Summer bronze

The summer is right upon us and everyone is wanting that summer glow! I am quite pale and wear sunscreen all the time (you should too kids! Just at least put SPF on everyday! You brush your teeth everyday you should protect your skin everyday) sorry for that little side note but I remember when I was a teenager and I would go to the tanning bed all the time and never put sunscreen on and now I'm completely nervous about the damage I did. It can take up to 30 years to show signs of sun damage so just remember that.

Back on track, sorry! I love self tanners and bronzers so today I'll tell you about some affordable favorites of mine to get you that summer glow.

First off my favorite bronzers-

Sun 2 Sun bronzer by NYC (New York Color)



This bronzer is a nice, light color. This is great for the winter time when I don't have much color. This is great for lighter skin tones and people that don't want a super-bronzed look. I like that is has this light bronze color and the golden shimmer to it so it really adds dimension to your face and contours it wonderfully! It's only about $5, I can't remember the exact price but I know it's affordable as is everything in this line. I have never seen this line sold at any other stores other than Target. I'll always take a good excuse to go and shop there though! Next time you are there and you're looking for a nice light bronzer check this one out!!

The next 3 bronzers are by Physicians Formula




This is the Powder Palette Multi-Colored bronzer. This is a great one to brighten and bronze. It is Multi-colored (obviously) so you will get a great multifaceted look. This bronzer is quite matte so if your skin is on the oily and shiny side then this is a great one for you! This one gives you a beautiful flawless bronze. This is great if you're getting pictures taken because there isn't any shimmer to it so it photographs well!




This is the Physicians Formula Summer Eclipse Bronzing & Shimmery powder. This is a fun, everyday kind of bronzer. Great for the summer time and for the darker skin tone. I use this one in the summer and it looks great. Now this line has a lot of different types of bronzers and a lot of them are great but these are the ones that stick out to me and are universal for everyone to use. I like this one a lot because the look is so pretty. It's great for every day and the bronze is dark enough for adding a glow and contouring. The shimmer looks really fresh and glowing. --I had a really awesome few sentences there and somehow I deleted them so that's the best I could come back up with and I hope I didn't forget anything. But regardless this is a great bronzer and it really brings your skin back to life.




This is the last bronzer from Physicians Formula it's the Healthy Wear bronzing powder. This has a matte bronze and it has an SPF 50!!! I love that! It goes on amazing and they also have a healthy wear powder. I wrote about the healthy wear powder in a previous blog, go check it out!! This bronzing powder is really beautiful and it protects your skin which I love!!

Please check out these bronzers they are awesome!

Now to my favorite affordable self tanners



The first one is from Neutrogena. This one is my favorite spray tanner. It's a little messy and being in a small enclosed room can choke you up a little bit but it's good. I know I'm not selling you on it with that dazzling review but it is great when you really want a deeper bronze. I use this one only once in a while and usually the night before an event that I want to be tan at. I will use my regular lotion and mouse self tanners leading up to the event and the night before I will apply tanner and then let that dry, I will crawl back into the shower and close the curtain and spray myself with this self tanner. My shower technique happened when my husband was tired of walking into a cloud of self tanner and having the floors sticky from where the tanner has hit so his idea was applying it in the shower and it works really well!!







These 2 are from Jergens. These are more of my every day tanners. These really help keep the tan maintained. The first one is the Natural Glow firming body lotion. This gives you a daily dose of self tanner, hydration and firming qualities....yes please!! I love this one and it doesn't smell! You can use it daily and it doesn't get too dark or orangey. The second picture is for the face and it has SPF in it which I really like! It doesn't break me out either which is huge when it comes to self tanners. I always break out when I apply self tanners and this face moisturizer doesn't do that and it adds just the right amount of glow. I apply both of these daily and they will keep your glow. They both are affordable and I always go back to these two!





