Summer FabFitFun Unboxing (and GIVEAWAY!!)

I was excited to get another quarterly FabFitFun box this month, all geared towards summer!  I'm even more excited to give a few items away to one lucky reader!  Let's not waste any time!!

The boxes have such cute designs!  They manage to stuff a lot in to one little box!

The first item that caught my eye were the 'Betchsicles' -- because that name....really.  They are 'bottle' shaped silicone popsicle molds.  I've been seeing popsicle recipes all over IG and Pinterest, so I'm excited to try these out when it's sweltering here in the summer!  It came with a mold for six popsicles and six sticks...keep an eye out on my IG account and I'll be sure to post a finished product!

The next set of items were in the beauty category (aside from the bag).  There is a Osea Environment Protection lotion, which I have been mixing in with my foundation every morning to make a lighter weight tinted moisturizer!  Also helps extend the time between buys!  On the right is a FabFitFun branded beach sea salt spray.  I attempted to use it (as noted in an #ootd post) but I'm SO bad at hair I need a pro to show me what my hair can actually look like using this.  Below it is a Stemulation body exfoliator.  I've used it a few times so far on my legs between shavings to keep them smoother, especially now that I've gotten myself more comfortable showing my legs, I'd like them to look non-scaly.

The bag is a Trina Turk beach back, there were three options they sent out and I got this happy yellow one!  It's nice a roomy for the pool!

The next little section is more the samples/gift cards they always put in.  There is a blister relief patch - which I'm seeing I need more and more as I wear heels in the summer (foot sweat is not sexy).  I haven't checked the sample colors on the Burt's Bee's CC Cream samples, so if they aren't my shade I'll probably reach out to a friend to try them and report back!  There nice sheer gloss from Passport to Beauty - a little sticky when you first put it on, but I don't really notice after a few minutes.  What I'm more excited to try is Hello Fresh gift certificate!  I've been waiting to try this service for a while, but never did due to the price.  With this I think it would only cost us $15 to try!  We are foodies, but get in a rut when cooking at home.

And now the giveaway product!  I'm not really into yoga, so this product really won't do me a lot.  It's a Summer & Rose Yoga Towel.  With it's positive message and moisture-wicking fabric, setting this on your mat during class will pump your spirit and keep you sweat free!  I'm pairing this towel (retail $36) with the Mat Strap Plus from my Spring box (retail $15) for a yoga inspired set!

Here's how to enter:

1 - Head over to my Facebook page
2 - Like, Comment and Share the post associated with the giveaway (for up to three entries)
3 - That's it!  I'll do a random drawing from all entries on Tuesday morning and contact the winner!

I'm always excited to interact with my readers, giving advice and tips when I can!  Never feel afraid to ask me a style question, you can always message me!

Everyone have a great holiday weekend, and I'll see you later - back here in my closet!

Current Nightly Skincare Routine

Today I want to break up all the fashion posts and talk about skincare.  No amount of clothing will make you look/feel as young as great skin.  Now, half of it is genes, and there's no way to get around that....but other tips you learn from your mom, your best friend, your sorority sisters......

I've started to get into a nightly routine and have enjoyed the end results.  My skin has trudged through this winter without feeling overly tight and dry; it feels smooth and supple and well hydrated.  Yes, I still notice some blackheads, but I haven't been proactively trying to minimize them with a clay mask....will probably start that in about a month.

But here are the products that have been in regular rotation in my medicine cabinet for nightly use:

For me first step is either removing my makeup, or getting the grime off my face from the day.  If it's a full makeup day, I'll use Pond's Cold Cream Cleanser to gently remove all my makeup.  I will praise my girlfriend Krissa for turning me onto this, she swore by it and has great skin.....so trust your friends ladies!!  If it's a no makeup day, I'll take a cleansing wipe (I just happen to have Neutrogena here, but I'm not really brand loyal) across my face to make sure I feel clean.  Then I'll do a quick cleanse with Cetaphil (I recommend a non-scrub based cleanse for the evening).

Steps 1 & 2 - Remove and Cleanse

Then I'll go into my 'preventative' products.  Once a week I'll do a face mask (that's a whole post in itself) and then I'll start layering on the serums.  I got a sample of the Meaningful Beauty set and only liked a handful of products, so I cancelled it.  I've still been using the Creme de Serum all over my face and the Ultra Lifting and Firming Treatment on areas that I want to prevent from sagging in the future -- please note, I'm aware at 31 I have no real skin aging problems.

Step 3 - Prevent

 Finally I'll slather on a night cream.  I've been using the Garnier Ultra-Lift Anti Wrinkle Firming Night Cream (that's a mouthful), but it's almost gone.  I picked up a two pack of the Olay Regenerating Night Recovery Cream from Costco, so that's going in my rotation next.  In the winter I really like how the Cold Cream and this thicker night cream have kept my skin moisturized.  Come summer time it might be too much, so I'll come back with any updated routines.

