Simple Summer Makeup

During the summer, it's nice to go easy on the make up and simply play up your natural beauty. Here are my picks to get you glowing in four easy steps.

1. A Light Sunscreen
If you want to look young forever, you either have to have amazing genes or wear sunscreen on your face and neck every day. My favorite pick is Neutrogena's Clear Face Sunscreen. It goes on matte, so it won't make your face oily or cause breakouts. For youthful lips, don't forget to apply a lip balm with sunscreen in it too like Kiss My Face's Sport Lip Balm. It has all natural ingredients, so you can feel good about putting it on your lips.

2. Powder Foundation
I would love to be one of those girls that has beautiful skin without foundation, especially during sticky summertime weather. My skin needs a little extra help though. Powder foundations are a great option during the summer to hide imperfections without putting on a lot of product. Just a few swipes with a brush and you're done. Plus, they're great for shine control during the summer months. My favorite is Bare Minerals Matte Foundation. With Bare Minerals, you can really control the amount of coverage you want, especially if you have the brushes from their starter kit. The big one is great for light coverage all over. Then, you can go back and hide dark circles, blemishes, and veins using the dense, small brush.

Sometimes you just don't have twenty five dollars to shell out on foundation. When, I'm low on funds, I turn to L'Oreal's True Match Powder. It's not a mineral foundation, but it gives the same buildable coverage as Bare Minerals. Plus, since their shades are grouped into Cool, Neutral, and Warm, you can find your exact shade easily.

3. Sweat-Proof Mascara
Eye shadow usually just sweats off during the summer, but you can still bring out your natural beauty with a little mascara. If you're like me, you want a mascara that will stay on while you want it on but will come off when it's time to take off your makeup. L'Oreal Paris' Million Lashes gives me thick, dark lashes that can stay put in the Mississippi summer humidity. When I'm ready to take off my makeup, I just wash my face with gentle soap and water. Then, when I'm drying my face, I gently run the washcloth over my eyes, and the mascara comes off. Million Lashes is a great pick for those of us who are anti-waterproof mascara.

4. Pop of Lip Color
To finish off your summer face, add a pop of color to your lips. You can either go natural and choose a color that intensifies your natural lip color or you can be more daring and choose a color that makes your lips the focus of your face. My favorite lip color for summer is Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Rose. It takes gives my lips a healthy, rosy glow. If you're more adventurious try a matte fuchsia or sangria color, like Burt's Bees Lip Crayons in Hawaiian Smolder or Napa Vineyard.

How to Style Curly Hair Fast Updated

Curly hair is so beautiful and fun when you have the time to fix it, but when you don't, it can be a mess! Since the first "How to Style Curly Hair Fast" post I've learned a few more tricks and have found some even better products. I know it seems like a lot of steps, but it's really not. I just wanted to break the steps down, so that if you're new at embracing your curls and wearing your hair curly you'll have some direction. Hopefully, this post will help you embrace your curls instead of just throwing your hair into a bun or ponytail!

Part 1: In the Shower

For this step you'll need a wide tooth comb, cleansing conditioner, a clip, and conditioner.

1. Use your comb to part your hair how you want it.

2. Get in the shower and wet your hair.

3. Tilt your hair to one side and gently work cleansing conditioner into your scalp taking care to not mess up your part.

My favorite cleansing conditioner is Pantene's Color Preserve Cleansing Conditioner. Even though the name sounds like it'd be for color treated hair only, it's also for coarse curly hair because it's so gentle. I also really like Head and Shoulder's Coconut Co-wash for when I need dandruff control. It's not tingly like Pantene's, but it smells wonderful! Really, any cleansing conditioner should do. If you have curly hair and haven't tried cleansing conditioner, you should! It'll clean your hair like shampoo but without stripping your hair and making it frizz. 

4. If you're short on time, simply work the cleansing conditioner down to the tips of your hair.

If you have a little more time, grab your favorite conditioner and work it to cover the rest of your hair. I like Pantene's Curly Hair Conditioner and Dove's Curly Hair Conditioner.

5. Make a bun and secure it with your clip. Now, go about your regular shower routine while you let the conditioner work.

6. Let your hair out of the clip and rinse out your hair without messing up your part.

7. Brush out your hair with either a wide tooth comb or your fingers. You can do this either with your head under the shower or out of the spray of the water. I can't really tell a difference in results.

 If you find that your hair is really tangled, then try brushing it out before you rinse out the conditioner. Now, you're ready for part 2.

Part 2: Out of the Shower

For this step you'll need a Turbie Twist or large t-shirt, a setting product, a curling spray, and a diffuser.

