The Short List: Beautilicious

So I figured it was about time for a beauty post given that I haven't had a regular beauty/body/face care regimen in a long time until now and I love these products. So I started off with my Daisy by Marc Jacobs because I will probably never run out of it and my Chance by Chanel. Rarely do I use perfume but when I do it's either one of these. Most of the time I just chill in my Secret deodorant but I've been trying to switch to a natural one. Both these perfumes were gifts given to me over the last 5 years.

As you might be able to tell I've been recently obsessed with The Body Shop. I sort of stumbled in looking for a new skin care regimen now that my acne is under control and all I really have to worry about is minimizing my pores. They're small anyway, so I'm lucky. But I'm pretty pale (thanks to my father's side of the family) so I worry about my blemishes sometimes. The girl in there talked me into more though after coming back a second time and I got a pretty good deal for four products usually priced a bit high for my taste. Anywho, unless you haven't already figured it out, I dye my hair. I am constantly in need of new shampoos and conditioners with no sulfates in order to keep my hair healthy after all the damage I put it through. The girl introduced me to their line of hair care and I gotta say I was pretty excited to try it.

Rainforest Radiance Shampoo Now, I was pretty interested in how this would work given that the girl told me some customers complained about it not foaming in their hair. But with no silicones, no sulfates no colorants and no parabens I had to give it a go. While it really doesn't foam THAT much it does get the job done and it smells very fruity and crisp. I don't wash my hair every day as well so I conserve a lot of it and for $14 normally it's definitely good to conserve if you're a poor student like me.

Rainforest Radiance Conditioner This really cleaned up after using the shampoo. It was creamy in my hair and after drying it the color was maintained beautifully. It's $14 as well but like I said earlier I got these two, the hemp body butter and the cocoa butter body scrub down below for only $30. I also signed up for their rewards program and they always have deals going on so there's a ton of ways to save for girls who want to maintain their colored hair or just keep their normal hair healthy

Banana Conditioner I bought this just because it was cheap and I'd read that it keeps your colored hair soft. Same run-down as the first two, no sulfates, no parabens, no colorants, no nothing but pure banana. It really does make your hair soft too, like it was never put through coloring hell! Plus it smells just like mashed up bananas. If you're on a super budget I'd recommend buying this and it's matching shampoo for only $5. Deals deals deals...

More Body Shop products, as you can tell. I was looking for a new body lotion and I'd bummed some of my mother's leftover body butter in the past and it had made my skin uber soft. So when offered the 4 for $30 deal on any of these products I took it to give it a shot. I also needed a new body scrub and figured I'd try one of theirs.

Hemp Body Butter They have this entire hemp line at the Body Shop that is brand new and it smells heavenly (if you like that weedy outdoorsy smell, which I do, makes me feel natural and therefore beautiful). It works amazing if you have dry skin and it keeps your skin soft up until the next day and beyond. It is over all amazing. $18 normally.

Cocoa Butter Body Scrub Though it feels very prickly to the touch (as it should, it is a scrub) it smells just like milk chocolate and it leaves your skin feeling soft and silky afterwards. I'd recommend it to any girls with body acne or just rough skin that you'd like to buff out because it really does help. You get used to the feeling of having tiny rocks rubbed across you, becomes soothing. $18 normally.

EOS Shaving Creme This actually doesn't work very well, but it is very moisturizing. Again, natural, can pick it up at Target or Walmart for about $4. It just doesn't foam very good but it does work if you want to shave your legs without getting them very wet.

My bright pink rubber ducky from Bath & Body Works $4

The rest of the products I have here are strictly for my face. Now, I'm a young adult who has been struggling with acne and it's aftermath since I was 12 or 13. I have consequently had to see a dermatologist and get a prescription for it. Since I was 16, however, my face has begun to clear up and rarely was I seen with makeup on it in high school in order to keep it away for good. Due to my diligence it has mostly gone away with the occasional breakout here or there. So I figured it was about time I buy a new set of products to deal with my blemishes and pores. I of course turned to the all natural Body Shop, L'Occitane, and Kiehl's.

L'Occitane Foaming Rice Cleanser I actually bought this before I bought into the tea tree line at the Body Shop. It's pretty awesome at leaving your face soft and less oily which is always an issue when you have acne prone skin, keeping your oil production down. It works very well at keeping the redness down. $20

Tea Tree This line is from the Body Shop made specifically for acne prone skin. It uses tea tree extract and is pretty potent at keeping your pores down. I started with the facial wash at $11, then the toner at $11, then the lotion at $13, and finally the mask at $13. Of course I got them all for a buy two or buy three get two or one deal. They're almost always having it. All of them make my skin feel fresh, open, like it's breathing. They've all helped to tone down the redness more than anything I've purchased too and added with the tiny facial brush for $3 it works even better. The brush is something I'd recommend to anyone, it foams any cleanser on your faces and takes away from any transfer of oil from your hands to your face.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream I was using the Clinique moisturizing lotion but it got to be too expensive and a little of it didn't go very far for $32 at 1.7 fl oz. I'd read about Kiehl's moisturizing lotion in Lucky magazine and decided to give it a shot. Was worth it at $25 for 1.7 fl oz because a little does go very far. I experience dryness often from using the products I do use to I will put this on in place of my tea tree lotion and it feels better in a day!

I haven't been into make-up until recently, just a dab of foundation here or there and it used to be powder, maybe a bit of mascara or eyeliner, it always isn't very much.

Tea Tree Concealer I use this for pesky little pimples or blemishes that might pop up while I'm sleeping. I dunno if it works, but it definitely covers up for $8.

Clinique Acne Solutions Liquid Makeup I use this often if I'm going to work or on a date or to a special event. It works very well and I can actually feel it fighting the acne even though it's essentially foundation. I get it in fresh alabaster (so pale) for $24 at any Dillard's or Macy's, it lasts a long time too so it's definitely worth it! I also use the Clinique mascaras, I got them for free but they make me look like I have huge lashes! It's pretty amazing.

Urban Decay Love love love the eyeshadows from this brand, they stay on the longest and they look amazing. The colors really pop. I received this as a gift about two years ago and it has lasted me this long so I'd recommend anything from this brand.

Elizabeth Arden & M.A.C. I don't wear a lot of makeup, I usually just slick some lipgloss on. But I like bright ones, so bright pink or bright purple are the colors I got. I invested in these too, because I don't use them often. $20 for EA and $15 for MAC.