beauty products – Page 2

Summer Beauty Swaps

June 26, 2015 No Comments

This a post from last summer (as you’ll quickly surmise when you see my stomach ;) But I wanted to bring it to you again because all of these products are still relevant, and will help make your summer beauty routine a lot easier. Enjoy!

Now that it is consistently hotter than a cole miners arm pit outside, it’s a good time to summer-ize our beauty routine.

This time of year we need protection from the sun, tools to combat humidity, and products that will help us not feel like we want to melt into the concrete.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch yesterday’s segment, just press play!

Here is a list of all the products I talked about…

Aveeno body lotion with SPF: If you’re not already applying lotion everyday/every time you get out of the shower, you should be! Add this to your routine and you’ll not only get moisturized, but you’ll also get protection from the sun!

Pond’s BB Cream: One thing I forgot to mention on the show, is this only comes in two shades. I picked up the medium to go with my tan, and it seems to blend in well. It does come out a lot darker then what it ends up looking like on your face, so don’t get freaked out.

Maybelline Color Show in Pink Embrace: light pastel colors are great for your manicure if you don’t want to touch it up a lot. These lighter colors won’t show nicks and chips as badly.

Urban Decay Makeup Setting Spray: I don’t know why my face starts to feel gross by 3pm, but I do know how to fix it – this makeup setting spray does the trick every time. Spray it on your face after doing your makeup to keep it in place, then do what I do and use it as an afternoon refresher.

Sea Salt Spray by Organix: Get that soft beach-babe look in your hair without all the driving and that sand thing, with this great sea salt spray. It smells fantastic and will give your hair some texture to make it easier to put up.

bare minerals, Beauty, makeup, makeup brushes, west town mall

The Makeup of the Future is Here and It’s Awesome

June 1, 2015 4 Comments

Full disclosure: I’ve left Bare Minerals before to try and find a better foundation. Actually, that’s half disclosure. Full disclosure is that I’ve left them twice in the past 4 years to play the field a little bit.

And “play the field” is the absolute best way to put it (why thank you) because I never had a good reason for leaving. I just wanted to try new things, sew my wild makeup oats.

The truth is I never strayed very far, because in all of my research and in testing other products I consistently found Bare Minerals to be the best.

My number one requirement? Match my skin tone. I switched to Bare Minerals because my last foundation was taking up too much of the spotlight. Not only does Bare Minerals blend well, but the original formula has SPF, leaves a gorgeous glow-y sheen (something I really missed when trying other products), and is made up of only FIVE ingredients.

One of the biggest selling points of this makeup to me was the fact that you can fall asleep in it and it won’t harm your skin. Now, I’ve never fallen asleep in my makeup ever EVER (and neither should you, young lady), but knowing that this stuff is that natural really gave me peace of mind.

But truthfully my goal wasn’t to talk about their foundation, I want to talk about some of their other great products…

They have a new brush bar that’s filled with luxurious brushes you are going to wish were king size so you could take a nap inside them.

Oh yeah and they also work really well to distribute product on your face (you know, that’s kind of a big deal). As I’ve said so many times before, brushes really take your makeup job to the next level and can easily and quickly give you more of a professional look.

And let’s pause for a moment of gratitude for the fact that they’re all reasonably priced around $30 or so.

Next on the list of things to try? Their lip gloss. It’s hydrating and wonderful and think of all the combinations you could create with this set!

Finally, their Primer.

Let’s say you’re not a believer in primer and that you think it’s a waist of time. If that’s the case then you probably don’t have wrinkles you’d like to minimize, or uneven skin tone you’d like to hide. I guess you’re living the good life with perfectly moist skin that’s not too oily and locks onto your foundation all the day long.

If any of those things describe your face – go ahead, live your primer-free life. You deserve it, Fancy Face.

Everyone else? Let’s prep our skin. This stuff goes on so smoothly and, depending on the formula you choose, can brighten your skin, even out redness, control oil, smooth away flakes, and set the stage for a flawless performance from your foundation.