8. Once you're out of the shower, put your hair in a Turbie Twist or a large towel. If you have thick hair, you may need to put it in another towel to get more water out of it. So usually I put it in my Turbie Twist, then I get dressed.

9. Smooth in curl or hold cream.

I love Argan Magic's Curling Cream (which I can't find on Amazon). I get it at T.J. Maxx for about ten dollars. It does a good job of keeping my hair from frizzing without being crunchy. Dove's Curling Creme Serum looks like a similar product.

For more hold, I love Got 2B Kinkier Curling Mousse. This mousse should work on just about anyone's curly hair, and the price is great. It has hold without being greasy or too crunchy. Just don't use too much or it will get crunchy. Depending on your hair, you can either just smooth a pump or dollop of your product over and under each side of your hair or you can scrunch it in. Scrunching too much makes my hair too frizzy, so I try to avoid that.

10. Spritz in some moisturizing spray to help with frizz.

Organix's Weigthless Hydrating Oil Mist and Shea Moisture's Coconut Hibiscus Spray both smell amazing if you like tropical coconut scents! I also have used Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Spray and loved the scent and light hold. I've also tried Garnier Fructis' Curl Shaping Spray and Got 2B Kinkier Curling Spray. Both are great unscented, non-greasy options.

10. If you plan to use a blow dryer later, then be sure to spritz in some heat protectant spray too like Silk Element's Heat Protectant Spray. At first, it feels like it's going to be oily, but once you use heat it ends up not feeling oily anymore. It makes my hair feel super soft. 

11. Once you have your product in, you can put your hair in another dry Turbie Twist or t-shirt to get even more water out of it. While you're waiting, fix your makeup or eat breakfast.

12. Then, you can either let your hair air dry, which I usually do, or you can help it along by blow drying it. For curly hair, you definitely want a diffuser to keep it from frizzing.

 According to all the curly hair websites, the Deva Diffuser is the "gold standard," but it's really expensive! So I use my trusty Relvon blowdryer with a diffuser attachment. Once your hair is semi-dry you may want to flip it over and shake it out, and then fix it however you like.

If you're new to wearing your hair curly or are just having trouble getting your curly hair under control, Curly Girl: The Handbook is a must. I used to straighten my hair all the time because I thought I had frizzy, poofy hair. After I read the book, I realized that I actually had really pretty, wavy-curly hair, it just needed a little nudging. If you know a middle-schooler with wild, curly, frizzy hair, make her life easier and buy her this book. She will love her curls! I wish someone had done this for me.

What are your favorite curly hair products and tips? I'd love to hear them! 

Sensitive Skin Essentials for Clearer Skin

For a long time, I've been in a constant cycle of breaking out, then using something harsh to control the breakout, then it getting slightly better, then getting a rash or itchy, red skin, then giving up, and then starting all over again. After my last particularly bad cycle, I finally got fed up with being itchy! So I decided if I can't stop my skin from breaking out, then I'm at least going to do something about my constant skin irritation. I went to amazon and did some perusing and decided to find some products that are sensitive skin friendly and don't have any questionable chemicals to hopefully calm my skin. While the products I found aren't fun or flashy, they've done the job. My skin overall is a lot less red and itchy. I'm still breaking out some, but my skin looks a lot better which makes me wonder if a lot of my breakouts were coming my attempts to stop them. I thought I'd share with you what I've found so that hopefully if you're dealing with the same issues you can find something that works without having to read a ton of Amazon reviews!

1. Basis Sensitive Skin Bar
For a long time I've used Dove's Beauty Bar for Sensitive Skin. I really want to love it because it doesn't irritate my skin and I love Dove products. However, it doesn't do enough to soothe my skin, so I decided to give Basis a go.

I was pleasantly surprised by this bar soap. It's very gentle. I can use it on my face and body which is very convenient and economical. I also immediately started noticing that my skin wasn't red like it usually is after I wash it. It sounds silly, but my skin really does look calmer when I use this soap. While it does not have any added fragrance, it does have a light chamomile scent from the chamomile extract in the soap which I think is lovely. The light scent makes me feel a little better about not getting to use a fun, scented soap. This soap is a safe choice for people with sensitive skin. If you try it and find that it doesn't work for you, I'd try Dove's Beauty Bar for Sensitive Skin. Several people in the Amazon reviews said either one or the other worked for them.

2. A Konjac Sponge
The Basis Sensitive Skin Bar is working beautifully for my skin, but I need a little exfoliation on my face to keep my pores from clogging up. I decided to try a Konjac sponge because they're very in at the moment. I see why! When dry, it looks like a sponge and feels basically like sturdy styrofoam. Then, when you put water on it, the sponge gets bigger and softens. You can use it without soap, but I like to use it with the Basis Soap. I'm obsessed because the sponge is so soft and cloud-like. It gives me a little extra gentle exfoliation without irritating my skin. I'm liking Ecotools Konjac Sponge because it's perfect size for my face, it doesn't have anything extra like clay or charcoal added in, and it's affordable.

