Miracles at the Drugstore...or Target...or wherever...

Miracles?  Yes...they are to me.  A sample here of three of my latest, life-changing products, two of which are cast-tested to make life easier when you only have 1 completely functioning hand.

#1 and definitely tops on my list: Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System.  (usually $29.99 in drugstores) 

I was seeing ads for this all over this winter, and while still casted, picked one up figuring that it would help since I really only had the use of 1 hand for exfoliating and this might make showers easier.  I have friends with the amazing Clarisonic system, but I never wanted to spend $200 on it...even though I know, yes, they *swear* by it. 

Admittedly, I haven't tried the Clarisonic but now....I *swear* by this one.  Wow.  The brush is nice and soft so it's not harsh on my skin.  But it definitely clears away any flaky skin and really gets the cleanser working.  I have used this with both the cleanser it comes with and another one - and they are both great.  It feels like a facial massage. The only problem is I can't decide whether to keep it in the shower or to keep it by the sink because I'd love to use it twice a day - it feels that good on my face.

If I'd known how amazing it was, I would have scoured the DC metro area for one - or ordered from Amazon sooner. No wonder all the stores were sold out.  I got mine at an off-the-beaten-path CVS, but it seems like the stores are better able to keep it in stock now.  But if you don't need immediate gratification, the link above takes you to the Amazon sight - where you can get the Free Shipping option - have I ever mentioned that I really HATE paying for shipping?  But I've also seen it at Target now, too.

I said I loved it.  But....how well does it work?  Well, let's see....when I went to see Black Swan with friends about a month ago, the ticket guy ID'ed me...yes, at an R movie...because "you can't see it if you're under 17".  That's what he told me when I started laughing because I didn't think he could possibly be serious. I figured it was "be nice to moms" night or something.  Oh no, he wanted to see the ID.  And then a couple weeks ago, out with other couples for dinner, the waitress said she probably should ID us, but even I looked like I was probably an 84 or 85 birth year.  Ummmm, no, 1971.  So that's my testimonial right there. 

#2: Garnier Anti-Dark-Circle Eye Roller ($11.39 at Amazon...I got mine at Target)

So here's the deal with this one.  I love it.  I really do.  The color is supposed to be one-size-fits-all, and I don't know about anyone else, but it's perfection on me.  It is a totally awesome everyday product for me.  And here's why - it's concealer and eye cream in one.  Ta da!!!  Yep, saves me a step.  And I do love it when I can save a step in the morning...at least most (all) mornings...

I often have trouble with eye cream in that a lot of them are way too strong for my undereye tissue - ow, the stinging, the burning...you know what I'm talking about.  My faves are: Arbonne RE9 Advanced Corrective Eye Cream, Kinerase Under Eye Rescue, and Olay Regenerist Eye Serum.  And the last combo eye cream/concealer product that I tried (Clinique's) was a bitter disappointment - too cakey, not moisturizing enough - blegh.

I thought I'd give this one a try while I was in the cast because I was all about saving time and keeping things easy.  And this one was a winner.  I will be honest - when the directions say to roll on the product and then blend in any excess - hahahahaha - um, yeah, I have yet to use it and not have to blend.  So, I roll on, pat in (don't rub!!), and I'm good to go.  It feels nice & cool, no stinging to be had.  And I bet it's going to be even more amazing in the summer. 

Yes, I still use my regular eye cream with my Bobbi Brown Corrector sometimes.  But I'm going to sub in this product on a regular basis - and in the summer?  It's likely all I'll use. And um, fyi, better than YSL Touch Eclat.  Oh yes, I said it.  And I mean it. 

#3 and most recent purchase (yesterday at Target): John Frieda Full Repair Touch-Up Flyaway Tamer ($9.99) 

Wow!  Love love love!!  I just got this yesteday - had seen it in magazines and thought "well, heck, why didn't I think of that" and "OMG, where has this been all my life?"

I can only speak to my very fine hair (we don't need to revisit the appalling haircut I got last spring when some idiot thought it would be a good idea to texturize my hair all while saying "wow, your hair really is fine").  Yes, it's fine, it's not thin - just fine.  So I get those little wisps of hair at my scalp where the hair broke that stick up and always prevent me from using any type of volumizing products on my hair.  UNTIL NOW.

As you can see from the product pic, it's basically like a mascara wand for your hair.  And the product inside is like some wacky-good combo of smoothing/fixative/oil/hairspray whatever.  I don't really care what it is, it works.  Totally kept down the icky pieces and didn't make my prone-to-be-oily-and-needs-to-be-washed-every-day scalp greasy.  So mega bonus for the not-greasy scalp.

The only caveat I have here is that I've only used this for a day.  But I really think it's that good.  I may even need to get one to tuck in my (voluminous) purse. 

So those are my 3 absolute bestest products I've found lately.  Enjoy!  And happy shopping!

Do you have any recent discoveries you want to share?  Speak up!!

Heidi's Beauty Bag - Mascara and Cleanser - because in my world, yes, they are related

I have discussed nail polish but haven't gotten to the other 5 million beauty products that I love. I am not particularly artistic when it comes to my makeup, but I do love reading about the latest innovations and products. And then go back to my usual routine 99% of the time. But I do switch it up occasionally...

