Prime Time!

November 24, 2013 by 4 Comments

I love makeup. I like trying new colors and new brands and continually tweaking my look. Along the way, I have learned many tricks to get the most out of my makeup. One key thing to remember is to always use a good primer.

Now, if you’ve never used a primer you might think that it doesn’t do anything, but you are missing out. I use three different primers every day before applying my makeup to get a flawless look. 

The first primer I use is for your face. You put this primer on after your skincare regimen, but before your foundation. This serves the purpose of making your foundation last longer, cutting down on shine and helping your foundation to go on smoother. You can also wear primer by itself for a fresh look. I definitely notice the difference if I don’t use it.

To apply, you only need a pea-sized amount – a little bit goes a long way. There are many different primers, but my favorite are the Smashbox primers. Smashbox has 11 different primers to choose from depending on your skin. You can watch this video to learn more:

My personal favorite is the Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light ($36) because I have oily skin and this really helps to control shine all day long.

Photo Finish Light

The other nine choices include:

The great thing about these primers is that you can mix and match them depending on your specific skin needs.

The second primer I use is an eye primer. This is essential if you wear eye makeup. Not only does it keep your eye shadow in place all day and all night, it gets rid of crease lines and makes shadow stay put. This means that you don’t need to use as much shadow in your application. This is one of my must-have products, without it my eye shadow wouldn’t be the same.

The best eye primer out there is Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($24). This is as close as you are going to get to a magic potion in life, this stuff is AWESOME. I apply a few dots on my eyelid and blend it from lashline to browline before applying shadow.

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Last but not least, I also use an eyelash primer. I just started using this and really like it. It helps my mascara to go on smoother and it keeps it in place. So no smudging under the eye throughout the day. It also coats and protects the eyelash. You apply this to your lashes after you curl them and before you apply your mascara. I have been using the Clinique Lash Building Primer ($15) and really like it.

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What primers do you love? Are there any I should try?

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Make Your Own Sugar Scrub: Warm Vanilla Sugar

September 12, 2013 by 3 Comments

I’ve wanted to make a giftable Sugar Scrub for a long time now, so I finally decided that tonight was the night to do it. If I had known it was this easy to make, I would have done it a long time ago. In any case, I thought it would be the perfect addition to House of Rose’s Inspire Me Please Weekend Blog Hop.

inspire-me-link-party

 Warm Vanilla Sugar Scrub Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Coconut Oil
  • 1.5 Cups White Sugar
  • 1.5 Cups Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Airtight Container

ingredients

My mom likes to gift me seasonal candles that she decorates herself. After I finished the candle I cleaned the jar out and decided to reuse it for this project. I figured I could make different scrubs depending on what the decoration was.

Jar

I threw all the ingredients together into a mixing bowl and added one secret ingredient:

Mix

We’ve had this little bag of Cinnamon Sugar left over from something else so I figured it would be the perfect thing to add to this scrub. It is completely optional and it isn’t necessary for this project.

Cinnamon Sugar

I ended up having to use my hand mixer to get everything completely mixed up:

done

I spooned everything into the jar and even had a little extra to keep for myself. I decided that I wanted to make a label so I found a template on Microsoft Office and used some leftover Avery 8160 labels I had.

final1

I was pleased with how this turned out, mostly because it smells amazing and it really does make your skin soft and silky. I can’t wait to gift someone with this and try out my leftover mix in the shower.

Sugar scrubs are great for exfoliating and moisturizing your skin. Some people like to use it everyday, but you can decide what works best for you. Just wet your skin and put a little in your hand to use. The easiest way to use this is in the shower or to keep by your skin for people to use when they wash their hands. Sugar is a great natural exfoliator and Coconut Oil has wonderful properties for your skin.

Have you ever made a sugar scrub before? What ingredients did you use?

For more DIY projects click here. 


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Eminence Facial

July 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I mentioned a few posts back that we recently celebrated my Mom’s birthday. As part of her gift, I took her to a spa day at the MGM Grand’s Immerse Spa in Detroit. I like this spa because they are one of the only spas that are open on Sundays which is usually a free day for me. I recently learned that the Immerse Spa switched all of their products to the Eminence Organic Skin Care line, which I am a huge fan of. I was excited to go there and learn about some of the new products I hadn’t tried yet. For those of you not familiar, Eminence is an all natural line of organic skin care products.

