A few Tips and Beauty Products I like

I don't have a ton of beauty tips, but I have a few. One easy one for moms is using Johnson's baby shampoo as face wash. It is an excellent make up remover, where even some face washes don't cut it. Its also great for styes. Just mix it with water to suds it up and rub it right on in, then rinse. If you are prone to them, it prevents them if you do it daily. It tends to dry the skin a tad (which is why it works on styes) so make sure to use moisturizer or don't use it often if your skin is too dry. (I'm loving Dove's face moisturizers!) Not to mention, its great on mom hair too!

I also like to do a rinse with vinegar sometimes, which is great to get out buildup, but it can smell. If you don't want to risk it, give Johnson's a try. I want to try Loreal's kids shampoo as well because they have a ton of great smells and I imagine it would leave hair feeling really soft!

I also like using Hair Mayonnaise or cholesterol in the summer. That also has a distinct smell if you use it as a conditioner, but I coat my hair in it just when I'm laying outside. It protects it, and I think it keeps the chlorine at bay too when you jump in. And speaking of protection, ALWAYS use sunscreen! I am a big believer in that, even though I forget sometimes!

Another conditioner trick is to put some water in the bottle when it's almost empty so the last bits come out easier. My sister made a big Dove squirt bottle full of her last bits of different conditioners. We called it "the conglomerate". And it worked so well because it had everything in it!

Don't underestimate things in your fridge as beauty products! The hair mayo you buy is called that because of how similar it is to the real thing. Lots of eggs for protein. But don't eat it. Just rubbing a cucumber peel on your skin refreshes and soothes it. Thanks Oma for that one! I've also tried lemon when I was pregnant and had bad skin, but watch out for that one! It can burn sensitive skin.


We're all dead tired, but sometimes you don't want to look that way. Some of my favorite (CHEAP!) fake awake tips and beauty products are:

Wake up your face first. Face wash is great but I feel like a new person after I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub. For a cheap and easy astringent, try witch hazel.
If you have dark circles under your eyes, like I do, you to hide them to look even slightly alive. We've heard tricks about cucumber and tea bags, but for a quick fix, under eye cream and a concealer work really well. I like Loreal eye defense, but it can run high especially in NY. Also, a quick eyebrow tweezing really opens up the face.

For cover up, I've tried a ton of stuff, and I know if I splurged I'd find great stuff, but for a budget I just use any stick. But my all time favorite face makeup is The Body Shops All In One Face base. Its a pressed powder but its thicker because you can use it wet. I don't, but I love the coverage and that it doesn't look caked on.
A nice gold shadow under brow, not too dramatic or thick, but with a hint of shimmer to lighten up that area works wonders. I use NYC color Shimmer pot in champagne.
Another must have for even a "minimal make up day" is mascara. I've tried Bad Gal lash from Sephora for $20, but I'm fine with Lash Blast or whatever the newest mascara is. They tend to be a bit chunky, so one tip I always used was to use an old mascara brush that's cleaned off and use it to brush out chunks. I think it works better than a comb. It also works to brush excess powder out of your eyebrows, which opens your eyes more. I also like waterproof mascara, hence needing a good make up remover and face wash! Another mascara problem is that it can get under your eye if you do your bottom lashes, which only makes you look more tired. A q-tip solves this problem. If you know its going to be a long day, skip eyeliner as it runs and just go for light shadow and mascara.My fav blush is Loreal true match in precious peach.It may not work for everyone's skin tone, but thankfully, their line makes it easy to find one that works for you. And most stores let you return makeup if it wasn't what it looked like. Ask before you buy! For a more dramatic look, I put a darker rose color under my cheek bone and blend it with the peach on my apples. Over all, I like Loreal a lot. I also used to love Le Grand Kohl eyeliner for ages. Their bare natural mineral line is pretty good too if you don't want to spend $60 on the real thing. I love the eye colors too for a sexy smokey eye look that's subtle but still noticeable.
I strongly recommend that women switch to waxing. I know its daunting at first, and seems time consuming, but its so worth it. The easiest is armpits. You don't have to shave for weeks and it grows in thinner so it gets less and less painful. Plus its quick, just one or two tries aught to do it. I recommend a sugar wax that is water soluble because I've ruined outfits before with thick cream waxes. I also say be brave and venture south. You can always try to just do a bikini first before going all out. Yes, it sucks. But its so much cheaper and less irritating. Watch out though! It aggravates hemorrhoids and varicose veins! I use Moujan Hot and Cold wax. (But use it hot.)
I'm sure there are a lot more tips out there for moms to look good easily and cheaply. Feel free to share any you have!!