Showing posts with label josie maran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label josie maran. Show all posts

Thursday, July 4, 2013

My Summer Essentials

Happy 4th of July everyone! I'm sure none of you guys know this but I'm not yet a U.S. citizen. However, my family is still celebrating with fireworks and a cookout so I do need the help of my summer essentials to look fabulous while I munch on watermelon.

Aussie Sydney Smooth Tizz No Frizz Gel: For all you curly haired gals out there, you know how difficult it is to tame your mane. Now add the heavy summer air and the situation gets ten times more problematic. My haircare is tedious all year round but during the summer I turn to Aussie's Tizz No Frizz Gel to ensure that my curls stay bouncy and shiny. I just separate my hair in half and rub a bit of the gel between my palms and apply it to my hair. That keeps the frizz and afro at bay.

China Glaze Polish in 'For Audrey': Any bright mint/baby blue nail polish is a must in my book. This is my favorite color of polish that China Glaze sells and I tend to wear it quite often during the summer.

Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer: Due the fact that I'm taking summer classes, I do not have much time to enjoy the sun. To add some color to my skin, I use Jergens' Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer in Medium to Tan. I use this about once a week on my arms and legs. As it goes with self-tanning products, you have to be careful. I wash my hands immediately after application but I still have had some complications [my feet were a bit orange and spotty]. That problem excluded, it does make my legs look fantastic.

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer: I mentioned this bronzer in my May Favorites and I still haven't stopped using it. I have the mini version from Sephora's Sun Safety Kit and it is honestly the perfect bronzer for contouring. It is matte and smells like sugar. Yum!

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation: Revlon has really been impressing me with their foundations this past year. The Nearly Naked foundation is light and dewy, ideal for warm weather. They have a wide color selection and the foundation contains SPF 20. If the foundation had a pump, I would never use anything else.

Trader Johann's Lip Balm Virtuoso: You can't forget your lips when it comes to protecting yourself from the sun! This lip balm from Trader Joe's contains SPF 15 and moisturizes your lips. In addition, it is spearmint and is 50% organic.

NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray: In order to keep your makeup in place and to ensure you don't sweat off your patriotic, 4th of July makeup look, a setting spray is a must. I recently chose to take a break from my typical Urban Decay Setting Spray and started using the NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray. If you want to see a comparison of the two, I wrote a post on it here.

Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer: This is another beauty I received in Sephora's latest Sun Safety Kit. It smells absolutely divine of sunscreen but better. I use this everyday before applying my makeup. It contains SPF 40 and I know I'm going to be wanting to repurchase it when I run out.

What are your summer essentials?

Sunday, May 12, 2013

My Go-To Travel Minis

'Read My Palm', 'What Aura Gonna Wear?', 'Leotard Optional' 

Traveling, specifically when it involves airplanes, can be stressful. When you factor in packing and flying restrictions you may have a mess on your hands. Over the years, I have learned to pack pretty lightly, if I do say so myself. For someone who is attached to their makeup collection and skincare items, packing for a trip is the time to pull out miniature versions of products and samples. For the plane, make sure you have moisturizer and cleansing water because air travel is harmful to your skin. Save smaller containers to refill them at home with the full-size product. That happens to be what I do with the Josie Maran Argan Oil. Instead of hauling around a large highlighter that may take up half your makeup bag, grab a liquid highlighter like Benefit's High Beam. When it comes to nail polish, I tend to overpack because they are my weakness. Many brands such as OPI, Essie, and Orly make miniature sets of their nail polishes so people can try them out before buying the full-size version. This also comes in handy when packing because I am able to cram about five of these in my already overpacked makeup bag. What are some of your tricks to packing light?