Product Reviews For Summer Beauty

Sara here and Happy Memorial Day to you all!

It's summer!  We've established that and I'd like to tell you about a few cheap finds I got recently to make my summer a little prettier!  Let me just remind you, for a long time, I was a die hard "expensive beauty products only" kind of gal.  But I'm a mama on a budget now and after a few trials and errors, I've found a few things I love this summer that I really want to share with  you all.

-First up ELF cosmetics.  Of all places, you'd never expect to find these little gems, I found them at our grocery store. And every single one is a dollar!  Now at that price, I could afford to replace a few things like some sad makeup bushes, some lip balm that was tinted peach, and especially a cuticle oil pen!  I spent $6 and got 6 things that usually cost way, way, way more.  The makeup brushes, while made of synthetic fibers are soft, blend easily, and look to be very durable.

-Walmart brand Equate Healthy Glow Firming gradual tan lotion used to be such.a.nightmare. It smelled awful, it was splotchy in application and was a general overall waste of time.  However, after sniffing a tube of the "new improved formula, I gave it another try.  I had a coupon too so I got it for about $3.50!  It's normally $4.67 I believe.  They've really improved and minimized the scent, and the new formula seems to really be much easier to use.  I read an article on better application of self tanners, so I will share that with you soon, but honestly the only places I had any splotches were on some dry and rough skin on my feet and hands (which should be expected).  It washed off of my hands very nicely and the scent was very light,  clean, and endurable.

-I've recently started to get into Garnier Fructisse hair styling products and one that's especially good for the summer is their new "Instant Color Sealer Lightweight Leave In".  It's got Acai Berry and Grapeseed oil, so the scent is very nice and overall it is MUCH lighter weight than a lot of serums and leave ins.  I've come to use it every day, whether I'm outside long or not.  At $3.33, it was well worth the money.  My hair color is looking good and my hair is soft and manageable.

-Nails, nails, nails.  Nails are so important to me.  I used to just gnaw them down to bloody stubs but NO MORE.  I made a commitment to stop biting, and keep my nails at a short and filed easy length to manage.  I'm a big fan of nail strengtheners but I've become an even BIGGER fan of three nail polishes I want to tell you about!

-So remember when we were all younger and Wet-n-Wild was pretty darned awful stuff? Gloppy, sloppy, cheapo but we all used it anyhow?  Well it seems someone got the message it was time for a revamp and behold their Megalast Nail colors!!  I have one in "candy-licious Pink" (don't judge- it's pretty) and it lasted the entire week.  But I do believe it had a little help from my Sally Hansen "Hard As Nails" top coat which is also quick drying.  I love the quick dry formula and it really keeps my nails from being bendy and brittle as they can be.  Last but not least, I did splurge on some new nail colors for Mother's Day.  One of them was Essie's "Lilacism" which at first I really wasn't sure about because it's more towards the blue end of lilac or lavender but the more I wear it, the more I go for it's unconventional neutral appeal.  Do check it out, you may be surprised.  As I work on my tan (I know, I know) it seems to look better and better.

Alright, Happy Memorial Day!  We had a picnic and spent some time at the park before I had deep fun mowing our lawn and our neighbors.  It's naptime now but tonight I will be treating myself to a lavender scented bubble bath and hope you all do something nice for yourself this week too. 

Much love!

Sara Rose

Sara Rose and Summer Beauty

Image via Wikipedia

Well we heard from our Southern Belle, Miss Rebecca, on her beat the heat beauty, now let's have some Midwestern beauty tips for the summer shall we?  Let me first start by describing eastern South Dakota summers with these words- hot, blustery, dusty, humid, humid, and not all that refreshing.  My fave times are early am and late evening when it's hot but the humidity and the wind have died down.  Let me make this clear, I love hot, sunny weather, but here we do manage to mix that with heap loads of humidity and grime.

So. First things first.  Skin.  I have a good complexion, actually a great one that I am REALLY proud of.  BUT, I worked my butt off for it.  I used to have really crappy skin and I have a few things that make me unhappy but whatever.  I've got dark under eye circles but other than that, I happened upon a skin regimen that really helps me skin look it's very best. 

