Confessions of a Beauty Junkie

Okay, I confess, I am a beauty product junkie! My bathroom cabinet is so over filled that the hinges are ready to pop off and my make up bag runneth over. You name it, I have it.. eyeshadows galore, nailpolish in every shade imaginable, lipstick, lipgloss, lip balm. Exfoliates, night cream, day cream, blushers, bronzers, shimmering powders the list goes on and on.

I'm not loyal to any specific brand. I'll buy whatever catches my eye. If it's new I have to have it. I can't explain it, I just do! So as you can imagine I have quite a few barely used (some never used) items in my hoarde. My collection could very well put a professional make up artist to shame and my color pallette would make any painter green with envy.

Not to long ago my girlfriends approached me with the idea of having a beauty intervention. A reduction strategy of sorts! God love them for trying but there was no way I was parting with my precious products. Regardless of how little I'd used some of them I loved them all equally.

It wasn't until I read an article in (you guessed it) a beauty magazine about Hilary Kosotsy, a 54 year old nurse from New Jersey who had a serious jones for make up and hair products. I was horrified to read how this seemingly intelligent woman had ended up 14,000 (yes I said THOUSAND) dollars in debt because of her love of makeup. She was forced to come clean to her husband who willing paid off her bills, but how humiliating.

That was all it took for me. I was definitely not going to find myself in debt over make up, that was just plain craziness! The time to purdge had arrive. But the question remained what to keep and what to pass along?

So I scoured the internet until I came up with a list of the essentials. The nine products every woman should have plus eight optional items to add to your beauty drawer. It wasn't hard to find all seventeen of them in my entourage of course, the hard part was deciding which one of the 25 tubes of mascara I was going to keep. But, several successful hours later I emerged from the bathroom with my very own paired down collection as well as make up bag for 10 friends and a few others I donated to a womens shelter.

And now ladies I am proud to share my list with with you all, in the hopes of saving another beauty junkie from drowning in a sea of blue eye shadow.

The Necessities

These are the MUST haves girls. The products you want to keep on hand at all times.

#1 Moisturizer w/ Retinol

The gold standard of anti aging ingredients. Apply it nightly before bed to reduce fine lines and discoloration.

#2 Concealer

The right formula will hide under eye circles as well as blemished and dark spots. I like the kind that comes in a stick because it's creamy enough to blend under the eyes but dry enough to keep a pimple under wraps all day. Make sure to match your skin tone as closely as possible or else you could actually make that pimple stand out and ugh who wants that!

#3 Lip Balm

Your lips need to stay hydrated becuase of a layer of keratin they have on the surface, A balm that contains shea butter seals in moisture most effectively but any formula will serve th purpose. My favorite (yes I do have a favorite) is "Burts Bee's Medicated Lip Blam" it has a hint of peppermint oil so your lips tingle and it's refreshing too.

#4 Mascara

Magic in a wand. If you only have a few minutes to put yourself together, two coats will leave your face looking more finished. I love the volumizing formulas because they really give you more bang for your buck. they don't just make your lashes appear longer and darker but also thicker.

#5 Moisturizer w/ Suncreen

Use it every single day rain or shine. I mean seriously, who wants premature wrinkles or worse skin cancer! Look for one with antioxidents so you can also get protection from free radicals. I like Aveeno Positively Ageless, it works great and is affordable, only about $10.

　

#6 Body Moisturizer

　

A good full-service choice should contain the excellent and not to heavy humectant glycerin. Slather it all over when your still damp from the shower, this way it soaks into your skin. A good pick is Nivea Happy Sensation Body Lotion. It smells nice and leaves your skin really soft and silky smooth.

#7 Lip Color

According to all the websites you really need only two options in this category: a neutral pink gloss for day and a deeper shade of red to dress you up for a night time look. BUT... I'll admit that I kept several different shades and most of them were glosses. I am not a big fan of wearing traditional lipstick (I used to love it when I was in my twenties), the two I kept are Cover Girl Lipslicks one in a neutral pink and the other a sheer pink. So I guess I broke the rules on this one. Whoops!