3. Neutrogena Clear Face Sunblock
Wearing sunscreen daily is so important for preventing skin cancer and aging, but it's so hard to find a good one that's not too sticky or pore-clogging. Neutrogena's Clear Face Sunblock is amazing! I bought it for the first time about four months ago, and I kicked myself for not trying it earlier. For some reason I had it in my head that it would be heavy and sticky. Now that I've tried it, I see that it's actually very light. Once it absorbs, my face feels lightly moisturized but more also matte. So if you're looking for moisturization, this lotion is not for you. It's perfect for my oily, sensitive skin though. If you're worried it won't be sensitive skin friendly enough, then try Elizabeth's favorite and go for Neutrogena's Sensitive Skin Sunblock.

4. Cetaphil Eczema Calming Body Moisturizer
I don't think I actually have eczema, but I figured if this lotion works for people with eczema, then it should definitely work for me. At the time, my skin was crazy itchy, and I was desperate. I saw the Good Housekeeping seal, so I knew it had to have promise. Since I've started using it, it has not let me down. It's unscented and free of irritants. The lotion is not anything fancy but, it keeps my skin moisturized, itch-free, and calm. It's a great everyday lotion for people with sensitive skin.

5. Dove Go-Sleeveless Anti-Perspirant Deodorant in Soothing Chamomile
The skin under my arms gets so irritated and itchy from shaving, which I just cannot deal with. I decided to try Dove's Go-Sleeveless Deodorant in Soothing Chamomile, and I'm really pleased. Now, after I shave, I put a little of the Cetaphil Moisturizer and then this deodorant on and my problems are solved. My underarms look a lot less distressed, and I'm not going crazy from being itchy. I really like the light chamomile scent. It's not especially sweet or fruity but more of a very mellow, natural scent. If you truly have sensitive skin though, then I would say skip the Dove Deodorant since it is scented and try Almay's Sensitive Anti-Perspirant Deodorant. My dad has super sensitive skin, and this is all he'll use. It's free of fragrance and definitely should not irritate your skin.

If you're like me and your skin is in constant turmoil, it may be because you're treating the symptoms but not the root of the problem. I think for me, I was using stuff that was too harsh for my skin trying to treat breakouts, and really the harsh products were making my skin a lot worse. So it's worth a try to walk away from the hardcore stuff for awhile and try using a base of simple products for sensitive skin and see what happens. Then, if you need to, maybe try using just one product a day for breakouts. I alternate using a benzyl peroxide lotion and a salicylic acid/retinol lotion at nighttime. It's just enough to keep my skin under control without it turning my face perpetually red. Hopefully, this is helpful! I'd love to hear your favorite sensitive skin products and tips!

March Julep Box

I'm a little late on this review, but better late than never. For my March Julep box I decided it was time for a new look for Spring. So I ordered Julep's Soft Focus Finish polish in Ali, Plush Pout Lip Crayon in Aurora Pink, and Orbital Eye Shadow in Earthshine.

Julep Soft Focus Polish in Ali

 Ali is a super pretty semi-matte seafoamy mint polish. (I'm wearing a topcoat over Ali which sort of negates the matte finish.) Every time I wear this polish I get compliments! It's perfect for the spring and summer months. It is a bit trickier to apply than some of Julep's other polishes. It takes at least two coats to get an even color and takes a bit of patience. I'd say for the color it's well worth it though.

Julep Plush Pout in Aurora Pink

 Julep is spot on with the coverage and moisturization of their lip crayons. I love the formulation of their Plush Pout sticks. However, their shade depictions need a little work. From the website and name I was expecting a rosy pink color. I was really surprised to put it on and end up with a bright poppy coral color. The color is beautiful but just not what I was expecting! Luckily, Julep customers are very good about posting their reviews of products on the product pages. So next I'll be looking there before I buy another lip crayon.

Aurora Pink 

Unlike Aurora Pink, Julep's swatch for their Orbital Earthshine eye shadow is spot on. It's a highly pigmented deep, shimmery treebark brown shadow. It has a lot of staying power and is easy to apply. A little goes a long way! It's a very versatile every day shadow. I like to use it on it's own, as a compliment to lighter shadows, or as a powder eyeliner. 

Julep Orbital Earthshine Eye Shadow

I can't wait to try more of their Orbital Eye Shadows. I would love to have their Pan The Story Begins Orbital Eye Shadow Collection. It's a whimsical collection rich, shimmery hues like Supernova- a charcoal with electric orchid pearlescence and Moonbeam- a silver with lilac pearlescence.