If you're looking for a deeper color then this is a great one. It is a foam so I love the application of it. A little goes a long way and this gives a deeper glow and I only use this about once or twice a week and then use the Jergens Natural Glow products to maintain the tan from this tanner. They are all awesome and you could probably buy every single on of these for a little over the price one higher end self tanner.

Check these out and enjoy!

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Here is my other blog. I write about natural, organic products and trying to live a more organic lifestyle free of chemicals and processed foods. There are some natural tips and natural beauty products I write about on there so please feel free to check it out!! http://sonaturallynormal.blogspot.com/

Flawless, even skin for $3

This is the E.L.F. Tone Correcting Powder. You can get it at Target and it is awesome!!! It's only $3 and I am so, very pleases with it! I always use my foundation, concealer, then a pressed powder and then a translucent powder to get a really flawless look but I still have some areas that need more attention. I have redness and darker spots from healing blemishes and sun spots so this powder really gives that perfect finishing touch! I put this on as my last step for perfecting my canvas.

When I say perfecting my canvas I mean really evening my skin tone and really focusing on just the skin tone. This would be me apply a moisturizer and eye cream (which is super important! Giving yourself that smooth, hydrated canvas will put you on the right track for the perfect skin look) then I apply my color correcting concealer which is from Covergirl and it's my absolute favorite!!




This stuff is awesome and I have written about it numerous times! I have tried many others like this but I always come back to this one because it's the best!!! After this I apply my concealer. Then I do a pressed powder to help the concealed areas stay covered. I always like to add a transparent powder on top of that just to really seal that work in and really give that flawless look. I decided to try this Tone Correcting one out just because I always have redness and some sort of discoloration so, if I can even that out and add the finishing powder to the skin I'll go for it! And I love it!! It comes in this awesome compact that looks like it can last sloshing around in your makeup bag or purse and it has a mirror which I love!!!




The brand is only sold at Target from what I know of and this is what the box looks like.




It'll set you back about $3 and you are going to be in love!! Even if you don't want to go through all those makeup steps I would suggest to simply apply moisturizer and eye cream, then apply concealed and finish off with this! You'll be very happy at how flawless your skin is going to look!!!!


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Skin solutions

So my last few blogs I've written about BB Creams and me Breaking out with them. I've been using the Too Faced one and I like that one a lot better but I'm still breaking out. Not as much as the Garnier one made me break out but I've still got some blemishes. I'm one of those people where I just break out at the drop of a hat and I have never been able to wear any type of primer so I had a feeling these BB Creams wouldn't work. Now most people that I have made samples for of the Too Faced BB Cream love it!! So I definitely would suggest this if your skin can handle primers. This will definitely be added to my makeup kit for weddings and photo shoots! These are $32 and a little goes a long way!



Now back to my breakouts. The first time I tried out the Garnier one, I just so happened to be getting trained on a facial peel that week so the timing worked out perfectly! So the facial I got trained on was the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta peel. It is amazing!!! But luckily I got to try that on myself and it really helped my skin! Another solution would be to get Dr. Dennis Gross' alpha beta daily peel pads. They are amazing!!!! They are a two step peel pad and they are so easy to use! They are a little pricey but if you have discoloration or breakouts and you are desperate to fix your skin, then these are for you!! I use these about 1-2 times a week just for upkeep. Even just using one will give you noticeable changes to your skin!


The 30 pack is $78 which like I said is a little high but I only use them every once in a while so it's definitely a great investment! They come in regular and extra strength. If you tend to have sensitive skin start off with the regular ones. If you have done different facials and have used glycolics or retinols or you have hyperpigmentation I would go for the extra strength! They come in tubs like the picture above or in packettes. I like the packs better because you can travel with these and I feel like they will last longer because they won't dry out as easily. I also love the extra strength ones but if you have dry skin go for the regular ones!





This is one of my favorites as well as this little gem.




