Hair Product Review: Tresemme Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo for fine/oily hair

4 out of 5 stars

Best uses: de-greasing when your hair is icky, volume for when your hair is flat.
Why I love it:  My hair is very fine and very flat a lot of the time.  I also try not to wash it everyday.  When it is dirty it really lays flat on my scalp and looks gross.  This gives me a ton of volume and is fast and easy and it makes my hair not look oily anymore.
What I don't like:  This does kinda turn my hair grey-ish.  I'm sure if you have lighter colored hair it wouldn't be a problem.  I have gotten really good at rubbing it in until it isn't noticeable.
How I use it:  I spray it on my roots at the front of my hair back to my crown with my head upside down, (after shaking the can well) then I flip right side up and rub and rub and rub it into my roots.  This gives a ton of volume as well as spreading out the product.  Then I comb out my hair just a bit, starting lower down the hair shaft to not ruin the volume.

Review: Maybelline Dream Lumi Highlighting Concealer

4 out of 5 stars

Best uses:  Highlighting, concealing under eye circles while highlighting, matte finish highlight with no shimmer, sheen, glitter, etc.

Why I like it:  The wand is easy to use, it lasts a long time, it provides good coverage and a natural looking highlight, blends easily.

What I don't like:  If my skin is dry at all, this makes it look worse.

How I use it:  I like to apply it right along the lowest part of my under eye, you know that line or indent that goes from the inner corner of your eye, at an angle out and down, I put it right in that low spot and blend gently with my finger.

If I have more time then I will apply along the skin right next to the bottom of my nose, a little right down the center of the bridge of my nose, a bit on the tip of my chin and a wedge/triangle under my eye.

How to get rid of makeup lines

I struggle to get the right shade of foundation on the first try.  If I am way off I will see if I can exchange it.  I feel bad taking it back when it was my fault, so if there's anyway I can make it work, I keep it.
When picking a foundation, I go for the lighter shades because I know I am very fair.  I have found a slight yellow undertone looks much better on me than a slight pink or orange or cool undertone.   I also have found that if I am having a hard time choosing between two shades, it is almost always better to pick the darker.  If the lighter shade looks like it might be lighter than your skin I wouldn't get it.  In the past when I have gotten a shade lighter than my skin, I look sickly.
If you get a shade that is close, but too dark, you won't look sickly.  You will have to do a little extra work to make the mismatch less noticeable though. Here's what I do:

• I apply foundation to my face
• I take a little more foundation (not very much) and rub it from my jawline to almost halfway down my neck
• You want this (on your neck) to be a very thin layer of foundation, so that you have a gradient between the bottom of your neck to your jawline.
• Take bronzer and slowly build it along the sides of your neck, next to the front of your neck, but not right on the front, sweep it all the way to your collar bones

You want to be very sparing with your foundation and bronzer application to your neck.  You want to slowly build it for a natural look.

Here's a video of how I do it.

Thanks for reading!! 

P.S.  If you do like high end makeup, Sephora actually has a color matching machine that scans your face.  I have heard mixed reviews about its accuracy, but it's worth a try :)

There's a Dupe for that!

Remember those commercials for the iPhone?  The one that told you if you had an iPhone there was an app to do anything that you might ever need to do?  I bet you can hear it in your head right now..."There's an app for that."
Did you know that almost every high end makeup product has a similar, cheaper counterpart?  They call them dupes.  There are tons of them!  Go ahead, pick a high end product, and I bet, "there's a dupe for that!"

For example, the other day I saw some MAC swatches on a girl's blog.  The shade "amber lights" caught my attention.  It was gorgeous!  But it was also about $15 for one eye shadow.  Eek!  Well guess what auto populates in my Google search as I type in "MAC amber lights."   "MAC amber lights dupe."  

I can look through the swatches and find a product within my budget.  I can then read reviews on that product to confirm it's worth a try.  Then I can own a similar product for a fraction of the cost.  Yes!

From looking at the pictures..the closest (it's almost identical) shadow is from wet 'n wild.  It's in a trio called "I'm getting sunburned" and it's only $2.99.

Have fun dupe finding!  Do you know of any great dupes?  Share your finds in the comments below :)  Thanks so much for reading!!

Linking up: Makeup Monday

How to: Delicious cupcakes from box mix

I really like cake mixes :)  They're easy, and for the most part I think they're pretty yummy.  But did you know you can add different ingredients and make even yummier, more moist cakes, brownies, cupcakes and even cookies from box mixes?

I made cupcakes yesterday and I think I have perfected my cake mix recipe!  These cupcakes were soft, moist and super yummy.

So I used this both on a Betty Crocker yellow cake mix and on a Pillsbury strawberry cake mix.

Here's what you do:

• Swap milk for water.  Whatever amount the box says to use of water, use milk instead.
• Use butter instead of oil, or half butter half oil to equal the same total amount.
• Add 2 Tbsp. Greek Yogurt or sour cream

Bake per box instructions.  Voila!  Delicious cupcakes :)

Thanks for reading!!  Enjoy your treats!

Make your cheekbones POP!

I follow Benefit cosmetics on Instagram.  They have some pretty cool marketing and their products always have the funnest names.  Yesterday they posted a tip called "the jelly doughnut."  You use illuminator around your cheekbones/apple of your cheeks and then put blush in the center of your "doughnut" and blend.

I tried it yesterday...Wow!  I have never had my cheeks look so sculpted and gorgeous.  These pics really don't do it justice.

