Sexy Hair So you want sexy gorgeous healthy hair...yeah me too lol. Like most people my hair is a work in progress and I'm always on the look out for new and improved hair care products. However, people always ask me how I keep my hair so healthy looking (umm my hair...really?). Well I haven't mastered "hair care" but I know the basics to keeping it pretty healthy (looking that is). Now...I'm not a hair stylist nor am I an expert but I do pay a lot of attention to my hair and try to take care of it the best way possible. For starters since I graduated high school (wonder how long that has been), I've try to stand clear of dying my hair any harsh color that may strip or dry the hair out. I stick to my natural color or darker (typically I dye it black) and I try to make sure I cut/trim it every 3 months or so (thank heavens I have friend who is a stylist). Here are my tips for great sexy looking hair. | 1. Pick a shampoo and conditioner that works best for you. Both should make your hair feel soft (not just the conditioner) and by all means just because you pick a certain brand for your shampoo doesn't mean you have to get the matching conditioner. Find what works.
I use the Patene Expert Collection Age Defy and I just happen to love both the shampoo and conditioner...they make my hair feel great. 2. Deep conditioning is key! This doesn't have to be everyday but I recommend once a week at max. This is another product you want to make sure the product works for your hair type so there may be a lot of trial and error but most mask typically will be universal (my opinion).
I use the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque. I will put the mask on my hair, tie it up in a plastic bag, run the blow dyer over for a few minutes prior to rinsing, then rinse. 3. Cleanse, Cleanse, Cleanse. Find a cleansing shampoo to clean out all the build up that can be left in the hair from products, yes this is still necessary if you wash hair regularly because even your shampoo can cause build up.
I use Clear Scalp Hair Therapy Ultra Shea. This product works great; it strips out the build up but still leaves your hair feeling soft. (WIN)
However any "clarifying" shampoo will due but it's to harsh to use daily. 4. This is completely optional but every once in awhile my hair just feels really dry no matter what I do. If you have this probably I'd invest in a good hydrating conditioner that will help build the moisture back into your hair. Even though deep conditioning our hair should decrease this problem, sometimes our hair gets used to a product so switching it up every once in awhile, is good.
I use Aveda Damage Remedy for times like this. This product is the TRUTH!!! 5. If you dye your hair, investing in a good quality shampoo for colored treated hair will help keep the color lasting a lot longer. Some shampoos have the tendency to strip your color out which can result in the hair looking dull. Dying can also be harsh on your hair causing it to feel straw like, so if you dye it take care of it. You need something that will preserve the color as well has hydrate.
I use Aveda Color Conserve. Great thing about this is, it has lasted me a long time because I only use this shampoo for the first 2 shampoos after I color my hair. | |
St Ives Timeless Skin Send me the search party because I'm on the hunt. That is exactly how I felt trying to find this product in the stores. A little while ago I saw a segment on the Dr. Oz show about skin care. I was immediately drawn in because for "years" I have been looking for a good moisturizer that works well with my skin. Well...during the segment Oz basically tells everyone to throw away all the expensive day/night creams and go get the Timeless Skin by St. Ives because it's a miracle cream that works far better then any high end brand that he knows of. Hmmmm...Well needless to say if its Dr. Oz approved then I'm on board. I searched for this product for months, only really seeing it on Amazon.com; I needed the instant gratification, so Amazon wouldn't do. Well low and behold on a trip to good ole Wal-Mart, there it was (I honestly let out a loud gasp and OMG). Of course I purchased it and I've been using it for the past month and half now. This by far blows any other moisturizer I have tried to date out the water. Most recently I had been using a high end moisturizer from Peter Thomas Roth (definitely saved my pennies for this-lol) and you couldn't tell me that, that wasn't going to be the moisturizer I was going to use from now until for forever. Well, one month of the St Ives and I've jumped band wagons. After a month of using this, it still looks as if I haven't even touched it (Score...it's going to last FOREVER). The consistency of this is pretty similar to a thin lotion and at first I was like "crap this isn't gonna work". Once applied to the face it leaves a wet greasy type look (oh, jeez), however with in seconds it starts drying and becomes a bit tacky (ugh, here we go). However something great happens...it dries!!! Lol. Once it is dry it still looks a bit greasy but don't worry after a few minutes your skin looks great. Basically your pores will suck up all the oils leaving you with a nice glow. So...how does my skin look after a month of using this...GREAT!!! This has reduced some of my breakouts and my skin looks a lot more even (honestly it was terribly bad prior) but I can see the difference for sure. I would recommend any and everyone go try this, it will work for all ages and all skin types. Good to know This product is dermatologist tested and non-comedogenic
PS. The greatest thing about this product is...It's only $4.67 at Wal-Mart. Doesn't get any better then that...SCORE!!!
