Five Favorites: January 2012

When I went to pick my five favorite's for January I was a little surprised that I didn't buy too much this month. I guess that's a good thing, because I did tell myself I needed to calm down a little with the excessive shopping ,especially with beauty products. There are a few new things I bought this month but overall everything else are products I've been using more.
Bare Minerals 9
piece Starter Kit


I always wanted to try Bare Minerals ever since I saw their first infomercial a few years ago. So when Sephora came out with their exclusive introductory kit for only $60, I jumped at it. I mean, that's a really good price. Even though there the smaller sizes it's plenty of product since you only need a tiny bit. I got the Medium kit that came with: 2 of the foundations in medium-tan and tan, All over face color in Warmth, Tinted Mineral Veil, 3 brushes and their Prime Time foundation Primer. I was a little nervous since I tend to have dry skin but after reading all the reviews and how it helped people with dry skin, combination skin & pretty much every type of skin, I was confident that I
would like it. I love it actually! I mix the two foundations together and the color is perfect, even though its powder it almost feels like a cream. I love my bronzers and  the warmth is probably the best I've ever tried. You just have to make sure to only use a tiny bit or it will be too much. Then there's the mineral veil that really brings the whole natural look together. I'm still not too sure what the difference is between the full flawless face brush and the flawless face brush besides the size. The light stroke brush is domed shaped and great for covering up any small areas. The prime timer primer is so nice & silky, it makes application a thousand times smoother.
They still have this kit at Sephora for $60.


Yes to Cucumbers
Facial Towelettes
I've used so many facial towelettes and obviously some are better than others. I count on these for after I workout and to use before I wash my face. The one thing that these have that stand out from the others is that these really leave my skin feeling fresh and clean and they don't sting or dry out my face like some others have. As soon as I notice I'm down to a few left I go to the store and buy a new package. I would feel naked without these lol. On those occasional nights where I'm lazy or too tired to take my makeup off, I know, disgusting but we all have those nights.. these are great even though they don't completely get all of your makeup off its a lot better than nothing. I did read some reviews where people said that they stung or burned when using them. I'm guessing they probably had sensitive skin. My friend uses the Yes to Blueberries and really likes those too.
I usually find these at Target for around $5.99 L'OREAL HIP METALLIC  SHADOW DUO in GLIDED
I don't know what took me so long to get my hands on these, The only reason I bought it was bc it was 75% off at CVS right after Christmas when they have those huge sales. The pigmentation is strong and they last a while. Perfect for a dramatic look, and if you wet your brush you'll get an even more intense look. I use the gold shade on my lid and crease and use the metallic brown for contouring. I don't know if you can see in the picture but the darker shade has tiny gold specks packed in. It's such a pretty color. You can even get a great smokey eye from this. I have to go and get some of there other shades. 
I wanna say they retail at around $7 to $8 at any drugstore

Sally Hansen INSTA- DRI Speed Dry Drops
I think I've mentioned this in at least one of my NOTD posts, but this product is like heaven for my nails! I've had this same bottle for about a year now and it still works as good as it did the day I got it. A lot people ask me how I can  keep my manicure from chipping after one or two weeks. This product is definitely one of the main reasons. Well that and I use Sally Hansen's INSTA-DRI top coat prior to the drops. Then after the drops I use a coat of Seche Vite. I know it sounds like a lot of top coat but I swear, i cant remember the last time I've had even a tiny little chip in my nail polish. I highly recommend the Sally Hansen INSTA- DRI top coat as well. There both genius, especially when used together.  After I apply SH's top coat, it says to wait 60 seconds then apply 1 to 2 drops to each nail. Within 30 seconds or less of  these drops hitting my nails they are completely dry. One other great thing about this is that it gives the nail polish a hard finish which is probably why the polish never chips. I love the little dropper, its so easy to use. There is one thing I could do without and that's the greasy feeling it leaves on your nails and fingers. But as soon as you wash your hands (which for me is less than a minute after applying this) it's totally gone. I always tell people that complain of their polish chipping to use the speed dry drops, actually even better, use the INSTA-DRI top coat first then the speed dry drops. I haven't seen this in any stores in a while so I don't know if they sell it anymore. I'm pretty sure OPI has these drops too.
I purchased this at Walgreens for $5.99
Hot Tools Gold 1- 1/4" Curling Iron I've had this curling iron for about a half of year and it's the best curling iron I've ever bought.  I have their 3 barrel waver and they've both been so easy to work with. I have a lot of other curling irons and non of them measure up to this one. It heats up so quick and the temp goes up to 400 which allows me to curl my hair in half the time any other curling iron would. I used to be horrible at using curling irons, for some reason I couldn't get the hang of it or the technique. It was a hot mess. Ironically after I bought this hot tools curling iron it started to become easier and now I'm able to get such pretty curls. I don't really think there that expensive either, especially for the quality. If you like to curl your hair with a curling iron, you should invest in a decent one, hot tools is a great brand and they last for a while. 


I purchased this at Sally's Beauty Supply for $39.99


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