Earthshine

Last but not least is the lovely bonus polish, Brandis, that Julep added to my box. (Always check your email ladies so you don't miss Julep's fun bonus offers!) Unfortunately, I don't have a swatch of this colorful turquoise creme polish because I sent it to camp with Elizabeth. Brandis went on super smoothly and was very rich. The formulation made it a breeze to apply. I was a little intimidated by the color at first because it's so bold, but it was a unique accent to my boring grey ensembles!

As always, if you think you want to try Julep, I'd love to refer you! Simply, click here to check out Julep's offer this month. It's free the first month, and if you don't like it then call Julep to opt-out.

My First Julep Box

I might have a small obsession with cosmetic products and purple. So when I saw an ad on Facebook saying that Julep would send me a box of three purple nail polishes and one black eyeliner for my birthday for free I had to check it out. I looked at the website, and it looked legit. It said I would only have to pay $2.99 for shipping and that if I didn't want a second box to come in March then all I had to do was call Julep and tell them by the 20th and they would cancel the order. I thought I'll just take advantage of this one free box, and then I'll cancel.

Then, my beautiful wild orchid purple box of nail polish and makeup came in the mailbox, and now I think I'm hooked...

Hazel

First, I tried out the Hazel nail polish which is one of Julep's Boho Glam nail colors. I wasn't really expecting a lot because hey it was free. But it really did go on very smoothly and easily with a rich color. I only needed two coats for an opaque finish, and it worked well with my Sally Hansen Insta-Dri topcoat. The end product was an opaque deep purple with a sort of metallic-y fine shimmer that Julep describes as a wild violet and bronze duochrome. I think it works beautifully on cool skin tones. This one has become my new favorite nail polish! It adds some personality to my usual grey and pink ensembles, and I've gotten complimented on it every day it's been on my nails.

Margit

The second color I tried was Margit, one of the It Girl nail colors. I loved the ease of application of this nail polish too. It went on opaquely and evenly with two coats. Margit is a pale lavender polish that Julep describes as mushroom with rose shimmer. It's definitely a very in color right now. Sadly, it brought out a little too much red in my skin tone, but I think it would be gorgeous on warm, darker skin tones. I think I'll probably still wear it though because the color is too pretty to waste!

Bernadette

And last but not least is Bernadette, named for Bernadette Peters. The black onyx nail polish was made specially for us gals with February birthdays! First off, I love Bernadette Peters so I had high expectations for this nail polish. It had the same smooth application as the other nail polishes and only needed two coats for opaque color. The end result is very unique and cool. It's a purple-y black with small flecks of silver shimmer. It basically looks like the night-sky.

Blackest Black

I also got a black eye-liner in the maven box, but I really am not a fan of how eyeliner makes me look, so I'll save that review for when Elizabeth can try it out.

Overall, I was super impressed with my first Maven box! And after reading a little bit about the company values, and seeing my options for this month I think I'll keep buying them periodically and keep y'all updated.  Also, you'll notice that we now have a badge for Julep that says "I'm classic with a twist." If you think you want to try Julep for free then give it a click or click here, and Julep will give you a code for a free box. If you decide to subscribe after you've gotten your free box, then I'll get credit I can put towards a box for referring you. You can do the same on your blogs to earn free boxes! Hope you enjoy and let us know what you think about your boxes!

Review of Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal and Rimmel Gentle Eye Make Up Remover

We just got our first voxbox from influenster! Yay! We're super excited to get to try out the products they sent us to review! The first up is Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal from Rimmel London in 001 Black.

Now, let me start by saying I'm not much of an eye liner girl. My friend, Tori who keeps up with makeup youtubers, had to direct me to Tati's Perfect Eyeliner Tips and Lauren Curtis' Makeup Do's and Don'ts before I felt confident enough that I could put on eyeliner without looking like a fifteen year old. I have to say though I surprisingly like the Scandal Eyes eyeliner.

The formula is soft and glides on without crumbling. It's definitely a good pick for tight-lining your waterline because it won't hurt your eyelid and goes on without a lot of effort. The color turned out a very deep black which is perfect if that's what you're going for. I think if I was buying it for myself I'd try the nude color to open my eyes up a little and try one of the lighter liners like the brown or taupe colors just because my skin is so fair. For $5.50, I'd say these liners are worth it.

Along with the eye liner, we also got a full-size Rimmel Just Let it Go Gentle Eye Make Up Remover. I tried it after using the Rimmel eye liner and my usual mascara. It totally removed the mascara with not too many swipes. I had a hard time getting off all the Scandal Eyes eye liner though. Which is a testament to the eye liner's staying power but not so good if you wanted to get rid of all the eye liner. I did like that the make up remover didn't sting like most makeup removers and that it didn't feel oily on my skin. As I washed the rest of my face with some Dove soap, the make up remover rinsed right off which was nice. For me since I don't wear eye liner a lot this make up remover does the trick.

