Top Five Summer Finds

This summer I have come across some great finds for me and my girls. They are totally random in nature, from mommy pampering to pool gear for the kids, but I thought they were worth sharing with my smarty friends.

eyeslipsface.com (e.l.f. cosmetics) – this make-up website has been out for a while, but I never tried it until this summer. What is great about it is the price, everything is a $1. It makes it so easy to try out new make-up styles without investing a pretty penny. I bought a bunch of eye shadow, lipstick, some liquid eyeliner that I wanted to try for the first time and some make-up brushes (a back-up version to carry in my purse). I liked everything but the lip sticks – the colors were all off, but I was not too upset since I loved everything else. I plan to purchase more to update my fall colors.

Neutrogenia 14 Day Rescue – I owe this find to my friend in Chicago. I went to visit her late spring and I noticed how great her skin looked. It looked smooth and younger. She told me about Neutrogenia 14 Day Rescue and I went out and bought it the next day. It is sold at most drug stores and costs about $24 (much cheaper than a facial or expensive creams). The three piece kit includes a face cleanser, night cream and day cream (spf 30). My husband who doesn’t notice much, made a comment about my skin two weeks later. The kit lasts well over a month and totally refreshed my skin, but I do not recommend if you have sensitive skin since it has retinal in it.

Now for the kids stuff

Goggles – goggles have been a huge issue in our house. Mostly because my 4 year old has refused to put her face in the water for the last two summers. I used to try to coax her with cute looking goggles, but they would stick to her hair and squish her eyes (not helping the cause). This year, I found the perfect pair for her – Speedo Splasher for toddlers. They are round in shape versus oval so that fit better around her eyes and the strap is easily adjustable in the back, so that I can tighten them after we put them on (yeah). Target sells them for $5.99.

Bathing Suit Care – most of us know that you are supposed to wash your bathing suits by hand in order to keep them from fading as well as stretching. Well this summer someone filled me in on two secrets. Before you wear a bathing suit, soak it in one cup of vinegar per gallon of water. Take the suit out and let it air dry. This will help set the color and make it more difficult to fade from washing (this does not prevent the sun from fading). Next time you go to wash the bathing suit, use baby shampoo. You want to use a soap that doesn’t have any alcohol in it to prevent fading and stretching.

Sunscreen – another one of my friends told me about Trader Joe’s sunscreen last year, but when I went this spring, they had discontinued it. They have now come back with a new version that is $5.99 for 6 ounces of lightweight, zinc oxide sunscreen (Dana our green guru approved). It is water resistant so you have to apply it every forty minutes of water activity. It does not state that it is tear-free, but I tried it on my four year did not complain of it irritating her eyes at all.

Hope you all are enjoying your summer and let us know of any new “must haves” that you would like to share.