Beauty Routine Updates!

I have tried out a few different beauty products and I wanted to share them all with you!

Have you heard of The Small Things Blog? If you haven't seen this lady's hairstyles pinned all over Pinterest or if you don't read her blog, my dearies you are missing out!

She recently wrote up a post comparing different eyeliners and even made a video showing how to apply gel eyeliner. I am a creature of habit and while I love my eye pencil, the effect I wanted wasn't lasting all day. It would slowly fade away...

So after reading Kate's blog post, I decided to try out gel eyeliner. I went to my tried and true, cost-effective brand so I don't feel guilty blowing money if it doesn't turn out the way I like: e.l.f. makeup. 

e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner

I found it at Target for $3, it came with the small angled brush shown in the picture. I decided on the appropriately named color, Coffee. 

I was VERY impressed with how this liner turned out: it applied easily, there was no fading throughout the day, and it didn't rub off my lower lid either. I was wary at first about applying it, its always a challenge to maintain a steady hand with a toddler running around distracting me. But I followed Kate's video instructions and had no problems!

This is definitely my new "go to" eyeliner.  

Also on The Small Things Blog (see I told you, lots of good tips!) she talked about her "Raspberry Love" and lipcolor. I am usually too afraid to do a colored lip, but I came across a great gloss and I decided it was time to take the plunge. 

Neutrogena MoistureShine Gloss in Berry Fit

I ended up getting this on sale (and with a coupon) at Walgreens so once again, I didn't feel as bad "wasting" money if I didn't like how the color turned out. 

I loved the color and liked the gloss. It was not sticky or goopey, it applied very smoothly and the color is a very nice berry against my pale skin. Not too vampy or anything like that. I like the spring time feel I get when I wear it, I am so ready for warmer weather! Now of course since this is a gloss the color doesn't last very long so it requires reapplication throughout the day.

Showing off my berry colored lips!

 Thanks Kate for the good tips!

There is one last beauty related tip I want to share for wintery, dry weather skin!

My legs have been extremely dry lately, to the point that they itch. I read a trick online where you combine a little bit of baby oil GEL with your normal lotion and then apply it right after a shower. I had no idea they made a baby oil gel, so I was curious to try this out.

So every day immediately after getting out of the shower, I just mix a dime sized amount of the gel with my usual smell good lotion from BBW in the palm of my hand then apply. This has worked out very well for me, my legs are much smoother for longer now. And the best part? I don't get that uncomfortable itchy pulling of dry skin between applications anymore. 

Johnson's Baby Oil Gel

Right now if you want a good deal on this baby oil gel, head over to Target this week (2/17-2/24). Check out Target Savers for more deals like this!

Johnson’s Baby Oil Gel $2.99 – $3.49 (Regular Price) -$1/1 Johnson’s Baby Item 4oz+ Target Baby Mobile Coupon (Text BABY4 to 827438) x2/23 -$1/1 JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil (excl 1-4 oz) = .99 each after stack

 
For only $0.99, it won't hurt the pocketbook to try it out! Unless of course you are one of those people that go into Target for one thing and come out with 5 bags full of stuff...
 
 
 

A few of my NEW favorite things!

I am always willing to try out new makeup and hair products that have rave reviews. I recently added two more "must haves" to my beauty routine and I had to share!

Dry shampoo has to be one of my favorite hair products. I have thin hair and I hate to wash it every day because I color it so the ends get dry, the color fades, all sorts of problems obviously. I have been using Tresemme Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo for a while now, but it makes my hair feel gunky and full of product. While wasting time in Target one day, I came across Dove Refresh + Care Invigorating Dry Shampoo and I wanted to try it out.

I will never use another dry shampoo again, this is by far the best one I have ever used! It does a great job of refreshing my hair and taking away the oiliness. I have no problems with styling after using this product, its just like I washed my hair. It feels so light and cool, after spraying it in my hair I could run my fingers through and it didn't feel gunky. The smell is so refreshing! If I didn't love it so much for my hair, I would use this as air freshener in my house.


This summer I purchased a Sun Safety Kit from Sephora. Inside this kit were about 15 different deluxe, sample sized products. One of them was Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45. I have been seeing commercials for BB creams and had no clue what they were, so I was excited to finally sample a BB cream to see what all the hype was about. 

What is a BB cream? Essentially it is makeup and skincare in one cream. Its really big over in Asia and from what I've read that is where "true" BB creams come from. Its not quite tinted moisturizer, full coverage makeup, or a treatment serum. Rather its a combination of all of the above! 

Dr. Jart's Premium BB makeup features "A moisturizer, sunscreen, and treatment serum, this all-in-one product also includes advanced brightening properties...natural looking coverage minimizes the appearance of imperfections and evens the skintone. Antioxidant bio-peptides and adenosine protect skin from harsh environmental factors while restoring firmness and elasticity."

I absolutely LOVE this BB cream! Its definitely a medium coverage and it applies so smoothly. After wearing it all day, it doesn't settle into my pores or fine lines (eek!). It provides a fantastic, even coverage and easily disguises my uneven skin tone. Another plus, my face doesn't feel gross or oily after wearing this all day. When I wash it off, my face doesn't feel dry or suffocated from wearing it all day. I also love that a little bit goes a long way with this product. What is even better, this BB cream only comes in one color! I was afraid of this at first because I am so pale, most of the time that "one shade fits all" ends up being too orange and dark on me. This was not the case with Dr. Jart's BB cream, this shade blended perfectly into my skin.

Some things are just too good to keep to myself, I just had to share these great finds!

Autumn, Football Season, and Homecoming!

Summertime is starting to wind down, the kiddos started back at school here in Louisiana. NFL preseason football started up this week too. There is nothing this girl loves more than LSU football, and they are ranked #1 in many of the preseason rankings! 

I have plenty to look forward to. Fall is my favorite season by far. I love the crispness of the air, the colors of the leaves changing. We are now 5 months into this final deployment and each day that passes is a day closer to Homecoming! I am starting to pull together my carefully selected outfit and accessories for that special day. I am hoping to make Little Miss her dress, unless of course I find something cuter than I can sew. 

I can hardly wait to wear my boots again! I have been working on having a wardrobe that is more interchangeable with pieces that will transition from late summer to fall. Dresses that were cute for summer will pair nicely with leggings with boots in cooler weather. Top it all off with a belted cardigan and voila!, an outfit that goes from summer to fall. Target is clearing out alot of their summer stuff right now. I snagged a cute dress, a long skirt, and tee for under $30. They all work well with my new favorite piece of clothing: a chambray shirt. Check out what I am talking about:

Go check out her blog, this was her "Chambray Shirt Project". She also does project with red jeans, green jeans, and a gingham shirt. I picked up my chambray shirt today at Old Navy and I can hardly wait for the weather to cooperate so I can try out some of these looks!

But alas it is still summertime and I still have plenty to do. I have the half marathon in less than a month, I will be running 10 miles on Sunday as part of my training oh goodness wish me luck! All this training should keep me busy enough to pass the time :)