cliche blogger beauty post

Beauty post! It has been a while! Caution: lots of links ahead.

I pride myself in my ability to get ready for the day in under ten minutes and my basic go-to style is the simple and natural look. Since my last beauty post I have been using some products that I have fallen in love with and you know me, I like to share the wealth! So here you go ladies, from my bathroom counter to yours…

Acure brightening facial scrub  -  stuff is organic, b-t-dub. It’s sea kelp + chlorella and it smells DEEElightful in this super natural seaweed-y way. I lovvveee this stuff. (I’ve got me some super duper sensitive skin so I only use this once a week in the shower.)

Trestique mini color and smudge shadow crayon  -  Holy bananas. I like this most because it’s simple. I hate eye shadow, always have aside from a short lived love affair with blues and greens and purples in college. This crayon is the fastest, man. I just swipe it over my eyelids a bit and VUALA! (I have it in 'tibetan ivory'.)

e.l.f. mineral infused faceprimer  - now really listen up because this is important: it has to be the purple one! The other e.l.f. primers aren’t so great, especially that pink one because it smells like your grandma. Your grandma is sweet, sure, but do you want to smell like her? The second best is the green one if you have to go with second best, which I sometimes do because target seems to run outta the stuff pretty fast. Also, I have it down to a science: this primer lasts me exactly three weeks. So you might be like oh snap, only six dollars! But keep in mind that it doesn’t have much in it. They use the same mind trickery that potato chip manufacturers use, you know the one with the huge bag but then you open it and it’s less than half of the way full?? Anyway, that would bother me and all except for the fact that it is THE BEST PRIMER that I have ever used, so I give.

e.l.f. flawless finish foundation  -  same brand as above but luckily this one is truly giving you quite the bang for your buck! One little pump of this stuff covers my whole face so it lasts me a good few months if not more. That’s for six bucks! Best deal, I know. Now things to remember: this is the square bottle. I once tried the other one in the oval bottle and it wasn’t my favorite. This is a thick coverage too, which I personally love, but if you’re not into the thick coverage then their bb cream is much lighter and I like it mucho bueno also. (my foundation is 'sand'.)

(for you valley folk: you can’t buy e.l.f. anywhere here, I get mine at target since it’s next door to my mom’s house in centerville. You might try online. I’ve seen it sometimes at old navy but it’s a good three dollars more expensive there than at target! Lame sauce, I know.)

Ogx biotin and collagen shampoo and conditioner – this stuff kind of changed my life. The first night I used it, I woke up in the morning like this and I was like WHAT THE WHAT!? One of the stipulations with this shampoo is that it makes my hair a little more fly-ey. I know that’s not a word, yes. Frizzy? Anyway, the cure for this is to rinse the shampoo in hot water and the conditioner in cold water, I have found this to help immensely with the frizz! Otherwise this stuff is the cats pajamas I tell you. It smells delightful and it gives my hair this wavy curl and boost. I wash my hair once a week, at night. I fall asleep on it damp and wake up and go. As the week goes on I brush my hair every day, and in the mornings I spray in some good ol’ dry shampoo. I try not to use much product because it really weighs my hair down.

(I buy this from smith’s market, but I’ve also seen it at target.)

(I’ve also tried the ogx coconut milk shampoo and the teatree conditioner. These smell fabulous and work well! But I love the boost and natural wave I get with the biotin much better. Just fyi.)

Tanwise self tanner  - twelve dollars a bottle cheap! I have found tanner to be a necessity if I want to feel prettier and skinnier. I love having a little glow on me. So here’s my drill: I always use gloves to apply this, and I always put on lotion first before applying the tan. I've only seen the dark mousse (did I mention, I use the mousse!) and I find it’s too dark on me unless I mix it over top of my lotion. I apply to my face and neck about every other day or so, and I apply full body once a week (the night I wash my hair). I’ve used this for so long now that my process of application is super fast! Hardly takes me any time at all! I always apply at night and let it air dry, and then wash my face the morning after before applying my makeup. (PS I only wash my face with a splash of water and coconut oil!)

Another new thing I have been loving is adding one drop of cedarwood oil to my moisturizer at night. I'm trying to clear up some acne and dry skin that's breaking out along my jawline (thank you change of seasons...) Cedarwood is pretty magical (it's extracted through steam distillation from wood pieces of a cedar wood tree)  but also be prepared for a very strong and earthy scent when you use it.

