Happy Saturday readers!
We’ve gone through 12 series of Beauty For Breakfast on Yow Yow! highlighting pretty much all of the items you see here so I just wanted to do a roundup post of many of the products that I use. I definitely don’t touch all of these every morning, because I try to keep it minimal at work. Even in the evenings, I won’t use all of these, but these are the most common staples and they are all products that I recommend!
Product: Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller
Been Using It For: 2 months
How Did I Find It: Ever since I was a kid, I have always believed that I had an issue with dark circles underneath my eyes. What the cause was exactly – I’ll never know? Dehydration, lack of sleep etc. I had been searching for a new product for awhile, but much of what I had found seemed to be too mature for me. One day while I was on Refinery29, I had noticed a post about products that their writers were raving about and this was one of them. For a drug store price, it seemed reasonable enough so I gave it a try and I am happy to say that the circles underneath my eyes have since been reduced drastically! What I love about this product is that I put on right out of the shower and before putting on my makeup and the liquid sort of hydrates my eyes leaving me to look more awake (an alive) every day.
Product: Shu Eumura Eyelash Curler
Been Using It For: 6 years
How Did I Find It: I can’t believe I forgot about this little product! Actually, I kind of go in waves of using my eyelash curler. When I opted out of using mascara while in college during the day, I wasn’t using my curler, but for nights out – it was always a must. I was gifted this tool while in high school from my own mother when I was searching for one and I’ve never thought to use any other kind. The eyelash curler is simple to use, doesn’t rip out my eyelashes and is super strong giving me the look that I want.
What kinds of brands are you all using?
- I gave advice to college students. [Source]
- My style icon, Louise Roe, became the Glamour Editor-At-Large. [Source]
- Yow Yow! had an insanely fun Song of the Day!
- I shared with you all my favorite eye liner of all time by Stila.
- Madonna tried to sway people to attend her show. It didn’t really work.
- We learned about what kids were learning from school. Not much.
- Our favorite internet memes become movie posters that we wanted to buy. [Source]
- We were given the Sasquatch 2012 lineup!
- I was impressed by Jeopardy.
Nobody loves perfume samples more than me. Seriously, no one. I’ve got this little bet with myself going on right now that I can continue collecting these samples and using them interchangeably until I completely run out and have to buy myself a full sized container of one of these samples. Currently I am using five samples, but luckily for me (just in time for the holidays) Teen Vogue has sent me two new samples for Coach Poppy and Coach Poppy Flower. Happy holidays to meeeeee!
I’ve actually got another sample of the Coach Poppy Flower and it is one of my favorite scents! It is both sweet and feminine and just light enough to not feel bogged down or overwhelming. It’s also a perfect scene if you’re looking to feel a little youthful, but not child like or anything like that. I’m going to see how long I can drag this out for.
It’s been awhile since we’ve had one of these posts – probably since the spring, I believe! That’s because truthfully, I don’t use too many products. Now that I’m a working girl, my day to night routine has changed significantly. When I was in school, I needed to look appropriate for the entire day because I never knew who I would see or what meeting I would have or who I wanted to run into. Yes, that’s right, sometimes I just want to look good for the right person. You do it too!
However, in a work environment, you get lazy. I know I’m not the only one here who believes that. Maybe you’ve decided that there’s no one at work worth impressing or looking good for. Maybe you realized that you’re in a cubicle all day long so what’s the point of going that extra step to put on mascara. There isn’t. I’ve stopped. Mascara is for weekends out and I’m okay with that.
I wanted to bring back Beauty for Breakfast though because they were so well received when I had them. My products haven’t changed that much, but there has been some recent additions to the routines so I thought I would share!
