Unpaid Beauty Endorsement

Do you ever stop and think about the price of beauty? I've been looking back at the seemingly ridiculous amount of money I've spent in the past decade, trying to look my best. I've spent way too much for way too little. If I could get back all that money, well, let's just say that I would be way less worried about my spouse not working.

Anyway, I was looking at my beauty arsenal and realized that I'm perfectly content with what I have in there.

Here's a list of what I swear by, from head to toe.

1. Clairol Nice n Easy Root Touch Up in Medium Golden Brown. Perfect for covering my increasingly noticeable gray roots.

2. Loreal Sulfate Free shampoo and conditioner. Love. It. I was a long-time user of Trader Joe's shampoo and conditioner, but my hair, though it was healthy, still had some frizz factor going on. I purchased the Loreal when it was on sale and was hooked. I prefer the Smoothing formula, but the others are fine, too.

Side note: I don't know if Loreal tests this product on animals. I hope not.

And FYI: Malibu Shampoo or Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo are a must after swimming. I had a lot of chlorine buildup (swimming 40-50 laps will do that, especially when I'm lazy about wearing a swim cap), and though I definitely prefer the Malibu, the Neutrogena works in a pinch, but it does contain sulfates.

3. Design Line Curl Lock Cream (for my wavy hair days) and Satin Cream (for my straight hair days). I don't like a lot of product in my hair, but if there's something special going on, these two are great.

4. Daniel Kern/acne.org--Love the face cleanser. It's gentle and effective and takes all my makup off in one wash. Perfect for my makeup brushes, too. Because I'm starting to show some wrinkles and dull skin, I also like Olay Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub.

Daniel Kern also makes a fantastic benzoyl peroxide treatment gel and it's very nice to my skin. My rosacea medicine made me break out something fierce, and this product helps clear that up AND doesn't irritate my rosacea. Nice!

I used to use Alpha Hydrox Oil Free lotion for a little extra "oompf" if my face looked dull or if I had a breakout on my chest or back, but once again, Daniel Kern comes to the rescue with his AHA lotion. Less irritating and more moisturizing than Alpha Hydrox.

5. Signature Minerals. Best mineral makeup ever. EVER. I'll never go back to those other big-name brands. Nuh uh.

I love Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara and it's still good for daily use, but I am a partial convert to Dior Iconic Show Waterproof mascara. It lasts 50 laps in the pool, which is amazing, but after wearing it all day, my eyes sometimes get itchy.

6. Dove Sensitive Skin Soap. I used Cetaphil for a while, but it was too moisturizing and made me break out. A little Dove mixed with a tablespoon of Epsom salts makes for a nice, scrubby experience that results in soft, glowing skin, even on knees and elbows.

7. Trader Joe's "A Midsummer Night's Cream" Extra Moisturizing Lotion. Perfectly hydrating and no greasy residue.

That being said, Nivea makes an awesome anti-cellulite lotion with lotus flower extract that smells divine. At the risk of TMI, I use it on my hips, thighs, belly and butt. It made swimsuit season a little less frightening this year.

8. Dove Clinical Protection anti-perspirant. This is new for me. I had sworn by Secret Clinical Protection, but I didn't really like the scents and the unscented...well...if I was sweating badly, it did nothing for the stink factor. My two favorites from Dove are the original clean and yesterday, I bought the wild rose. Very nice.

9. Schick Quattro razors. Stupidly expensive, but a nice, clean shave.

10. Now, if nothing else on this list makes a bit of difference to you, pay attention to at least this one must-have item. The Ped Egg. I know, I know, some crazy TV product (but it's available in stores now), but I am hard on my feet and this product kicks a$$. I bought one last year in a moment of desperation, then ironically, received a second one from my sister-in-law for Christmas. I cannot say enough good things about it. My heels are as soft as they would be after a professional pedicure. Now, this does not replace a professional pedicure, but use it, then use some OPI to paint your nails and...poof! Pretty feet.

I wouldn't consider this a regular expense, but I do wear perfume on occasion and I adore Acqua di Gio and Code by Armani and Amazing Grace by Philosophy. Estee Lauder has some decent scents and my two favorites are Sensuous and Intuition.

Over the course of a year, the price of my beauty averages out to between $12 and $16 per month, depending on whether I'm using more or less of a certain product. It's still a lot of money, but nothing compared to what I used to spend when I was younger.

Funny how I bought so much junk in my teens and 20s, ironically enough, when I didn't really need the stuff. Of course, I suppose that money was the cost of experience, so that now that I'm in my 30s, I'm working on perfecting Marfa Version 3.2 (almost 3.3).