Wow, who in a million years would have thought I would ever do a post about beauty products? Well, probably my mom, in her dreams.

Anyways, I have felt a little freedom lately to try out some different products. Ever since I passed the early middle school use-bright-colors stage of makeup and use-brightly-colored-and-fruity-smelling bath products, I didn’t use anything (makeup), or I used Arbonne (shower stuff). I never wore makeup besides foundation and concealer, except when I had to dress up for fancy dances or weddings, all throughout high school and college. When I got my “real” desk job, I felt like I actually had a reason to wear makeup, outifts (as opposed to jeans and a t-shirt), and (God forbid) wear my hair down.

My normal makeup routine for the past couple of years has been primer & foundation, a little blush, and a little charcoal eyeliner. Does nail polish count? I wear that sometimes. After reading The Small Things Blog and getting inspired, I decided to take it up a notch and asked for eyeshadow for Christmas. My mom gave me a beautiful light charcoal gray, Arbonne of course. A couple of weeks ago, after learning that mascara doesn’t HAVE to be applied to every single one of your eyelashes, I will occasionally do a little mascara on my top lashes.

My next step (can you feel the tension rising?? I’m getting bolder, people!) has been to add some color to my lips. I never thought that women under 35 could wear lip color, but I’ve noticed it here and there on people, and most of the time it looks good! (Exceptions are super bold or dark lip colors, I hate that.) I like wearing a bit of lip gloss when I dress up for weddings or pictures, but to be honest I never loved the glossiness. And really, I never felt like it added a lot of color my face.

I decided to try a matte lip color – not a lipstick, because I thought that I would enjoy the application, shine, and length that it lasts. I decided to go for a drugstore brand because Arbonne only makes lipstick and lip gloss, and, I didn’t want to feel limited by only trying what they have because of the price. I wanted to branch out and I think it’s okay if I cheat on Arbonne just every now and then. Turns out… I liked it!! Without further ado, elf jumbo lip gloss stick in pink umbrellas. So far, it’s been perfect for everyday wear! I might try a nude (or nude-ish) color next time. I like the $2 price of elf. My first tube broke the day after I got it (after one application), but Target let me return it and get a new one, and it’s stayed together for the few days that I’ve had it so far.

More to come! Next I plan to write about a great conditioner I’ve found.