Product: Yardley London Oatmeal & Almond Bar Soap
Been Using It For: Almost 6 months
How Did I Find It: I am notorious for stealing (or what I like to call borrowing) my mother’s clothes, shoes, and accessories. So it’s really no surprise that I stumbled upon Yardley the same way. I found the soap while digging through her bathroom over the summer in its full package and having never been used. I needed a bar of soap so logical thinking kicked in and I snatched it. It is the best smelling bar of soap I have ever had and I will never let it go. I’ve been using it ever since and there’s something about the oatmeal pieces in it that make the scrub that much more effective. I’ve loved oatmeal in products ever since I had the chicken box. Remember those oatmeal baths? Yeah after that, I still took them because oatmeal is one of those secret ingredients that naturally moisturizes your skins and makes it super soft and in this case – smelling awesome.
Product: Vaseline Lip Therapy
Been Using It For: 3 years
How Did I Find It?: I’ve really gone through my fair share of chap sticks and lip balms over the years. It all began with a Lip Smacker. Next, it was Burt’s Bees…until I realized I was allergic to it. Then I moved on to C.O. Bigelow’s Mentha Lip Tint and Lancome’s Juicy Tubes. When I left high school, I realized that what I needed was a chap stick/lip balm that I could truly rely on. I needed something that wasn’t going to leave my lips sticky and that was going to keep them moisturized for hours. I stumbled upon SoftLips and Vaseline’s Lip Therapy. Now, Vaseline isn’t glamorous, but it has never let me down either. I invested in the advanced tube and I’ve been a fan ever since. I never leave the house without it because believe me – those withdrawals from it are brutal. In January, I decided to challenge myself by buying three tubes to start with so that I would never misplace it or lose it and I am ecstatic to inform you all that I still have those three tubes. I couldn’t tell you where exactly two of them are…but they’re here….somewhere.
Product: Estée Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
Been Using It For: 6 years
How Did I Find It?: This eye makeup remover will probably be one of the few products in my collection that I will be using for life. I once made the mistake of trying out another brand, but absolutely hated it because the eye makeup remover was so oily and irritated my face after using it. What I love about this brand is that it goes on easily and gets the job done. I use this everyday with a Q-tip and basically don’t have to replace it for almost a year if not more than a year. All you really need is a Q-tip to swab around your eyes, but be careful of how close it gets to your eye cause it can sting just a teeny bit. If I’m ever running late somewhere the next morning after a night out and have forgotten to wash my face, all I have to do is use the cleaner and I’m pretty much good to go.
Product: M·A·C Powder Blush in Trace Gold
Been Using It For: 6 years
How Did I Find It?: I wasn’t technically wearing real makeup until I got to high school, but this was the first product I bought on my own. By then, I was a sophomore in high school, 15 years old and attending my first semi-formal dance. Not knowing any better and wanting to be like every one else, I called into a department store and scheduled an appointment for whatever counter would have me. MAC, Chanel, Benefit, Dior – I didn’t know the difference then. I landed at MAC and after loving the shimmery glow left on my face, (I thought I looked sun-kissed, but in photographs, it looked like the sun had taken a big ‘ol dump on my face. I was an oompa loompa w/o the artificial tanning) I purchased the bronzer. It is safe to say that I now have some self control when using it and can use it in moderation. It wasn’t until recently that I learned that using bronzer was not all that appropriate for the fall/winter and more for summer, but for six years I completely ignored that fact. Do what you want – as long as it looks okay. Godspeed.
Product: CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Blasting Mascara
Been Using It For: 4 years
How Did I Find It?: I believe I decided on my own that I wanted to try this product after reading recommendations for it in a few magazines. There was a period of time though, however, when I also used Dior ‘Diorshow’ Mascara. Both are great. One is a little bit more expensive than the other, but it’s been tricky for me. I guess I’m not exactly ever sure what I am looking for in a mascara. For one, it should do what it says – make my eyelashes appear longer and it shouldn’t be clumpy. At the same time, both brands get rave reviews so now I’d like to ask you guys what kind you use and what you could recommend to me.
