Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
apricot’s closet: beauty essentials.
This little glimpse into my beauty cabinet is for your own sake, not mine; because seeing all of this gluttony pushes me to acknowledge something I don’t want to admit: I am a beauty product junkie. Yes, it’s true. I have a tendency of buying & trying new products just to find a new “must-have.” (It always seems like a good idea at the time.) Now that I’m married & living in an impeccably small (but chic!) space, I’m learning that collecting beauty items isn’t very practical. Not to mention, Lover hates this little bad habit of mine.
Nevertheless… here are my personal beauty essentials. Meaning: no matter what amazing beauty product comes out, I still buy these things because they give me the most satisfaction. & I think that is what truly matters most.
Going from left to right:
- LUSH: Tea Tree Water spray; I use this right after I wash away my makeup. It’s very refreshing & 100% natural. & I love the smell of tea tree.
- Sephora brushes: powder & blush brush; These are the best brushes I’ve ever used, but I loathe the fact that they are made from animal hair. They work beautifully, otherwise.
- Redken: Smooth Down, Heat Glide serum; Keeps the frizz under control & protects from the unhealthy heat of my flatiron.
- Covergirl TruBlend mineral powder bronzer: golden sunrise; After I dust Revlon’s mineral foundation all over (this is not shown) I apply just a dab of this bronzer on the apples of my cheeks, the tip of my chin, the bridge of my nose & a few swipes on my forehead. I use very little.
- Maybelline Great Lash Mascara: very black; I adore this product. Not just because it makes my eyelashes look naturally dramatic, but because it’s a classic.
- Nivea Smooth Sensation body lotion; Makes my dry skin silky smooth.
- OPI nail polish: Russian Navy; This color is appropriate for all seasons. It’s a gorgeous navy blue-purple color.
- glomineral blush: sheer petal; This shade is very pink, so I dilute it & I wear it over the bronzer I applied. It gives a very natural flush on my already bronze skin.
- Wet ‘n’ Wild eye pencil in kohl; I very lightly fill in my eyebrows with this pencil to match the color of my hair.
- Kerastase: bain satin & masquintense, #3; After using these luxurious products, I’ll never go back to drugstore shampoos & conditioners again. This is my only splurge; it is far from cheap.
- Chapstick: spearmint flavor; My most favorite staple of all.
- Neutrogena Oil Free Moisturizer; Very lightweight but strong enough to moisturize my dry skin.
- LUSH: The Honeymooner Massage bar; Just the scent of this little bar alone reminds me of intoxicating nights with Lover. If you never buy anything from Lush, at least buy a massage bar (or a bath bomb).
- Bath & Body Works: Coconut Verbena body spray; Victoria’s Secret’s Vanilla Lace is my signature fragrance, but I feel that coconut is the perfect summer smell. Lover cuddles up closer when I’m wearing this.
So, there it is; my disgusting, shameful display of overindulgence.
Today, I was seen in this. Obviously, this isn’t the most daring thing I’ve come up with, but I like it because it suits me. I think everyone would agree that simplicity overrules glamour in 100 degree (F) temperatures, no?
Tank top, from American Apparel; shorts, from Ross; flip-flops, from Payless; jewelry, miscellaneous; headband, from Target; sunglasses, from forever21.
on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 11:49 pm:
I love the outfit- and for the record, I wore a jersey skirt and a white tank today. You’re right, simplicity rules in high heat.
& also, I really wish I could pull off that nail polish color. I tried buying some darker colors this past fall/winter.. but it just looked weird on me. I’m stuck with either light or bright. Blah.
on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 6:13 am:
Do you have any tips for girls who have not used any beauty products.
on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 7:00 am:
Yaaaaaay, thanks for posting your beauty stuff!! I think I might have to make a polyvore now :) I LOVE expensive shampoo and conditioner because they really do make your hair feel just amazing. Wella’s color care line is my personal fave :)
on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 7:03 am:
cute outfit! And great lash is my all time favorite.. if I don’t do anything else I put that on everyday! Also an indulgence of mine is Epicuren Evening Emulsion… best face moisturizer out there and worth the extra pennies. :)
on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 8:57 am:
You’re beautiful. I must try out some of those products. Love the outfit.
on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 10:51 am:
Keratase products are genius
on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 11:47 am:
i love opi nail polish, so cute.
on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 4:16 pm:
I’m sadly not a beauty product junkie. I like to buy only what I use regularly and use all of it. I do have a lip gloss problem though. Laura Mercier has my absolute fave color.
on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 7:39 pm:
Yes to simplicity over glamour in the hot, hot heat.
I love that you show how chic a girl can be in clothes from bargain and chain stores. I just love it!
on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 8:17 pm:
@ sandy: I feel you! The one thing about dark colors is that it always looks better on shorter nails. I make sure to cut mine pretty short before putting any kind of dark color (even some reds) on it. I’m not sure if you’ve tried that, but if not, try to cut your nails shorter. I guarantee that it’ll look a lot better, but it will take some getting used to. :]
@ Tashya: As in… you’ve never used beauty products before, or you have beauty products, you just don’t know how to use them? Be a little more specific & I’ll be sure to help! :]
@ Trace: Between you & me, I adore playing around with haircolors. Because it seems that each brand produces a different undertone. I always use black; I’ll never go back. :] But I love how some had blue undertones, some have purple, some have green! That’s the only part of my hairstyling career that I cherish most. That, & cutting hair.
@ Amanda: I’ve heard of that before. You must have dry skin like me. =]
@ ashley: Thank you. :] & if you have any questions about these products, don’t hesitate to ask.
@ Runaway Gallery: Yes, indeed they are. I’m hooked.
@ katelin: I love it, too. :] I never quite understood the difference between OPI vs. store bought nail polishes until I used the most expensive stuff. I don’t think I’ll ever go back.
@ Jessica: lip gloss is the only thing that I can’t get myself to buy; that & lipstick. I don’t know why…
@ Torie Michelle: Aw, thank you for noticing my bargain shopping-ness. :] That’s certainly one thing I’m proud of; being able to look nice without spending so much money. A lot of my clothes are recycled. Meaning, I’ve had them for years (some pieces I’ve had since 8th grade).
on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 8:40 pm:
I am yet to buy anything from LUSH… but I really want that tea tree water… I love the smell as well. :)
on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 8:36 am:
i just love looking at other people’s beauty product lists. i can’t explain why, seems to be an obsession. so thanks for posting :)
and there’s something about that a little oversized tank top i reaööy adore. maybe it#s the color. anyway, it looks great on you!
on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 11:34 am:
I have never used them before.
on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 10:12 am:
my dear,
you are so fierce.
so, i wore a headband a little lower- more on my forehead, and all my coworkers called me Sakajeweya, pocahontas, and brian boytano.
i didn’t care. they don’t know fashion :P
but you look fantastic.
on Saturday, November 8th, 2008 at 8:47 pm:
This is so cool ! Im excited to make my own LOL