My Top Five Life Changing Products

By Jessica Pigza

Is it over the top to say that some beauty products are life changing? Maybe, but when you find something amazing, you question, where has this been all my life? Below are my top 5 life changing products.

1. Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa – Look Ma, New Hands

This product is especially perfect for anyone who is constantly washing their hands, which is pretty much every mother I know. As crazy as it sounds, we really do not like to go through the day with our kid’s snot, dirt and stickiness on our hands. But all that washing is VERY drying. I didn’t realize how rough and dry my hands where until one night my son asked me to stop rubbing his back because my ‘nails’ were hurting him. I wasn’t using my nails, my hands were just that neglected. I love using this product because the paraffin helps to keep my hands moisturized amid all the washing and I don’t have to constantly reapply. I’m happy to report that I’m no longer “scratching” my kids with my rough hands.  Get it here.

2. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

In my list of life changing products this is BY FAR my number one! I’ve tried other eyelid primers and they turned out to be a wasted step and a useless product until Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion. My face is oily and my eyelids are the same. Within an hour of application, my eye makeup would look like it was melting and have horrible creases. Because of this I would always wait until the last minute to do my makeup which made me feel rushed and unpolished. Then one day the heavens opened up and an angel appeared and told me about this amazing product! I may be exaggerating a bit, but to me, my friend who did tell me about it will always be a little angelic in my eyes. I was truly blown away with how well this product worked. It kept my eye makeup intact which was a totally new concept for me. Being able to put my makeup on hours in advance seriously changed my life. No joke. I could do my makeup in the morning and know that it would still look good going into the evening. This also meant I could put my makeup on for an event while the kids where at school and then actually spend time with them when they got home instead of spending all my time in the bathroom then running out the door. I use the original formula but it also comes in six other formulas including anti-aging, vegan and tinted.  Get it here.

Fresh eye makeup using my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original.

 My eye makeup nine hours later and it’s still there!

3. Sephora Collection Show Curl XL Lash Curler

I have a question for all you ladies, does anyone else have eyelashes that have absolutely no curl to them? My eyelashes are the epitome of the anti-curl and head directly south on my face. Any previous attempts to wear mascara only made a mess under my eyes and countless eyelash curlers left my eyelashes in even worse shape. Some couldn’t reach my eyelash base and they would get crimped in half or even worse, they would get pushed down in the rubber and painfully plucked out. I seriously don’t have enough eyelashes to have them ripped out everyday so I stopped doing anything to them all together. I had sad eyelashes until the found Sephora’s Show Curl XL. (Also available for deep set eyes) I’ve had mine for 4 years and I still have yet to replace the silicone cushion! No more crimping or plucking, just cute curled eyelashes and my mascara stays where it’s supposed to be.

Tip: While curling your lashes, don’t use too much pressure and slightly tilt up while curling. Also curl first then apply mascara, doing it the other way around will make your eyelashes stick to the curler. Get it here.

4. Bumble and bumble Prêt-à-powder

It’s recommended that you should wash your hair every other day and even wait up to a week if you can. But what do you do between washings, especially if your hair gets oily like mine? I heard somewhere that I could use baby powder to help soak up excess oil, so I tried it. It worked okay but then my scalp developed a buildup and it began to itch. Yuck! Then my hair dresser told me about dry shampoo and made me promise never to ever use baby powder again. Dry shampoo is amazing and it’s available in powder, liquid and aerosol form. There are even tinted dry shampoos to match your hair color and help with a little root cover up between trips to the salon. Bonus! My favorite is Bumble and bumble’s Prêt-à-powder which combines dry shampoo, style extender and a volumizer in one formula. Much better than baby powder, healthier for my hair and it makes my hair look great between washings.

Tip: Since my dry shampoo is white and my hair is dark I will sometimes put extra on at nights to help absorb oil while I sleep. Then in the morning I just use a little before heading out the door. The white does blend, it just takes a few minutes. Get it here.

5. SeneGence LipSense

I LOVE lipsticks and lipgloss. I feel like it’s the icing on the cake of a finished makeup look. And with LipSense by SeneGence, it’s some long lasting icing! It seemed like LipSense was filling up my Facebook feed with promises of 4-16 hour color. After seeing all these promises and some testimonials, I finally broke down and decided to try it. I didn’t like it the first few times I wore it. It came off easily but then I was told it wasn’t staying on because it was taking off all the old skin and wax left behind by my chapsticks. After a few more attempts my lips actually looked better and the color stayed on way longer. LipSense comes in a ton of different colors and paired up with a handful of different glosses, the color combinations are endless. I put it on in the the morning and it’s still there when my husband gets home from work. The top gloss can come off so a reapplication may be necessary but even without the gloss, the color is still there and I love the way it feels on my lips! No more naked lips, lipgloss kisses on my kids’ cheeks or passing on the “tingle” from my plumping lipgloss to my kids or husband!

Here I’m rocking some Blu-Red with a Pearl gloss. I’m trying to be more adventurous with my lip color and wearing red can be a very intimidating. At least I have confidence in knowing the color will stay on my lips and not end up on my teeth or anything else.

About Jessica

Jessica is military wife, married to her husband Nate of 14 years, and stay at home mother to three energetic and fearless children, Sophia, Brandon and Rachel. Originally from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, the military life has given her a chance to live all over the United States and meet many amazing people along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

Summer 2017 GYPO Style Challenge – ON SALE!

The Summer 2017 GYPO Style Challenge is now ON SALE for $29!  You’ll get your summer trends shopping list and access to all 23 days of looks (plus six bonus outfits) immediately upon sign up. We’re going to start styling the outfits all over again in our private Facebook group so now is the perfect time to join!

Getting my pretty on with Style Elixir, Jo Lynne Shane and A Little Bit of Everything.