Omg...What Is She Wearing Okay ladies I am all about expressing ourselves and set us a part from others. However some girls have just taken it a bit to far. Bright bold lips are all the craze these days, it allows us to show to our individuality by making a statement with our makeup (fabulous). However I personally believe that when you choose your lipsticks there are certain factors to consider. Skin tone is by far the BIGGEST factor of all, not every lipstick is made for every skin tone. For example MAC has a very popular color called "Snob", while this lipstick can look exceptional on fair skin it looks horrible (in my opinion) on darker skin tones. If I wore to wear Snob considering I am African American I would look some bit of crazy...it's just not made for me. There are definitely ways around this however, you can pair something like Snob with different color (darker) lip liner and make an ombre' effect (this has also been trending). While some colors can be fixable so they don't appear too harsh there are some that no matter what, it can't be helped. So...blue, white, yellow, etc. colored lips absolutely drive me insane. While these colors are great for editorials or the runway, they are by far "not cool" for everyday wear. In reality, yes you are making a very extreme statement (Kudos to you) but let me just tell you, it looks like you just ate a blue popsicle and didn't wipe your lips (gross). This is a trend I wish never started and I would love for it to disappear. If you ever see me wearing bright blue, yellow, green, or whatever on my lips, please smack me about 5 times and tell me to snap out of it. Let's try and leave this trend strictly for October 31... Are there any beauty trends you just wish would go away? Leave a comment and let me know. Here are some better versions (in my opinion) on how to rock a bright lip.
For The Girl On The Go Like most working moms, the mornings always seem like I'm bolted into high gear because not only do I have to get myself ready for work I have to get my daughter ready. This means she has to eat, brush her teeth, get dressed, and school bag packed. So most mornings I don't have all the time in world to spend on my makeup, so I tend to go very basic with minimal products. So here's my tips for that morning rush. - Prep your skin the night before by cleansing and moisturize your skin.
- In the morning give you skin a "pick me up" by splashing your face with cold water and pat dry.
- Choose a foundation that gives you the "best" coverage with out having to conceal. Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 is great for this because it primes and conceals the face. Using this will allow you to skip those 2 steps.
- Add some life back to your face by applying a blush or bronzer to the cheeks. This
will give you your "natural" glow. Also...skip any contouring as this will add time. - Skip the eyeliner and just apply your favorite mascara, this will add life to the eyes as well as open them up.
- Apply a lip balm, lipstick , or lip gloss and voila' your done.
"Impressive?" Foundation: MUFE HD/Revlon ColorStay
Eyeliner: Covergirl Ink It
Concealer: Bobbi Brown corrector "peach"
Contour: MAC Sculpting powder "shadester"
Blush: MAC "peaches"
Brows: Diorshow Brow Styler
Mascara: Covergirl Flame Out
Lipliner: MAC 80%
Lipstick: MAC Sheen Supreme "Impressive"
Finishing powder: Tarte Smooth Operator PS. Sorry for the mean hug, lol. It was extremely hot outside.
July Beauty Favs This month has been more about rediscovering things vs trying new things and falling in love. There are 2 new items in the bunch but the rest is oldies but goodies. - Bobbie Brown Corrector in Peach: I got this a few months back but I had only used it maybe a hand full of times. Mainly just because I had other concealers I would reach for more but this month, this has been my go to concealer. It's very thick but once you put in on, it warms up thinning it out making for some really awesome coverage.
- Tarte Clean Slate Poreless primer: I have to say this is by far the best primer I have tried to date. It takes away any shine you make have, leaving your face look insanely clear and need I say PORELESS, lol.
- St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Moisturizer: I discovered this while I was watching Dr. Oz one day and went on the hunt for. I just discovered it this month in Wal-Mart (I basically screamed when I saw it). Thank the heavens Wal-Mart finally sells it. I am actually going to do a full review on this so look out for that.
- L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes: This product has literally been in my mascara drawer (still full packaged) for MONTHS and just recently I decided to whip it out the package and try it. This has been my go to mascara all month, I've tried reaching for others but I just always end up putting this one on. It truly makes my lashes look amazing, giving length and volume.
- MAC Sheer-tone Blush in Peaches: Now this is definitely and oldie. This has to be the 2nd or 3rd MAC blush I've ever brought and I kid you not I wear it almost every day and I've still yet to hit pan. This blush gives me that perfect flushed looking cheek...AMAZING!!! Love it!!!
- Bath and Body Works Spray in Sensual Amber: Another oldie but goodie for me. I use to wear this years ago and just recently a friend of mine was wearing it and I just feel in love all over again. Definitely been grabbing this a lot this month. Even though this might be more of a fall or winter type smell, I've just been loving it this month.
- Clean&Clear deep action creamer cleanser: So my face had been breaking out a lot this summer and I had purchased a "high end" cleanser thinking it would get the job done, even though it was a good product it failed. So one day while in Target I saw this and just said "why not". Well needless to say I'm in love, between this and the St Ives my skin is looking like new and I'm more then pleased about it. I'm also going to due a few review on this so keep an eye out for it.
Milani Color Statement Lipstick So, here is another product I just had to try. There has been so much hype behind this milani lipsticks that I finally just buckled and tried them out. Now when it comes to lipsticks I am a true MAC girl. MAC has just never failed me when it came to their lip products, even though I do own more then just MAC you will more then likely catch me in one their lipsticks.
Anywho, I've stepped outside the box yet again to try these babies out and I must say I'm very impressed. The consistency of these lipsticks are very smooth, not sticky at all (because thats the worst). The color payoff is phenomenal and gives you just the right amount of shine.
In total the line has about 30 shades (just about every lip color imaginable right), however the Wal-Mart by me only had 10 (bummer). The line also comes in 6 finishes; matte (not for me), cream, shimmer, pearl (again not for me), metallic, and vinyl. Now I have only purchased the the lipstick in the cream and shimmer finishes but you best believe I will be going to try all the others out. These are buy far the next best think to my MAC lipstick if not better. PS. These bad boys only cost about $4.99 at my local Wal-Mart...SCORE!!!
Just a little "Ruby Woo" Foundation: MUFE HD/Revlon ColorStay
Concealer: Bobbie Brown Corrector "Peach"
Brows: Diorshow brow styler
Eyeliner: L'Oreal Lineur Intense
Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lash
Contour: MAC Sculpting powder "Shadester"
Blush: MAC "Peaches"
Lip Liner: MAC "Brick"
Lipstick: MAC "Ruby Woo"
Covergirl Whipped Creme Foundation Okay so I brought this foundation a few weeks ago because I was hearing a lot of buzz about it. Well for starters it was new so I just HAD to buy it...
Anywho, I got mine from Wal-Mart and the one I went to only had a few colors to choose from. I got mine in the darkest shade they had which was "Tawny", I was bit scared because it did look a bit darker then me but some offoundations appear darker in the bottle anyway.Once I got home I was determine to try it out. So...at first I wasn't exactly sure how or what brush to apply it with so I just did what seemed most fitting (used my fingers). When I first started to apply it, it went on my skin looking a dark muddy green color (completely freaked me out). However once I started blending it in, it matched my skin perfectly (whew-right!!!). The consistency is very smooth and silky which I loved and it gives you a semi matte finish (also great in my eyes). My first time wearing it, I didn't set it with any powder and I want to say after about 2 hours I was bit oily in my T-zone (I don't have very oily skin, more combo). The second time I wore it I set it with a setting powder and it lasted a little longer but not much longer, maybe 3hrs. So...I do not recommend this for going out and taking pictures. I took a few pictures of myself in natural light it was okay but all my inside pictures came across a bit dark. All in all the foundation is pretty good, great for everyday but just be prepared for a few touch ups through out the day.
Basic Work Look Foundation: MUFE HD/Revlon Color Stay
Lipstick: MAC Sheen Supreme "Impressive"
Lip-gloss: Essence Beauty gloss wear in "Swinger"
Eyes: MAC paint pot "Indianwood"
Eyeliner: L'Oreal Lineur Intense
Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lash
Cheeks: MAC "Peaches" and NYX "Terra Cotta"
Eye Brows: Dior Brow Styler
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