Note: We received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. However, the review provided is our honest opinion of the product.

Do you use eyeliner? What tips do you have for using it? Let us know in the comments.

#FrostyVoxBox

So a few weeks ago Elizabeth and I got our very first box of goodies from Influenster in the mail! We're so excited to get to try out these products and let you all know what we think about them. In our box we got:

• Candy Cane Lane Green Tea from Celestial Seasonings
• Boots No7 Repair and Protect Serum
• Fruit Vines Strawberry Bites
• Eco Tools Full Volume Styler Brush
• McCormick Thyme
• New York Color Expert Last Lipstick, Sugar Plum
• Just Let it Go Rimmel London Eye Makeup Remover

To be honest, I really thought that some of these products were going to be subpar, but I was really surprised to actually like all of the products. Stay tuned in the next couple weeks to catch our reviews of each product.

Drug store Beauty Favorite: Pantene Pro-V Color Preserve Cleansing Conditioner

We all look for ways to cut down on the time it takes to get ready in the morning. For me, using a cleansing conditioner is one sneaky way I cut my shampooing and conditioning time in half. If you haven't heard of cleansing conditioners before, they're basically what the name suggests: a conditioner that cleanses. They're usually sulfate-free and gently clean the hair without stripping it and condition it at the same time. Because cleansing conditioners are shampoo-free, you really have to massage them into the hair. The benefits of time-saving and less distressed hair is enough to make up for the lack of lather for me.

The first cleansing conditioner I tried and loved was L'Oreal Paris EverCurl Hydracharge Cleansing Conditioner. However, the price and the smell were not for me. So after some research, I decided to try Pantene's Color Preserve because is a product with great reviews, is also for curly coarse hair, and is very reasonably priced. After trying it for myself I was sold. It works just as well as more expensive cleansing conditioners. My favorite part though is the invigorating minty and citrusy smell. It's not overpowering, but it definitely wakes me up in the morning! If the spa like smell doesn't energize you, then just massage the conditioner in well and let it sit a few minutes, and you'll start to feel a slight tingle from the conditioner. Not only does this cleansing conditioner help me save time in the mornings, it also helps me get past the initial early morning slump.

Drug Store Beauty Favorite: CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

I have super sensitive but oily skin, so I'm always on the lookout for a facial cleanser that is gentle, doesn't strip my skin, and will work with my clarisonic. Most cleansers either make my skin feel tight after I use them or make my face turn red. I was really pleased with CeraVe's Foaming Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin though. It reminded me of Cetaphil but my skin felt less dry after this cleanser which means less oil later in the day. It is a little pricey if you buy it from a drugstore. I paid about 15 dollars at Walgreens, but you can actually get it from Amazon for 10 dollars. That's definitely what I'll be doing next time. I'd recommend this cleanser to anyone with sensitive, oily, and blemish prone skin. There's a reason this foaming facial cleanser is a bestseller on Amazon.

Drug Store Beauty Favorite: Garnier Fructis Moroccan Oil

Whenever I go to the drugstore, I'm always torn between trying something fun and new or sticking with something I know works. It seems like drugstore products can be very hit or miss. Lately, I've been pretty lucky with my finds, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you.

My newest favorite is Garnier Fructis' Sleek and Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment. I love how light this oil is. It really does absorb into my hair without looking oily. I also like how soft and shiny my hair looked after a couple uses. Plus with the price I don't feel like I have to be stingy with it. I've started using it on my dry hair before bed and also smoothing it into my ends while my hair is wet before I style it. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone but especially for girls with curly hair. It can be so hard for curly girls to get soft shiny hair, but this product really does help! My only complaint is that I wish it came in a spray bottle so that when I wear my hair curly I could spray it in without disturbing my wet curls. Overall though I was pleasantly surprised by this Moroccan Oil Treatment and can't wait to try other Moroccan Oil products.

Two Minute Make-up Routine

Getting ready in the morning after spending the night with a few friends, I suddenly realized that I’m the only one of us who wears make-up every day.  As we talked while I carefully applied mascara in the bathroom mirror, my friends discussed how they usually felt too rushed in the morning to bother with make-up. 

It seems like many women feel the same way, but putting on make-up in the morning doesn’t have to be a production.  For an everyday look, a simple make-up routine that enhances rather than hides or changes your features is easy to follow.  At most my basic routine takes 2 minutes leaving plenty of time for your beauty sleep.

