Whats in my makeup bag...

I get asked quite often by papercrafters what my recommendations for skincare, makeup, etc are.

I recently made this post over on my makeup blog... but the last time I did a poll, the papercrafters were interested in my posting some of that kind of info over here.

Since i've been busy lately working on some things, i dont have anything crafty to share, SO i thought i'd share a little post called whats in my makeup bag!

These are my personal recommendations of what works well for my personal skin type

(which is super dry in the winter, dry to normal in the summer and on occasion, gets a little oily in the "t-zone". I also have sensitive skin. other words, i have pain-in-the-butt skin type!

These are the products that I have found work great for me... some of them are on the cheap side... some are not. None of them are outrageous though, i promise.

So.... What's in my bag?!

Let's start with my basic skincare routine....

I wash my very sensitive dry skin with Aveeno Ultra Calming Creme Cleanser....

As you can read on the package... it has no fragrance which is good for those with skin sensitivies... it also has feverfew which is fabulous for those with roseacea problems (thankfully, not a problem that i have) and it's a cream base which is good for those with very very dry skin. They also make a foaming cleanser that i havent tried, i don't do the suds.

Little FYI - if you have dry skin, avoid products that suds up (including shampoo, body wash, etc). What makes they suds up is detergent, and detergent is very drying to the skin. So if you already have dry skin, you arent helping it any by using a washes that get lots of bubbles.

Next at night i use pure Evening Primrose oil. I'm old school. If it worked for grandma then it can work for me! My grandma is 95 and looks 15-20 years younger than her age. So I trust her. haha! But seriously, if you have skin as dry as mine and is sensitive, a lot of the moisturizers you might be using may actually make your skin more dry believe it or not. There are some pure oils that are fabulous for your skin, and are natural oils so they wont blog your pores. :)

Another skincare line i use a lot is Aloette.... Its a fabulous skincare line. Their enzyme peel is AMAZING! Its super gentle so it doesnt irriate my skin at all (which is hard not to) and just gets rid of all the flaking dead skin cells on top. I often use this on clients before i apply their makeup to get the smoothest possible start. You only need to use this once a week or so. The price seems high ($40), but i promise this stuff lasts forever!

And one more skincare product that i just have to mention is my new love for a moisturizer! I mean this stuff boots my others (except for my evening primrose oil for the super dry days!) to the curb! It's by RareMinerals (a branch of the Bare Escentuals company)

It's a super lush feeling lotion that is paraben free (major bonus!) but does not feel even the slightest bit oily to me. I had no flakey skin issues for the entire day the first day i tried it! Love this stuff! I definitely recommend it! You can also find it in the BE kits (soemtimes they have makeup, sometimes its all skincare, but this is definitely a way to get it at a price break, and to get some other stuff too. :)

Ok, so thats that for the skincare routine! Now let's move on to my current everyday makeup routine. Now remember, my daily wear is not extensive! First of all, i'm a mom to young kids. I dont really have anywhere to go during the day but to drop my preschooler off and pick him up and to run to the post office. I run my own stamp company.... from home. I dont have a lot of extra time dolling myself up for the day especially if my biggest plans are to hit Target or my LSS. I barely even get dolled up for a makeup job anymore! haha! I keep it basic and save all the fun stuff for everyone else! hahaha!

Ok, so here is my current makeup choices....keep in mind the weather plays a major factor in what i choose for makeup. Maybe i'll do a video on what i do makeup wise for dry skin (especially in dry months :) )

Foundation... i love this new formula by Stila called One Step Foundation.

For many that arent crazy into makeup, this costs more than they want to spend on a foundation. My favorite BOAB (beauty on a budget) foundation is by Almay.

Next is cheek color and in dry months i usually always opt for a cream color. My current favs are the Nars Multiple in Malibu and the Stila Convertable cheek color in

There are other cream blushes out there of course, but these are my 2 favs and in my 2 fav colors. :)

My favorite eyeshadows remain the velux or satin mac shadows. I dont even use them on a daily basis (a litte cream blush on the brow bone is fast and very fresh looking, check out my 3 minute makeup video - that i need to reshoot... haha) for more info on that!

But my favorites in these shadows are

Rice Paper, Arena and the Notoriety Quad (skipping the 1st color, i dont like the lustre finish)

My favorite mascara is by sheer cover because it doesn cake on and removes easily without a black runny mess down your face, though from what i've read and heard from others, the closest rival is the new tubes mascara by Loreal. I just havent tried it yet.

And last but not least, my favoritest lipgloss.... i fear i'm going to have to pick a new fav soon because mine is almost out and the color is no longer available! But the lipgloss is sheer and not sticky, truly beautiful! It's by Bloom Cosmetics and my favorite color is Dolce. :)

So thats all i have for ya today. :) But if luck is on my side, I'll actually have a crazy post for you tomorrow... for sure on saturday! :)