Spring Beauty Buys: Skincare

Can you believe we are already half-way through Spring?!

Unfortunately, for the past few weeks, my skin has been acting up. I’m not sure if it’s something I’ve changed in my routine, or if it’s the weather. I feel like I find the reason why my skin does what it does, only to find out, it’s gonna do it’s own thing in a month anyways. On the bright side, I have found some products that I enjoy using and I’m pretty darn positive that these aren’t why my skin has been having a mind of it’s own.

Sun Bum SPF 30 Original Spray Sunscreen

First of all, the packaging on this sunscreen got me. Second of all, I wasn’t expecting to need to buy sunscreen the first week of May. But alas, it was in the 80s all week last week, so I needed to get sunscreen so I could start getting some color without looking like a lobster. This stuff smells great and doesn’t leave you feeling sticky. And, it definitely works!

Bliss Micro Magic Spa Powered Micro Dermabrasion Treatment

I’ve gotta say, this is probably the strangest stuff I’ve ever put on my face. But I like it! It kinda feels like you’re putting gritty toothpaste on your face. I know that sounds gross, but that’s the feeling I get when I put this stuff on my face. It has a minty smell, a cooling sensation, and is just gritty enough to really make you feel like your exfoliating your entire face. It’s another one of those products that feels like it’s working, so therefore I like it. I’ve only been using it once a week, and I’ll say that my face is definitely more radiant after use.

One Love Organics Gardenia + Tea Antioxidant Body Serum

I just really really love the smell of gardenia. I’ve only recently discovered this about myself, but I’m glad I have. This stuff is meant to be sprayed on your skin after you shower. I love this as an alternative to lotion because it really is moisturizing.

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub in Tropical Mango

I really think everyone should have sugar scrub. For the longest time, I never used it, or even really knew what it was, but once I discovered it and the benefits of having it, I can’t go without it in my shower. It’s especially useful for any of those times you’re lazy and don’t feel like shaving.

Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like every female experiences this. But maybe not and I’m just one of the unlucky ones. After all of those months of wearing skinny jeans or pants that are covering your legs, shaving for the months of wearing shorts and dresses becomes difficult with those little hairs that refuse to come out. Wearing tight clothing forces your hairs in directions it doesn’t want to go, sometimes forcing it under the first layer of skin (I know, I’m probably grossing you out). These ingrown pads are great for exfoliating the skin where hairs may be hard to remove and aren’t harsh to the skin, especially on the back of the legs or behind the knees.

Are there any recent skincare products you’ve found useful this Spring?

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

Spring Beauty Buys: Hair

Since I got my hair trimmed and highlighted this week, I thought, what a perfect week to talk about my current hair products for spring! While I’m only talking about two products I have (I mean, who am I kidding? I have a lot of hair products in my bathroom), these are two I recently introduced into my hair care routine, and will definitely be my go-to products for quite some time.

Moroccan Oil Smoothing Lotion

I’ve been seeing more and more of this brand lately, and I finally decided to give it a try, and I love it. It’s great for those fly aways, and is a perfect primer for your hair before applying any sort of heat. It also smells really good and doesn’t leave your hands (or your hair) feeling sticky or filmy after you apply it.

No Drought Dry Shampoo

While I love my dry shampoo by Batiste, I wanted to try powdered shampoo, but didn’t want to splurge on those pricy brands that make it. In the spring and summer, I feel like my hair tends to get oilier quicker than it does during the colder temperatures, so I wanted another dry shampoo option for those days my hair looks dirty, but really isn’t. I got this, and I really love the way it smells, and it does a great job of not making it look like I haven’t washed my hair in a while (you know we all have those lazy days…or weeks :p ).

Do you have any current favorite hair products? If so, let me know so I can try those out too!

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

Spring Beauty Buys: Face

This spring, I wanted to keep a fresh face, by wearing less makeup. While I do sometimes need a little something to make me look a bit more awake, I’ve been trying my hardest to avoid a full face of makeup everyday. Here are some of my favorite face products for spring.

Mini Beauty Blender

I really like the size of this beauty blender because it’s great to add concealer under the eyes, or anywhere you need to add makeup that’s hard to get to without feeling like you’re covering your entire face.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blue in True Love

I really like adding blush to my face to give it some color when I’m not wearing much else, and this is a great spring blush color. It’s a pretty vivid pink, but I just apply a small amount to the apples of my cheeks, and I’m good to go.

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette

I love that this palette has everything in it: blush, highlighter, and bronzer. It’s great to travel with for spring, but it also has everything you need to add some color to your face without feeling like you’re loading a bunch of stuff onto your face.

Sephora Face Masks

I really think that once spring rolls around, everything seems more fresh, and people get really into spring cleaning, so why not clean your pores too? I love these facemasks, not only because they are fun to use to give yourself a spa treatment at home, but they are also really refreshing and make your skin feel smooth and extra clean. I particularly love the green tea and pearl masks. Have you used these before? Let me know in the comments below!