#8 Blush

Rosy cheeks look great on everyone! They brighten your face and give you that healthy flush. A cream blush is a really easy way to get glowing, they blend easily, have a natural sheen and won't settle into fine lines. Pinching your cheeks works too!

#9 Eyelash Curler

Curling your lashes opens your eyes and makes you appear more awake and alert. It also allows more light to hit your eyes, so your irises have more sparkle and who doesn't want that!

The Extras

These are optional add ons, the few extra things to give you a little more oomph!

#1 Exfoliator

If you've got dry patches or clogged pores you might want an exfoliator to help slough away dead skin cells. But you shouldn't exfoliate more then once a week though. Use a gentle scrub with microbeads on your face and a sugar or salt scrub for the rest of your body. You can make your own body scrub too, mix equal parts sugar and body wash. It's pocket friendly and completely effective!

#2 Tinted Moisturizer or Foundation

A good concealer goes a long way toward evening out your complextion. But for a flawless finish you'll want to use either a tinted moisturizer (for sheer coverage) or foundation (for more full coverage) I confess, I have one of each! I use the tinted moisturizer a lot in the summer. It gives my face a flawless look and it's not heavy and I save the foundation for when it's not 99 degrees outside! If you don't want to keep both on hand, mix a few drops of the mositurizer you use on your face with your foundation, you'll get the same effect. The right shade of either should disappear into your skin with one swipe.

#3 Eye Cream

Look for a formula that addresses your primary under eye concerns. Caffeine reduces puffiness while niacinamide and retinol smooth fine lines and the best treatment for pigment related issues like dark circles is zinc oxide (yes sunblock) A good eye cream can be a tad pricey but totally worth it.

#4 Self Tanner

I personally don't use self tanners, due in part to a deeply rooted fear of them, steming from a horrible experience in the 10th grade (orange streaky me) But if you aren't traumatized and want a flaw minimizing color that will last past your next shower, then you can try one of the many lotions, mousses, sprays and foams on the market today. They give you a nice glow as long as you stay within two shades of your skin tone. As for me I still plan to avoid them all together. :)

#5 Eye Liner

I LOVE LOVE LOVE eye liner, once upon I time I had one in every shade. While curling your lashes and using mascara will make you look more bright eyes, adding eye liner actually emphasizes your eye color. I like to use liquid liner on the top lid myself at night for a dramatic look but overall pencils are the most foolproof. And all the beauty sites agree that dark brown is the univeral donor for eye liner, it works on everyone!

#6 Bronzer

It adds warmth to your skin toned and gives you a sun-kissed look, while creating a flattering contrast with your eyes. Powder formulas are easier to use then gels or sprays. Apply after blush, dusting the temples, cheekbones and the tip of your chin. And avoid the Oompa Loompa effect by staying within tone shades of your skin tone.

#7 Deep Conditioner

If your hair goes thru half as much as mine does you should definitely have one of these on hand. Deep conditioning treatment contain a higher concentration of moisturizers then regular conditioners. They seal the shaft of each strand, leaving your hair silky smooth. Use once a week, confession I use mine at least twice a week depending on how much I've abused my tresses.

And Finally..

#8 Teeth - Whitening Strips

Now I know this doesn't exactly fall into the category of makeup BUT the whole idea behind wearing makeup is to enhance your appearance right? Well a white smile isn't just youthful it brightens up your entire face. The good news is you don't need to drop hundreds of dollars at a dentist to get one. The whitening strips they sell at drugstores work almost as well as a treatment you'd get in office. But most dentists agree you do have to use them religiously for a couple of weeks to get the same results you'll get from a traditional cleaning. My personal fav in this department are the Crest 3D White Strips, in fact Crest has a whole line of 3D White products to brighten your smile, using them all together is a great way to whiten up.

Well there you have it girls, the seventeen products to include in your beauty bag. The time to purge has come ladies, trust me you'll feel so much better after you rid yourselves of all that inventory anyway.

I like to think of myself as a recovering beauty junkie, do I have moments of weakness.. sure but I have learned to control my impulse buying and I am happy to report that my bathroom cabinet can actually be used for storage again and my make up bag no longer runneth over.