Courtney Robertson Skin Care

Courtney Robertson Skin Care

For any of you who have watched the Bachelor recently and either loved or hated Courtney Robertson...did any of you notice her skin through out the show, how it just seemed so perfectly smooth and glowing..I also loved her makeup throughout; you can tell she has had alot of practice from her modeling and really did a great job with it on every episode(although I don't know if they have a hair and makeup team??)...Here's what I am almost 99% sure of that she uses for skincare. Arcona! This is a Hollywood based skincare line that is completely natural and so natural that the products even expire in 6 months after purchase. I used this line for a while a few years ago when I was willing to spend more on skin care. Lately, I have been trying to cut back in that area because my husband and I want to buy a house soon:)...but this line is reallllly awesome, one of my absolute favorites.

Arcona utilizes a five step program: You get a bar soap for the face that is very moisturizing and full of antioxidants and good for you ingredients, a scrub (I LOOOVED the cranberry gommage because it smelled so good ...I actually was excited in the morning to use it!), a moisturizer (the one I got was Magic White Ice, which is a non-oily gel type formula, a serum to protect your skin through out the day(Desert Mist) and a glycolic serum to apply 2-3 times per week at night(Gentle Solution). Depending on your skin type you can mix and match. I got the products that were geared more for sensitive skin. The reason I can almost bet on the fact that Courtney uses this line is from the way her skin looked throughout the day...ALMOST shiny but not oily looking. That's what this line does..the glycolic solution really helps to clear up the skin and exfoliate and the Desert Mist(which smells kind of funky) is what produces that shine(not an oily shine though) throughout the day. Arcona claims that it will bring your skin to "balance" after continued usage. After reading some reviews, a great deal more are positive than negative(check out arcona on makeupally.com they are usually pretty brutal but it has great reviews)...and also, according to those using it, it takes a few weeks for your skin to start to do that, so it might be worse than better until you hit the 5 or 6 week point. (This is true for a lot of the Acne medications that your dermatologist might recommend..you get worse before you get better basically). I really enjoy the smell of these products, even the Desert Mist with its funky smell. My husband used to tell me that I smelled like "granola" haha so that's a man's take on it. Love it or hate it, these products really do work well. They have a great toner and masks as well. You can find them here. A typical set of 5 goes for around 200$ and lasts around 6 months if you use sparingly (you honestly don't need much to go a long way). Anyways, I am now attaching a picture of me when I was using these products so you get an idea of what the "shine" looks like that it will produce ...

The Best Jeans Ever...DL1961 Jeans.

The Best Jeans Ever...DL1961 Jeans.

I recently discovered these jeans through a friend. A little bit expensive(well, maybe a lot a bit) buuut you will never want another brand once you buy these. They have a patented material that allows them to stretch in four directions, making them the most comfortable, best fitting jeans I've owned. They feel like jean material, but stretch nicely. They will never stretch out or become saggy either! So excited about this find. I got the "Angel" skinny jean for 158$, but check the sale section and you can find deals on cute styles as well. You can find these jeans here.

Burts Bees Gud Body Lotion in Vanilla Flame A Great All Natural Lotion

Burts Bees Gud Body Lotion in Vanilla Flame
A Great All Natural Lotion

My local Ulta just got this brand from Burts Bees...and I am so thrilled with the prices, scents& ingredients(NO chemicals) of their "Gud" products. My favorite of all the scents is Vanilla Flame. I don't know how to explain it, maybe more of a musky vanilla?? But...my husband commented on it saying that I smelled great, which is a good sign! I've been using it after shaving my legs, and they are so soffffttttt! It's only 7$ too. Great for an all natural product...Find it here!

Tarte Bronzer in Park Ave Princess Review

Tarte Bronzer in Park Ave Princess Review

Tarte Bronzer in Park Ave Princess(with shimmer) is one of the most "all natural" bronzers that I have found that gives a really natural looking tan. I have never linked this bronzer to a breakout either so I can almost guarantee no reactions to this. My other favorite is Bobbi Brown in Aruba(although this is not a natural based product). Tarte claims that it is "fragrance free, talc free formula that allows skin to breathe, and it won't clog your pores even on the hottest days (and steamiest nights!)." The onlyyyyy problem I had with this is that I felt it does not last the whole day. I felt that I needed a touch up around noon or so during a typical work day. I do love the color that it provides when applied though...very natural, not too dark. This would be highly recommended for a pale complexion looking for a realistic looking bronzer. It doesn't come out muddy either like some tend to. I have included a picture of me with this bronzer (and mind you my skin is very pale right now because I haven't self tanned in a while). This bronzer is 29$...you can buy ithere.

Sephora Collection Color Reveal Lip Balm!

Sephora Collection Color Reveal Lip Balm!

I'm loving the way this looks from a computer stand point....I will have to revisit this post once I go try it. But I've always liked Sephora Lip Gloss, so I can't imagine they could mess up a lip balm. We shall see. This is at the very top of my to try list of new things, and for 12$, even if it's awful, it's still not terribly priced. I will let you know once I do try it, but for now you can buy it here. This is the only color I see on their website, in unique pink. It's limited edition as well.

Ok UPDATE to this post...it's weeks later and I just bought this product. It's a NO GO! It smells really gross and that smell imparts an awful taste in the mouth. The consistency and color just were not what I was expecting, really thin and waxy, not balmy. It should be priced at 1$, not 12$ for how bad quality it is...and even though I said 12$ wasn't too terrible of a price, for this product it really is. So disappointed!

Love My Bobble

Love My Bobble

I am so thrilled with the invention of the bobble. I recently bought this for my husband as part of his valentine's day gift when I was rummaging around vitamin shoppe picking up manly things like protein bars/ supplements and things of that nature. I saw this bottle and thought that whoever came up with it was so smart. Seriously, I absolutely dread filling my brita and putting it in the fridge every five minutes. This, I can actually carry with me in my car all day while I'm driving around for work and fill it up wherever I am and know that my water is pure and filtered. According to the company that makes it bobble is PVC and BPA free, the filter is a carbon filter, and it removes chorine and organic contaminants from your drinking water. Every filter equates to 300 single serve bottles. After a year of using this, you've removed thousands of bottles from the environment simply by filtering water from your tap. It is intended for municipal tap water though, so don't be drinking pond water with this! ;)Buy it here

And Ps. yes, I confiscated the gift I bought my husband...lol.

Ps.s...this has to do with beauty becauuuuuuse drinking a lot of water is SO good for keeping your skin hydrated!

Have a Good Eyelash Day Every Day

Have a Good Eyelash Day Every Day

Have you ever had a bad eyelash day? It's kind of the same thing as a bad hair day, except in my opinion, worse. People spend more time looking at your eyes than your hair when conversing, so if your eyelashes are clumped together and look amiss, it tends to be more noticeable! This little lash-brow groomer from Real Techniques(which you can buy at Ulta or here) is something I never thought I needed or could use. I tried it just recently when I bought the entire Real Techniques collection after having good luck w/ the stippling brush. I have had a lot of bad eyelash days on certain days when trying out new mascaras; this little tool will really help to correct any of that. If you find that your mascara went on WAY too clumpy, you can simply use the comb edge of the tool to gently brush either upwards(although it tends to smear the mascara on your eyelid, or downwards from above the eyelashes(which is my preferred way of using it). This will get rid of any of those unwanted clumps. After brushing them out, I have put another few coats and repeated the step of brushing the eyelashes out, and it seems to work great. Just don't brush them out when the mascara has totally hardened, this could break the eyelashes. I do it when it's halfway dry. (I am wearing covergirl lashblast volume mascara in this picture). Either way, I highly recommend this tool. I think it's only 5.99$ at Ulta.

Jennifer Lawrence's Adorable Hair Style

Jennifer Lawrence's Adorable Hair Style

(photo:www.bellasugar.com) 

This is sooo adorable. I would never have thought to wrap a sparkly head band into a bun, but this is such a great idea. I have been doing a lot of buns lately for work when I don't have too much time to get ready, but sometimes I feel like if I do them the wrong way I can tend to look old(as in elderly) haha. This is basically a flexible sparkly head band wrapped right into the hair either braided or twisted. I couldn't tell, but you could do either or. There are a lot of variations you can do with this as well, such as incorporate a pretty silk scarf or change up the height and look of the bun. It's worth trying and finding the right look for YOU :). I also really like that she has soft bangs and hair pulled out as well so it's more soft and romantic looking.... her makeup is gorgeous as well!

New Great Brush!

New Great Brush!

Lately I've been stocking up on brushes. I don't know what it is, but I'm always on the hunt for something that works better than the last. I love this MAC 286 Duo Fibre Blending brush for alot of reasons. The main reason is that it is pointy! Not only does this allow me to apply eyeshadow more precisely, it also helps me when I am touching up my eyeshadow and already have mascara on. I am able to put the eyeshadow right where I need it without getting eyeshadow on my mascara, which is one of my biggest pet peeves(haha,strange I know)...This brush would also work really well for a smoked out look for a precise swoop of eyeshadow, but also does a great job of blending. It's the MAC 286 Brush and it runs for 30$ on their website.Buy it here. Definitely a great brush to have on hand!