Immerse Spa

Immerse Spa

My mom and I both got 50 minute Immerse Classic facials which are described as:

A high-performance facial designed to address dehydration, acne, sun damage and fine lines. The skin is cleansed, steamed, exfoliated and extractions are performed if needed. There is also a massage of the neck, shoulders and face as well as hands. The treatment is finished off with a toner, eye cream and moisturizer.

My spa tech was great and they gave me a prescription card with all of the products I should be using:

Eminence Prescription Card

Eminence Prescription Card

Here are the recommendations I received:

Cleansers

Lemon Grass Cleanser ($38) – this  is for all skins including sensitive. I currently use the Eucalyptus Cleansing Concentrate ($28.82) with is for combination to oily skins. I would definitely want to try this one since I have sensitive skin. When I went to my appointment I was had a few sensitive areas, so this makes sense.

Lemon Grass Cleanser

Lemon Grass Cleanser

Toniques

Stone Crop Hydrating Mist ($30.25) – This is hydrating & healing for normal to dry skins. I am currently using the Mimosa Champagne Tonique which is refreshing for normal to dry skins. You apply this after cleansing, after moisturizing.

Stone Crop Hydrating Mist

Stone Crop Hydrating Mist

Eye & Lip Care

Wild Plum Eye Cream ($47.29) – For dark circles, hydrating for all skins.

Wild Plum Eye Cream

Wild Plum Eye Cream

Masques

Stone Crop Masque ($29.99) – This is regenerating for all skins especially oily to mature skin, irritated skin types and uneven skin tones.

Stone Crop Masque

Stone Crop Masque

Firm Skin Acai Masque ($34.94) – This is for anti-aging.

Firm Skin Acai Masque

Firm Skin Acai Masque

Serums

Stone Crop Serum ($31.46) – for all skins, this is hydrating and is good for pigment lightening. You apply a thin layer of this after cleansing or after a masque or exfoliation. You apply moisturizer over this and you can reapply 2-3 times daily. I bought this and have been using it daily. It is good for skin blotches which I have been experiencing on my chin.

Stone Crop Serum

Stone Crop Serum

Moisturizers

Apricot Whip Moisturizer ($43.28) – This is for normal & combination skins and is a day cream.

Apricot Whip Moisturizer

Apricot Whip Moisturizer

Stone Crop Whip Moisturizer ($41.27) – This is for dry & dehydrated skins and is good for day or night. Alicia Silverstone is a fan of this moisturizer.

Stone Crop Whip Moisturizer

Stone Crop Whip Moisturizer

My technician also recommended the new Firm Skin Starter Kit for me. This comes with a one-month supply of products including:

  • Firm Skin Acai Cleanser
  • Firm Skin Acai Moisturizer
  • Firm Skin Acai Masque
  • Firm Skin Acai Booster-Serum
Firm Skin Starter Set

Firm Skin Starter Set

These kits just came out, so they didn’t have them in stock yet.

I also learned that Eminence products are meant to be mixed and layered, so you can have a lot of fun experimenting with them. Also, it is really important to buy from an authorized distributor. Since Eminence products use all natural ingredients they have a limited shelf life – when you buy them online you don’t always know what you are getting.

What Eminence products have you tried?

To read more about Eminence click here.

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How to Find Your Signature Scent

June 18, 2013 by 4 Comments

Like any girl, I want to smell nice, but not overpowering. Lately, I have been experimenting with different scents and mixing different them for different occasions. There is no bigger compliment then having a man say you smell nice. That is one of my favorite things to hear.

This got me thinking, how do you determine the right scent? I think it helps to understand the basic choices:

Perfume

Perfume has a 30-40 percent perfume oil concentration which is meant to last for 6-8 hours. This is the most expensive type of fragrance and you want to use it sparingly. You should focus it on your pulse points.

Eau de Parfum

Eau de Parfum contains 15-20 percent perfume oil concentration and lasts about 5 hours. This is a great scent to spray on your hair or clothing.

Eau de Toilette

Eau de Toilette has a 10 percent perfume oil concentration. This only lasts for a few hours.

