Let's Talk Makeup!

Coffee Talk Thursday

This is a true girl talk topic this Coffee Talk Thursday! Sorry it's up a little late--I have a pukey baby. :(

Today, I thought it would be fun to talk about some of the makeup products and brands we love; maybe we can all gain some fun new ideas and money-saving tips. Here are my favorite things:

Skincare: I use Pears Natural Glycerin The Original Transparent Soap and am trying St. Ives Apricot Scrub for Oily or Acne Prone Skin - 6 oz.

I skip toner and love Mary Kay TimeWise Age-Fighting Moisturizer Sunscreen SPF 15moisturizer. When I can afford it, I like the Time Wise Day Solution Sunscreen & Night Solution. Personally, I don't always think it's worth it to spend a a lot of money on expensive moisturizing/line-minimizing products. I think the most important key is to keep your skin soft and supple with a decent moisturizer period. It doesn't have to cost oodles and oodles.

Foundation: My mother is a lifelong Estee Lauder user. She bought me my first bottle of Estee Lauder Lucidity Light-Diffusing Makeup SPF 8foundation as a teen; off and on, I have been using it ever since. I buy Estee Lauder makeup when they're in gift, or when I have a gift card.

I have also used, and recommend, Mary Kay's mineral makeup as well as Bare Minerals makeup (my mother-in-law uses Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation exclusively).

I have bought foundation from the drug store, including fragrance-free Cover Girl, and Almay, and I am happy with them.

What kind of foundation do you use, and do you love it? (Always looking for good drug-store brands to save money!)

Powder: Since I use mineral makeup a lot of the time, I tend to skip this step. But if I had to buy it, I've always love Clinique's loose powder. I bought Maybelline pressed powder and use it with a loose powder brush (that's a good tip, by the way!).

Eye shadow:

I used to sell Mary Kay in college. I think their eye shadows are some of the best. They wear really well. I like Clinique's too. My mother-in-law has bought me several Bare Minerals' shadows, and they're good too (they're a loose powder, though). Some have a lot of glimmer, so you have to watch that if you don't want it, but  I like them.

Eye Liner: I like Clinique's pencils with the smudge sponge. Do you have one you like? I'm always looking for good (and cheap!) recommendations here!

Mascara: Lancome has a great mascara, Lancome Definicils High Definition Mascara . Did you know that Loreal is the drug-store offshoot of Lancome? Loreal Voluminous mascara is very similar to Defencils--for a fraction of the price.

I also recently tried Maybelline's Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal - Classic Black and really like it as well.

And then, who can beat the tried and true Great Lash mascara?

Blush:

I am not at all picky here. I use a bunch of various brands I have received as free gifts with purchase. Having sold Mary Kay, I do like the MK brand. I recently bought a Maybelline blush on sale. I think it works fine (although I had to take the first one back, because the color wouldn't show up--it was defective). For me, finding a good color that is a close match to the natural blush of my skin is more important than using a particular brand (so I would buy a blush at Target I liked, rather than spending a lot of money at the makeup counter for one).

Lipsticks:

I like Mary Kay lipstick. It's nice and creamy. But recently, I discovered Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick and love it! I really like the "Nearly There" and "Totally Toffee" colors (it's not a reddish toffee--more of a nice neutral shade that I think just about everyone could wear nicely).

Those are some of my faves! What are yours?