Tried & True Reviews Tuesday

I love trying new things. And in the last couple years, I've tried a lot of different things for my beauty regimen. However, I don't believe in using something just once and then giving a rave review about it because there is no way you can really tell its effect in that little of time and use.

I'm going to share with you some products that I used up until their last drop or close enough...so you know this is a tried and true review of these products.  

Disclaimer: None of these companies paid me to write a review about their products, nor did they send me them for free. I made my own purchase of the item based on what they claimed to do. In short, I can say whatever I f***ing want about them and it's going to be the truth, and nothing but the truth.

Clarins Double Serum

I bought this stuff on whim while at Macy's in NYC in December of 2013. It was a good deal, I think I paid around $85.00 for the larger bottle of it at the time. I was in need of a serum because I hadn't really had one in my regular skin regimen at the time and thought I should. It obviously lasted a long while, meaning a little went a long way. I only just ran out of it in the last month. I didn't use it EVERY day, but I did use it very regularly during that time. I highly recommend this product, especially if you have some skin discoloration or rosacea. I had some melasma on my forehead from my pregnancy with Farrah and it is pretty much gone now. I definitely give the credit to this product. It's pricy, but worth it.
Tip: After your rub it in to your face, use any excess on the back of your hands.

Boots No.7 Protect & Perfect Serum

I really, really wanted to like this stuff. It's gotten amazing reviews. For the most part, I did love how it felt, it was a light non-greasy feel on the skin and I'm certain it did do wonderful things for my skin. However, one thing it did do to my skin was cause it to break out. Not like horrendously or anything, but I started to notice that every time I used this serum, the next day I had a pimple on my chin or near my nose...I just couldn't believe that was coincidental. So I won't tell you to steer clear of this one because for the price at $24.99 it's worth a shot. I won't be purchasing it again, however, due to my skin's reaction. I'm not one who breaks out typically at all, so when I do have a random breakout, it's usually a red flag about something new I'm using.

Dr. Jart+ Pore Medic Pore Minish Primer

I actually got a trial version of this with an order I received from Sephora. But that trial bottle lasted a week at least. I've never been big about putting on primer before foundation, but I am one of those people that really notices her pores and I thought I'd give this a go to see if it made a difference. I REALLY liked it. I felt like my skin appeared smoother than usual and my pores were definitely hidden. A little of this goes a long way, so I'm sure a tube would last a good while. I'm considering buying it now that my trial tube is empty. It didn't leave a greasy feel or cause me to breakout.

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer - Night

I love this stuff. I am on my second bottle of it. It does last a while. Retinol is a must in age-preventative skincare. I definitely see a difference in my fine lines and wrinkles. I don't use this every night, maybe about every other night, as my skin is on the sensitive side. On the nights I don't use it, I just use my regular nighttime moisturizer. I even bought the Day version of this...which is just a glorified sunscreen moisturizer, but definitely has anti-aging benefits as well.

Clarins Toning Lotion

I'm embarrassed to say I've gone years without using a toner after I wash my face. Now I realize the importance of it, in that it restores your skin's pH balance after washing. I got this also as a free sample with my Sephora order and I will definitely be ordering it once my sample runs out {which by the way has lasted a few weeks now!} I have normal/dry skin, especially in the winter, so I feel like this keeps it from getting too dry. No adverse reactions from it either.

That's it for my current empty products for now. I hope to keep you posted on other products as soon as I can give a tried and true review! Do you have any product recommendations?

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Become a Fashion Designer

Five on Friday

Oh yeah, you know what that post title means...TGIF!

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This was a great week, I made it back into the gym after a short holiday season hiatus. I really wish I had never left, but I am going to do my best to make the remainder of my pregnancy as fit as possible! I've already noticed a boost in energy and less aches and pains {other than the kind you should have after a good workout}. This is the workout schedule I plan to stick to for the rest of this pregnancy {originally posted on my fitness blog, The Gym Bunny}:

 And here I am working the leg press the other day {see that belly?}:

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I'm loving wearing my leopard flats with like, everything right now. I got these in NYC last month at ALDO Shoes.

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Tried out a shade of Pantone's Color of the Year on my nails this week. This is a little less pink-toned though, but still pretty:

Wet 'n Wild - On A Trip/En Voyage

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I think I'm going to start some paintings for the nursery this weekend. Since I am using the same color scheme as our living room, I am thinking I want to do something similar to the paintings I did for that room:

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I've been on the hunt for some good book recommendations to download on the Kindle. I plan on keeping it at my nursing table so I can do some reading while feeding {lol}. I think it will help pass the time, and when else am I going to find the time to read as a mother of three? So far, I've heard great things about these two and plan on downloading ASAP. Do you have any recommendations?