Eau de Cologne

Eau de Cologne has a 5-7 percent perfume oil concentration which is meant to last 2-3 hours. You can reapply this frequently without being overpowering. This is usually a great body spray.

The strength of the scent determines its price, so that longer it lasts the more expensive it is. Once you know what type of scent to get you then need to figure out what scents you like.

Here is the standard fragrance wheel, created by Michael Edwards. The four main scents are Floral, Oriental, Woody and Fresh. Each of these are divided into sub-groups on the wheel:

The Fragrance Wheel

The Fragrance Wheel

Floral – Floral fragrances can be from the scent of one particular flower or several flowers.

Oriental – Oriental fragrances include animalistic scents comgined with vanilla, tonka bean, flowers and woods

Woody – These typically include agarwood, sandalwood, cedarwood and patchouli.

Fresh – These include citrus, green and aquatic notes.

Now that we know a little bit more about the different types of scents I thought I would share my favorites with you and my newest purchase.

One of the first fragrances I remember wearing in high school was a Peach Nectar Long Lasting Body Fragrance from Bath & Body Works. They have long discontinued this, but I still have the bottle in my cabinet. I don’t wear it frequently, but when I do the scent takes me back to when I was 16. I love it just for that reason. I love the way different scents can bring back old memories.

Peach Nectar

Peach Nectar

In college I upgraded to Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels Halo which was launched in 2000. This is a floral fragrance from Ilias Ermenidis. The top notes are poinsettia, fig leaf, freesia and tiare flower. The middle notes are orchid, pepper and vanilla. The base note is sandalwood. One of the reasons I love this scent is because my husband complimented me on it when we first met, before we started dating. I usually save this for a special occasion with my husband.

Dream Angels Halo

Dream Angels Halo

This is an Eau de Parfum and has been discontinued from Victoria’s Secret. Sometimes they re-release it into the stores, but I usually find online at Sears or eBay.

After college, I started selling Mary Kay for a while and discovered Embrace Dreams Fragrance Mist. I remember getting so many compliments on this one from my tour groups when I worked at Pewabic Pottery. This is a creamy floral scent containing bamboo, decaffeinated red tea and sandalwood. I still love this scent, it is great to wear every day. It has been discontinued, but I like to get it on eBay periodically.

Mary Kay Embrace Dreams

Mary Kay Embrace Dreams

Once Embrace Dreams was discontinued I went back to Victoria’s Secret and tried Dream Angels Heavenly. This is usually my standby when I can’t get the perfume I want. It is $45-60 depending on the size you get. It was created in 1999 and has notes of quince, cardamom, ivy and mandarin. The heart includes lotus, white peony, freesia, iris and violet. The base contains white musk, sandalwood, orchid and vanilla. This was also created by Ilias Ermenidis and is an Eau de Parfum.

Dream Angels Heavenly

Dream Angels Heavenly

I have also enjoyed the spin off to this, Dream Angels Heavenly Kiss, which was introduced in 2008. They don’t always have this in the stores as it’s a limited edition scent, but you can find it on eBay. This is an Eau de Parfum and has top notes of red currant, red fruit and watermelon. Middle notes include the heart of freesia petals, guava, apricot nectar and jasmine. The bottom notes are soft vanilla, creamy notes of wood, English toffee, marshmallow and sensual musk.

Heavenly Kiss

Heavenly Kiss

This brings me to my current scent, Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum, which debuted in 2011. I am still on my first bottle, so I haven’t decided if this will be my new favorite scent yet. This can be very overpowering, so I have to be careful not to spray too much. This is a floral fruity composition with a deep woody base. It opens with ginger, pear and green accords. The heart includes exotic tiger orchid and is blended with tea rose. This was created by Olivier Polge.

Jimmy Choo

Jimmy Choo

After going back through all of my scents over the years I realized that my signature scent needs to be a floral Eau de Parfum. Now that I know what to look for, I can’t wait try out some new scents.

Let me know if you have any fragrances that you can’t live without, I would love to try them.

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Grow Your Hair with Biotin!

June 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The next step on my journey to fabulous hair is to get it to grow out. I have been trying to grow out my layers and get my baby fine hair to come in a little bit thicker. I tried taking prenatal vitamins years ago and didn’t notice any results. I read about Biotin online and thought I would give it a try. I have been using it for about 4 months now.

