Ahhh! I'm late!

The next few weeks are inevitably going to be a bit hectic for me.  The boyfriend and I are in the process of moving pretty far away from home and we also have a few trips planned, so there will be a good deal of early mornings and long days ahead.

Usually when I know I have to be somewhere that matters early in the morning I try to set my alarm earlier than I need to get up so I can leisurely get ready and feel like my normal self all day.   Yet when the alarm goes off I just don't know what happens.  I just keep hitting snooze until it's down to the wire.  It's like the little voice in my subconscious is telling me "shhhhh you don't care if you look a mess, it's fiiinnnne"  But of course then I wake up and it's not fine.

After having done this at least 10 bajillion times I have learned to get decent looking in under 20 minutes, and now I'm going to show you how I do it, because I KNOW I'm not the only one with snooze button issues.

Ok, so here we go!  I timed this to make it legit.

Now first things first, you need to learn to anticipate the fact that you are going to be in a rush in the morning. So sleep with your hair in a way that will let you wake up with it looking decent.  Clearly in your mad dash to get ready you won't be washing it, so you should plan ahead.

For some this might mean putting it in a braid or in curlers, but for some reason those annoy me at night and I wind up taking it out just to get some sleep.  Instead I wind it up into a little Whoville style bun right on the top of my head, and it seems to do the trick.

Once I let the hair down the ends are fairly neat and it has some shape, but the roots need some help.  So before I even go near my face I hit my roots with some dry shampoo.  That way it will sit in there and absorb all the oil while I do my makeup.

Ok so clip the hair off your face and then get started on the skin.  I recommend a BB or CC cream, so you can combine three of your steps into one (SPF, moisture, foundation)  I apply it with my hands, because it just seems faster and easier to me that way.

Once that's on I head on over to the under eye area with some concealer.  Normally I would use a corrector and then a lighter concealer over it to create dimension and highlight my face, but in 20 minutes that's not going to happen so I just use a concealer with some correcting color in it like Benefit Erase Paste.  Again I do this with my fingers because the warmth of your hands blends it faster and ain't nobody got time for a tiny brush right now.

Next I use a large blush brush to apply some bronzer and then some blush to the back of my cheeks.  It's not exactly as effective contouring, but it still helps add shape and slim the face a bit.

Ok time for brows.  This is important because your brows frame your whole face.  Look at what a difference they make compared to the picture with just the skin done.  Crazy.

I don't eff around with brow powders when I'm in a rush, I just grab my brow pencil and fill in the shape how I like it.  Then I brush through them with the spooly brush on the end of the pencil to soften it and set them with a colored brow gel.  Just a little time for a huge impact.

Ok so let's be real, eyeshadow is not an option in the scenario, because that takes some time and precision. But naked lids often get really greasy so it's a good idea to put just a primer over the lids.  It doesn't need to be precise so you can swipe in on in .5 seconds and it will keep things in control.

Then the key is to curl the lashes, and add quite a bit of mascara.  Your lashes are going to be the only thing that is lining your eyes so make sure they are perky and well defined.  Then because I was feeling like I still looked sleepy (and I was doing pretty well on time) I dipped my pinky into a subtle highlight color and dabbed it on my inner corners and gently blended it out.

Then I took the clip out of my hair, and used my hands to tousle it around a bit.  The dry shampoo gave it some texture at the roots so just shaking it up a bit was enough to make it look presentable.

I took just one pump of my favorite hair oil and spread it through the ends of my hair with my hands to smooth it.  The ends instantly get more tame when you do this, but since it's on dry hair don't go overboard because it might get greasy looking.  If your hair is thin maybe even a half of a pump would be enough.

Then to really seal the deal, I like to pop on a bright lip.  Nothing says "Look! I give a damn!" like a bold lip color.  It looks very intentional, so even if your eyes are a bit plain or your hair is a bit shaggy, you still look put together.

Awww yeah baby,  finished with time to spare!  Is it the best I've ever looked in my life?  Not even close.  But for an early morning rush it's not too bad.