Step One: Sunscreen

Even if you decide to wear no make-up at all, sunscreen is essential.  Protecting your skin will keep it healthy in the long run.

Step Two: Foundation

Don’t feel that your foundation has to cover every inch of your face.  As long as the shade matches your skin, you only need to cover up areas that are red or uneven. 

Step Three: Mascara

Using small strokes, coat only your top lashes with mascara.  For everyday make-up, mascara on the bottom lashes really isn't necessary.  Take your time since rushing this step usually causes mistakes.

Step Four: Lipstick

For the finishing touch, lipstick, you can use a color close to your natural color.  However, swiping a bright color just in the center, the using your finger to spread it like a lip balm creates a more natural looking color.

With only four steps and four products, you have an almost effortless, basic routine that you have time for each morning.

The products that I currently use are Aveeno Sunblock Face SPF-70, Clinique Acne Solutions Liquid Makeup, Maybelline Volum' Express Mascara, Lancome L'Absolu Rouge Lipcolor .

What does your make-up routine look like?

Fast Morning Makeup Inspired by Jennifer Garner

As a college student, you end up pulling a lot of all-nighters. If you're like me, these all-nighters mean the next morning you'll hit the snooze button on your alarm clock until you absolutely have to get up. For those mornings, you need a quick strategy for pulling yourself together so that it looks like you got plenty of beauty sleep. I think this look the always lovely Jennifer Garner sports is the perfect inspiration for fast, natural looking makeup.

Fresh Fast by jenniferleigh33 on polyvore.com

Makeup

1. To quickly get Mrs. Garner's dewy glow, start with Aveeno's Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturizer or your favorite light foundation. I choose the Aveeno Tinted Moisturizer because it eliminates the step of applying sunscreen and because it gives you a very natural non-matte finish.

2. Next, with a light hand, apply your favorite bronzer to the apples of your cheeks, nose, chin, temples, and neck. I would recommend using a large brush to make sure the color gets blended well. After you've applied the bronzer, smile and dust your blush onto the apples of your cheeks and towards your hairline. Jennifer Garner's blush is a bit more peachy and bronze than the blush above, so, if you like her look, choose a less pinky blush. I chose the blush/bronzer combo because it's really convenient to have them together in one place.

3. If you have time, swipe the lightest shade of eyeshadow from your lashes to your brow bone. Then, use the darkest shade and apply it from your lashes to the crease of your eye. Now, apply mascara to your top lashes. Even if you didn't have time for the shadow, I would definitely try to make time for mascara because it makes your eyes standout and you'll look much more awake.

4. As a last touch, apply Burts Bees tinted lip balm to add healthy color to your lips. I like the rose shade, but you may find that another shade compliments your coloring better.

Later this week, I'll follow up with a post about how to quickly achieve a look similar to the effortlessly pretty hairstyle that Mrs. Garner is wearing. In the meantime, let us know what some of your tips and tricks are for looking put together when you're in a hurry!

Hair Inspired by Rihanna

During the hot summer months, especially in Mississippi, it’s nice to have your hair off your neck and out of the way. (Plus updos do a great job of highlighting your pretty face.) Rihanna’s cute updo inspired us to try the updo with the scarf look.

Photo from becomegorgeous.com

We found that this style is ideal if you have longer wavy hair with layers around the face. Here are our steps for the look:

1. Make a side part.

2. Section off shorter layers around the face. If you’re like Elizabeth and do not have shorter layers then leave out some hair like in the above picture.

3. Pull the rest of the hair into a high ponytail and secure with an elastic. You want to make sure the hair under the ponytail is tight and there is little slack.

Tip: At first we had trouble deciding how high to make the pony. We figured out that if you place the pony where it creates a line from the ear to the chin it seems to sculpt the chin and accent the face. We tried to show the yellow line the picture above.

4. If you had to create faux bangs, now is the time to pin them and incorporate them into the bun you’re about to make. Loosely twirl hair around the ponytail base to create a bun. Secure the hair with bobby pins or u-shaped pins. The bun should be slightly messy.

5. Now come the fun part! After you’ve made your bun you get to add the cute head scarf or head band.




Here is our finished look!

Summer Glow

It's summer time and that means it's time to break out the shorts and bikinis. While fair skin is beautiful, it doesn't hurt one's confidence to have a nice summer glow. However, if you're like me, many self tanners have left you streaky and splotchy. I have had the most luck with gradual tanners. My favorite is Jergens natural glow lotion which you might remember from when I posted it as one of my essentials. This lotion is great because you won't wake up with streaks the next morning. The color is very natural, and the it even has a tiny bit of subtle shimmer that adds to skin's radiance. Before you apply self tanner there are a couple things you should do.

