When my counter isn’t this clean, the products below are ALL OVER it…
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What’s Cluttering My Counter & Why I love it
I’m a sucker for wanting to make skin and hair look and feel better. I’m 49 years old and rarely have more than a rushed 15 minutes to shower, get dressed and get my face and hair looking ready for the day. I’m an early riser for my workouts, then in mom-mode until my youngest gets out of the house around 7:45am. After that I’m working, running errands, meeting up with people and in full on Go-Mode until I crash at night. My skin deserves better and I know it. My hair needs to look as good as possible. I need good products to give me as much help as possible. Here’s what works for me and what I am always excited to share with others. Note that these links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you. Hope you get some stuff you love!
This collagen mask to cleanser has recently become one of my favorite products in my bathroom. I put it on, massage it into my face for about a minute (it foams up so nicely), then either rinse or take off with a soft washcloth. It leaves my skin SO clean feeling. I use it day and night.
Depending on the day and how much time I have (also how long/short my hair is at the moment), I will either use my L’Ange dryer brush or my Dyson blowdryer. This L’Ange dryer brush takes the place of using my Dyson & my Tymo curler. I can get my hair to fall in long smooth curls with this. It requires a little bit more time than the Dyson (quick dry) but I LOVE how smooth it makes my hair and gives it a good dose of body & movement. HIGHLY recommend having one!
Most people know this product well because it works. The Dyson is a go-to and with the exception of it’s enormous cord (which I can’t believe has to be that big), it is a TIME SAVER! I rarely use any attachments other than the Styling Nozzle. This dryer does what it says it will do.
My Mother-in-law bought this for me because my sister-in-law and her friends each have one and swear by it. Now I know why. My hair curls fairly easily but NEVER holds the curl. This thing gives my hair the exact curl I want (wave/body) and somehow lasts and lasts. It’s super easy to do and takes no time. I’ve tried the wands on the market and for whatever reason they are hard to control and tend to frizz the top of my hair. This doesn’t because you place the pieces of hair you want directly in the wand. It takes no time to do my whole head. I simply run my fingers or a wide tooth comb through the curl after and I’m done!
I first saw these and bought on a whim. HOLY SH**!! These are so incredible that I can’t tell enough people. I now have my teenage sons using them to clean their pores too. My skin feels incredible after I use these. First use the black one – a few drops over your entire face and massage in (face over sink) as the peel shot lifts the gunk out of your pores and peels off into the sink. Repeat with the white rice shot – they are incredibly cleansing and the most gentle exfoliator I’ve ever found. I won’t let these run low in my house. I use these at night only (maybe 1-2 times a week)
You’re going to think I work for Dr. Melaxin but I swear I don’t and I swear I really just LOVE these products and use them every day. This duo is incredible. Use the pink one first – it’s like microneedling in a bottle (especially great after those peel shots!). Then use the white one. My skin feels totally rejuvenated after using these. I do this in the morning and at night as part of my routine.
I use this daily – all year round. Sometimes I’ll mix in my Cocoa & Eve Face Bronzing Drop with it. This SPF daily face moisturizer is silky smooth and NOT thick. It goes on super evenly. I love the tinted one (doesn’t give much of a tint but seems to even my skin tone a lot). We all know we should be wearing SPF daily and this makes it really easy as part of my routine. I use this in the morning only.
I’m from Seattle so this is a staple I keep stocked 365 days a year. One little drop at a time, ladies! This is powerful and is meant to be mixed with your daily moisturizer (don’t use solo). This gives me just a TOUCH of sun kissed sweetness I need sometimes (especially those days when I look in the mirror and look a little more tired, or days I don’t want to wear makeup).
I’ve been self-tanning since my Miss Teen days in 1994 (from Seattle, remember?). I have probably tried just about every self tanner on the market. Cocoa & Eve made what I’ve been looking for. This pumps out as a mousse. It’s light and smells good (FINALLY). Plus it’s easy to see where you’ve put it. The applicators are perfect – no “tan hands” and the back applicator allows you to reach everywhere you can’t! It gives a natural looking tan that dries super quickly and isn’t sticky. Sometimes I’ll shower a couple hours after applying and sometimes I’ll wait all day before I shower. It’s that good!
This is a must-have. I notice SUCH a difference when I use this. It smooths my hair so perfectly before I blow dry…BUT I also use this when I’m air drying my hair because I’ve found takes out the dryness and makes it look shiny even when I air dry. It’s super light and just a couple sprays covers my hair. I love this stuff. It’s gold.
I’m a huge Charlotte Tilbury user. I love their products. I have this lip balm as well as the clear one and i love the way it moisturizes my lips (which I feel ALWAYS need chapstick these days). This makes them look and feel plump and moisturized. Nothing worse than a dry looking/feeling lip… and this lasts.
Speaking of dry lips – this will make it so you NEVER have a dry lip again. Warning on this product: you may want one for your purse, your car, your nightstand, your other purse… it is pure decadence. A friend originally gifted this to me as a hostess gift (incredibly hostess gift by the way) and since then I’ve purchased and repurchased. I wear it all the time – day and night.
This is my absolute GO TO for my own make up base but it also serves as a de-shiner for boys’ faces for family photos, and mens bald heads for videos (I do a lot of filming for work and use this on EVERYONE!). It is literally like laying the smoothest satin on your skin – it deshines and mattes and evens tone and is the perfect primer for under CC cream or foundation. It just makes everything go on smoother. This is another product I have on re-order so that I never run out of stock.
Another Dr. Melaxin product I love. This firming cream leaves my skin totally hydrated and tighter. No joke. This is why I’m in love with these products – I actually notice a difference. I use this both in the morning under makeup and in the evening. It is a little stickier than normal moisturizer, so often times I’ll opt to use my Elta MD instead of this in the morning and use this at night. Follow this with the Cemenrete Balm in the next link for your deep lines and wrinkles!
This stick duo is amazon. Let’s start with the Cactox stick. Use this one in the MORNING, as a last step in your skincare/prep before makeup. It’s SO cooling (you can feel the cool aloe) and is not greasy or balmy. It helps with under eye bags and fine lines. Use the purple stick at night as your last step in your skin care. Use under eyes and on all fine lines.
These eye patches are miracle eye patches. Like with other products, I feel like I’ve tried 100 different kinds. Some may feel good, but these show a SIGNIFICANT difference after I wear them. I leave them on for a half hour and have used them on clean skin and also over makeup. They work so well either way. And take some of the serum and put on your labial folds if you are aging like me! I even saw one woman put the patch on other parts of her face (genius!). They also feel incredible!