BEST MASQUE EVER!

 Hi everyone! I am sorry I have been taking a bit of a break from blogging, I have been getting back into the swing of things with the start of school.  I hope everyone is having a nice September so far!

My skin has been having some hormonal breakouts lately and I wanted to get a treatment masque to try and dry up some active breakouts. I really didn't want to spend a lot and I wanted something gentle for my dry and sensitive skin. I had heard so many good things about the Queen Helene Mint Julip Mask, and decided to pick it up at Walgreens. I applied it after  I washed my face that evening.  I  looked like the wicked witch of the west for about 15 minutes!  The smell was nice and minty, but didn't have that cooling feeling, it felt very comfortable and I wasn't counting down the seconds to take it off as I do with other masques. After I washed it off, my face was smooth, not tight or dry and my red spots looked much calmer.  It drew out lots of clogged pores, and I was overall very happy with it.  I even have my teenage daughter hooked on it too . It is a great cheap but effective masque at under $5!  If you need a good treatment masque ~ give it a try! I am sure you will love it! leave a comment below and let me know your results!

Drug Store Favorites ~ Eye edition

The drug store has been coming out with some really great make up and some dupes for lots of high end products. It's fun when you can come across something that replaces your high end product and it delivers good results.  It feels good to save some money too :)

Today I am going to list my top 4 drugstore favorites for eyes....


First off, The Maybelline master drama eyleiner; very black, great formula, not dry ~ very creamy and stays put.

master drama eye liner

The Maybelline Color Tatoo Gel cream eyeshadow ~ Such a favorite! Wish they had more colors! Can be used as an eye base or on its own. Very creamy, easy to apply and blend. I like it better than my

Mac paint pot! Easy and foolproof!

maybelline color tatoo

Maybelline  Volum' Express The Falsies Big Eyes ~ you know I am a mascara lover, and this mascara is great.  I tried it because I do love the original falsies mascara.  I love the fact that this mascara has two ends, one for the upper lashes and one tiny one for the lower lashes.

Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies Big Eyes

Loreal Infallable Eye Shadow

I am IN LOVE with these pigments.  They give such a rich color. I like the neutral shades, perfect for a simple look. 

Hope you find something you like!

Eye base

Eye base Essentials

Today there are so many primers for your eyelids. I once fell into the hype of Urban Decay's primer potion, and at the time, I thought that it was THE BEST. However, looking back, it wasn't the best out there and I am happy to say I have found something that I like even better.

I was at Nordstrom with the kids one afternoon this summer, and I stopped by the Trish McEvoy counter to get a gel eyeliner, and as the girl was looking at my eyes, she said "you have no eye lid primer on today!" Why, no I did not! I was getting ready quickly and trying to get out the door with 4 of my 5 kids in tow... eye primer was not a priority that morning! She then proceeded to tell me my eyelids are oily. She really wanted to sell a primer, haha... but I guess my lids are oily! So I bought the Trish McEvoy eye base and have been so happy with it. It really takes the discoloration out of your eyelids and you really don't even need eyeshadow on. However, if you do put shadow on , it stays on, no creasing and no oil! Horray! This primer is dry, so if you like a creamy one, try THE BALM, "put a lid on it" eyelid primer. Trish McEvoy eye base essentials is not cheap ~ it is $25. The BALM's primer is around $18.

Beach Waves

Kate Hudson ~ one of my Favorites!

The beach wave curl.... it looks so easy and effortless, like you  are just out of the water and looking fab. We wish that was the case. Instead, we look like a frizzy mess, nothing like a Victoria Secret models hair! Obviously, when out for a photo shoot those models are in the chair for an hour getting their hair done just to look like they were just out for a day at the beach and the saltwater created their wavy hair.

 You too can achieve that look... with a little time and energy and the right products. You can sport your beach waves for a beach night out with your husband or friends.

Shampoo and condition the hair as usual.

Apply a leave in conditioner, such as Aussie "catch the wave"

Spray in a little sea salt spray. My favorite is Redken Sea Spray

Dry the hair and use a wave curling iron

Spray in a little more sea salt spray, and hairspray if desired.

OR... The Braid Technique

Shampoo your hair with a curl shampoo and condition as well
Towel dry your hair.
Part your hair in the middle and french braid both sides
Sleep in the braids and allow to dry overnight
In the morning, apply some sea salt spray and a pomade to separate the waves and give definition and shine.
Use hairspray if desired.

