Thursday, March 21, 2013

Must-Have Products for Spring Break

What happens on spring break, stays on spring break.

Well, aside from your tan and hopefully your spring break bod...and maybe a few wild stories, but anyhow...


Whether you're flying or driving to your spring break destination, you don't want to overpack and you want to pack up the right beauty items. There are a few staple items that are a must for spring break. 

1. SPF
It doesn't matter how tan you want to get, you need to protect your skin. You can still get color when you wear SPF and it honestly looks better. When you get too dark for your natural skin tone, you can look leather-y, and it isn't hot. Plus, the sun affects your skin for years after you've been in the sun (think about age spots and wrinkles)!

Maui Babe's Sun Protectant Lotion has SPF 30 and is made to be used with Maui Babe's Browning Lotion, so you can still achieve a deep, rich tan without the harmful effects of the sun. 

On your face, go for a higher SPF because your skin is more sensitive. La Roche Posay's Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid is one of the best sunscreens on the market for your face. It may seem pricer at $29.95 because it's not priced like a drugstore product, but you get prestige quality for a much lower price. Other prestige brands make sunscreen that is way more expensive. It's fast-absorbing and dries to a matte finish so you won't look greasy. 


2. After-Sun Products
Whether you burn or not, taking care of your skin when it's outside of the sun is important. I already moisturize daily, but I will probably be kicking it up a notch for spring break. 

If you burn easy, or even if you don't, bring aloe vera gel. Not only is it healing (for sunburns), but it's also moisturizing. Even if you feel like you got a little too sun kissed, you can apply this. Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel has no dyes and is inexpensive. 

To prevent peeling, flaking and fading, try Maui Babe's After Browning Lotion Tan Enhancer and Healer. It will seal in your tan and moisturize your skin like any other moisturizer. It contains Aloe and Macadamia Nut Oil, so it smells amazing! You'll smell just like the beach.


3. Makeup 
Okay, girls wear makeup to the beach. They don't pack it on like they're going out in Vegas, but they put on a little bit of makeup. The key is to protect your face and be natural. There are really only 3 staples. 

BB Cream. It offers light coverage, hydrates and contains SPF. It's the perfect beach babe product. Revlon's Photo Ready Skin Perfecter protects your skin with SPF 30 and hydrates. It's one of the best drugstore BB creams. Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream is a really popular product that runs a little more expensive ($39), but it's still not that bad compared to others. My favorite is by Dior and it's $56! Anyway, Smashbox's BB Cream offers great coverage, is really hydrating as well and has SPF 35. It also has an oil-controlling formula so you won't look greasy. 

Waterproof eye products. You can just swipe on waterproof mascara and call it a day. Or you can add some cream shadow on your lids to add some more life in your eyes. Try Maybelline's Volum' Express the Mega Plush Waterproof Macscara in Blackest Black or even Brown Black for those of you that are more fair-skinned. Another amazing product by Maybelline is Color Tattoo Metal Eyeshadow. They're cream shadows that wear just as well and have as much pigmentation as high-end cream shadows. (I use these more than my MAC paint pots)! Barely Branded is one of my favorite colors because it's a light, neutral beige that reflects from the sunlight beautifully. It highlights and adds color to your lids that will look beautiful and stay put at the beach. 

Lip products with SPF. Just like your skin, your lips need protection too! I personally love to always have some color on my lips, whether it's a natural pink, a sexy red or a vampy dark purple. For the beach, you could choose to have a colored or clear balm, as long as it contains SPF! 

The best lip balm/gloss/treatment you will ever try is Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment with SPF 15. It's the most hydrating balm I've ever tried and it smells like a lemon shortbread cookie. You can go for the classic Sugar, which is clear or Rose, a sheer berry rose tint. If you want color that won't budge, use Benefit's Benetint, which is also a sheer berry rose color. Apply Benetint before you go to the beach and use Fresh's Lip Treatment throughout the day to keep your lips hydrated. 

A more affordable option for a lip balm is Maybelline Baby Lips. These balms contain SPF 20 and have a good range of colors. Quenched is a clear balm that kind of taste like it sounds (lemony-ish and sweet?). Cherry Me is a sheer red would be a great alternative to Fresh's Rose. 



