And now for a few beauty essentials.

i've already professed my love of obagi products.  i wrote about it here.  i am currently using the nu derm line because i had recently developed what appeared to be a case of adult acne brought upon by stress.  however, i must say that i do love their obagi-c rx system.  i religiously used this for a whole year in preparation for my wedding day.  and it worked people!  my skin was, i kid you not, luminous.  i swear, people would tell me all the time.

and here it is.

other beauty essentials that i have now become obsessed with are high quality shampoos and conditioners.  luckily, i have a cousin who works at a beauty supply store who can get me a discount, 

so i never pay full retail price.  i've been using the pureology hydrate line.  i can totally tell when i switch shampoos.  my hair just does not look or feel the same.  this shampoo and conditioner is $$$, but again, i get a discount ;-)  thanks sue ann!

...and here it is.

my cousin also introduced me to this product. it is the d:fi pomade for hold + shine.  this truly make my hair shiny and controls the frizz.  what more could a girl ask for in a hair product?

...and here it is.

oh, and i can't forget about my hair dryer.  i am currently using the solia 1875w thermal ionic hair dryer.  when i don't blow dry my hair or use a different hair dryer...frizz city.

...and here it is.

there you have it.  these are a few of my beauty essentials.  what are yours?

Let's talk about SKIN

as i mentioned in a previous post, last year sucked for me. on top of all the mishaps and emotional turmoil, the icing on the cake was i started to break out! we're talking deeeeep types of zits. i would even label a few cystic acne. there is something to be said for a girl who hates pretty much everything about her face and body to say that she loves her skin. so you can imagine the magnitude of stress that these pimples had on me. aaaaaannnnnnd, i'm a picker. there would not be a day where i would run my fingers over my face in the shower. if i felt a lump or bump, booyaaah. that pimple would be more like a wound in a few minutes. i know, i know, totally the wrong thing to do. but i just could not help myself.

so scar, after scar formed. dark scars, at that!  well, i'm finally clearing up. and my scars are slowly, but surely fading away.  let me fill you in on a beauty product secret...

obagi nu derm

in my opinion, obagi is by far the best skin care regimen out there.  it will make you red and peely at first, but after that, your skin will be amazeballs.  yes, i said wrote amazeballs.  that's blogger talk for ya...haha.  anyways, on a more important note, what's your skin care routine??