Winter Beauty Essentials

Winter really puts my skin through the ringer. I have dry skin to begin with, so once January hits I begin to feel like an alligator. These are my favorite products to battle the winter elements.

1. Korres lip butter: Moisturizes and gives your lips some much needed color.

2. Nars bronzer: Only thing that makes me not look like a ghost!

3. Vaseline: Miracle worker! I use this everywhere in the winter (feet, lips, legs, etc).

4. Rosebud Salve: I love this for my lips and cuticles. 

5. Jergens Natural Glow: fakes a summer tan without visiting a harmful tanning bed. 

6. Neutrogena Hand Cream: I could not survive without this in the winter. 

7. Chapstick Medicated: The only thing that really soothes my chapped lips. 

8. Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish: leaves my dry skin feeling silky smooth. 

Do you have a winter beauty essential? 

Soap Hope

I've been making an effort to pay attention to the products I'm putting on my skin, so I jumped at the chance to sample a few products from Soap Hope, where everything is 100% natural. Even the box it was shipped in was recycled! They have everything from soap, to makeup, and products for your home and baby. If you need more convincing, Soap Hope invests 100% of profits to empower women all around the world.

I was thoroughly impressed with everything, but my favorite was the Sea Scrub soap. It smelled amazing and had the perfect amount of exfoliant. I look forward to trying more products from Soap Hope (5 free samples with every order!) and hope to add some all natural products to my beauty arsenal!

Do you have a favorite all-natural beauty product?

**I'd like to add that this post is in no way sponsored and these are 100% my genuine opinions. I wouldn't recommend something I didn't truly enjoy. 

Move Over L'Oreal

I have a confession. There's a new love affair in my life. Shh, don't tell L'oreal Sublime Bronze.

You guys were right. Jergen's Natural Glow is the best. It's so good, I've been (shamelessly) doing double takes at myself when I glimpse how naturally tan I look. My co-worker asked me if I laid out all weekend. Score! And no streaks in sight! Thank you to all who recommended this one! I'm officially obsessed.

Albolene

I've always struggled to find a good makeup remover. Somehow they always leave residue, burn my eyes, or just don't even work. Just when I was resigned to forever waking up with raccoon eyes, I stumbled upon a recommendation while browsing makeup tutorials. Enter the miracle worker, Albolene. It is a gel that takes off every spec of makeup, and also moisturizers your face. Not to mention you get a TON of product for your money. It is quite possibly the best product I've ever owned. Try it out and let me know if you love it too!

Bun Shaper

Obtaining the perfect messy bun is an art form in itself. Sometimes you can whip it up in two seconds and it looks perfect, while you can try endlessly styling it and nada. I found the perfect solution for those off days...the mesh bun shaper, which should really be called the minute miracle. 

 I popped this in my hair and pinned it up in less than a minute. 

I think this is especially useful for gals with thinner hair, because you can get a full bun without teasing or using tons of product. It looks really cute as a side bun too! Who says you can't fake the perfect bun?

Adventures in Dry Shampoo: Part Four

We finally made it to the last product, Pssst! Instant Dry Shampoo. 

Scent: This one smells the best, like coconuts. 

Price: $6.99. Money well spent. (You can find it at Ulta or Walgreens).

Effectiveness: This shampoo refreshes my hair, particularly removing odors. I was pleased with the results. My hair definitely looked less oily and much cleaner. It also felt nice in my hair and didn't leave behind any yucky residue. 

Bonus: It adds nice texture and body to the crown. Did I mention how nice it smells?

After trying four different dry shampoos you are probably wondering which is my favorite. I have to say Batiste compares the best to my former favorite Klorane, at less than half the price! However, Pssst! comes in a close second and I will most likely keep both on hand. I'd recommend trying out both and seeing which one you prefer! Either way you can't go wrong. I hope you enjoyed my little series!

EOS Smooth Sphere

Impulse buys are often hit or miss for me. I struck gold with the EOS smooth sphere. I admit, I was sucked in to the egg-shaped packaging, but the lip balm is amazing and left my lips feeling extra-smooth. I would love for a few more to find their way into my Easter basket this year....

Have you tried the smooth sphere? What color do you like best? Pick one up at Ulta!

Wednesday Wonderings

What is one hair product you couldn't live without? 

I've been using Aquage Sea Salt Texturizing Spray since high school and have gone through countless bottles. I love to use this as a hair prep and finisher. It works on wet or dry hair and smells amazing (I would wear this as a perfume!). It is a very versatile product that you can layer on for added texture. I would be lost without my sea salt spray! What product would you be lost without?

pssst. stay tuned for a full list of all my must-have hair products!

