Weekend Hair

Hey everyone,

Things have been super crazy yet again for me. BF and I are in the process of selling our home. It's a bittersweet kinda thing. I'm sad because it's our first home that we bought together, but also happy because it allows us to get something we will love even more, and make new memories. We are looking to buy new again. There are pros and cons about buying brand new, but then again... we LOVE picking out all our stuff. There are tons of things that we would do differently.

With that said, over the weekends, I just have no time to do anything special with my hair. I have mentioned before about the top knot hairstyle that I have been loving. Well, I managed to sport that look all weekend, but this time I did it a little more messy with pieces sticking out all over the place. I think it turned out rather cute... lol

My hair was beyond dirty. I think I was on 5th day hair or something outrageous like that. I used just a bit of baby powder around the hairline and tied everything up. I put some almond oil on my ends to give it some conditioning and I wore it like this all weekend. I actually got some really nice compliments on it.

How do you wear your hair over the weekends? Do you let it rest at all? Comment below and leave me some tips on your weekend hair!

Love always,
xo
Mel

OOTD: Outfit Inspiration

You know when you stuble upon someone with great style and you think... LOVE LOVE how they put together an outfit? Well so many of my daily outfits come from all different blogs. I try to save pictures as my outfit inspirations.. and honestly, I always get so many wonderful comments from co-workers, friends etc... so just a quick shout out to all fashion bloggers out there... Thank you for inspiring me and giving me amazing outfit suggestions!

Here is my outfit from yesterday. Pictures aren't the greatest, but you get the idea.

I'm on 3rd day hair.. .It's a mess I know!! lol

and here is my inspiration for this outfit. It's an outfit by Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere. I thought it was so cute.

I love neutrals with a pop of color. My shirt is from American Eagle. It's a light grey short sleeve with a little pocket at the front. I tucked it into my black pencil skirt from H&M. I also had on black tights with a pair of black pumps. I just had a bright pink scarf to polish off the look. I like the red, but I love a pretty pink to go with grey... One of my favorite color combos.

Love always,
Mel

An effortless and Beautiful Brow by Anastasia Beverly Hills

Hey everyone!

Unfortunately I am not one of those people who were born with perfect eyebrows... or even full eyebrows. I always had sparse and all over the place eye brows that were just BLAH!

I was at Sephora with a gift card that I got awhile ago and came across Anastasia's eye brow duo shadow. The sales lady was showing me how to use it because I couldn't for the life of me, figure out how to use the light and dark colors together... Yes... I had a blonde moment!!! lol

I ended up going with Ash Blonde.

As you can see it isn't very dark. The color is definitely more ashy than it is golden. It's the perfect color for me. My eyebrows naturally are just a tad lighter than the darker color in the picture. So.. with my blonde moment... the sales lady told me to blend the two together to make the perfect match to my brows... DUH MEL!!! haha

Anyhow, what I have been doing, is taking the darker color and putting it more along the outer line of my brows, even extending it just a tad. Since it's powder it looks nice and natural! I then focus the lighter color on the inner brow area, so that it doesn't make my eyes look to closed up. I always blend the two together but the outer gets more darker color, and the inner just gets more lighter of the two.. Plain and simple...

Here is what the finished product looks like.

Plus the packaging of the product is very pretty too. I can always find this first in my make up bag because it's so shiny! I just use an angled MAC brush to apply this and it works perfectly for me. Anastasia does have a brush that goes along with this if you don't have one.

This comes in 3 different color cominations I think, but if you like mine, I'm ash blonde.

Hope you all are having a fab day!

Love always,

xo

Mel

Kiehl's.. My Skin's FAVORITE Place to shop

As most of you know, I have come to adore Kiehl's products. After I got started with the moisturizer, I found myself heading back to the store looking into some eye cream. I am a firm believer that if something works for your skin, why take that satisfaction away from it. Your skin will always tell you if it loves a product or hates it... stick to what it loves and it will work wonders in your favor!

I have been using the Abyssine Cream with SPF 23. It's from the anti aging line. Since I'm a whopping 30 years old now, my skin does not want to experience the 20's again. It's crazy how much your skin changes each year, but it's so important to treat it properly.

