Beauty Essentials: 5 Ways to Care for your T-Zone

I've always known I have had combination skin, and to make that even more difficult, my skin also changes seasonally - making it hard to figure out or get into a consistent routine.  Just as I was getting my skin under control, the season changes, throwing me for a loop.
I struggle with adult acne, dry and oily patches, red blotchiness and the start of some sun spots.  Isn't aging fun?  It all seemed overwhelming - so when I was invited to visit bare | med spa in Leawood, Kansas I was excited/nervous to talk to someone way more experience than I about how to tackle my skin. And Tina blew my mind. She was full of knowledge and quickly helped me break down the issues with my skin, how I can better manage and without the purchase of a million new expensive products (my first fear upon visiting a med spa).

I actually loved this experience, because it was like visiting your dermatologist, but at the spa.  It was all that a spa has to offer - relaxing and soothing, but educational and informative.  So, here is what I learned how to take care of my skin - and the ever popular and mean-spirited T-Zone:

1. Don't touch your face!  I know - duh, but if you pay attention throughout the day, you probably touch it a lot more than you think!  This means even when you're applying products, even, or at least try to limit your fingers on your face.  So, make sure to invest in good facial brushes (I love IT brushes for Ulta) - and, hey! Maybe there is something to Kylie Jenner's use of the Artis Elite Oval 10 face & body brush after all.
2. Change up your face wash (and products!) by season - right now in the winter/cooler season,  I need something with a little bit of cream base (it shouldn't get to sudsy). This helps keep my skin from drying out, and then come summer - I can use more of a sudsy wash (like Purity, which is what I was using all year around...).  These suds strip the oil, and in the summer when I have more excess it won't dry me out like it is now.
3.  Visit a med spa, like the bare med spa if you are in the Kansas City area, that will give you a customized facial based on what you need at that time!  There isn't a one-size fits all or cookie cutter programs, and it's hard for you to determine what you need on your own - leave it to the expert!  Find someone you trust - and visit as regular as you can, whether that be monthly or quarterly or twice a year!

4. Use Coconut Oil to remove makeup and spot-hydrate, but avoid your T-zone/oily areas.  I have moved my coconut oil from my kitchen to my bathroom for ever since my first facial at bare med spa.  And it helps!  
It's also really easy to control where you apply it - so I avoid my forehead, nose bridge and chin.  I love rubbing around eyes to remove makeup gently, and apply to dry spots like my cheeks (or even my body skin - like elbows!!).

5. You don't actually need a ton of expensive products or a 10-step process - the main recommendation my aesthetician gave me was to use Vitamin D serum daily! And look for over the counter products that are right for you. I've been LOVING the bareMinerals new SkinSorials line and include some of their that match my needs as part of my 3-step process:
- Cleanse with hydrating & acne-control products - Anti-Aging with serums - Hydrate with gels or creams
Because I also still (after all these years...) deal with acne - I use the bareMineral Blemish Remedy Acne Treatment Gelee Cleanser, usually alternating with my CeraVe hydrating cleanser.  And then I use the Vitamin D serum at night, and use the bareMinerals SkinLongevity Vital Power Infusion and True Oasis Oil-Free Replenishing Gel Cream most mornings and nights.
I also love bareMinerals make-up, which has SPF (sun protection) baked in, which is also super important to the health of your skin. Their foundation and tinting products also do a great job ant lightly covering my face without clogging my pores + their products always come with coordinating brushes so you don't have to worry about touching your face! I think the Armani foundation deserves an honorable mention as well.

My favorite products:

What are your tips for combating your T-Zone or taking care of combination skin??

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Girlfriend Time: Makeup Trends & Product Tests

One of my goals this summer was to make a conscious effort to spend more quality time with my girlfriends bonding, catching up and laughing.   Since having kids, the is an area of my life that has suffered and lacked. But those friendships are so important to the balance of our every day lives and our well-beings.  And after a good girlfriend session - man, you can feel the happiness to your core.  And this summer, I've also been on a kick to do new and different things (at least to me!), moving away from the same ol' dinner, movies and/or happy hours.  So, I wanted to share these more unique girlfriend time dates in a series over the next few months (starting with the staycation some friends and I took a couple weeks ago - see that fun here). 
And another fun idea is to gather with your friends to try different makeup trends and products to together to find what works the best for you! After all, your girlfriends are your best focus group and should be honest with you!  A group of my friends and I gathered different mascaras, eye shadow colors, eye liners and lipsticks from Ulta to test and try. We started with at-home facials and skin prep, and ended with manicures and pedicures... all while sipping drinks and plenty of girl chat.
Since Ulta offers all kinds of brands and products at different price points (from drugstore brands to designer) - they really have something for everyone, including the latest, newest and greatest! The night was so fun - and we all came away with some new make up skills, learned from each other, and products that worked for our individuals skin tones and preferences.  Here are a few of our favorite products and why we loved them if you are curious!
{Photos by fab Tricia of SNAP Photography}