Before (sorry it's so blurry)

Can you see the ring of shiny color on my cheek?

Ring and blush in the middle, preblend

The finished look!  I think this is easier and maybe even better than highlighting and contouring. I used my e.l.f. all over color stick as my highlight because it is somewhat frosty.  I used my e.l.f. baked blush in rich rose to pack in the middle of my circle.  Then I blended the edges of the circle and the middle with the blush.

You've got to try it!  Thanks for reading :)

Linking up with: Fry Sauce & Grits, Makeup Monday

Bold florals + Bold stripes (plus some little sister fashion)

Last night/early this morning my little brother left home for the next two years to serve a mission for our church.  We thought he wasn't going for another two weeks, so it was a really crazy few days for my mom getting him ready to go.  We all got together as a family last night.  It was sad to say goodbye, but we are all very excited for him.  As I'm typing this, he is probably almost to Mexico City.

I wanted to share some pics of what I wore last night and also what my 9 year old sister wore.  She was wearing the cutest outfit and it was so well coordinated.  I'm sharing pics below.  She also took the first few pictures of my outfit.  :)

This skirt is actually from my friend's wedding.  Isn't it cute!  I thought the bold stripes in my shirt needed a bolder floral pattern and I love how it looked with this bright, bold skirt.  My other sister got me this beautiful blazer for Christmas.  It has a stripe print with a chunky white lace overlay.

See how cute!?  She's got this beautiful white tee with clear, iridescent sequin sleeves and a pocket, a super cute polka dot layered skirt, white leggings with lace on the bottom, and then sparkly shoes that match the shirt.  She put this together by herself!

Thanks so much for reading!!

Linking up with:  Because Shanna Said So, The Pleated Poppy, Style Elixir, Whitney Nic James, Trend Spin Linkup.

Summer Makeup Tutorial

    I'm trying my hand at video making again.  It was so much easier the first time!  I'm going to take the makeup kit from last week, and show you how to do my favorite summer makeup look.  It is super simple, looks very natural, but also adds some color and definition to show your natural beauty.       I did change out a few products.  My skin is extremely broken out right now, so I am using Revlon Colorstay foundation instead of my e.l.f. BB cream.  I swapped my NYC color mosaic blush out for my e.l.f. baked blush in rich rose.  I also am using my new CK one mascara that I got for my birthday and then adding just a bit of my define-a-lash to help curl my lashes.  The wand is amazing!
    So here it is!  How to get that summer glow with your makeup.  :)  No sunburn or tanning needed.

Friday Funnies!!

If you week has been anything like mine, you need a nice easy Friday to ease into the weekend.  So today's post is going to be a conglomeration of things I find amusing.  :)  Hopefully at least one thing in this post will tickle your funny bone.
Have you heard the new song "Fancy" on the radio?  These moms made a hilarious parody.  Some of my favorite lyrics are "I'm not fancy.  Kids've made it so."  "I'm in the carpool lane from Target to Costco."  "Don't say retarded, dumb, or I farted." and my favorite, "Trash the whole house.  Get milk drunk on your momma's boobs."  If you're a momma, you need to watch it.  :)

 

So true!

What really happened to the dinosaurs.

I love that this shirt exists! If it is just photoshop, someone should make it for real.

Ha ha!

P.S. Sorry the format is so nuts on this post...

Take a Trip Thursday: Packing tips and Hawaii Pics

Napali Coast Kauai

You know how some people have the most gorgeous, coordinated, well put together outfits when they travel?  I am not one of those people.  At all.  I have made a lot of packing blunders in the past.  I'm still not the perfect packer, but I thought I could share what I have learned so far. :)

1.  Plan ahead:  Waiting until the last minute results in grabbing many miscellaneous items that may or may not go well together.  I have learned this the hard way.  Also it is hard to pack the right amount when you are in a hurry.
2.  Plan multiple outfits with your pieces:  As you decide what pieces you want to take lay them all out and start putting together potential outfits.  You want clothes that you feel comfortable in and that work well together.  I am very bad at grabbing a bunch of my favorites and then finding out on the trip that I only can make a few outfits and that some pieces don't match with anything :(
3.  Dress for your activities:  Take your itinerary and decide, based on what you are doing each day, what you should plan on wearing.  You don't have to plan everything out to a T, but if you are going to be doing a ton of hiking (like we did in HI), you will want multiple outfits that work for that activity and less outfits for other activities.  

We brought old shoes for hiking.  Thank goodness!

Our trip consisted mainly of hiking with a side of driving and beaching :)

Waimea Canyon

4.  Bring at least one "fancy" outfit:  It is nice on vacation to go out to a nice dinner or do some shopping at least once.  It isn't as much fun when you feel like the frumpy tourist.
5.  Don't under or over pack:  I have decided that slightly over packing is better than under packing.  I tend to under pack, but I am getting better :)  Once again look at your activities and then how many days you will be gone.  Plan maybe one extra just in case outfit, but not three. :)

You can't tell from the picture but there is a nice swimming hole right here...

see we're actually standing up in this pic.

We hiked, waded, and kayaked to get to the swimming hole.

Maliuhi Road

Poipu Beach 

I bet you want to go to Kauai now ;)  It was a fun trip!

Thanks so much for reading!!  Comment if I should do a post about traveling cheaply.  Also if you have any packing tips I would love to hear them!

linking up with: BeYoutiful Link Party