high five for friday

It's Friday! Let's just not acknowledge the fact that it's Friday the 13th. I've been counting down the days because I am leaving for vacation tomorrow.  My week was pretty packed, which has made the week go by pretty fast, which is always a plus. Anyways, here's some fun things from the past few days.

1. Monday marked 20 years since my sister was diagnosed with Leukemia. It's crazy to think that was 20 years ago. We were so young! I put together a picture of us from her Dream Come True trip to Colorado in 1994 and us now. I'm just so thankful that she is as survivor and to have her here with me today. 

2. This handsome little man (my nephew Carter) got to visit me at work. I got to babysit him for the afternoon and I can never get enough of him! 

3. My coworkers treated me to an early birthday lunch. We had some really good sushi and I got to open my present-- a gift card to one of my favorite local boutiques! My coworkers are pretty great!

4. One of my dearest friends from work (Hey Nell!) is moving to Texas next week. And since our birthdays are two days apart, a bunch of us went to happy hour (which actually lasted over 5 hours) to celebrate. I'm sad to see her go, but can't wait to visit... and shop!

5. My friday night will consist of packing. "Yayyyyy!" This is about as far as I got last night. I'm a terrible packer. I actually got bored with the 5 minutes of packing and decided to go shopping instead. I need help! 

Well, that was my week. 

Anybody have some good packing tips? I need all the help I can get! 

Have a good weekend.

witch hazel benefits & uses

Witch hazel is an all-natural herbal remedy that can do some great things for your skin. Some of its standout benefits include: restoring your skin’s pH balance, deep cleaning your pores, minimizing large pores, removing excess oil, and softening your skin. 

Ways You Can Use Witch Hazel

 Toner 
Use as a toner or astringent after washing your face to refine your skin.

Sooth Razor Burn
Pour over a cotton ball and use it to reduce razor burn after shaving.

Makeup Remover
Mix 1 part witch hazel with 1 part olive oil, and use it to remove eye makeup.

It can also be used to temporarily and gently relieve psoriasis, eczema, sunburns, acne, sores/bruises, swelling, razor burn, and sore muscles. Witch hazel contains 14% alcohol, which is what gives it a bit of a drying effect. 

I keep a spray bottle of this in my medicine cabinet, and I use it as my morning toner.
You can get T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel at CVS for around $5. 

Let me know if you try this one out and if you like it!

xo

review: smashbox camera ready bb cream

What is BB cream? The “BB” stands for beauty balm or blemish balm. And if skincare and makeup had a baby, it would be BB cream. This do-it-all cream combines functions of a primer, anti-aging serum, moisturizer, light coverage, tinted color, and contains SPF.

BB cream was originally created in the 1950’s by a German dermatologist to help post-chemical peel patients cover their redness. These creams are very popular in the Asian beauty supply market, and are quickly spreading into the US. Once one company came out with one, the rest quickly followed. Drugstore brands such as Garnier, Maybelline, L’oreal and Covergirl all make a form of BB cream. High-end brand BB creams include Dr. Jart, Stila, Dior and Smashbox.

I’m going on vacation next week and have been on the hunt for the perfect BB cream to replace my foundation for days when I’ll just be laying out on the beach. I once tried the Garnier BB cream, but found it to be way too greasy on my face and didn’t seem to do much else to outweigh that disadvantage. I have oily skin, so an added greasy finish is a no-go.

What I’m specifically looking for in a BB cream is light coverage, oil control (non-greasy), and SPF. I decided to spend more and hopefully get better results, so I picked up the Smashbox Camera Ready BB cream in the shade light/medium with SPF 35. After reading reviews on Sephora, I found that this one claims to do all of the things on my list.

The packaging is nice and sleek. It’s a small squeeze tube, which makes it easy to throw in a bag and apply anywhere. 

The product itself feels just like sunscreen. I apply it in small sections on my face at a time so I can focus on blending before it dries. The results have been 10x better than I expected. I’ve worn this a couple times while laying out at the pool, and it truly does control oil in my t-zone, gives light coverage and also a little bit of a bronzing effect. 

This blended so well into my skin, and the color matches pretty perfectly. 

