Travel Beauty - Skincare!

A couple of weeks ago I did a blog on travel beauty, and I had a request for travel skin care, so today I am going to talk a little about what I take when I travel.

As you can see above, basically my secret to skin care when you travel is samples. No I don't take all of these and no I didn't raid the samples at my local Sephora. BUT when I place online orders (which is not nearly as often as you might think) OR when I do go to a beauty counter, I ALWAYS get samples. Not always of skin care but that's one of the first ones I ask for.

I like to get samples of cleansers and moisturizers as well as eye creams and serums. So when I travel typically I will take make-up wipes. Two of my faves are the Equate wipes (pictured) or the Neutrogena wipes in the blue packaging. Both of these wipes are great for removing everything including waterproof items. And they don't irritate my face. Then I add in samples for other items I need.

I would encourage you to ask at your fave beauty counters if they have samples or travel size versions of your fave items. You'd be surprised at what they do have.

Drug store skin care items are a little trickier as they usually are in packaging too large to carry on and don't often come in travel sizes. SO I buy little containers and empty product from larger containers into the smaller ones and label them accordingly.

Keep in mind this is what I bring when I am flying and taking only carry on luggage. If I were checking a bag I would most likely just bring everything I would normally use and not worry about samples.

I have found this to be a great way to save space and try out some new things.

FYI - this also works for hair products. Samples of argan oil are super easy to come across so one packet of that and I'm set for the week. Travel size hair spray (John Freida is my FAVE) and shampoo/conditioner are also easy to find. One tip there though is to look up the hotel you are staying at, often times they list toiletries and even more often than that, THEY ARE GOOD BRANDS. I've stayed places that offer Peter Thomas Roth, Bumble & Bumble and other higher end shampoos that are (in some cases) better than what I would have brought. So do your research before you pack.

Stuff I'm Loving: Hair Products!

I don't know about you guys, but when summer hits, my hair routine gets lazy. Maybe it's because it's so humid and hot in the bathroom that doing my hair results in a sweat sesh of epic workout proportions. Maybe it's because I can actually let my hair air dry without real risk of hypothermia. Whatever the reason, I avoid heat styling in the summer unless I really, really, like really have to.

Assisting me in my summer hair laziness are three stand out products that I thought you should know about.

Dry shampoo. Obviously you can use this all year long, but in summer this is really a go-to for me. I prefer to only wash my hair 2-3 times a week now that it's longer. I don't have crazy oily hair so I can usually go a couple of days before I even need this. There are lots of dry shampoos out there that offer a variety of benefits and features, but my fave is this one by Batiste. You can find this at Walgreens and Ulta for sure, and they have several versions but I like the one for dark hair as it doesn't cast as much of a white shadow in my hair. I typically spray this on the roots around my face and behind my ears let it set in and then rub my roots to make sure the product is fully absorbed and that I get some volume. Then I style it as I see fit (i.e., a bun or pony tail) and move on with my life. Fun fact: curls last better on dirty hair BUT you can spritz some dry shampoo at the roots of freshly washed hair and create some added texture that will hold a better curl. Also, I like the mild scent of this, some dry shampoos are crazy scented and it overpowers everything in my line of smell.

This is a new-ish product out there and I happened to pass by it at Target a month or two ago. This is a shine and anti-frizz spray. It says it lasts for 24 hours and I agree that it does (I am excluding the tropical like humidity we had at the beginning of this week as the only thing that will keep frizz away during days like that is a hat.) I spray this on my hair after I blow dry it OR once it's dry and it gives my hair a nice shine and reduces the frizz BUT what I really like about it is that it makes my hair soft. Like silky, shiny soft and fluffy.

Finally I have a new hair oil that I am loving. This is the new Garnier Frucits Marvelous Hair Oil. There are a couple versions of this and I chose the deep nourish version. I am still one hundred percent a Moroccan Oil lover BUT it's a tad on the spendy side and my bottle is (gasp!) almost empty. So I picked this up to see how it would work and I am pretty happy to report that it's kinda awesome. It's not an overpowering scent (it doesn't smell like heaven which is what the Moroccan Oil smells like) and the pump keeps trigger happy fingers like mine from over-dispensing product. I apply this to wet hair after I get out of the shower; I comb through my hair first and then apply this to the roots and then comb through it to distribute the product through my hair. This also adds shine and helps with the frizz and helps repair damage as well as acts as a heat protectant should you choose that route.

