My Own Personal Best Beauty Buy List

A while back I wrote that I went on a skincare shopping binge. Now that I've been using the products for a little over a month it seems only fair that I tell you what's worth splurging on and what isn't. I have to say some of the products are so awesome I, for the first time in YEARS, will now venture out of my home without makeup and like, you know, go places! So although this isn't a beauty blog I just have to share because I'm kinda becoming a skincare-geek. Besides, you know you wanna know.

Clarosonic Mia:  Totally worth it. It cleans clogged pores in a single bound! It exfoliates your skin and no matter WHAT products you're using they're going to be a lot more effective because they'll penetrate further into your skin. 

Neutrogena Healthy Defense: It does the job; as in it's no better or worse than all the other decent daytime moisturizers out there. It says it contains "superior anti-aging sun protection" otherwise know as...wait for it...basic sunscreen! If you're using Aveeno and you love it stick with that. If you're paying $50 for Lancôme's Primordiale-whatever, switch. 

Neutrogena On The Spot Acne Treatment: SO WORTH IT!  I can't believe I'm including an acne cream on my list but this stuff is like magic. It has a low level of benzolyl peroxide but for some magical reason it seems to QUICKLY clear up my occasional flareups of hormonal chin acne (doesn't that conjure up a lovely picture?) without drying out the surrounding skin. I'm not sure how they do it, pixie dust, bird poop...I don't know. I don't have the patience to read the full ingredient list but I know it works faster than anything else I've ever used with no drawbacks.

Perle Skin Brightening Cream by Neocutis:  If you have any uneven skin tone or hyper-pigmentation whip out the Visa because this stuff is pricey but oh-so-good and ooooh-so-addictive. Of all the products I bought this is one of my absolute favs. I saw a difference in a week!

Lumière by Neocutis:  Worth it (with a caveat). The skin around my eyes is now positively silky and my dark circles are diminished BUT if you're like me and your only noticeable eye problem are mild dark circles (and not fine lines) you can probably get the similar effect for cheaper.

Lancôme Bi-Facil Eye Makeup remover: So not worth it. This is supposed to be more effective than other eye makeup removers and gentler on the eyes. That's why it's 5xs more expensive than all the other eye makeup removers. Whatever. Stick with the $5 wipes you can buy at Trader Joes. You'll save money AND you'll get a free sample to munch on. Remember, they never give you free tasters of popcorn shrimp at the Lancôme counter

Skinceuticals Renew Overnight: Proof that there is a God and She loves us. Seriously this stuff has changed my face. I can now glow without doing anything drastic like, I don't know, dipping myself in radiation or getting pregnant. AND the fine lines on my forehead are barely noticeable now! I love, love, love this product. I think it might even be worth taking on a second job so you can afford it...well, okay maybe not. But if you DO have to take a second job this product will keep you from looking stressed about it ;-)

Okay, that's it. Hope you don't mind my taking over a literary blog with something this superficial. But what's the point of having a screenname like Kyra "fashionista fatale" Davis if you're not going to engage in the occasional superficial pleasure?  

--Kyra "Fashionista Fatale" Davis 

(as if you needed to be reminded)

A Little Shopping, A Lot Of Justifying

My birthday is coming up at the end of August and lately I've been thinking a lot about what that means to my skin. When I was younger my only skincare concerns revolved around my occasional breakouts. But now 40 no longer seems like just an idea. At this moment my skin still looks pretty good but there are little things that are bugging me. Subtle fine lines have taken residence on my forehead. My skin looks a little duller than it used to and it takes a little more concealer to hide the dark circles under my eyes.

These are now the issues that weigh on me and then, in a sudden and rare fit of indulgence, I decided I was going to do something about it. I went out and splurged on a lot of different skincare products. I mean a lot, a lot, a lot.  I got the Clarisonic Mia (an exfoliator made by the people who make Sonicare toothbrush), Skinceuticals Renew Overnight Oily, Neocutis Lumière Bio-restoritive eye cream , Dr. Hauschka Lip Care Stick and L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream.

None of these products are cheap but something came over me and I just had to have all of them. I got most of them online from various sites (chosen based on who had the best-price/free-gift/free-shipping) so they were delivered to my door on different days. The whole of last week was sort of like Hanukkah with eight days of presents. The only difference is that instead of praying to God and lighting a menorah before opening each one I sent up a silent "Thank You!" to the skincare-lab-technitions of the world and kissed my InStyle magazine.

But of course I couldn't help but feel a little guilty. My son goes to a very expensive special education private school which I can barely afford and I'm splurging on luxury skincare? I needed to be reassured. I dialed up my friend M who picked up despite being on the treadmill.

"I spent a bundle on skincare," I moaned.

"That's good! It's an investment!" M chirped.

"Yes," I said, immediately warming to this idea. "And I did a lot of research before I bought each product. I found out who had the best price and who had free shipping!"

"That's smart," she said sagely. "Shipping can get pricey."

"I think if I don't take care of my skin now I'll want plastic surgery later!"I added.

"And that's really expensive!" she pointed out. "You're saving yourself a ton of money! If you think about it, this really isn't any different from spending money on medicine!"

"So what you're saying," I said excitedly, "is that it would have been financially irresponsible for me not to have spent this money on myself!"

"Of course it would have been! Now tell me about everything you bought."

And so of course I did. I've only been using the products for a week but I can honestly say that all of them are living up to my expectations (the Neocutis Lumière eye cream has surpassed them). So I'm happy I splurged. But mostly I'm happy that I have wonderful friends like M. Friends who understand that to be a true friend you have to know how to do more than just listen and talk and empathize (although those things are all essential).

You have to know how and when to justify your girlfriend's shopping spree. Thank you M :-)

-Kyra "Fashionista Fatale" Davis