Obsessed with the Philosophy brand in general - and this kit offers the perfect at-home facial treatment for a night in. I am also loving this anti-aging infusion duo for the under eye.

We all agreed that the NYX Wonder Stick is a MUST-HAVE! This is the easiest way to highlight and couture your face with one product (I actually love to keep this in my purse for on the go touch ups and after work outs).

Our favorite eye liners actually came in a trio, which is perfect for getting a variety of desired looks. I typically do a slight cat-eye, for day - a thinner one and for night a thicker weight, so Laura Geller's Trio Liquid Liner Kit is perfect to have on hand for whenever.

My favorite eye shadow is a liquid one in a pod! They slide on easier and stay put! And I love these Ulta Color Coat Cream Eye Shadows in a variety of metallic and lightly shimmered colors.  They are perfect for day to night.

 Ok, mascara is my number one thing. And after a night of chatting with my girlfriends - it's at the top of their priority list, too.  We all fell in LOVE with a brand that was new to me and I had somehow never tried yet (I try A LOT of mascaras) - Better Than Sex by Too Faced, and with a name like that - it better be good, right?  It was - great length and volume!

Besides mascara, lipstick is a favorite of mine.  It's the easiest thing to turn your look into one that's more polished and ready to face the world. I can literally wear barely any other makeup, and swipe on a bold pout and look ready for the day. Plus, it's an instant mood booster! Lipstick Queen has a green lipstick, called Frog Prince, that ends up being a pink color that is different for each person.

An at-home mani and pedi is easy with Ulta's Whim nail polishes that come in bright colors + get a bottom and top coat to make your color last longer.  Pick up these manicure grooming sets to complete your at-home experience.

Our favorite products right here:

What are some of your favorite ways to spend time with your girlfriends?   I have more girlfriend happenings to share, showing fun ways to hang out with your friends in unordinary ways!

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How to Wear the 'Not Nude Lip' Trend

I've never been very good at applying makeup or being on the up and up of makeup trends, but as I'm getting older, I know it's important to learn these little tricks and figure out what products are going to work the best on me. That's one reason I love shopping at Ulta - they have so many options under one roof, from designers to drugstore brands so you don't even have to spend a ton to find something for you.  More than that, I love that they have experts there ready to help you find the right product, brand and shades for you and how to apply it - giving on the site tutorials on your face.
So, this last weekend I set out to learn how to wear the 'Not Nude Lip' trend and what products would work for me.  Lipstick has always been something I've had fun playing around with. It is a bit easier to grasp (I mean, a swipe of the tube to the lips - anyone can do that!), but what I learned at Ulta was that you should to think past just your lip color.  Depending on what you're doing to your lips, you have to balance out the rest of your face.  So, of course, this not quite nude, a bit more pinkish lip trend comes with the some suggestions.
I wanted to still keep my makeup more natural looking and less cumbersome for an overall more casual look. But before even getting to the lips, you have to start with the base of your face.  While there are no strict rules you must follow (hey - if you like it, you should flaunt it), with this not quite nude lip, you should add a bit of contouring to your face to keep everything from fading into each other. This just helps accentuate your features. 
(Full list of products at the bottom of this post, but all products found at Ulta! Beautiful photos by Jeannette Howard Photography - she is awesome to work with if you need a family photographer!)

For the face, the awesome artist at Ulta actually showed me how to contour my face, which is something I've never done before!  Contouring sounds scary and like nothing I have time for, but it's really all in the brush stroke and right products - so really very easy.  My other concern was not feeling weighted down by layers of make up - but with thin layers of the right product, my makeup felt very weightless.

What you need to set the right foundation for your look:

1. Primer - I used Spackle by Laura Gellar.  This just allows everything to lay nicer on your face and help you achieve more of that clean and smooth look.

2.  BB Cream - I used this instead of foundation which includes SPF. (*Tip: Apply with a brush for a more airbrushed look!)