FabFitFun Summer Box Review

I received my FabFitFun Summer VIP box last week! For those of you who don't know what this is, it's a quarterly subscription box that comes with $200 plus worth of products. It's $49.99 a quarter and there are opportunities to earn a discount on each box and even earn some of them for free (all based on a referral system). I have a chance for you all to try this out and get the summer box at a discount and will include that info at the end of this post.

It is worth mentioning that I have cancelled my other beauty subscriptions and am only doing this one. I am super impressed with the value, variety and quality of the products in these boxes!

First off, we received a Slim Fast Birthday Cake bar (I haven't eaten that yet) and Salt & Vinegar Pop Chips (I have eaten those, hence why you don't see them in the photo). We got food last time too and I like that. I like treats in the mail, especially new treats.

We also received this adorable clutch/makeup bag (there were four or five different designs, this is just the one I got) with a $30 gift card to the site to spend on whatever we want. And THEN we got a bottle of nail polish (which it sounds like there were two or three colors sent out). From Zoya. My fave brand of polish. AND...it was a color that I DIDN'T already have. I know. Shocking. The color I received is Thandie, and it's an orangey-coral color that I really like. I posted a pic of my mani using this on Instagram.

Also pictured above is probably my least favorite item out of the box. A duo of lip balm for making out. Um....am I 16? So it's two different flavors that, when mixed together, are really supposed to be delicious and awesome fuel for your face sucking needs. I got sweet and sour. Ew. Not impressed and will most likely toss them or give them away to someone. Kinda lame.

Next up are some hair and skin care items. The first one is a facial that apparently celebrities use. And it's supposed to be awesome (this tiny little bottle retails for $95). I've tried a few times now and I don't see any results. I mean nothing. Maybe I'm not using enough product? Maybe my skin is already so amazing this just doesn't do anything? Whatever.

The middle bottle is hair oil. This is fine. I prefer Morrocan Oil, but hey it's summer and I can always use a good hair oil. This smells a little weird to me, but once I have it in my hair it's fine and I don't notice it.

Then we got a face moisturizer from pur-lisse. I haven't tried this yet, BUT I have tried other products from this brand and really like them so I will give this a shot and let you know. It has SPF 30 in it so I'm excited about that!

And finally we received a water bottle with a diffuser in it for fruit and stuff, shave gel and some feminine hygiene products. Love the water bottle. don't really need another one, but it's so cute. And smaller than the other ones I have so that's cool. I've tried this shave gel before and really like it so I am excited to have a travel size version for all of my upcoming work trips!

The always pads are kind of meh for me. I mean hey, a girl can always use these things and I'm sure I will, but I just haven't had a need for them yet. TMI? Oh well.

All in all I was very satisfied with the summer box. I love trying new things and I love that we get such high quality products and they aren't repeats of what I got in the last box.

And before I forget, the details about the discount are below.

The first three people to use this code 2280115 can get a Summer VIP box like the one I got for $15 off! Redeem at vip.fabfitfun.com!

April Favorites

I apologize for the delay in postings, but life gets crazy every now and again so what's a girl to do? 

Anyhoo...I hope you all had a great month! I surely did :-) It was my birthday month and right now I am currently on "vacation" so April has been awesome. 

So let's talk about favorites. Above is a picture of all my April faves. These are products that I used a lot and really stood out for the month. 

Above is my Tangle Teezer, Batiste for dark hair, Kai perfume oil, Loreal Damage Erase Balm and Vaseline Rosy Lips lip balm. Really none of these are new, but all of them have saved my butt this month. First off, if you do not have a Tangle Teezer, please stop reading and go immediately to your nearest Target and buy one. It has made a HUGE difference in combing out my wet (and dry) hair, I can't even tell you. I think that if you have kids you really need this and I know brushing kids' hair can suck and be down-right painful for them (and you) and I am telling you this makes a difference. Life changing. Seriously. 

The Batiste dry shampoo for dark hair is awesome! I love the smell and the fact that it doesn't turn my (formerly) dark hair white or ashy. It won't stain you hair, but if you have dark hair you know what I'm talking about. 

The Kai fragrance oil is so frickin fabulous I can't stand it. I received this in my spring FabFitFun box and am so in love. It's so light ad fresh (smells like lilacs, but is apparently different on everyone). 

The rosy lips lip balm from Vaseline is super. It keeps my lips really hydrated and the smell isn't too intense. It's like $1.50 at Target. Go get it.

And finally my Loreal hair mask. I've talked about this before so I won't get into too much detail other than to say that if you heat style or color your hair you also need this. I recently dyed my hair blonde again and holy lifesaver. Seriously awesome, add it to your shopping list, you will not be disappointed.