Step 4 - Moisturize

So that's my complete routine!  It's pretty quick (when I don't add a mask) and I don't use a lot of high end products.  I'm probably not going to buy the Meaningful Beauty serum again because it's $64 for a full bottle.  There are plenty of reasonably priced drugstore products to use!

Alternate serums to try: Olay, Olay, Boots No 7

Alternate eye creams: Olay, Roc, Boots No 7

Share with me the products you use in your night routine!  Just soap & water?  18 steps?  There is no wrong or right way if it's what works for you!

See you later, back here in my closet!

Tuesday Reviews-day

About a month ago I had a Jamberry Party to celebrate my 30th birthday.  I was looking online at all the amazing designs, then I thought why don't I have a party?  I'll get to introduce more people to these amazing nail wraps and get a discount on the designs I'm loving.

Now that it's been a few weeks and I've gone through a few sets, I wanted to give you my honest opinion on the wraps and their application process and subsequent wear.

First, what are Jamberry wraps?  They are similar to Sally Hansen and OPI style nail decals, but they are applied with heat and pressure.  The website says that a manicure can last 2 weeks and a pedicure can last 4+ weeks.  They have a variety of solid, designs and patterns that can be applied to bare nails, acrylics or gels, and even on top of polished nails!  Below are a few unique nail combinations I like.

The application process seems to have a lot of steps, but once you have them all down it flows pretty nicely.  This last set I applied in 20 minutes!

Items you'll need:
-Rubbing Alcohol
-Cuticle Pusher
-Tweezer
-Nail File
-Nail Scissors or Nail Clipper
-Heat Source (hair dryer, spacer heater, rice bag, Jamberry mini-heater, etc)

Prep nails by using the rubbing alcohol on each nail and let them air dry.  Then push down all your cuticles, this is more to ensure you have the most available space for the wrap to adhere to your nail.  The next step is to select your wrap size.  This is key!  You don't want the wrap to be too large for your nail, so when it doubt, go smaller. After you have selected your wrap, cut it in half and pull it off with the tweezer.  Heat is for 5 seconds.  Apply it to your nail and put some pressure on the entire surface (watch for bubbles!).  Heat again for a few seconds and add more pressure, especially around the edges.  I use my cuticle pusher to press down around the outer edge.  Then repeat!

I have had good success with the wraps when places on bare nails.  Last week, I put some over polish, but they were move around within a few days, so I eventually took them off.  I think I wasn't waiting long enough for my polish to dry before applying the wrap.  I will try that process again soon.  Here are all the manicures I've done so far!

So my overall opinion is that I love the print selection you get (Spring/Summer catalog now available!), but watch your application process over polished nails!

As always, thanks for reading!

Throwback Thursday!

I've tried a few 'segment' styles on this blog, so with poor results (Manly Mondays might just start being pictures of what I dress Jonanthan in during the week!).  But I think I've found something that I can do pretty easy and it'll be fun to walk down memory lane....

This all came about because a guy at work walked past me and his cologne took me back to the 7th grade and a guy I was crushing on at the time....hence 'Throwback Thursday' is happening on the blog.  Everything Thursday I'll feature a beauty produce or style trend that I myself use to rock (picture of me in said trend may or may not be included)

In commemoration of #tbt on the blog coming from a cologne, I'm going to take you back to when you just had to have a bottle of.....Tommy Girl.

 Apparently the bottle hasn't changed at all in the last 15 years, and heading over to Macy's for a quick fragrance sample takes me back to nights spent roaming the mall with friends and weird backless crop tops that you can only wear when you're 13 because you don't have boobs yet.

I also remember having to BEG my parents to buy it because it was 'so expensive' compared to other crappy perfumes (aka those small colorful bottles they'd sell at Marshall's claiming to smell just like the designer version).  And now I spend nearly twice as much as Tommy Girl costs on my Chanel signature scent.

Hope that's you've had a fun bit of travel down memory lane with me, what was your 'signature scent' as a teen?

Favorite Polishes for Winter!

After reading that one of my favorite bloggers, Kate, at The Small Things Blog mentioned that she got her first monthly Julep Maven box, I thought....do other people not know about this?

Right now a lot of my friends get Birchbox....and I LOVED Birchbox when I used it for about a year over a year ago.  My problem with the company at the time is that I started to accumulate samples of things I probably would never use.  I think over time it's gotten better brands, but it wasn't worth the money so I quit.

I like Julep Maven because you get to choose the polishes or products you get every month...and you can skip if nothing catches your fancy.  I have been skipping recently just because I seem to have similar colors.  It seems like one year on a subscription service is it's max shelf life for me.

