With the holidays approaching, you may be getting ready to host an event at your home. Preparing for your guests to arrive doesn’t have to be a huge ordeal. You obviously want your guests to feel welcome and feel comfortable in your home, so these are my 7 tips to prepare for your guests and to ensure your guests’ stay is enjoyable:
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
The new year is a perfect time to start clean and fresh. It’s time to focus on what you truly want in life and what will help you to reach that goal. Going into 2017, I’ve made a point to clear out any things that I don’t want to carry with me into the new year. If something isn’t serving you or bringing you joy, cut it out of your life. Here are 27 things you need to get rid of this month:
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I love a nice, thick eyebrow. I fill my eyebrows in with the ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Beauty Express For Brows and Eyes and I’m usually pretty pleased with how they turn out, but I haven’t ever really had them “shaped”.
I’ve attempted to use the stencils in the Anastasia kit but they never worked for me. I’ve drawn the lines for my “perfect ratio”, but was always reluctant to tweeze in case I took too much and messed up my face. So, I left my caterpillars alone and I told myself that I was “growing them out so I could get them professionally done”.
So, when I started hearing more about the Benefit Brow Bar, I thought this would be a good time for me to clean up my brows and get them professionally shaped. I’ve had my brows waxed at the nail salon many years ago and I thought it turned out alright, but they just cleaned up the stray hairs; they didn’t map out the best shape for my face.
There’s a Brow Bar in a nearby Macy’s and an Ulta, but I opted to go to the one in Ulta because the Macy’s one had a few bad reviews. I’m all about the reviews; I always check places that I’m interested in going! If any of you are the same way, I hope this experience review helps you out! 🙂
So, I go over to the Benefit section of Ulta and two estheticians are already with clients. One of the girls asked me if I had an appointment, and I told her no & asked if they took walk-ins. She said that she could take me in 5 minutes. So I looked around for a while before she called me over.
I sat in the chair and told her that I just wanted a brow wax. They also do brow tinting and lip waxing. She had me sign a waiver that basically says that Benefit is not responsible if you breakout or get a rash from the wax and that you acknowledge that you aren’t taking accutane or using retinol.
Brow Mapping
She walked me through the process since this was my first time and cleansed by brows with a cotton ball and some solution. She then used the Brow Mapping technique to find that perfect ratio for my face and drew lines with a brown makeup crayon. I looked at the outline in the mirror and she asked if I liked the shape or if I wanted my brows to be thinner. I told her I wanted a fuller brow and she told me that she was going to wax everywhere outside of the lines she drew. She then used a spoolie to comb all of my brow hairs up to trim them with scissors and then the same thing after brushing them down.
Waxing
The wax was a pearly white color and she applied it with a thin wooden applicator. Everything was really sanitary and clean. She applied a cloth to the waxed area, pulled the skin taught, and pulled the cloth away. It didn’t hurt but it surprised me at first. The rest of the waxing was easy since I knew what to expect.
Cleaning/Soothing
After the wax, she used a cleanser to help remove any excess wax. She applied Almond Oil to help soothe and calm the redness & then she put on a moisturizer. She really let everything soak in and gave my face some time to relax.
Tweezing
She used a spoolie to comb through the hairs and help her get to the stray hairs that needed tweezing. There wasn’t much to be tweezed after the wax.
Styling
After everything, she used a concealer crayon above and below my brows, some foundation to help cover up the redness, and filled in my brows so that I wouldn’t look like I’d just gotten them done while running the rest of my errands.
Results
Overall, I am super happy with the way they turned out and I will definitely go back. I knew that brows really framed your face and could change your look, but I didn’t realize what I was missing! My eyebrows look so clean and sharp now; it’s awesome! So happy I went! The service at the Benefit Brow Bar was great. I really appreciate how they take the time to explain each step of the process & how they touch up your makeup before you leave.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
Makeup brushes are your tools to creating that perfect look — you have brushes for eyeshadow, for your foundation, contouring, and more. With the right tools, you can do almost anything! But makeup brushes need to be cleaned or else they can collect dirt/bacteria which can affect your skin.
How to clean your makeup brushes*Always hold your brush with the bristles pointing down during the cleaning process — if water seeps into the base of the bristles, it can break down the glue and destroy your brush. Quality makeup brushes can be expensive; you’ll want to be careful when cleaning them to protect your investment*
This is a pretty deep-cleansing method and it will take a while for your brushes to dry. So make sure you apply your makeup before cleansing your brushes.
It’s up to you how often you want to clean your makeup brushes. If you’re looking for a faster clean, however, Sephora has a spray on brush cleaner for more of everyday use.
How often do you clean your make up brushes?
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
Every year, Lush comes out with its holiday gift sets, bath bombs, bubble bars, and more. Some of the seasonal scents are less than magical for me, but there are a few that I really look forward to.
This bath bomb is huge! It’s $6.95 and shaped like a present with a white bow on top. I used this the other night and it smells lovely.
My favorite Christmas themed bubble bar. Super relaxing; makes your water so silky and pretty blue.
You can’t go wrong with this yellow bomb at $4.95. With red “pop rocks?” inside, you’ll feel like you are sitting near a crackling fire with this cinnamon scented bomb.
Do you have any LUSH holiday recommendations? What are your favorites?
