THRIFT STORE FIND AND BIG NEWS

Hello friends, I feel like it has been too long since my last post. I have been busy with my new job, my little girl, and Skyler starting law school. I also have been under the weather because I am expecting!!! Things feel so crazy and we definitely were not planning on having another little one at the moment. I had an IUD in place and I was hoping to wait til the hubby was closer to being done with law school to have another baby. The percentage of pregnancy with my particular IUD was less than 1% so I am still a little shocked but I also feel humbled, blessed, and maybe as though it is meant to be. Being a mother is an amazing gift. I am not very far along and because I had an IUD, there is a higher risk of a miscarriage. However, I had the IUD safely removed and both the baby and I are looking great. Skyler and I are excited to be parents again and optimistic for what our future holds.

On another note, I found this lovely watch at a thrift store in town! Isn't it so cute? And it is real leather too! I have been doing a lot of shopping in thrift stores because it is the only place in town where I can get unique clothing and accessories. Hopefully, you are inspired by my wonderful "Thrift Store Finds" and will want to be more thrifty with your spending. (Although, sometimes it is necessary to splurge for wardrobe staples and quality pieces) I snagged this beautiful piece of jewelry for $4!! CHECK OUT THESE SIMILAR WATCHES AT TARGET THAT COST 10 TIMES MORE THAN WHAT I PAID!!!.

HAIR COLOR FOR YOUR SKIN TONE

Are you thinking of changing your hair color? There are some things you should know before taking the plunge. Everyone's skin tone falls into one of three categories: warm, cool, and neutral. Depending on what skin tone you have will determine what shades of red, blonde and brunette will look best on you. To determine your skin tone I have a few simple tests for you:

First, look at the veins on your inner wrist. Are they blue, green or somewhere in between? If they are blue or bluish purple, you have a cool skin tone. If they are green, you have a warm skin tone. And if it's in between, you guessed it, you have a neutral skin tone.

Second, do you look better in silver jewelry or gold jewelry? Despite what the popular trend is, most people look better in either gold or silver. If you look good in gold, you are warm. If you look good in silver, you are cool. If you honestly look good in both, you are fortunate and have neutral skin.

The third way to tell if your skin is warm or cool is to think about the colors you look best in. If your skin tone is warm you look good in oranges, peaches, yellows, mocha browns, and ivory. Cool skin tones look best in rosy pinks, silvers, plums, greens, blues, and pure whites.

If you still can't figure out what skin tone you have after all three of those tests then you are probably a neutral. I have a neutral skin tone but there are colors in both schemes that just do not suit me. I would say that I lean more to the cool side unless I have a tan then I am definitely more warm. 

HAIR COLOR and YOU

WARM

If your skin tone is warm, your hair color should have warm tones in it. You may prefer the platinum blondes that you have seen everybody with, but if your skin is warm go for the golden blonde shades. If you are worried about looking too orange or yellow, express your concerns with your stylist and they can use a good toner to prevent that. If you are going red and you have warm skin, opt for true red shades, ones with no violet. And if your are going brown, golden brown shades will work best for you; think copper, mocha, and chocolate colors.

COOL

If you have a cool skin tone, color with cool or neutral tones will do wonders for your skin. Again you may prefer a certain tone but if your skin is cool, stick to the cool colors. If you are wanting to go red please stay away from fiery reds! Think natural, blue, ash, and violet tones. I have provided EXCELLENT examples of red, blonde, and brunette shades for both cool and warm hair, all of which are BEAUTIFUL. What hair colors do you like best?

NEUTRAL

All my neutral palette gals out there, you can go with any color! LUCKY YOU!

HARD WATER SHAMPOO

So as you may know, I just moved to Wyoming and one of the first things I noticed about good ol' Laramie is how hard the water was. After a few days of being here, my hair was heavy, greasy, and flat and I was seriously stressed. I had tried several different shampoos that I owned and none of them seemed to do the trick. I tried shampooing my hair twice and that seemed to work the best but it still wasn't that great and I was going through it fast. Finally, I made a trip to the beauty supply store and found this little gem, Hard Water Wellness by Malibu. I was very hopeful trying it out because it is a shampoo and conditioner made for hard water. I can honestly say I am so happy with the results.

