Sunday Scoop: Hero of the Game - My Dad.

Last night my dad was recognized as Hero of the night for his service to the military at a Saint Paul Saints game. He stood out on the field for the National Anthem and then was interviewed during the third inning about his time in the military.

My dad served in the U.S. Army for 26 years. And while he was never deployed to a war zone per say, he still gave 26 years of his life to his country.

And I am very proud of that.

One thing that really stuck out to me about this recognition was how cool my dad thought it was. He was really honored that people cared what he did and that he was chosen to be recognized for something he saw as his job.

And after the game was over and we were sitting around Chilis relaxing he said that he was really happy he wore his uniform because several people at the game (both before and after he was officially recognized) people came up to him to say thanks. Thanks for serving.

A lot of people serve our military, and a lot of people make the ultimate sacrifice in doing so. So if and when you have the chance to say thanks to a soldier, do it.

To all of those who have served, continue to serve, and to those who lost their lives in the process and to all of the families, I say thank you.

And thanks Dad.

Trying Something New - The Sunday Scoop

Hello my lovelies!!! First and foremost - this is not a post about ice cream. I know the scoop part makes me think of that so I wanted to clear that up for anyone else who is now craving an ice cream cone.

So, I always say "Oh so sorry it's been so long since my last post!" or "This time I'm getting on a schedule with my blogs." But this time, I really do mean it. Mostly. Well at least I'm trying anyway. I want to challenge myself to do a once a week post called The Sunday Scoop. This will mostly be beauty and skin care related, but I am going to sprinkle in a little fashion, food, and random life events posts. I know, I'm skeptical too, but hey maybe I can prove both of us wrong and really stick with it this time.

So my post today is going to be all about bronzers and highlighters. It's summer and although I am paler than death, I do try to bronze it up a bit, and I have gotten myself into a fun routine that I really like. So below are the products I am using, including the (affordable and awesome) brushes I use - you'll see they're dirty so you know I'm using them, ha! And of course links and info on where to find them all.

The first product I want to talk about is TheBalm's Bahama Mama bronzer. I have several products from TheBalm and I freakin love them. Such amazing quality and all of them are highly pigmented and reasonably priced. You can order it on TheBalm's website for $20 or you can order it from Amazon for about $15 (which is where I got it from).

I know it looks scary, but if I can make this work for me, trust me you can use it too. The key is in the application. Use a smaller brush, it doesn't have to be specifically for contouring, but something smaller is better. And use a light handed, less is more approach. This is a great bronzer for contouring because it's matte. You could use it all over your face on a more medium to tan skin tone, but for me it's a great contour shade.

I use the contour brush from Real Techniques. It is the perfect tapered shape to fit the hollows of your cheeks, the sides of your nose and hairline. I usually tap the brush in the bronzer and then tap off any excess product from the brush.

The next bronzer I use is the Sonia Kashuk's Undetectable Creme Bronzer in Warm Tan. Apparently this is a dupe for a Chanel cream bronzer that costs around $50. I don't have the Chanel one so I can't compare. BUT this is only $10.99 at Target and it's AMAZING. I use it as an all over bronzer and it really is un-detectable. I use a duo fiber brush from Sigma to apply it. And it makes me look like I just went on vacation - I love it!

My fave highlighting powder is Mary Loumanizer from TheBalm. Can we just pause for a moment and acknowledge how awesome the people of TheBalm must be. Their products are awesome, the names and packaging are fantastic. I just seriously love this brand. And you haven't tried a highlighter until you've tried this one. I use it above my brow bone, on my cheek bones, and down my nose. You only need a small amount and a little advice: if it is humid and 100 degrees out, less is more. You don't want to look sweaty.

To apply my highlighter I use this setting brush from Real Techniques. It is the right shape and size to slap that highlighter in place. Again less is more, this is an extremely pigmented product. I recommend tapping off excess before applying to your face. You can always come back and add in more, but you don't want to look like a show girl. Unless that's the look you're going for, in which case, go ahead girl!

Swatched left to right: Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Creme Bronzer, Bahama Mama, Mary Loumanizer.

Have you tried any of these products? What are your faves?