So I apologize that this photo is lopsided. I tried for 20 effing minutes to get it to turn and saved and re-saved the damn thing like 1,007 times and it wouldn't work. Ugh. Moving on. These are my make up faves for the month. The E.L.F. HD Powder is $6 at Target and it's so amazing. The powder itself is white, but it doesn't  leave a color behind (so I guess that would make it translucent, duh.) and is so great for setting your makeup and your concealer. I use this in my T-zone and under my eyes. I am also in love with the E.L.F. HD lifting concealer. This doesn't do much to actually conceal, however it brightens like nobody's business. If I were a betting gal, I would bet that this product rivals other products twice or three times the price. I am also digging my Loreal Voluminous mascara. I had to ditch the Maybelline Rocket mascara because the last two tubes I bought flaked like crazy. This mascara is a tried and true product for me and I always go back to it. 

And finally, drum roll please........the best palette known to (wo)man...the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette. And yes, it does smell like chocolate. Yes. Yes, it does. You get 16 shadows for $49 on Sephora. And it is worth every.damn.chocolately.penny. I treated (haha, get it?) myself to this for my birthday and couldn't be happier. I wish I would have had this before the Naked palettes. Or any other nude/neutral palette. There is such a variety of neutrals along with a burgundy, a purple and a greenish brown and a couple of pinky shades in here. It is glorious. Glorious I tell you. The outside packaging (to include the box it comes in) is all designed to look like a chocolate bar. And the shadows are made with actual cocoa powder (hence the smell, which does go away when you put the product on your eye, but for allergy purposes you might need to know that). And just ugh, admire the awesomeness will you? All the shades are really pigmented and blend well. A couple of them are gritty-er than others and have a little fall out, but overall this palette is phenomenal. A great buy for the makeup enthusiast, the chocolate enthusiast, your mom, grandma, yourself, or your niece who is just learning to use makeup. I just. I need to stop before I get too carried away. It's awesome, check it out the next time you are in Sephora or Ulta.

Hair Styling Tools

As I've said before, I don't know a lot about styling my hair, but I know what I don't like and what I do. And above are my three favorite (read: only) tools for styling my hair. I used to religiously use hot rollers, then I cut my hair and haven't really gone back to that. Those are great and Conair makes some of the best, most affordable ones on the market. But before I get off track, let's talk about my fave tools. Hair styling tools that is.

First up is my flat iron. The Infinity Pro Tourmaline Ceramic Flat Iron. I love that this heats up fast, and really makes my hair shiny and straight. Tip: only run each section of your hair through the flat iron ONCE. Anymore than that really risks burning the sh#& out of your hair and will lead to breakage or literally burning your hair. Do small sections of an inch or less, depending on the hair type you have. 

Next up is my Chi Curling Iron. I don't know the exact name of this or exactly how big it is, as I got this through Avon rewards when I used to sell that. Sorry I don't have better info, I even tried searching for it but didn't find anything. But this is a popular style of curling iron, which are actually called wands or clip-less but I love this thing. It heats up in no time and gives my hair a long lasting curl (seriously with hair spray it lasts up to 3 days, longer if I wasn't too lazy to do touch ups).

And finally, which this should really be first as your hair should always be dry BEFORE you run it through a flat iron or curling iron/wand. I know there are some on the market that promise to dry and flatten your hair, and I know they say they're safe, but really if your hair is soaking wet and you run it through an iron, how is that not ruining your hair? Seriously. Just think about it. Anyway I digress yet again. This is Conair Cord Keeper dryer and I have had it for years (the words have rubbed off so you can't even read the sides anymore.) This has three settings and the cool-shot button that I use once my hair is totally dry I push down on that button and go through my hair quick. It's supposed to help with shine, and it's also convenient when it's hot outside to blast yourself in the face with cold air. If you have long hair and it's hot, you know what I'm talking about. 

Favorite Hair Styling Products

I thought I would take a break from make-up for a couple of posts and talk about hair. I will apologize in advance for the less-than-stellar photos, I'm having camera issues this week. I don't know a lot about styling my hair, but I do know that some products are better than others at achieving the look I go for. Below are my faves (and by faves I mean these are the only products I use.) I've tried a lot and these are my best of the best.

Heat Protectant. If you blow-dry, flat-iron, hot-roll, curling iron or wand your hair you HAVE to use a protecting spray. Have to. You are burning the ever-loving daylights out of your hair each time you use one of those tools so you need to protect it as best as you can so it doesn't fall out or burn. This is like sunscreen for your hair. Except it doesn't have actual sunscreen in it (although there are products like that on the market). Anyway, there are many heat protectant sprays on the market and this one from Tresseme is my fave. I love this brand and they make a ton of amazing products for CHEAP. You can purchase this at Target, Walmart, Walgreens,etc. And the spray nozzle does lock for traveling or just when you aren't using it. It smells good, but not overpowering and I can really tell a difference when I use this. My hair is softer and shinier and feels healthier.

