Thoughts on... Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser

In case anyone who reads this hasn't been able to infer by the way I talk about it, I am incredibly OCD when it comes to my hair and skin routine. My hair is strong and healthy, but my irrational fear of split ends (I just looked it up and cant find a term for it) keeps me constantly scouring over ingredients in my hair products to make sure I am doing it good. But that's another story for another post.
I have difficult skin. It's not prone to breakouts or oiliness but it gets incredibly dry in places that it shouldn't, (like the creases in my nostrils and my T-Zone). If that's not problem enough, I get hives. Mad hives. I don't know what causes them, but on a frequent basis I'll find one or more red itchy bumps on my face that itch like crazy and only get worse when I touch them.
I've used Neutrogena products a lot in the past and I've gotta say, I've never been so satisfied with a brand overall like Neutrogena. It's not overpriced and works incredibly well. This cleanser is no exception either. It has a non-soap formula, so it's super nice to dry skin. The only issue I have with it is that I prefer a cleanser that is a makeup remover as well, and this didn't do a great job of taking off my mascara. (I've used Neutrogena's Fresh Foaming Cleanser and it was wonderful at taking it off).
While I'll probably use the rest of this bottle, I don't think I'd buy this product again just because I don't want to have to use makeup remover and cleanser. I might consider recommending it to my friend who has an intense fear of soap though. I'll give this a 3.5 out of 5.
Is this becoming a product review blog?

Beauty Top Five

I am heading out of town this weekend and unlike most girls, I like to keep my luggage as condensed as possible. If I'm flying, I will shove and cram everything into a carry on sized bag so I don't have to deal with the baggage claim. If I'm taking the bus or train, I aim to fit everything into a backpack. Keeping this in mind, I would like to share with you the 5 beauty products I would bring with me no matter what:
1. Proclaim Glossing Polish:
This is seriously the only thing I ever put on my hair. The best thing about having dark hair? It's gorgeously shiny. This makes it even more so! It also will smooth out frizz on humid days but never weighs my curls down. I use the original, but if you put heat on your hair or color it, they make a heat and color protecting version too.



2. Buxom Mascara:
Unless I'm going out, I try to keep my makeup to a minimum. If I could only wear one thing on my face for the rest of my life it would be this mascara. Have you heard of Cover Girl Lash Blast? Well this is the good version of it. It's a little expensive for mascara, but you can build it to make your eyelashes look long enough to be fake. At 18 bucks, it's a little expensive, but I've had my current one for about 4 months now and it hasn't dried out and still works great.



3. Curel Ultra Healing Lotion:
I like my skin to be baby soft. And I've finally find the best lotions that do just that. This lotion is super thick and lasts for ages. I have a little travel sized bottle of this for when I go places, but I keep a big one of these in my bathroom. While I would only bring this lotion while I travelled, at home I like to combine this with Palmer's Olive Butter Formula Concentrated Cream (for my elbows and feet and such) to create the ultimate baby skin.



4. Benefit Benetint:
This combined with my favorite mascara will bring you from day time to night time in a few swipes. It's a lip and cheek stain, which I think is a brilliant idea since your natural lip and cheek color should be somewhat uniform. I find its best to layer it on, and although the directions tell you to apply it in dots and then blend I usually like to just swipe it wherever I want it and then blend with a brush. Did I mention it smells AMAZING?





5. Crest 3D White Advanced Vivid:

I've gotta keep my teeth looking pretty and white, don't I? I really haven't had any success with whitestrips or any other form of bleaching, my teeth are ultra sensitive. However, I have used this toothpaste and while it cant make someone's teeth as white as bleaching can, it certainly does a pretty good job! It's a little on the expensive side, which annoys me but I usually get CVS discount coupons in the mail and use them to buy this and anything else I hate paying full price for.


So there you have it, my top five beauty products of all time and my packing list for the weekend. Happy Valentines Day (and night) everyone!