Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Beauty Beat {My Skincare Routine}

It seems strange to share my skincare routine here on the blog where I rarely, if ever, show my face! However, in my real life I do often get comments on my skin and how I take care of it so I thought I would go ahead and share it here. It is a pretty simple routine with reasonably priced and available products. I'll share with you what I do each day, two-three times a week, and once a week.


{ONCE A WEEK}

1. Get yourself some high quality tweezers. I have gone through my share of off brand tweezers and am almost always disappointed in the sharpness of the edges. I finally spent the money on an actual Tweezerman pair and am completely sold on the quality. I find me some good light and only tweeze single stray hairs.....promise me to NOT over tweeze, K?

2. I actually don't wax once  week....more like once every three weeks but I didn't want to create a category just for it. My sister in law convinced me to wax my own about 3 years ago and I have never looked back. I do go and get mine professionally shaped about once a year but I do all the maintenance in between. Sally Hansen has many waxing options and they all work well for me.

3. Yes, I shave my face. There I said it. You may think this is weird and I totally did too at first. However, I have quite a bit of "fuzz" on my face and felt that it kept my makeup from settling well. These razors are very gentle and take care of the peach fuzz perfectly. They are great for eyebrow and mustache touch ups too. Here's a video that gets right to the point.


{TWO TO THREE TIMES A WEEK}

4. I am a BIG, no HUGE believer in exfoliating. My theory rides on the fact that my makeup is only going to look as good as the skin underneath. If my skin is dull and covered in dead skin, my makeup is not going to look good regardless if it is drugstore or high end. I wash my hair every 3-4 days (maybe a post on that later, especially to convince those of you that just cringed when you read that) and these are the days I do steps 4, 5, and 6. I swear by St. Ives apricot scrub for its smell and its ability to slough away dead skin.

5. I received a Clarisonic for my birthday last year and quickly became a convert. Based on the same mechanism as the sonic toothbrush, its bristles move in a fast sonic fashion that really deep clean your face. It feels like a mini facial too which is a huge plus. They are a bit spendy but worth the investment.

6. Who doesn't hate a big 'ol blemish? Ugh. They are the pits. I have been fortunate enough not to have to deal with many of these bad boys (a true result of my skin care regimen in my opinion) but when I do I reach for my ELF zit eraser. It works best if you apply this in the early, early stages to let it really do its job. I see great results with this and it is very inexpensive...bonus!


EVERYDAY! Morning and Nighttime 



{AM~Morning Routine}

1. I religiously wash my face morning and night. If your face is dirty and makeup caked, your pores will be clogged, and in turn you will run into more breakouts. I am a DIE HARD Cetaphil face wash fan. Your local dermatologist will most likely recommend this too over MANY other face washes. Simple, gentle, and inexpensive. Bam.

2. Two products that I use daily are by Aveeno. They make really great products and one of my great "friends" Jennifer Aniston is their spokeswoman so....I love their Positively radiant moisturizer and truly believe it has diminished some of my freckle/sunspots over time.

3. I was not sure whether or not to put my fave Smashbox primer in this post or not. I don't use it if I am not going to wear foundation but it is such a part of my routine that I felt it had to be mentioned. This is definitely my most expensive product, however you don't use much and it does last a really long time. It fills in fine lines and give your face a smooth canvas for your foundation. It is stellar in helping your makeup last all day long.

{PM-Night time routine}

4. Love the Neutrogena eye makeup remover. I have very, very sensitive, allergy ridden eyes and this one bothers me the least. It is good at taking my gel eye liner off and I don't feel like I have to rub and tug to get the job done.

5. Who knew you could buy makeup remover towelettes in bulk? Yay Costco! I have tried many different brands and types of these in many different price ranges. I somehow keep coming back to these for their results and price. And the fact that I can buy and pack and my two daughters and I are good to go for awhile. These do a great job of removing my foundation so I am not sleeping in a face of makeup all night.

6. This is the Aveeno cream I use on my face and neck before I go to bed. It has a light scent and offers a good deal of moisture...especially for me in the winter when I get really dry. I wake up with a nice glow too which is a nice bonus no matter who you are!

Would love to hear in the comments what face routine product you can't live with out! 

Monday, June 16, 2014

Product Love {VS T-Shirt bra}



Sometimes a girl just has to share something a BIT on the intimate side! For realz! Waaay back in this post we here at TMS talked about how important what you wear UNDER your clothes is important to how your clothes look on the OUTSIDE. The proper undergarments really do make or break the fit and silhouette of an outfit. This is so so so true for bras. Most of us wear one for 360 ish days a year for more than 12 hours a day. They deserve a little consideration don't you think? I'm not asking you to wear lacey, matchey, ruffly concoctions on a daily basis Not. At. All. I'm just asking you to fork over a bit of cash for a well fitted, appropriate bra. Don't go complete utilitarian with your bra--it can be functionable and fashionable all at the same time.



My latest FAVE? The new T-Shirt bra by Victoria's Secret. You can snag it for $39.50 regular price or $29.50 with one of their stellar $10 off coupons. OR you could grab one RIGHT NOW while they are on sale during their semi-annual sale! It is uber comfy with straps that do not dig into the shoulders (if you have a proper fit) and stretch sides that move when you do. There is a small amount of padding at the base of the cups for that little extra lift for the girls! It offers a nice seamless silhouette under a t-shirt and comes in a great selection of colors. You should really treat yourself to one of these bras!

PS--If you have not had a bra fitting in a while (especially if that last time you had one was before you had your last kid) you need to get one. VS does an ok job but they will do it right there on the store floor. The best bra fitting I ever had was at Nordstroms. Check it out if you are able.

Monday, June 9, 2014

OOTD {Casual Converse}

School's out for the summer!!! I am trying not to fill my already precious summer days with all my to-do list items. Still, I can't wait to share some of the projects I am working on with all of you here on the blog, so stay tuned!

Despite it being summer, we are still in the midst of spring basketball with our third daughter. She has quite the knack for the sport and it has been so fun watching her grow in her skills and confidence. I always want to dress comfy for the all day tourneys in order to be able to stand up and yell and cheer. It was a bit cool at our last tournament which let me extend the wear of my ALL TIME FAVE skinnies from J.Crew factory. I am also sporting my new white Converse and I adore them!


{Shop the Style}

Top: Limited (similar)
Pants: J Crew Factory (exact)
Shoes: Converse (Von Maur)
Watch: Michael Kors (similar)
Bracelet: Limited
Necklace: Boutique