5 Beauty Products I Use Daily

I have a bad habit of waiting until I get to the office to put on makeup. This habit started over a year ago as I found that trying to apply makeup in the gym bathroom was fruitless. Still damp from the shower, the makeup wouldn’t stay in place and the moisturizer would melt right off. After doing this the entire Spring, while working out at Barry’s Bootcamp before work, this became a habit which I’ve had an issue breaking.

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Instead of trying to break this habit, I’ve tried to figure out a few quick ways that I can leave the house looking just a bit more presentable each morning. These five products, which range in price from $6.99 to over $200 have left me feeling & looking fresher & more vibrant each morning when I walk out the door.

I’ve been using these products for over a month and noticed the difference almost immediately. Each morning I wake up and find that my skin is radiant and my under eye circles and bags have drastically reduced thanks to the eye cream and moisturizer I apply each night. My co-workers have commented on my makeup at the coffee shop in the morning when the only thing I’m wearing is lipstick and concealer. The moisturizer repaired my wind chapped skin after a weekend of skiing while the concealer hid the fact that I’d been out dancing until 4am. A quick swipe of this red lipstick  makes me look awake and put together even when I’m running ten minutes late. The vibrant orange-red hue is best for medium complexions like mine hand helps counteract any tiredness or dull skin coloring during the winter months! If you’re trying to figure out what the best red is for your skin-tone, check out this helpful Allure article!

While I love each of these products, for very different reasons, if I had to buy one today for every person on my Christmas list it would be the Crest Pro-Health Clinical Mouthwash. It has left my teeth at least two shades whiter without resulting in any sensitivity. I get asked about my whitening treatment at least once a week from friends and co-workers, a sure fire sign that the mouthwash is working.

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Whether you try one of these products or not, if I could give you a resolution to add to your list come January 1st it would be to use moisturizer and under eye cream daily in 2015. None of us are getting any younger and you can easily improve the look, feel, texture and radiance of your face by using these products and drinking plenty of water. It only takes a minute or two each night to apply and makes a world of difference after just a few weeks.

Also, keep in mind, many skincare products such as moisturizers and eye creams, only require a small amount each day. This means that a product can last multiple months before you need to replace it. Your skin is an investment and you only have one chance to take care of it! Spending $200 on a moisturizer which lasts 6 months nets out to less than $0.55 per application!

Your Turn – What’s your favorite beauty product that you use daily?

*While I am an employee of Procter & Gamble I did not get compensated to review any of these products. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Eye on The Prize

Bo and I are both highly motivated when there is an end goal in mind. Therefore, I knew that if every speaker was going to be mounted, every wire hid, box unpacked, and rug purchased, we needed to have a goal completion date. After debating back and forth we decided that having a housewarming party the first weekend of May would be a great opportunity for multiple reasons:

1) Celebrate our move into the city with friends

2) Get back to our Southern roots by giving it a Kentucky Derby theme and starting it before 5pm when the Derby takes place

3) Experiment with fun food ideas all relating to either the South or Bourbon in honor of the Derby. (Anyone have any recipe ideas?)

4) Have an opportunity to introduce all our amazing friends from different aspects of our lives.

5) A perfect address to don seersucker and a fun summer frock.

With only a week between our move in day and housewarming party, we knew that we had to make the most of every moment this weekend. Therefore, Friday evening until Saturday afternoon we lived and breathed the unpacking process. There were countless trips to The Container Store, Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Pottery Barn. We were quite the site as we lugged our goods ten blocks having to stop every few minutes to rest our arms. Moving is hard work and lots of heavy lifting!  We made great progress on the apartment by the time we left for the first time around noon on Sunday for Lauren’s birthday brunch.