Since I have been absolutely 100% loving the Abyssine Moisturizer, I asked the sales rep what eye cream I should be using at my age. I didn't tell her I am already using Abyssine, but she went straight over to that line without hesitation. We had a little laugh after I said I was already using that line, but I'm super happy that I went with it because I already knew that the moisturizer was a favorite!

The eye cream is called Abyssine Eye Cream. It has a creamy texture and doesn't have any stinky purfumes (such a turn off when a product has powerful purfumes... UGH!). This eye cream is anti anging, helps reduce fatigue, smooths fine lines and wrinkles... and the best part if you can wear it both day and night (maybe it will be twice as powerful putting it on twice?). I'm very happy with it so far. I have been using it for about a month now. I find that my eyes are less puffy, less dark circles, soft and very hydrated. Five thumbs up for this product. Does exactly what it says... and that's sometimes hard to find. I also haven't had any bad reaction to it which is great because my skin is very sensitive!

On another note... something that I have really been wanting to try for a long time now, is a serum. I've heard numerous people (professionals, family and friends) that I should be using a serum at my age. I'm pretty hesitant as to what I put on my face, especially if it's oily.. My skin is riduculously sensitive, but since Kiehl's products have been working magic on me, I thought that I would take the chance and see what happens.

The sales girl (who was my age... yay!) told me that she has been using this serum (above) and has worked great with her skin. It's called Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate. It's from the Dermatologist Solutions Line.

Here's a blurb...

This Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate is formulated with a high concentration of 10.5% Pure Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid) known for its affinity with skin and its powerful ability to improve the appearance of skin aging. With continued use over time, this treatment has a significant and progressive effect on marionette lines around the mouth and sub-orbital wrinkles in the eye area as well as other facial lines and wrinkles. In addition, skin shows a noticeable improvement in texture and radiance.

I have been using this for about a month now under my moisturizer (at night), and so far I have noticed a difference. At first though, my skin almost rejected it. My face was breaking out, my pores were hating me... but all of a sudden.. BAM! My skin started accepting it. I have noticed that my skin has a beautiful glow to it lately, my fine lines and wrinkles have calmed down and my face almost looks a bit brighter. The Vitamin C is really helping and I am definietly re-purchasing this.

Like I said, I just use one pump and spread it evenly all over my face, then I apply my moisturizer, then I apply the eye cream. So far I am LOVING this combo. My skin has been clearing up and is accepting these amazing products.. PHEW!

If you have a Kieh's near you, I would highly check it out. They have products for every skin type, age group. You just need to consult with the staff and find out what line is best suited for you. Always give products a good couple of weeks before you toss it or love it. Like weight loss, it takes time to see results. If you have the extra bit of money to invest in something, put your skin at the top of the list.. It deserves to make you look your best!

Love always,
xo
Mel

The Beauty of a Freckle

When I was younger I HATED my freckles. I used as much cover up as much as I possible could to get that flawless look that was the "in" thing at the time. I used to think all celebrities and models were born with perfect, air brushed skin... until I got older and realized that imperfection is what's the most beautiful. I love how freckles are becoming so vibrant in today's fashion industry. Some of my biggest "girl crushes" are those of whom have the most beautiful freckles and imperfections. They make me feel more confident to let my skin breathe, and let my freckles shine through.

Victoria's Secret model Erin Heatheron

Another pic of Erin Heatheron.. Freckles covered up at bit but keeping a few as it part of her beauty signature

Twiggy - Known for her stunning eyes, she wears her freckles beautifully. It's like God placed them in the perfect places

Words to live by....

And then there are my freckles... I still have some face make up on, but they still shine through and I love them :)

Even though I wear a very strong SPF during the day, I still enjoy letting the sun hit my face and bring out my freckles a bit more. I have mine scattered mostly across my nose which I think is super cute, and I also have a few here and there on my body. If you have freckles.. embrace them! They represent beauty marks and character... and who doesn't want to show off beauty!?!

Does anyone struggle with self confidence because of freckles? Have you learn to love your freckles as much as I do? Comment below and tell me your thoughts!

