I’m often asked what products I use so I decided to share my must-haves – stuff I use every day that has stood the test of time, and that I cannot imagine my existence without!
#10 Aveeno Spray-On Sunscreen SPF 70 – $10.99 at Drugstore.com
Frequency: occasionally
Sunblock and I are not friends. I avoid using it as much as possible and will cover up in hats and long sleeves instead if I must. Why? Because most sunblocks make my skin feel like it can’t breathe and all I can think of is rushing home and washing it all off! I find spray-ons more tolerable because you don’t need to slather on a thick layer – in fact, they give very light coverage that’s supposed to be just as effective. For my face, I spray some product into my hand and quickly rub on my cheeks, nose and forehead. This doesn’t mean I like it and want to wear it all day, every day, but I can definitely do flea market or the beach. :)
#9 Garnier hair dye in Bright Auburn Blonde (shade 764)- $7-8 at drugstores
Frequency: once a month
This is it, my signature bright red shade! A dye to die for! My routine: apply on clean, conditioner-free hair and leave in for at least 40 minutes. Skip shampoo right after dying and rinse until the water runs almost clear to keep some dye in to settle over the next two days. I re-dye my hair every two months with one root touch-up in between.
#8 Seche Vite Fast Dry top coat – $7.99 at Sally Beauty
Frequency: weekly
Used by professionals, this top coat dries nail polish quicker than any other I know, gives great shine and makes your manicure stay chip-free longer. I use this all the time and cannot recommend this product enough!
#7 Lush Sugar Babe sugar scrub – 4.95 at Lush
Frequency: once a week
Face & body exfoliation is a weekly routine for me and this scrub smells and feels great! I recommend using a scrub no more than 1-2 times a week – over-exfoliation can irritate your skin.
#6 Philosophy Ice Cream, You Scream shampoo trio – $30 at Sephora
Frequency: every 2-3 days
My sister just gave me this for my birthday, and I love it! The set includes 3 flavors – Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramel and Butterscotch and can be used as shampoo, bubble bath or body wash. I do think that this works best as shampoo – it doesn’t lather enough for a body wash. Did I mention it smells delicious?!
#5 TRESemme Color Protection conditioner – $3.49-5 at drugstores and beauty supply stores
Frequency: every 2-3 days
If you dye your hair, you should be using a conditioner for colored hair to help it stay vibrant longer. I find that most conditioners do an equally decent job so it all comes down to fragrance for me – after all, your hair will smell like whatever you put on it last!
#4 Wet Ones Extra Gentle wipes for sensitive skin – $3.29 at drugstores
Frequency: daily
Not too dry, not too wet – just perfect for removing heavy makeup and dirt off your skin. Wet Ones, I love you so!
#3 Jergens Shea Butter lotion – $3.99 at drugstores
Frequency: daily
Not too thick, not too greasy but with amazing healing properties, this lotion is my must-have throughout the year. I only ever stop using it for when it gets really hot and my skin produces enough oils on its own. I like that it’s incredibly versatile – can be used as face, hand or body lotion – and has a faint, pleasant smell.
#2 Yardley bar soap – $4-5 for a 3-pack at drugstores
Frequency: twice a day
This is the soap I wash my face with every day – and have been for the past 10 years. I’m constantly trying to cheat on it by bringing in other competitors, but keep coming back to it. I prefer it over some of the most expensive soaps because it has just the right balance to remove oils and not dry out my skin. I just discovered they made a rose flavor too – and ordered it immediately! P.S. There is also the liquid variety but I don’t like it as much and I wouldn’t wash my face with it.
#1 Eos lip balm – $3.49 at Walgreens
Frequency: 718634762 times a day!!!
If you know me, you know how obsessed I am with keeping my lips chap-free – and, by extension, lip balm. That’s right, if I forget my lipbalm, I will turn around and get it. My recent infatuation is the Eos spheres – in addition to fun packaging, it’s easy to apply and comes in 3 marvelous flavors – Sweet Mint, Summer Fruit and Honeysuckle Honeydue (my favorite)! Keep in mind that this lip balm is good for the summer; if you need something more robust during the winter months, I recommend CocoCare.
