Product junkies unite

I am an admitted product junkie. I've tried to reel it in over the years and I think I've been successful so far. I wanted to share some of the tried and true products I love.

For my face:


Nothing has worked as effectively as St. Ives Apricot scrub. I use the one for gentle skin and it keeps my face nice and exfoliated. Not only does my face practically glow after using this product but I also love how clean my face feels afterwards.


For moisturization I use this or I use Oil of Olay's original moisturizer. And yes, I admit it, in the winter time I used Oil of Olay's "touch of sun". Even though I am brown my face still gets pretty pale. Touch of sun keeps a nice sun glow on my face without overdoing it. That's my secret...shhh....


For my skin:


No matter how many lotions I've tried I always end up back to this one. I love the smell and it really helps to keep my dry skin nice and soft. No ashiness over here.


And of course I can't forget the good old fashioned Vaseline my mom and grandmother used to make me use. I usually apply this to my feet in order to keep them soft. In the winter time I buy the baby-scented Vaseline and use it all over my body. It works like a charm for those with dry skin. Just don't put on two much. I've ruined plenty of good outfits by merely slapping on the Vaseline, lol.


Bath and Body Works Mentha Body Vitamin Body Wash

This stuff makes me want to live in the shower! At first I wasn't going to get it because my sister thought it would smell like "old ladies" since it has peppermint in it. (And I assume she means like Ben-Gay or something). However, not only does this body wash make your skin tingle (literally) but it has a nice, clean peppermint scent to it. No oldies here...

I couldn't find a large picture but Suave has a new line of body washes called "Exhale". I use "juicy tangerine" and "lime verbena" pictured below when I don't want to spend the $12 on the Mentha Body Wash.







As I'm sure you all know by now, there is nothing healthier for your skin than good water. Most of the time I'm able to get in 2 liters of water a day. It always annoyed me how they seldom have water at Islamic events. Now I just get used to bringing a water bottle with me- esp. during iftar! So if you are one of those people who does not drink water, I am telling you, if you want to have nice skin and a good digestive system you need to drink water- no way around it.

For my lips:


Yep, good old-fashioned Carmex does the trick every time. Years ago there was a rumor circulating that Carmex was addictive. NOT TRUE. However, I love the stuff and my lips stay nice and moist. I keep one on the night stand and one in my purse at all times. And it's cheap too!


I love wearing lipstick. However, since I'm trying to keep it on the humble as a Muslimah and since I haven't quite weaned myself off of having some color on my lips I've taken to using lip gloss. This one is from Bath and Body Works. I use others if I find one I like.

Perfume:


I know as Muslimahs we're not supposed to go outside with perfume on. Rather than douse myself with perfume, when I am not using Nivea, I buy scented lotions from Bath and Body works and use those. Since I have on long sleeves and long dresses, no one can smell the scent unless they're hugging me or really close to me. I like having some sort of scent on and I guess this is my way to do it.

And of course, I buy oils from the that lone brother who sells them in the masjid. (Go to any predominately African-American masjid and there is at least one brother selling them). Here's a little trick I can let you married sisters in on. Buy a nice, soft scented body oil (nothing heavy or musky) and put a little between your breasts, between the thighs (yes, I said it), a little on the wrists and on the ankles. Your husband will love it and he won't have to kiss your neck and taste perfume, LOL.

So there you have it, some of the products I swear by.