And to wrap this crap up: I’m still a FIRM BELIEVER in the one and only covergirl lashblast mascara unless I have my lash extensions on, which is always the way to go but also, finding the time for that every three weeks is pretty impossible for me these days. And I’m still using this lancome eyeliner pencil in black coffee which lasts me forrreevvveerrr because I am super stingy on my liner application. (In fact, when I have lash extensions, I don't use eyeliner at all!)

ALSO, if it's a night out on the town or a special event, I use my same quick and easy routine but I swipe on some lipstick to pop. My favorites are this, this and this.



And there you have it kittens! Beauty routine two thousand fifteen, over and out!


xoxo

All my ladies put your hands up! Some beauty life changers. If you like this kind of stuff.

 
{awkward close up, pixelated iPhone picture of myself? don't mind if I do.}

Well I've finally done it. For anyone who is interested, here is a list of the beauty products/changes that have changed my life. Just in case you want your life changed too.

1 // Hairdryer - The thing about my hair is this: it is long, incredibly thick and slightly unruly. Up until last year I have spent my life using a cheap walmart hairdryer to blowdry my hair. Insert expensive and grand blowdryer, dun dun dun, and life changed! Husband laughs and rolls his eyes at this one. But men, they just don't understand. With my new dryer my hair dries in five minutes time, and to top it off it dries straight. Straight! With my cheap dryer my hair took at least 20 minutes to dry and was nothing but a ball of frizz when I finished. So needless to say, I will never go back.

I use this gem force hairdryer.

2 // (speaking of hair) Dry Shampoo - A couple of years ago I discovered dry shampoo along with every other woman on the face of the earth. I think it's a lifeline for most of us nowdays. After trying a few, my favorite is the suave because of it's easy on the wallet price and it's easy on the nose smell! It smells delightful. If you're interested, the hair routine that I have fallen in love with is as follows (try to keep up): I wash and dry my hair on Sunday & Thursday nights. Monday & Friday mornings I curl my hair. Then all days in between I simply spray in dry shampoo and comb through my hair, which leaves me with wavy voluminous locks! Easy. That's what sells me, you know. If it's EASY.

Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo.

3 // Eye Primer - maybe you don't have this problem, but I have me some oily eyelids. The kind that soak up eyeshadow like quicksand. After college I made a discovery that, dun dun dun, changed my life! The urban decay eyeshadow primer potion. I've tried many other primers that all didn't work a lick, but this little lovely works like a charm. A CHARM I tell you! I've used it for about five years now, and I still love it with all of my heart. I used to use the wand, but now they have a nifty tube that I love. And you can get it in shimmers if that's what floats your boat!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. (cache valley girls: you can pick this up at ulta now!)

4 // BB Cream - I know I posted about this recently, but I just can't ever emphasize how much I love this stuff. Initially I bought the maybelline brand, but days later I went back for the Loreal Magic bb cream and my socks were knocked off. It is amazeballs you guys. It feels light and sheer, but gives great coverage and a dewy glow. It comes out white but turns into your skin shade as you rub it in.

Loreal Magic BB Cream. (I get the light)

5 // Mascara - I don't know that it's any secret that I'm a little obsessed with eyelashes. I like 'em long baby! But falsies are such a burden. So much work, and so hard to find good ones. Anyway, not long ago I picked up a tube of Covergirl Lash Blast, and holy moly batman! Hands down, THE BEST mascara I have ever tried. And believe me that I've tried them all! Even those fancy shmancy expensive ones. The lashblast gives me killer lashes, and I can apply multiple coats without clumping. (Just don't do waterproof. As with any mascara, that waterproof will clump like a fool.)

Covergirl Lashblast Mascara (I use the volume one, which is in the orange tube)

{And just for good measure, here is a very unflattering close up picture to show you my lashes.}




6 // Eyeliner - I'm not a huge liner girl, but last year I discovered why. It's because I've always been doing it wrong. Black is too much, brown is not enough. (maybe this is just a blonde hair fair skin girl problem?) So last year I discovered Lancome Le Crayon Khol Eyeliner in BLACK COFFEE. It's a deep brown color, and it turns out it is PERFECT. And the liner lasts much longer than the typical drugstore buys, because it's a bigger crayon. (a little more expensive though.)

