baby it's cold outside (part one)

Here in D.C. it is starting to get super chilly! And with that cold weather, comes the dreaded dry skin and hair :-(. But have no fear, we beauty girls are here to help combat dryness!

So for the hair:
In the winter you want to be sure that you don't dry your hair out, and unfortunately using too much heat on your hair is the quickest way to do so. It's really best to let your hair air-dry,  but what you're going to want to do is tame your hair while it's still wet- before it has time to get unmanageable and frizzy.

Using a leave-in conditioner will begin the process. Product weighs down your hair, so adding a leave-in conditioner will begin a straightening process to your hair and keep it from frizzing. Any type of leave-in conditioner should do the trick! Then, to give my hair an amazingly silky texture, I'm a huge fan of Chi Silk Infusion. I like to add the Chi Silk Infusion to my hair while it's damp to lock in its nice texture at this phase.

Then, while it's just about dry, I add my favorite
phytodéfrisant botanical hair relaxing balm. Now this stuff is LITERALLY the bomb. My hair is naturally a little wavy and when I apply this stuff to my hair, it looks like my hair has been straightened!! IT'S AMAZING. So I just brush that through my hair. If my hair is feeling a little drier than usual I add my phyto 7 daily hydrating botanical cream. It adds much needed moisture and makes my hair much softer and healthier looking. Then for shine I reach for either my Moroccan Oil Gold Shimmer Shine Spray or Ojon Shine and Protect Glossing Mist. Can't pick a favorite- they both make my hair so so so shiny! Unfortunately though, I think Ojon discontinued their glossing mist (*cries*). Love both of those products so much.

And that should do it. Good luck bearing the cold- at least now your hair will!

Got a Pimple? No Problem!

Nothing can ruin your day quite like a pimple can. So, as a teenage girl, I have searched long and hard for the perfect quick pimple fix. It seems that I have tried everything- from the classic homemade remedy, applying a dab of toothpaste, to more legitimate ointments, such as Azelex. But nothing ever did the trick. Until now

One dab of Kate Sommerville EradiKate Acne Treatment and my pimple completely disappeared!  I have been a long time fan of her skin care products, particularly her Daily Gentle Wash. And she has yet to let me down.

I applied a dot on each of my pimples before I went to bed. I must admit that it stung a little at first application, but that just meant it was working! I actually felt the pimples drying up. When I woke up the next morning all of my pimples were completely gone! By far the best disappearing act I've ever seen. This product is now my holy grail! 

The only downside to her wonderful product is the price. This remedy is pretty expensive. But most definitely worth it! Just be sure not to mix the ointment with the sanitizer- they deactivate each other.

Some of my other Kate Sommerville products?
-Daily Gentle Wash: smells sooo good with hints of lavendar, makes my face feel oh so clean!
-ExfoliKate Gentle Exfoliating Treatment: I originally was a fan of the original ExfoliKate, which completely cleaned up my skin and was a great weekly exfoliator, but it's pretty harsh. the gentle exfoliating treatment is much gentler on the skin and won't dry you out during the winter!
-Purify Clarifying Cleanser: leaves my face feeling sooo clean. perfect for the morning because the minty scent completely wakes you up and makes your face tingle!

Hope that helps!

disclaimer: All of the thoughts and opinions are completely my own... I bought all of the products myself- but if Kate Sommerville did want to endorse us that would be amazinggg hahahaha. ;-) 

Berries

I love winter. The cold weather just makes me excited. And one of my favorite parts of winter definitely has to be the warm and rich colors that always seem to make an appearance-- whether they are on clothing or other mediums (face, nails, etc.). 

After reading through countless magazines and looking at the photos from the fall and winter collections, I was inspired to experiment with these berry colors in a place I wasn't used to, my lips. I have always been about berry colored nails, dark purple is my go to color. I had never really been about a berry lip. I already have quite large and colorful lips, so I was concerned that "vamp-ing" it up would look totally overdone on me. But yesterday when I was at my friend's house, Benefit's Bena-tint caught my eye. I started dabbing it onto my lips and cheeks and I was amazed with the outcome. It created a lovely berry wash. It inspired me to pick up a berry lipstick from the drugstore and go home and play with it. 

