friday faves, vol. 6 - makeup edition

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since i've been on maternity leave for the past 8 weeks, friday doesn't come with quite the same sense of TGIFFFFFF!!!, but it's still friday. and deserves celebration. and there are always new favorites i'm discovering (or old ones that merit acclaim)! this week i'm focusing on my beauty must-haves. i'm sure there are better, pricier products out there, but for drugstore prices, and for my skin, this is where it's at.

--Aveda botanical kinetics toning mist. okay, this isn't a drugstore product and it costs $18 per bottle at my salon, but it's worth every penny (and a bottle lasts me about 9 months). i use this after washing my face and it has made a world of difference in evening out my combination skin. 


-- Neutrogena healthy skin SPF 15 moisturizer. the alpha-hydroxy is key to this moisturizer that truly sinks into the skin and leaves it feeling soft and refreshed. so many moisturizers i've tried in the past are either too heavy and pore-clogging, or too light and leave my skin flaking and tight within twenty minutes. this strikes the perfect balance. 

-- L'Oreal True Match Naturale mineral concealer. for some reason, i've never been able to find a liquid concealer that i like. my sub-par blending techniques are probably to blame, but those products (especially the concealer sticks!) seem to draw even more attention to my problem spots. not so with this mineral powder! i've used it for years. the only problem i have with it now is that my winter skin is a little too pale for my current bottle, so it's not as inconspicuous as i'd like, but still. 


-- L'Oreal Infallible eyeliner in Carbon Black. i've tried so many different eyeliners in the past, some of which were way too soft and smudged right off, and some of which were so hard that they hurt my eyelids when i was applying them. and i'm too scared to try liquid eyeliner, so i'm stuck with the pencils. well, this one glides on easily and stays on, plus it comes with a built-in smudger and sharpener. 

and the jury is still out on mascara. i've been using L'Oreal Million Lashes for the last several months, and i like the definition it gives my lashes but they still seem to be lacking in the volume department. i used CoverGirl's Lash Blast Fusion for a while which did make my eyelashes look thicker, but not as long as i'd like. i can't stand clumping, so most of the volumizing mascaras drive me nuts. the next time i need to buy mascara, i think i'll try Revlon's new Lash Potion. ah, the trials of being a girl! 

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