Everyday, I use Cetaphil's Gentle Skin wash for normal/combination skin.  I use  Loreal brand eye makeup remover and heap-tons of lotion.  Daytime is Aveeno Positively Radiant with SPF 15 and night time is Oil of Olay Night Cream for sensitive skin or Clinique moisture Surge night time gel with antioxidants.  Weekly or twice weekly, I use a gentle scub by Melaleuca to get rid of dry stuff and then Queen Helene's Mint Julep Mask.

I believe in  good skin care because honestly, if you take care of your skin, it takes care of you.  Feed it with PLENTY of water, lotion, and baths with moisturizing oils or salts.  Exfoliate weekly, and use lots of lotion every day.  Use sun screen, though I will admit that I am really bad at it.  The most you can get me in is SPF 15 if I remember.  I've never, that I can remember, had sun burns, and tan easily so that doesn't help my bad use of sun screen.  I'll get better!  I promise!

Now.  Let's talk makeup.  I used to be the foundation QUEEN back in pageant days.  As I've gotten older, I've begun to use less makeup but become more experimental with it.  Rebecca mentioneed clinique's Copper Penny eyeshadow and I used to wear that one too!  Now I gravitate towards really shimmery neutrals on the eyes or I'll do something bold, like a teal eyeliner or layer purples for a smokey eye hen I want to glam it up.

Mascara is my never ending struggle.  I have the palest and sparsest lashes ever.  If I don't wear some form of mascara every day, people think I'm dying (remember those eye circles?).  So on days I feel really minimal I use Cover Girl's water proof Mascara in brown (It comes in the blue tube), concealor (Loreal True Blend in W123), a bit of bronzer or Nars blush in Orgasm, and tinted lip balm.  I love Nivea's newest shimmery tinted lip balm.  It's not gooey at all.

For when I do glam it up more, I am a die-hard user of Clinique's "Almost Makeup".  It's somewhere between a tinted moisturizer and a lower coverage foundation.  I also like their City Block Sheers.  Both have SPF (hurrah, right). I am still on the hunt for the perfect volumnizing and lengthening mascara to do SOMETHING with my puny lashes.  I do use the Cover Girl mineral blush/shimmer powder in Shimmering Sands because it is so sheer as an all over powder, dusting it on light.  I can't really go without powder, I do have combination skin.

I try to keep it light and easy in the summer.  A dime of sheer tinted moisturizzer, some concealor, some powder.  A little blush and mascara, a shimmery neutral on the eyelids, then an easy to deal with lip gloss. Done.

I do have a love of eyeliner and used to be a die hard, black only, eyeliner user.  I've branched out and started experimenting with pewters, plums, brown black, and teal.  I always follow it up with a shimmery neutral.  I do have a tip when one goes all out with eye shadows.  To really blend your darkest color tht you use in the corner and crease, put them on first then blend the lightest shadows over them to soften the whole effect and make it a little smokier.  I've recently gotten into the Almay and Cover Girl sets of eye shadow that are specific to eye colors but I always have my trusty super shimmery neutrals in my trousseau.

On my cheeks I either use Clinique's "Bronzer Blossoms" in almond or Nars' "Orgasm" blush.  I am the most experimental with my lips but tend to stick to sheer pinky browns for every day wear.  I recently got a Maybelline lip gloss in "Crazy for Caramel" and a few Cover Girl Lip Stains to try out.  I am almost always trying new things on my lips.

Last but not least, lets not forget nails!!! It's summer!  Have fun with bold brights or colors you may have never thought to try before!  Case in point, I bought Essie's "Red Label", "Lilacism", "Sugar Daddy", and "Mod Squad" on a whim (with major coupons from both Essie and Trade Secret) and I love them for summer.  I do my nails weekly.  Sometimes I only do nail strengthener, sometimes I go all out and do my nails up in a fun color and it perks me up the whole week.  Soon, I'll post some tips on how to get salon quaality mani/pedis at home.