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

Spring Beauty Buys: Nails

I really love how the simple change of season gets me excited for new beauty, nail, and hair care products. It’s always exciting to match my nail color with the seasons new color trends, or even colors that compliment pieces, shades, or patterns I’m wearing frequently. Currently, these are some of my favorite spring nail colors and products.

Julep Sea Salt Finish Nail Color in Kai

I wear a lot of blues, and I love this baby blue nail color for spring. It pairs perfectly with my very blue wardrobe, and compliments well with my brighter outfit options such as oranges and pinks. This particular polish has a sea salt finish, which adds just a bit of texture to make it slightly different than the usual polish.

NCLA Los Angeles Nail Lacquer in As If!

I love this muted lavender crème color! It’s a great option when you want to add color to your nails without competing with bright spring outfit choices. It’s definitely a staple color for me this spring, because it allows me to play around with my color choices when it comes to clothing, without feeling like my nails are trying to steal the show.

 

Basically U Professional Nail Dry

I’ve had this stuff for a while, but forgot about it until recently. This stuff is perfect to use after painting on your own mani or pedi. It’s marketed as the same stuff you would use at a nail salon, and really holds up to the hype. For only $2.99, you can’t really go wrong by grabbing up a can of this stuff…especially to speed up that drying process so you can go out and enjoy the sun!

Come back next week for another set of great spring beauty buys!

Lynda

Spring Beauty Buys: Scents

Continuing the series of my seasonal beauty buys, I’m starting spring off with scents. I mentioned in my February favorites that I loved the bag of sample scents I received from Sephora, and it definitely introduced me to some of my favorite new scents perfect for spring.

Tocca- Margaux

This scent has notes of gardenia, violet, amber, vanilla, cashmere woods, and warm musk. It is definitely a rich feminine scent and is something I could see myself wearing year-round. The strong floral notes of this perfume really make me think of spring though.

Tokyo Milk Dark- Tainted Love

I have always been in love with this scent. I actually have it in a hand cream that I picked up in Florida last year, and I carry it in my purse with me everywhere. This perfume is just as awesome. It combines scents I don’t normally see paired together: sandalwood, dark vanilla bean, white tea, and orchid, and is considered darling, inquisitive and dramatic.

Nest- Midnight Fleur

I had never heard of this brand until recently and was excited to try them out with the sample of this perfume. The key notes in this perfume are similar to those listed in the other perfumes I’ve listed above (clearly I am liking very similar scents). Black amber, patchouli, exotic woods, vanilla orchid, and jasmine make up this fragrance and it’s described as intoxicating and bold.

Kai

I received this in a Pop Sugar Must Have box quite some time ago, and I love it! I use it every spring now, and it lasts forever! It comes in roller ball form and is a great scent for spring travel. It’s actually a perfume oil and has strong notes of gardenia-yet again a staple scent for spring!

I’ve been rotating these four scents out each day because I just love them all! What’s your favorite scent for spring? Let me know!

Thanks for reading,

Lynda

Winter Beauty Buys: Skincare

Rounding out the last category of my winter beauty buys is skincare. These 4 products are must haves for skincare during any season, but are really important for me during the winter months.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser

I use this cleanser with my Clarisonic, and it foams up really well. It may be just me, but I like to see the suds when I’m washing my face, because it satisfies my question of whether or not it’s working. This cleanser is also gentle enough on my skin and doesn’t dry me out, because we all know, no one wants products to dry their skin out during winter…we have the weather to do that for us already.

Benefit It’s Potent Eye Cream 

Even though I don’t necessarily think I need this product, or see a vast difference from using it day to day, I do think I should continue using it, now that I’m in my mid-twenties. They say you should really focus on your skincare during your twenties because, before you know it, it all goes downhill…and I don’t want that…so fighting those under-eye circles now is what I’m doing!

Mary Kay Satin Hands Fragrance-free Hand Softener 

Winter brings dry hands for me, especially when I used to be a barista. I like this Mary Kay hand softener not only because it doesn’t fight with the smell of my perfume (because it’s fragrance-free), but also because it really does leave my hands moisturized for quite some time after use. And, I only need to use the tiniest amount on my hands.

Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant 

I know this product was released not too long ago, but I had a coupon for it, so I bought a can. And now I’m addicted. I’m not a fan of the gel deodorants because they seem to get sticky with the slightest amount of sweat, and while I love the powder fresh solid bars, they aren’t the best deodorants to use when wearing a lot of black (which I do). This Dove dry spray dries almost instantly and smells really good. It doesn’t leave any residue, and is easy to use. And, by using the spray, you avoid any possible irritation that can occur when using a deodorant bar, especially after shaving. Wins all around for this product!