Love always,
Mel

A Sample that I thought I would never LOVE

Awhile ago I signed up for Glymm Box.. You know, that box that gives you 5 free high end samples to try? Well, I've been noticing that all those samples just don't work for me. I'm spending $10 on stuff that I'm allergic to, that overall does NOT agree with me. I decided to cancel it and use that money towards a purchase that I actually will get use out of.

However... and a big however... I ran out of shampoo last night and I had a free sample of one of the high end products from the Glymm Box. It's a shampoo and conditioner from a line called Free Your Mane. I thought "whatever" I will give it a go, thinking this is just some lame sample but at least it will get me through until I can get to the store tomorrow.

Well... to my wonderful suprise (and seriously.. I was shocked). I absolutely LOVE this stuff. I didn't notice too much when I was in the shower, but the big shocker was when I started drying my hair. My hair was soft, conditioned, shiny and so silky. There were no tangles at all!  Holy patooodles batman... My hair felt hydrated from the roots to the ends with no frizz or dryness anywhere. I'm not sure if it was the shampoo, the conditioner or both combined (which it probably was), but thanks to this free sample, I am going to order the full size in the shampoo and conditioner.

My hair has been beyond dry and super damaged from putting highlights back in it while ago. It's felt like straw over the last bit. Ughhh.  What sold me, was the feeling of having child-like hair again. You know, hair that hasn't been colored, soft, shiny, natural hair that glistens in the sun. That my friends, is why I fell inlove with this. Even this morning when I woke up and fluffed up my hair before work, the brush just glided through my hair without any pull. I rolled brush the kinks out and gave some volume to the roots, and I almost felt like the heat from my dryer gave my hair even more softness and shiny-ness.. Seriously.. It's so shiny, I can't even explain. Absolutely LOVE this stuff... Invest!

I have never heard of this company before, but I'm very happy that I used the free sample and got a taste of what this stuff is all about. It's also sulphate and paraban free (which I won't use anything but), and a full size bottle is only $16.99, so it's affordable. If you are interested in trying this out click here

If anyone has tried this, comment below and tell me your thoughts.

Love always,
Mel

Nourishing Heaven... by Kerastase

Sorry that I have taken a bit of a break from blogging, but I have been really sick and really busy trying to keep up with work and the Easter holiday etc. Life got a bit much over the last few weeks and I just needed a bit of a break from my daily hobbies.. But I'm back and I've got tons of stuff that I must review for you over the next few posts :)

I added some highlights into my hair the last time I was at the salon... which means my hair is crazy dry right now and super prone to even more breakage than before. I have been eyeing the Kerastase Line for months now, but because it's really expensive, I wanted to try out a sample first.

I picked up a sample to try from the orange line (the moisturizing line from Kerastase). It's called Nectar Thermique Leave in Conditioner Heat Protection.

I would like to RAVE about this product. I wish that I knew about this product years ago.This is the best discovery for dry hair that I have found so far.. Totally excited about it and now it's a total CLW (can't live without) product for me. If you have damaged, dry, brittle, broken hair... you NEED to try this out. It has tons of nutrients that nourish hair, leaving it soft and conditioned. I absolutely LOVE this and highly recommend it.

The sample was great because I got about 3-4 uses out of it. After I towel dried my hair, I used about a quarter size amount of this from about the top of my ears down to my roots, really concentrating on my roots and also the dry part of my hair. I combed it through, let my hair air dry for about 20 min, then blow dried. My hair felt and looked incredible!!! So impressed!

The lady I got the sample from also said that even if you use heat, the heat locks in the nutrients even more, so straight ironing or curling your hair will help this product work better.. I'm prety sure I was in awe with my mouth hanging to the floor when I heard that.  However, after using this product with my curling iron... My hair looked incredible without the dryness and it stayed like that for days without me having to wash it. Even with my next wash, my hair didn't lose the dryness, it stayed moisturized. Each time I used this product, my hair felt better and better.. WOW.. so thankful to have been introducted to this wonderful haircare.

With all that said, I adore this Kerastase product and I recommend it to anyone that is looking for a really amazing nourishing, heat protectant that will leave your hair looking fabulous!

I've also picked up another product from Kerastase that I will talk about in my next post!

Love always,
Mel