FREE LESSONS!!!! And a Lemur.

This is probably a huge "DUH" moment for most of the people who venture over to my little blog, but I'm surprised to know how many people don't know about this!

YouTube is NOT just for keyboard-playing cats! SERIOUSLY!!! (I know, right?!)

There are literally thousands and thousands of dollars in makeup and hair lessons on there. Totally free! 

A lot of people I know only end up on the site when a video goes viral. But if you look deeper, there's actually valuable information on there. And a LOT of it.

I've been lucky to have the opportunity to take a lot of makeup classes over the years, but most of what I know about styling my hair, I learned from YouTube. And being me, I'm always trolling for new makeup ideas. Sometimes I have my laptop open right next to me and I follow along with a hair or makeup tutorial as if I were taking a class.

Just search for what you need, and a whole world you never even knew you wanted will open up to you.

Like Keyboard Cat being watched by OMG Cat and a some kind of a LEMUR.

Yeah, I never knew I wanted to see that either.

A Quick & Cheap Fave

If I buy something over and over again, you know I love it. Otherwise, I will buy every product in that category until I find the one I love. Expensive? Yes, sometimes. Worth it? To me, oh yesss.

I have been buying the following product for over five years now. It just works. It removes my toughest waterproof mascara without irritating my sensitive little eyes.

Neutrogena Oil-Free 

Eye Makeup Remover

This comes in two layers, much like oily salad dressing. But unlike oily salad dressing, it is not delicious. So don't put it on your salad. But like salad dressing, be sure to shake it well and use a cotton ball or cotton pad to gently remove your mascara. Pretty simple. And usually under $6! I keep one upstairs and downstairs by the TV as well as in my travel makeup bag.

It works just as well, if not better, than more pricey products on the market and it's available pretty much anywhere. It doesn't require a special trip to Sephora or to the department store cosmetics counter. And this product works quickly. That's important because sometimes I'm in a race to remove my makeup before I fall asleep. Sometimes sleep wins :(

Keeping an extra bottle of this by the TV has definitely helped me remove my eye makeup before Zzzzzzz time.

Beware:

Sometimes we branch out and buy products related to the ones we love because, hey, if this worked, its relatives should work too, right? Not always...

Neutrogena also makes an eye makeup remover lotion in a teal tube, which didn't work well at all and irritated my eyes quite badly. They also have a "one step" gentle cleanser in a pump bottle which matches the look of the oil-free eye makeup remover packaging. It was uncomfortably drying to my normally very oily skin and turned my mascara into a big nasty clump. One step? I think not. It was awful.

Dear A&E: Please don't make me go to chapstick rehab!!!!

I am an amateur beauty junkie and will buy anything and everything if it's either a pretty color or if it gives the promise of being fabulous in one way or another. I have a constantly wandering eye when it comes to beauty products. I am fickle.

I've realized - FINALLY - that I only trust certain brands because of their higher quality and ability to meet my needs and desires. So why do I constantly buy a bunch of inferior quality drug store brand junk?

I need to focus on buying and using only what works.

I've made three Beauty Resolutions that I will work on BEFORE the end of the year. You guys need to hold me to these. I don't want to be on a special crossover episode of Intervention and Hoarders where my ginormous stash of lipgloss is shown to shame me into going into rehab where I will only be allowed one plain chapstick.

That would be my definition of hell.

And I don't want to go there. Yet. (heehee!)



These seem simple enough:

Needed: Monogamous relationship with MAC

1. Halt all random makeup buying. Start replacing (almost) everything with MAC. Must include admitting to self that the 'Kristen amuses herself by trying and reviewing makeup' blog is never gonna happen. Why should I propagate buying crap makeup just because it's MY crutch? The true drug store brand gems are too few and far between to make it worth anyone's while. (Side note: The post of my favorite cheapo products is forthcoming - and those have been the same for several years now.)

2. Get away from spending hundreds for prescription skin care every year (sorry, Dr. Hirsh!) and go back to using Arbonne. Arbonne always made my skin look and feel so healthy. Skin prescriptions make my skin feel horrible and dull. This may be a total pipe dream, but worth a shot. (I have painful cystic acne. I know it doesn't look like it. But trust me. Just trust me. I dread flare-ups.)

3. Stop thinking other shampoos will work as well and just use Frederic Fekkai. My hair never feels healthier. The pink Color Care line is what I use.

So how do I start? By stopping the buying cycle. No more buying makeup or hair care products. I need to use what I have right now in my stockpile and then start slowly replacing it with the quality products above.

It's up to YOU to keep me out of chapstick rehab. I'm counting on every single one of you.

Camouflage Makeup Trick

I'm thrilled that I finally figured out how to use a product I've had in my tool kit for several years now and I think it may be able to help you too.

Since summer is unofficially here (officially, it's 6/21), I'm sure that like me, you're focused on getting your skin in shape since you're probably already showing more of it.

I bought CoverFX's Total Coverage Cream Foundation to use as camouflage makeup. It can be used to cover scars, heavy blemishes, tattoos, etc. I learned to use it almost like paint, where you use a small brush and patiently cover what you need to cover.

But for Miss Impatient, that's too time-consuming.

So I grabbed a thick, flat Cover Girl brush I got for free when I purchased something else and I tapped it in the CoverFX makeup, applied it in a gentle circular motion and covered it with loose powder. I was actually able to make a large patch of discolored skin look almost airbrushed. The large surface area of the brush helped with a consistent (and quick) application.

It took only about 30 seconds and minimal product.

For more severe skin issues, you just alternate the product with loose powder until you have the desired effect.

Pretty cool. And super fast!

The CoverFX makeup line is available at Nordstrom and Sephora and the Cover Girl brush can be purchased separately for around $6.