I have a handful of new beauty products that I have purchased over the past couple of months and I have been dying to tell you about them!  I have mostly hair and face products to discuss today, but I tend to shop all across the board when it comes to beauty products, so I'm sure next month will be something completely different.

Products

OGX Shampoo/Conditioner (Sea Mineral Moisture) ($5.79/piece)

I had been wanting to try something new for a long time in regards to shampoo and conditioner. I kept reading about these sulfate-free shampoos and, after some research, I settled on this particular brand and version. I'm not totally sold on it yet. The kind I got doesn't smell as great as I would like it to. Besides that, it has minimal lather (which is common for sulfate-free shampoos) and the conditioner seems to moisturize the ends of my hair. I haven't seen a big change in my hair, so I will try another version of this combo before moving on to something else. (Anyone else use this brand?  I will take suggestions on a different version.)

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Aussie 3 Minute Miracle: Strong ($3.99)

Now this-this has been a life saver. I use it on my hair once a week after I shampoo and let it sit for the remainder of my shower (about ten minutes), rinse with warm water, then a final rinse with cool water before I get out of the shower. A blast of cool water on your hair locks in the conditioner-and does other fabulous things, too. I love this stuff. It smells great and my hair is so soft and shiny afterwards. 

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Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray ($3.99)

If you aren't using something on your hair to protect it from your heated styling tool(s), you're killing your hair. When you drag that straight iron through your hair and you hear small screams, that's your hair dying.  Go to the store, buy this stuff, spray it on your hair (damp or dry, no worries) before you use any kind of styling tool and protect your hair. I love this product.  Great smelling, good price, and it protects your hair.  Why spend all that money on shampoos, deep conditioners, and salon trips if you have fried hair? 

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St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Facial Moisturizer ($5.29)

As I've gotten older, I can't just wash my face anymore and go to bed. I need to a few more things in my routine to keep my skin from looking sixty when it's actually only 30. This is a great moisturizer to put on your face in the morning after the shower and at night after you wash your face.  A little goes a long way with this product. It's kind of perfum-y, but it's not overpowering.  It does feel a bit greasy when you put it on, but it dries pretty quickly. I always feel refreshed after I put it on and it dries. I can feel it soaking into my skin and I like that.  I haven't noticed any obvious visible changes, but I like to think that I am counteracting possible wrinkles. 

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What are some of your favorite beauty products right now?

I thought that it would be fun to talk about some of the beauty products I have been using and trying out lately.  I buy beauty products every month, so why not talk about them and tell you all why I use them?  I get to chat about beauty products and you all get a heads-up on products that maybe you don't know so much about. Sound cool?  I thought so. 

When I placed my clothing order with Target last month, I also added some make up to my cart.  I don't normally do this, but there were some products that I had been dying to try and I just couldn't wait any longer. 

The first product I have to talk about is the Maybelline Baby Lips.  I kept seeing all these other bloggers raving about this product and I knew I needed to see what the fuss was all about!  So, I ordered the Peach Kiss per all the reviews since I was looking for just a nice shimmery look to my lips.  Verdict:  This stuff is AWESOME!  I loved it so much, in fact, that while I was making a late night run to Walgreen's one night (for ice cream...I'm not sorry), I picked up the Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue in Pink Me Up.  It's fantastic too!  It has a cool burst with it so it refreshes the lips and gives you a bit of color all in one! The best part: $2.99 at Target online right now.  Not kidding!  Go now! 

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Another lip product made it into my cart last month and that was the Maybelline Color Whisper Lipcolor.  I was just roaming around the lipstick online and saw the name of these and was intrigued.  After reading the reviews and looking through the color options, I purchased Lust for Blush and it is the perfect shimmery light mauve.  Verdict: It's a little tacky feeling at first, but once it dries, its light as a feather.  I forget I even had it on.  It's a pretty good price at $5.99!  I may have to try out another color, but I'm not quite sure yet.  

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I was in desperate need of some black eyeliner as I had ran out of my Avon Glimmersticks and hadn't had a chance to order more.  So, I decided to give Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner a try.  Verdict:  This goes on very smoothly, which is a must since I have only been messing with eyeliner for a little over a year.  As long as I use my eyelid primer on my lids and dab a little under my eye, the liner doesn't smudge.  If I don't, it smudges.  Horribly.  I'm a tad bummed that I paid $4.99 for something that I am not totally in love with, but it isn't a horrible price for eyeliner either.  So.  Any recs on eyeliner ladies? I need smooth application and minimal to no smudge!