Hope this helps on those mornings where you lost the battle with the snooze button!

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Easy DIY Coconut Oil Lotion Bars

If there's one thing that drives me completely nuts, it's that bunch of lotion at the bottom of the bottle that won't come out of the pump.  Most pump style lotions have this issue, and I find that the thicker the lotion, the more gets stuck down there. These things ain't cheap. Very annoying.

I used to just cut the top of the lotion bottle off and scoop the lotion out of the bottom with my hands, but there's something about doing that isn't very luxurious.

So what I've started doing is using the leftover lotion to make lotion bars.  One of my favorite combinations is Aveeno Daily Moisture Lotion and Coconut Oil anyway, so why not combine it up into a handy little bar?

The coconut oil portion of this concoction is actually very important, because it is what will make it into a bar.  Coconut oil is solid when it is cool, so as long as you don't let these sit out, they will stay in bar form without having to order any extra ingredients like bees wax off the internet.  The point is: Don't try to replace coconut oil with something else like olive oil because it won't work.

Ok first you will need some ingredients.  You will need a jar of coconut oil, an annoyingly unfinished bottle of your favorite lotion and whatever you want to add to give it an even nicer smell.  I just added a dash of vanilla extract but you can try other things.  I bet cinnamon would be awesome!

You will also need a few simple tools.  I like to use a bowl, a whisk and a silicone muffin pan.  The silicone mold makes it really easy remove the bars when they're done.  You just have to flip the mold inside out and they just pop right out.

Ok so now it's time to get that lotion out of the bottle.  The easiest way to do it is to (CAREFULLY) use a knife to saw the plastic bottle in half and then scoop it out with a spoon.  Kids, if you are trying this please ask an adult for help...and if you're like me and you're an adult who's scared of cutting herself, still ask for help! Hahaha

Now you want to add your ingredients into a bowl.  Start with the lotion first because it is hard to know how much you are going to scoop out of there.  Then add your coconut oil.  In order for the bars to become solid later you need to have about two parts of coconut oil to one part lotion, so in other words however much lotion you get out of the bottle, add twice as much coconut oil.

This isn't really an exact science, so if it's not precisely 2:1 it will probably still work, but try to get it close to that if you can.

It was really warm in my kitchen today, so the coconut oil was completely liquid, but if yours is more solid you can always pop it into the microwave for a few seconds, that way you can mix it in.

Then just use your whisk to whip it all together.

Once it's all whipped together just pour it into your mold.  If you don't have a silicone one, you can use a traditional muffin pan, just keep in mind they may be a bit harder to remove.  You want to move quickly because if you let the mixture sit at room temperature that liquid coconut oil will want to separate from the lotion, and we want a smooth, even distribution.

Now it's time to get them solid.  Simply pop the muffin pan into the freezer and let them sit for an hour or so.   That should be long enough for the coconut oil to solidify.  All that's left to do now is...

Now you have your own lotion bars, that are super moisturizing and you didn't have to waste any of that pain in the butt leftover lotion!  

They really give so much moisture, they are cool and refreshing, and they give a nice thin coat of moisturizer to the skin so it doesn't feel heavy.  I really enjoy them.

UPDATE:  I tried using one of these bars to shave my legs (instead of shaving cream) and it was freakin' awesome!

To store them I would suggest keeping them in a little tupperware container in the fridge or the freezer. Odds are if you keep them in the bathroom or in the shower they will just melt away in the heat and steam.

Let me know if you try it!

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All the Things You Need to Start Dabbling in DIY Nail Art

Some folks say nail art is over.

But one quick look around the internet would prove otherwise.  I think nail art is one of those trends that is here to stay.  For one thing we have amazing nail artists like missladyfinger creating super dope and really chic nail art based on runway fashion (!!!) Then there's the fact that along with looking cool, it almost becomes a hobby if you get good at it.  

Long story short, if you are just getting into it but feel like you missed the bandwagon, don't fret.  