Deerlings: what are the products you can’t live without?
I love Totally Juicy products, the grapefruit sugar scrub is my favourite, it smells amazing. my MAC lip conditioner is a must, jergens cream, and Manic Panic amplified cream colour in Purple Haze, I wouldn’t have my lovely long purple locks without it!
I have soo been needing a good top coat. When I look for diff brands in drug stores the Top Coat is always sold out. The one I use now chips really easy but I like that it dries fast. I shall have to invest in ur fave, fur sure. My skin is hypersensitive and I am still trying to find products that I can use on my face, so I’ll have a look-see at the ingredients listed on that soap and mayhap I’ll give it a try. I’ve been using some 100% organic face washes that still aren’t good enough. There’s so many diff formulas to try tho, le sigh. Thanks for sharing with us, Doe, dear.
much <3 2 U =]
I’m the same with lip balm! I have at least one in every one of my purses AND I like to carry one in my pocket. It’s like a comfort blanket, I would feel weird without it! My current favorite is the Carmex stick and I like the SoftLips in Vanilla and Cherry.
I am addicted to lipbalm. If my lips feel even the slightest bit dry I hate it!
I have a mini pot of aloe vera vaseline in both of my bags, and several kinds of lip balm in my room. I put lipbalm on before I go outside, before I go to bed, etc.
It’s a trait I inherited from my mom. When we get colds our noses and lips are fine because we super moisturize them, whereas other people get that icky scabby-ness.
My absolute favourite must have cosmetic is johnsons baby oil. It is the most divine smelling, super moisturizing thing! I put it on my legs after shaving, whilst they are still wet. It locks in moisture like nothing I have ever known and leaves my legs really soft!
Burts Bees Honey lip balm. Yummy, and without the menthol of the normal Burts Bees lip balm.
Also crazy about my Tea Tree Oil shampoo and conditiioner – I’ve been getting the Giovanni stuff at Whole Foods or Wal-Wart.
Thirdly – my very own homemade ingrown hair removal treament for my legs. Anyone who waxes has deifinitely had a battle or two with ingrown hairs, and an aplication of the Astrigent-like stuff I make keeps your skin baby smooth. much, much cheaper then anything like it on the market – it’s just a couple asprin despolved in 1/4 cup water, with a couple drops of Glycerine added. Let it settle overnight so you can pour off the liquid (this is the part you want) and throw away the filler from the asprins.
I have lipbalm in my purse all the time. :) I also use Jergens, absolutely love it.
I HATE spray sunscreen. I used the one you use and went to beach in the afternoon last year and it DID NOT cover as well as a rub in one. I got VERY burned. So burned I could barely walk the next day. I now stick to lotion types only. I’m glad it works for you though.
Some of my favorites that I can’t live without:
1. My favorite face sunscreen for summer is Clinique City Block. It’s not greasy and the spf 25 one (there is also a spf 40) acts like a make up primer as well. I can’t put body sunscreen on my face. It always irritates my sensitive skin.
http://www.clinique.com/templates/products/spp/index.tmpl?ngextredir=1&CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY4923&PRODUCT_ID=PROD11667
2. Rejuvenating Enzyme Facial Peel by L’Bri
It’s a natural enzyme facial peel using Papain from papayas. It’s VERY gentle and you really can see and feel dead skin coming off. Since my skin is very sensitive and since I have slight rosacea on my nose and cheeks I CAN’T use any kind of scrub on my face. Since this isn’t a scrub my skin loves it. I use it 2-3 times a week. You can’t buy this line in stores but you can order online. http://www.leahday.com/peel.htm
3. Zia Natural Moisturing cleanser – http://www.zianatural.com/content/zia-skin-basics-moisturizing-cleanser It’s one of the only soaps I have found that doesn’t dry out or irritate my sensitive skin.