1. Moisturize
A couple days in advance you should use a moisturizer. Pay special attention to dry areas like the knees, elbows, and ankles. Moisturizing will help prevent those areas from darkening more than the rest of the body.

2. Shave
Shaving is also good for exfoliation because it removes the top layer of skin. Plus you don't want to lose your glow prematurely so shaving is a must for areas you plan to use the lotion on.

3. Exfoliate
I don't find that heavy duty exfoliation is needed with the Jergens lotion. I would recommend using a wash cloth with your normal cleanser and adding sugar to the cleanser if you feel like you need more exfoliation.

4. Application
With a gradual lotion, application is pretty easy. Make sure your skin is dry and apply the lotion everywhere like you would a regular lotion. You don't have to apply so much that the lotion is sitting on the skin and not absorbing. However, you want to use enough that the lotion covers all the skin without missing spots. A trick I read in Seventeen magazine really helps with the hard to reach back area. To get the mid back, bend over and reach arms behind you so your fingernails are facing towards the sky. I'm not sure if that makes the distance any shorter, but it helped for me.

Sharing: Curling Hair Tutorial by Amy at Karmincovers

photo via weheartit

Several weeks ago Jennifer did a post on how to style curly hair fast.  While this method works if you have crazy, wildly curly hair (which we both do,) if you don't have naturally curly hair, it's not going to work so well for you.
A week or two ago, one of my friends sent me a link to a video on youtube entitled How to Rock a Mohawk Without Chopping Your Hair Off.  Naturally, after reading such a title, like any good friend I was slightly concerned when my friend mentioned that she wanted to try doing the hairstyle in the video.  However, despite the name, the hairstyle in the tutorial is actually rather cute.  It looks more like a complicated updo than a mohawk.

However, back to curling hair.  The girl in the video, Amy who is half of the musical duo Karmin, also has a tutorial for girls with straight hair who want natural looking curls.  She uses a method with a curling iron that I've never seen anyone use before.  I haven't had a chance to try this out for myself  but looking at her end result is amazing!

Personally, I tend to use hot rollers rather than a curling iron just because it's so much faster to use hot rollers. Usually Jennifer and I use Remington H9000 Pearl Ceramic Heated Clip Hair Rollers

Also, while you're checking out her hair tutorials, I would suggest listening to some of the covers that her band does.  Amy has an amazing voice (in addition to her beautiful hair.)

That's all for today.  Good luck trying out curly hair!

Favorite Discoveries of the Week

Photo credit weheartit

Hello everyone!  This week on our favorite discoveries post, the focus is more on fashion and style.  The wonderful thing about many of these links is regardless of how into these two subjects you are or not, you can still enjoy taking a look at them.

The first link is for both the girls who love getting dressed up and the ones who don't.  At collegefashion.net you can read the 25 reasons why you should dress up every day. For those who already enjoy dressing up, the article will remind you of all of the reasons why you choose to do so, and for those who don't enjoy dressing up quite so much the article offers several reasons to inspire you to dress up a bit more even if it's not every day. 

This next link is about one of my favorite trends, the long skirt trend.  You can read this NY Times article about the long skirt trend that has been slowly gaining popularity.  I am very much a fan of this trend because there is just a limit to how short a skirt can go.  The article projects that the trend will last several years, so now would be the perfect time for you to get in on the trend if you wish.  And the wonderful part about the trend is that if you're more modest you can continue wearing the longer skirts after it ends, or if you aren't, then you can always shorten your skirts later.

Next, if you enjoy fashion and beauty but you like keeping it to the basics, here's another article by collegefashion.net about the 5 nail polish colors every girl should own.  5 is a number that's easily manageable, and your vanity won't be cluttered with too many bottles of unused nail polish, but you'll still have enough colors to switch up to match your looks.

To make the choosing of nail polish even simpler, you should stop by All Lacquered Up.  At this incredibly useful blog, you can look at tons of swatches from different nail polish collections that the blogger has tried out for herself.  If you are looking to pick your 5 nail polish colors as advised by the article directly above, this is a wonderful resource to make sure that you get exactly the 5 that you want.

Finally, I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people who never seems to  wear jewelry.  I own one or two pieces of nice jewelry that I really like and that I wear frequently whenever I remember actually remember to wear jewelry.  However, I recently stumbled on a post at The World According to Marilyn in which Marilyn talks about her obsession with jewelry and shows a few pieces of affordable jewelry that you can buy.  If you, too, are a jewelry lover, then you should check out this article.  If you're more like me, then you should still check it out as well for some inspiration on maybe just maybe adding another piece of jewelery to your collection.

Thanks you for stopping by this week.  I hope that you have a lovely weekend!