Life is a beach. I'm just playing in the sand :: Lil Wayne 


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Recharge Your Locks

I'm always on the lookout to try new shampoos, conditioners and hair treatments. I don't think it's always necessary to splurge on those products. I think both high-end and drugstore brands make excellent products for your hair. I have a few products that I've tried and loved, but I wouldn't call any of my hair products "Holy Grail" items. I have fine, curly hair that is actually pretty healthy and not too dry. People always think it's thicker than it is because I try to keep it pretty voluminous (I hate flat hair)!

I was so excited to hear that BzzAgent was going to be sending Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge Shampoo, Conditioner and a 1-Minute Treatment for free to review! Since I always want to try new things, and I was actually running out of my current shampoo and conditioner, I was really excited to try these products. 


The idea behind the Hydra Recharge line is that it deeply moisturizes your hair, without the heavy formula of most other products. These products are extremely lightweight! Since, I love having volume and crazy looking hair, I was very happy with the lightweight formula. Oh and the smell of this line is amazing, as well. It's almost like your typical fruity, Garnier scent, but better because of the Goji Berry!

Hydra Recharge Shampoo
Most shampoos that are moisturizing don't really make your hair feel super clean. This shampoo did! I was so happy that a nourishing shampoo could make my hair feel squeaky-clean, as if it were a clarifying shampoo. I do like this shampoo, the one thing that was a little odd was that my hair felt slightly stiff, but that was bearable since the conditioner really softened my hair. 

Hydra Recharge Conditioner 
Most times, it's the heavy, moisturizing conditioner that will weigh your hair down. This conditioner managed to deeply nourish my hair, without weighing it down at all. Even though it's a lighter formula, I only apply this conditioner to the bottom 3/4 of my hair because I don't like applying conditioner at the roots. One con to this product being lightweight is that it doesn't instantly detangle my hair. I have to do a little more combing in the shower than usual, but after that, my hair is silky smooth and feels nourished. 

Hydra Recharge 1-Minute Moisture-Plenish Treatment 
I was most excited to try this product because I love hair treatments. I love using products like this before/after I've used heat to style my hair, or just once a week randomly when I feel like I need it. This, like all the other products, was extremely lightweight. I was surprised because I don't see too many light treatments, most of them have a really thick consistency. I don't think it's as nourishing as other treatments, but it still works really well. Since it's lighter, I think I can use this 2-3 times a week.





Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Prepping for Spring Break: Skinnygirl Daily On-The-Go Bars

I randomly get the most insane cravings for either something salty or sweet, and it's always extreme! To the point where if I am craving something coconut-y, I will crave that until I have it...and it could take weeks!

It's miserable to crave something and feel like you can't have it. Although this is a little off-topic compared to the normal things I write about, I thought I'd share with you all how I'm prepping for spring break. Obviously what every girl starts with is...dieting

Now, I'm not going to try to tell you what you should and should not be eating, which workouts you should do or which detox you should try next (I happen to be on the 3-day Dr. Oz detox). I'm going to share with you this amazing, healthy, snack bar that was sent to me complimentary from Influenster. 

When the Skinnygirl Daily On-The-Go Bar in Coconut with Peanut Butter was sent to me, I'm not going to lie, I opened it up to eat before I even left the mail center. First off, it's by Skinnygirl and I love this brand! I have tried the drinks, skin care and now I finally have tried the bars. Second, I have never seen a bar that was flavored coconut and peanut butter, together! I love peanut butter flavored things, and coconut is my favorite, so this combination was so intriguing. 

Being a college student, I'm usually running around with barely any time to make a healthy snack (I'll admit, chips are my favorite snack). I am so happy that I found a snack bar, that's only 180 calories, to just throw in my tote bag before class. 

You can purchase the bars on the Skinnygirl website if you click here
Don't forget to check out the rest of the Skinnygirl site, here, for information on more products and living a healthy lifestyle. 

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I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments :: Bethenny Frankel