If you ARE just starting out though, it really helps to gather a few items to help you in your journey.  Practice is important, but so are the tools. So here are a list of things I wish I had found  a year or two ago, instead of finding out about them all separately and compiling my little nail art tool box slowly.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and nail art wasn't painted with the brush that comes in the nail polish bottle.  You can find cheap sets of nail brushes for around $1.50 which work perfectly well.  You can also use other brushes which aren't specifically designed for nails.  I love to use my old eyeliner brush for less detailed things like colorful french tips, or filling in a half moon.

You can also use them dipped into a little acetone to clean up any polish you get on your skin.

Take a look around your old makeup brushes, I bet there are things in there that you never use, which might be perfect for your nails.  

So yeah the tools are important, but you DO need to practice too.  I suppose you could practice on your fingers, but if you screw it up royally, it's annoying to clean up, and you're nails can really suffer from over-doing it with remover.

I simply get myself a few nail wheels and practice on those.  That way if I really like what I did I always have a reference so I can recreate it too.

For less of a hand painted look, and more of a crisp geometric effect you might want to look into some things to serve as sort of a stencil.  Striping tape is a thin, sticky tape which you can use to make stripes and shapes on your nails.  

You can either use the tape itself to make stripes (but just make sure you use a lot of topcoat so it stays on)  or you can lay down a color and wait for it to dry, make your pattern in the tape and paint over it.  Then when you peel it off the color underneath will peak through.  I love doing this with a neon color underneath and a neutral on top (like in this post)

For half moon and french manicures it's a bit different. Bandaids are your best friend. 

For an easy half moon manicure paint your entire nail the color you want the half moon to be.  When it's dry just place the round end of the bandaid over the half moon area and paint the color you want to rest of the nail to be over the top.  Peel the bandaid, add topcoat and done.

And it's the same procedure for a french manicure, except you will place the bandaid over most of the nail leaving only the tip exposed.

A small pair of scissors are very handy to have when you are doing nail art because you can use them to snip your striping tape off the roll, or cut your bandaids in half to utilize both rounded ends at the same time.  It's a simple tool, but easy to forget.

Sharpie markers can look surprisingly cool when used on top of nail polish.  Black, gold and silver sharpies look especially good, and most of the time people don't even realize it's marker.  

I like to use them to make stripes and shapes on light colors for a hand drawn, but still kinda precise look.

And then there's my new favorite, nail charms.  Like jewelry for your nails!  There are a ton of bows and rhinestones and things like that, but for me I like to stick with some good old fashioned studs.  All you have to do is paint your nails as usual and then use a tiny dab of nail glue to stick some studs on.  Even just one at the base of your nail (like I did here) adds a ton of edge to an otherwise average manicure.  You can also combine them with some glitter polish, which looks pretty sweet if I do say so myself!

And those are the basic things you need to get going.  Just don't be afraid to get creative!  Play with color and texture and you will probably come up with some really cool stuff.

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For the Beach Babes. . .

I don't know about you guys but I freakin' love the beach, man.  It was one of my favorite places growing up and things haven't changes much in adulthood.  There is something about just sitting on the beach that doesn't seem useless, ya know?  Like if I was sitting on a lawn with friends for four hours intermittently chatting and sleeping it might seem boring or like a wasted day, but on the beach that's not only fine, it's actually awesome.

A lot of times when I tell people from elsewhere that I go to the beach a lot in the summer they seem shocked that New York has such outdoor summer oasis's available, but Long Island is just a short car ride away, and it has more beaches than you can shake a stick at. So naturally we all flock there as often as possible to get some sun.

Over the years I have learned a few things about what a girl needs at the beach.  I'll try not to bore you with the obvious, because I think we all know to bring sunglasses and a towel.  What I want to do is share with you the things I often forgot or didn't know about, and now see as essential.

I mean, as great as a day at the beach is, I think we can all agree that we usually leave there feeling less than cute.  So why not pack a few things to counteract that?

