April Favorites

Ah April!  That lovely month when taxes are due.  What that meant to me this month, was a serious crimp in my beauty budget.  I have to admit I rather resent Uncle Sam right now.  This month I wasn't able to make any big beauty purchases (not entirely true, but that purchase is being shipped and won't be here till May, so it doesn't count).  I've been rather fickle this month and haven't had a lot of favorites, but there are a few things I found myself reaching for over and over again.


Origins, VitaZing has become my go to daytime moisturizer.  It has an SPF of 15 and hydrates my skin well.  As an added benefit it acts like a tinted moisturizer, evening out my skin tone.  It does such a good job of evening out my skin that I only wore foundation once this month.  It takes a bit of trial and error to get this just right, as too much will make you look like an oil slick. 

I'm fascinated by the fact it only comes in one color, but self adjusts to most skin tones.  Origins does not promote VitaZing as a tinted moisturizer and I'm rather baffled by that.  The web site describes it as a moisturizer that "adds a healthy hit of radiance that mimics the glow you get from a week's vacation. All in 10 seconds max". However it is marketed, I really like it.  Towards the end of the day I do find my skin looking a bit shiny, but nothing that blotting paper doesn't fix.

For years I have used ENJOY, Shine and Smooth to keep my hair manageable.  I had no reason to try something new other then I was getting bored.  My husbands stylist recommended Its a 10,  Miracle Leave-In PLUS Keratin.   From what I understand this product was formulated specifically for maintenance of keratin straightning  treatments.  Since I religiously have a keratin treatment done at least every 12 weeks, it seemed just what I was looking for.  It didn't hurt that it costs less then the Shine and Smooth.  Miracle Leave-In PLUS Keratin is designed to be sprayed directly onto your hair, but I prefer to squirt it onto my hand and smooth it into my hair. It keeps the frizz in check, minimizes the need to use the flat iron and makes my hair super soft.  Best of all it's not greasy or heavy on my fine hair.

Every night before bed I always smooth a layer of Fusion Beauty LipFusion XL.  Unlike most lip plumpers it actually works not by using irritants, but by using hyaluronic acid (HA).  HA works like little sponges on your lips.  The HA settles into your lines and then absorbs water, plumping up your lips for a smoother look. I've discovered this month, that by applying it before starting my make up, most of the creases in my lips are plumped up by the time I put on lipstick/lipgloss.  LipFusion XL is insanely pricey at $50, but it is worth it.  I've been using my tube for over a year now.

Did you have any favorites this month?  Was there one item that you found yourself reaching for over and over?  Tell me about them.