Check out my year round favorites HERE.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I love the gelshine kit from Sephora by OPI. Gel manicures last so much longer than regular manicures and aren’t harsh on your nails like acrylics. The entire gelshine kit from Sephora costs about $160, but like I’ve told you HERE; it’s worth the price. They have 17 only 9 colors to choose from online now, but I’ve seen more of a selection in the stores.
Today, I used the French Manicure kit that I got in my last Sephora Haul. The kit comes with 2 of the gelshine colors: True Romantic and White Hot, a french tip applicator brush, and some nail decal stickers — all for $29 which is a really great deal considering that each of the polishes alone costs $17.50.
Here’s what I used to get that clean, classic french manicure look using Sephora by OPI gelshine.
After cleansing the nails, I applied the base coat and two coats of True Romantic.
After my base was cured, I painted on the White Hot onto the tips of my nails using the applicator brush.
I cured each nail after I painted on its tip and then I sealed everything in with a layer of the Top Coat. 🙂
Click HERE if you want to see step-by-step how to apply the gel polish/curing.
*UPDATE: After a few days of wearing the True Romantic pink color, the pink begins to fade. It is no longer a clear bright pink, but it turns in to a almost “opaque cream” color — not pink. It looks fine with the french manicure, but it’s definitely no longer any shade of pink. You’re better off using Bare To Be Different from the same Sephora by OPI line if you want a clear/pinky color that lasts.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
This book is all about improving your life by being mindful of what is happening right now. I first read this book a couple of years ago and it’s great. How many times are you walking to class or your car or at the mall and you’re on your cell phone? Or how often are you thinking about the XYZ you have to do tomorrow or next week instead of paying attention to what you are doing right now? All we have is the present — this moment. Skillful Means is all about living in the moment you are in; being mindful about what is going on around you. No distractions — just really being self aware and clearing your mind. It’s a great book that will help you focus and appreciate what’s happening all around you.
From now until October 1, Starbucks is doing their Star Dash. Basically, it’s another incentive for you to go to Starbucks during certain times of the year in order to accumulate stars to earn a gift card. This “Star Dash” is different from the stars you earn with the Rewards Card, although, you do need a rewards card to participate. Separate from the regular stars you earn with the Rewards Card, these “Star Dash” stars will give you $5 or $10 gift cards depending on how many you get before the deadline. Each transaction will ear you one star. I’m on my way to earning the $10 gift card!
New favorite sandwich for sure. I was looking for some meatless options at different restaurants and a friend suggested I try this sandwich from Panera. It’s amazing — lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, red peppers, cilantro/jalepeño hummus, and feta swiss cheese (I prefer swiss) on tomato basil bread. I bought ingredients today to make my own version at home! YAY!
I love the clean look and feel of the iOS7 update. I have the iPhone 4S and my camera app is faster and I really like having the “live filters”. Command Center is great and I really like all the new ringtones/sounds. It’s neat to have the option to block contacts and to be able to multi-task between apps.
Clear is a simple task management/list application. It’s clean and easy to navigate with lots of color schemes to choose from.
iTunes radio is basically like Pandora. I prefer it because it’s already integrated into iTunes and it remembers the songs I’ve listened to and makes it easy for me to purchase them if I choose. You can create your own “stations” and mark that you like certain songs. There’s even a Top 100 iTunes radio and you can listen to a shuffle of all the Top 100 songs on iTunes. I think this is awesome for getting high quality audio for more than just a preview of a song you might be interested in buying.
It was actually through iTunes Radio that I first heard “Shot At The Night”. ^^^
The Killers songs are always a little vague, but this one seems to be about taking this once in a lifetime opportunity to get out of a situation that is stale and move on to a life that is exciting and full of happiness. I love this. Plus who doesn’t love a nice 80’s synth ballad! Yay for new music from The Killers! I’m excited for Direct Hits to come out in November.
This mirror is great for applying makeup or tweezing your brows. With 8xs magnification and 360 degree rotation, you’ll be sure to see exactly what you are doing!
I’m surprised this brush doesn’t have better reviews online. A lot of people are saying the brush sheds, but I’ve never experienced any shedding. I really like this brush. I use it to apply my Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Foundation. The brush gives my skin an even, airbrushed yet natural look. The natural and synthetic fibers work together to give a streak-free application that looks great all day.
This dress is super cute. I bought it for a friend’s wedding next month but I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it. The lace design is really pretty, but durable — this isn’t some dainty-be-careful-or-it’ll-rip lace. The A-line makes it flattering for all body shapes and it’s very comfortable on.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
There’s something really gratifying about a load of fresh laundry. Fluffy and warm from the dryer!
These Downy UNstopables and Tide Fabreeze Sport make my clothes smell amazing.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
The Pearl system is unlike any other teeth whitening kits I’ve seen. The kit comes with the Pearl ionic handheld whitening unit and lots of individual tubes of whitening gel.
What makes this unique from other at-home whitening kits is the ionic whitening device — which won’t even activate unless you disperse the whitening gel evenly so all the contacts are fully coated
According to the website, your teeth can get up to 10 shades whiter, by using the device twice a day for only 5 minutes at a time. Ten minutes a day is definitely worth it to achieve a whiter smile.
Compared to Crest whitening strips, this system seems to give faster results, but also seems to get deep down into the crevices that Crest whitening strips may not reach.
The system is quite expensive at $195, but for a “professional” teeth whitening at home the price is worth it. There are additional tubes of the whitening gel sold separately for $50, so if you continue using the device, the cost isn’t that great.