This is Mario Badescu healing cream. This is an amazing blemish cream that won't dry out your skin. Every time I have a blemish I use this stuff. This cream is amazing! When I feel like I'm getting a blemish I dab this stuff on. This stuff works great for the cystic acne (the ones that are really deep and hurt bad). If you feel a cystic blemish popping up just dab a tiny bit of this (a little bit goes a long way!) and I will apply this cream numerous times a day, like 5-8 times. Using this cream will do one of two things. It will either just calm down the blemish and will just go away or it will pull up all the dirt and then you can extract it. If it's the latter then here are my tips for a clean at-home extraction: when the blemish has come to a head wash your face with some sort of active cleanser I love a good glycolic cleanser (my favorite is Therapy Systems Glycolic Cleansing Lotion) this cleanser is $36 and SO worth it!!! I use it every night and have used it every night for almost 4 years! It's changed my skin forever!




After you wash your face, wash your hands!! Then get you 2 q-tips. I use these as my fingers when extracting. Instead of using your hands and getting your dirty nails dug into your skin I just use these q-tips and find the blemish and push down on the outer corners and roll in together. Push down, roll in. Rotate different sides around the blemish and if something comes out good, keep doing this until that clear, puss comes out. Sorry gross I know but I want you to do this right if you're going to do it! After that reapply the blemish cream and keep applying until your blemish heals completely. This cream never dries out my skin and it heals the blemish without even a red mark on the skin! After I extract I will use a toner and then apply the healing cream. My favorite toner is the seaweed cleansing lotion from Mario Badescu in the morning



And the special glycolic cleansing lotion at night from Mario. They both are $18.




After that dries on my skin I use the healing cream.
This stuff is a miracle worker! It is $18 for the small jar and $26 for the large one which would last you a lifetime!!!

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Couple newbies

Hi!! Long time no post! I have been super busy at work but with the transition of schools coming to an end and students coming and going, it's starting to slow down which means I'll get to blog more!! I've tried some new things and I'm excited to tell you about them!



First off, you know I love mascara and I am IN LOVE with this one!!!! It's by VMV Hypoallergenics.



This mascara is called Ohh-La Lash. It's $24 which I know is a little pricey but it is soooo worth it!! If you have sensitive eyes or you have major allergies then this is the mascara for you!!! I have awful allergies here in Tennessee and my eyes are itchy and watery all the time!! There are times when I'm at work and I am just wiping tears from my face because my eyes are so irritated and I think, "oh my gosh! I'm going to get done shaping this person's brows and they're going to look at me and I'm going to look like this..."



Don't get me wrong she's great and confident and has her own style. But let's be honest, scrubs and major smokey eyes just don't go. But honestly I wipe my eyes my eyes are watering like crazy and I'm scared what I'm going to look like and then I look in the mirror and I'm so pleasantly surprised! I look normal!! Not a tiny spec of mascara has rubbed off nor is it on my face! So-if you have major problems with smudging or your mascara comes off or you have super sensitive eyes then this is the mascara for you!!! I really have tried to find a great affordable mascara that's comparable but I can't find one!! I have been using this consistently for almost 3 months and I have tried to find others like it and just can't. So this ones definitely tried and true and I am in love!!!! Not only is it great for sensitive eyes it also is gentle on the lashes, it's super water-proof and it lengthens, curls and adds tons of volume. Don't let the water-proof factor scare you, it's not hard to remove. This mascara creates tubes around your lashes so all you have to do is do light, circular motions with cleanser and water on the eyes and it comes right off!

Another product I'm loving is another BB Cream that didn't break me out this time!!! If you've read my previous posts I had tried out the Garnier BB Cream and it broke me out like a little teenage girl! But- I found a little secret that cleared up my skin big time! I'll write about that next!!



