A few of my favorite products...and a couple that are just meh...

Being fancy isn't all about primping and makeup and getting glossed up. (Ok, so it MOSTLY is) It's also about taking care of your skin, your hair, and generally keeping a grooming standard that you're comfortable with and that keeps you looking tip-top even when you first get up. So, I thought I'd share with you a few of the products (FEW) that I use every day or with fair frequency...

So let's just start with my favorite shampoo and conditioner. Bumble and Bumble Gentle Shampoo and Super Rich Conditioner. I love everything Bumble. All their products are really my faves, but this shampoo/conditioner combo is my daily go-to, longtime friend. I have sensitive skin and psoriasis on my scalp. I color my hair and I use product and hot tools every day. I need a solid, good shampoo and conditioner to take care of my sensitive scalp and my hair. This does the job. It smells delightful, works wonderfully, and has improved my scalp tenfold since I started using it regularly 5 years ago. When I moved to the Northwest, my hair took a beating. The climate up here hates me. I'm a California girl through and through and my hair and skin are SO MUCH happier when I'm there. But, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere, so the crap climate and I are just going to have to learn to live together. This stuff works hard at trying to maintain as much of the body and shine I have as soon as take a trip home. Haha! Completely and totally worth every single penny!

Try their Tonic, Styling Creme, Prep, and Hair Spray as well. You WON'T be sorry!!

Bumble and Bumble

Moving on, lotions and oils for skin. I gotta tell ya I've always had sensitive skin and I've always had to take extra care of it, but moving to the Northwest from California has absolutely wreaked havoc on my skin. Moroccan argan oil is all the rage right now and there's a reason for it. It's FANTASTIC. It's great for sensitive skin, it's great for summer or winter, it's not greasy, and it does its job. Use in the shower or just after and your skin will be well moisturized, silky, and smooth. I use it in the shower and then follow up with lotion when I get out. My two current daily go-tos are MOR Cosmetics' Basil and Grape lotion, which I am obsessed with, and Ahava Dermud Nourishing Body Cream, with Dead Sea mud. Both of these lotions are absolutely amazing. The Basil and Grape smells divine without being chemically and lingering, the Ahava smells great and is nice and thick, really giving you some much-needed lotiony goodness. For my feet, I use The Body Shop's Peppermint Foot Lotion and it's just delightful.

You can find Moroccan Argan oil EVERYWHERE, but I've been using Organix and I love it.

You used to be able to get MOR at Ulta, but they no longer carry it. They're an Aussie brand and they have a great website. Check them out here. I just stocked up on all my MOR favorites. I use their Basil and Grape Sugar and Salt Body Scrub..DIVINE. I was terribly sad to learn they've discontinued it, but I'll be trying their Marshmallow Sugar Crystal Body Scrub and I'll let you know how it is!

You can find the Ahava Dermud Nourishing Body Cream at Ulta, as well. Ahava has a whole line of goodies that look spectacular. I think I'm going to give their mud mask a whirl next!

The Body Shop Peppermint foot lotion is just one component in a whole line of Peppermint goodies for your piggies. The Gel is delightful, as well.

You need to keep that face well cleansed and moisturized as well! Even if you don't wear makeup every day, your face is something everyone sees. You want to look fresh and fancy all the time!

You don't need a lot to keep your skin happy. A good moisturizer for day and night (can be separate or one for both) and a good toner go a long ways towards keeping your skin happy and healthy. You need to use a good cleanser as well. Not pictured, I used Neutrogena skin cleansers because I have sensitive, combination oily/dry, acne-prone skin. I have a makeup removing face wash for nighttime and the Grapefruit Face Scrub for mornings, in the shower. What's pictured are my current moisturizers and toner. The toner is a Godsend. It's Origins United State Balancing Tonic. It improved my complexion, removing blackheads and leaving my skin smooth and radiant, after ONE use. It's gentle and amazing. I use it at night, after removing makeup and before putting on moisturizer, and in the morning, after the shower and before applying makeup. Fantastic! Think of toner like toothpaste. You wouldn't go without brushing your teeth, so why are you going without toning your skin?! Get it! For nighttime, after washing and toning my face, I use good, old-fashioned, Ponds Dry Skin Cream. It smells like old ladies (sorry, old ladies!) and is thick, leaves your skin looking a bit shiny, and it does the trick! You'll wake up in the morning with soft, moisturized, delightful skin. For daytime I've been using Perricone MD Cold Plasma and Cold Plasma Eye Cream. Now this is the product I warned is just meh. It's great. It does the job, but at $99 for the set, I'm not convinced it's worth the investment and definitely not worth a regular investment. I've used a lot of moisturizers and eye creams that were equally effective for a fraction of the price. So, I'm letting you know it's out there and it works fine, but I wouldn't start rebudgeting to work in this Benjamin every few months. Lastly, H2O Shine Neutralizing Gel. This stuff goes on after, or in place of, your moisturizer. If you're like me and you don't wear foundation every day, this stuff is great for keeping your skin matte and oil-free all day. I use it before I put on my Stila One Step Triple Correct Helix Primer and my skin keeps an even, clean complexion that remains oil-free all day.

Ponds is available at pretty much every drugstore everywhere.

Perricone MD is available here.

Origins United State Balancing Tonic, here.

H2O Shine Neutralizing Gel, here. 

In addition to keeping your skin and hair healthy and lovely, fancy ladies also love to smell yummy! I know I do! I don't have a signature scent, per se. I like to change things up according to my mood. My current go-tos?

The Versace Bright Crystal is my favorite. It's the closest to a go-to scent as I have, since I tend to wear that the most often. It's fruity, sweet, and girly, while still feeling grownup and fancy. But I LOVE my Gucci Guilty Intense and Miss Dior for when I'm feeling fancier and looking for something a little less sweet, floral, and fruity. The Gucci Guilty is edgy, while Miss Dior is a classic, sophisticated fragrance. It's been around forever. It's like a great handbag -- they never go out of style! The DKNY Delicious Fresh Blossom is fun, sweet, fruity, and girly. The DKNY smells the most like a "casual" scent to me, if that makes sense. The rest are great for everyday, but also smell fancier and would be appropriate for more formal occasions and nights out.

All four are fantastic, though. I love them all!


So those are just a few of my favorite products (and a couple meh products). I try new stuff all the time, so I'm sure I'll blog about this subject again...

Stay Fancy!!