Heres what I found...... 

First I stained my lips with the cheap but effective Wet n' Wild Lipstick I picked up, in color 918 D (about $3)-- I don't go to enough fancy dinners or holiday parties to invest in a dark lipstick. I did by rubbing the lipstick on the back of my hand, "swatching it" to all of you beauty gals, and then taking my fingers and patting it onto my lips. This is a great way to apply lipstick because it really enables you to pack on as much as you desire. Then I took my index and middle fingers and lightly took some of the lipstick from the back of my hand and dabbed up my cheek-- continuing my obsession with berry tones. It gave me a great flush. I also think that you could skip this step and throw on a light dusting of a bronzer, like my favorite Laguna. When I got to the eyes, I had trouble making a decision on what to do, though I knew that I wanted to use stronger eyeliner than I am used two. I tested out two looks that both looked stellar. 

For both I started off with a very neutral lid. I used "Shell" by Bobbi Brown to create a blank canvas. If you wanted to, you could also use a shimmery champagne color instead. You could also add a bright color to the inner corner to open up your eyes a bit. For the first look I used liquid liner and to thicken up my lash line and create a subtle wing. I used my NYX Studio Liquid Liner, but I would also recommend the Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen if you feel more comfortable using a felt-tip liner. I then curled my lashed and applied my favorite mascara of the moment, Maybelline Lots of Lashes. I thought that this look was great-- clean and sophisticated. Perfect for any holiday party. For the second look, I used my MAC 266 liner brush and an old dark grey/black eye shadow that I had lying around my house. I pressed the color onto my lash line starting at the middle of my eye. I did a little "cat flick" on my outer corner, and then used a big blending brush to soften the whole thing up. I once again used my trusty Maybelline mascara. To me,  this look is a little bit more 'sultry' and would be great for a date or something along those lines.  

Hope to see you guys rockin' this look sometime this winter. 

Have a great Thanksgiving

xx

Some inspiration:

Diana Argon looks absolutely stunning here with liner and berry lip color. It looks like her lipstick was applied as a lipstick and not as a lip stain, but that is what makes this look glamorous enough for the red carpet. 

P.S. I mentioned that I have an obsession with berry nail polished as well. Some of my favorites are William Tell Me About OPI (OPI), Manicurist of Seville (OPI), and Winter Wine (Milani). Keep in mind these are just some that I own, you can pretty much find a berry nail polish anywhere you look. 

Going Out

So the best part of my week is always when I'm going out. But it's not why you may think.
I love going out because it means I FINALLY get to get all prettied up! It's the best. Getting ready is usually even more fun than going out itself- is that sad?

So here is my usual going-out beauty routine!

I don't really love how foundation feels on my face so if I need to brighten up my face or just a little bit of coverage, I turn to my fave Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Nude. It rocks- kinda makes my face glow! Then I put on the awesome high beam as a highlighter- except recently I've been OBSESSED with my Bobby Brown Shimmer Brick- it's SO GORGEOUS!! I actually use that as both a highlight and for eye shadow. It's the bomb.com. (and our girl Jackie actually gave it to me as a bday gift- SHES THE BEST). Then I contour a bit with my Bobby Brown Bronzer. And I lovee my Benefit Sugarbomb blush. So cute.




Now for the eyes:

So I usually line my upper lash line with my chanel eye kohl in either black or this really pretty midnight sparkly blue! Then for mascara I lovee my stila mascara except I probably should get rid of it as it's getting old and dry :(. And to keep my eyebrows in place I use quick brow! So easy. and then time for my favorite product in the world: Too Faced Natural Eye palette (but only after I prime my eyes with Urban Decay Primer potion of course!!). I don't use any of the set looks- I usually just mix and match with whatever colors I'm feeling. I LOVEEE honey pot- it's definitely my favorite. and silk teddy is really bright and goes on really nicely. If I could only have one eye shadow palette for my entire life, it would definitely be this. And that's about it!
xo, Samantha

question: what is your going out routine?