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The holidays are right around the corner.
While we are all rushing back and forth trying to find the perfect gifts for everyone on that long list of ours we often forget about ourselves. If you are anything like me you probably have a ton of get togethers planned and you want to look good. (Who doesn’t want to look good, right!?) Before you start to curse your makeup bag, your closet and your shoes you should read my tips for how you can get an amazing party look for less! (That’s right ladies, I said LESS!)
Before having kids I thought I had to purchase my beauty products in high end department stores. I thought that the only way I was going to look my best was if I was spending a lot of money on the products that go on my face. While I think my face is totally worth the money, my checkbook thinks differently. After having kids I started experimenting with different products. I have come to love a ton of really inexpensive products that can all be purchased at the…..Drug Store! That’s right, I’m going to tell you how you can get your amazing party look for less at the Drug Store! (Who would have thought!?)
First thing is your shampoo, conditioner and body wash. (We want to go out smelling nice, but also want our hair to lay nicely and style the way we intend it to.) You don’t need to go to the salon to find the best products. Experiment a bit before the holidays so that you have a product that works best with your hair type. (Not all hair is created the same and that is one of the reasons for so many different types of hair care products.) I prefer Tresemme Anti-Breakage Shampoo (for my super fine, brittle hair) and Tresemme Moisture Rich Conditioner (which really makes my hair smooth, soft and healthy looking.) As for body wash, when I am going to go out for the night or attend a holiday gathering I like to leave the house feeling refreshed and smelling nice, so I tend to go for products like the Suave Naturals line.
Hair care, we must not forget about our hair care products. Once you are out of the shower and smelling all nice and clean you will need those products that will make your hair look it’s finest. (No bad hair days for the holidays!) If I am straightening my hair with a flat iron I like to add a heat resistant product before drying my hair or using the flat iron. There are so many products that you can choose from and you really must try a couple out with your hair type before deciding which is best for you. One of the products that might work well and is very reasonable in price is the Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray.
If I am going to for a tousled or curly look I like to use products such as Garnier Fructis Style Curl Shaping Spray Gel Strong. I pair this with a strong hold hair spray, such as Aussie Instant Freeze Hair Spray (not only does it smell really good, but it holds extremely well.)
Now that we have the hair all figured out, why don’t we move on to the most important part, our faces.
I have experimented and reviewed so many high end and low end products on my face. Below are some of my favorite products and you might be surprised to find that I get most of them at a local drug store, such as Walgreens.
The first key is moisturizing your face. I have very sensitive skin and I like to use Aveeno lotion to moisturize my whole body. After moisturizing I use Cover Girl & Olay Simply Ageless Eye Corrector Cream under my eyes. I love this product because it makes me look like I got a good night of sleep and I don’t have bags, wrinkles and dark circles under my eyes. After applying that product I like to apply a nice foundation. One of my favorites, and the one that I tell all of my friends about is the Loreal True Match Naturale powdered foundation. Before trying this product you could tell I was wearing makeup. I have such light skin that it was hard to find a product that matched. This product is great! After applying the foundation I like to apply a shine free powder (my face gets a little oily sometimes, so I always go with the ones specifically for shine, but you can go with whatever works for your skin.) Covergirl makes a nice shine free pressed powder that fits great into my purse and is light enough for my skin.
Now that you have all of that it’s time for some color!
This is one of the most important parts of your party planning routine because this is what is going to set you apart from your every day look. I like to apply a blush that is just a little darker than my natural tone. I don’t like to go overboard here, but I do like to have a little color to my cheeks (especially since I am so pale.) At the moment I am using Covergirl blush which came in 3 different colors, one for my every day use, one for going out and about and another for parties and so forth. Once you have your blush you want to make those eyes stand out. I have a lot of different blushes and to be honest I really just buy what is on sale when I go to the drug store. Play around with different colors. If you are really getting dressed up you might want to go with gray and black tones, but if you are just doing a small get together maybe go with some more neutral tones. Adding an eyeshadow with a little glitter to it is always a lot of fun too. Now if you have naturally long lashes then you may just need a regular mascara, however if you are like most of the rest of the world, then you are going to need a little help here too. There are a lot of products in this section to choose from and to be honest I had to try out many before I found the one I really liked. I had recommendations from some friends and family members for the mascara of their choice, however I wasn’t happy until I tried L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara.
Now that you have your hair, makeup and the attitude to go along with it, you are ready to knock em’ out at your party! Have fun and remember that you can look like a million bucks even if you don’t have a million bucks!
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