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Of Hair Tragedies & Triumps

I made a big change to my hair...remember how I said I wanted to go blonde again {it's been so many years}? Well, I started the transition...trying to get a natural blonde...so I didn't want to do anything too light or abrupt right away...to get away from a dyed dark brown, you have to be careful. I started this weekend with Feria Hi-Lift Brown...it was a very caramel light blondish brown with some shimmer to it, so I thought it would be a good base. It was meant for dark brown to black hair.

It did not turn out good. Basically, my roots were dyed the color and the rest of my hair stayed dark brown. Extreme lightening, hi-lift - my ass. Disaster. I put my hair up in a pony tail and ran to Walgreen's to get a color removal system. I read online about this one:

It was nerve-racking to try it, but I went for it. It lifted a lot of the brown and I ended up with an orange-y strawberry blonde shade {expected}. I had also picked up this hair dye knowing I would have to dye it again after {my poor hair}:

And well, not much better...my roots were still very light in comparison to the rest of my hair, though at least my dark brown had lifted to a more light brown. To everyone's disappointment, I did not take a picture of any of these stages...I do not want the record. However, if you are going to learn something from this post, just remember, it was BAD, very bad.

At this point, I didn't want to do anything more for fear my poor hair might retaliate from all the chemicals and just fall out. So I gave 'er a rest for the night and let myself stew think about what route I wanted to go - either just give up and buy a box of dark brown, or continue to try to achieve the blonde I was going for.

The next day, I threw it up in a pony tail {that was the only way to somewhat disguise the hell that was my hair}...and I went to work. My bosses are in town this week, and surprisingly, neither of them said anything about it {I guess they know when not to say anything}.

Anyway, I had a box of highlights in my linen closet, so I decided I'd go ahead and give it a try. I figured the highlights would help break up the line between my blonde roots and my brown shaft...help it blend a little better. So, here's the result:

So yeah, a little better...and able to wear it down in public. It's not what I want exactly, I definitely have some work to do. I want to achieve a more natural blonde, not so yellowish-toned. More like this:

I'm still a pretty far cry from that...so I'm going to work on it {slowly but surely}...this little beauty endeavor is to be continued...

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Five on Friday

Happy Friday, Loves!

I'm ready for a great weekend, how about you? Here's my Five on Friday:

1. Got some new jammies this week...these are from Victoria's Secret. They were available in-store, which is where I got them, but also available online. Don't forget to use the code FALL13 to save some moo-lah on your order.

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Guess this warrants throwing away a few pairs of t-shirts and sweats.


2. Hubby and I are headed to see the Under The Sun concert tonight featuring Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth and a few other 90s bands. Nostalgic, for sure.

3. Thinking of going blonde again - it's been YEARS! I've been a brunette for so long...seeking a little change. It's hard for me though because I have a hard time pulling it off. I can't be like a "yellow" blonde, it has to be more on the ashy-neutral side. I'm thinking something like this would be perfect:

I'll take her face and body while I'm at it. {I kid, I kid.}

4. I'm making a conscious effort to really eat more clean. I saw this article on How Does She? and it is great. Go check it out - but finish reading my post first, please. :-)

5. And I don't really have much else, so I'll leave you with this lovely quote I found on Facebook this week...something us parents should all have realized by now:

Also participating in:


 


Have a wonderful weekend!

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Friday Five

 
It's FRIDAAAYYYY!





Anyone have big plans for the weekend? We're staying pretty low key. We actually went to an OAR concert on Wednesday night.{I know, who the heck has a concert in the middle of the week? I actually bought the tix months ago because we always go to OAR when they come to town and I didn't even check the date because it's always been on a weekend until this year. Not sure what happened there.}

Pretty much our plans are to BBQ with the neighbors on Saturday...and I'm sure we'll head to the beach or pool at some point this weekend. Maybe more than once.

Anyway, I've got five things to share this Friday...

1. This hair oil is awesome. I believe it retails for $21.95, but I caught it on a sale for $10.00 at my salon. It's not too heavy and hasn't yet caused any back and shoulder breakouts like some Moroccan/Argan oils have done to me in the past. Great way to stave off split ends and grow longer, healthier hair.

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2. I just discovered this lip exfoliator by e.l.f. It's at Target for only $3.00! I get chapped lips easily, especially in the summer months if I don't keep the SPF on them. This helps slough off the dead skin and renew them, making them feel soft and full. I don't want to over-exfoliate them, so I use it about every other day.

