Monday, June 18, 2012

Feelin' a little fried...

Hola my beauty lovin' babes!!


I wanted to chat with you guys about the importance of taking care of your hair... Not because I think I'm an expert, but rather because I majorly fail at maintaining the 'happiness' level of my ravishing red tresses.


Before November 2011, my hair was shoulder-length, if not a bit longer.
After November 2011, my hair was cut in an A-line bob. In order to maintain the desired style of said bob, I need(ed) to daily use heat on my hair. Blow-drying, straightening, curling... you name it. 


With time, I've noticed that my hair is getting incredibly dry and very unmanageable. It's frizzy and coarse, the shafts jump and skid through my flat iron plates instead of gliding smoothly. It's rough and tangly, and I lose a lot of hair by gently running a comb or a brush through my locks.


I really got a wake-up call last night when my grandma mentioned that my hair looked "really dry." Ummm.... if your grandma notices it, it's gotta be bad. 


So when we went grocery shopping last night, I spent a half an hour in the hair care section, perusing my options. I've had a lot of success with the Live Clean Exotic Nectar Argan Oil Restorative Conditioning Mask, so I purchased another tube.


In addition, I knew that I needed to be conditioning my hair with every wash, so I decided to try something new - Infusium-23 Repair & Renew Conditioner. I've had positive experiences with Infusium-23's Leave-In Conditioners, so I figured that trying the conditioner couldn't be that bad of a decision.


Finally, I picked up the Joico K-Pak Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor. It was a more pricey expenditure, but at this point, I'm pretty sure my hair needs it. I've heard nothing but rave reviews about this particular product, and I figured it would be a pretty safe bet as far as restoring my hair to a happier state of being.


I do use a heat protectant every time I apply heat to my hair (once before blow-drying, once before straightening), but I feel that my Got2B Guardian Angel lotion isn't doing the trick anymore... So I might need to look into another alternative. I didn't find that anything about the Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray amazing enough to write home about, so if you guys have any other suggestions with regards to sprays/lotions for protecting your hair from heat - please, send them my way!


Now I want to know from you: how do you keep your hair looking/feeling/being its healthiest?


Happy Monday!!
xoxo

Saturday, June 9, 2012

FOTD: Bronze and lovin' it

Hola my beauty lovin' babes!!


Here it is, the weekend, and I'm chillin by my lonesome. Fortunately my in-laws and immediate family are going to hang out with me to make the loneliness a little bit more tolerable, haha. In any case, getting myself all dolled up usually takes the edge off of a bad day... 


It's sort of overcast today, so I'm living vicariously through my makeup :)



The Face:
I used Cetaphil's new DermaControl Oil Control Moisturizer with SPF 30 as my base.
For my dark circles, I applied Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment in Light (120).
For my bronzed goddess-que glow, I used my new favorite bronzer - Lise Watier's Summer 2012 Summer Sunset Bronzing Powder on the highest points of my face.
A little bit of Essence's Silky Touch Blush in Adorable on the apples of my cheeks.



The Eyes:
I used Urban Decay's Primer Potion in Original all over my lids, and evened out my lids with a thin layer of Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment as a base.
I ran some of Lise Watier's Summer 2012 Summer Sunset Bronzing Powder through my crease, and a little bit of Urban Decay's Foxy shadow under my brow bone.
I smudged out Annabelle's Smoothliner in Brownie along my upper lashline, and applied two generous coats of Annabelle's Le Big Show mascara in Black to my lashes.
I smudged some of Maybelline's Unstoppable Highlighter in Fluffy Cloud under my lower lashline, and popped a bit of Annabelle's Mono Eyeshadow in Vanilla Chilla in the inner corners.
Finally, I took a fine brush and applied a little bit of NYX's single eyeshadow in White under the arches of my brows.


The Lips:
I kept these babies simple and applied a generous coat of Essence's Stay with Me long-lasting lipgloss in me & my icecream (02) to my lippies.


