First Look Fridays: Stacey Pulwer of Product Whores

I hope to God you're already reading Product Whores. Because not only is Stacey Pulwer unbelievably knowledgeable when it comes to beauty products, she's hilarious and a truly talented writer. I had the pleasure of meeting her when I was in LA last year, and I spent a good three hours doubled over in stitches from all of her funny stories! Read on to discover the body scrub she can never get enough of, the one brand that makes her pulse race above all else and so much more.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I grew up in New Jersey, then went to college in upstate New York. After school, I worked in NYC for a year, then moved out to Los Angeles and I've been here ever since. Love the weather, but I do miss the east coast sometimes. There's nothing like NYC at Christmastime! Luckily, I get back a few times a year at least to visit family and friends, so I try to get my fill of it then. In a perfect world, I'd be bicoastal -- and as long as I'm wishing for things, I'd also like a flat in London to spend some time there because it's my favorite place in the world.

How did you first become interested in beauty?
To be honest, I can't remember a time when I wasn't! I remember being around 13 years old and spending many, MANY hours in the drugstore walking up and down the makeup aisles. I was all about the Maybelline and the CoverGirl. And then once I got older and starting making money, Sephora took over as my makeup shopping place of choice. It's nice living in a big city because there are so many different Sephora stores and tons of other places to browse and check out all the new products. I could spend my entire weekend going from one to the other!

Why did you decide to start your blog?
I wanted a creative outlet where I could write whatever and whenever I wanted to -- and I think my friends and family were sick of hearing me talk about products! So it seemed like a fun thing to do to be able to write about them every day. Plus, I figured it would make me branch out and try some of the products that I'd always wanted to, but hadn't gotten around to using.

I love the name of your blog! How did you come up with it?
Thanks! I actually can't claim credit for it though. We were staying late at work one night and a bunch of us were talking about shopping and I made some joke about how I had to make a lot of money so I could buy products. One of the guys there thought that was hilarious, so he started calling me a product whore. (Along with my friend Kris, who also started the site with me). So when we decided to go ahead and create the blog, we immediately knew that that was what we needed to name it because it makes us laugh.

What have been some of the highlights of having your blog?
There have been a ton! My favorite has probably been getting to meet and become friends with so many other beauty bloggers. That's been so much fun.

And getting to test out so many products, especially ones that aren't even out yet, is very cool.

Going to Fashion Week was also a really interesting experience that I probably would never have gotten to do otherwise.

What are your top 5 beauty essentials?
Picking just 5 is practically impossible! There are so many things that I can't imagine living without.

1) I've used Rosebud Perfume Co. Smith's Rosebud Salve for years -- it's the best thing ever for keeping your lips soft and not getting chapped lips.

2) Urban Decay makes the best eyeliners -- I've turned my entire family onto them.

3) I absolutely love the Kinara Red Carpet Facial Kit -- it makes my skin look amazing and it's so easy to use. It's like getting a facial without ever having to leave your house. (That totally sounds like I'm writing a commercial for them, but it's true!)

4) Fragrance-wise, I adore every single one of the CLEAN scents. I like my perfume to smell light and fresh and those are the best ones I've found. They last all day on me and whenever I wear them, people ask me what perfume I have on.

5) Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish is probably my favorite body scrub of all time.It smells amazing and it somehow manages to exfoliate without being harsh on your skin. I could go through a jar a week if it wasn't so expensive!

What brands can you simply not live without?
That's another tough one! Definitely M.A.C. As a brand, they just do so many interesting collections and colors -- I couldn't imagine my makeup bag without them.

Bobbi Brown is probably the brand I turn to the most for basic colors -- no one makes neutrals better than Bobbi.

I always find myself lingering at the Urban Decay and Stila sections in Sephora -- I could easily buy everything both brands put out.

But I like a lot of he drugstore brands, too. Physicians Formula has some great, affordable colors and I always check out L'Oreal's HIP line for bold shades when I'm at my local CVS. There are a lot of brands I can't imagine doing without!