Last but not least, lets talk hair.  I have a great pixie cut and strawberry blond hair that has been chemically enhanced to keep my childhood hair colr alive as long as possible.  I stumbled onto this absolutely fantastic new product Garnier's "UV/UBE COLOR SHIELD" that also helps act as a bit of a leave in conditioner.  It smells fantastic and is suited for any color of color treated hair.  Other than that, I deep condition weekly and because I have dry hair, I only "wash" it twice a week.  It gets rinsed daily but any more shampoo than that and I've got a 'fro.  I use Silk Drops and Garnier "Fiber Gum Putty" or "surf Hair" and a titch of Tresemme quick dry hair spray.  My hair takes less than ten minutes to do and I love it because it takes advantage of my natural wave and curls.

Last but not least, lets talk frgrance.  Honestly, my day isn't complete without a spritz of something on my collar bone but in the summer you just can't wear heavy scents.  See if your favorite scents have "sheer" versions or "body mists" or just find a signature summer scent.  My signature summer scents are Stella Sheer and Dior's Poison Tendre.  In the winter, you can't tear me away from Viktor and Rolf's Flower Bomb or Chanels Coco Mademoiselle.  I have yet to find sheer versions of either.

Have fun, gals!  Keep it beautiful, keep it easy, and most of all, remember that looking your best makes you a better mama and life a little brighter.  Don't forget to share your summer beauty tips too!

Fashion Mama Signing Off,

Sara Rose

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It's even in magazines!

Image by Andreanna Moya Photography via Flickr

I was reading the May issue of InStyle, a magazine that I think combines both high and low end looks fairly successfully, when I stumbled across an article that capitulates what we're talking about here!  Mom's need makeovers!  It's not for other people, though there are critics who will always argue that fashion is "for other people" but rather for yourself and to remind you that, yes, there still is YOU under all that grub.  While the writer obviously has a budget that I don't have for new clothing right now she did manage some practical tips.

1. Shop your closet.  This is a no brainer but try everything on.  Put different outfits together.  You might surprise yourself with what you actually still have that's fashionable or can be updated with an accessory or two.
2. Start with little things.  If you can't afford a full on hair cut, coloring session, go in for a cheaper trim, and pick up a box of hair color that's the same shade as what you've already got. (If you have longer or thicker hair, you will need two boxes.)  Fresh color and even a trim can work magic on feeling dull.
3. Wear LESS makeup, but MORE consciously.  Practice a new look that has you pulled together and feeling confident, fast.  Go in and get a free makeover at a makeup counter.  Tell them what your lifestyle is and what kind of "look" you want to achieve on a regular basis.  Sometimes having a professional tell you how to get that "natural glow" is worth the time and then you can recreate the look, no matter what your makeup budget is.
4. Also do other little things.  Don't like wearing full on nail polish but your nails and cuticles are in shreds?  Once a week, file and shape your nails, put on a clear nail strengthener and then everynight before bed, use some heavy duty hand cream and/or cuticle oil.
5. Sell or donate what doesn't fit you.  Don't live for "but when I'm a size 6 again!!!!"  Dress for who you are now, be it size 00 or 16.
6. Create what you call you "uniform".  "The uniform" is unfailing.  It will get you though even the most fashion bleary days.  My personal uniform, now that it's spring, is a variety of black 3/4 sleeve tees, some lighter cardigans in bold splashy prints, and trouser jeans or trouser cut capris, and flats.  Small jewelry.  Your "uniform" should reflect the lifestyle you lead but take it one step up.  I may be a SAHM that freelance writes, but I take my kids places and I have my own meetings and life too.  So I choose things that suit me, work well in a few different settings and that can handle getting down and dirty with the kids.
7. Always have yourself in mind and not others.  If you dress to make yourself happy and confident, others will notice and take note or even complement you.  Case in point- yesterday I threw on trouser cut capris, black flats, a purple cami, and a purple & pink print cardigan.  I did my hair, put on a bit of makeup and threw on a necklace and bracelet.  Then I spritzed a bit of perfume on.  The first thing out of my husbands mouth, my husband who doesn't say a whole lot about my clothes? "Wow, you look great!  Let's go!"  I even got a little kiss and a pat on the tushie, so I'm thinking he was happy I took care of me.
   
   What can you do to start feeling better about you today?
   
   Signing off,
   
   Sara Rose

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