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3. This dress. Does it not look so comfortable? I love Target's clothing selection these days...summer is best because they seem to load up on cute maxi's. Aside from being way affordable, they have a great selection of prints and patterns. I'm also a fan of the high-low trend on the dresses and skirts. I tend to like the front of my legs more than the back - tee hee. Whoever invented this trend, must have had that in mind. I think this one is -click- headed straight to the shopping cart.

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4. Just bought tix yesterday to go to one of the Under The Sun Tour concerts next month, featuring Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms, Vertical Horizon and Fastball...I am so glad that Jake and I go to a lot of concerts now. I'm even more glad that we have good seats and I will be within FEET of this beautiful man that used to be hung all over my college dorm walls {sorry, Hubby}:

Oh so delicious. Yum.

AHEM - anyway....

5. And lastly, I scored this IKEA shoe cabinet off of a Mommy Exchange group on Facebook. I am so stoked. It's the one that the famous Jen  of iHeart Organizing uses in her entryway. I've been dying to find a way to conceal our overflowing collection of shoes (mostly the boys, which get strewn about the house daily}. I'm picking it up today, new in box, and cheaper than at the store!

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Will show you how I style it soon! 

Have a great weekend! xoxo

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Memorial Day Weekend Recap & Skincare in Your 30s

Wow...coming off a long weekend and heading back to work can prove difficult. For starters, my hair looks like this today:

And I'm not sorry.

It was a great weekend. Jake's brother, his wife and kids came to town and all of the boys went fishing with Papa up at Lake Moultrie both Saturday and Sunday. This made for a lot of free time for Momma. I spent it at the pool mostly. So while my boys were out looking like this:

My view was pretty much this:

I got to do a lot of reading on my Kindle - really enjoying The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. And I've got a hint of a tan now...been wanting to get a little base started before we head to Florida in less than two weeks. I'm using SPF though...don't worry...so it will probably be a while before I have any good color. I just really don't want to burn myself in order to get color anymore - the risks are so not worth it. This is what I'm using - SPF 12 was the highest I could find in a tanning dry oil {please let me know if you know of another that is higher!} So I just reapply often.

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I took the boys to the pool late Sunday afternoon after they got back from fishing and then again on Memorial Day. We avoided the beach as the tourist traffic is just insane and getting to the beach could take over an hour...not to mention also when you were ready to head home from the beach. Just not worth it - we can go anytime.

I went to Target on Saturday to get some skincare products to add to my regimen. Megan of Style Me Swanky had some great products to suggest and I definitely wanted to try a few. She said she has combination skin, so I thought what worked for her might also work for me. I really want the Clinique items she is using because I have always loved Clinique, but I only had time to get to Target, so I may just order them online from Sephora.

Here's what I did purchase:

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This foaming gel cleanser by L'Oreal looked promising. I had not heard of it before, but when I read the back and it seemed pretty gentle and was what I needed to get my makeup off at the end of the day, I decided to give it a go. So far so good. It doesn't irritate my skin and it gets all of my makeup off without a problem.

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Megan had recommended this facial cleanser by Neutrogena. I'm reading The Honest Life by Jessica Alba, so I've been a little more careful about choosing products with the least chemicals in them, so this definitely fit that description. I use it after I remove my makeup with the L'Oreal cleanser. To apply it, I wet my face, neck and decolletage with warm water and then use this:

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Megan uses the Clarisonic, but I didn't have the means to spend that much on a face care item at the moment, so I opted for this one I found by Acne Free. It was only $14.99 and came with 2 removable brush heads. So far, I really like it and my face feels really clean after using it. My pores are looking a lot cleaner. All it takes is a pea-sized amount of the cleanser applied on the brush head and it thoroughly cleanses all of those areas.

After that step, I pat dry and then using a cotton ball, I apply a light layer of pure grapeseed oil. This was a tip I read about weeks ago and I really like the results so far. My face seems clearer and brighter...and the fine lines are less harsh.

Now that I'm 30, I know it's a good idea to start using a retinol product. Megan suggested this one by Neutrogena, so I picked it up:

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A little dab goes a long way. I've been using it every night so far, but it does say if it starts to irritate, to go to once every other day. So I'll let you know if I have to do that.

Then lastly, the night cream I've been using for a couple weeks now is L'Oreal's Revitalift. I have no complaints so far.

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So that's my new nightly skincare routine. I'll let you know how I like it in a few weeks after I have a chance to hopefully see some positive results. I will say though, in just the couple of days I've been doing this regimen, my skin looks a lot smoother, brighter and clearer. My pores are definitely cleaned out! I'm hoping to see some improvement in the "crow's feet" and expression lines I've started noticing the last couple of years.

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