Malibu Hard Water Wellness Shampoo and Conditioner are free from sulfates, parabens, gluten, and sodium chloride (salt). The shampoo naturally and gently cleanses away hard water minerals and product build up in the hair. It can be used every day or once a week as a gentle clarifying shampoo with softened water. I have found that using it everyday works great for me with all this hard water. And it smells like an Orange Julius! (which my husband, Skyler, loves!)

The conditioner is also AMAZING! It protects your hair from incoming hard water minerals and product build up. It leaves my hair soft and moisturized without it getting heavy or greasy. The conditioner contains organic aloe for a healthy scalp as well as flax and rice proteins for enhanced body and natural oil and moisture retention. Both of these products are also 100% vegan; derived from coconut and no animal derivatives. I couldn't be more happy with this shampoo/conditioner duo and relieved that I can still have healthy, beautiful hair for the next 3 years while Skyler finishes law school!

The best thing is you can purchase Malibu products online! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE MALIBU HARD WATER WELLNESS

Never Buy Eyeliner Again!

There are few things less attractive than make-up that is not blended, this includes eyeliner. I will be the first to tell you that black liquid liner is a thing of the past because it is so hard to blend. The only time I would consider not blending in eyeliner acceptable is if it is part of your Cleopatra Halloween costume. Very few people can make a liquid liner work. We will put it this way, if people can tell you are wearing a liquid liner than you are not pulling it off. Make-up is all about blending!

I can honestly say that I have not used eyeliner in years due to this beautiful little brush. It is a liner brush and it is awesome! This brush has taken the place of all the eyeliners a girl could need. I use this brush when doing dark and dramatic eye make-up and when I am wanting a clean and natural look. All you do is use this brush with a chosen color of eye shadow and apply it like you would an eye liner. You can darken it by layering the shadow but then be sure to blend with a shadow brush or a smudge brush. A liner brush makes blending eye make-up almost fool proof. That's why I love it! PURCHASE MY FAVORITE LINER BRUSH HERE.

What's in my makeup bag!

The products in my makeup bag are always changing. It seems like I run out of different products at different times and so not everything in my bag is the same brand. Some times I remember to take a trip to the mall or call my Mary Kay lady and other times I just run to the drug store and test out new products there. I like the convenience of the drugstore and because I just moved to a small town where I don't know anyone I think I will be using Covergirl and Maybelline a lot more! This is a list of products that are in my makeup bag right now as we speak and why I love them!

1. I am currently using bareMinerals blush in avant-garden. Blush is probably my favorite make-up. When applied correctly, blush can make you look fresh, young, and awake. I love bareMineral products and this blush has lasted me forever! CLICK HERE FOR TIPS ON APPLYING BLUSH.

2. If you didn't already know, I am quite fond of Mary Kay Products. I use Mary Kay eye shadow in Sweet Plum and Amber Blaze. The Amber Blaze is the color I wear when I am going more natural and the Sweet Plum is the color I use to do a smokey eye. Mary Kay switched a few years ago to all mineral products and I really feel they are a big bang for your buck! They are by far the least expensive, quality product line out there. CLICK HERE FOR TIPS ON HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT EYE SHADOW FOR YOUR EYE COLOR.

3. The bronzer I am currently using is just something I picked up at Sally's Beauty Supply. It is called Femme Couture Mineral Effects Baked Bronzer in Summer Kiss. I usually don't wear bronzer but I was feeling kind of pasty one day and thought a bronzer would help me feel better about myself! And it did! It is blends wonderfully and is very natural looking so I don't have to worry about it looking caked on or dirty! CLICK HERE TO BUY THIS BRONZER.

4. I am the most excited to talk about this product! Awapuhi Moisture Mist is a hair and skin moisturizer that I use to set my make-up! It helps give my skin a fresh dewy look all day long and it keeps my make-up in place. When I mist my face, some gets in my hair and gives it a little moisture. For some reason, my hair in the front is always more dry than the rest of my hair so I love this product. It is usually reasonably priced. With my cosmetology discount I pay about $4 for a 3.4 oz bottle but I think it would be about $7 or $8 retail. Paul Mitchell products are only guaranteed in a salon.

5.Great Lash Mascara by Maybelline is CHEAP mascara but it gets the job done. There are some good mascaras out there that go on and off better than this stuff but they come with a bigger price tag! Great Lash does what I need it to do which is lengthen, curl, and volumize. In my opinion, cosmetic companies make a lot of money making mascaras with different wands and ones that claim to be better than anything out there. Most drugstore mascaras are comparable to this.