Biotin

Biotin

I have noticed big results in hair growth using Biotin, my roots have come in a lot faster (I almost upped my hair appointment to five weeks instead of six) and I’ve noticed a difference in my eyebrows and eyelashes too. I haven’t noticed any changes in the thickness of my hair though.

Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin (B7) and is also known as vitamin H. I asked my doctor about it during my annual physical and she said that you can never have enough B vitamin, so that sealed the deal. I haven’t noticed any negative side effects.

If you want to boost your Biotin naturally you can find it in wheat germ, whole-grain cereals, whole wheat bread, eggs, dairy, nuts, Swiss chard, salmon, liver, cauliflower, carrots, bananas, soy flour, yeast and chicken.

Remember the old wives tail about pouring beer in your hair to improve growth and shine? Well this came from Biotin in a roundabout way. Beer contains yeast, which is a good source of Biotin. So now you can skip the beer and just take the supplement. There are also Biotin enriched shampoos and conditioners that you might try.

You can purchase Biotin at any drugstore, pharmacy or grocery store or you can get it on Amazon here for $13.99.

UPDATE: After a session with my hairdresser, I realized that I’m not taking the recommended dose of Biotin, which is probably why I haven’t seen any changes in thickness to my hair. I was just taking one capsule a day, but on the back of my bottle it says to take three capsules a day…who knew? I am now taking three capsules a day and will let you know the results.

Have you tried Biotin or any other hair supplements? I would love to hear about your experience.

Read more about my journey to get fabulous hair here.


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Keep Your Skin Looking Flawless with Eminence

June 3, 2013 by 1 Comment

About six months ago, I was introduced to a new skin care line out of Hungary called Eminence Organic Skin Care. I was looking for a new line of products and this intrigued me.

Eminence is a line of all-natural organic products that has been around since 1958. What better ingredients to use on your skin than what’s found in nature? Everything smells amazing and I love all the different flavor choices.

Eminence is environmentally friendly and for every product sold, they will plant a tree. How cool is that? For the amount of beauty products I use, I will contribute to a lot of trees.

A number of celebrities use Eminence including Dita Von Teese, Madonna, Mena Suvari, Jessica Biel, Stacy Kiebler, Cher, Katherine Heigl, Jennie Garth, Amber Valetta and many others.

Eminence is mostly sold in spas, but I have been buying my products online at Amazon. There are a number of spas in the area that have the line in stock. You can check the spa locator to find the closest one to you.

I am still experimenting with the line, but these are the products I have tried so far and love:

Eucalyptus Cleansing Concentrate ($22)

This is for oily to combination skin and includes eucalyptus, lavender, camphor and a soap base. I really like this for my skin – it is gentle and doesn’t dry my skin out, but it is strong enough to keep my oily skin in check. I also love the eucalyptus smell in the morning.

Eucalyptus Cleansing Concentrate

Eucalyptus Cleansing Concentrate

Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant ($38.08)

Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant

Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant

This is a rice-based exfoliant for all skin types and contains strawberry, rhubarb, lactic acid, rice, chickpea flour, thermal mud, oats and Biocomplex (an antioxidant mix). I like to use an exfoliant every day and this is gentle enough for me to do that. I tried mixing it with the cleanser at first, but it didn’t mix very well so now I just use it separately after I cleanse my face. You need to get some in your hand and wet it a bit before you rub it on your face. I think this has really improved the texture and brightness of my skin.

Mimosa Champagne Tonique ($25.55)

Mimosa Champagne Tonique

Mimosa Champagne Tonique

I hadn’t used a toner in years, but I wanted to get my skin care process back on track and I knew I needed a toner. I loved the ingredients in this one and it was perfect for normal to oily skin. It contains champagne grapes and orange essential oils. It just sounds so indulgent, I love it. It comes in a spray bottle which makes it really easy to use. You don’t have to pour the toner on a little beauty pad, you spray it directly on your face.

There are a lot of other Eminence products that I would like to try and as I do I will review them. Have you tried any Eminence products? Which ones do you like?

Click here for more Beauty posts.

I was not compensated for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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It’s Clinique Bonus Time!

May 22, 2013 by 3 Comments

At one point in my life I was obsessed with the Clinique Bonus. I signed up for their emails, I knew when and where the bonuses were and would plan out my shopping trips to capitalize on free stuff!

