3 New Product Loves

When I love something, everyone hears about it. From restaurants, to recipes, to makeup, to books, and beyond…if I love it, you will hear about it!  Vishnu loves this about me because he gets to hear about EVERYTHING first…ha!

Anyway, I’ve wanted to share my three newest product obsessions for a while now but needed to be sure that I did in fact LOVE them before going live.

Let me start off by saying that I’ve never been a big fan of facial moisturizers.  For some reason, I always equated added moisture to acne.  Well, I now know that is false.  After my face debacle late last year, I did extensive research on anything and everything acne related I could find.  Something I learned, much to my surprise, is that when you don’t add back moisture into your skin (via lotions, oils, etc.) breakouts are more likely to appear and stick around.  This is especially true if you use topical acne medications.  Why?  Because your glands are working overtime to produce more oil, since everything you’re doing is stripping away whatever oil is there.  This is a very simplified explanation, but after reading more and more about this and thinking about my own skin, I realized that not using a moisturizer was a major mistake on my part.

The one thing I knew was that I had to select a moisturizer that worked with my skin type – naturally oily, especially in the T-zone.  Again, I did a lot of research and finally decided to purchase Philosophy’s Take a Deep Breath moisturizer because I wanted something light, oil-free, and fast absorbing to use at night.

Annnnnnd…this stuff is amazing.  A dime sized amount provides the perfect level of moisture and is really helping to smooth out my skin.  I’ve see a huge difference in how my makeup goes on – no more rough spots. Also, much to my amazement, my skin is now less oily overall. And the best part is that I’ve experienced zero breakouts because of this product. Phew!

A major con for this particular moisturizer is the cost.  It’s pricey ($34) for what you get (2 oz.).  However, a little bit goes a long way, especially if you only use it once a day.

My next product love is also a moisturizer.  A tinted one at that.  For the past few weeks, I’ve swapped out my Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick for the Aveeno Tinted Moisturizer.  While I still love the foundation stick for special occasions, I wanted to use something a little lighter for everyday wear.

This lotion is great for so many reasons.  First, the medium tint is a good, rich color and could potentially work for a lot of skin tones (there is also a fair to light color).  The amount of coverage it provides is pretty incredible as well (I use two pumps).  And trust me – if it works for my spotty skin, it will most likely work for anyone! In fact, I think (although it’s still too early to tell) this lotion is helping to even out a lot of the discoloration on my face.  Woo hoo!  With a little powder as the finishing touch, I can’t even tell that I’m wearing tinted moisturizer as a base versus actual foundation.  It also contains SPF 30 without smelling like sunscreen, which is always a good thing.

I honestly can’t think of any cons for this product, aside from the fact that there are only two color choices available at this time.

My final product love is not a moisturizer or anything you put on your face.  It’s actually a nail polish top coat that a coworker introduced me to back in December called Seche Vite.  She swore that this stuff not only cuts drying time down to a minute or two, but that it also keeps chipping and peeling to a minimum.  At the time, I didn’t do at home manicures.  However, my curiosity got the best of me, so I bought my own bottle of Seche a couple of weeks ago.  Y’all, this stuff is liquid amazingness! It’s been six days since I painted my nails and look…

…still going strong.  And I’m not one of those girls that wear gloves while doing the dishes either.

Quick tip: My coworker told me to reapply Seche on day two or three for longer lasting polish wear.  Great tip because I think that extra coat helped my nails look half way decent all week long!

At first, I thought Seche was a little pricey for being a top coat (regular price is ~$10), but after personally seeing how well it works, I think it’s worth it.  And if you have an Ulta near you, become a rewards member, get on the email list, and make use of the coupons.

Well there you have it, my three new favorite products and a wordy post (sorry about that!).

I hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!

What moisturizer do you use?  Have you ever tried Seche Vite?  If you do your own nails, I highly recommend it!