Hairspray!!!

So I'm not a huge hair girl, I'm awful at styling and I never put enough effort and time towards drying it. But after getting pinterest and just paying attention to hairstyles in photographs and magazines I was inspired to put a little more effort towards this rat's nest on my head. When I started trying out different styles and when I watched how-to videos online I realized hairspray is a must!! So I have tried a few at work:




the Moroccan Oil Hairspray ($20) smell delish and gives me enough hold for just every day hairstyles. And when I say every day hairstyles I mean like straight and down-nothing fancy at all!!!! I pretty much use this as a perfume. If you need strong-hold this is not the one for you. But if you just want your hair to smell good and your hair is down and you just want to spritz this just for good measure go for it!

Oribe Superfine Hairspray




This is $29 and smells like heaven!!!! The whole entire line smells amazing!! But this hair spray will hold a lot but still be nice, fine spray that isn't sticky. This one isn't the strongest hold but messy up-dos and stuff like that will work great with this. I loooove this one!!

If you need a stronger hold there is the Oribe Superfine Strong Hairspray





This is around $35 and it is an awesome, major-hold hair spray. I sprayed it in my hair once right after I washed my hair and I was SO mad at myself because my hair felt kinda sticky and I thought, "oh great!! Now I have to wash my hair again tomorrow!" and if you know me you know I do NOT wash my hair every day! So I was a little worried about what my hair was going to be like once I got home and took my hair down. I was honestly so pleasantly surprised by my outcome!! I took my hair down and combed through it and viola! My hair was soft as could be and no sticky!!! I didn't have to wash my hair for 3 days!! Yay!! (my hair is so dry I only wash it twice a week, don't judge) so-obviously this is great for super strong hold and then all you have to do is gently comb through your style at night and you're good to go!

*after proof-reading I am realizing I obviously love this hairspray. I'm shooting exclamation points all over the place in that last paragraph. It's like I'm just screaming the whole time!

I'm going to have to write a blog strictly about Oribe because I like a lot of stuff in their line!

Now on to the more affordable side here is L'Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray




This stuff stinks!!!!!!! Oh my gosh I am SO sorry if anyone loves this smell I don't meant to disrespect your olfactory nerves but wowie! I HATE this smell! It's like instant grandma scent-no offense to you grandmothers out there either! It is very powdery and strong!! The hold is awesome and I love everything else about it so I hate that this stuff stinks because it's awesome besides that!! Once again, I am SO sorry if you love the smell!! We are all different, we all like different things I just have a super sensitive nose, all my other senses suck, so my sense of smell is out of this world!! So I think just spraying that so close to my nose it really bothers me and it stays on the hair quite a while. So if smell are your thing (they're my thing) then this might not be the one for you. It's a little pricier for drug stores as well, it's about $14.

This is Pantene Pro V Anti-Humidity Hairspray




This hairspray is really affordable, about $4, but it's very sticky. It holds really well but it is sticky so if you like a soft-touch to your hair you might want to pass on this one. This one doesn't blow me away or anything I'm pretty neutral towards it.

So the jury is still out on some affordable hairsprays, I'm still on the hunt! I'm going to Target tonight for some research and development!!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cosmetic Market Signature Facial

Hi! Here is a video that I did with my sweet and talented friend Rachel Martino. She has an amazing blog and writes about everything from fashion to beauty to her daily adventures and her great fashion finds from her favorite local stores. She approached me about doing a video about my facials and I was so excited to work with her, she knows her stuff!! Check out her blog at:
http://www.rachmartino.blogspot.com/
and check out our video!! This will give you a little insight on where I work and what I do!

Summer bronze

The summer is right upon us and everyone is wanting that summer glow! I am quite pale and wear sunscreen all the time (you should too kids! Just at least put SPF on everyday! You brush your teeth everyday you should protect your skin everyday) sorry for that little side note but I remember when I was a teenager and I would go to the tanning bed all the time and never put sunscreen on and now I'm completely nervous about the damage I did. It can take up to 30 years to show signs of sun damage so just remember that.

Back on track, sorry! I love self tanners and bronzers so today I'll tell you about some affordable favorites of mine to get you that summer glow.

First off my favorite bronzers-

Sun 2 Sun bronzer by NYC (New York Color)



This bronzer is a nice, light color. This is great for the winter time when I don't have much color. This is great for lighter skin tones and people that don't want a super-bronzed look. I like that is has this light bronze color and the golden shimmer to it so it really adds dimension to your face and contours it wonderfully! It's only about $5, I can't remember the exact price but I know it's affordable as is everything in this line. I have never seen this line sold at any other stores other than Target. I'll always take a good excuse to go and shop there though! Next time you are there and you're looking for a nice light bronzer check this one out!!