6. I am currently using Mary Kay Mineral Foundation in Ivory 2. I have tried tons of different mineral powder foundations and can honestly say any mineral powder you buy in the drug store is CRAP! Seriously, do not buy mineral powder at your local Target. The mineral powder foundations that I have tried and love are Mary Kay, bareMinerals, and a little brand called Elea Blake. Elea Blake is probably my favorite brand but it is $pendy! The thing I love about mineral powder is how it improves your skin over time allowing you to use less and less. Good mineral powder is also one of the most natural foundations; it really lets the beauty of your natural skin come out.

7. So here are my basic brushes that I think every girl needs. I got my brushes from Elea Blake about 6 years ago! They are still going strong! These brushes are amazing!! I have yet to find makeup brushes that compare. The four brushes I use and love are the Buki Buki for foundation and bronzer, Cheeky Girl for blush, Brush 007 for eye shadow, and So Acute for lining the eyes. These brushes are a bit spendy but they last and you can wash them with shampoo when they get dirty. Seriously amazing brushes!!!! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE COSMETIC BRUSHES FROM ELEA BLAKE.

8. Last but not least the eyebrow pencil that I am using is from Mary Kay. Having nice eyebrows is so so so important. Eyebrows frame your face and allow you to show expressions. I have fairly thin eyebrows so I like to lightly pencil them in. I have written a whole eye brow grooming series because of how important good brows are. CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE PERFECT EYEBROWS FOR YOUR FACE.  CLICK HERE FOR TIPS ON PENCILING IN EYEBROWS.

One of my good friends is a cosmetic chemist; she actually gets to make make-up for a living! So, if you have any questions leave a comment or shoot me an email!

Happy Fourth of July

Maybe this will inspire you what to wear tomorrow for the Fourth of July!

Waves without the beach

I am in love with sexy beachy hair right now. There are many different ways to achieve beautiful wavy "Victoria's Secret Model" hair. The first one is to go natural. A lot of people have beautiful natural texture that they can just wash and go. (when I say texture I mean wavy or curly hair) If you are one of these people, I say "EMBRACE MESSY HAIR!" It's easy, it's fast, and it's hot!

For those ladies that do not have great texture, such as I, there are some great products that are designed specifically to make your hair look like you've spent a day on the beach. One of my all-time favorite beach hair products is Bumble and Bumble's Surf Spray. Surf Spray is an AWESOME product! Not only does it add wave to your hair but it gives you lots of sexy volume. It is a saltwater based, light to medium hold product which gives you body and texture but it also has seaweed and kelp to keep your hair from getting too dry. It's almost like they have bottled up the ocean but it's even better! You can purchase all Bumble and Bumble products at Sephora. I also noticed that they have new Surf Shampoo and Conditioner that I am sure are AMAZING! Bumble and Bumble make amazing products so I would recommend anything of theirs.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE BUMBLE AND BUMBLE SURF SPRAY 

The Sea Salt Texturizing Spray by Aquage is another great product and is a little more inexpensive. The results with this spray are firm hold while still allowing you to have soft touchable hair. This product adds volume and body to your hair and a little goes a long way. A 3 oz. bottle lasted me almost a year! You only want to use it three or four times a week because it tends to dry out your hair when used too often, nonetheless, this product is great for giving beautiful beachy waves. Unfortunately, Aquage products can only be guaranteed in a salon.

CLICK HERE TO FIND A SALON NEAR YOU THAT SELLS AQUAGE

Diffusers are another great tool for creating waves. The trick to using a diffuser is too move through the hair LESS. The more you move through the hair the more frizzy it gets so take your time and hold the diffuser at one section of hair til that hair is all the way or mostly dry.

Another way to get beach hair is with hot tools such as a flat iron or curling iron. Hot tools can create beautiful waves with a more polished look than going natural, using product, or diffusing. My favorite flat irons are Paul Mitchell flat irons, ghd irons, and the one I currently use is Rusk W8less. I am not a big fan of triple barrel wavers or crimpers. These create textures that are too uniform and are not found on real people; to me they just look fake. But there are lots of ways to use a flat iron and curling iron to get waves without the beach. Here is a video showing different ways to get wavy hair with hot tools! There are some things I didn't mention in the video so feel free to ask questions. Side note: this is my first video and the picture is pretty low quality, there is a fly buzzing around in it, and I need to work on my presence a little bit so don't judge! My videos will only get better!