Product: Physician’s Formula Eyebrightener Brightening Liquid Eyeliner
Been Using It For: 5 years
How Did I Find It?: This product was recommended to me by my mother! She’s got great taste when it comes to beauty products slash I am always willing to try them through her first because that means I don’t have to buy it myself. Sorry mom! In my routine, this is the second kind of eyeliner that I use. The first one as previously mentioned before is a Stila one that I use in emerald for my lower waterline while this one is a black liquid eyeliner used only for my top. What I love about this eyeliner the most – aside from it being inexpensive – is that it dries so quickly after application. The biggest problem that I have run into in the past w/ previous eyeliners is getting that excess eyeliner stamped on my eyelids or leaving a noticeable mark after using it. With this, I don’t have to worry about that…unless I’m crying or my eyes get wet for whatever reason.
I know it’s a little strange for me to be using two different types and colors of eyeliner on my eyes, but it’s whatever. It is what it is. I mean I think with beauty routines, you get so comfortable in what you’re using that there isn’t much of a need to change that.
Product: Stila Kajal Eye Liner in Emerald
Been Using It For: 5 years
How Did I Find It?: The first time I was introduced to this eye liner was probably back in my early high school days at Sephora. I was deep into my “scene” phase back then so instead of wearing normal black eyeliner, I opted for the emerald. To this day, I am still using the same eyeliner and go through one each year. Typically my routine would include using the Stila emerald liner on my bottom waterline and a black eye liner on top. It’s a little strange to be utilizing two different colors and two different types of eyeliner for my eyes, but I’ve been doing the same thing for so long that I haven’t tried to change that. What I love about this Stila eye liner is that it goes on smoothly and kind of chalky. It resembles more of a marker than a harsh pencil, which is why pencil liners freak me out. The shade also comes naturally smoky making it easier to create smokey eyes for a night out.
Product: Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer
Been Using It For: 5 years
How Did I Find It?: This moisturizer is one of the most basic items in my routine. I’m not exactly sure how I started using it, but it either came from a sample or from my mother. If there are ever days when I don’t feel like putting a “face” on, my moisturizer is the only product I will use. As a teenager, I remember one of my older cousins telling me that no matter what products fall into my beauty routine, I need to make sure that I have something with SPF. Skin damage from the sun is not a great look and if I take the precautions I need to now while I’m young, it will pay off in the long run. This moisturizer has SPF and is “normal.” I believe there are other variations of the lotion as well for different skin types, but I have found that this one completely helps with my dry skin especially in the winter.
After polling you earlier this week on whether or not I should write reviews and recommendations on the products I use, I decided to just go ahead with the new column. The title for it is kind of lame, but it was the best thing I could think of in less than a minute. I don’t eat breakfast and it’s usually because I’m too busy with my morning routine. Don’t get this confused though – I’m not high maintenance and I promise you that my morning routine involves more than just putting makeup on my face. In this series, I will introduce the products I use almost daily (sometimes not) and in the order that they are used in. The other day, I highlighted my Chanel compact and new foundation brush and that is usually a step found later on in the process.
Product: Clean & Clear Morning Burst Skin Brightening Facial Cleanser
Been Using It For: 4 months
How Did I Find It?: In Feb 2011, I had a brief stint as a Clean & Clear Brand Ambassador with Teen Vogue and they sent me over a package of goodies including this facial cleanser! I was more obsessed with the FlipCam at first so I disregarded the products for a long time until I decided to give this one a try. Before using this facial cleanser, I wasn’t really using anything else besides soap and water. I’m just simple like that I guess. These days, I can’t get enough of it. The cleanser has a refreshing (but not too powerful) lemon scent and caffeine, which means using it in the morning wakes me right up! Usually products that smell too strong give me headaches and the same goes with consuming caffeine, but surprisingly these two don’t conflict. After using it, my face is soft and my skin can breathe, which is the foundation of what I am looking for in a facial cleanser.
