Beauty

Even though I work full time all year, when the kids go to school I feel like starting over. I do my resolutions in Sept rather than Jan. This year I want to concentrate on my beauty, inside and out.

Did you know it’s estimated that French women spend one third of their salaries on beauty products and one third on lingerie? Can you imagine spending 2/3 of your salary just on yourself? What a luxury!

Well, I’ve decided that I’m going to make more conscious decisions about the time and money I spend on myself and my appearance. Whether I like it or not, appearance makes a huge difference in my feelings and in other’s perceptions. I’m not decking myself out every single day in formal wear – I work in a warehouse – but moisturizing at night, putting on jewelry, wearing nice panties are all things I can easily do.

Here are some items I’ve discovered that give maximum impact for little effort:
1.Dior’s Show Mascara – Sephora - $24 - Holy cow! My tiny pale lashes are huge with only one coat!
2.Tom’s of Maine toothpaste – $4 - I even buy the strawberry for my kids.
3.Mary Kay’s Eye Make Up Remover – really does take off everything gently, even waterproof mascara that others claim to take off but can’t.
4.Arbonne’s Eye Cream – The miracle of removing “freckles” and “laugh lines”
5.Mary Kay’s Microderm Abrasion set – makes my face smoother than a baby’s butt
6.Victoria Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss – 5 for $20 – the favors are fun and I like that I can feel my lips are covered in moisture. I favorite is Cherry Bomb because of the subtle shimmer. My daughter is addicted to the super glossy ones though 
7.OPI nail polish – $8 (but get last year’s colors for $4) so many colors and if you do the base, color, and top coats they’ll last for weeks. I love putting crazy colors on my toes.
8.Sally Hansen Insta-Grip for nails – instantly dries every layer!
9.Eddie Bauer T-shirts - $14 – You can get V neck or round; short, ¾, or long sleeves; in a rainbow of colors. These t-shirts look great with jeans, yoga pants, or slacks and keep their strong color through many washings. Dress them up or down, layer them, you just can’t go wrong.
10.Eddie Bauer No Iron button up shirts – $50 - tailored darts give you curves in the right places. Again short, ¾, or long sleeves. Look fabulous wash after wash.
11.Black slacks. Pants are hard to fit women because we are all different sizes so I can’t tell you a For Sure Hit brand that will work for you. You need to find a pair that hang properly straight from the hips so you have a long clean line all the way down to the floor. I like Express if I’m wearing loafers. But I have a dickens of a time finding ones long enough if I want to wear heels.
12.Coldwater Creek wraps - $40 (but they constantly have coupons) – right now they are two toned to get double the fun. These are so wonderful for throwing on in the spring and fall when the air can be chilled but you don’t want a bulky coat. I also love them for movie theatres which seem to always be set at Arctic Chill and my kids can snuggle up in them in the car.
13.Clarks shoes – I’m afraid these are a splurge, but the quality and comfort are amazing. Sandles, mary janes, flats, heels, boots, you name it they all feel good. They aren’t date-night-sexy but steady quality everyday shoes that help you look put together.
14.Silpada jewelry – Sterling silver from casual to sexy. Again, a splurge for quality. Most days I wear the Huggie earrings which are simple thick hoops right at my lobes.
15.French perfume. My favorite is Escada. I received a perfume lesson once that said French perfume makers use the real ingrediants, like rose petals, and not simulated stuff. So the fragrance is more pure and reacts better with your skin. A little bit will last you a long time.
16.Jergens Natural Glow body lotion – $7 - subtly and gradually gives you a warm tan
17.Burt Bee’s – just about everything from head to toe for me and the kids. Royal jelly is supposed to be a Superhero and I can say my skin is nice and firm.

Obviously I’m leaving out inner beauty here, but we’ll catch that one later.

What are some of your favorite things? Share with us and we can all be beautiful.