The next 3 bronzers are by Physicians Formula




This is the Powder Palette Multi-Colored bronzer. This is a great one to brighten and bronze. It is Multi-colored (obviously) so you will get a great multifaceted look. This bronzer is quite matte so if your skin is on the oily and shiny side then this is a great one for you! This one gives you a beautiful flawless bronze. This is great if you're getting pictures taken because there isn't any shimmer to it so it photographs well!




This is the Physicians Formula Summer Eclipse Bronzing & Shimmery powder. This is a fun, everyday kind of bronzer. Great for the summer time and for the darker skin tone. I use this one in the summer and it looks great. Now this line has a lot of different types of bronzers and a lot of them are great but these are the ones that stick out to me and are universal for everyone to use. I like this one a lot because the look is so pretty. It's great for every day and the bronze is dark enough for adding a glow and contouring. The shimmer looks really fresh and glowing. --I had a really awesome few sentences there and somehow I deleted them so that's the best I could come back up with and I hope I didn't forget anything. But regardless this is a great bronzer and it really brings your skin back to life.




This is the last bronzer from Physicians Formula it's the Healthy Wear bronzing powder. This has a matte bronze and it has an SPF 50!!! I love that! It goes on amazing and they also have a healthy wear powder. I wrote about the healthy wear powder in a previous blog, go check it out!! This bronzing powder is really beautiful and it protects your skin which I love!!

Please check out these bronzers they are awesome!

Now to my favorite affordable self tanners



The first one is from Neutrogena. This one is my favorite spray tanner. It's a little messy and being in a small enclosed room can choke you up a little bit but it's good. I know I'm not selling you on it with that dazzling review but it is great when you really want a deeper bronze. I use this one only once in a while and usually the night before an event that I want to be tan at. I will use my regular lotion and mouse self tanners leading up to the event and the night before I will apply tanner and then let that dry, I will crawl back into the shower and close the curtain and spray myself with this self tanner. My shower technique happened when my husband was tired of walking into a cloud of self tanner and having the floors sticky from where the tanner has hit so his idea was applying it in the shower and it works really well!!







These 2 are from Jergens. These are more of my every day tanners. These really help keep the tan maintained. The first one is the Natural Glow firming body lotion. This gives you a daily dose of self tanner, hydration and firming qualities....yes please!! I love this one and it doesn't smell! You can use it daily and it doesn't get too dark or orangey. The second picture is for the face and it has SPF in it which I really like! It doesn't break me out either which is huge when it comes to self tanners. I always break out when I apply self tanners and this face moisturizer doesn't do that and it adds just the right amount of glow. I apply both of these daily and they will keep your glow. They both are affordable and I always go back to these two!





If you're looking for a deeper color then this is a great one. It is a foam so I love the application of it. A little goes a long way and this gives a deeper glow and I only use this about once or twice a week and then use the Jergens Natural Glow products to maintain the tan from this tanner. They are all awesome and you could probably buy every single on of these for a little over the price one higher end self tanner.

Check these out and enjoy!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Here is my other blog. I write about natural, organic products and trying to live a more organic lifestyle free of chemicals and processed foods. There are some natural tips and natural beauty products I write about on there so please feel free to check it out!! http://sonaturallynormal.blogspot.com/

Healing cream

Hi!! I am here to write about something that we all have to deal with. Men and women, people of all ages get this. I'm talking about pimples! Blemishes, spots, zits, whatever you call them, we all get them. Some people get more than others. There are different types of blemishes but no matter what kind or where they may be (back, chest, blah blah blah) I use one thing and one thing only on the "spots."



Mario Badescu Healing Cream! I swear by this stuff!!! I put this on any blemish that comes my way. I tend to get cystic blemsihes, the deep ones that hurt really bad and look like a big 'ol bump on your face. Those are the ones I get and they suck!! Now if these are the type you get then this is what I do-if it just hurts and you can't extract it then just apply a little bit of this on your blemish. It rubs in clear so you can pop it on any time you need it. Sometimes if I'm at work and I feel one of these suckers popping up I will apply it on top of makeup and viola! Crisis diverted! You're good to go! So, if I feel the pimple before it shows up I apply this cream, if there's a bump and its sore I apply it. I apply this stuff as much as I can a day. Within a few hours you will either notice the inflammation has calmed down and the bump has shrunk or you'll notice that the blemish has come to a head. **It's about to get real on this blog.**If you want to extract it I use two q-tips and use those like my fingers (helps with keeping germs away from blemish) the healing cream should get all that junk out. Keep pressing on the blemish until a puss comes out. That will show you that you've got all the junk out of pimple. After you get all that crap outta there then I reapply the healing cream until the blemish I all healed.

