Chanel...my splurge:)

 however, my sis recently gave me an adorable kit of Mary Kay glosses that are just as nice and have a variety of shades...all wearable.
Big hit in our house...i think we may be hooked!

10.  Nails...I use Nailene Skinny French White Manicure pen and clear topcoat for a french manicured look.

 This stuff is AMAZING!!!
Especially great for pedicures.

11.  Haircolor...L'Oreal Petite Frost in Chardonnay.

comes with a cap but I only do that about every third or fourth time.
the other times, I just paint on a few highlights where I need them.

12.  Perfume:  i know some like a fresh scent.
i like a sweeter scent which is why i LOVE Pink Sugar!

 for a flowery scent, i would have to go with Sarah Jessica Parker's perfume...
LOVELY.

 and it sure is:)




13.  Body Lotion/Spray/Shower Gels:  Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush line.
The body wash comes in Cotton Candy, Juiced Berry, Coconut Craze, Honey Do,
Slice of Heaven, and Appletini.

 You can use these as a shower gel, bubble bath, or shampoo
a la Philosophy 3-in-1′s! Awesome right? Plus they are priced at 3 for $25 so you won’t break the bank too much by indulging.


14. Shampoo:  I'm a really simple, cheap girl here.

 i like Suave Coconut or Mandarin Orange shampoo:)

15. Styling Products.
i LOVE Jonathan's "dirt" for hair but haven't found it in years,
so i use Surf Head paste these days.

 

16. Skin Care:  my skin has gotten so dry.

and with the sun damage i did to it, there's no telling what is on the horizon for me.

but for now, i seem to be warding off horrible signs with a simple routine.

Taylor got a sample of this stuff and i used it...

and was quickly hooked.

it's the anti-aging skin care line by Dr. Patricia Wexler,

sold at Bath and Body Works.

best part...it lasts a long time!

well, i guess that's it.

sorry this isn't more inspiring but at least you can say it's a bargain, right?

thanks for stopping by!

i'm not sure what my next "stuff i love" post will be about.

 guess it's a surprise...

for me too:)

i need to clean out my closet...DESPERATELY...so maybe

i'll do a Stuff i Love closet edition.

see you soon!

xoxoxo

Suzanne

P.S.   

OOPS...forgot the before/after photo!

 see below...

hey...i just said before and after makeup...

i didn't say all in the same day!:D