How I achieve the perfect tan!

How to achieve the perfect tan!

Exfoliate!!
This will get all the dead skin cells off your skin and even your skin out.  I either use a loofah and body wash or a body scrub of some sort.  Also, make sure that you have freshly shaved or waxed.

I found this body scrub at Ulta and the loofah is $1 at Wal-mart. 

Moisturize!!
Before I go out, I hydrate my skin with lotion.  Usually I like to use coco butter as it is thicker and will keep my skin hydrated longer.  The sun will better tan moisturized skin than dry skin. 

Protect!!
Before I even get out in the sun, I put any sun block on that is needed.  For my face, I love Clinique SPF 40 Oil Free.  It does not leave my face greasy at all and it really protects my face from burning.  I don't typically put sunblock on my body. (Shame on me) And don't forget a good chapstick for your lips.  I use Nivea A Kiss of Shimmer (pictured top) because it protects my lips but also gives them a pretty pearly finish. 

Optional:
When I get into the sun, I use good old fashioned baby oil to tan with.  I have found that it works the best.  Any of the Banana Boat or Hawaiian Tropic products work well too-anything oil based.  Some come with an SPF built into them and others don't.  My all time favorite one is Hawaiin Tropic Amplifier with carrot oil but can not find it any of the drug stores anymore.  The carrot oil attracts the sun and amplifies your tan so be careful!! 
I recently picked up Austrailian Gold Continuous spray with instant bronzer (pictured top) but can honestly say I am not a fan. It has SPF 15 (which is good to protect the skin) but I feel like with the bronzers in it, the tan I am getting is from the bronzers and not the sun. The bronzers in it make the product a little drying.  I personally would not get any sort of tanning oil with bronzers for that reason and because after the shower, you can put bronzers on. 

After Sun Care!!
I love my Banana Boat After Sun with aloe.  It keeps my skin moisturized, the aloe helps with any sun burn, and the Vitamin E helps extend my tan.  After being in the sun for any length of time, it is important to moisturize.  The sun is so drying on your skin along with chlorine, lake water or salt water that you need to keep your skin hydrated.  Sometimes I add in Loreal Sublime and mix it with the Banana Boat lotion to give me a golden bronze look.  And like I say in EVERY blog: DRINK TONS OF WATER!!

And now all you need is a cute pool bag, towel and a magazine!

**All these products can be found at Wal-Mart, Ulta, Target or your local drug store (CVS or Wal-greens) 

Thanks for reading, XOXO!

Sugar Lips

Sugar Lips

For my birthday, Sephora gave me a complimentary birthday gift: Fresh Sugar Mini Lip Duo with SPF 15.  I have heard about this lip treatment but it wasn't high on my list of products to get so I was pretty excited to get this.  In a nutshell, this lip treatment will nourish and protect your lips from damaging wrinkle-causing radicals and the sun's UV rays while plumping your lips. Itis formulated with oils, antioxidant rich vitamins, wax and real sugar.  It does NOT contain Parabens, Sulfates, Dyes, etc. 

This is what the packaging looks like:

This is what the they look like: (.08 ounces)
Sugar is on the right and Sugar Rose Tinted is on the left

Here is the actual product: (I accidentally flipped them, so now Sugar is on the left and Sugar Rose Tinted is on the right)

AND finally, a swatch of Sugar Rose Tinted....

As you can see, it's a very natural and sheer wash of color compared to what the color looks like in the tube.  Both of them smell like a lemon icing on a cake so it's very refreshing and pleasant.  And this stuff goes on like butter!  It is so soft and smooth on my lips.  There is no waxy feeling and it is much thinner than regular chapstick.  I have really enjoyed these samples even though I didn't really notice the plumping too much but it did keep my lips hydrated for a long period of time and kept them soft. 

These can be found at Sephora for $22.50 for 0.15 ounces in 6 different colors.

Would I purchase one for that price?  Yes, however I would use it sparingly at night before bed and in the AM before I leave.  I would NOT apply this freely all day long as you will go through it VERY fast because it literally goes on like butter! 

Thanks for reading, XOXO!!

How I Store My Makeup Brushes!

How I store my makeup brushes…

So now you have all these make up brushes, how do you store them?  This is how I store mine.  (I did NOT come up with the idea; I simply use it and am sharing with you)  

*Everything came from Michael’s

*Vase (they have all different styles and sizes so you can choose accordingly to what fits your brush collection size)

*Vase Filler (2 bags) plus 1 bag of the decorative vase filler beads

=> Under $20! 

*Other stores like TJ Max, Marshalls, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. have different vases/jars that would work too.  You can also decorate them with pretty ribbon, bows, or whatever your creative mind can come up with! 

I put my dirty brushes in a pencil holder found in the office supplies section at K-Mart (or wherever you shop). 

Other Ideas:

~Makeup bag

            *But don’t store your brushes with your makeup!  Have a separate bag for your brushes. 

~Brush roll-folding bag with slots for each brush

~Brush Cup Holder from sigmabeauty.com

            *These are pricey as you get two cups (no brushes) for $20.  When unsnapped, there are two cups for your brushes and when they are snapped together like this, they are perfect for traveling!

~3 drawer storage-Face Drawer, Eyes Drawer, Random Drawer

~Any sort of office/desk organizer

~Be creative!  Think dividers/separators/organizers/slots

TIPS:

Keep makeup brushes separate to avoid germs and bacteria getting in the bristles (ew)

Keep them in a room temperature environment

Don’t store them in your bathroom.  The heat and moisture from your showers can cause rusting on the brush handles over time if moisture gets in it. 

Thanks for reading, XOXO!