Saturday, March 30, 2013

tan fan

Judge me as you will...I like being tan.  I know to wear sunscreen, and not over do it in the sun.  I know that tanning beds are evil.  That being said though, I like how my skin looks when it has a tan.  So today I went to the tanning salon and got a spray tan.  (I'll be wearing some nude-beigey shoes tomorrow and I didn't want to be paler than the shoes).



As far as bronzers go, they all have a scent (although as far as scents go I do like the Hemp bronzer).  I worry about turning orange (or worse, being unevenly orange) with my at home pursuits of being tanned.

I went to one of those Mystic Tanning booths years ago...right before going to Hawaii.  Not thinking, I walked along the beach and up to my knees into the beautiful and warm (even at night) waters.  I walked back in to the lobby of my hotel and GASP! I was white from the knees down! Eek!! I scurried to the elevator and into my room and proceeded to try and scrub the rest of my tan off.  I didn't dare go through that again.

I opted to Yelp spray tans in my city, then called a shop in my area called Beach Bumz which got really good reviews.  The girl on the phone was super sweet and was able to fit me in within an hour.  She did a custom airbrush tan, which means I stood (topless...eep!) in front of her (she said that lots of people go nude, but for me I don't mind a bit of a tan line on me bum) then she sprayed a super fine mist over me.  The scent was super light and the spray itself was a natural formula. I've got to say she made me so comfortable, I didn't even worry about sucking in my tummy.   I've still got a few hours before I can shower, and am still a bit tacky...but overall I am super happy with the results.  (Knowing I have an event tomorrow afternoon, she even made sure to tell me to come back tomorrow morning if I need any areas touched up...I appreciate her looking out).  **mini update: I'm a little blotchy on my hands, but it'll be ok).

If this works out well, I may have found my tanning fix.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

fake up 'til you wake up (updated 3/25/13)

There are a couple of mornings a week that I have to wake up earlier than I'd like...and no matter how much sleep I've gotten the night before all I can see in the mirror are the dark circles under my eyes.  I stare bleary eyed at them, willing them to go away.  Then I go through this routine: Apply foundation...still there.  Apply concealer...still there. Wonder if perhaps I have the wrong shade of concealer, too late now must go to work, worry about it later. I've done this for a couple of weeks now, and today I chose to do something about it!

I wandered around trying swatches on my inner wrist,  but was unsuccessful as most were super light or dark...I wanted to check out Benefit's new "fake up" concealers and I was in luck because the girl at Benefit said "Can I help you?"  Yes, please.  So basically this concealer comes in one of the lipstick like tubes with concealer in the inner circle and a hydrating outer circle of Vitamin E and Apple Seed Extract...(in the list of ingredients the E is about the 11th down and the Apple is maybe 5 below that).  Anyways, it's supposed to control creases and diffuse fine lines (here's hoping).  I tried it on in the medium shade and liked it.  **Tried it this morning, over my Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in Sand...quick and east coverage! It's a win.**









I also remembered my ULTA coupon (yay me) and since Benefit is excluded from the savings, I picked up a new gloss (Rimmel's Endless Summer) and Maybelline's Baby Lips (in Quench) just to try them out.  I'm really liking the Maybelline so far, it's got SPF 20 and a nice feel to it.


Endless Summer and Fake Up in Medium, next shot with the Fake Up blended




Tough to see I know, I apologize for the poor lighting...but hey, I'm trying to get more pics in!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

extreme couponing, not so much

I love getting my ULTA catalog in the mail...I'm sorry for the trees that are lost on it, but there is just something about flipping though it and know that my nearest ULTA is less than 2 miles away...then there is that handy dandy coupon that beckons "Come to our store, save $3.50" and hey, $3.50 is like lunch (at Taco Bell). 

Then there is the Extreme Couponing show on TLC and these people scour every possible source of coupons and go and get a life time supply of paper towels and a year supply of sports drinks FREE!  They fascinate me... mainly because:

I can't remember to bring a single coupon to the store and save $3.50!

Oi.  I get so excited when it comes and right now, when they're doing their 21 Days of Beauty with extra specials...I keep avoiding there store because I know I have a coupon sitting at home on my counter.  I'm sure I'll remember it...the day after it expires cause that is just how I do things.  

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

the bodyholiday...I want to go there


I received an issue of Organic Spa magazine (even though I'm pretty sure my subscription has expired) and on the back cover there was an ad for the bodyholiday "Give us your body for a week and we'll give you back your mind." I was intrigued, not that I'm going cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs and need my mind retrieved or anything...but I have been looking into a spa type of vacation and this place (in Saint Lucia) appears to have everything.  Everything everything.

Activities from yoga and pilates to archery and scuba.  They have a wellness center with so many things to choose from it's almost overwhelming...they even have a piano bar (you can never go wrong with a piano bar!).  It's just so pretty too...and did I mention ALL inclusive, including a daily Spa treatment? 

Yes, please. 

Monday, March 18, 2013

the misadventures of violet ombre

Friday morning, got hair colored purple.  Sunday night, washed it then blow dried.   Monday morning, woke up with a purple neck!!

Why yes, that is my life.

Luckily (?) for me, I've accidentaly dyed my skin before and was able to remove a lot of the color.  Of course, I didn't have time this morning to remove it, so I still went to work with my hair as strategically placed as possible.

Ps: What began as Essie's Sand Tropez on my fingers is now a rather lovely shade of lavander!

(For tips on removing colored dye please see: the day I dyed...my hair)

I made it through Monday...how was your day?


Sunday, March 17, 2013

St. Paddy's fun and little ol' skincare and nail haul


First things first, Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!  I do hope you got to wear some green, drink a beer (if that's your thing) and listen to some Flogging Molly.  I did all of the above and went to the mall today too. :)

While at the mall I took my friend to one of my favorite shops.  It's called Maneki Neko, and they've got all kinds of beauty products.  Masks, lashes, nail polish, and a pretty extensive NYX collection.  They are definitely aimed at a more Asian clientele (I can't read what's on 90% of the packaging).  I go mostly by the pictures, and have never been disappointed.  

Here's what I picked up today:

Nail Polish (because apparently you can never have enough?)
China Glaze in "Who's wearing what" and OPI in "I think in pink"



A pair of tweezers (remember you tweeze your hairs, and you pluck a chicken...my esti teacher used to say that).  These were made in Japan by Koji Moni, I picked them up because they were very affordable and are narrower than my Tweezerman ones.  I'm hoping that will help get the teeny tiny hairs that are so darned hard to get to.



A pineapple lip balm by Shiseido...simply because Shiseido is generally out of my price range and I thought it would be a little treat to have.  My choices were either pear, berries, or pineapple *based soley on the package.



Lastly I picked up some masks.  I love ready made masks.  I put them on right before bed about once a week and just let them set til I'm about to roll over on my side.  I love waking up and feeling how soft my skin is.  The ones I chose today were: White C by Naisture, a Hyaluronic Acid and Apple Polyphenol by I'm not sure who because that is the only English on the packaging.  They're fun to try out and I've never had any problems with them and my skin. 


Saturday, March 16, 2013

prettyfying goals for the upcoming week

This week in order help to stay pretty inside and out I will try to:

1. Wear sunscreen everyday (I always wear it on my face, but I need to remember my hands too).
2. Exercise for at least three hours (not in one day, but for the week). 
3. Not drink any soda...I've been cutting down for a while, but this week I'll stick to green tea (iced).

If by next Saturday morning, I've done all of the above I'm treating myself to something fun...maybe a facial. 

Do you have any goals for yourself this week?  Please share. :)

Friday, March 15, 2013

start wearing purple

Today I went to visit my hair dresser Lisa Marie at her new salon.  It's been a good year/year and a half since I've seen her, but I missed her. She was so super supportive of me letting my friend experiment on my hair too, which was cool and made me feel like less of a cheater. She is awesome, and just got done doing hair at LA's fashion week.  It sounded super fun.  You can check her out on Instagram, glamourbylisamarie...where she posts pics of her work.  I'm loving my new violet ombre!

What do you think?

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

3/11/13 was a good day

Europe bans animal testing in cosmetics!

a couple of sites with more info:
uk vogue 
 It's a big important step, if you ask me.  How nice will it be when animal testing is over?  
 

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Commentary

I recently found out that people have been unable to comment on my blog...(and here I thought I just wasn't interesting enough), but after fiddling around in the computer-sphere for a while I think I may have fixed the issue (whatever it may have been).  Keeping my fingers crossed (for good luck, not because I'm lying about having fixed the problem).

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Bangs and Brows...or, your "brow-to" guide


I let my friend give me bangs, that friend in cosmetology school...I'm trusting. Something I've become aware of after the fact though is that you really have to stay on top of your eyebrows.  It's strange because when I have no bangs I can let things get scragly...but when the attention is right there EEP!

So, yeah, I'm not an amazing photog...it's the main reason I don't work for TMZ.
It all looked great in the bathroom mirror though!

I don't go to the salon for eyebrow waxing too much (last time I was red and bumpy for days) and while I like how quick threading is, the place I like to go isn't super convenient.

These are the tools I use to keep my brows ship shape:
I pick up the disposable mascara wands from Sally Beauty Supply.  I highly suggest the mini scissors from Cinema Secrets, kind of pricey but worth it when you use them regularly.  For thinner brows or when you have a little space to fill in, I prefer powder over pencil. 


Brow to

Brow to by tamorama featuring brow tools

How do you keep your brows tame?  What tools or products do you like?


Cheers!
~~Tam