simple beauty

HOW-TO DO A CUTE MESSY BUN FOR LONG HAIR

July 17, 2017 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I hope that you guys had a fun-filled weekend! I have been wearing my hair up in a messy bun a lot lately because it is perfect on hot days, and it also has been working well for when I go to yoga.

The Look

My Routine

I put my hair in a very high ponytail using a hair elastic that matches my hair color. I like to lay on my bed on my back with my head hanging off the edge so I can get my hair smooth and in a high pony easily.

I then hold the end of my ponytail and twist in a couple of times before wrapping it around the base of it as if I was making a bun.

I hold then bun with one hand and use another elastic with my other hand, often a more fun one because this one will show, to secure the messy bun.

I try to make it so it isn’t too perfect, and then if needed loosen the bun and mess it up a little to get a cute look.

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Do you like this look? Let me know if you try it! Tag me on social media (linked at the bottom of this post) if you try it : ) Thank you, as always, for reading my beauty blog.

MY MAKEUP SECRET TO CONCEAL TIRED EYES!

June 14, 2017 & 3 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Do you get eight hours of sleep every night? I don’t! In fact, I had to change my sleep goal on my fitness tracker to seven hours, just to be more “realistic” with goals. Of course, the best fix to tired eyes is getting more beauty sleep, but on days when you need a little extra help, this trick will help you!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in 005 Nude

If you have red, tired eyes using this nude eyeliner on the waterline is the perfect way to neutralize the redness and look more awake. I also love using this when I want a more natural, soft look on the waterline. Also, this is less than $5 which is amazing!

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Have you tried this eyeliner? Let me know! : )

THE DRUGSTORE B.B CREAM YOU NEED TO TRY!

March 1, 2017 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Some days I get super excited to do my makeup and want to do a full face of makeup but other days I just want (or need) a go-to that is fast but leaves me with a pretty look that lasts all day.

L’Oreal Skin Beautifier B.B Cream

This B.B cream claims to prime, correct, hydrate, and perfect. With “beautifying beads” inside are encapsulated pigments infused with an ultra-light lotion with antioxidant Vitamin E. This comes out of the tube as a white lotion transforms to your perfect shade.

Why I Love It

This is easy to apply with your fingers or a foundation brush (I like the Sigma F60). I love that this gives me a natural look that looks like bare skin. This is easy to apply in only a minute and then a little under eye concealer and boom you’re done! I have combo/oily skin so when I saw this said “hydrates” I was nervous but it wears very well on me, even my oily prone t-zone! I have been using this product for three years, and originally included it on this blog in 2014 (here and here).

My Routine

I still use a primer when I use this (I use Benefit PoreFessional) but then I dot this on my face and then blend it in with either my fingers or a foundation brush. You can also apply this with a sponge (I like the Beauty Blender). I do set this *lightly* with loose powder (I use Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder) and if you want a little more coverage you could use a powder foundation. I wear this in the shade fair, but it is also available in light, medium, and deep.

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Thank you, as always, for reading! Please let me know in the comments your favorite B.B cream or C.C cream : )

MICRODERMABRASION AT HOME? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

February 22, 2017 & 2 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

I hope that you are having a wonderful week so far! Last week I talked about how shaving your face can have anti-aging benefits and is a regular part of my skincare routine (you can read about that here). Today I thought that I would share another skincare post because it is so essential to take care of your skin and it makes a huge difference in makeup application, too.

What Is a PMD?

A PMD is a microdermabrasion tool that you can use in the comfort of your own home to get the same results that you get in a dermatologists office or a skin spa.

Why I Love It

Microdermabrasion is a great way to safely but effectively remove a layer of skin to reveal younger looking skin by getting rid of dead skin, increasing blood flow, and boosting the bodies production of collagen and elastin. Microdermabrasion can also help fade the look of sun spots or discoloration, acne scars, enlarged pores, and fine lines. I have had microdermabrasion treatment done at a skin spa, but the PMD pays for itself after a couple of uses! The PMD uses a patented spinning disc technology along with calibrated vacuum suction. I love the PMD because it also helps for my skincare products to absorb more into the skin, and we all know that skincare products cost a pretty penny, so to me this is a *huge* plus!