Another reason I use this product and this product only is that this one will not dry out your pimple. Some products get rid of the blemish by drying it out and then you have this big dry patch that you can't stop picking at. I don't know what's worse a pimple or a dry patch but with the healing cream you will have neither!



Mario Badescu healing cream is sulfur based and it helps speed up the healing process. It will calm red, irritated spots or acne. This cream also has Balsam Peru which protects the skin and soothes and calms redness while its healing. This stuff works fast and it's doesn't burn or irritate.

I swear by this stuff and it is the absolute only thing I use!! Before, during and after a blemish! It's a miracle worker!

Flawless, even skin for $3

This is the E.L.F. Tone Correcting Powder. You can get it at Target and it is awesome!!! It's only $3 and I am so, very pleases with it! I always use my foundation, concealer, then a pressed powder and then a translucent powder to get a really flawless look but I still have some areas that need more attention. I have redness and darker spots from healing blemishes and sun spots so this powder really gives that perfect finishing touch! I put this on as my last step for perfecting my canvas.

When I say perfecting my canvas I mean really evening my skin tone and really focusing on just the skin tone. This would be me apply a moisturizer and eye cream (which is super important! Giving yourself that smooth, hydrated canvas will put you on the right track for the perfect skin look) then I apply my color correcting concealer which is from Covergirl and it's my absolute favorite!!




This stuff is awesome and I have written about it numerous times! I have tried many others like this but I always come back to this one because it's the best!!! After this I apply my concealer. Then I do a pressed powder to help the concealed areas stay covered. I always like to add a transparent powder on top of that just to really seal that work in and really give that flawless look. I decided to try this Tone Correcting one out just because I always have redness and some sort of discoloration so, if I can even that out and add the finishing powder to the skin I'll go for it! And I love it!! It comes in this awesome compact that looks like it can last sloshing around in your makeup bag or purse and it has a mirror which I love!!!




The brand is only sold at Target from what I know of and this is what the box looks like.




It'll set you back about $3 and you are going to be in love!! Even if you don't want to go through all those makeup steps I would suggest to simply apply moisturizer and eye cream, then apply concealed and finish off with this! You'll be very happy at how flawless your skin is going to look!!!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Skin solutions

So my last few blogs I've written about BB Creams and me Breaking out with them. I've been using the Too Faced one and I like that one a lot better but I'm still breaking out. Not as much as the Garnier one made me break out but I've still got some blemishes. I'm one of those people where I just break out at the drop of a hat and I have never been able to wear any type of primer so I had a feeling these BB Creams wouldn't work. Now most people that I have made samples for of the Too Faced BB Cream love it!! So I definitely would suggest this if your skin can handle primers. This will definitely be added to my makeup kit for weddings and photo shoots! These are $32 and a little goes a long way!



Now back to my breakouts. The first time I tried out the Garnier one, I just so happened to be getting trained on a facial peel that week so the timing worked out perfectly! So the facial I got trained on was the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta peel. It is amazing!!! But luckily I got to try that on myself and it really helped my skin! Another solution would be to get Dr. Dennis Gross' alpha beta daily peel pads. They are amazing!!!! They are a two step peel pad and they are so easy to use! They are a little pricey but if you have discoloration or breakouts and you are desperate to fix your skin, then these are for you!! I use these about 1-2 times a week just for upkeep. Even just using one will give you noticeable changes to your skin!


The 30 pack is $78 which like I said is a little high but I only use them every once in a while so it's definitely a great investment! They come in regular and extra strength. If you tend to have sensitive skin start off with the regular ones. If you have done different facials and have used glycolics or retinols or you have hyperpigmentation I would go for the extra strength! They come in tubs like the picture above or in packettes. I like the packs better because you can travel with these and I feel like they will last longer because they won't dry out as easily. I also love the extra strength ones but if you have dry skin go for the regular ones!





This is one of my favorites as well as this little gem.




