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Beauty, Blog, Fashion

3 Summer Skincare Essentials

NORDSTROM - Vacation Style Destination

It’s hard to believe we are almost halfway through May! In preparing for the upcoming summer season, it’s so important to have a great skincare routine and dependable makeup staples that won’t smear everywhere when you’re out in the hot sun. The following are 3 essentials from Lancôme that will keep you and your skin feeling great this summer:

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Lancôme Bienfait UV SPF 50+ Oil-free Sunscreen

The first (and hopefully last – oops!) sunburn of the season last month quickly reminded me that it is definitely PAST time to start re-incorporating sunscreen into my daily skin and makeup routines.

I have SUPER sensitive skin though and have had the hardest time finding a facial sunscreen that actually provides protection without causing massive breakouts. Lancôme Bienfait UV SPF 50+ oil-free sunscreen is the first facial sunscreen I’ve been able to use without causing the latter. For the past month, I’ve applied it under my makeup and was so surprised, BUT very pleased, to find that not only did it not interfere with my foundation, but it didn’t irritate my skin either. This past weekend, J and I spent well over 3 hours outside doing yard work, and while he unfortunately got torched, I came inside burn-free. (hehe)

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Lancôme Visionnaire Crescendo™

Speaking of sensitive acne-prone skin (my fave), summer heat does me no favors in that department either. Like anyone, I always want bright, healthy skin. However, I have to be careful not to be too harsh with peels that promise “instantly brighter” results. That usually means I’m burning my face off in one round. No good. The Lancôme Visionnaire Crescendo™ peel was a 28-day process. Super easy to apply, and left on overnight, the peel works to gently exfoliate skin surface cells through two different formulas. YES, two! I’m obsessed. I just completed Day 28 two days ago, and y’all my skin is soooo smooth – my makeup literally looks airbrushed. Go Lancôme go!

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Lancôme Matte Shaker Lipstick

 The third essential is arguably the most fun because who doesn’t love a good summer lipstick?! After testing the Lancome Matte Shaker Lipstick out, I found that it was not as moisturizing as a non-matte lipstick (for obvious reasons) but it definitely didn’t feel nearly as drying as the Kylie Jenner matte lipsticks did – nor did the formula feel as heavy/thick. I really enjoyed the smoother application, and love the little shaker bottle especially since I felt like I had more control over building the level of color while not wasting as much product.
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*Special thanks to Lancome for sponsoring this post. Featured items were received complimentary for review – as always all opinions are my own. 

 

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Beauty, Blog, DIY Projects, Home Decor, The Home

DIY Marble & Gold Vanity Tray

Happy February! So, y’all already know how much I love marble and gold (it’s a lot & pretty obvious), and after completing two shelves in my DIY Ikea Hyllis Hack, I wanted to make something else that would go along with the same look/style with my leftover marble adhesive. Then, I thought why not a vanity tray? In total, the whole thing takes less than an hour, is super easy to customize depending on what shape/knobs you use, and is way way less than what would be spent on the real deal = triple bonus!

To get started, you’ll need:

Wooden Plaque 

Crystal Knobs for the Feet

Gold Pulls

Marble Adhesive

Krazy Glue

Putty Knife Set (optional, but very helpful)

Step 1: Before peeling your sticker off, take your marble adhesive sticker and lay it over your wooden plaque piece to determine about how much you’ll need, and cut. The less excess you have, the easier the sticker is to work with and maneuver.





Step 2: Lay your sticker on the center of the plaque, and taking your putty knife, flatten out all of the air bubbles. Then using your putty knife again, on one side, begin adhering the sticker to the edges.

Step 3: Once you have one edge complete, it’s corner time! Based on the shape of the wooden piece I chose, this was the most “complicated” (I say that loosely) part of the whole project. To make it easier and to minimize air bubbles, use scissors to cut little slits at the center point and two side points of the corner. Then fold these pieces down and smooth them with your putty knife.

Step 4: Repeat those same set of steps on each edge and corner until the top of the piece is completely covered. Use your putty knife to smooth any bubbles that may have appeared.

