I was reading an article in
Glamour magazine the other day that encouraged women to think about how many beauty products they used on a daily basis. I'm just gonna tell you....my number was staggering to me. I've always considered myself a pretty low maintenance girl (and really I am) but the number of products I use shocked me. I'm going to list mine for you, and then ask you about yours to make sure I'm normal on my product usage :) Ok, here goes...
On days I wash my hair:
1. I mix half
John Frieda Radiant Red (I have auburn-ish hair) and
Biolage Color Care.
2. Then I use
Biolage Color Care Conditioner. (I normally don't need something so thick, but I started using this during the summer because I have a pool and my hair gets so dry, and this really keeps it soft)
3. Before I blow dry my hair, I spray
Tresemme Heat Tamer Protective Spray.
4. Also, before I blow dry, I spray
Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumizer on my roots only.
5. After my hair is blow dried I set it with
Tresemme Volumizing Hair Spray
6. At this point, I might scrunch in some mousse to give my hair a wavy texture. I have naturally wavy hair and if I don't blow dry it first it tends to be a bit a little too curly and hard to manage. If I wear it curly, I use
Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves.
7. My hair does tend to get a bit frizzy late in the day, so I always make sure I have some
Frederic Fekkai Glossing Creme on hand. (This is the best product EVER and I recommend it for everyone!)
8. On days I do not wash my hair, I will use
Big Sexy Hair Volumizing Dry Shampoo. (Again, I recommend this for everyone)
**You may notice I use a ton of volumizing products. On top of that, I normally tease my roots too. What can I say, I'm southern and I like big hair**
Ok...now on to the shower
9. Every day, I use
Irish Spring soap. I know this is typically for boys, but I just don't feel clean unless I have used
Irish Spring. Occasionally I will change it up and use
Dove or Caress to feel more like a girl, but generally...it's
Irish Spring
10. I also use a body scrub every day in addition to the
Irish Spring. On days when I don't need much exfoliation, I will use
Caress Evenly Gorgeous Scrub. It has just the right amount of roughness to it if you have sensitive skin and can't exfoliate every day. In the Winter when my skin is super dry, I use
Origins Incredible Spreadable Scrub. This is one of the most amazing products I have ever used. I will buy every single container of this if Origins ever goes out of business. In the Summer, I tend to use
Clinique Sparkle Skin. This has a very "clean" scent to it and won't interfere with any perfume.
11. After I shower I always, always slather on tons of lotion. 99% of the time, I use an unscented lotion, such as
Jergens or Vaseline Intensive Care. I will occasionally use an
Origins lotion because it is made with all natural products so it won't irritate my skin and it moisturizes very well also.
12. After I lotion, I always spray on a few spritzes of my favorite perfume,
Mademoiselle By Coco Chanel.
13. During the spring and summer I will put on self tanner. As I mentioned before, I have auburn-ish hair and blue eyes and am very pale. Therefore, I stay out of the sun and benefit from the help of a self tanner. I don't think it looks natural on me to have a dark or even medium tan, so I only use a little bit of these to give me a hint of color. Once a week I use
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess and in between days I will use
Dove Energy Glow.
Ok, now on to make-up!
14. I have very dry skin I usually do not wash my face in the mornings, only at night. I just use a warm wash rag to wipe off any shine. So, I start by using
Oil of Olay Complete Moisturizer with SPF 15 for sensitive skin. Under no circumstances will I skip this step!
15. I then use
Mary Kay concealer under my eyes and around my nose.
16.
Mary Kay creme to power foundation in Beige 2 and Ivory 1 (mixed) I will occasionally use
Laura Mercier liquid foundation instead. My friend D gave this to me to try when she started using only Mary Kay products and I have really liked it.
17.
Mary Kay Mineral Bronzing Powder in Desert Sun in the hollow of my cheeks and along my hairline.
18.
MK Mineral Cheek Color in Cherry Blossom or Sunny Spice.
19.
MK Eye Primer to prime my lids for shadow
20.
MK Eyesicles in Vanilla to highlight my brow bone
21.
MK Mineral Eye Color in Spun Silk all over my eyelid
22.
MK Mineral Eye Color in Moonstone for my brow bone
23.
MK mineral Eye Color in Vintage Gold for the crease
24.
MK Eyeliner in Deep Brown
25.
MK Ultimate Mascara in Black
26.
ELF Brow kit to shape my brows
27. Lipstick, and this always varies. I am very faithful to
Clinique Lipstick in Black Honey (sounds scary, but really it's not, and Chianti) but I will use a
MK gloss, usually in Gold Rush or Raisin.
Ok, now on to my nighttime ritual and here is where it gets scary!
28. I start with
MK oil free eye makeup remover.
29. Then I use
MK Gentle Cleansing Creme for Dry Skin. Most people use the Timewise version of this, but I need extra moisture so I find that the classic line works best for me.
30. Every 3 or 4 days, I will use
MK Microdermabrasion Set. This works miracles on my skin and keeps the texture even.
31. I use
MK Timewise Night Solution next. I am only in my mid-twenties and probably do not need to use anti-again products yet (except sunscreen) but this is loaded with anti-oxidants and makes my skin feel super soft so I use it every day.
32. After that, I slather on a generous helping of
MK Classic Moisturizer for dry skin and call it a day!
32 Products! Wow, that just blows my mind! After reading this y'all probably think I leave the house everyday looking like a clown, but really this entire process (excluding the nighttime steps) only takes me about 45 minutes, mostly in part that I wear the same makeup products everyday so I have it down pat. And generally, I'm a nighttime shower girl so I spend like 5 minutes on my hair in the morning.
OK, now it’s your turn. What products do you use? Are you a shampoo-and-conditioner-only girl? Do you add in a couple of products when it’s raining? Do you use different products when you want a different looks? Let me know your beauty routine in the comments below and what products are your favorite. I look forward to hearing from you!
Update 6-21-10: I am linking up with
Cottage and Vine
Now normally I would cut the font on stencil paper and paint the letters on, but I didn't have any stencil paper and I had a plethora of black cardstock so I decided to give it a try. It worked well and was less time consuming than painting. I just might use this more often in the future!
