7 Quick Takes Rev 3

Today's link up to Conversion Diary is going to be a beautry edition. I'll review my must-have's along with a few recent findings on my quest to preserve my sexy (as P. Diddy has so eloquenty stated).

~1~

Summer has officially started here in AZ and that means sunscreen is a MUST if you want to avoid becoming the newest member of this group:



Most day time moisturizers I've been able to find cap off at spf 15 so I figured I could beef up my protection by adding a layer of spf 50 sunscreen to my morning skincare routine. (which consists of running a face wipe across my face, swiping on a glob of Oil of Olay and calling it a day.) I quickly learned that my face has some surrious beef with Coppertone. I broke out so badly I was thisclose to telling coworkers I had chicken pox. Then I found this magical potion:

It keeps my skin from getting all ashy in this harsh desert climate yet doesn't turn into an oil mask by lunchtime. Two thumbs way, way up.

~2~

Mixed reviews on this one. I haven't witnessed the amazing skin transformation that the product claims. In fact, I actually started breaking out on my cheeks after I started using it. However I don't think Peter Thomas Roth is to blame. I started using these pads right around the time we found out Baby Bean was brewing away so I'm pretty sure my skin would've freaked out from the preggo hormones alone.

~3~

After not being able to wear makeup to work for 5 years, it's hard to get back in the habit. But on some days, when I'm feeling really fancy, I add a makeup step to the morning routine I discussed above. While shopping for a loose powder that better matched my yellow epidermis, I found Sephora's mineral powder. I was a bit weary since I've heard mineral makeup gives heavy duty coverage (the cakey look is not my thing) but the makeup was allegedly good for your skin plus it was on sale for $10 so I decided to give it a whirl (no pun intended). To my surprise it gave me light coverage that lasted all day just like my normal loose powder except it actually gave me a nice glow (the pretty kind, not the sweaty kind).

~4~

I'm kind of all over the place and going totally out of sequence but the face wipes I mentioned in bullet #1 are these ry-cheer. They're gentle, has a soft side for eye makeup removal and a textured side for exfoliation, Costco almost always has a coupon for them...in a nutshell, they're fantastic.

~5~

This next item isn't really a beauty item but it's definitely a must have. In addition to his lips, laugh and sweet dance moves, another trait our little man inherited from me is his sensitive skin. Desitin just doesn't cut it but this stuff delivers a swift karate chop to any redness & irritation that even thinks about forming on H's dimpled bottom. What Soul Glo does for the jerry curl, A&D does for our little man's cheeks.



~6~

One thing I get compliments on quite often is my skin (though I can't say the same about my freakishly short arms or disproportionately long torso). Friends ask me all the time what I use to get it so soft and I tell them about this. I only know it by its Korean name but was able to find a Google image using "Korean scrubbing mitt." I know it sounds like some sort of torture device, and to some it might be, but it's just a piece of extremely rough fabric in the form of  a pocket. Friends who have tried it have compared it to sand paper but trust me, you get used to it. Give yourself a thorough rub-down after a hot shower and you'll be surprised (and borderline disgusted) at how much dead skin sloughs off. If you don't have a local Korean grocery store, you'll probably find them at any asian market. If you don't have a local asian market...try Amazon?

~7~

I apologize for short-changing you but I have scoured my brain for a final beauty item with no success. C'mon, give me a break. It's Friday afternoon, my boss went home early complaining of "kidney stone related pains" (he clearly never got the TMI memo) and I've been on weekend mode since lunch. I'm off to meet my sister at Ikea with a goal to duplicate this project in H's room. If I stub my toe on a Thomas the Tank Engine book one more time...