How to Style Curly Hair Fast

 What you need: 
-  Moisturizing Product (I like Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum)

- Mousse (I like Suave Professionals Captivating Curls Whipped Cream Mousse)

- Heat Protectant for Curls

- Blow Dryer with Diffuser (the blow drying step is optional, but if you do blow dry, the diffuser is not optional)

1.       If you haven’t just gotten hair wet in the shower or bath, wet your hair under the faucet.

2.       Use a comb and brush out your hair unless you're like Elizabeth and it makes your hair frizzy.

3.       Next apply the moisturizing product.

4.       Apply mousse. I like the Suave mousse because it will not make your hair crunchy. However, if you use too much it will make it feel oily. So experiment and find out how much you need.

5.       Apply a heat protectant if you plan on blow drying it. I don’t have a favorite, but I try to avoid sprays that spray a straight stream because then it doesn’t get all the hair, just a small area.

6.       After you apply your products, brush through hair with a comb.

7.       Scrunch lightly

8.       Now you can either let curls air dry or use a diffuser on low speed and heat blow dry till only slightly damp. The diffuser prevents your curls or waves from getting blown around and frizzing. Just tilt your head to the side and place a section of hair into the diffuser. Do not scrunch while diffusing just hold it there.


One of the really helpful resources that we used when learning how to style our naturally curly hair was a book called Curly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey.  If I could, I'd give a copy to every single girl with curly hair.

Jennifer's Beauty Essentials for a Fresh Face

Products from left to right 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

A fresh face starts with good skincare, so my first essentials help solve skin problems.

1. Clinique 3 Step Skin Care I have problem skin, so I use the Clinique Acne System. Clinique has products for all types of skin and is very customizable. If you have a pesky skin issue like dry skin or dark circles you can go to the nearest Clinique counter or their online website and find a solution for you.

2. Clarisonic Mia Yes, it’s expensive, and yes, it really works. I, too, was skeptical because of the price, but it’s very worth it if you have problem skin.

3. Jergens Natural Glow Facial Lotion If you must be tan ,this is the stuff for you. It has spf and is a lot easier to use than the non-gradual lotions. If you’ve embraced your natural skin tone or are naturally darker it’s still very important that you use sunscreen to prevent wrinkles. Aveeno makes some nice lightweight ones and Clean & Clear makes the best affordable ones.

After you’ve taken of your skin it’s time for foundation for glowing skin.

4. Pur Minerals Starter Kit I LOVE this foundation. Not only is it super low maintenance, because it goes on quickly it actually covers up uneven patches and blemishes even though it‘s a powder. I recommend the starter kit because it comes with a bronzer and blush that give you a nice glow. However, go light on them. All you need is subtle hint for a natural looking glow.

Now it’s time to give the eyes and lips a little definition.

5. Clinique High Lengths Mascara Hate when your lashes clump together? This brush takes care of that and adds length.

6. Clinique Chubby Stick To get a polished look almost everyone needs some type of lip color. I like the chubby stick because it feels soft on the lips like a balm but has nice color like a lipstick.

Favorite Discoveries of the Week

This spotlight was not supposed to turn into a list a desserts...but it did anyway.  Sometimes, it's just one of those weeks.  Despite the fact that I don't have an oven right now and, therefore, can't make any of these until June at the earliest, it never hurts to be prepared when it comes to desserts.

photos from sophistimom.com, thegingercook.com, whisk-kid.blogspot.com and visionsofsugarplum.com

Did you know that you could make chocolate chip cookies in a skillet?  Take a look at the One-Pan Dark Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie (1)  made by Sophistimom.  I have no problem planning an event just in order to make this.

I've been wanting to make macarons for a long time.  While I think that I probably need to start with a more basic recipe, these Lavender Maracrons with Honey Dark Chocolate Ganache (2) by The Ginger Cook look utterly divine.

I haven't had a doughnut since September.  I know this because I bought one in the airport right before my flight to France.  Which means that I really want one like the Yeasted Doughnuts (3) by Whisk Kid.

Cookies n' Cream Kiss Cookies? (4)  Yes, please!  Thank you, Sugar Plum Blog!


There is also one non-food related favorite of the week.

Launch of Pirates of the Caribbean OPI collection - Possibly I get overly excited about OPI nail polish despite the fact that I only own about 2 bottles and I actually rarely every paint my nails.  I think that it has to do with adorable names that the company gives the colors.  So when I found out this week that OPI has a Pirates of the Caribbean collection coming out in May, I had to contain myself.  The names of these new colors? Skull & Glossbones, Stranger Tides, Mermaid's Tears, Steady As She Rose, Sparrow Me the Drama, and Planks a Lot.  You can find out more about them here.

That's all for this week.  I wish everyone a lovely weekend!