1.  Spray on sunblock:  Ok I admit that sunblock is very obvious, but it's the specific TYPE of sunblock that I'm currently in love with.  Right when beach weather started hitting us this year, I happened to be in Ulta and I decided on a whim to grab a can of spray on sunblock.  I picked up Australian Gold Continuous Spray Sunblock with Bronzer and it was like "Where have you been all of my life?"

First of all, it sprays perfectly, even upside down so you can get every part of your body.  It absorbs in quickly and doesn't leave your skin sticky AT ALL.  It smells like tropical sunshine and golden beachy glory. Oh and best best of all, it gives you an instant golden bronze glow, which shockingly lasts for like an entire week.  I want to marry it and have its sunblock babies.

2.  Makeup wipes:  Getting back to that "less than cute" feeling when you leave the beach, the of grains of sand stuck in the sunblock on your face and sweat and grime and shiny skin which seems inevitable can really be the basis of the issue, but are actually easily fixed.

Seriously nobody wants to wash their face in the public restrooms at the beach, if there even IS a public restroom at the beach, so makeup wipes are the perfect solution.

Pro tip:  I like to keep them in the cooler and then when I'm leaving and it's time to wipe down my face it's like a cold refreshing treat.  Honestly, this is a game changer if you intend to go get some food or a few drinks after sunbathing for a few hours.

3.  Lip balm with SPF:  Holy crap you guys this one is SO important yet for some reason really easy to forget about.  I made a post a few weeks back about how to heal sunburned lips, and let me just say that I only needed to re-learn that lesson once.  my lip-healing methods are helpful but it is super unpleasant either way.  So this time around I made damn sure that I had some SPF on my lips.

Now, if you asked me what my favorite lip balm that contained SPF is I would say hands down it's the Original Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment but I have had too many lip balms melt in the heat to risk that.  It's like 22 bucks.  If I accidentally let that melt I would kick myself.  So I just picked up a CVS brand chapstick with SPF 30.  Was it luxurious?  Nope!  But it got the job done.

Oh and if you are still concerned about it melting, because let's be honest even wasting two bucks still sucks, try keeping this in the cooler too!  I guess you could keep your luxurious lip balm in the cooler, but personally I'm just not going to risk it.  Fool me once...

4.  Baby powder:  Ok now this is the one that people always think is weird but I SWEAR by it.  I have to give credit to  Momma Quinnface, because she taught me this one years and years ago, before it was easy to learn things on the internet, and it is such a good trick.  So... well done, Mom!

You know when you go to leave the beach and you feel like every inch of you is a sticky, gritty mess? Just bring some baby powder with you and once you have left the sand sprinkle it all over your body.  The powder instantly absorbs the stickiness and the sand brushes right off.  Then you can just wipe off the powder with a towel and boom you are at least 85% sand free, and 100% sticky free.  And surprisingly, as long as you wipe down with the towel pretty thoroughly you won't look white and weird from the powder.


So those are my essentials for not feeling gross at the beach.  If you have any beach beauty tricks or favorites let me know in the comments!

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How I get Soft Beachy Waves with Sea Salt Spray!

Something about the summer months makes me particularly reluctant to heat style my hair.  Maybe it's the fact that the relentless East Coast humidity makes my curls fall out in a half hour, or maybe it's the thought of using heat when I'm already too hot.  I think a little of column A and a little of column B.

But I am a texture addict.  I don't like my hair to be completely silky.  Naturally it's pretty much straight with a slight wave and the texture is super smooth, which means that if I let it air dry it looks acceptable but I don't love it.  I need me some texture!

So I try to find ways to get some shape and texture in there without spending tons of time with heat tools, and this is one of the easiest most successful ways I have found so far.  

This will work particularly well for long layered hair that is a similar texture to mine, but it should work pretty well for most hair types except for super curly and super short.

Let's get started.

Ok so to begin with you want your hair to be wet.  I prefer to dry my roots a little because it helps keep more volume in it, and makes it fall more nicely, but if your hair looks nice when you let the roots air dry, go for it.