4. Zia Natural Sea Tonic Rose Water & Aloe toner.
http://www.zianatural.com/content/zia-skin-basics-sea-tonic-rosewater-aloe-toner Awesome toner if you have sensitive and/or dry skin. However, I am currently taking a break from this since I just made my own rose water from roses at my house but I will go back to this when I run out.
5. Giovanni Root 66 volume shampoo & conditioner. I have tried almost every kind of volume shampoo & conditioner at Whole Foods (I’m allergic to SLS…sodium lauryl sulfate so I can’t use products with it and that is pretty much all that is sold at drug stores) and this line is my favorite. My hair is thick but fine and straight so if I don’t use volume stuff in my hair it just lies super flat and limp and I HATE it like that. And it doesn’t seem to strip my hair of color which is also good. http://www.amazon.com/Shampoo-Root-66-Max-Volume/dp/B0011DJGDM
6. Bath & Body Work’s antibacterial hand lotion. http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=4216454&cp=4213376 I keep one of these in my bag at all times. I hate normal antibacterial hand sanitizers because they dry out my skin but this one is great since it’s a hand lotion with a sanitizer built in. My favorie is Cherry Blossom.
7. Fresh Aloe
Buying myself a baby aloe plant a few years ago was one of the best things I have ever done. I volunteered at an animal rescue yard sale and accidently got sun burned on my arms and neck. When I got home I immediately broke open an aloe leaf and put it on my skin and it helped my burn heal quickly. Almost all of the redness was gone when I woke up the following morning which shocked me since I was really red.
Doe Deere Reply:
June 23, 2010 at 8:22 am
Wow, I’m so sorry to hear that sunscreen didn’t work on you. A baby aloe plant sounds like a great idea though, I used to have one back in Russia. :)
tokidoki Reply:
June 23, 2010 at 9:44 am
You should get one. Mine is quite big now and they are very easy to take care of. Just water once a week and keep it in a sunny area. And fresh aloe feels amazing on skin. When my skin is feeling really parched in the winter, I use it on my face.
I can’t live without lip balm. I hate the feeling that my lips are exposed to all the ick in the world, so I’m ALWAYS wearing Burt’s Bees.
Got Seche Vite from ebay last month & i’m IN LOVE with it! It truly does live up to it’s reputation! ;)
I definitely cannot live without a good moisturizer (nivea young moisturizer is my favourite), Lush’s CoalFace (a bit drying but it cleans like no other for me!), Angel Hair Treatments & Boot’s Strawberry Lipsalve :) (my favourite lipbalm since it’s safe to use with the bf as it’s the least sticky balm i got hehe)!
I have to say that recently my favorite product is Blinc mascara. It uses what they call “tube-technology” so it stays on all day, is waterproof, and only comes off with water AND pressure. It looks fairly natural, which is perfect for summer.
Kellee Reply:
June 22, 2010 at 7:23 pm
I love that mascara! I find it’s super great for the summer, since you can swim or sweat and not worry that it will run or smudge, and you don’t need to worry if you don’t have makeup remover to get it off.
Doe Deere Reply:
June 23, 2010 at 8:24 am
I’d love to try that – thanks for the tip! xo
I love how all your picks were cheap too!
Doe Deere Reply:
June 23, 2010 at 8:24 am
Some of the best things in life are inexpensive. :)
Wow, Yardley is so great and can be bought at my 99 cent store!
Doe Deere Reply:
June 23, 2010 at 8:25 am
I always stock up whenever I see it on sale!
tokidoki Reply:
June 24, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I’m glad I just looked at the ingredients in the soap. I was going to possibly try it (I know they sell it at dollar store near me) since so many people seem to like it but it’s totally not vegan. Main ingredient is Sodium tallowate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_tallowate
So an FYI to vegans…yardly soap is not vegan. Too bad.