Moroccan Oil. Also known as liquid gold. I wrote a post on this a few years ago, and I am still in love with this. Let me say it this way, if you have hair, you need this. It smells divine, and makes your hair shiny, and beautiful. All you need is a small pump and you run it through your hair (I do it when it's wet) focusing on the tips and working your way to the roots and ta-da! Magic. I kid you not. This is about a $40 bottle, but for my mid length hair this will last at least a year if not longer. When I had short hair, this was all I used on it. Amazing. Buy it. Done.

Hair spray. Almost everyone and their mama uses hair spray and no joke, this stuff is the bomb dot com. It's from mark. and it's called Locks In Place. It's a buildable formula and it has a mild, clean smell. It's $14 for the bottle, which is a little spendy, but it's worth it. So worth it. I use this on my hair when I curl it and it lasts for two to three days. Yeah, days. I said it. Awesome in a bottle.

And speaking of awesome in a bottle. This is the Batiste dry shampoo for darker hair. If you don't have blonde hair then you get the ashy, dandruff-y look that most dry shampoos give your hair. My hair is greasy, I don't need it looking like I have severe dandruff too, right? This is a fantastic product and has the strongest smell of the ones in this post, but it's still not over-powering. I only use this on two or three day hair and usually only have to use it around my face. They do make one for blonde hair too along with a ton of other options. I got mine from Ulta.

What are your go-to hair styling products? Have one I should try? Tell me in the comments below.

Hair Care Basics: Shampoo & Conditioner

Great hair is a lot like great make-up in that it starts with the basics. If you don't have a great foundation of skin care or hair care, all the products in the world won't matter. You can't create a beautiful masterpiece on a bumpy, dry, ripped canvas right? So here's what I use to keep my hair in tip-top shape.

First thing's first. Shampoo. You need to find a formula that will work for your hair type. If you have fine, thin hair or color treated wavy hair, or coarse dry hair that makes a difference. Figure out what hair type you have and look for products that will enhance it. For me I bounce between three or four different shampoos, but the one I am using now is the Vidal Sassoon (let me just say I am so glad this brand is back with a vengeance, they have amazing products!) Color-Finity Shampoo. I color my hair at home and just recently had highlights put in so this is a must for me. My hair is dry as a bone and needs all the help it can get. I love the smell on this, it really lathers up nicely and rinses clean. 

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle. This can be used weekly as a treatment or in my case I use this everyday as a conditioner. Come summer I probably won't but between the winter apocalypse we are experiencing in Minnesota and the fact that I color my hair and heat style it, this is a great conditioner for my hair. I love the smell and after I shampoo I put this in and clip my hair up while I wash up and shave and then rinse this out. Also, it's like $3 at Target. 

Finally, I do use a weekly mask and this is my new favorite. It's the L'oreal Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm. I got this for $6 at Target and this tub is full of product so this will last me awhile. I use this once a week in place of my conditioner and holy balls this makes a divine intervention like difference. It smells nice, but won't overpower you or any additional scented body products you use and it really makes my hair shiny and soft and looks and feels so much healthier. 

What are your fave hair basics? Tell me in the comments below.

Go-To Face of the Day

Whenever I am in a hurry or don't have a lot of time to think about what I want to do with make-up, I have a few go-to products that always give me (what I feel is) a polished look. 

I love the Cover Girl Outlast 3-in-1 Foundation, the Cover Girl & Olay under eye concealer, Wet N Wild Blush in Pearlescent Pink, the Lorac Pro Palette, Rimmel Scandal-Eyes in Nude, Maybeline Line Stilleto in Black and Maybelline the Rocket in Blackest Black. 

I absolutely love all of these products, and would recommend them to anyone. And I love the Lorac Pro Palette! There are so many shades in here from everything to nude colors to the deepest smokey colors. You can really create a million different looks with this. 

All of these products have long lasting power, and I can go about my day and not have to worry about touch-ups or or melt-downs. 

What are your go-to products? 

January Top 5 Beauty Faves

January 2014 Top 5 Beauty Favorites

I love nail polish! And Zoya polishes are one of my favorite brands. These four are from their new Naturel Collection. I am usually a dark polish girl, but these are just so fresh and I love the shine they give my nails. All of these are office-appropriate and would look great on a variety of skin tones. My two faves are Rue and Brigette.