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I spent a little under $20 last month on new products and 3 out of the 4 were successes.  In my book, that's a win!  I can't wait to show you all what I get in June next month!  I'm already eyeing some nail polish!  So, tell me, did you try any new make-up products this month? 

Today I am linking up with Ashley over at A Cute Angle  for the Go Green Accessories Swap that I participated in.  The idea was to swap green accessories with our randomly selected swap partner in hopes to spread the word about mental health awareness.

Ashley just so happened to get my name!  She emailed me about what kind of green accessories I liked, but she managed to surprise me with one of my gifts.

Are you ready to see?

Ashley got me a beautiful green scarf, pretty green nail polish, and to my surprise, MINT DARK CHOCOLATE M&Ms.  I LOOOOVE mint dark chocolate M&Ms.  I didn't even tell the girl!  It's like she knew!  I already ate the M&Ms and the scarf is waiting patiently to be worn as is the nail polish.  

This swap was my first one.  I had heard about them before, but never had the guts to try one.  I'm glad I tried this one.  It gets the word out about mental health awareness which is something I am passionate about and I got to try something new.  I look forward to doing more swaps, so if you are a blogger and wanna do one, let me know!  I would be more than happy to collaborate or participate in another. 

That's all for me today.  I know you guys haven't heard from me much this week, but I actually found myself enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having.  We've been outside a lot and it has been pretty good for my frame of mind. Sometimes, you just need some sunshine. 

Have a great weekend all and I will see you back here next week while I catch up on all the posts that I had intended to write, but did not.  Oops.  #bloggerprobs

I was washing my face the other evening and had the fun idea to share my favorite beauty products with you.  Everyone wants to know what everyone else is using, right?  That's the nature of women-we gotta know what the other ladies are doing.

Here are eight of my favorite, religiously used, beauty products straight from my bathroom!

1. Tresemme Platinum Strength Shampoo and Conditioner || $4.48
I just love the Tresemme line.  However, this particular combo has done wonders for my hair!  It's much softer than it used to be.  It also helped promote new growth, which I needed since my hair is so thin anymore.
2. Neutrogena Hand Cream || $3.97
The Hubbs got me started on this.  He uses it for his hands and I tried some out one day and was impressed.  It keeps my hands moisturized and stops the chapping that I usually experience.  It doesn't really have a scent, which is fine by me.  I only like certain scents anyway.
3. Aquafina Lip Balm || $2.44 (3 pack)
My SIL introduced me to this stuff and it is great!  I am pretty addicted to it-probably because it gives a nice mint burst to your lips when you put it on.  It also makes my lips pretty soft.
4. Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant || $7.92
This stuff is not cheap, but it works.  After L was born, regular deodorants just didn't cut it for me, so I tried this stuff out.  It definitely keeps the underarms dry throughout the day.
5. Nivea Extended Moisture Body Lotion || $5.92
This stuff is so good!  My skin just soaks it up and leaves very soft skin behind.  I don't like my lotions to leave a film on my skin-this doesn't.
6. Oil of Olay Regenerist Cream Cleanser || $5.97
I wash my face twice a day with this stuff and it just feels good on my skin.  It has the tiny granules in it to help exfoliate your face while you wash.  I always feel refreshed after using this.  It also doesn't make my skin feel tight-which is a plus!
7. Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash || $6.88 (2 pack)
Anything that adds moisture to my skin, I am drawn to.  This is actually the best body wash I have come across for my skin.  Like my lotion, I don't like my body wash to leave a film on my skin.  This doesn't.  It also works well to shave my legs with which is a HUGE bonus for me.  I don't know about you, but I don't necessarily have all the time in the world to shave my legs.
8. Witch Hazel || $3.19
This is one of my beauty secrets that I am sharing with all of you.  If you have old acne scars, recurring acne, or want to even out your skin tone, buy yourself a bottle of Witch Hazel.  I use this after I wash my face at night and apply a thin layer over my face with a cotton ball and let it air dry.  I have been doing this for about six months now and I have noticed some fading with my old scars and my face looks brighter, even without make-up.  This is also good for bug bites in the summer, too, so it's a double use beauty product.