Hot Mama: The Five Beauty Products You Just Can't Live Without

So out of the five of you who read my blog, those of you who know me really well know how addicted I am to beauty products. My bathroom sink used to be so full of lotions and beauty hullabaloo that you couldn't open the cupboard door without all of it falling out. My Mom has had to drag me out of Sephora many a time. I could stay in there all day looking at and trying on every single lip gloss, perfume, eye cream and eyeshadow. In fact, just last night, my sister-in-law had to keep dragging me away from the cosmetics sections of Target and Kohls. She wanted to try on shoes and dresses, but all I wanted to try on was a new lip gloss.

But for a girl who loves beauty products SO much, my daily makeup routine is actually pretty simple. Of course, I love to glam it up for party time, but on a day-to-day basis, I like to keep things more natural and clean looking. Plus, most days I hardly have time to brush my teeth, let alone (in the words of my Grandma) "put my face on."

My makeup motto is: "If it takes you longer than 10 minutes to put your makeup on, you're not doing it right." I might just be full of hot air, but I'm pretty sure a makeup artist told me that once. Either way, the moral of the story is this: keep your daily makeup routine simple, don't cake it on. Makeup is supposed to accentuate what God gave ya, not hide it!

These are the 5 beauty products I wear every day that I simply cannot live without. Try them... they will change your life.

1. Benetint by Benefit

This is hands-down the best beauty product ever made. I use it every day on my cheeks and lips. It gives a very natural-looking flush to your cheeks, so you look naturally rosy. This way, when you forget your son's shoes, no one can tell you're blushing.

2. Bare Minerals Foundation

I don't care what foundation you're currently using, this is better. You might as well just switch right now.


3. Mac Paints in Bare Canvas


This puppy just about changed my life. I used to live a sad existence where my eyeshadow ALWAYS creased no matter what I did. Then I discovered this miraculous product. As the name suggests, I just paint it on my eyelids in a very thin layer. Now I have... wait for it... a bare canvas on which I can put any eyeshadow I darn-well please! And the best part is, it will stay on all day and will not, under any circumstances, even think of creasing! For a natural, day-time look, try using bare canvas and then layering on Stila eye shadows in kitten and twig.

4. Ooh La Lift by Benefit

Oh my gosh, I love this! This is like 8 hours of sleep in a tube AND it keeps your concealer from creasing (Why is my makeup always creasing? I must be well-hydrated) AND it has a cute name. What more could you want in a beauty product? After you apply concealer under your eyes, (which, if you are a mother, you are most assuredly doing on a daily basis) just dot Ooh La Lift under your eyes and dab gently until absorbed. This will take away that "I just put concealer on, and now I have raccoon eyes" look and set your concealer in place in one fell swoop. Need I say more?

5. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara+ Eyelash Curler of your choice

Even when I'm keeping things natural, I curl my eyelashes and wear mascara every day. I've found that nice, batt-able lashes can get you out of a slew of predicaments! A makeup artist once told me that good old Maybelline great lash was the best mascara out there, and I couldn't agree more. Why spend 20 bucks on fancy schmancy mascara when this one works just as good? And make sure you curl those lashes! In my humble opinion, curled lashes are monumental in the fight against looking tired.

Honorable Mention: If you want to go the extra beauty mile, two more of my favorites are Stila Lip Glaze in Vanilla for the lips (layered over your Benetint, of course) and Benefit High Beam for the cheekbones .

So there you have it, my favorite beauty products. If you have a favorite product, please do tell. My makeup bag is always open to trying new things!