My Favorite Beauty Buys

Hello, and welcome to my favorite beauty products edition of Hot Dog it's a Food Blog. Don't worry, I will be back tomorrow with an incredible ice cream recipe, but today as my "Tuesday Tip", I wanted to share with you what you can find in my make-up bag. I get asked a lot about what products I use, so I thought this could be a fun way to let you see another side of me! Here goes:

This lip scrub from LUSH is to die. And it tastes like bubblegum. The 12 year old in me screams with joy every time I use it. Leaves your lips kissably smooth without damaging them.

This lip tint, also from LUSH, was an impulse purchase, but it has been my go-to lip color every day for the past month. It's just enough color that you don't look caked on for work, but also flirty enough for the weekend.

This brow drama gel form Maybelline has been a lifesaver while I am trying to fill out my eyebrows (I was overzealous with the tweezers as a teen). After I line my brows in the morning, this tinted gel holds them in place and keeps my brown brows, well, brown and not shiny in the least.

Gone are the days of using namebrand toothpaste full of chemicals and little plastic beads. We are a household of charcoal toothpaste users, this brand in particular. We don't wake up with bad breath or filmy teeth anymore, and after just 1 tube, our teeth are noticeably whiter. And if you think this is a bunch of bull, I have even had a dentist appointment since I switched, and they applauded my teeth.

Let's talk nails for a second. I am a little bit of a cheapskate when it comes to beauty upkeep (i.e. I went 2 years without a haircut, because my roommate used to cut it for free, then moved to TX, and I just couldn't bring myself to pay $60 to get it cut, because blog/grocery budget trumps hair budget. But hey, it grew like 8 inches over that period of time). So you can understand when I tell you that I rarely ever get manicures. But don't misunderstand me, my nails are always groomed. Because I do them myself! I have been using the same topcoat for years and I swear by it. It is fast drying, thick, and doesn't chip easily, especially important because I type on a keyboard all day long, cook, and wash dishes multiple times a day!

Lastly, I am a snob when it comes to trial-sized beauty products. I have subscriptions to both ipsy and Birchbox. I look forward to my monthly delivers, and you can't beat the $10/month price. You can sing up for ipsy with this link to start receiving your custom glam bag (their beauty quiz allows for a personalized beauty experience, and you can change it as many times as you want). Ipsy comes with an additional makeup bag each month filled with the products, while Birchbox comes in a tissue wrap-filled box, and you sometimes even score a full-sized version of a product.

So what are some of your favorite beauty buys? Tell, tell tell!!

This post was not sponsored, all opinions and purchases are my own.