Do's and Don'ts for hair!

Could you be making some mistakes that are actually making your hair frizzy and contributing to breakage? Yes, you probably are... I am guilty of some of the below mistakes and I have been  trying to make changes.  I am finally seeing some changes and I wanted to pass along some tips and tricks to you.

Let start with the Do Nots!

• Do Not put your hair in a ponytail or bun overnight. The hairbands pull and break the hair and creates tension on the scalp.
• Do Not Shampoo your ends or condition your roots. The dirt is at the scalp and 1 inch into the hair shaft. Scrub the scalp and the first inch of the hair through the mid shaft letting the shampoo run down to the ends. Your roots will be weighed down if you condition them causing a lack of volume in the hair.
•  For dry hair use a gentle shampoo, I prefer sulfate free,  and treat your problem with conditioner ~ use a moisture rich conditioner and a masque once a week, if you have oily hair use a shampoo and conditioner for oily hair. 
• Do Not do the towel like a turban after your shower. You hair is very fragile when it is wet. The towel is pulled tight and tugs at the fragile areas of the hair especially the crown of the hair. It can cause more breakage and you guessed it.... FRIZZ! Instead use a microfiber towel or even a t-shirt to squeeze the water out of the ends of the hair, and don't RUB!

Macadamia Oil No Tangle Brush!

DO's

• Brush your conditioner or masque through your hair while in the shower.
• Rinse the hair with a cold water wash before getting out ~ this closes the hair shaft and makes the hair smooth and shiny.
• Use a heat protectant before heat styling
• After you are  done round brushing your hair with the HOT setting, use the cold setting on the dryer to lock in the curl with the round brush ~ a little trick ;) It will set the curl.
• Don't forget to use a clarifying shampoo once per week!

Mascara Hoarder

 What is the one make up item you can't live without?  As a mom, concealer is my best friend, but  I  will leave that for another post. Today I am speaking of another dear friend, mascara. I love it. I am a mascara hoarder. I love to try new ones, high end and drug store, and this is what I have come to realize.  Why spend $30 dollars on a high end mascara when it dries out within a month, and you have to replace it! There are so many drugstore good quality mascaras out there that give great volume and length without the $25 to $32 dollar price tag. For around $8 dollars, you can have a great mascara.

I  do still love a high end mascara, My all time favorite mascara is Dior Show. However, in the picture above I have Dior Ionic over curl. I just bought it so we will see if I will keep it or exchange it for regular Dior Show.

Everyone looks for something different in a mascara, so my favorite may not be your favorite. I do not like my lashes to feel crunchy or clump together making you look like you have 2 eyelashes because they are all stuck together,  NOT CUTE!  Or, one that flakes all over your face. Double NOT CUTE! I like them soft with volume, length and curl. That's it, is that too hard? No, it is not and there are some great ones just as far as CVS or Walgreens. So grab yourself a Starbucks, head on over to the drugstore and treat yourself to a new mascara, or two!

Drug store mascara all time favorites:

Maybelline the falsies flared

L'OREAL Telescopic  I have the new on the shocking extensions, and really like it :)

L'OREAL Voluminous Carbon Black

Maybelline The Rocket

High End Mascara All Time Favorite:

DoirShow Mascara

DIY Beauty Survival Kit!

Just SOME of the items in my Kit, more items listed below.

The picture is upside down ~ for the life of me I tried to get it straight. I't would not cooperate and I have no patience for it! You get it right?

How cute are those little mini beauty survival kits! The are so cute but why buy one when they are so easy to create yourself and so much fun to put together! You can customize them to your needs and always be prepared. How often do you find yourself having food in your teeth and you are at a stoplight searching in your center console  of your car looking for a business card to scrape it out with? Is that just me? Probably.  How often are you going somewhere important and notice that you have a spot on your blouse, probably from fixing the kids a quick dinner before making it out the door, and no time to figure out a new outfit! Or that little stray hair on your eyebrow that is driving you crazy and you can't wait for the next red light to pluck it.  Still just me? Probably.  Well, at least you know that I am a multi tasker and don't waste any time! And, now you know what I do when I'm at stoplight if you ever see me, and I don't look over to wave, I am busy not only looking for food in my teeth but plucking my eyebrows too! Hey, natural light is best! :)

Now onto the fun part ~ Putting together your very own Beauty Survival kit for your purse.
 If you have a huge bag like me, you can make two and separate the "beauty" type stuff from the
"first aid" type stuff. What ever you want~ it's your little kit!