A Beauty Swap Party

via beautylish

You should see my cabinets. Under my bathroom sink I have a TON of products, most of them I do not use, and as you can imagine, I am kind a product hoarder.  I never want to throw anything away! So the products keep accumulating. For example, I just bought a body cream that came from the UK, they don't sell the brand here in the US, and I heard how great it was and how wonderful it smelled. So, I paid over $25 for a body cream I can't stand to smell, and they won't take it back.. Grrrr, how annoying is that! It was to smell of Rose ( which I LOVE, and honey, which I also LOVE) and you know what , It smells nothing like either. I can't even describe the smell, but once I tried it on my arm, it was so powerful and long lasting, I had to wash my arm off.  Normally that would be a good thing, because the goal always is to get the scent to last! Just wish it was a good scent. So, off it goes under the sink to join the other lonely products I give no attention to.

 So, this brings me to my point..... How fantastic would it be to get a party together with your friends and do a beauty swap! One girls trash  product, is another girls treasure  true match! Clean out your cabinets girls! This party you will walk out with a swag bag of FREE goodies :)

Here is how it would work~

~ Tell you friends to bring any products new or very gently used and ignored that they do not want anymore.

1. set up stations labeled with the products.

~ hair care, skin care, make up, nail polish, fragrance etc...

2. Have a sanitary station with alcohol to wipe and disinfect anything,  and a mirror to check yourself out!

3. have a gift bag station to stash the goods

4. Shop around and grab one thing from a station, when everyone is done you may go back again for a second round, you may trade with a guest if you want.


HAVE A BEAUTIFUL TIME! Now, go make your guest list!

Save or Splurge Eyebrows

Save or Splurge eyebrow edition! I love me some benefit, but believe me, the last thing I want to spend my money on is my eyebrows. So, I have found THE BEST dupe for Benefit's Brow Zings, which is $30.00. It is the e.l.f. eyebrow kit and it is, you guessed it, $3.00!

I know some people out there are VERY into their eyebrows, and love high end products to define them, I'm speaking to you Anastasia lovers! But for those who just want to get the job done with some money left over to buy something else ~ the e.l.f. is a GREAT option. I love it and recommend checking it out!

Happy savings!

Hair Care and my favorite protein mask

I have been highlighting my hair since I was 14 years old. That's a long time... I started out like any normal brunette, with subtle blond highlights. Then, like every brunette with subtle blond highlights, I wanted them lighter, and more of them, each time I visited the salon.  By the time I was 19, I was blond.   To my benefit, my boy friend, now husband, was a hairdresser~  good thing, It's expensive to be blond!  I have tried to go back a bit darker, and don't like it every time.  At this point, my husband will not even listen to me if I mention going darker.  He only will put some brown low lights for contrast from time to time, and that's about all I can handle.
Now with being blond comes damage to the hair. It's just inevitable.  I have been bad over the years taking good care of my hair with conditioning treatments etc.... but, the fact is, I need to.  My hair has changed so much over the years. It was so thick prior to having my children, and now it's thinner and breaks off so easily. So, I made a promise to myself, to get it into better condition. I have been using some great masks and wanted to share it with you.

Everyone who heat styles, highlights or colors, needs to condition and treat their hair. Maybe put a hair mask on, clip your hair up, and sit in the bath tub while it penetrates.  Sometimes, I use coconut oil before bed, put it on the ends of my hair twist it up in a bun and sleep with it in and shower it out in the morning.

 There are some great hair masks on the market... or you could make your own!

 A great protein mask is as far as your refrigerator and pantry!

Eggs' high protein content helps improve hair's resilience and luster. Whisk together 1 egg, 2 tablespoons coconut oil (rich in moisturizing fats), and 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Apply the mixture to dry hair and wrap a hot, moist towel around your head. Relax for five to 10 minutes. Without wetting hair first, work in a handful of shampoo, and then rinse and condition your hair.

 If you are not one for making your own hair masks, try a good protein mask such as Redken Extreme strength builder plus mask for distressed hair. 

Or.. a FAVORITE of mine is.....Macadamia Deep repair mask you can find it at Target and Ulta, it is great and smells wonderful too. It make the hair shiny and so soft. It is infused with macadamia oil, tea tree oil, argan oil, chamomile oil, aloe and algae extracts.