Such a pretty Uptini! And that hair color is beyond words.
On the news! Blowing away :)
Best of Beauty Awards 2011
Move over Allure, here’s my best of drugstore/Department Store makeup products
LIPSTICK
Drugstores and/or Discount Stores - Revlon, Soft Nude
Department Stores, Specialty Stores, Spas, and/or Salons - Mac, Ruby Woo
LIP GLOSS
Drugstores and/or Discount Stores - Covergirl, Guava Splash
Department Stores, Specialty Stores, Spas, and/or Salons - Mac, Pretty Plush
BLUSH
Drugstores and/or Discount Stores - Elf, Cadid Coral
Department Stores, Specialty Stores, Spas, and/or Salons - Nars Liquid Orgasm
EYE SHADOW
Drugstores and/or Discount Stores - Loreal H.I.P, Electrified
Department Stores, Specialty Stores, Spas, and/or Salons - Urban Decay, Naked
EYELINER
Drugstores and/or Discount Stores - Revlon, Nior
Department Stores, Specialty Stores, Spas, and/or Salons - Stila Waterproof, Nior
MASCARA
Drugstores and/or Discount Stores - Loreal, Voluminous
Department Stores, Specialty Stores, Spas, and/or Salons - Clinque, Waterproof Define
CONCEALER
Drugstores and/or Discount Stores - Neutrogena, Eyes and Face
Department Stores, Specialty Stores, Spas, and/or Salons - Makeup Forever Palette
FOUNDATION
Drugstores and/or Discount Stores - Maybelline, FIT Foundation
Department Stores, Specialty Stores, Spas, and/or Salons: Mac Pro Long Wear
Working It Out?
As summer is on its way… well lets face it I like to think of spring as one of the seasons I wouldn’t mind just fast forwarding right though - pale pinks and lilacs just arent really my thing, allergies and flowery dresses? Mmmm no. So while that is all happening Id just like to focus on getting into great shape for a fun summer. Its good for your body and mind to work out outdoors but its very important to make it good for your skin too. Its a proven fact from medical research that the suns rays actually makes you release endorphins as sex does, but those sun rays need to be a little deflected by sunscreen.
Hands down BEST working out sunscreen….
Neutrogena Wet Skin
It is the easiest and safest way to stay protected all year long on your body. If you are an active girl, this is for you! It is powering through sweat, humidity, and swimming.
Must Haves for January
I’ve always know to moisturize on a regular basis to leave your skin in great condition and that SPF needs to be like a religion to you to keep that skin cancer away, but now Im becoming a ritualist about it like I always should have been! And you should too. Putting the products in the right places in my place is actually what made me change. Random… but it works.
Vaseline - Aloe Fresh “Protecting”
I have always used whatever lotion smells good or came with my perfume at the time but recently I went on a hunt to find one to use ALL the time and that comes with benefits more than what scent it allured me with. This one was voted Allures Best of Beauty award so I knew that was a good start. It is sunscreen and lotion? PERFECT. Its got a fresh scent, not sticky at all, light weight feeling and absorbs easily into skin.
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer - Dry Touch Sunblock
This one is the best for my face, with or without makeup. Always apply it 15 minutes before you have any exposure to the sun and then put your other facial products on top of it. Sun screen will NOT penetrate your skin if it is not put on first, remember that. It is waterproof, sweat proof, comes in many ranges of SPF quality, is #1 dermatologist recommended and has antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and E.
EOS - Evolution of Smooth Shave Cream (Vanilla Bliss)
This stuff is literally going to be in the shower for the rest of my life. I have never been a fan of shaving creams by any company before. I have sensitive skin on my legs and they always just kind of burn my skin, but I really wanted to try something to make my stems less dry and this baby did the trick. It is paraben-free with shea butter and natural aloe. It smells amazing and I can shave every single day without getting cuts and my legs really do feel a lot softer.
Dove Visible Care - Toning Creme Body Wash
“More beautiful skin from a body wash? Absolutely.” This company’s tag line for their line of Visible Care products kind of says it all. There are a few reasons I love this product: the way it smells, that it kind of in between a creme and a liquid, and that my skin feels like I just put lotion on and clean at the same time. A beauty bloggers new must have.
Winters Here!
Happy holidays everyone! Its not summer anymore so its time to put away those cosmetic goodies and bring in some new and old favorites. As the weather gets colder, the colors get bolder.. and the gift sets get better! The holidays is a great time to get some beauty bargains and those sets that only come once a year. Often our favorite items will come in a gift bag now with a few samples of new items to try out. Lets take a looks at what 2011 has to offer!
Laura Mercier - Baked Shadow Palette $48
This year she introduced her baked shadows to the world… and now shes letting you try them ALL out for the price of two! You’ll want to play with this all day! These are GREAT shades with a lot of pigment and you can use them wet and dry. It includes shades of warm bronze, cool pink, and smoky lilac in raised Baked Eye Colour textures, plus a mini Double-Ended Eye Colour/ Crème Eye Detail Brush for flawless application.
Clinique - Acne Solutions Cleansing Face and Body Soap $14
Now we all know that our skin starts acting a little different with the weather changing… so if you are starting to have break outs this is the product for you. Its a mild and medicated soap for both your face and body. The bar leaves your skin feeling super clean and smelling very, very fresh! It is developed for all skin types and it has encapsulated salicylic acid to fight the changes.
Products of the Month - September
If you are a makeup lover, which lets face it ladies… I know you are, welcome to my beauty bag of products. This is a list of some of my new and old favorites from the past few weeks! Lets get lost in a little makeup shall we?
1. Nars - Body Glow
Since we have a bit of summer left in us, if you dont reside in the northwest, we might have a little more bronzing up we can do. I think this just smells sexy. As soon as you put it on you immediately feel that glow of Jessica Alba - well Id like to think so. It is oily so if you break out easily this is not the bronzer for you. It smells delicious, just like a beach on Tahiti. It gives a radiant glow! I would definitely put this in your bag for a vacation or on for a night out with your ladies. Make sure to shake it up every time you use it.. it does separate when you are not using it.
2. Rosebud Perfume Co. - Rosebud Salve
I must say… I LOVE THIS! And so will the people that are kissing you. You can use this sparely, a little goes along way. It gives a slight tint of color and makes those pouts as soft as can be! It smells good too. Its a cult favorite for a reason ladies!
3. The Balm - Mary Lou Manizer
www.sephora.com $24
If the name didnt sell you the product will speak for itself! (but seriously how cute is the name?) I love the color of this highlighter. After you have done your face makeup and applied your combo or bronzer(matte)/blush grab a fan brush and smile. If you smile and sweep the fan brush over the apples of your cheeks as well as your cheek bone you will notice a dramatic enhancement thanks to no one but Mary Lou herself! You will love this! Also, I have even started using this as a great base color for eye shadows. It is a very good product all around.
4. Stila - Waterproof Liner
www.sephora.com $20
This is THE liquid liner for the girls with watery eyes, to the brides who just cant hold it in. This stuff beats any other waterproof liner that I have ever used! I just love it! Its the blackest black and it really stays on all day long. Five out of five!
5. Urban Decay - 24/7 Liner in Zero
Urban Decay is always impressive. I love their stuff - and I REALLY love this liner. I have been using it on clients the past few months in Zero. I always use a gel or liquid on the top but I stay true to using the pencil on the bottom lashes still for the beautifully smoked out eye. It stays on, doesn’t smudge, and the colors are endless. A product to run out and get! The whole line is cruelty free for animals, just another great pro to their amazing products.
ENJOY!
XO
Its All About Those Eyes
.. and the creams you use to protect them! For the past year or so I have been trying out several eye creams for 3 month periods. I know its important to use one but I just didnt know which reviews to believe. With my skin tone I dont get super dark circles but I do have puffiness in the mornings so that was my main target concern. Here it goes! I hope this helps you on your search for the best!
1. Clinque - All About Eyes
This is a light weight cream designed to reduce fine lines, reduce puffiness (hooray), and take away those nasty dark circles. I love that it is light weight, yet super soft and creamy. I have been using this for a few weeks but my under eye concealer immediately looked softer on after just the first week. I noticed no puffy eyes, and I actually feel fresher when I wake up.
2. Philosophy - Eye Hope
http://www.philosophy.com/ $48
This was a very nice cream. It was light weight, but a bit sticky. I didnt notice improvements like I did with the others. I would recommend getting a sample from Sephora to see how you like it, but I didnt get very good results and it was even more expensive than the ones I did get results with. Id say 2 of out 5 starts. A disappointment in the end.
3. Olay - Total Effects Eye Transforming Cream
For the past few years I have been hearing how many fantastic results women everywhere have been getting from this over the counter miracle. I started using it when my girlfriend got it and I noticed my puffiness went away after I had used it for about a week also. I was super happy with the softness around my eye area as well as the fine lines were gone! I would recommend this to anyone on a budget. Use it sparingly. You only need a tiny bit to make it go along way.
Heres to waking up early, but getting to look like youve slept in all morning!
XO
Pretty Skin
Every girl knows (well, hopefully by now) that they really need to use an spf and a good moisturizer in their daily routine… but some do not know the order in which they should go in. Did you know you need to put on the spf ALWAYS before your moisturizer? Heres why: The skin doesnt absorb the ingredients in the sunscreen properly if not applied on clean skin.
This is one of my personal favorites. It is good for every skin type, and has a very mild fresh scent. Your skin will feel like heaven.
Available on www.lauramercier.com
XO