1. Get yourself a cute small make up bag or two!
2. Tide to go ( for the stains)
3. Chapstick or clear lip gloss ( for dry lips of course)
4. A saftey pin ( you never know)
5. A nail polish remover wipe!  A GREAT BRAND is La Fresh
6. Mini hand sanitizer
7. A tampon
8. A hair tie
9. Hand/ body lotion ( a small travel size) 
10. Tweezers
11. Individual deodorant towelette
12. Single use tooth flossers
13.  Listerine breath strips or breath freshener 
14. I even carry the single tooth brushes! Comes in handy when  going out and I ask the kids, "who didn't remember to brush their teeth?"... always a "me" will follow.
15. Tylenol or advil ( not the whole bottle, just a small container of about 5, a zip lock bag works too)
16. Kids pepto chewables ( for tummy aches)
17. Bandaids
18. Neosporin to go
19. Benadryl itch relief stick ( I get eaten alive by mosquitos and so do my kids!)
20. Single dose Benadryl... ( I have peanut allergy kids) find at CVS only

 * replenish as you use your items, and guess what, you will always feel prepared. Now that is a great feeling for anyone!

A tinted balm, good for the beach

This is Bobbi Brown's Extra Tinted Balm SPF 25.  It is a tinted balm that is ultra rich and full of moisture. It gives very sheer to light coverage. I picked this up because we are going to the beach and it is a great balm to wear when you are out for a day at the pool or the beach. I wear sunscreen under it and put this on top. It evens out the skin tone and looks like you are wearing no make up at all. Very super natural and has the added benefit of SPF plus some other wonderful ingredients.

 I would not recommend wearing this as a your daily tinted moisturizer, or in replacement of a foundation, but I am sure people do.  It smells kind of "beachy" and soaks into the skin nicely.  The cost is pricey, but one jar will last forever. As I have said before, I have dry skin so my skin likes a product like this, so if you tend to be oily, this is probably not the product for you!  This balm is enriched with shea butter, glycerine, and squalane that deeply moisturize. Also, vitamin A and carrot extract that reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles. In addition it has angelica seed and chamomile oil to help soothe and calm the skin.

Nobody wants a full face of make up at the pool or beach and this product won't make you feel like you have anything on.  It is like a scented, tinted sunscreen. It makes the skin dewy with a nice color finish and protected at the same time ~ who does't want that? It's better than having a pale sunscreen face right?

Happy First Day of Summer!

my fab four!

I wanted to share with you today some favorite products for the hair. Since my hair is color treated ( highlighted) and damaged, I am on a mission to get it in better condition.  I use products that treat these issues.  So here we go..... this is what we want to accomplish~ Cleanse, Treat, and Prime. What does that mean? Shampoo and Condition, then apply your heat protectant followed by your serum. Then after blowdrying, apply a polishing balm, or whatever you prefer. I have tried MANY and I tend to go for a cream shine product instead of the spray shine. For the simple fact that I do not like my hair to feel oily and I have more control with a cream.  If you do like a shine spray, a way to control the amount you spray is to spray the product on your hand and then run it through your hair avoiding the roots. You can purchase Kerestase and Redken at your favorite salon, or online.

~ The Kerastase is the higher price point, the Redken is a great alternative at a lower price.

Here is my current hair care routine:

1. Cleanse: Kerestase Bain Force Architecte alternating with Bain Chroma Riche

2. Treat:  Kerestase Masque Force Architecte

3. Prime : This is when you need 2 important products. One being a heat protectant to protect the hair before blow drying or heat styling. Second, is a serum, to polish the hair, seal it, make it soft and shiny.

Nectar Thermique ( heat protectant) OR Redken Satin Wear Blow Dry Lotion

Elixer Ultime or Elixer Ultime Rose Millenaire ( serum)

4. Finishing products:  Hairspray favorite is Kerestase Double Force
looking for a drugstore favorite? It will always be  Loreal Elnett my husband swears by it and I must say I like it a lot and I am picky with spray, okay, I am very picky with spray all products. I don't like my hair to feel oily, dirty, or stiff.  When I need some hold these two hairsprays are the only ones I will reach for.

5. Shine: Redken outshine. I love this cream shine product. It is not heavy and gives the hair a nice sheen, a polished look, without feeling heavy or looking greasy.

Hope this helps make you hair sleek and shiny!

Pedicure Picks

Toes in the sand! It's almost time :) I always tend to do my own toes and nails, I don't always make it to get a pedicure! But, it's fun to have a girls night and paint your own nails and toes! :) My girls love it, and we normally do it together.  I have selected a few colors that the girls and I think are great for summer nails and toes and wanted to share with you! What are some of your favorite colors? Leave a comment below! In addition to the colors above, a great orange is Orly's "Tangerine" nice and bright for the toes!