Bare Minerals isn’t paying me to say this. I’m just a consumer truly happy with a product, and I think you will be too. They’ve got lots of great products in their store so check them out in West Town Mall right behind Starbucks.

If my word isn’t enough (as golden and true as it is, how could it not be?) what about a little deal sweetener…this weekend is Friends and Family discount days where you get 20% off (Friday, June 5th – Sunday, June 7th).

The fullest disclosure? That’s a deal.

Beauty, beauty products, hair, hair spray, Videos, wbir

Where to Save and Splurge with Hair Products

May 13, 2015 No Comments

I was going to start this by saying I could REALLY blow a budget when it comes to hair products, but then I thought about it for a second and realized, I could easily blow a lot of money on just about anything I put on my body…just ask my husband ;)

But just as there are ways to save and splurge with beauty products, there are strategic ways to spend when it comes to how you do your hair.

Hair tools: Splurge

Because these are things you use on a regular basis and because they really play a big role in the health of your strands, it’s important to spend a little bit more to get quality hair tools.

A straightener especially can make a difference. The higher quality tools (like Chi) will have things in place to protect your hair (like real ceramic) and a way for you to see the temperature. You may think that’s just a luxury to see how hot your tool is, but it can be the difference from you frying off strands because you can see how hot you’ve gotten it.

A blow dryer is another good example. The good ones are high powered which means you spend less time underneath them = less chance of you doing any more heat damage to your hair.

And while this might be a surprise to you, a hair brush is another great tool to spend a little bit more on. This brush acts just like a straightener leaving your strands super soft and frizz free.

Let me point out, investing in great hair tools is money well spent because they’re going to last a long time and really make the investment worth it in the long run – especially in the life of your hair!

Speaking of saving…. Since you’ve bought some expensive tools, let’s save when it comes to certain hair products. Not all products are worth skimping on but these three are…

Hair products: Save {on certain ones}

Hair Spray – if you want to read all my thoughts on this spray, you can do so here. It works great, doesn’t leave your hair sticky and truly holds your style.

Heat Protectant spray – again, for a full review click here. I love the way it sprays and that it really coats my hair which is important with something that’s protecting your strands.

Mousse – honestly, Sauve is a favorite of mine. My biggest requirement for a mousse is to not leave my hair crunchy. I want it to control frizz and let my natural wave do its thaang. I’ve not tried a ton of expensive versions, but I have gone through all the drugstore possibilities and this one always comes out on top.

Now Sephora and Ulta are filled to the brim with hair products we can all easily splurge on, and I’m not saying never do that. But you can cut some corners with these three products which will allow you to spend a little more on others.

I hope this helps! It’s always good to have the peace of mind that you’re putting your money in the right place!

Watch yesterday’s segment to see where to save/splurge on beauty products!

Beauty, makeup, makeup brushes

Where to Save and Splurge with Your Beauty Products

May 12, 2015 No Comments

In a dream world we could splurge on everything and it wouldn’t affect our budget. Unfortunately that isn’t the case. We run out of everything at the same time, our panty hose run and our hair looks fantastic the day before our hair appointment – such is life. So we have to strategically splurge and save in order to get the most for our money and look.

My general rule of thumb is to splurge on your base products, save on the “fluffier” ones. I’ll explain that here in a second.

First, keep in mind the fact that when you spend a lot of money on a product, it is going to go a lot farther so your cost per use might be about the same as a cheaper product.

Now let me show you what I’m talking about…

Moisturizers: Splurge

It’s the first thing you put on in the morning and the last thing you put on at night. They sit on your skin for long periods of time and have long-term effects on your skin. Here’s what I use…

Artistry Brand Night Cream – one of the highest rated brands in the beauty industry. It runs around $100 (click here to get more info about purchasing). At night your skin cells are turning over while you sleep, which makes it even more important that you have quality ingredients helping your skin repair itself.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate – Facial oil that also helps while you sleep. It’s going to really moisturize and help stave off wrinkles as well as help with putting good oil on your skin so that it doesn’t have to work hard to produce its own (which ends up in a breakout). This is around $50 at Kiehl’s.

Neutrogena Day Cream – while it’s not as expensive, it is a higher end drugstore product ringing in at $20. It’s got SPF and Vitamin C which helps keep your skin tone look radiant.

With all the money you’re spending on these moisturizers you can save it when it comes to face wash and body lotion.

Face Wash, Body Lotion: Save

Cetaphil: I’ve heard and read so many good things about this brand. And I’ve gotten from multiple sources that dermatologists recommend it. I’ve also tried a wide range of brands when it comes to face wash and this stuff does just as good of a job as the expensive brands. It’s only $6. The lotion is great as well, it really puts the moisture back in your skin without being greasy (it’s around $10).

Makeup Brushes: Splurge

To get the most professional looking makeup, you’ve got to have great brushes.

A cheap makeup brush isn’t going to last you as long, it’s not going to leave the product on your face well, and it’s going to start shedding little hairs all over your face.

Sephora has a great selection, MAC and Bare Minerals are also great places to go. I have an angled eye brush from MAC that I’ve been using every day for over 5 years and the bristles are still strong and useful. I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth out of it.

Mascara, Eye Makeup Remover: Save

Save some cash with your mascara and eye makeup remover. I’ve tried different expensive brands of eye makeup remover that do work great – but this Target brand does just as good of a job and it’s around $3-4 (and sometimes it comes in a two pack at a deal).

Same things goes for mascara. Sure there are some expensive brands out there that are going to be awesome, but with something like this that you have to replace every 3 months, go with a cheaper brand that’s going to work really well. I love this Loreal Voluminous mascara more than I’ve loved bigger brand name mascaras that promise all these different things but don’t deliver.

This one gives me full lashes, allows me to touch up without becoming crunchy and comes off easily at night.

I hope this has helped spread our your beauty budget as well as give you ideas on how to best take care of your skin!

Beauty, gift ideas, gifts, mother's day, west town mall

Mother’s Day Gift Guide – Because She Birthed You

May 4, 2015 No Comments

Being on the cusp of full on motherhood, I’m excited to bring you this gift guide so we can all celebrate our mom’s together! And on a completely unrelated subject (and if my husband’s reading this) growing the child in your belly counts as being a mom so gifts are totally acceptable at this point in time ;)

If you’re stuck on what to get your mom and she hasn’t given you any hints, I like to take the, “what would make her feel pampered?” approach. Which is the question I used as inspiration to bring you these items.

Bring on a happy Mother’s Day with any of these great gifts all found at West Town Mall…

1. Godiva Chocolate: I don’t think this needs much explanation. It’s delicious.

2. Ugg Slippers from Dillard’s: If wearing these comfort clouds around the house isn’t enough of a luxury, thinking about going home and relaxing in them will help get her through a busy day.

3. Vera Bradley Travel Cosmetic Bag: Travel bags fall under the category of things you really need but don’t want to purchase for yourself. Give her this gorgeous one that’s lined inside so even if her makeup breaks it won’t be ruined.

4. Urban Decay Naked Eye Shadow: Pamper her with these gorgeous shades from Sephora (and throw one in the bag for yourself…I won’t tell).

5. Boscia Cleansing Kit: Giver her the gift of flawless skin with this Japanese cleansing system. It’s the least you can do to make up for that rebellious phase.

6. Chico’s Jewelry: I just couldn’t take my eyes off these tortoise shell pieces from Chico’s – they’re gorgeous! They’ll go with so many things, but especially pair well with your loving card :)

Also, be sure to bring her to West Town Mall Thursday night May 7th for a night of indulgence! I’ll be there giving away prizes and there will be a fashion show, but I figured I could stop with “I’ll be there.” ;)

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