Honestly, most days I don't even wear make up anymore. Or shower, for that matter. But when I do, I want it to be easy, fast, pretty and comfortable. I also know myself well enough to know that I don't really shop anywhere besides Target. No joke. Even when T.J. and I go "out for Starbucks", we still park and get out of the car and go to the one inside our Target - even though there is a drive thru one in the same parking lot. We just.. really like Target. And how nice the Starbucks people are there. (Hi Garrett! Hi Megan!)
So, if you're anything like me and want to keep your beauty routine simple, easy and manageable - here are 10 items you should grab the next time you're at Target!
1. Burt's Bees Peach & Willow Bark / Facial Cleansing Towelettes: Hands down, absolutely my least favorite thing about makeup is having to take it off. It's the worst. It's enough to make me not put it on for weeks at a time. But! These face wipes have definitely helped with that. They smell wonderful and because they're "exfoliating" wipes, they can really scrub off my thicker, nicer makeup when I do decide to put it on. If you want to try them out, but don't want to purchase the larger pack right away, I do believe they have smaller packs in the travel sized area of Target's beauty department!
2. Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner: Speaking of the travel sized area of Target, that's where I first tried out this fantastic conditioner! I grabbed a small container to take with us on our Hawaii trip and the second I tried it, there was no going back. So we've upgraded to the larger bottles now. I'm not sure if you're familiar with all of the "shampooing your hair everyday isn't good for it" or "you don't really need shampoo" articles out there, but I actually totally agree with them. I've drastically reduced the amount of shampoo I use in the shower and my hair definitely feels better and lasts longer between washes because of it - which is why a nicer conditioner is at the top of my list now. Oh and this one smells like summer and happiness. So, win win.
3. Vaseline / Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter: Last Spring I had to stop using the lip balm I'd been using for awhile. It was making the skin around my lips break out in a super itchy rash, which would then lead to cracked lips and lots of pain! Interesting enough, that lip balm happens to be EOS, which was recently sued for that exact thing - making people's lips worse. I switched to using regular Vaseline for awhile, which I actually love way better, but it didn't have a yummy flavor and having a huge container in my purse wasn't ideal either. ENTER: the itty, bitty cocoa butter lip therapy from Vaseline. I LOVE it. And it's super cute. I actually think I bought it the first time around simply on the grounds that it was "just so cute that I have to have it." I have one in my purse and one on my nightstand!
4. Maybelline / Dream Fresh BB Tinted Moisturizer: Almost every makeup brand out there offers a BB cream (beauty balm). I happen to like Maybelline's the most, but what I really encourage you to find is a tinted moisturizer that you love! They're lightweight, easy to apply and give you just enough coverage to feel like your skin color is evened out and smooth. The one I have suggests that you can apply it several times a day - just like a regular moisturizer. I have one (pictured above) with SPF 30 and another that's more of just a general skin cream. Both are awesome and effortless to use. You can't mess it up!
5. NYX / Pure Mineral Finishing Powder: Don't let the bright white color of this powder scare you! It's totally translucent and leaves your makeup feeling "set and soft." Up until using this powder, I'd always used a colored powder - but I never really liked that. Between the colors of foundation and concealer and bronzer and whatever else, I didn't like topping it all off with another layer of color. But this stuff is perfect! Apply with a large, round face brush and BAM! Ready, set, go!
6. Suave Professionals / Dry Shampoo: This stuff has been saving my life for years. I've always liked the Suave dry shampoo the most out of all the ones I've tried. They recently rebranded all of their bottles and I just about had a heart attack when I went to grab one off the shelf and everything looked different! "I CAN'T SHOWER EVERY DAY!!" were my first thoughts, but then I realized they just changed the color of the can, and all was well again. Make sure you really use your fingertips to rub the dry shampoo into your scalp once you spray it on. (Read the directions!) I've seen one too many girls with creepy white scalps walking around (Target, probably) and it's just so bad looking! You shouldn't be able to see your dry shampoo! 😂
7. Goody / Ouchless Rubberbands: I started using these bad boys way back in high school for cheerleading. Yes, I was a cheerleader, which T.J. thinks is just "so funny" and "so not me". But hey! A girl's gotta keep that ponytail tight when doing backflips!!! And that's exactly what these guys will do. You can purchase them in clear, brown or black. All of which are great and I use at random. Currently I love them for ma' braids. They're small and discreet and really grip onto the messy end of a braid. If you do use them for a ponytail, I usually double up, so that I can really leave the top part of my ponytail messy but still keep the whole thing tightly in place.
8. Maybelline / Instant Cheek Flush: Mmm... this might be my favorite out of all of these things. Because again, it's just so cute, but it's also so fast and pretty. When I showed it to T.J. for the first time I described it as "chapstick for your cheeks", which caused quite a bit of confusion, but once I clarified "FOR MY FACE", we were on the same page again. What I love most about it is that it leaves you with a healthy glow because it's a creamy balm and not a dry powder! You can apply it alone or over makeup. Its fast and mess free and could easily be thrown in your bag (along with your cute Vaseline!) for easy touch ups on the go.
9. NYX / Wonder Stick: Similar to the blush mentioned above, this creamy gel stick is your quick and easy contouring secret weapon. (If you're not familiar with contouring, just do a quick search on Pinterest. It's so easy.) Just swipe the appropriate shade into place and then blend, blend, blend! It leaves you looking healthier, too!
10. Revlon / Colorburst Balm Stain: Yet again, I love these lip balm stains because they're just so easy. "It's like a giant crayon for your lips." Apparently I feel the need to describe makeup items to T.J. by relating them to something else... instead of just saying "its lipstick, but not." These stains come in a wide variety of shades and leave behind the prettiest of colors when you've been wearing them all day.
So there you have it! I hope you'll try them and let me know what you think!