The Hair:
My hair is day-old and still going strong. Yesterday, after I washed it, I put a little bit of Josie Maran's 100% Argan Oil through it, and then applied some of Paul Mitchell's Extra-Body Sculpting Gel near the roots, and followed by scrunching some of Pantene Pro-V's Curl Shaping Hair Gel throughout. Before adding heat, I sprayed some of Got2B's Guardian Angel Flat Iron Balm over my hair and proceeded to blow-dry my hair on medium heat with the diffuser attachment. I sprayed more of the Got2B heat protectant on my hair before 'crimping' my hair with my flat iron. I sprayed some of L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray (unfragranced) over the finished style.


When I woke up this morning, I did the easy twist through my bangs that HeyKayli showed on her YouTube channel a few weeks ago. See video here. I finished with a little more of L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray.


The Accessories:
As can be seen in the pictures, I am rocking my new Guess Double Charm Strawberry Heart earrings. I am so addicted to these babies.


Not seen here: my engagement/wedding bands, my new Amor heart bracelet.


The Shirt:
Quite literally, a $7 halter-top from the G:21 line at WalMart that I fashioned into a tank-top with my ninja sewing skills.



I hope you guys enjoyed my face of the day post, and I'd like you to let me know what you're wearing today!!


happy weekending.
xoxo

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

My Styling Secrets - Accessories

Hola my beauty lovin' babes! 


I've recently added a few accessory goodies to my collection and I thought I'd share them with you guys! I don't consider myself a fashionista by any means, but I do love it when I get compliments on my jewellery, because I feel that it suggests that I'm keeping up with the trends - at least somewhat!


Since I'm working as an administrative assistant now, it's difficult to show your creativity and uniqueness in your wardrobe and makeup choices. So I find it wonderful to express myself with color and accessory choices.


*Sorry for the blurry photos! I took these pictures with my camera phone and it's a little craptacular...*


I stumbled across this beauty in Sears, and it was 50% off!! As soon as it caught my gaze, I knew this baby was coming home with me. I picked it up for a mere $6, which is quite the bargain. The band is stretchy which is fantastic for my large fingers. I can comfortably wear this on the middle finger of my right hand (which tends to be slightly larger than my left hand). It hails from the brand Fabulous Fakes.
This Design Studio necklace was also 50% off at Sears, for around $12. Considering the weight and quality, I'd say that's quite a steal too. I've been looking for a cute bow style necklace for the past while, and this one really caught my eye. I love the brassy color, and the dark gemstones. I adore how the chain is attached at each side of the bow, so you don't have to worry about the chain twisting around your neck and having the 'boob' (aka clasp) show throughout the day. The weight keeps it sitting nicely on your chesticle region.


My next, and most exciting purchase, was a bit of a splurge, especially for me. I'm not one to buy expensive jewellery... ever. But these caught my eye in Sears the other day, and stayed in the back of my mind all day. Over night, I realized that they had to come home with me and be a part of my collection. They are so 'me' that I knew that despite the price, they would be staple items that I'd wear very frequently. They're Guess Double Charm Strawberry Heart earrings. The front of the studs are adorned with a dangling purple jewelled heart charm. The earring back has a long chain hanging from it, with a rhinestone studded strawberry. The strawberries hang quite low - touching my collarbone on occasion, but I still love them. They are a little weighty, but nothing too uncomfortable. If I knew that I could find a similar accessory for cheaper, I would've picked it up, but I've never seen anything like this in stores... ever. And even my husband adores them and approves of them - he couldn't stop looking at them and telling me how awesome they were. Score.

Like, who wears awesome earrings like this!?
Definitely a conversation piece...


The last purchase was from The Bay, from a brand called Amor. I used my birthday money to pick up this sterling silver 925 bracelet. It's plated with rhodium, and consists of interlinking hearts. For my wrist, its not quite a 'tight fit' but it's cutting it close. It still twists easily around my wrist, but I cannot just slip it on. I love it. So delicate, yet a statement piece on its own.


And so those are my newest additions to my collection! What do you guys think!? Are there more pieces I should check out? What accessories are you rocking?


xoxo