This is an oldie but goodie. I had a coupon for Loreal makeup and was in need of mascara. I love the length this gives my lashes! It doesn't do much for volume but I like the finished look. I have it in blackest black. It comes in waterproof and other shades too.

Wet N Wild Blush in Pearlescent Pink is so gorgeous. It's a pinky-peach tone blush that is super pigmented. It is a dead-ringer or dupe for NARS Orgasm. AND......it's $2. Yep. $2 at Walgreens. I love this color. It's great with a variety of looks and a great everyday go to shade.

The Tangle Teezer. I love this brush. I have only used it on wet hair but you can use it on dry hair too. It is amazing how well this runs through my hair and gets all the tanlges out without hurting my head. I have a separate post on this if you want more.

This is a new product for me. I have only had it the last two weeks of the month but it is such an awesome product, I had to include it. I recently colored my hair and it has been sooooo dry. Partially because of the dying but I think partially because it's winter. But I swear in one use this made my hair so soft and shiny that you would never know how dry it was minutes before use. It smells good too! I use this once a week as a treatment (usually on the weekend because I don't have time during the week.)

What are your faves this month? Have you tried any of the products I listed?

Sunday Bonus: The Tangle Teezer...It's Life Changing

If you have shoulder length hair or longer you need to own this. It is seriously life changing. I have always had long hair until about two years ago when I cut it into a pixie cut. And now that it's starting to grow out again, the tangles are back. I used to use Suave tangle free something or other spray for kids. It smelled like apples and worked, but THEN I was browsing at Target and I came across this miracle.

I have heard several people on YouTube and in the beauty blogger world talk about this before, but honestly I never really paid too much attention.

This is $10 and from what I can tell from the packaging it came out or is from/originated from the UK and we now have it here in the US. It was $10 and there are a couple of other brands that have a version of this, but I wanted the original.

Anyhoo, I picked this up and brought it home and once I got it out of the package I didn't have high hopes. The plastic teeth didn't seem like they would hold up to my thick hair. I have very thick hair and I have a lot of it.

BUT then I used it on my wet hair (you can use this on wet or dry, I haven't tried it on my dry hair)  I was blown away. This brush was able to brush through my tangles and snarls without hurting me and without pulling out all of my hair. Seriously if you have tangly hair you know how much it hurts to comb it out after washing it. I would recommend this brush to anyone, male or female, young or old, if you have longer hair, you need to buy this. I am sure you can find it online, but Target sells them and I think they only come in pink.

Have you tried this or have you tried another version of this? What did you think?

Basic Face: Weekend Makeup

 As much as I love make-up there are some days, usually the weekend, that I just don't wear or want to wear a ton of stuff on my face. And that's a-okay. So today's post features some of my go-to weekend makeup. 

Face products. I use some sort of tinted moisturizer/BB/CC cream. Pictured above is a deluxe size I got from Sephora and it's fine. Nothing fancy or special I don't think. But it does the job. Then I like to lightly dust a powder over my t-zone so I don't get shiny. Above is the Maybelline Shine Free Powder in Light and the E.L.F. kabuki brush. I will also use some sort of cheek color to give life to my face and pictured here is the Benefit Rockateur. 

For my eyes I go really basic and comb through my lashes and brows using this handy tool from Sonia Kashuk.

Then if I'm feeling fancy I will curl my lashes. Otherwise I just add some mascara and that's it. I will of course add whatever lip balm I have handy as my lips are always dry so I have to put something on them or they will be in sad shape. 

Easy Peasy, right? What's your go-to weekend look? Or low-key look?

January Ipsy Bag

What could be better than sampling the latest and greatest beauty products and getting exclusive deals on them every month? And having them delivered to your door? Not much right? And the best part is, this is a real thing. If you are an Ipsy (formerly My Glam) subscriber this is exactly what you will get each and every month. AND it's $10. Yep just $10. Pretty awesome huh? I've been a subscriber for over a year now, I took a break for a couple months and then reactivated my subscription. It's such a fun way to try products and a lot of the time you are getting full sizes, not just deluxe or travel sized products. Brands featured in past bags include Urban Decay, Benefit, NYX, Zoya, Butter London and Pacifica just to name a few. And they all come in a cute little make up bag.

Here are the items I got in my January bag! I haven't had time to try most of these yet so I just have pictures for you. But this is a really good deal and I have tried several of the subscription services out there and this is by far my fave and (in my opinion) the best deal. Check it out and sign up here.