Makeover Monday {Pucker Up}

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Helloooo! And happy Monday! Today's theme is in honor of Valentine's Day, your favorite lip stuffs! If you have something you'd love to share, please link-up with Molly and me :)

I don't have a whole lot to say on this subject. My only lip stuff I use is ... drum roll please....
Aquaphor!

{source}

Literally swear by this stuff. I put it on every single night before bed.

When I do wear lipstick, I always wear MAC. It's soft and doesn't smear and lasts awhile. I'm just not much of a lips girl, I guess!

Thanks for linking up, y'all!!

Makeover Monday Link-Up {Blush, Bronzer, etc.}

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It's my favorite day of the week! Just kidding. But I do like writing these posts every week!

Blush! Bronzer! Highlighters! Woohoo!

please excuse my silliness... it's been a longggg day (I'm writing this Sunday night) and I think I am still on a high from meeting some fabulous girls yesterday!

Here are what I use for the goods. The other day, I was trying a new eye look and I was so focused on that, I forgot to put on blush. When I had done my eyeliner and mascara [I always do those very last] I looked at myself and thought "why do I still look so plain?" and realized I had completely forgotten my blush. That is when I realized how important it is! 

Confession: I have very rosy cheeks so sometimes I just put a little bronzer on the edges of my face & it looks like I have blush on already.

Anyyyyyways.

Bronzer:

Prestige Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Terra

Love this stuff. I've used it for 5 years [!!!] now and I will probably never change. It lasts forevverrrr because it's huge! like four inches across. It is the perfect amount of pigment, not orange, and layer-able. 

I dust on my temples, tip of my nose, chin, and edge of my cheekbones [near my hair line]. Sometimes I just do this, on days I am super rosy. On days I'm not...

Blush:

 "Fair skin looks great with fuschia blush!" -girl at the MAC counter while helping me choose wedding makup.
I did not believe her. Then I tried it... my life has forever changed.
MAC Sheertone Powder Blush in Coygirl [not on the website! boo!]

I never pick bright blushes so this was hard for me to even try. Remember, I told you I am set in my ways! But I really really love it & it doesnt look so obnoxious on me! It really does look pretty with fair skin :)


Some other favorites include: 
CoverGirl Cheekers in Party Peach

and 

BareEscentuals Rose Radiance

And if I'm really goin' the extra mile, I will use an illuminator/brightener/highlighter powder. It's truly magical...

Highlighter:
MAC Pigment in Vanilla

Like honestly, heavenly. Dust a little on the tops of your cheekbones and inside your eye.. amazeballs.
Also a pretty eyeshadow :)


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Here is a picture of me wearing the bronzer, MAC blush, and pigment on our wedding day. [also the foundation & skin routine from past weeks!] I think it looks alright!

Well girls that's all I've got for you today! Can't wait to see what the rest of you use! And again, thanks for linking up!


PS: Next week's topic is in honor of Valentine's Day. "Pucker Up!" Share your favorite lip shtuff!! Yay!

This Monday's Theme

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If you haven't linked up with us for Makeover Monday, Please do! It has been so much fun hosting this with Molly & getting to see all y'alls beauty secrets. I am pretty set in my ways and even I have picked up a thing or two! Please join us this coming Monday [2/6] to show off your favorite
Blush, Bronzer, and any Accents [think highlighter, etc]
We hope you join us!
xoxo

Makeover Monday {Foundation}

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Ummmm how awesome is this new button!!!! Grab it and put it on your post! :)

Today's topic is Foundation. What would we do without it?! I will NOT be showing before and after pics, because I am actually super self conscious without foundation on. I was blessed with a dominant Scottish gene so I have ghostly white skin with splotches of pink. And perpetual dark circles. [literally they never go away. sleep or not. if you have a cure, I'd love to know.] Cute, I know. On to the whole point of this post... what I use to cover all those splotchies and dark circles up!!

I use my moisturizer as a primer.  

For special occasions [like our wedding and Miranda Lambert concerts] I use Dream Liquid Mousse.

Its the bomb. I know I say that a lot. But it really is. However, I really don't use liquid foundation very often even though I think it looks really pretty. I guess I just like to go more natural for every day make up.

Next -well actually first [on a regular basis] I use Loreal True Match Concealer which is cool because not only do you choose how light/dark you want but also if you want Warm, Cool, or Neutral. I like all the options!

On top of that I brush Bare Escentuals which is stupid expensive & I'd love to find something for less! Which is where YOU come in! So linky uppy with us!!

So excited to read y'alls posts and hopefully learn a thing or two!

Don't forget, you can link up at my blog or at Molly's and it'll show up on both :)

Makeover Monday Theme for Tomorrow!

Hey all you friends of mine! [yes, I consider you my friends :)]

 

Molly and I have chosen a theme for tomorrow and we're gettin' more specific this week! Gotta make the beauty last as long as possible!

Tomorrow's theme is Foundation & all that comes with it [concealer, powder, primer, etc]!

So link up with us tomorrow and share your favorite tricks and then check out everyone elses! I know I can definitely use some help in this department!

Makeover Monday: Haircare Edition!