This is Mario Badescu healing cream. This is an amazing blemish cream that won't dry out your skin. Every time I have a blemish I use this stuff. This cream is amazing! When I feel like I'm getting a blemish I dab this stuff on. This stuff works great for the cystic acne (the ones that are really deep and hurt bad). If you feel a cystic blemish popping up just dab a tiny bit of this (a little bit goes a long way!) and I will apply this cream numerous times a day, like 5-8 times. Using this cream will do one of two things. It will either just calm down the blemish and will just go away or it will pull up all the dirt and then you can extract it. If it's the latter then here are my tips for a clean at-home extraction: when the blemish has come to a head wash your face with some sort of active cleanser I love a good glycolic cleanser (my favorite is Therapy Systems Glycolic Cleansing Lotion) this cleanser is $36 and SO worth it!!! I use it every night and have used it every night for almost 4 years! It's changed my skin forever!




After you wash your face, wash your hands!! Then get you 2 q-tips. I use these as my fingers when extracting. Instead of using your hands and getting your dirty nails dug into your skin I just use these q-tips and find the blemish and push down on the outer corners and roll in together. Push down, roll in. Rotate different sides around the blemish and if something comes out good, keep doing this until that clear, puss comes out. Sorry gross I know but I want you to do this right if you're going to do it! After that reapply the blemish cream and keep applying until your blemish heals completely. This cream never dries out my skin and it heals the blemish without even a red mark on the skin! After I extract I will use a toner and then apply the healing cream. My favorite toner is the seaweed cleansing lotion from Mario Badescu in the morning



And the special glycolic cleansing lotion at night from Mario. They both are $18.




After that dries on my skin I use the healing cream.
This stuff is a miracle worker! It is $18 for the small jar and $26 for the large one which would last you a lifetime!!!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Couple newbies

Hi!! Long time no post! I have been super busy at work but with the transition of schools coming to an end and students coming and going, it's starting to slow down which means I'll get to blog more!! I've tried some new things and I'm excited to tell you about them!



First off, you know I love mascara and I am IN LOVE with this one!!!! It's by VMV Hypoallergenics.



This mascara is called Ohh-La Lash. It's $24 which I know is a little pricey but it is soooo worth it!! If you have sensitive eyes or you have major allergies then this is the mascara for you!!! I have awful allergies here in Tennessee and my eyes are itchy and watery all the time!! There are times when I'm at work and I am just wiping tears from my face because my eyes are so irritated and I think, "oh my gosh! I'm going to get done shaping this person's brows and they're going to look at me and I'm going to look like this..."



Don't get me wrong she's great and confident and has her own style. But let's be honest, scrubs and major smokey eyes just don't go. But honestly I wipe my eyes my eyes are watering like crazy and I'm scared what I'm going to look like and then I look in the mirror and I'm so pleasantly surprised! I look normal!! Not a tiny spec of mascara has rubbed off nor is it on my face! So-if you have major problems with smudging or your mascara comes off or you have super sensitive eyes then this is the mascara for you!!! I really have tried to find a great affordable mascara that's comparable but I can't find one!! I have been using this consistently for almost 3 months and I have tried to find others like it and just can't. So this ones definitely tried and true and I am in love!!!! Not only is it great for sensitive eyes it also is gentle on the lashes, it's super water-proof and it lengthens, curls and adds tons of volume. Don't let the water-proof factor scare you, it's not hard to remove. This mascara creates tubes around your lashes so all you have to do is do light, circular motions with cleanser and water on the eyes and it comes right off!

Another product I'm loving is another BB Cream that didn't break me out this time!!! If you've read my previous posts I had tried out the Garnier BB Cream and it broke me out like a little teenage girl! But- I found a little secret that cleared up my skin big time! I'll write about that next!!



This BB Cream is by Too Faced and it's awesome!!! It has an SPF of 20 and it doesn't have as much silicone in it like the Garnier one did. I think that was the problem for me was the silicone. I can't wear primers ever so I think that was the issue. Anywho, this one I feel like has a little more coverage and a lot more illuminator which will give you this gorgeous glow (which I love!). Every time I wear this people compliment the glow that I have to my skin. It is really awesome and it doesn't break me out!! This will definitely be my summer makeup go-to! If you don't know BB Creams are the latest craze in the beauty world. They hydrate, give you sun protection, they have a natural tint to them so it evens and lightens the skin, there is an illuminator that gives you this gorgeous glow and it's healing! Love it, love it, love it! It's $32 and you will not be disappointed!!!


Www.toofaced.com
Www.vmvhypoallergenics.com
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad