august 2012 favorites

Another month down, another favorites post.
This month I re-discovered some old favorites and fell in love with some recent finds.
Here are my standout products for August 2012...

Skin 

Simple Hydrating Moisturizer

The Simple brand is new to the US this year, but has been very popular in the UK for quite some time. I’ve been looking for a daytime moisturizer that is very light since I have oily skin. I use just a little bit daily, and I think my skin has loved it. No breakouts so far!

Hair

Aveda Volumizing Tonic

An oldie but a goodie. I’m a loyal fan of Aveda products, but have been keeping this buried in the back. Started re-using it and I am now on a mission to finish this. I spray my roots with this when my hair is wet, put it in a pony while I do my makeup, and then blow dry. Instant volume and it smells amazing.

Nail polish

Orly - Rage

You can read my recent blog post here about why I love this polish.
Great polish for the fall!

Urban Outfitters - After Hours

I bought this glitter polish because it reminded me of OPI Teenage Dream from the Katy Perry collection. Except this one looked like it had finer glitter that would be easy to work with. Loved the way this applied and it stayed on for over a week as an accent nail.
Makes me want to try more UO polishes.

Essie - Lady Like

Such a classic. When I bought After Hours by UO, I had no clue what I would try pairing it with first. As soon as I saw this one in my drawer, it was a no-brainer.
I feel like these two polishes were made for each other.
To see how I wore Lady Like and After Hours together—here is my Instagram photo.

Tools

Real Techniques Brushes: Buffing and Shader

Bought these brushes recently at Ulta. I like using the buffing brush for contouring with bronzer; and the shader brush is perfect for applying eye shadow. I have a hard time finding the perfect eye shadow brushes because my eyes are small, and most shader brushes are too big for me. This one is perfect.

Tarte Eyelash Curler

My trusty Revlon eyelash curler finally got kicked to the curb. I needed to upgrade to something that was gentler and had better grip. This one by Tarte does not disappoint. And it came with a sample size of my favorite Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. That may have swayed my decision just a little bit.

Makeup

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bold Gold and Bad to the Bronze
Don’t want to beat a dead horse since I just blogged about these. But holy moly—these are seriously amazing. Bad to the Bronze has been with me since these first came out, but of course I had to pull it out after buying some new colors. I’ve been wearing Bold Gold literally every day. I went tailgating in 100 degree weather, went to the LSU football game, and went out afterward with friends-- and this did not budge at all by the end of the night. I highly recommend that you check these out if you haven’t already!

Wet N Wild Blush in Pearlescent Pink

Wet n Wild does a lot of things right that many people still don’t know about. Nail polish, eyeshadow-- and definitely blush. Their blushes are SO pigmented and they last all day. This one is a gorgeous pink with a slight golden shimmer.
These retail for $2.99—a freaking steal.

Fresh Sugar Lip Balm
Got this as the Sephora birthday gift. Good thing it was free because I would not spend $22 on a lip balm. But this is so moisturizing and I can totally see why the price tag is so high. It feels like butter on your lips and it is one of the best lip balms I have ever used.

Have you been reaching for any of these same products?

What else have you been loving lately?

operation: use what you got

A couple months before I started this blog, I began “Operation: Use What You Got.” The closet in my bathroom is filled with half-empty bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, styling products, and much more. When you’re storage containers can’t fit any more bottles, that’s when you know you might be a hoarder have a problem. So, I started on a mission of using what I have. So genius, I know.

I’ve kept all my empty products so I can share the things I’ve used up during this “operation.” But now, I realize that at this point, I’m basically hoarding trash. It’s kind of weird not throwing away things that should be thrown away, so I had to finally sit down and do this post so I could now throw my empties away.

I have quite a few empty products so I’m dividing this into three parts: hair care, skin care, and makeup. I’m starting with hair care, so stay tuned for parts two and three!

Suave Keratin Infusion Shampoo

I’ve used Nexxus Shampoo for years. I love it. But, I do venture out and switch it up from time to time. Suave came out with their Keratin Infusion line this year, and I just couldn’t resist trying. I used this up fairly quickly, and I have to say that I really liked it. It was moisturizing and didn't leave any residue on my hair. For only $4.50, it’s worth a try!

Dove Dry Shampoo

I can go through dry shampoo rather quickly. But, the problem with dry shampoos is that most are made with that white powder substance, which can give a gray-hair look on us brunette ladies. This one by Dove does not say it’s for brunette shades because it’s supposed to work on all hair types and colors. Well, it would have been nice to see if that claim holds true if I had not run out of this product in just one use. I’m not kidding. I used this ONE time. A few sprays in my hair and the next time I went to use it, there was nothing in there! I don’t know what that was about. Someone at the Dove factory forgot to fill my bottle up all the way. I can’t really say if I like or dislike it, because I only used it once, and I’ve since moved on to the Batiste Dry Shampoo.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Leave-In Conditioner

I wrote about this leave-in conditioner in my summer hair care post. Leave-in conditioner is key for ladies with long horse hair like myself. I like to soak my ends with this leave- in conditioner after a wash. I love this one and I always re-purchase it (for around $6.00).

 Aveda Smooth Infusion Shampoo

This is my most expensive shampoo, and it’s also my all-time favorite. I love most of the Aveda line of hair care. Each does what it says it’s going to do. And the Smooth Infusion line is no different. The shampoo alone is very moisturizing and reduces frizz. I also love the packaging of this shampoo because it’s lightweight and great for travel. I buy the 8.5oz bottle, which is $21.00. You can buy at Aveda salons or online.

Ojon Damage Reverse Conditioner

Ojon is another expensive hair care brand. So, I was very excited to receive a sample of this conditioner in a past Birchbox. I used it up fairly quickly and I loved it. It contains pure Ojon oil, brazillian buriti oil, and murmur butter; all of which made my ends silky and smooth. I highly recommend trying this conditioner if you have really damaged hair. 

So that’s what I used up in the hair care world over the past month or so. I’ll post parts two and three next week.

What kind of products do you use up frequently? Do you also have half empty bottles of shampoo and conditioners in your cabinets like me?

Let me know so I don’t feel alone! :)

no-heat beachy waves

As you know, I was in Florida all last week. I tried to take full advantage of the care-free beach atmosphere. For me, that meant little to no makeup and minimal hair care. On a typical day or night, I blow dry (or air dry if time) and straighten my hair. But, during the trip I really wanted to use no heat and minimal products to get a somewhat decent “beachy wave.”

I have long, thick straight hair that frizzes easily, so that’s why I usually stick to my trusty straightener. But, after having some luck with these products, I decided to try this process every day last week. And I have to say, I was really happy with the outcome.

To get the look, I don’t brush my hair when it’s wet. I just let the craziness of the “just taken down from the towel” hair do its thing. I let it dry a tad so its not dripping wet.

I first spray the Aussie Sprunch on most of my hair, and really concentrate on the ends. Then I just scrunch and sprunch (?) my hair with my hands til it starts to get crazy wavy. The Aussie Spray (non-aerosol) is just a little sticky and feels like a light hair spray, which is what helps the waves form and stay. I really recommend the Aussie Sprunch Spray if you’re on a tight budget.

Then I spray the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray on the top portions of my hair to add some texture. I scrunch some more. Then I lightly spray all over my hair and scrunch some more until it’s exactly how I want it.

All the scrunching causes some major flyaways and frizz. To tame that, I use the Aveda Smoothing Fluid. I focus this on areas with the most frizz, but apply lightly on the roots.

I loved this hairstyle for the beach. It is so easy and much better for your hair than blow drying and straightening.

Let me know if you have other products you use for waves or if you try this one out!