My Routine

I use the PMD weekly, usually on Sunday when I have a bit more time to dedicate to my skincare routine. I start by shaving my face (again, read about that here) and then immediately use the PMD. I hold the skin tight and in upward strokes use the PMD on my neck and face. I avoid the eye area for the most part but do ever so lightly do it near where fine lines and crows feet appear. I also love to use the PMD to exfoliate my lips! Another great spot to use the PMD is your hands because both your neck and hands are telltale areas that show aging. *Note: The PMD comes with a very helpful instructional DVD as well as several different discs for both the face and body. You can see more tips from the PMD website here.

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Have you ever tried mircodermabrasion? Let me know your favorite skincare tools in the comments! And please don’t forget to subscribe!

HOW TO CLEAN AND DRY YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES QUICKLY!

February 20, 2017 & 1 Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I hope that you had a great weekend, and if you’re off today that you’re enjoying your long weekend! If you’re like me and you put off washing your makeup brushes until all of your brushes are dirty and you can’t put it off anymore then this post if for you. We all know that washing your makeup brushes is important because not only will your colors muddle if the brushes are dirty, but it isn’t sanitary and can lead to skin breakouts which nobody has time for.

Products I Use To Wash My Brushes

My favorite way to wash my makeup brushes is with the Beauty Blender Cleanser Solid, I also will use the Beauty Blender Cleanser but prefer it for my sponges and the solid for my brushes. It is also fine to wash your brushes with a foaming antibacterial hand soap, and if I run out of my Beauty Blender Cleanser Solid I will do this.

My Routine

I set my brushes on the left side of my sink and a clean towel on the left side of my sink along with my Benjabelle Sunflower Brush Tree. I have blogged about the Benjabelle Sunflower Brush Tree here. If I am washing a larger brush I do it by itself, but I will wash smaller eye shadow brushes a few at a time. I wet the brush and then swirl it into the Beauty Blender Cleanser Solid or I put a little soap into my other hand and swirl the brush in circular motions in my hand. I rinse the brush until the water runs clear. I then hang the brush from the Benjabelle Brush Tree. I love the Benjabelle Brush Tree because it helps the brushes to dry much faster, but if you do not have one you can roll one end of a hand towel and lay the brush so that the brush head is angled down. *Note: Never tilt your brush so that the bristles are up after washing because if water gets into the barrel of the brush it can damage your brush. You can read more about that here.

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DON’T EVEN BOTHER WITH OTHER NAIL POLISH REMOVER! JUST BUY THIS…

February 15, 2017 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

I hope that you felt extra loved yesterday for St. Valentine’s Day and that you’re having a great week : ) I recently shared how I get Salon Quality Nail Treatments at Home and I try a lot of nail care items because I do my own nails. I decided that although it may seem like a silly item to dedicate an entire blog post to, I truly think that I have a nail polish remover that you *NEED* to try!

Cutex Spa Formula Nail Polish Remover

Why I Love It

This 98% acetone nail polish remover takes off my nail polish, even glitters and hard to remove polish, so much faster than any other nail polish I’ve used before. I love that I don’t have to use tons of cotton rounds or really scrub to get my polish off. This nail polish remover also claims to remove gel nails but I don’t typically wear gel polishes. Cutex Spa Formula Nail Polish Remover is not only fast-acting but it contains conditioning oils which is a nice bonus, too.

My Routine

I use cotton rounds or cotton balls to remove the polish off of my nails. It has been so nice not having to avoid glitter polishes because I don’t want to struggle to get them off, because with this it doesn’t take long at all! If I am wearing hard to remove polishes, such as a glitter polish, I will hold the cotton round on my nail for 20 or 30 seconds and then lightly rub to get the polish completely off.