If you DO decide to dry your roots a bit, make sure that you only dry the top.  From you ears down should still be soaking wet.  You can re wet the ends if you needs to.

Next I like to use some hair oil.  At the moment I am absolutely in love with the Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment.  It smells SO GOOD, and makes my hair super soft too.

The hair oil is a very important part of this process, because on its own sea salt spray can make your hair a little crunchy, and dull.  The oil helps keep it soft and flowing, and gives it a nice shine.

I use about three pumps and spread it though my hair from the ears down.  If you have less hair, you can use less.  Use your fingers to rake it through and distribute it evenly.

Now it's time for some salt spray.  I use the Tigi Catwalk Sea Salt Spray.  I find that it gives a good amount of texture and hold.

Spray your salt spray on your hair, again from the ears down (don't wanna weigh down those roots).  Make sure not to go crazy, a few sprays on each side are enough.  Too much can make it dull and crispy.

Next I take my hair in four big sections, two on each side, and twist the sections into little rolls.  I twist them away from my face because I feel like that's more flattering.  I then take two of the sections together and tie them at the ends with a small hair tie, and do the same on the other side.  That will keep them twisted while you wait for them to dry.

Now the important thing is to leave them in as long as you can.  Preferably you would leave them in until they were completely dry, but that isn't always an option.  Just keep in mind the longer you keep them in, the more your waves will hold.

This time around I gave myself a manicure, checked emails, made some phone calls and then took them out.  I left them for around an hour.  Then I just took my little rubber bands out and gently shook out the ends of the hair with my fingers.  When I took them out they were still damp, but just a little.

Once your twists are out you want to take your favorite hairspray and spray a little of it on your hair.  This time you can spray it all over instead of just from the ears down.  Don't OD on it because you already have a lot of product in there, and you don't want it to get weighed down and sticky, you want to keep some movement in it.

The hairspray will help set the waves in place, so they stay in longer.

Once you have sprayed in your hairspray it should look like the above picture, but as it dries it will look even better.

I snapped a few selfies in the car later that day so you could see how it looks when it's fully dry!  Personally, I love it!  It's so easy and it looks effortless but still finished, which is totally my favorite type of hair style.  The bonus is it saves time, and you don't have to use damaging heat tools on the delicate ends AND it lasts longer than heat styled waves.  Winning!

Give it a try, and let me know how it goes!


 

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Fake Freckles Baby!

So today I filmed a video of a slightly different variety.  Recently I have been seeing a lot of freckles, both real and fake and I have to tell you, I'm feelin' it!

So I've been messing around with the technique for a few days and yesterday someone I see all the time said "Oh wow I never noticed you had freckles before" so I think I have it down.

So I made a video showing all of you how to do it too so we can all be freckled little friggin' cutie pies. All the products I used are linked below as per usual.

PRODUCTS:

Anastasia Brow Wiz Medium Ash

Illamasqua Brow Cake Gaze

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SMACKDOWN! Essie Mint Candy Apply VS OPI Gargantuan Green Grape

I have a terrible habit of going into a store and seeing something I really want, convincing myself I have something similar and then going home without it, only to sit around thinking about it and obsessing over it for a few days.  Then what happens? I make an entire separate trip back to the store to get it.

Thinking about it now I would probably save more money on gas and public transportation if I just bought what I want in the first place instead of going there twice, but thats another issue entirely.

So long story short last week I went to Ulta, saw OPI Gargantuan Green Grape and loved it, but convinced myself I didn't need it because I already have Essie Mint Candy Apple, and it's pretty similar. 

Guess what I went back and bought yesterday...yup.

The time I spent trying to decide was littered with sporadic bouts of me sitting behind my computer looking for swatches that compare the two, and I was surprised to find that there weren't all that many out there. So I figured I would do a little comparison for y'all who are sitting around toiling over this decision like I was.

As you can see, in the bottles they look quite similar, but those with a keen eye for color will be able to tell that OPI Gargantuan Green Grape is a little more green and Essie Mint Candy Apple is a bit more blue. Also note they both have a cream finish without shimmer or glitter so, so far looking pretty much the same.