3.  Using Crease-Less Concealer for the Under Eye by Laura Gellar, smooth over your under eye skin.

Now you can move on to adding some dimension to your face:

1. Brush Bronzer just under your cheekbone back into your hairline. I used Laura Gellar's Bronze N Brighten, which I liked for a smooth color as all the different hues are swirled and baked together.

2. Add highlighter to the inner corners of your eyes, under your eye brow and under your eye bone, below the concealer to lift the skin color.

3. For a little color to your face, add blush to the apples of your cheeks (above the bronzed contouring).

Next, whether you're playing up the eyes or not, you need mascara!  For the daytime, I kept it simple and just applied neutral shadow and Fortifying Lashes Mascara by Laura Gellar.  This mascara is actually a lash primer and conditioner, but looks great alone or top with another mascara for extra pop for night. 

And don't forget the eye brows!  I'm actually in the process of growing mine out (trying to achieve a fuller brow), but you can easily fill them in to achieve the same look!

^^ One eye with the primer mascara and one eye without!  See the difference?!

And now the lip...  This might be the easiest part!  

1. You need a lip pencil (which I tend to skip most of the time, but for this look, it really helps make your color last).  I used a waterproof pencil in buff by Laura Gellar to outline my lip, but also fill it all the way in! This sets a good base to allow your lip topper to stick.

2. I tend to shy away from lip glosses because they are sticky, my hair gets stuck to my lips and it wears off really fast, but I love it for how smooth and moisturizing it is. So, Ulta suggested this Luscious Lips Lipstick which feels like lip gloss, but is a stain that lasts a long time! 

---> Cherry Almond is the perfect 'Not Nude Lip" color!

Full list of products used to make this look possible c/o Ulta:

Now head over to my friend, Erin's blog at Pretty, Polished, Perfect to see her 3 product picks at different price levels to achieve this 'Not Nude Lip' - something for every budget! And stay tuned to see how I take this look to a night look, playing around more with my eyes.

This post in sponsorship with Ulta, but all my options and makeup choices my own!

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Ultimate beauty & hair playhouse + $100 Giveaway!

Last month, a new ULTA Beauty store opened up in Overland Park, Kansas (Aspen Square shopping center off 135th and Lamar) and Erin, Sandy and I were among some bloggers that were invited to a party to celebrate!  We had a blast shopping and trying out the salon, even getting our hair braided and learning a few tricks.  
I specifically was bound and determined to learn how to tease my hair.  Seriously... I do the backcombing thing and it just never seems to stay.  I have this weird flat section and a mean cowlick on the back of my head that I need to get a good tease to get my hair to lay right and fill it out back there.  So, the lovely ULTA hair stylist showed me a few brushes that assist in a successful tease, as well as went over the proper technique, so I thought I'd share! 
1. The comb I was using just wasn't up to pare at all.  You need a brush or teasing comb with soft bristles.  I ended up purchasing a paddle brush with a mix of soft and hard bristles so I can use for far more than just teasing (but you can get this simple tease comb, too).
2.  Work with smaller sections of 1 to 2 inches of hair for stronger hold.
3. Hold the section of hair you want to tease with one hand straight up above your head and angle the edge of the brush or comb downwards, holding in the other hand. Start a few inches above the roots and brush down (backcombing).  But here's the important part (that I was doing allll wrong), pull the brush/comb straight out (not at all back up).  Basically, don't brush back up the hair you just scrunched down.  Do this a few times on each section of hair. 
4. Arrange the hair where you want it and then ever so lightly smooth over the outer layer to get the end result!  
Still confused?  Don't worry, you can catch a few visuals within the video below!  We had such a fun time playing throughout ULTA during their launch party, we just had to share:

So, as you can tell from the video, ULTA Beauty is way more than just an awesome salon.  If you aren't familiar, it's the largest beauty retailer in the United States and is a totally great one-stop shop for cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, bath and body products and salon styling tools, as well as salon haircare products.  If you are like me, you love a good bargain beauty item, but have a few expensive staples in the mix, too.  That's why I love that their offering ranges from affordable brands that you can find in drugstores to prestigious ones that are typically seen in higher-end beauty retailers. 

In addition to selling great products, they also offer a full-service salon in all of their stores.  The menu expands past hair and consists of anything from hair cut, color and style to Dermalogica skin treatments to eyelash extensions.  All of their Salon Pros go through extensive training, so you know you are in good hands.