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If you like random “must try” product reviews like this, please tell me to keep them coming! If there is something else beauty related you’d like to see, please let me know that as well! Thank you for reading! xx

HOW TO DO A ONE COLOR BOLD EYE SHADOW LOOK IN 2 MINUTES!

January 16, 2017 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday! And Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Lately, on days like today, when I’ve been rushing to get my makeup on before rushing with the kids out the door I’ve been wearing a super easy eye shadow look that I want to show you how to easily recreate today.

The Look:

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What You’ll Need:

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-One bright color of your choice! Have fun I’ve been loving pinks, purples, greens, and even blues! (I used Wet n’ Wild I’m Getting Sunburned Trio the top pink/purple shade for my look today)

-A basic shadow brush (I used the Sigma Shader E60)

-A blending brush (I used the Sigma Blending E25)

Optional:

-A cream or ivory eye shadow to blend (I like Bobbi Brown in Bone 2 or Wet n’ Wild Single Shadow in Brulee)

-An eye shadow primer or base (I used Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink)

How To Get the Look:

Apply your base or eye shadow primer if you choose to use one. Take any basic eye shadow brush and apply the eye shadow of your choice on your lid all the way up to your crease or just above your crease. I do not use pat it onto the lids to avoid too much fallout with eye shadow falling onto the rest of your skin. If you do get eye shadow on your skin simple brush it off with a brush or makeup sponge. Then take a fluffy eye shadow brush or blending brush to soften any harsh lines and blend the edges of the eye shadow. If you wish, you can use the ivory or cream eye shadow to blend the eye shadow instead of blending only wish a clean brush. I then applied a slight winged liquid eye liner (I used L’Oreal Lineur Intense) and mascara (I used Covergirl Super Sizer in Water Resistant).

I hope you liked this look! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below!

YOU NEED TO TRY THIS BODY WASH! UNDER $5

December 28, 2016 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Today I want to share one of my “holy grail” drugstore items that I always repurchase and always have on hand. Be sure to let me know your favorite products in the comments section because I love finding new amazing things.

Caress Evenly Gorgeous Body Wash

I prefer this over other higher end body scrubs and body washes that I have tried and I always repurchase this. This is an exfoliating body wash which makes it great for sunless tanning prep or just a good deep clean, but it’s also gentle enough that it can be used daily. I like all of the scents, but my favorite is the Burnt Brown Sugar and Karite Butter. I love this because it leaves my skin feeling smooth, clean, and it’s super affordable!

Thank you for reading! Have a wonderful rest of your week and HAPPY NEW YEAR! I cannot wait for 2017! Cheers love! xx

BEAUTYCOUNTER SAFER SKINCARE and MAKEUP | A REVIEW

November 28, 2016 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday! And Happy Cyber Monday to all of you shoppers out there! ; )

I hope that you had a wonderful (and hopefully long!) weekend! Today I am going to be sharing a review of BeautyCounter which is a skincare and cosmetics company that doesn’t use harmful chemicals and sources safer ingredients for all of their products. My good friend, Nicole, is a senior consultant for BeautyCounter and sent me several samples that I used for review purposes. As always all opinions are completely my own and this is not a sponsored post. BeautyCounter also has incredibly gorgeous packaging and amazing kits available for the holiday season!! If you haven’t heard of BeautyCounter, you can check out Nicole’s BeautyCounter website here. You can also see lots of fun BeautyCounter news and enter contests on Nicole’s Beauty Counter Facebook Page.

Nourishing Cream Cleanser

I was excited to try this, because I prefer very gentle cleansers and thought this sounded like a great one. It reminded me a little bit of my Philosophy Purity which is my “holy grail” cleanser. I will say that this doesn’t lather much, which is common for more natural cleansers, but it does leave my face feeling clean. I really enjoyed this cleanser, and would definitely consider purchasing it.

Nourishing Day Cream

This day cream felt great on the skin and didn’t take too long to absorb into the skin which is always a biggie to me when I’m rushing to get ready in the morning. Having “nourishing” in the name did make me nervous, but I really enjoyed this cream. It didn’t find it to be greasy on my oily/combo skin but I can’t speak about how it would work in the warmer summer months.

Nourishing Night Cream

Of all the things that I was sent by Nicole to try, THIS is far and away may favorite! A little goes a long way, and this feels like such a luxurious cream. Also, if you purchase the 1.65 Fl. OZ. costs $47 which compared to other night creams, such as Advanced Time Zone Night Age Revising Creme by Esteé Lauder, that retails for $75 for 1.70 Fl. OZ this is a good value. I only had a small sample, so I can’t speak to how it effected my skin over time, but I did love the feeling of it.

Purifying Charcoal Mask

If you watch our Daily Vlogs you *probably* have seen me in a face mask, because I use them several times a week, so I was very excited to try this mask! I absolutely loved it! This mask is nice because you only need to wear it for 10 minutes, and then rinse with warm water. You can also use this as an overnight treatment. I love this because it helps to absorb excess oil

Tint Skin Foundation

I tried a sample of this foundation in porcelain and I have high expectations when it comes to foundation so I was interested to see how this stacked up. I wore this a couple of times and I didn’t like it without primer underneath, but that said there are foundations that are some my absolute favorites that I don’t wear without primer because I don’t like the way they settle into my pores. However, when I used my Benefit Porefessional Primer and then applied this I loved it! It was light coverage, but I was able to build it up to a medium coverage in areas where I needed it.I found this to be easy to blend it, and it didn’t oxidize on my skin. I think this would make an awesome every day foundation, and also a great pick for those who prefer BB Cream, CC Cream, or just a lighter look.

Nice Do Kids Shampoo

I really liked this shampoo for my three kids! My husband, who is usually in charge of the kids bath time, said that this worked well and rinsed out easily. I love the way that it smells. I really appreciate knowing that this is a safe product without harmful chemicals for my kids, especially because one of my sons has extremely sensitive skin.

Kids Not a Knot Conditioner

This stuff smells so awesome!! I love it for both my daughters long hair that is constantly in tangles, and for my son who has very dry hair. I would definitely keep repurchasing this!

Have you tried any goodies from BeautyCounter? Do you try to shop for less harsh skincare and beauty products? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Also, you can now find BeautyCounter displays at select Target stores! I saw one recently and was very excited! Thank you for reading and have a beautiful day! xx

GARNIER SKINACTIVE MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER REVIEW

October 17, 2016 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend! We had a ton of fun at the pumpkin patch this weekend which you can see in our Daily Vlog. I have been having fun with darker eye looks now that the weather is changing, and I thought that since a lot of you probably are as well, it would be the perfect time to share one of my favorite ways to remove my makeup.

GARNIER SKINACTIVE MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER:

*Note: I have been using the one with the blue lid, which is meant for even waterproof eye makeup, but have heard rave reviews about the pink lid as well. If you would like me to compare the two, let me know in the comments and I would be happy to do so!

WHY I LOVE IT:

You can use this to remove face, lip, and eye makeup. It removes makeup without harsh rubbing. You do not have to rinse your face after using this, but I choose to remove my makeup and then continue with the rest of my nighttime skincare routine which includes cleansing.

HOW I USE IT:

I try to be sure to shake well before use. I saturate a cotton ball and then gently wipe off my face makeup. I put a small amount on a cotton ball if I need to remove lipstick. I saturate a cotton round and then hold it on my eye for a couple of seconds and *lightly* wipe without rubbing or tugging the delicate eye area.

COST:

This Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water is such an affordable product at about $7.00, and it is a dupe for the more expensive Bioderma, which retails for about $17.00.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful! If you’d like to know the other products I use to remove my makeup, be sure to let me know! Please don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already and have a wonderful day! xx