Let's start with mascara. I go through a lot of mascara because I am very picky. I am constantly on the lookout for my HG mascara. That's actually Holy Grail, in MakeupAlley.com-speak, but my initials, too, so yay! And if you haven't ever checked out MakeupAlley.com, what are you waiting for? It's so great, ditch me and head over. You can come back later and we'll catch up then.

Anyways... the mascara issue probably stems from the fact that I used to have contacts. Got my PRK surgery about 5 years ago. Yes, PRK, not Lasik, as my corneas were too thin, which they do directly on top of the cornea, not in the nice little flap, so more discomfort and longer healing time - but still the greatest thing in the world and seriously, life-altering. When hubby decided to do it last year (lucky guy, thick corneas = Lasik), I told him that I would eat mac & cheese for 6 months if we needed to, because that's what a difference in my life it had made. I was so blind, I couldn't even see the wall chart at the eye doctor's office. But I have always been picky about mascara - I want the perfect one, yes, my HG mascara.

I have had a couple of close contenders lately:

1 - YSL Faux Cils Mascara. ($28.50 at Sephora, rating of 4.1 on MakeupAlley.com and 4.5 on Sephora) Lovely full, long lashes. Really doesn't clump. Stays pretty well. And how can you not love the pretty gold tube? It just feels glamorous...

2 - Clinique Lash Power. ($14 at Sephora, rating of 3.7 on MakeupAlley.com and 4.4 on Sephora) Love the tubing mascara. Stays on forever, until you gently rub off with warm water. Great summertime mascara. Not a huge amount of length and volume, but can build a bit.

And I've had some misses:

1 - *All* of the vibrating mascara (Estee Lauder TurboLash and Lancome Oscillation). These took WAY too much time. I am lazy about my morning makeup routine and I don't like anything that takes too long. So doubling my mascara application - particularly for not stellar results - that was a no-go for me.

2 - Givenchy Phenomen-Eyes - I love love love the applicator (you know, the one that looks sorta like a medieval mace), it is great. The formula on the other hand - it never felt like it dried, it always felt gummy. And I first tried it in August, so gumminess was particularly bad.

Which brings me to my new, amazing, fantastic mascara find - thanks so much to GingerSnap's suggestion on my Crash & Burn post. L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Lash Extension Effect Mascara. (And make sure it's the Beauty Tubes one, not the others, for which I cannot vouch.) Folks, that is a seriously long name, but it does live up to the hype. I have always resisted the 2-wand mascaras (see lazy note, above), but this one doesn't take any more time. I do the same total number of swipes, just from 2 different ends. And the bonus is that the wand is shorter.

I have always loved most mascara samples, more so than the full size products - and here's why - they have the short wand, so you actually have better control. Same with the L'Oreal Beauty Tube - the wand is short, so if you are holding in the middle, you have great control. I wore this yesterday all day. Wore it to boot camp class last night (with fab trainer, Mary Beth - we are doing 2-day/week boot camp instead of our pairs training, and this will take me to Memorial Day/pool opening - woo hoo!) . And did I mention it was raining outside? So there I am working out, in the rain, sweating, in the rain, laying on my back with my face up to the rain. Did it budge? Did it smudge? Did it run? No, no, and no. Granted I've only tried this out a few days, so I can't give the definitive report, but I think we have a winner here. So thanks again to GingerSnap for the excellent recommendation!!

Here's the other benefit of tubing mascaras and how it's related to cleansers... To repeat, I am lazy. I hate washing my face at night. With regular mascara, I just use face wipes. I love the Pond's Clean Sweep, Cleansing & Make-up Removing Towelettes. And I know that I should actually do a full-on face washing, but at night, just before bed, especially when it's chilly, I don't really want to get my face all wet. So I am normally content to use the Pond's wipe, and then apply eye cream and lotion (and Retin-A, if I'm doing it that night). Yes, I realize that I should wash/rinse, but it just doesn't happen all the time. But with the tubing mascara, because you get them off with warm water, I almost always end up washing my face, with actual cleanser that's good for it. So the tubing mascaras have a the double bonus of lasting on my lashes, and forcing me to wash my face.

So moving on to cleansers, I have 2 current favorites:

1 - (which may be my HG) - I love Alba's Pineapple Enzyme Facial Cleanser, which I get it Target. I have seen the line at grocery stores as well, like Giant and Whole Foods. This is what I keep in the shower because the pineapple-citrus smell is so refreshing in the morning. I feel like it cleans really well without stripping my skin. Alba's Papaya Enzyme Mask is fantastic as well. I need to remember to do that tonight. Like I said, I am so lazy about my skincare regime in the evening.

2 - In the evening, if I'm not using a facial wipe, I'll use Olay's Definity Penetrating Mousse Cleanser. Also very good, but I'm a sucker for the truly tropical smell of Alba, so that's why this one is no longer in the shower. Still in rotation, though. And it has something a little bit scrubby in it (the "micro polishing complex"), so I feel like it cleans really well. But again, not too drying.

What do you use for mascara and cleanser? What works for you? And even more importantly, do you have any disasters to warn us away from?