For those that frequent ULTA, or are about too... you should check out the ULTAmate Rewards card.  For every dollar spent, you will earn 1 point.  These points can be redeemed online or in stores to receive dollars off future merchandise purchases.  And if you spend $400 or more a year at Ulta Beauty you’ll reach Platinum status and be able to earn points even faster (which can be easy to do if you think about how much you spend overall on beauty and hair products/treatments in total!).

We're sure you'll love ULTA as much as we do, and since there are so many stores PLUS online shopping available, we partnered with ULTA to bring you an awesome giveaway.  We have a $100 gift card to one lucky reader from Chasing Davies, Pretty, Polished, Perfect and/or Sandy a la Mode.  Just enter through the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post!

a Rafflecopter giveaway If you live in the Kansas City area, make sure to check out Ulta's newest store in Overland Park at Aspen Square or find your nearest store here! This post is sponsored by ULTA, because we already love their brand and offerings, we were so excited to work with them!  Of course, all opinions in this post, as always, are my own.

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Favorite Beauty Products Lately: March 2014

I don't really consider myself a product junkie... but I love trying the newest and latest product promising to solve all my problems!  So, I don't know, maybe that means I am a product junkie?  Regardless, sometimes I'm also lucky enough to receive products to test or samples, introducing me to new things I might not have known about otherwise -- and some are totally amazing!  So I wanted to share, monthly, what items I'm really loving from the last month (or in this post's case, the last few months) and why!  Some months it might just be one thing... or like this month, since it's my first of this type of series, there is quite a bit!
So without further ado, my favorite products from the last few months:
BlowPro: I received this product in my Ulta goodie bag from KCFW and might be my new favorite dry shampoo product.  I only wash my hair about 2 times a week, and I'd really like to get down to only once, so dry shampoo is a must that last day or two.  
Jergens BB Body:  I got this smaller bottle in this month's Birchbox, and since I refuse to wear tights anymore (hello, the first day of spring was the 20th), this is THE lotion for my pale, dry legs after a long winter.  It soothes, smooths and hydrates!
Dermalogical Special Cleansing Gel: I also got this in my Ulta goodie bag and started using it right away.  I love a good, clean face wash and this one is not fussy at smells, exfolients, etc - just a good cleanser that leaves my face feeling it's cleanest!
Almay CC Cream: This product I've had for a couple of months and it's pretty much the only makeup I slap on my face consistently.  It's great for lazy people because it sort of acts like foundation, lotion and corrector in one.
Yes to Carrots Exfoliating Cleanser: I use this facial cleanser a few times a week to manage my pores and get off the dead skin.  I've had issues with other exfoliating washes in the past making my skin dry and irritated, but this one is gentle and hydrating.  I originally received this entire Yes to Carrots fascial line for this post, and I've used it all since - loving it!
Olay Regenerist: I cannot get enough of this stuff. I absolutely love the way this feels going on my skin!  It's the best daytime/pre-makeup primer and wrinkle reducer ever.  It makes my skin feel like silk and smooths lines and wrinkles fast.  I originally received this set to review for this post, and I've loved it since.
Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick: My friend recommended this to me for how long lasting it truly is (through meals and drinks), the great colors (I love bright lips) and smooth it applies and feels.  This is great for those new to lipstick or that don't like wearing true lipstick. I love the color Muse (shown), but also comes in lighter/more neutral shades.
Revlon Lash Potion:  This is my new drug store mascara go-to.  Under $5, it lengthens and plumps all on it's own (meaning, I don't have to mix another kind/brand with this one like I do with some of my others to achieve the look).  I do have to apply carefully, as sometimes it can clump, but if it does, I use a lash brush to remove it (a toothpick would do fine, too!).

Tangle Teezer Detangling Brush: Ok, confession first. I know you're not supposed to brush your hair when wet, but I do anyways... If I don't, my hair will be a tangled mess, and combs just can get through my post-shower hair.  THIS THING (brush) is amazing because it de-tangles and smooths out my hair without hurting or breaking it.  This will also be key when brushing Nora's future hairs and Liam already has stolen it a few times to brush his own hair with it... so kid-friendly, I'd say!  I also received this in the Ulta goodie bag at KCFW (I'm feeling super lucky to have received so many awesome things)

Ok, now your turn to dish? Any super favorite new products I should try?  

Stay tuned next month for more favorites! 

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