Below are a few of the colors I like to wear during the winter, along with a variety of brands I use.  I attempt to do my own nails as much as possible since I do pay $8 per bottle and have a pretty steady hand.  I've learned over time that nail prep is the key to having polish that lasts.  I do a 4 stage file once a month to have a smooth surface and I make sure to use a base coat and a no chip top coat.  Tips I've learned in magazines is every few days reapply the top coat...but I've never had to do that.  Polish never really lasts on my nails more than 4-5 days....I get tired of it.

Sephora for OPI - Metro Chic...I was really into the 'grey-iege' thing a few seasons back and this was and has since been my go to color.  I just learned while writing this post this line has been discontinued in leu of the new Formula X line at Sephora.  I do love those polishes as well.

OPI - Russian Navy...it looks navy in the photo, but actually looks more purple on my nails

Julep - Laura (aptly named)...this has become a recent favorite since it's a muted color I make it into a neutral for cold temps.  Plus I feel like it's camo for my nails (I know...I'm weird)

Essie - Mink Muffs...just a good neutral that doesn't blend in too much

Sinful Colors - Black on Black....nothing says winter like black...it's the way most of us feel dealing with the frigid temps

Besides these 5 colors, I will consistently reach for my go to red no matter the season.  Nothing is as classic as a red nail.  The color looks good on long or short nails and unless you're wearing something really out there, it goes with everything.  Mine is the L'Oreal Paris Pro 'Lady Luck' and as you can see from my husband's practice photo below, I'm nearly half way through this bottle.  

And to end this post, I know I haven't had any OOTD photos in a while, so I'll dump a few below....

I'll try to get a post set up for when we're in Mexico....but I'm just going to enjoy weather that's above freezing!!!  See everyone later, back here in my closet!

Save Me from the Cosmetics Aisle!!

So not only do I have a problem with shopping for clothes, I also have a problem with cosmetics.  I blame YouTube.....I just get sucked into a haul or review and there's always something that I wind up wanting to try.  I guess that's their purpose, to get you to buy something.....I'm so weak.

My vanity is literally an old desk....full of makeup....it's ridiculous.

But with being pregnant, my skin has been on point lately.  This surprises me because I always had 'problem skin' in high school and college, but I found I was exfoliating too often and irritating my skin.....I WAS THE PROBLEM!!  So I've since changed my routine to a daily wash at night with a micro-dermabrasion weekly.

Here are a few beauty products (skincare and makeup) that I've been loving recently:

I've spent lots of money on high-end cleansers, but not seen the results worth the money.  Both of these Neutrogena cleansers work wonderfully on my skin...love the Naturals one since it is also a makeup remover and gets eye makeup off completely!  I normally apply this with just my fingers in the shower, but on occasion will use my Clairsonic if I'm feeling frisky.

These are two items I use weekly or bi-weekly.  This mask is amazing and soooooo cheap!  It pulls the oil from your nose and makes you feel refreshed!  This Boots exfoliator is a cheaper version of the Mary Kay I previously used.  It does it's job, but you'll want to make sure you moisturize or use a serum after to replenish your skin in this cold weather!!  Which brings me to a new product I just bought yesterday......

I read in my newest Redbook that you should be hydrating your skin halfway through the day since your moisturizer stops working.....seems legit since it's -4 degrees outside.  They tried to get me to buy a $26 bottle of Benefit Skincare hydrator, but I wasn't havin' it.  So I found the $7 alternative above.  And so far I'm loving it (use = twice so far).  It's got rosewater so your face smells a little rosey right after application, but it hydrates your face throughout the day without moving your makeup.

Speaking of makeup.....I go through a lot of phases with what colors I like or when I don't like to wear a lot.  Right now I'm sticking with a pretty basic combo of neutral eye with a slight wing and a pink or possibly bold red lip.  Here are a few staple makeup items.

My skintone is very pink so I NEED foundation.  Props to those of you who don't.  I got a color match at Sephora with their new iQ tool thingy and picked out the Sephora brand 10-hour wear foundation.  It's working so far, I love the pump and that's what truely drives my search for a foundation.  Other key items are a great blank liquid eyeliner.  I switch between this L'Oreal and the Revlon Colorstay liquid.  Also a great palette so you don't have to mess with individual shades.  I keep reaching for the original Naked palette since I tend to look better in smokey brown/copper/gold shades than black/grey (Naked 2).  I haven't found a blush/contouring combo that I love and that's really my hardest area.  I don't know how to contour my round face well to make it a bit more elongated.  More YouTube videos I guess.

But enough rambling for today....stay warm and I'll see you back in my closet (or makeup bag!).....:)