Adventures in Dry Shampoo: Part Three

This week I tested out Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Shampoo. I've heard a lot of people rave about this product. I wish I could say the same, but this fell flat for me. 

Scent: Not good at all, very chemically. In fact, I had to open my window and air out my room after using this because there was a cloud of product lingering. Yuck.

Price: $6.99 and the cheapest I've tried so far. In this case, you get what you pay for. 

Effectiveness: This shampoo claims to leave no powdery residue (which it doesn't). Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I actually like seeing the powder on my hair to know where the product went. I never have any issues with the powder disappearing either. Overall, I didn't notice a big difference in my hair.

Bonus: They also have a Spray Powder Shampoo that you can buy specifically for your hair color. Maybe this formula works better? 

This was a big meh for me. Didn't love it or hate it. Next up is our final product, Pssst! 

Adventures in Dry Shampoo: Part Two

I had much higher hopes this time around after reading several positive reviews about Batiste. Here's what I thought....

Scent: It smells nice and fresh, sort of a hybrid between lemon and powder.

Price: $7.99, and I consider it definitely worth the price. 

Effectiveness: The shampoo blends nicely, and significantly changes the look of dirty hair. This product does exactly what it should. Eliminates grease and odor in less than one minute. 

Bonus: Adds nice volume and lift to roots. It also comes in a blush scent, if you aren't a fan of lemony-powder. 

This is definitely in the running as a Klorane replacement. Up next, Salon Grafix! 

Quest for Beachy Waves: Part One

I've accepted the fact that I may never have the perfect, natural beachy waves, but I did find a way to fake it. The Remington 3-in-1 Hair Dryer is my new best friend. It comes with three attachments, but the wind tunnel holds my heart. 

I love that this attachment allows you to blow dry and style your hair all in one. This cuts my styling time down by at least a half an hour (if I wanted to curl for a similar look). The only other products I used were Aquage Sea Salt Spray and Jonathan Dirt. Plus, these waves last for days!

 

Definitely the best twenty-five bucks I've spent lately. I have one more method to try out, so stay tuned!

Adventures in Dry Shampoo: Part One

In my efforts to find a more inexpensive option to my beloved Klorane dry shampoo, I picked four other brands to try out and share with you guys. First up, we have Beyond the Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo.

Scent: If you like the scent of chemicals, then this dry shampoo is for you! 

Price: I got roped into a buy 2 get 1 free deal for $7.29 per bottle. Sounded great at the time...

Effectiveness: Let's just say this would be a last resort for me. I did notice a slight improvement, but mainly it seemed like I was spraying straight aerosol onto my hair. I even found it to leave my hair greasier, which is the exact opposite of what I'm going for. 

Bonus: Sadly, I find no added bonuses to this dry shampoo. All three bottles will be making their way back to Sally's. 

Word of advice friends, stay away from this one. Next up, Batiste. Fingers crossed for better results.

A Manicure A Day...

 My nails have been my new favorite accessory. A great manicure can go a long way. I'm always looking for new colors to try (usually I stick to f21) and I stumbled upon these beauties for just five bucks. All of them! The colors are divine.

 Do I even have to tell you to run to Target now?  

Dry Shampoo

I lived under the dry shampoo rock for awhile, but finally tried it a couple months ago when I won a giveaway (thanks again Allison!). I've been using Klorane, which I love. It smells amazing, gives my hair great volume, and obviously eliminates grease. My bottle is sadly almost gone so I've been researching other (inexpensive) options. I've heard mixed reviews about Tresemme, but it's so cheap I'm tempted to try it anyways. I've also heard good things about Batiste and Salon Grafix. At the same time, I want to stick with what works. Help!

Have you guys tried dry shampoo? What brands do you love? 

Stylish Necessities

MJ over at Teaching in Heels passed on the Stylish Blogger Award to me. Thanks MJ!

The rules are I have to share 7 things about myself. I thought I would share 7 things that I couldn't live without in the fashion and beauty department. Feel free to play along!

1. Urban Decay Naked Palette. Best. Palette. Ever.

2. Sonia Kashuk Gel Liner. Survived more than one sob fest smudge-free. 

3. Sonia Kasuk Makeup Remover. Life changer. Enough said. Run to your nearest Target.

4. Aquage Uplifting Foam.  All the benefits of teasing without the rats nests.

5. Urban Decay Primer Potion. Shadow lasts all day with no creasing or smudging (do yourself a favor and get the squeeze tube)

6. Cocktail Rings. Forever 21 has the best selection under 5 bucks.

7. Velvet Hangers. Another life changer. They maximize the storage in my itty bitty closet and keep all my clothes in place (even those pesky tank tops).

What are your fashion/beauty necessities?