Day 4: Shampoo without the water

Since I was younger, I have always found ways to not have to wash and style my hair daily due to the fact that not only do I prefer my hair long, but it is wavy and thick. From wet to dry, my styling time can range anywhere between 20 and 40 mins....Can you imagine...40mins out of your sleep cycle EVERY day?!?! No thank you.

In the past few years, I've gotten really good at only washing my hair about twice a week. If I am working out a lot, I usually have to do it three times. Aside from the hair styles that are trending right now that can help disguise a few days old wash (i.e. sleek ponytails, top buns, braids), product is what really can help you here. In high school, I used to slap some baby powder on my root, rub it around and put a hot blow dryer to the root. It was a decent fix. Even now if I'm in a bind I resort to using it. (Once again, don't underestimate products that have the word "baby" on them.)

This was all until I discovered dry shampoo. They are everywhere now. They are great for absorbing some of your natural oils, but they usually have an extra benefit of volume and/or texture. Feast your eyes on this...

Bumble and Bumble has won my heart AGAIN. I can't get obsessed with their shampoos quite yet, but their styling products had me at hello every time. One of their newer products, the pret a powder, is AMAZING. I am not exaggerating when I tell you, this product can save you from washing your hair for over week. Yes. Double digit days.

I don't exactly ever stretch it that long...but you get the point. It is a white powder that you shake onto your roots; massage in the way you would if your hair were wet with regular shampoo; top off with a little blow dry at the roots if you would like for some extra volume and voila!

The product description also says it is good for texture with braids and buns so I gave it a whirl using it at the ends of my hair in combination with their Surf Spray (another fabulous product) and it was great!

Buy this product and you will be pushing snooze a few extra times tomorrow morning. Thank me when you don't need that afternoon coffee :)

Day 3: Am I an old lady?

As I think of my topic for today, I am having a slight feeling I may be an old lady in a twenty-something’s body. Oops.

A woman at work recommended this product to me about a year ago. I was instantly hooked. Without tooting my own horn, I have always had great nails. They are strong enough to grow pretty long and hardly ever break. On the opposite side of the spectrum I have the WORST cuticles. Sometimes I get manicures JUST so I can have someone properly clean up my cuticles.

This little bottle cures cuticle miracles! Mine tend to be a little dry and it is a nervous habit of mine to pick at them when I’m bored, or stressed (I know – terrible.) I really wish this bottle came in a 12oz tube just so I could know it would last me forever. But this 0.5oz will do…for now…

Apply a little to each cuticle area once or twice daily and this will help hydrate and repair cracked or dry cuticles. Now I am able to save a few bucks on getting manicures often because I can tackle the filing and painting myself.

Old lady, I am not. Maybe I am just trying preserve my youth! J

Day 2: Aquaphor

For those of you don’t know what Aquaphor is…you are missing out! For those of you that do, are you aware of how awesome it is yet?!

I discovered this product years ago I think through my mother. Typically it is thought to be used on dry, cracked or irritated skin, but you may have trouble finding it in your local drug store. It seems to most often be found in the baby section with baby powder and such, but trust me when I say this is a product good for all ages! The medium size tube sells for about $6-8 depending on where you shop, but it definitely lasts a LONG time.

Aquaphor has the same texture as Bacitracin ointment or Vaseline, but not as thick and sticky. It is another great product for this time of year to get your body ready to show itself off in the spring and summer! Feel free to put it anywhere on your body, but my two favorite spots are the elbows and LIPS.

My elbows are dry year round. Slap some Aquaphor on at night and they feel like a baby’s bum in the morning. This winter I have carried around a small tube of it in my clutch every day and applied it to my lips. Want to know the best part about putting it on your lips? It doesn’t look like icky the way Vaseline does on your lips/face, it actually looks like a GLOSS! Throw on a lipstick or colored gloss on top and you are moisturized, healing and fabulous.

Thank me later when your lips are perky without the pain! 

Day 1 of Product Week: Dermalogica

This week I have decided to post about my favorite products and/or product tips. Today will be a combination of both.