Lancome Le Crayon Khol Eyeliner in Black Coffee

7 // speaking of eye pencil - recently I read an article on oprah.com. It's called "Makeup Mistakes That Add 10 Years". One thing it notes is that you shouldn't use liner and mascara on your lower lashes. Interesting, right? So I thought I'd give it a try. (dun dun dun....life changer!) For me this has been the greatest discovery. 1, I love not feeling so high maintenance. Losing a step in a makeup routine is easier and makes me feel more natural. And 2, I like my eyes that much better! I don't know how or why, but I'll take it. So try it out, see if it works for you!

8 // Olay Pro X Advanced Cleaning System - another one I've told you about recently. I love this baby! I've backed off to using it twice to three times a week rather than every other day. My skin has never felt better!

Olay Pro X Advanced Cleaning System

9 // Dry Brushing - just discovered this, and not to be redundant or anything but...life changed. I found it from my favorite blogger Natalie at babble here. Read up on it in her article, try it out, change your life!

10 // Fake Bake - okkkaayyy, this last one is probably not applicable to all. But here's the thing about me: I'm full of freckles and I am scared of skin cancer. Only in high school and college, I wasn't scared of skin cancer. I ignored it, really. Tanning beds were my very best friends, ESPECIALLY during these dreary winter months. But then I met a man who loved me for who I was, and very strongly discouraged my tanning bed addiciton. (it's my husband, if you didn't already catch that.) Thanks to him, I quit going to tanning beds and I even started wearing sunblock outside. I won't look like a piece of leather when I'm 30! I won't have skin cancer when I'm 40! I won't have unwanted wrinkles and course skin! Giving up tanning and getting sun has been the best thing for me.

To ween myself off of the tanning addiction, I found a perfect self tanner and I fell in love with it. But this year, as I've been making new beauty discoveries and feeling prettier inside and out, I made a decision. This whole tan business, well it's nothing but exhausting. It fades so quickly that it has to be reapplied each week. And if I step foot in a pool or hot tub, well bye bye tan! It felt fake and so...not me. I'm always searching for ways to feel most beautiful while looking my most natural. So you know what I did? I trashed that tanner. And (I'm sorry, just one last time okay?) dun dun dun dun...life changed.

I think it comes down to acceptance, rather than trying to change. I have accepted my freckles and I don't try to hide them. I have accepted my pale skin and found ways to enhance it as it is, instead of covering it with a fake color. And I daresay it's no coincidence that I feel prettier now then I ever did before. Bye-bye tan! Hello soft, natural skin.

Annndddd...Even though that last one was long enough for a whole post in itself, that is the end! There you go dears. The beauty products and advice that have changed my life for the better. On an ending note, I always work hard to drink a lot of water and moisturize like crazy. Those are my secrets.

If you try any of these, I'd love to hear how they work for you!

PS one problem I have that I have a hard time getting rid of are those fun once a month breakouts that accompany my time of month. so while we are giving advice, if anyone has tried anything for this that works for them, I would love to hear about it! *MUAH*

My Dry Shampoo Review

It's Monday! Most of you are probably booing to that, but I love my Mondays. It's when I get the most done. Not too mention I get to spend it with my boys, since daddy has Mondays off too. Annndd I get to watch DWTS and The Bachelorette... Yep, I love Mondays!
I am still working on my closet makeover for this week. Due in part to my sewing machine being out of commission and having to use my mother-in-law's sewing machine to get my projects done. Someday I will either have a new sewing machine or mine will be fixed, and I will never take for granted the chance to work on projects from home when I have spare time!
Annyywhoo, I'm really excited about this one and I hope it turns out! This one is by far the most creative I have gotten with refashioning, so here's hoping.
I've also got big plans for a striped maxi skirt in the works, and some striped burlap curtains for the kitchen. Apparently I like stripes right now.
So stay tuned for some good stuff!

On that note, I made a fabulous find over the weekend that I just have to share with you ladies. Anyone use Dry Shampoo?
I love the stuff. L-O-V-E.
I've been using Big Sexy Hair Volumizing Dry Shampoo, but that's until I made this discovery:

{Found here}

I'm not gonna lie, I don't buy Suave products. My long, thick, unruly hair calls for the good stuff when it comes to shampoo and conditioner.
But when I saw this sitting on the shelf for a whopping $2.99, in comparison to the other dry shampoos I used that start at $15 for a little bottle, I had to try.
And I was pleasantly surprised! Not only does it work just as good, but it smells delightful!

What a find.

If you haven't tried Dry Shampoo, I highly recommend it. It gives me great volume and I only have to wash my hair twice a week.
And now, thanks to my awesome find, it's totally affordable.

Cha-ching!