For your enjoyment, here are some pictures from our work in progress. We are very open to any design criticism or suggestion so please, feel free to provide! Blog Pictures 2010 010 Blog Pictures 2010 009It’s scary how quickly we were able to fill this walk in closet. The next thing on my shopping list is a full length mirror for the side wall behind the door. I do love how I can get ready in one spot since i’ve made one shelf into a mini vanity.  Blog Pictures 2010 008 Blog Pictures 2010 011It’s amazing how much one change can make to a room. Bo and I received this vibrant duvet cover as a wedding present and waited until our move to switch it with the old one. We went from navy and cream stripes to bright peacocks and florals. We both love the richness of this with the dark wood. Blog Pictures 2010 007 Our amazing wedding party gave us the hutch you see in the background as their wedding gift. It has been the perfect place to store our china and crystal. It is also a gorgeous piece. I can’t wait to clear all the clutter off of it so it is only displaying our one large floral piece and our 8*10 wedding picture.  Blog Pictures 2010 006 Blog Pictures 2010 005 The new kitchen is definitely smaller than the last one but they made great use of the space. The biggest adjustment is the tiny dishwasher. I’m sorry Earth but I feel like we’re going to be running the dishes every other night. Oh, and our building is very strict about recycling. This is exciting except when you don’t know about it. Imagine my surprise and fear when I was throwing trash down the chute and heard “RECYCLE YOU NEW PEOPLE.” Evidently the maintenance staff wasn’t pleased with my empty milk jug going down the chute. Ooops! Blog Pictures 2010 004I’m currently in love with this pantry! Bo and I installed shelves on the right side wall this weekend which compliment the California Closet shelves perfectly. A pantry may seem like a given but after not having one for the last year you realize what a great asset it is! Our has been freshly stocked on the top 3 shelves with teas, oats, cereals, and other staples. We’ve also restocked our spices after throwing out any that didn’t pass Bo’s sniff test. I kid you not, I can’t make these things up. 🙂 Blog Pictures 2010 003

This area isn’t complete as we are getting another component to our bar area via UPS tomorrow. The rug was one of my many stops today after work. I went from the UPS customer service area on the lower West side in search of a box, uptown to Pottery Barn where I lugged out this huge rug and two other bags, then over to Crate and Barrel! Phew.

Yesterday afternoon was filled with great food, friends, and laughter as we celebrated Lauren’s 26th birthday. It is amazing how convenient living in this area really is. Most of our friends live either in Union Square area or the Village. Therefore, our apartment is in between our offices in Midtown East and our friends. Leaving the apartment on Sunday and having the opportunity to walk from here to Lauren’s apartment in the village while making 3 stops along the way to pick up wine, gifts, and fruit was so refreshing. Even though LIC was only 1 stop on the 7 there is something to be said for not having to set foot on a subway. The afternoon included some spur of the moment blueberry margaritas made by Casey, Lauren’s boyfriend.laurens bday

Strawberry Shortcake, the birthday girl’s favorite: laurensbday2

and lots of smiles!

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The brunch birthday worked wonderfully as all 18 guests were able to socialize casually in Lauren and Casey’s apartment, everyone brought a dish, and there was no tipping or group difficulties to worry about. The hit of the afternoon was definitely Casey’s scrambled eggs. He made everything from plain jane, to cheese eggs, to finally bacon eggs! He went through 36 eggs in just a few minutes!

It’s off to bed for this tired gal! I’m looking forward to another morning of running at our new Equinox after having a great 5 miler this morning. I guess after almost a week break my legs were craving a run. This week I’m going to focus on running versus spinning as I’ve been a bit burnt out on spinning lately. Hopefully tomorrow morning I can beat today’s 5 miles in 47 minutes!

Please feel free to provide any Kentucky Derby/Southern recipe ideas, decorating ideas, or more! I value y’alls feedback and comments!

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What I’m Wearing Today

My friend Grace features this daily on her blog and thought it would make a fun addition! 🙂 Enjoy! I primarily wear Banana Republic and JCrew pieces to work each day as they pair perfectly, are functional, and have really improved their style ante over the past few years. If you’re looking for a deal JCrew has one of the best outlets I’ve visited, outside of Kate Spade and Theory. Don’t forget to enter my Yoplait giveaway! I’ll pick a winner tomorrow morning!

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