CHI Silk Infusion. I use it everyday and my hair is so shiny and soft because of it. =]]]
My top 5 favorite products have GOT to be Paul Mitchell’s Tea Tree Hair & Body Moisturizer (it’s a leave-in conditioner and a lotion!), Jergen’s Natural Glow for fair skin, my trusty chapstick, my acne.org treatment & my Ed Hardy men’s cologne. :)
Johnsons Baby Oil for the smoothest, softest skin. Sudocrem skin-healing cream on spots and skin irritations, it’s especially good on shaving rash. John Frida Frizz Ease Secret Agent smoothing creme for frizzy emergencies (I have those a LOT!). Original Source mango shower smoothie, it smells scrumptious. :)
I’m a huge fan of the EOS lip balm too! :) Though I am a sucker for cute packaging~
I love these kinds of posts, it’s so interesting to read what other bloggers are using!
I love the Yardley soap!! It’s so nice and really great for your skin. And Garnier absolutely has amazing colors…I’m trying to grow out my natural color but I keep being tempted by their beautiful blue-black or white-blonde whenever I go to the store.
Let’s see…I couldn’t live without Aveda’s clove shampoo, Organix coconut conditioner, the same Aveeno sunblock, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume oils…especially Dragon’s Milk, Snake Charmer, Hunger, and O.
I absolutely love my burts bees chapstick. I also love Pink body lotion from VS and their So Sexy conditioner – it leaves my hair really soft. =D
I’ve been trying to find a good topcoat forever. I have this problem with all types of nail polish, that the polish doesn’t just chip but simply..peels off? It’s weird and everything I try doesn’t help! D:
Renee Reply:
June 22, 2010 at 9:23 pm
I have this problem as well. I usually use a polish remover (straight ascetone kind) right before applying the nail-polish and this helps about 50%. The salon usually scuffs up the surface a little when you get a manicure so it sticks better, but I prefer not to do it this way.
I’ve also found that high-quality (salon brands usually) polish works better – I had a wierd reaction from one of the usual drug store brands – it totally cracked all over the surface. Too bad, cause it was the most awesome electric blue color!
The one product I absolutely CANNOT live without is my Korres lip butter in Guava. It smells sooo good but doesn’t have a cheap sweet flavor but it is so moisturizing you wouldn’t believe. The Guava one is white but NOT transparent. That’s my only problem- it’s somewhat pigmented so you can’t put too much on or you’re lips will turn ghosty. But then you just use Dior’s lip glow over it and you don’t even have to worry! Doe, if you haven’t tried these two products already, you should! They’re amazing! And I’m sure you’ll love the Dior lip glow packaging too! :)
My must haves:
1) It’s a 10! hair product- absolutely amazing. I have yet to see someone it didn’t work wonders on.
2) Bright nail polish- I have way too much. Everything from daffodil yellow to silver glitter.
3) Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Slice of Heaven lip gloss- such a pretty, sheer color, looks great over everything or just by itself and smells yummy!
4) Dove soap- I use a ton of it. With that and dryer sheets (rubbed on my clothes/sometimes hair and put in my lingerie drawer- I know it sounds weird)- people always tell me I smell good.
5) Centrifuschia lipstick! Has become my new musthave. Makes an amazing stain for day and bold color for night. I’ve gotten so many compliments on it.
6) Mineral foundation. I switch between L’oreal Bare Naturale and Maybelline Mineral Power, depending on how much coverage I want. Liquid foundation feels so gross, comes off, and definitely doesn’t give the same glow.
7) Waterproof mascara and eyeliner.
*Soft Lips chapstick in vanilla I buy them in packs now because I use them often
*MAC lipstick in Russian Red
*liquid liner
MAC & Yves Saint Lauren lipsticks
palmers body butter
essie nail polishes
ushaia vanilla deodorant
papa don’t peach to faced blush
baby doll by Yves Saint Laurent
• Proactive, it really worked for me!