That completes my winter beauty buys, but don’t worry…they will be back around in less than a month with spring beauty buys! Get excited! Spring is almost here!

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

Winter Beauty Buys: Eyes

Continuing my little beauty series, this week I wanted to focus on my favorites for eyes during winter.

Mica Beauty Cosmetics Mineral Eye Shadow in Earth

This is another one of those products that is great to use year round, but I particularly love it during winter because it’s a great neutral eye shadow with shimmer for when I’m at my palest.

Butter London Wink Eye Pencil in Earl Grey

This is a great silver-gray colored eye pencil. I love this for winter because it’s not as harsh as the typical black, and pairs great with the eye shadow I just mentioned above. (Not to mention, I received this in a Pop Sugar box, and now it’s part of my daily winter routine!)

Tarte Colored Clay CC Eye Primer Stick

I’ve been really happy with this product since I purchased it last year. It really does help hold my eyeliners and shadows in place all day. It’s definitely a daily go-to beauty product for me.

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara

I switch up my mascaras quite frequently, but I’ve really loved this one since the first day I used it. Combining this mascara with the shadow and liner above creates the perfect everyday eye look for winter.

What eye products do you use during winter on the regular?

Thanks for reading,

Lynda

Winter Beauty Buys: Nails

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I picked out a pink shade of polish to wear for part of the month…for obvious reasons. To go along with that, here are some current beauty buys for your nails during the remainder of the winter season.

Essie Mod Square Polish

The perfect color for Valentine’s Day, but also the perfect pink to keep me looking forward to spring.

Ulta Cuticle Pusher

This is great to have for any season, but I find that I start to slack on my manis and pedis during the winter season (especially when my toes are always covered up in booties), and this is perfect to have to keep them in check.

Sally Hansen Green Tea + Bamboo Strength Base Coat

This is perfect to wear alone to keep your nails strong in between polishes, but also as a base coat for underneath polish.

Julep Oxygen Performance Top Coat

During the winter weather when I feel like my skin and hair are drier than usual, this topcoat makes me feel better about my nails getting the proper care they need. With the dry air everywhere, this topcoat allows my mani to look great while still allowing the nutrients to reach my nail bed.

What are your favorite beauty buys for winter when it comes to your nails?

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

Winter Beauty Buys: Face

To continue my series, this week, I want to share some of my favorites for the face during winter. Really, these products are great year round, but I do particularly love them during the harsh winter weather, and I’ll tell you why!

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

I’ve been using this stuff for almost a whole year now, and it is definitely a staple for me. If I travel, my travel size of this comes with me. I have combination skin, but in the winter, my skin gets more dry than usual, and this stuff really does keep those dry patches from forming. It’s also great for sensitive skin, because its fragrance free, and is formulated without any of those harsh chemicals.

Naked Skin Beauty Balm by Urban Decay

I never really thought I needed BB cream, but then I used this stuff and realized how much it really does even out the skin. This stuff also doubles as a primer for foundation, but you can also wear it alone. Also, just because it’s cold outside, doesn’t mean you don’t need to worry about sun protection! This BB cream is SPF 20, so you’re still protecting your face from the rays, even in the frigid air.

NARS Blush in Orgasm

I really love NARS blush, and this one is a perfect color for all seasons. I particularly love it during the winter because it adds a bit of color to my face when I otherwise look ghostly.

Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush

I just love this brush. It is the perfect synthetic brush for liquid foundations, creams, primers, etc. and allows application without brush streaks. It also really helps blend blush, bronzer, and highlighters into skin for a more natural look, and can be easily cleaned with rubbing alcohol and water. It is also not a brush that sheds, which is one of the best types of brushes you can get!

What are some of your beauty favorites for your face during the winter?

Thanks for stopping by,

Lynda

Winter Beauty Buys: Scents

It’s not necessarily the first thing you think of when it comes to winter beauty purchases, but scents really do fit into seasonal categories! These are the two scents I’ve been switching between this winter, and are great must-have perfumes to use year after year.

Estée Lauder Modern Muse

While this scent is slightly floral, it also has a dark, woodsy aroma too it, that makes me think of winter warmth. I also get compliments on it when I wear it, and someone I work with even went out and bought a bottle after smelling it on me!

Calvin Klein Euphoria

This may sound weird, but personally, I think this perfume smells like men’s cologne. I know that probably makes a few of you think you’d never like to wear it yourself, but it just smells so good! I think of it as if they were making “cologne” for women, this is what it would smell like. It’s described all over the vast interwebs as a “sexy” scent, and I can totally get on board with that. If you haven’t smelled it yourself, you need to drive to your nearest Ulta/Sephora/wherever it is that you get your perfume, and smell this stuff pronto!

What perfumes or scents do you find yourself reaching for during the cold weather?

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda