Beauty Obsessions – Spring 2016

(from left to right)

Jergins Wet Skin Moisturizer - I'm telling you, this stuff makes my skin more moisturized than any Bath and Body Works or Victoria's Secret lotion ever has. And it doesn't make my skin feel too heavy or greasy once out of the shower and dry. I LOVE IT! You simply put it on your body once you've turned the shower off, but before you dry off. Once applied, just pat dry and you're done. Life changing! 

Burts Bees Lipstick - I've shown this in a Friday Five recently and I just love it. I'm not a huge lipstick person, never have been, but I'm trying to change my ways. This lipstick is moisturizing and pretty pigmented when you apply enough. Me likey!

40 Carrots Retinol Oil - I've heard people PREACH about putting oil on your face for healthy glowing skin. As someone who already considers herself to have an oily face, I was quite skeptical. But I thought they, I'm getting older, my skin is changing... let's give it a shot! I'm not gonna lie, the first week or so I did slightly breakout from the change, but I read this was normal, so I stuck with it. This stuff has been LIFE CHANGING. I kid you not, I SOOO look forward to washing my face at night just because of this part of my regimen. My skin feels so smooth and soft. I will never be without this again. 

Baby Lips from Maybelline - This tinted chapstick is a godsend to someone who doesn't wear a lot of lip products, It's moisturizing with just a slight hint of color. Obsessed.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel - I've been getting quite irritated with my nail polish as of late. Maybe I'm rough with my hands, but for a while my nails would chip the next day! No matter how expensive a top coat I bought... I'm not one to get manicures very often (someone filing my nails makes me want to throw up... literally!), so I decided to invest in this "gel" that I've heard so much about! While it's still not perfect, it's 1000 times better than Essie or Revlon... love the gold too :)

Coffee Lip Scrub - This was from one of my co-workers when I purchased the After Glow from my summer "haul". Totally stop by her site. He products are all natural and feel and smell amazing! Not one thing I haven't liked... I use this lip scrub a few times a week int he morning and I feel it really helps to keep them soft, especially since we've been having blisteringly cold days recently :( in APRIL!

Eye Shadow Brush - Yes. I did buy tihs whole set and didn't like most of them. But I've been lovin' on their eye shadow brush. By far the best for smooth distribution without it getting too cakey. 

Tongue Scraper - this is exactly what it says it is... and it helps get all the flavor of anything you've eaten that day off your tongue. I don't know about you guys, but I could brush my tongue for days and I still feel like I have a hint of my dinner on there. This does the trick!

Irresistible Me Diamond Hair Styler – {this straightener is a god send! I feel like I can actually style with this bad boy! I was worried about veering away from the chi but glad I made the plunge!

Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream - I'm officially entering the middle of my life. And I'm ok with that... in theory. But when I start to notice things about myself that are changing (bags under my eyes, hangovers for two days, etc) I realized I can't keep smooth sailing through my days as my younger self once had. Taking care of your mind and body becomes more important than ever, and so do establishing those practices that will sustain a youthful glow. Regular exercise, healthy diet, lots of H2O, 8 hours of sleep and .... EYE CREAM! This stuff makes the morning after puffy eye syndrome a thing of the past and is especially helpful during the cold dry months. 

Amber Perfume Oil - This is exactly what it says it is... perfume oil. I roll it on my wrists and am good to go. I love the amber smell, plus it promotes a calm mind. 

Suave Body Oil - Totally on the oil train if you couldn't tell. This product makes my body feel moisturized and soft when I don't take a shower in the morning. I love it and it smells nice too!

Missing from the Picture!! - 

Bumble & Bumble Pret-a-Powder - a new dry shampoo I am obsessing over! I first discovered it in New York when I friend let me borrow. I think it works way better than other aerosol dry shampoo's I've tried, and bonus, this is better for the ozone layer!

See Summer 2015 here….

Beauty Buy Obsessions – Summer 2015

Laura Mercier Primer – I’ve never used primer. Ever. Then I found out, hey maybe that’s why my makeup always seems to wear off by the end of day! I now believe this to be the case because after I started using this primer, I’ve noticed an improvement in how my face looks when I get home from work. Love it!

Marcelle Hypo Allergenic Water Proof Eyeliner in ElectricBlue – this was a super fun change that I wore on the 4^th of July and love how it made my eyes pop. I’m definitely keeping this around for special occasions.

Tarte Lights Camera Flashes Mascara – I have been a dedicated user of the Cover Girl Lash Blast brand since college. We’re talking a decade people! But, I’ve been watching some fashion vloggers as of late (she’s my GIRL!) and I’ve seen the Tarte mascara advertised like no one’s business! I thought I would give it a whirl... I’m SO glad I did! This stuff makes my (real) lashes look longer than I ever thought possible! I LOVE IT and the adorbs container is just icing on the cake J

Nars Radiant Creamer Concealer in Honey – Hands down best under eye concealer ever! It’s great for spotty blemishes as well. That’s all. Just love it.

Bio Oil – I was having a crazy allergic reaction to a couple different makeup things I tried in late Spring and this was the only thing that actually made my eyes feel better. It moisturized constantly and BONUS, it helps reduce the appearance of scars.

Simple Miccelar Water – this stuff is a GOD SEND! I saw an INSTANT change in my skin after starting to use this twice a day. This all natural miracle worker also removes makeup better than anything else I’ve tried. Just try it! You won't be sorry. 

After-Glow Detoxifying Super Mask and Scrub – So... this is charcoal. I know I know, it’s weird , but I’ve been using this face scrub every other day in place of my regular skin routine and it feels OH SO AMAZING. My skin is left tingly and my face is left feeling refreshed and raw. But in a good way… check out more benefits of charcoal in beauty here.

Rosebud Salve Lip Gloss – this is just a fun new gloss I found. I’ve always been a fan of Vaseline or bag balm on my lips, especially when I have to overload on allergy medicine and everything in my body is dried out. This lip gloss/chapstick/salve, whatever you want to call it leaves my lips feeling smooth and hydrated all day. Plus,the scent reminds me of both my grandmothers!

Tresemme Perfectly undone Wave Creation Sea Foam – I’ve saved the best for last! This is the first scrunching product I have found that does not make my hair feel “crunchy”. The sea foam is light enough that I barely feel like it’s in my hair! Once all is said and done and it air dries, my favorite waves are what’s left behind. I’ve even heard you can scrunch it into dried hair to get a slight wavy effect (I have yet to test this theory). This product is going to be a staple in my bathroom for a long time to come.

Homemade Beauty: Green Tea Mask

Whenever I get a chance to add a little extra pampering to my beauty routine, I like to see if there's a DIY version of the procedure.

As mentioned before, Meggie and I used to spend a lot of our weekend nights growing up having "Spa Parties", and much of that time, we were slathering some version of a mask on our skin. 

Never homemade, though.

Making your own green tea mask can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. There are endless articles or YouTube videos that will show you how. As usual, I took bits from everything and came up with something that worked for me. 

For the Courtney version of a DIY green tea mask, you'll need to gather: 

• 6-8 green tea bags, opened & emptied into a bowl
• 1 tbsp sugar (raw or granulated)
• Strainer
• 1/2 orange (or lemon)
• 1 banana
• 4-6 fresh mint leaves

[If you're not using loose leaf tea, tearing open existing packets will work]

[While you're at it, go ahead and brew a pot of tea for yourself to 

enjoy while the mask does its work. 

Drinking green tea offers many benefits to the body]

[Yummy]

[Push down on the leaves even after you've strained it, to ensure all excess water is removed]

[Raw or granulated sugar adds an exfoliant to the mask]

[The recipe called for lemon juice, but I always stock oranges, 

so this time I made it work.  In the summer when additional cleansing is necessary, I may opt for the more powerful citrus.]

[My herb garden is a bit out of control right now, so I plucked a few mint leaves to give the mask a fresh scent]

This final ingredient should be interesting. It was not mentioned in all of the posts I read about, but we'll see if it truly offers the creamy, moisturizing bonus that some articles promised.

[If you have an extra make-up brush, use that to spread the mask on evenly]

[Or as evenly as possible. 

Let's not start to list all the things that appear to be all over my face...]

[Nourishing myself inside and out!]

Once the mixture was made (which yielded way more than I needed for one use) the process was very easy. If all goes well, I should be keeping my youthful glow and avoiding wrinkles like those on my baby girl.

She can totally pull them off...

BB Cream Phenomenon

As mentioned in this post, I recently started using all/most beauty products strictly through Sephora. Since I’m not so lucky to have perfect enough skin to wear any old product from the drugstore, I’ve come to learn the benefits of nicer quality makeup, which I strongly believe is worth the investment. 

Makeup is ever evolving. The trends are constantly changing, there is always a new fad and always a new “better than ever” product introduced into the market. The most recent fad is BB Cream = Beauty Balm. This item has come roaring over from Asia and is all the rage in the Western markets (apparently they are the secret to the Korean actresses?). This product is said to replace your moisturizer, primer, serum, foundation and sunblock, and in some cases, bronzer, basically, it’s an all-in-one miracle cream.

I decided to check this out and SO happy that I did. This stuff is no joke! I am currently using the Garnier version, mainly because I wanted to try out the fad but not spend Sephora level prices… yet. I must say if I continue seeing the benefits of this product as much as I already am (I bought this 2 weeks ago), I might have to invest in some of the other brands that I’ve heard so much about.

Here are some other BB Cream brands I’ve heard rave reviews on:

Smashbox

Maybelline

Dr. Jart

Loreal

Clinique

P.S. I also found a life changing thermal protectant spray (EXTREMELY helpful given that I have to dry and straighten everyday in the winter). I also swear by Moroccan Oil for dry hair application to get rid of the frizzies.

Under the Sephora Spell

I used the exact same beauty products all throughout High School and College: any foundation, concealer, bronzer, blush and mascara brands you could buy at any drugstore (I still wear by Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume mascara… I swear by it!). One day I looked at my makeup drawer and realized there were dozens of products in there that I didn’t use. Tons of foundations, bronzers, under eye makeup, complexion evening powder, you name it. There were countless products that I bought but then never used. Either the color wasn’t right, it looking to caked on, it didn’t cover enough, etc etc. Nothing was right and nothing worked for my skin.

Enter Sephora (which FINALLY opened a store in Grand Rapids a couple of years ago). I knew about Sephora long ago, but it was always that unattainable store that you would have to travel to Chicago and beyond to visit. Not ideal.

Since Sephora has finally graced it’s presence in my life, I have slowly started to incorporate nicer brands into my makeup mix and now have completely (almost) transformed my routine into Sephora only products. Sometimes I wish this wasn’t the case (it’s costly), but once you’re used to one product that is more designer level quality, it’s hard not to slowly invest in others. While chatting about my makeup woes over coffee with a co-worker, she suggested a couple of brands to check out. Off to Sephora I went, where they let you test out all products before purchasing, and fell in love on site. To ensure I wasn’t making the decision to quickly I spoke with one of the consultants, tried on some other brands, and ended up landing on a different one that worked better with my skin type. 

The rest is history…

With that being said, here are the products I use on a daily basis:

Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel

Garnier Skin Renewal Anti-Dark-Circle Roller

Foundation - Smashbox Studio Skin (3.1)

Bronzer - Tarte Mineral Powder (Park Avenue Princess)

Blush - Tarte Amazonian Clay (Dollface)

Finishing Powder - Make-Up Forever High Definition Powder

Mascara - Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume (Very Black)

Beauty Routine-Part 1

 Every girl has a morning process she goes through to get ready. 

I do my best to remain low-maintenance when it comes to clothes & makeup (because my hair, unfortunately, is a PROCESS)

Here's what I do for the face... 

I wash/exfoliate 2x a day in the summer when heat and humidity are high, but in the winter months, I only use a cleanser at night.  

During the dryer seasons, morning face washes simply involve a splash of warm water followed by a thin layer of moisturizer.  

The toner is another once-daily step in the winter. I love this product.  So much so that I also use it to treat my chest & back, which have proven to be tough spots in my early thirties--especially after a run. 

True to their word, this toner does not over-dry your skin; it just leaves you feeling thoroughly clean and fresh. 

I have been using this face cream for as long as I can remember. Our mom also uses it, which is actually why I started. I wanted to be just like her when I was little, so I copied parts of mom's morning routine before school. 

Oil of Olay is reasonably priced, and a little goes a long way, so you don't have to restock too often. Not only can you get this cream oil free, it also has SPF in it--double bonus. 

Since the day I turned 30, I decided I had entered the "night cream phase" of my life. I brush a drop of this around each eye every night after washing and toning.  The left over cream is (cautiously) tapped on my eyelids. 

A splash of warm water, dab of Olay soaked in and it's makeup time!

This concealer(in "soft ivory") has been my go-to for a few years now. While not making me look like a walking airbrushed magazine ad, I do believe this product does its best to hide those pesky dark, tired under-eye circles.  Blemishes are also well hidden with this makeup.

After all of the unpleasantries are covered, I buff my face to (near) perfection with this beautifully light foundation (color: light ivory). 

Confession: I used to be SO AGAINST foundation. I was convinced that I'd  look like an old lady with a caked on face, like so many young girls do. 

But then a great friend/makeup guru helped me see how non-scary and helpful foundation can be...you just have to find the right product. 

And this is it. It costs about 12 bucks, but it's well worth it. This stuff lasts forever. And it's SPF 19. Done.

Using a large brush, I swipe this semi-shimmery bronzer onto all of the places that tend to glow with a sunburn. 

Kind of a weird way to explain it, but once you try it, 

you'll know what I mean...

Think about all of the spots on your face that are really warm after a day at the beach...hairline, sides of your face, near your ears, a bit on the tip of your nose, maybe a touch on the chin...

not too much, keep it natural looking.  

Don't worry, I'm not forgetting the cheekbones--they're 

saved for the blush. 

The plum/purple/rosy-brown tones have been my eye shadow favorite ever since I sparked up a chat with a Clinique lady at Macy's.  She said that with my light skin, blonde hair and gray blue eyes, this color scheme could do a lot for me. The dark stays snuggled close to the eyeline area, while the lighter shade takes center stage.  This eye shadow is from Sally Beauty Supply.  It costs $7 and the color is "Jumpin' Java" . 

This shadow is a bit more sparkly than the jumpin' java.  I wore this (with dark raisin accents) as my wedding makeup.  It goes on looking like a natural, creamy rose color, rather than appearing too pink.  I can't say enough about the color  (#819 "precious"), but I must admit, if you use too much, small pieces will fall into your eye, and for contact wearers, it can be excruciating, so be careful! 

I've noticed that some girls' signature looks require eyeliner; I'm not a member of that group.  My eyeliner goes on when I'm in the mood to make an extra effort. I do wear it to work a lot, but if I'm in a rush, I can do without. I feel lucky that I like my look either way. Day time color, shown above, is  "Raisin quartz" by Almay.  This color is recommended more for green eyes, but it does amazing things for the shadow color combo I've chosen. When I'm more dressed up or just really want to be noticed, I wear black or dark brown. 

My good friend from Chicago, Grace, taught me this makeup routine that is now a daily ritual for me. (She is the aforementioned "makeup guru".)

 One evening, after a LOT of wine, she decided that we needed to schedule a trip to Target to find the right products for my new look.   

We had so much fun finding all the key players, and I learned so much in the process.  

 Grace created a romantic pink glow for my wedding day face. 

I was so calm knowing my look was in her hands. 

I finish with a blush that Grace gave to me (and I still use to this day). 

The shade is "glee" by i.d. Minerals makeup.  

Brush a small amount on the area where you'd 

pinch your cheeks for color.  

 I'm not loyal to any one mascara. 

(I think I'm using the one above right now...Cover Girl something...).  

I just purchase black in whatever sale or brush shape strikes my fancy when I'm at Walgreen's. 

I will say, however, that I rarely leave the house without a stroke or two swiped on...otherwise the blond lashes get lost on my face.

Finally: LIPS. I almost never wear lipstick--even gloss is a rarity for me. I'm always drinking something (coffee, water, tea, wine) so color wouldn't stay on me anyway. My lips only require a few exfoliating scrubs with a toothbrush (also adds plumpness & color) and a generous  scoop of good ol' petroleum jelly for shine.

So, this is how I try to prepare myself to leave the house each day.  If I'm going out on the town, I simply create a slightly more intense line of eyeliner, increase the amount of the dark shadow, perhaps tap the bottom lashes with mascara, and add a swipe of tinted gloss.  I'm not a fancy person, so there's not really a "Nighttime Courtney" version of me. 

I'm no longer afraid to experiment with makeup. Since I don't have Grace in town to accompany me to Target on a whim, I've been seeking advice from one of my new favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess 

(thanks, Meggie!).

HAIR.

Now that's when I'm in the zone. 

Genetics have forced me to become the hair guru. 

Stay tuned for Part 2...