A Few of My Fave Beauty Products

I've never really been a makeup and beauty gal. I've always gravitated more toward clothing. I didn't start wearing lipstick or even tinted moisturizer until a little over a year ago and foundation is still too much for me to comprehend. But ever since I started blogging and seeing how many options there are out there I've definitely become much more interested in beauty products. These are some of my trusty favorites I've been using for a while along with some newer products I picked up at Sephora a couple days ago that I'm going to test out. Experimenting with new products is half the fun of it, y'all.

1. EcoTools Blush Brush - I've been using this brush for about a year and I really love it. My roommate uses one and I borrowed hers a few times and deciding I had to get it. The bristles are so soft and feel great going across my skin. The price is very reasonable and you can find this brand at Ulta or Target.

2. Sephora Classic Mineral Powder Brush - I've always put my tinted moisturizer on with my hands which I'm not particularly fond of... The texture kind of grosses me out and I leave little orangey/beige smudges all over my bathroom. So when I was at Sephora the girl helping me pick a color started applying a few different shades to my face with a brush and it felt so good. Turns out using a brush is much less messy and blends the liquid more evenly than your hands ever could. I was sold immediately and she wasn't even selling me on it... I think.

3. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette - I love all of the colors in this palette. It's exactly as the name indicates, basic. The colors go with anything and they are perfect for everyday wear. They also go on the lid easily. I just use a small eye shadow bristle brush and don't really have to apply more than one swipe.

4. Diorshow Black Out Mascara - I am a big advocate of They're Real! Mascara by Benefit, but I've heard really good things about the Diorshow line so I'm going to give this one a try. Anyone use it? Do you love it, hate it, so-so?

5. Stila Liquid Lipstick in Beso - This is the best shade of true red and the matte finish is flawless. It takes a bit of artistry to apply since it is SO bright and is also a liquid but I find that using a lip liner as your outline is helpful. Another I would recommend that is a bit quicker to apply if you're in a rush (but still want to add that special touch to your look) is Revlon's Certainly Red. AND you can get it at the drugstore. I switch back and forth between the two, but if I had to choose it would be Beso. It just adds that extra pop I haven't found with any other red lip color.

6. Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm - I've been using Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream for about a year and although I really like it, I wanted to try something different. There are several versions of Dr Jart+ BB creams, but with the help of my trusty Sephora friend, we determined with my lighter/uneven skintone this was the best one for me. It helps to hide blackheads too, so I'm all about that. Anyone tried this one? Would love to hear your thoughts.

7. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion - Not much to say about this product other than I love it and have been using it since I was in middle school, so over 10 years. Such a great product by Clinique and I've always bought it in the travel size. I try to buy all my toiletries in travel sizes. I'm on the go so much so it just saves a lot of space to have mini everything's.

Seriously, thank goodness for stores like Sephora. I mean, who doesn't love that place? Ok, probably a lot of people, but I'm not talking about them and they aren't reading this so yeah, everyone love Sephora, right?! So many options + the employees are always really helpful if you're like me and aren't quite sure what's what. I always find most of them super honest and they are extremely knowledgeable about all the products they carry.

Let me know if you've tried any of these products and have input/suggestions/advice. I'd love to hear.

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Multiple Hair Color Disorder

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Happy Friday, y'all! Somehow this week flew past me. I thought today was Wednesday...

But, before I start my weekend I have a hair appointment today (and I have to work to, but no one wants to here about that). Lately, as in the last year lately, I've been in the mood to change up my hair A LOT. This is big for me because pretty much all through college I kept the same blonde hair color. I did have Multiple Haircut Disorder but the color stayed pretty consistent.

This past year something came over me. I went from my "college" blonde that I had for over 5 years, to a very light ombre, to a little bit darker ombre (both from light brown down to blonde tips), then to a pretty freakin' dark version. In true blonde-at-heart fashion I got a little freaked out after I saw these photos and decided to go back to the old blonde. And slowly have gone blonder and blonder AND blonder since. Sorry if you've seen me recently and don't recognize me. I have a disease, I can't help it.

I still can't decide what I want to do when I go to my appointment. I really, really want to do something very drastic (of course) like the photos above, somewhat of a white blonde I think is what it's called. But I have a few concerns:

1. Will it be too drastic?
2. Will it be a ton of work to keep up with since my hair is naturally a little on the dirty blonde/light brown side? This is a rhetorical question. Yes, it would be a lot of work to keep up. I know, I know.
3. Will it look terrible on me?

So, I think I'm going to wing it and show my wonderful, amazing, way cooler than me hairstylist, Alice, this very blog post and see what she thinks. She really is one of the coolest people I know so I will basically do whatever she tells me to do. Although she'd never tell me what to do. She's also the nicest person EVER.

What do you think? Should I do it? Go bold for the white blonde? Any advice is more than welcome. And I need it before 5 PM today when my appointment is, mmk. I'm sure you have better things to do than contemplate my hair woes, but come one, help a sista out. I'll give you a present. I don't know what yet, but it'll be something you've always wanted. Thanks!

P.S. I WILL NOT be doing the blunt cut like in some of the photos above, even though it's super adorable. I thought about it briefly and started to have a mini-panic attack, so I took that as a sign.  

My Top Ten Must-Haves

Yay it's Friday! Happy Friday! Remember when I told y'all I won this cute pair of Vince Camuto heels from Shea Marie and Rank & Style in this outfit post? Well, Rank & Style, known for their killer top ten must-have lists, asked me to put together one of my own. Go check out my top 10 fashion and beauty essentials over at their blog. Thanks to everyone on the Rank & Style team for having me :) I hope you'll enjoy my picks! Have a great weekend :)

Photo by Caleb Kerr