Estee Lauder (re-nutriv)

So reading Lyn's post about eyecream reminded me about this product above.
My friend (who has amazing flawless skin who is one year the junior of me, says even she uses this very cream. I know my non flawless skin won't reverse back to flawless using this cream, but at least it should help to prevent wrinkles and other aging things that occur with getting older.
As a matter of fact, I read somewhere that the one's in their 20's is the time to use this sort of cream as the difference in skin quality shows between your friends when you all start going into your 30's. So I use this nightly (I think the directions say twice a day, but kinda super moist for regular day wear) and not sure if there are results or not but I guess I will notice in my 30's.
Like Lyn, it gives me peace of mind. I actually use it for eyecream instead of buying a seperate one. The lady at the counter said it's creamy good to work. Anyways at the price of this sucka it better be working. :P

Side note: I'd like to retract my comment about the mineral powder on Laura Mercier because I tried using it again and now I guess my skin has gotten used to it, and I don't get pimples, plus it really does give wonderful flawless coverage. Lovely~

RETRACT - Mineral Foundation Powder

I bought Laura Mercier mineral foundation powder which like I raved does work nicely, but alas I am getting pimples again. I guess I should have been patient and finished my free sample before seeing if it is complimentary to my skin but I just thought, eh a couple days use and no pimple should be good and I purchased it. :/
I would recommend using the entire free sample before purchasing. I guess me+mineral foundation (so far) ain't a good combo. Good product, but not for my skin unfortunately.

Foundation Powder

Bare Essentials is a great foundation because I love the easy and even application it provides. Though I was receiving pimples that I normally don’t usually get. I’m not sure if I had mentioned but I was doing a “test” of whether my sunscreen or the foundation was the cause of me getting random pimples. After a couple days test, it looks like Bare Essentials was the culprit. (I actually even went further to test whether my application brush was dirty but I cleaned it with the brush solution specifically for the brush but alas still pimples) SO, the product may not be for everyone but it does look great. But, it wasn’t something that I wanted to wear on a regular basis to get that nice coverage and so I looked for other means of coverage. I did fall for powder foundation because it’s so fast and non fussy to put on. The great Laura Mercier brand that so many friends use makes powder foundation. I have tried their tinted moisturizer but the skin color they matched was yellow-y which was not flattering. But their powder foundation had one in my skin tint and so far (couple days now) no signs of pimples. Initially when you wear it, it does look makeup-y (<--don’t you just love my vocabulary) but once it settles into the skin it provides great coverage, looks natural, and has spf which is always good. In case you still aren’t sure, you can go to the nordstrom makeup dept for Laura Mercier and ask for a sample with your skin color to test it out. That’s what I did. J

Lips!

Lipstick only goes on as smooth as your lips are. So... before you put on that color, keep those lips smooth - nothing says don't kiss me more than chapped lips with lipstick.
That's just a side comment obviously. On to the main post - lipstick! People have their favorites and it usually has more to do with costs and taste. There are too many to list so I'll just comment on my latest favorites.
Besides having cool minimal packaging - NARS lipstick just has good colors and application. And in hot southern California, don't ever remember the lipstick getting too soft in its case causing a strange mess inside.
MAC lipstick is another favorite, with a little bullet of a case, great range of colors, and a taste like mocha. The gloss is a favorite of some, but it's a little too sticky and slutty shiny for my lifestyle. An option is a nice stick gloss by Laura Mercier. It's a semi-shiny gloss (more like a sheer lipstick) without the stickiness. A light taste of something (not bad). Only downside is the lack of options in colors.
If you want something eco-friendly, CARGO offers a "green" lipstick with some pretty neutral shades in a completely biodegradable case. Not sure if it's the "green" lipstick ingredients, but the lipstick gets a little too soft and gets the inside of the case a little bit messy. Plus side is the lack of taste.

Tinted Moisturizer

I was never blessed with beautiful skin. Thankfully, the older I got, the nicer it actually became. Or maybe it was that I started taking care of myself a little better, drinking more water, less alcohol, sleeping the recommended hours, eating fruits... you get the picture. Whatever it was, I didn't need that much coverage. Still needed something though, just to give a nice even finish and to continue that "taking care of myself" thing, putting sunscreen on my face daily.

A complimentary make-up session at an Aveda salon got tinted moisturizer on my face for the first time. It still gave some coverage, but (at least the way she put it on me) it felt heavy. And isn't the point of not using foundation to have your face feel like you have no make up on? Like a typical engineer - research brought me to Laura Mercier. They just came out with the oil-free version when I looked and picked up a tube in the sand color. It's a bit - about $35-40 - but lasts about three to four months. I put it on with my fingers and it goes on like lotion, but adds some color and most importantly, SPF20.