My Top 5 Beauty Must-Haves

Buying a puppy four days after starting this blog was not the smartest idea I’ve ever had. This face melts my heart and all I want to do is come home after work and spend my evenings falling more in love with him. His name is Pablo.

I hope to share video content really soon, but Pablo has consumed my life the past few days — can you blame me? In the meantime, I’ll keep the conversation going while I establish a routine that Pablo and I are happy with.

Because this project is in its early stages, I want to take this opportunity to cover my absolute essentials. I have certain wants/needs from my beauty regimen and makeup routine and a number of products that fulfill them. I have narrowed down to a favorite few in different categories that I stand by and have never let me down. You and I probably don’t have the same needs, but most of these selections should be useful for almost everyone. Please note these aren’t listed in any order of preference. 

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A few weeks back I entered First Aid Beauty’s Skin Rescue Instagram contest and was lucky enough to win their new collection (eeep!). I received it today and cannot wait to put it to work. If you’re like me and have sensitive skin (I apparently suffer from rosacea), knowing this line can be a life-changer. All of their products are gentle on skin and their Anti-Redness Serum has worked wonders for my skin tone. I’m excited for the Skin Rescue collection in particular because as a result of the rosacea, I’m supposed to avoid products with salicylic acid. This complicates my life a little. On top of sensitivity and redness, I also have combination skin. I have never suffered from acne but I do have oily patches that don’t cooperate from time to time. But salicylic acid is harsh and even though I have my redness in check, it could easily worsen. I’m not willing to take any risks of this sort. So I’m hoping, with fingers crossed (and FAB hasn’t let me down yet) that this collection, even with its oil-control and anti-blemish properties, will be gentle enough for my crazy face. The Blemish Patrol pads do have salicylic acid, but the formula is for sensitive skin, so I’m putting my faith in these and have a very good feeling about it. I’ll be sharing a review with you very soon.

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The Birth of Beauty & the Fig

This is the place I’ll share and over share about what makes me happiest — beauty. After years of wanting this, I’m following through. This project is long, long overdue. True to form, I created obstacles for myself that made me too nervous to begin. Excuses included:

• A completely rational fear of being harshly judged. Please be kind.


• “What if I share information that’s wrong?” I’m not a beauty expert (yet!). I work in advertising and have some experience in fashion, but when it comes to beauty, I’m really just researching, testing products and playing with makeup because I love it. If you happen to be an expert and would like to better inform me at any point, please do. I’m here to soak it all in and value your feedback.


• “I’ll spend every last cent.” Refer to my career note above. I work in advertising and beauty is a very expensive “hobby.” I’ll do my best to keep this as budget-friendly as possible…for both of us.


• “What if I’m actually terrible at this?” I often assume my insight is appreciated. People seek my advice. It would be traumatizing to one day realize that this entire time, they and I were very wrong.

But it’s also possible this won’t be terrible. If anything, beauty makes me feel good and likely does or will do the same for you. It’s just fun.

Before I begin sharing content, you should know that I don’t have rules for anything. I have tips and knowledge, but my beauty/makeup/skincare philosophy is always evolving and is equally inspired in the simple and the extravagant. I was also a late-comer to the skincare game, but I’m so happy I finally arrived. Oh, and confession – it was only a couple weeks ago I had my first facial (27 is the new 17, right?). So I’m gradually reaching  a comfortable place with my skin.  As I make changes and discoveries along the way, I’ll be sharing here.

And because it’s my first post, I’ll explain the blog’s name. The “Beauty” part I’ll assume you have down. To clarify “the Fig,” though, my husband is a chef. His food is magical and I credit him for my passion for eating (absolutely no cooking for me). His last name, and mine now, is Figueroa (see what I did there?). I also love figs — like the fruit. I’ll probably share photos/recipes of his dishes from time to time. So there you have it. Beauty and food meet here. Happy birthday, Beauty and the Fig.

Because the Fig will make cameos, here he is in all of his beauty.

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