I thought I’d share some of my favorite beauty items that I haven’t been able to live without lately. From left to right:

• Josie Maran argain oil — I’d heard everyone raving about this oil, and since I’ve been having dryness, fine lines, and radiance problems, I thought I’d try it out. After about a week, I noticed a reduction in fine lines around my eyes and mouth, and it leaves my skin totally supple. I usually mix in 3-4 drops with my moisturizer, though some nights I’ll apply 6-8 drops directly on my face for a more intense treatment. I highly recommend picking up a small bottle of this to try out! Apparently it works really well for hair and nails too.
• Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizing gel — I’m still not completely sold on this gel (or the same moisturizing lotion). The only reason I continue to use it is with the Josie Maran oil, otherwise it doesn’t feel moisturizing enough. Since I have pretty dry skin, I imagine this lotion would be great for people with more oily skin. I bought it because I can only use tube or pump moisturizers, and the packaging for this one fits the bill.
• Bamboo smooth Kendi oil dry mist — Great for hair. I have hair oil from Shu Uemura (and apparently argan oil can be used for hair as well), but the spray bottle format is much more convenient to work with because it doesn’t grease up your hands. When my hair is feeling dry, I just lightly mist the ends as needed and then brush out with my fingers. It gives it a nice luster and makes it feel soft and smooth.
• Tarte BB primer — This is my first “bb cream” ever. I use quotations here because it isn’t really a bb cream, it’s what Tarte calls a BB “primer,” which is more descriptive of what it actually does. The texture is soft and velvety, and it mattifies while reducing the appearance of pores. It has 30 SPF (always a plus in my book), and offers sheer coverage. I don’t like wearing a lot of foundation during the day, so this works perfectly. If you prefer more coverage though, you might have to layer a foundation on top of this. I’m almost done with my sample and I’m interested in trying the Bobbi Brown BB cream – anyone have any thoughts on it?
• NARS Illuminator in Copacabana — I am in LOVE with this luminizer. Seriously – it makes me excited to put on makeup every day. This is really great for highlighting; it brightens skin while leaving a dewy glow. It looks great over foundation or on naked skin. I love it!
• NARS Mini Bronzing/Blush Duo in Orgasm/Laguna — Given the high price tag of NARS cosmetics, this mini bronzing/blush duo comes in the perfect size and price if you’ve been itching to try their products without committing to a single blush shade for $30. Orgasm and Laguna are both beautiful colors with a little bit of gold glitter in them to add a rich glow to your cheeks.

I’m heading to New Orleans for spring break to visit family, so if I’m quiet for the next few days, it’s because I’m stuffing my face with beignets at Café du Monde.