The Stamms: Kristal's High End Beauty Favorites

Emi hasn't had a blog post in a long time! Bad mommy. Actually, I have written a couple of posts, but the pictures from my phone aren't loading onto the computer so daddy has to fix whatever is going on before I can add the pictures and publish them. He's travelling most of the next two weeks so it will be a while longer.

It's no secret that I love beauty stuff. I am like a kid in a candy store when I am in Sephora. I can stay there for hours and want to take everything home with me! I love hearing about people's favorite beauty products because I am always looking for something better, or just new and exciting, so I thought I would post some of my favorites here. Since we have recently become a one-income family I have been on a mission to find the best drug store beauty products that I will write a post about soon, but first I thought I would write about my favorite high-end as a way to say goodbye to them and for those of you that aren't adjusting to losing an income.

1. Lorac Behind the Scenes eye primer.

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Don't you hate it when your eyeshadow creases or is basically non-existent at the end of the day? Me too. That's where this miracle of an eye primer comes in. You just spread a touch of it on your eye lids and up to your brow bone before you put on eye shadow and your make up will stay exactly as you applied it all day long. It also makes your shadow colors show up better. It is $21 which is a bit pricey, but the tube lasts forever. Plus you can get it in a kit which is another favorite of mine:

2. Lorac Closeup: Real Life to Red Carpet Eye Tutorial

This kit is a $110 value which retails for $37. With the eye primer alone being worth $21, I think it is a great deal. I use the eye shadow trio all the time. The liquid liner is also really fantastic and long wearing. The mascara is pretty good, but the brush is a joke. I think I threw mine away. It comes with a little flipchart of instructions to do three different looks that take you from very natural to dramatic. It's a great kit for someone who wants to learn to do a more dramatic eye look. Although I wear a dramatic eye pretty much everyday.

3. DiorShow Mascara

The best mascara ever. This is the closest your eyelashes will get to looking as luscious as they would with false eyelashes without having to deal with the glue and awkward feeling everytime you blink. You're supposed to replace your mascara every few months for sanitary reasons, so with a retail value of $26, this was one of my first beauty products out the door. Santa did give me some in my stocking, so I am saving it for the right time. Who knows what that is, but it certainly hasn't been during the first few months of Emi's life; I've been rocking the bleary-eyed new mommy look. :)

4. Ojon Full Detox Rub Out Dry Cleansing Spray (that's a lot of words for dry shampoo)

I know it is not good to wash one's hair every day, but I really don't like having greasy hair. This is the perfect solution to that problem. Shake the bottle, spray it at your roots, rub it in, and voila. Your hair is no longer greasy and has extra volume. I think the smell is a little clinical, but some people love it. I've also heard that the bottle can get clogged so I would go with the smaller version which is $10. The large bottle is $24. I have tried many different drug store brands of dry shampoo and none of them work. The best solution I've found so far is to just rub some baby powder in my hands then rub it into my scalp. It works alright, but leaves a slight grayish hue in my black hair.

5. Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Zero

The perfect pencil eyeliner: it goes on smooth and dark and stays put. $19

6. Anastasia Brow Powder Duo

Ever noticed how much eyebrows make a difference? No? Well google "eyebrows make a difference" and you will see what I am talking about. I never go out of the house without my eyebrows filled in and I have been using the same little compact for about 4 years. It's probably not sanitary to keep it for so long, but I don't care. This retails for $22 and I may continue purchasing it because it lasts so ridiculously long.

Here are a couple other favorites that aren't as gush-worthy, but still great:

Makeup Forever Mat Velvet Foundation, $34.