Beauty Favorites From One Of Our Favorite Readers

Meet our friend and LBD loyal fashionista Kelsey.

First and foremost I must confess that beauty products are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. If you were to look in my shower at any given time you would most likely find three different shampoos, four conditioners, three different body washes, and two different razors. Now at first glance you may think that I am just lazy and need to throw out the empty bottles, or perhaps you envision four different girls being forced to share a shower (for any of you out there who have had to do it you know what a nightmare it is). But no, these products are all mine and I am positive that I need every single one of them. I know what you might be thinking, this is absurd, but hear me out and I’m sure you’ll agree.

Rarely are products that are considered “the best” all encompassing. Take shampoo and conditioner for example, sure they make a 2-in-1version but most people buy a shampoo and a conditioner separately because it tends to work better. Now consider my shower, why buy a body wash that is okay at exfoliating and okay at moisturizing?  When you can buy the best moisturizer and best exfoliator and use the one that your skin needs at the time. Don’t worry I have a two in one as well, for when I’m in a time crunch, hence the three different body washes in the shower.  

I firmly believe that I get the best results when I use a product that is the best at one specific thing as opposed to okay at many things. See where I’m going with this? Now that my somewhat bizarre view on beauty products is understood, fear not, I am not going to tell you that the only way to look fabulous is for you to buy 3,000 different things, in fact I’m going to do just the opposite. Seeing as I cannot help myself from trying everything on the market, aimlessly wandering through store after store, I will share with you my favorites. So that maybe you can be spared the time, cost and exasperation in your quest for ultimate beauty. Be warned, I am not a beauty expert, I am just an expert in trial and error. 

Diorshow Iconic Mascara-$28.50

If you’re looking for super long, dramatic, perfectly spaced yet soft lashes (which for me sealed the deal) then look no further; this is the mascara for you.  Yes I know the price tag of 28.50 is a bit scary but look at it this way, if you spend just 10 dollars on a bottle of mascara that doesn’t do what you expect, you probably won’t use it all because you’ll want to try a new one that works better and you will probably end up using more of it when you try to fix the clumps and the lashes that are sticking together. I guarantee that you will be scraping the inside of your bottle with the wand trying to get every last drop of your Diorshow.

Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo-$10.00

If any of you are like me, you may not be flaunting your natural hair color. Yes, I’ll admit it, I’m a bottle blonde, between the frequent, not to mention expensive trips to the salon, that last thing I want to do is spend my money on another blonde hair upkeep product. If this applies to any of you Clairol Shimmer Lights is your new best friend. Almost every time after my hair has been highlighted, especially if I’m going lighter, my blonde gets very brassy, think shiny mustard yellow with a hint of orange, attractive right? Thankfully my hair dresser knows just what to do and uses some toner, you know that purple goo they put on after they wash your highlights out? Think of Shimmer Lights as your own personal “touch up” toner. The purple color is a bit alarming at first, but it really does brighten and refresh fading highlights so you can extend your time between highlights or root breaks, another life changing technique which I will have to save for another day’s rant.

          It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Conditioner-$15.00

I know what you’re thinking, how in the world can I put this on my list after I just spent this whole time saying all-in-ones aren’t the way to go. That is how amazing this product is. I will break my own beauty rules to put this liquid gold in my hair. Again, for those of you who have highlights or may not have treated your hair the best in the past, this product really makes a difference. After switching from dark brown to platinum blonde one too many times, my hair had just about had enough. It went from barely needing a brush after I showered to being unable to get a comb through it. It was so bad my hair dresser would give me a wide-tooth comb to untangle my own hair for fear she would hurt me too much while trying to comb it out. Then I found this product. I just spray it in after I shower then glide the comb through my silky hair. Thin hair? Not a problem, my hair is so thin that I can literally put it all up with one single bobby pin and that is not an exaggeration. This leaves my hair soft, manageable and shiny but never greasy. For the record, I am not touting this product as the miracle ten in one it claims to be, merely suggesting it is the best leave in conditioner on the market, in other words I still use my other hair products along with it.

   Africa Imports- Liquid Black Soap Body Wash-$5.00 

Recommended to me by the spray tan artist who gives me my healthy golden glow, this product is amazing. My fiancé even steals it and uses it as his face wash. It’s that good. If it’s even in stock when I visit the beauty salon I always grab a bottle because I cannot be without this little gem. The beauty is in the simplicity of this product it smells great, feels great and makes you look great. Don’t believe me? Well that is fine with me; it just makes for one less person I have to fight with for the last bottle on the shelf! Trust me, one luxurious lathering and you’ll be laughing at those Dove commercials. 

XO Kelsey