When swatched the color difference is more apparent.  As you can see Gargantuan Green Grape is much more of a true pastel green where Mint Candy Apple is a pastel blue-green.  It also became apparent when I swatched them that Gargantuan Green Grape is not as pigmented.  I needed three coats to make it opaque.  Mint Candy Apple, which was opaque in two coats is definitely more creamy and thick.  

So to me these are different enough that I don't feel bad for buying both, but do keep in mind that I'm a little nuts and I REALLY love me some beauty products.  They are in fact still very similar, but in my color obsessed mind the greener color gives an entirely different feeling, and plays differently with skin tone and outfits than the more blueish Mint Candy Apple.  

Basically, you don't NEED both, but if you really want them both like I did I won't judge you, I say just go for it.  This is the nail polish no judgement zone.

And for those of you looking for some mani inspiration, I think Gargantuan Green Grape looks pretty dope with some gold pyramid studs.

Somehow it almost gives me a retro vibe.

Hope this comparison helps if you're like me and you just can't decide whether to get one of them or not!

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Rimmel Show Off (Apocalips) Lip Lacquers Review

I've been watching British beauty bloggers/vloggers rave about the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers for ages now so naturally I was really excited when they finally came to the U.S. under the name "Show Off"

So I popped into the local Walgreens and picked up the two that I had my eye on most, and wore them for a few days so I could get a good idea of how they perform, and you know if I had to have fabulous lips in the process then so be it.

The shades I chose were Apocaliptic- a  bright, cool toned, berry pink.  As well as Stellar-  A bright coral pink.  The packaging is pretty cool looking as far as drugstore products go, and it functions well.

The applicator is an interesting one.  It looks like a typical doe foot applicator, except that it has an indented little well instead of a flat angled plane.  It seems like it is there to pick up enough product so you can apply it to both your lips in a single dip, and it does accomplish that.  At the same time, the recessed area also makes it feel a little weird to spread it around.  It feels like it would be scraping product off as it puts more down, know what I mean?  It actually does go on evenly, but it just feels a little uncomfortable to me.

Now let's talk turkey, and by turkey I mean...arm swatches.  The colors are brighter and more vibrant  than they look in the tube, and the finish is creamy with no shimmer.  They aren't quite what I would call glossy but they do have a sheen.  A satin finish maybe?  I suppose that's what I would call this.

On the lips they are definitely opaque like a lipstick, no sheer color here.  These bad boys are full on.  They felt nice on the lips when I first applied them but they seemed drying after a while.  I hadn't put any balm under them because I was trying to test the wear time, but once that was done I tried again with a tiny bit of lip balm and that kept them nice and moist and comfy.

There are two downsides to these:

The first is  that I really didn't find them to be very long wearing.  They stayed on fine if I was just hanging around doing nothing, but once eating and drinking came into the picture it was game over.

At one point after biting into some bread it even managed to leave a line of lipstick across my chin, which I don't think has ever happened to me before.  Luckily I saw it right away, but that had potential to make me look like a real D-bag.

In other words, if you are going out eating or drinking be careful.  The creamy thickness that gives it a nice finish also make it a touch messy.

The second thing I'm not super crazy about is the scent.   It's fruity and vaguely reminiscent of watermelon, but really artificial.  It's not overpowering and it fades quickly, but if you are picky about the scents in your lip product it may offend your delicate sensibilities.  If you are familiar with the smell of Butter London Lippy it actually smells a lot like that but not nearly as strong.

Over all, I like these.  For the price ($5.49) they are pretty damn good.  The look they give on your lips is really nice, nice enough to look past a few small shortcomings in my opinion, and the colors kick ass so I will definitely be getting a lot of use out of these over the summer.

You can find these at local drugstores that carry Rimmel (in the US and UK) and if you are in the states and are finding they are flying off the shelves before you can get your hands on them you can buy them at Drugstore.com

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