Step 5: Flip your piece over and use your Krazy glue to apply the crystal knobs which will serve as the feet of the vanity tray. This glue dries super super quickly, so make sure you know exactly where you want your bases to be.  I love these crystals, because of their flat face, so the tray won’t rock back and forth.

Step 6: Once all of your knobs have dried, flip the piece back over! It’s time to add your final touch of gold hardware 🙂

 

Step 7: Line up your gold hardware and apply the Krazy Glue to the bottom of each pull, (not to the vanity tray directly), and set each piece where you want them on the tray.

TAH-DAH you’re done!

Now, to decide where in the house you want to use it. It’s seriously the perfect size for a little perfume display, or even as a sweet vanity tray in the bath for cotton balls and soap. Here is what I have set up on mine currently:

 

Supplies For This Project:

 

Featured Perfumes:

If you complete this project, tag me, I would love to see how you customize your marble tray!

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Beauty, Blog, Marriage, Weddings

Top 5 Reasons to Do Your Own Hair and Makeup for Your Wedding

Hey y’all, welcome back! Today I decided to share why I chose to do my own hair and makeup for my wedding, because I think in the wedding bliss (and frenzy) brides can often feel pressured into overspending and making quick decisions for the sake of the day and sometimes end up with a look that is totally different than what they had imagined for themselves. Before we get started, this list is with the assumption that: A. You are confident in your abilities to create the look you want, and B. This is something would provide stress-relief, not additional anxiety.

  1. Time for Yourself & Your Bridesmaids | No matter what your big day’s itinerary is like, time to yourself to decompress, breathe it all in, or simply just take a minute to calm the nerves, is very limited. In growing and learning more about my personality, I have found that I am an outgoing-introvert; which for me means that although I love getting to know people and going to events, extended social interactions can be very draining. Some people thrive off of others’ energy. Although I totally wish I could be, I am simply not one of those people. In knowing that, and preparing to be one of the main focuses of over three-hundred peoples’ attentions, I had to stay super chill the morning of our 3 p.m. wedding. I did my makeup alone at my house before joining my bridesmaids at our church to finish my hair. It was such a fun way to kick off a day full of celebrations with the people I love the most. Reflecting back on how relaxing it was to go through this routine and truly soak in the start of the day, I am so glad I chose to do my own hair and makeup. 
  2. One Less Person to Coordinate | As I mentioned in this postunforeseen things do come up, and unfortunately people seem to always get sick or lost at the worst times. Between coordinating the wedding party, your own family, your spouse’s family, and all of the other event dealers (caterers, musicians, dj, photographer, etc.) there are already quite a lot of variables at play. Hair and makeup is such an easy one to take out of the mix.
  3. No One Else Knows You Better | Before I decided to do my own, I was adamant about having someone else do it and take what I thought would be a stressful factor off of me. My mom and I went to four different hair salons (a lot, I know..), and tested out two makeup artists. Even with sharing pictures beforehand, the look I had pictured wasn’t happening, and the style would become limp and fall within the following hour. No one knows your hair or your vision of what you want it to look like better than you do.  If, after testing it out a few times, you still aren’t seeing what you’re trying to describe, take an hour or so out of your afternoon one day and see what you can do. You very well might surprise yourself.
  4. Big Budget Saver | Aside from the costs of the day-of services, trial runs can be pretty pricey too. For the majority of the salons I tried out, the bridal trial run fee was between $55 and $75. If the outcome isn’t what you’re picturing and you keep attempting it with other stylists, those initial fees can add up surprisingly fast, and you haven’t even gotten to the big day yet.
  5. Flexibility | Since the trial run fees can get pretty steep, most brides end up only having that one session with their artists before the wedding. But what if you change your mind a few weeks before, or even that morning? Of course, stylists and artists can adjust, but the possibility of a last minute change of mind that they haven’t had the chance to do with you reopens the potential issue in Reason #3. Whereas if you’re doing your own, the complications from changes are minimized.  Not feeling the shimmery eye you’ve been doing, and want to go for a light smokey instead? Do it girl. Want to wear your hair down instead of up? No biggie, you’ve practiced other options, and you know what works for you.

No matter what you choose to do, be confident in your decision and know you are beautiful inside and out!

 

 

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