Woohoo! My favorite topic: HAIR!
I have been a licensed hair stylist for three years now!
I'm not gonna get too wordy here, I plan on doing a few posts about hair tricks this week. As far as product goes, though, here are my favorites. {I have super duper thick hair, medium texture, and the tiniest bit of wave.} I do not purchase drugstore product. It is made with fillers and waxes and I do not want those on my precious locks! You really do get what you pay for with hair product!
Fave Shampoo/Conditioner:

Pureology Hydrate // Davines Love Smoothing // Redken Allsoft
Fave Deep Conditioner:

It's a 10 Miracle Hair Mask

{Don't let the packaging fool you -- this stuff is the best you can buy!}

After shower products:

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in + Keratin // Chi Silk Infusion // Aquage Sea Salt Texturizing Spray
Best Hairspray EVER:

bigsexyhair Spray & Play

******************************If you ever have hair questions, I LOVE helping and answering the best that I can! Please leave a comment or email me and I'd be happy to help! :)
Thanks for sharing, girls!! Check back this week for more ways to protect your hair!
Link Up here!

Makeover Monday: Skincare (Link-Up!)

Welcome to Makeover Monday! Molly and I are so excited to be hosting this & we both hope it really takes off! Each week we'll be sharing our favorite products and hope that you'll share yours too by linking up!! Next Monday we'll be back at it with HAIRCARE! [my personal fave!] But until then.. here's my two cents on taking care of your face.

Well, lets get started, shall we?

So a little background about my skin: in high school I had terrible acne. Works wonders for a girls' self-esteem! I wore a hood everyday to hide my face. I have been on Accutane twice; once when I was 15 and then again when I was 19.

My skin tends to get dry quickly, but I am definitely prone to breakouts. I was on the pill for 7 years to help with breakouts around 'that' time, and have been off of it for 6 months and so far not too shabby! Thankfully :)

So I guess I am what is classified as Combination Skin: dry yet prone to breakouts.

With that said, here is what works for me!

Exfoliating: Exfoliation is important to remove dead skin cells. Dead skin cells build up and cause breakouts, clogged pores, and wasted product since the dead cells block the live cells. Basically, if you don't exfoliate regularly, start now!

Skin Prep Scrub used to be my crutch. I still use it occasionally, when I am not in the shower. It doesn't irritate, is fragrance free, and makes my skin as smooth as a baby's bottom.

Then one Christmas, my mama gave me a NutraSonic!!!! {Basically a Clarisonic for a fraction of the price} It is sooooo amazeballs! I only use it in the shower, because when it is turned on it splatters water. I use the attachment for Sensitive Skin, and it also makes my skin uber soft. I highly recommend.

Cleanser: I only cleanse my face once a day. Otherwise I get too dry! I always cleanse at night so I remove my make-up and all the dirt & grime from the day. Yuck. Even if you don't wear make up and never get blemishes, it's still important to cleanse your skin to remove sweat and toxins from the air.

I keep Purpose on my sink counter, and Aveda Purifying Gel Cleanser in the shower. I will admit, I love Purpose more than Aveda. And I'm pretty snooty with my products, so this even surprised myself! It just makes my skin really soft even when I forget to exfoliate, and since I started using it a few months ago, my skin has been clearer than ever. If you take one thing away from my whole post today, it should be this facial cleanser!! The. Bomb. Not to mention the HUGE price difference! Don't get me wrong, I still adore Aveda & what they stand for, I just am not as in love with this cleanser as I used to be.

Also, the only tools I use to wash my face are my hands and warm water. I don't use a washcloth, sponge, etc because it really is unnecessary. Your skin doesn't need to be scrubbed everyday, so warm water and your grabbers will do just fine!

Moisturizing: Keeping the skin on your face moisturized is super important! Even if you have oily skin, keeping it moisturized will prevent your body from producing more oil. It also helps keep your skin's elasticity which equals less wrinkles as you get older.

This is my simplest department.

I use Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture & I probably will for the rest of my life. I'm hooked! After I wash my face at night, I use one pump of the Sensitive Skin formula, and when I wake up in the morning I use the SPF 15 formula. I always wear SPF even if I don't think I'll be outside much, because frankly, I don't want skin cancer. At all. 


I am in the market for a night time super moisture cream and I hope one of y'all can point me to a fab one! My skin is getting so dry living at 5,000 ft elevation!

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Welp, that's all for today my friends! I hope you learned something and can't wait to read what your faves are too! Also, dont forget to link up next Monday with your favorite haircare. :)

PS you only need to link up here or at Molly's blog. It will show up on both!

Makeover Monday - Linkup With Us!

Hey! Lookin for some new beauty products?! Well I like to see what everyone's favorites are and I like to share my own favorites too which is why I am excited to announce:

Molly of A Midwestern Touch and I are starting a new series every Monday called Makeover Monday! 

Each Monday we will host a link-up & every week will be a different category!  

This coming Monday, January 16th, will be skincare. 

So get your post ready and tell us all about your favorite skin products, then come to either my blog or Molly's, link-up, then check out everyone elses! Sounds like fun, huh?!

See ya back here on Monday :) We will announce the following week's category at each link up!