Fast forward to today and I have tried a lot of new brands and I like to mix it up, but there are still some Clinique staples I can’t live without.

Nordstrom is offering the newest bonus now through June 3rd at participating stores. With your bonus you get:

  • Tracy Reese for Clinique Cosmetics Bag
  • Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle Correcting Eye Cream
  • Liquid Facial Soap Mild
  • Take the Day Off Makeup Remover for Lids, Lashes & Lips
  • Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo
  • Quickliner for Eyes Intense in Intense Chocolate
  • Long Last Lipstick in Twilight Nude
  • High Impact Mascara or High Impact Waterproof Mascara in Black
Clinique Bonus at Nordstrom

Clinique Bonus at Nordstrom

This is an $80 value for a $30 minimum purchase – it’s a pretty good haul if you were already planning to get something anyways.

So, what do I need for $30? Here are some of my top picks to meet the minimum:

Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Soft Shimmer in Sugar Sugar – $15

Clinique Sugar Sugar Eyeshadow

Clinique Sugar Sugar

This is one of my all time favorite products. I use this as a base on my eyes pretty much every day. I LOVE it! I will buy two just because I use it all the time.

Clinique Different Lipstick in Surprise – $15

Clinique Different Lipstick in Surprise

Clinique Different Lipstick in Surprise

Another one of my Clinique staples. I love their lipstick, it looks great on and it has a great moisturizing quality. This is one of my go to shades. It looks great at night and it is not too dark. I think this is probably the only lipstick that I have ever used to the very end (many times).

Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder Oil-Free – $22

Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder Oil-Free

Clinque Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder Oil-Free in Stay Buff

I have this in my purse in Stay Buff right now. It is great at taking away the shine in your t-zone mid-day.

Clinique Blended Face Powder & Brush – $22

Clinique Blended Face Powder

Clinique Blended Face Powder

I use this loose powder every day to set my look. I prefer the loose powder if I am at home and the pressed powder when I am on the go. I use a bigger powder brush at home but keep the little one in my purse.

Clinique Quick Blush – $23.50

Clinique Quick Blush

Clinique Quick Blush

I haven’t tried this one yet, but it is definitely on my list. What a genius idea! The color is inside the cap and when you pull the brush out it is ready to apply. This sounds like a great on-the-go item! I will definitely be adding this to my collection. I will keep you posted on my thoughts after I try it out.

What are your favorite Clinique products? What are you dying to try out?

I was not compensated for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Tools of the Trade

May 17, 2013 by 2 Comments

I have loved makeup and beauty products ever since I was a little girl playing with my Fazz makeup (does anyone remember Fazz?)

I was also blessed with great skin which makes makeup really fun for me. My hair on the other hand, not so much. I have baby fine hair, so fine in fact I might actually be partly bald. But wait, you say, “Your hair looks long and thick in pictures.” It’s not – this is achieved with lots of tricks which I am planning to share with you on this blog.

My husband just got me a new Solano SuperSolano 3500Lite hair dryer partly because he was probably tired of hearing my old Conair dryer sputtering on its last leg every morning and partly because he knew I had it on my wish list and he spoils me.

I first heard about this dryer from an interview in Allure with Emily Maynard’s hair dresser. You can read it here. After I started researching it seemed to be the gold standard in hair dryers.

The Super Solano 3500 Lite Dryer in all its glory (picture from Allure photo: David Cook)

The Super Solano 3500 Lite Dryer in all its glory (picture from Allure photo: David Cook)

I have been using the Solano for about a week now and it is leaps and bounds better than my old hair dryer. It is lightweight, quiet and it puts out a powerful airstream. It has cut my drying time in half and I barely have to use the round brush anymore!

I am still trying to figure out my drying process:

My old process consisted of drying my hair upside down until it was mostly dry, dividing it into three sections and blowdrying it with the round brush.

Since the Solano is so powerful it is pretty much dry by the time I finish blowdrying it upside down. Now I just do a little round brush on the top. I have been trying not to use the round brush very much as it causes a lot of breakage (and I don’t have very much hair to start with).

Overall, I really like my new Super Solano! Let me know if you have any tips for blowdrying your hair.

I was not compensated for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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