Planes and Guac ~ Product Loves

It's been way too long since I've shared with y'all what we're into these days. {other than transportation toys and guacamole, of course}

If I haven't already told you, I'm sorta a brand jumper. Ever since I was a makeup artist for Sephora, I learned that not just 1 brand had the best of everything. For instance, I love the eyeliner from Stila but I prefer to use Urban Decay shadows. The same goes with me and skin care. Oh and hair products too. I LOVE trying them all and seeing what I like best.

The other thing you should know about me, I'm not always a brand-snob. Much to your disbelief, I will cruise the local drug store cosmetic aisle for new stuff.

All that being said, here's what we're into as of late:

For my personal skin care, a good friend has introduced me to Ava products. Y'all, nothing has felt better on your face. Pictured is the moisturizer, the eye cream and the night serum. The night serum has me wanting to put it everywhere. It's like nothing I've felt. The eye cream for me is the perfect consistentcy; good and thick but not overly oily. I've also been using the daily moisturizer which I love because it's not too heavy. I'm not a fan of moisturizer during the day (I know, that's bad) but I just can't handle that heavy feeling. All of these products finish you off with a nice, mild citrus scent that you'll also love, esp this summer.

Ava Anderson products are every day products that we are used to using, except without all the harsh chemicals. If non-toxic and chemical free is important to you, or you just want some feel goods on your face, seriously try this line. And they have a million more products here.

Next on the list from Ava Anderson would be what the little man is using.

This "monster spray" is kinda the bomb.com. Personally, we don't believe in monsters in our house but we do wish away bad dreams. This spray has been the perfect thing to spray on his pillow at night and as he's spraying we say, "go away bad dreams, don't come again." It's basically a linen spray with lavender in it and we all know at this point that lavender helps calm and sooth. Kaleb has a very hard time falling asleep at night and I honestly feel like it has helped him just be "calmer" if that's even a thing for a 4 year old boy. I even spray it on his pajamas.

The other thing featured in the photo is the booboo stick. Instead of me trying to tell you all the good things about it, I'll just copy and paste straight from their site:

"You can say “all better” faster with our boo boo stick, made from organic botanicals, including arnica, an anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory essential oil. Use on scrapes, bug bites and scratches to aid in healing."

I've been letting Kaleb use this stick on all his giant, texas-sized mosquito bites this year. He's also really allergic to ants and this has been a great thing to keep in my purse to relieve his itching and swelling when we are out and about.

**Woody not included**

If you have any additional questions about these products, or want to read more about them, you can visit the link from above or also go to Jen's site where she talks about her journey to a non-toxic life.

The next 2 items shouldn't come as a surprise to you if you've been reading my blog for any significant amount of time. I LOVE the sun. And I love to be tan. And yes, I'm well aware of the risks the sun brings. That being said, I don't always have time to leisurely lay out in the sun but I still want to have that tan look, so I've been using the natural glow from Jergens. It *does* have a slight scent to it, but honestly, it's not terrible. I feel like it isn't orangey at all and not streaky. My legs were tan before summer got here. Wink.

Unfortunately though, my shoulders hadn't had the chance to see the light of day yet and last weekend at Kaleb's party, they saw the sun a little too much. Below you'll see the greatest invention ever, mist/spray on aloe vera. Y'all. This is completely genius because when do you always have someone there to help you put this junk on your burnt self?? Ok, my point exactly. This spray-on gel is my new BFF this week. Plus, it's not messy and it feels oh-so-good. Getcha some!

Let's talk hair. It might not always look like it because it's short, but I have a lot of hair. It easily gets weighed down/heavy and basically I can't stand that look. I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to my hair products and the amount of time I spend "fixing" it. Pretty much my only go-to items are here below. A volumizing mousse from Suave which I put in when it's wet, and then PowderPlay from BigSexyHair, which goes in when my hair is dry. The mousse is pretty self explanatory. The PowderPlay is basically a good tease in a bottle...get it? Haha! I love love love this product because I can't tease my hair with one hand, so this kinda does it for me. I sprinkle it at the root throughout my hair and then I either flip my head over and rub it in with my fingers, or I put the blow dryer to it for a few seconds. Either way it gives my hair volume and texture that lasts all day.

Last but certainly not least, beauty. Which is a must. Like I said earlier, I absolutely don't stick with 1 brand. I'm always always trying different things. Here lately though, I have discovered "it cosmetics". Don't tell anyone, but I was shopping at Ulta when I stumbled upon it. So far, I've only been using their under-eye full coverage concealer and their airbrush perfecting powder. Both are AH-mazing. I've actually tried 2 of their under eye makeup products and 2 different powders from them. I have loved all 4. Each has/had a different consistency and/or coverage, so you'll have to play around with each to see what you like best. Like I said, they all go on beautifully. I haven't tried any of their other products.

Something that isn't new in my makeup drawer is the Hoola bronzer from Benefit. In my opinion, it's still the best bronzer around. It's got the perfect color without being too orange and somehow, works perfectly even if you are ultra fair. It builds up nicely without looking like you just put mud all over your face, too, which is nice. LOL.

My other find, which makes me sing my praises to the make-up angels, is this gel eye-liner that Maybelline makes. It compares to Smudge Pot that Stila makes, only it's less expensive and it doesn't dry out as fast as Smudge Pot. We're talking $8.99 vs. $28. I used Smudge Pot for yeeears and was convinced there was nothing that came close. Imagine how pumped I was to find this gem. It's hard for me to admit it because I was so loyal to Stila but this drug-store find is actually better.