Six Products that Have Changed My Life

As most of you know, I am a connoisseur of beauty products. I love make up, and have spent a lot of time and money trying a thousand different things. In fact, the Visa and American Express companies, along with Nordstrom, have greatly benefited from my obsession. Now that I think about it, my card balances might be partially to blame for our current economic crises. Sorry guys.

Along with cosmetics departments, I love magazines, and always get excited when a particular magazine prints its yearly list of “Best Of” products; all of the things that the editors think are the top notch. Along that same line, I thought it would be fun to list some of my favorite things. These are products that have helped me so much that I consider them life changing. Here they are – my top 6 life-changing health and beauty products.

Nature’s Inventory Night Time Leg Calm Wellness Oil – This stuff is a miracle. I’ve struggled with restless legs for years, and it’s gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. I’d go to bed at night and try to relax, but my legs felt jumpy, like they couldn’t be still. I would lie awake for a while, then get up and walk around, try some stretching, then go back to bed and lie there some more. It would take more than an hour to get to sleep. So I decided to do some research on line, and that’s were I found Natures Inventory. This oil has made a world of difference! I rub it on my back before going to bed, and all of my muscles relax. I haven’t had trouble with restlessness since buying it. Honestly fantastic! It’s about $15 a bottle with shipping, and one bottle lasts for a couple of months. A small price to pay for a good nights sleep.

Clinique Acne Solutions – I started breaking out when I was 12 years old. If someone had told me then that puberty would last for 27 years… well I don’t know what I would have done. My skin is an awful mess. Some time around last Christmas, I bought Clinique’s Acne Solutions starter kit, which includes cleanser, exfoliate and moisturizer, for $32.50. It’s worked very well. I’ve used it consistently since then, and really am happy with it. The products seemed a bit harsh at first, but my skin adjusted, and then cleared up. I still have some trouble when dealing with PMS, but other than that my breakouts are gone. Clinique’s prices are reasonable for department store brands. In fact, they’re really not much more than you’d pay for something at Target or Wal-Mart, and it’s good quality stuff. I highly recommend this line.

Estee Lauder Idealist – Now this stuff is expensive. In fact I’m not going to tell you what I pay for it because some of you will be horrified. But it works. Idealist is a skin refinisher – it removes dead skin cells and purifies pores to make the pores look smaller and give the skin an overall smoother texture and tone. It’s the pore purifying that has made the difference for me because it too has cleared up my breakouts. I started using this more than a year ago, and quickly saw an improvement in my skins clarity. It didn’t clear things up completely, which is why I started using Clinique, but the improvement was enough to make me love the product. And combined with Clinique it’s magical. And, Clinique and Estee Lauder both give free gifts with purchase, which I am a total sucker for, so if you time your purchase right you can walk away with all kinds of free stuff! Nice.

Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes – Great eyeliner. I think that I’ve mentioned before that I’m not much of a morning person, and am running late every single day, which means that I usually have about 5-8 minutes for makeup. Strange that a person who loves makeup so much wouldn’t giver herself more time to play with it in the morning, but you see it’s morning, and that’s the problem. Anyway, this eyeliner is great because it’s very soft, and goes on easily, quickly, and makes a smooth, even line with none of that tugging on your eyelid that others do. It’s really slick. Some mornings this eyeliner (in chocolate luster) and mascara are all I use, and my eyes are done in no time. Love it.

Max Factor Lash Perfection Volume Couture Mascara – As wonderful as department store cosmetics are, there’s no reason to pay those prices for mascara. The stuff at the drugstore is just as good. In fact, this mascara from Max Factor is better. It thickens and defines, doesn’t smudge, and wears well all day. Sadly, Target doesn’t sell Max Factor, so you have to go to Wal-Mart, but it’s worth the trip. I have tried every single mascara in existence (I’m very picky about my lashes), and really, this is one of the best. I’m calling it life-changing because for me to find something that I love at Wal-mart is good for the bank account, very good.

Side-note – Covergirl mascara is good too, and you can get it at Target. I like LashBlast. It gives lashes a great look, and the giant orange tube is kind of fun.

Laura Mercier sheer lip color – This really isn’t a life-changing product. I don’t know that lipstick can change lives, but I love it, so it’s getting a mention. My favorite colors are Baby Lips and Bare Lips. In fact, I’ve used Bare Lips for years. Best lipstick ever. Like mascara, I’ve tried every brand there is (bit of a fetish), and this really is the best feeling/wearing lipstick out there. Some brands feel thick going on, or can make lips flakey and dry – this one never does. It feels like lip balm, is long-lasting, and the colors are great. A really good splurge.

Ta-da! There’s my list. That was fun! Hope you enjoyed. I’d be very interested in reading the same kind of list from you – it could be about anything. I know not everyone has a makeup obsession like I do, but maybe you love to cook, or clean or have another hobby that you’re a pro at. Let me know. I’d love it.