• Garnier PureA active treatment moisturizer, it’s so smooth and light! They used to make one called Fresh moisturising liquid or something in a bigger bottle but I can’t find any now.
• SO salon only super shine mist I dunno what it is but it makes your hair sooo shiny without being greesy or heavy <3 love it.
• Jojoba oil, gala darling got me totally hooked lol it's great for skin and hair.
• Lush angels on bare skin, it's an amazing gental scrub and cleanser smells like lavender and has almond meal in it for a super soft yet effective scrub! It's my top pick you gotta try it.
• Lux Tahitan Escape body wash cos it smells good and exfoliates!
• Femfresh Feminine hygiene wash, so gental and eliminates oder causing bacteria.
• Palmers coco butter & body gloss.
• Any kind of lip balm or gloss I have a draw full LOL I love lipsmacker brand glosses cos they are so cute and come in so many flavours.
• Revitaoil cutical treatment oil, I always rub it into my nails and citicals it gives them moisture and helps them grow + it smells nice cos it has apricot oil!
I was out in Walgreens yesterday and decided to grab that Eos gloss–absolutely love it.
Great post!
Thanks for doing this! I love posts like this one. My top 5 (in no particular order):
1. Neutrogena spray-on sunblock (SPF 30): I love the smell of sunblock, and I don’t mind it in lotion form — I just bought this spray for convenience’s sake, since I am almost always running late.
2. Burt’s Bees lip balm: This is the only lip balm I use, because I can’t stand lip balms with petroleum in them. The tingly mint is an added plus.
3. Maybelline The Colossal mascara: I used to use Clinique mascara (it comes in a green-black sparkly container), but this is cheaper and works just as well, if not better.
4. St. Ives Vitamin E body wash: I have crazy dry skin and this seems to keep it at bay quite nicely. Smells great, too!
5. Jergens Ultra Healing: Same purpose as above. Gotta banish the ash! :P
OHHHHH i love those eos lip balms i have the pink one, i just love the smell. I really wanna try those Sephora washes, i will as soon as the Sephora in Jcpennys opens up!
love your blog Doe! Have an awesome week!
I heard recently that using chapstick/lip balm can actually dry out your lips, causing you to use it more. I usually only use lip balm after showering, or to soften up my lips if I’m going to use lipstick.
When it comes to body scrubs I prefer the Buffy to the sugar scrubs. But I have pretty dry skin so maybe that’s why.
Hey Doe!
My two, ultimate, must have products are….
1.Aloe vera gel that I use like a toner, after washing my face and just before moisturising.
2.Lucas Pawpaw ointment. This product works miracles. I was introduced to it as a lip balm but the active ingredients from the pawpaw make it good for burns, bites, pimples, almost anything!
xo
the one thing that i must NEVER leave the house without: my lipbalm…well, actually, its a massive pot of lucas’ paw paw ointment. the only thing that doesnt hurt my poor damaged lips…lol. it is always next to me. my life would suck without it. any other lip balm just makes my lips crack…eek!
other then that i love:
bonjela-lol. this is for my wisdom tooth. its coming through but its super painful. this numbs it.
clean and clear oil free skin balancing moisturiser..its really light and clean, feels nice.
two dollars store liquid eyeliners are fantastic. same for mascaras…these are basics that i practically gobble up..so i never spend much on them. yet i get fantastic results from them.
I have been thinking of going red but I am really scared of coloring at home due to past coloring disasters. What is your natural hair color?
Thanks for the hair dye one! I’m a dirty blonde naturally & I’ve been recently looking into dying my hair red..I really like your color so i think I’ll try this-Thanks! :)
I cannot live without my Aquaphor!
…I went to try out a Sugar Babe scrub at Lush, and in Canada, each one is $11.95, more than double the US price. Ridiculous! I passed on it.
I use Yardley too! I’ve always used the Oatmeal & Almond kind. It smells delicious and there’s actual oatmeal in the soap which has a very mild exfoliation. If you haven’t tired that one yet, I highly recommend it.