You might be thinking, “what’s the difference between this and a tinted moisturizer?” Well, to me this one offers more coverage, color, oil control, and contains higher SPF.

I recommend this to anyone with oily skin and/or just wants to replace their foundation on the hot summer days for lighter coverage. If you have dry skin, I would definitely make sure you still apply a moisturizer before, just to be sure this doesn't leave your skin looking too flat or dry. 

Let me know if you try or have tried this product. Have you tried any other brands of BB cream? I’m looking forward to getting my money’s worth out of this next week! 

high five for friday

Linking up w/ Lauren at From My Grey Desk Blog to share highlights from this past week. 

1. Picked up some goodies at Sephora, Mac and a local boutique. BB cream, surf spray, neon coral sunglasses, mineralized skin finish, and some jewelry...  got me in the summertime mood. 

2. Bath & Body Works is wrapping up their semi-annual sale, so naturally I *had* to pick up some new candles. I'm usually biased to the Fall scents, but this pineapple orchid scent is ah-ma-zing! 

3. I finally got my Target redcard in the mail, and I was able to use it for the first time this week. It's a pretty new addition to my wallet. 

4. It was a 4-day work week, since july 4 fell on Wednesday. I got to celebrate with a good ole' BBQ by the pool in the sun with my friends. Amazingly fun day!

5. It's July... which means it's my birthday month! No matter how old I get, birthday coupons are always nice to see in my inbox. Makes my inner crazy coupon lady excited to have one more reason to shop. 

Happy Friday! Hope y'all have a great weekend! 

everyday makeup routine

So, its 7 a.m. and I've hit the snooze about 10 times already. After fixing my hair, brushing my teeth, washing my face, and applying moisturizer, the last thing I have time to do is "play" with makeup. Thus, the need to have an everyday makeup routine. The goal: simple and quick. I keep my everyday products together, so I don't have to go digging in drawers for things. The products will change up from time to time, but I try to stick with what I know works for me.

So, without further adieu, here is my very simple everyday makeup:

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro primer: I just dab four little dots on my face and rub it in to create a “smooth canvas.” I don’t love this primer, but going to use it up before trying a new one. 

Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme Foundation: This is a brand new foundation in the ColorStay line and not the usual ColorStay liquid foundation I would normally use. I’m trying/testing this one and so far, loving it. It might even replace my liquid foundation. More on that in a future blog post.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser: I’m blessed with not having hardly any dark circles under my eyes, but when I’m looking super tired, I reach for this dark circle eraser. I tried this one after reading rave reviews, and it really does live up to its hype... for me, at least. 

Laura Mercier Translucent Powder: Probably the easiest thing to apply. Just tap my brush in the cap then apply all over my face to set my foundation and concealer.

ELF Studio Blush in Tickled Pink: I dust a little blush on the apples of my cheeks to give my face some color and definition. If I don’t use blush, I’ll use my Tarte bronzer in the hollows of my cheeks, or sometimes both depending on the day. ELF really does have some great blushes and they are only $3.00 at Target!

NYX Eye Shadow Base: I use this as primer on my eye lid. It’s a skin-toned color and is easy to blend on my lids. This base isn’t as long-lasting as UD Primer Potion, but it does the job for a regular day.

Urban Decay Naked Palette 2: I’ll do an in-depth compare/contrast of the UD Naked Palettes, but for everyday looks, I’ll use Tease on the lid/crease, and Foxy as a highlight under my browbone. This palette has the better “daytime” colors because they are cool tone neutrals, whereas the original Naked Palette is darker neutrals.

L’oreal Voluminus Mascara in Carbon Black: I just apply this mascara on my top and bottom lashes. I can't say enough about this mascara. If you haven't tried this one yet... it's only $6 at the drugstore, and you can thank me later.

For lips, I switch it up everyday. I grab whatever my hand touches first in my purse. I love NYX MegaShine lip gloss (in Beige or Sweetheart) or a Revlon Super Lustrous gloss. Those stay in my purse and I use them throughout the day. 

That’s pretty much it. One thing I didn’t mention and will cover in an upcoming post are the brushes I use, which need some love too. Stay tuned! Have a happy and safe 4th of July!