Over the past few years, my skin has really had its ups and downs. I would say right now it is at a high, with the exception of maybe some dryness from this cold winter that will never end. The skin care line I chose to use on my face (with the exception of a cleanser) is Dermalogica. The only reason I do not use their cleansers daily is because my skin tends to be sensitive and it is loving a Neutrogena product I am using and I don’t want to mess with it.

If you look at the Dermalogica website you can see their line is extensive, and not the cheapest, but I promise you that it is worth it!

One of my newest tries with them is their Cover Tint which is a tinted moisturizer – LIFE SAVER! It helps give you a light coat of color before your makeup while hydrating with a glow. They also have another tinted moisturized called Sheer Tint for lighter coverage.

If you really want to elongate the usage of this product, try mixing both your regular moisturizer with the tinted moisturizer. I like to put two strips of each on my hand, as seen below…then I mix them together on my hands and on throughout my face. It gives me the extra moisture I need at this time of year and saves me from feeling like I need to pack on the foundation to get some color in my skin.

This tip can truly be used with any product that you may use in the same area. For instance, do you use a self-tanner on your legs in the winter when you need to wear a dress? Tanning products can often be drying and no one needs to have flakes in the winter unless they are snow! Try mixing it with your moisturizer so you can hydrate while giving yourself a color that looks more natural.

Speaking of tan…My favorite fact about Dermalogica is that most of its products have an SPF in it – SO important! When we visited in Jamaica in January, the tinted moisturizer and primer were exactly what I needed. They both have a light feel and the SPF was much needed! 

Snowy Thursday Thoughts

I can’t stand the sight of unpainted nails, mostly on myself, but I couldn't seem to find much time this week to sit, file, paint, wait to dry. Typically, I can sit still for 30 minutes after painting my nails, continue to be careful when touching things and still manage to smudge 3 fingers. This morning I was determined to get color on my nails because I had already gone yesterday paint-less PLUS I’ve been dying for a Valentine’s Day RED.

This little toy was my savior this morning. I did manage to make a minor smudge on one nail, but other than that, my red nails are kickin’! I found this gadget at CVS back a few months. It’s a nail polish remover pen – to use on your cuticles and surrounding nail areas if you spill over on polish a little with your at-home manicure.

After I managed to sit as still as a first grader in trouble on my bus ride into work, I spent only a few minutes touching up my sides with this and voila! This pen is worth the purchase, especially if you do a lot of your own manicures. I think it was around $6 and it has several replacement tops that come with it J

Happy Painting!

Just a side note, I have also mentioned my love for a deep blue and how I believe it is the "new red." So, feeling full of Valentine’s day spirit, I threw on the blue suede shoes today. Something about a deep blue just feels romantic.

Something was missing…So I decided to go NAKED…

I needed something new for my daily routine when it came to “painting” my face. Okay, I don’t really paint it, nor do I pack on the make-up. For foundation, I use Bare Minerals which really helps to avoid the heavy, caked-on look or feel anyway. Typically, other than my foundation, I don’t add much more than mascara and if I’m feeling risky, some subtle eyeliner on my top lid.

With my birthday month steadily passing, I decided to treat myself to something new. I went into Sephora last week to pick up something I was out of and came home with Urban Decay’s NAKED original palette.

I have been using Urban Decay’s eyeliner for a few months now and I love it! They have a great selection of colors and the eyeliner goes a long way. I think it lasted me almost 6 months, which helps justify the cost, too. I was really excited after talking to one of the cosmetic consultants about the NAKED palette which I have also heard rave reviews about online and through word of mouth.

It should be obvious by now that I love this product, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing about it. The cost justification is this:  An individual eye shadow from Mac costs approximately $15, while Bare Escentuals prices their eye shadows around $7 each. The NAKED palette gives you TWELEVE eye shadows which breaks down to roughly $4 a piece. Plus, there is also a brush and primer included in your set.

Take my advice and GO NAKED! You won’t regret it…Here are some of my favorite combos of the shadows together (I never use just one color on my lids.)

Outer Corner	Inner Corner	Occasion
Naked/Buck	Virgin/Sin/Sidecar	Casual occasion, subtle at work
Darkhorse	Half Baked/Toasted	Noticeable without being dramatic
Creep	Gutmetal	Awesome Smokey Eye