Essie: Watermelon

Essie: Cute as a button

Essie: boom boom room ( boom boom room has been really hard to find! I found Revlon's Bubbly to be a nice dupe!)

Orly: Gumdrop

Orly: Tangerine

Not my nails, but how cute??

Detox Water

Essence water, or "spa" water is so easy to make and very detoxifying for the body. Making your own infuses more of the fruit and herbs releasing the vital nutrients, so when you can make your own is more beneficial. It becomes more of a "detox water".  However, if you are in the mood for just a flavored water, with no added ingredients such as sugar, calories etc.. Hint water is a good choice.

  I buy  the "hint" brand of water from my local health food store in flavors that I can't make fresh, such as watermelon or honeydew hibiscus, hint has lots of nice flavor combinations. But, you can make a whole pitcher of your own flavor infused "Spa" water and the whole family can enjoy it. The only thing I recommend is buying organic produce especially since they will be sitting in the water.  Or, an alternative is to purchase a fruit infusion pitcher.

~ I also add ginger to mine ~ I just LOVE ginger, but if you leave it out, it's just as good!

P.S. I have read that mint hinders milk supply so breast feeders beware!

You will need:

2 liters water
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
6 mint leaves

~ and a pitcher! 

Lemons add Vitamin C, Potassium, balances ph levels and aids in digestion. they hydrate and detoxify the body. Cucumbers have vitamin C, K, A,  iron, potassium, hydrate the body and are a diuretics. 

Mint aids in digestion and is very soothing, plus, it makes your breath fresh! Ginger, aids in digestion, is anti- inflammatory and has multiple medicinal benefits, it is truly an amazing herb to add into your diet. It is strong and not for everyones palate, so use sparingly especially for kids, they find it very spicy, most don't like it!

Friday Favorite Urban Decay Flushed

Happy Friday Everyone! This Friday's favorite is a make-up favorite. It is a fairly new product from Urban Decay that launched January. 2013. I love the Urban Decay Naked Palette, so when they came out with this bronzer, highlighter & blush palette I was excited to try it out.

 It is  $30.00 and  includes a bronzer (described as a sheer medium bronze satin), highlighter (described as a soft pink champagne shimmer), and blush (described as a dusty rose satin with a hint of shimmer). Honestly, I like the blush and the highlighter a lot. The bronzer is actually really sheer with not the strongest color payoff, but I still like it.  You can actually tell in the picture above, the pigment of the blush is great as well as the highlighter, and the bronzer very sheer and natural. You can apply the colors separate; the bronzer to contour, the blush on the apples of the cheeks and the highlighter on your cheekbones and in the corners of the eyes, or swipe them all together to apply. Whatever you wish works and will look beautiful. 

Palettes are perfect when packing your make- up for summer vacations.  They are super convenient  and reduce the amount of products you have to bring along. If you are looking to downsize the amount of make-up you pack while traveling, I suggest you try out this  naked flushed palette, it replaces the need to pack a separate bronzer, highlighter and blush and it is really pretty.

Have a great weekend! 

SunBurn Solutions

Hey Everyone! Happy June! I am going to do a few Beach posts this month with the first being sunburn solutions.

It is the worst when you get a sunburn, it stings when you take a shower, it is hot to the touch and just makes you sore, not to mention the sexy peeling that happens at then end. Gross. Now of course we all try to avoid sunburn, but even if you are diligent with sunscreen to avoid a nasty burn, you should always be prepared for the chance of a sunburn for  yourself or someone in your family.
So here are some great  sunburn solutions, two  of them probably in your pantry right now! Remember to pack these items in your suitcase this summer!

1. Tea Bags! ~  3 Black tea bags steeped in hot water and cooled off, take an old washcloth ( because it will stain) and soak the washcloth in the tea mixture. Pat the affected area with the tea and do not rinse off. Apply as needed.
2. Take a baking soda bath. Apply 1/2 cup of baking soda to tepid bath water and soak for 20 minutes.

Apply your favorite Aloe Vera lotion or gel. I happen to like the lotion, or body butter. It just feel good and gives you the hydration you need to prevent that sexy peeling, haha. Try my favorite from the body shop~ Aloe Body Butter, I like to just have this in the summer, it just feels great after a day in the sun. I also keep a mini one in my purse of the satsuma orange scent. love it!
 Or a drugstore find is VaselineSpray and go moisturizer

So, when packing for the beach, remember the 4 things in your sunburn survival kit:

a box of tea bags, some old washcloths, a box of baking soda, and your favorite body cream.

Stay tuned for a sunscreen post on some of my go to sunscreen products.