This BB Cream is by Too Faced and it's awesome!!! It has an SPF of 20 and it doesn't have as much silicone in it like the Garnier one did. I think that was the problem for me was the silicone. I can't wear primers ever so I think that was the issue. Anywho, this one I feel like has a little more coverage and a lot more illuminator which will give you this gorgeous glow (which I love!). Every time I wear this people compliment the glow that I have to my skin. It is really awesome and it doesn't break me out!! This will definitely be my summer makeup go-to! If you don't know BB Creams are the latest craze in the beauty world. They hydrate, give you sun protection, they have a natural tint to them so it evens and lightens the skin, there is an illuminator that gives you this gorgeous glow and it's healing! Love it, love it, love it! It's $32 and you will not be disappointed!!!


Www.toofaced.com
Www.vmvhypoallergenics.com
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Love and lips

hello!!!!!!! It's Andy here and I'm back from district 12 and back to reality. I have not written in the past few weeks because all my free time has been spent reading those darn hunger games books. I was hooked!!!



so anywho now I'm back to my normal routine!!


While I had my nose stuck in the hunger games books I was using different types of Chapsticks. I used to love Burt's bees but I noticed that they started feeling really waxy on the lips. That's when I found out that they were recently bought out and maybe that's why the texture had changed. Who knows? All I know is I'm not happy with the new texture and feel.



So I started using natural ice. It's super cheap and it has an SPF which is pretty awesome. I also love the mentholated feel that it gives. It's similar to the Burt's bees and I always loved that about the Burt's bees one.





I was pretty happy with this one I used it for a while. It's cheap and feels good so I was happy. Then one day I had to go to a training at work for a line called Fresh. I know a little about the line but really the line sells itself. People really love the line and Fresh has a huge cult following. All I know is people buy this Fresh sugar lip treatment by the handfuls and it's not cheap so I knew it had to be good. I never tried it because it is pricey and I never wanted to get hooked on a product that would not last too long and that was so expensive. Well at this training we got some free goodies and this sugar lip treatment was one of them. I put it on my lips and I was immediately hooked! My lips had never felt so great!!



This lip treatment has no petroleum or beeswax in it so this means it will truly hydrated your lips from the inside-out rather than just hydrating the outer surface. This lip treatment has sugar in it which will naturally hydrate your lips and add moisture to them which will also naturally plump your lips up as well! I really could notice a difference with this. For the first few days I had to apply this lip treatment more often because most likely my lips were pretty dehydrated from using bad ingredients like waxes that weren't really hydrating my lips. But after a few days my lips felt amazing and I barely had to apply that great sugar goodness as much.
I am pretty sold on this product. It's $22 and I know my name is the thrifty makeup artist but I just love this stuff and it's been tried And true. Yes, it's pricey but yes, it's awesome and you will definitely not be disappointed or waste your money!
This sugar one is the first, original lip treatment. Now they have come out with different tints and flavors, rose, honey, plum and passion. Here are the colors (by the way-they all are gorgeous and look great on all skin tones too!)
They all have SPF which I love and they have amazing antioxidants, different vitamins and oils to better your lips as well!




There is a new Fresh lip treatment that has just come out called advanced therapy. I have not tried it but I'm buying it tomorrow!! This one is definitely more of a treatment rather than one you just want to throw on all the time. This one is meant to help diminish fine lines and wrinkles and to add a little more plumpness to the lips. It's also super duper hydrating. Another difference is there is not SPF that's another reason why I say use this one just as a treatment.


Well after I ran out of my first free Fresh lip treatment I immediately purchased another one. I just loved it. But I broke my second and was a little bummed so I decided to get back out there and find another cheaper version. I tried but I am not happy. I bought the EOS lip treatment in fruit punch (I think that was the flavor, it doesn't really matter though) and I'm not a big fan. I feel like it adds no hydration to my lips whatsoever. I have to reapply this stuff constantly with no great results in the end.


I love that Its natural but I just can't do it. My lips feel like they are shriveling up to nothing! I'm having Fresh sugar withdrawals big time!!!

Another one I tried was the Burt's bees ultra conditioning with Kokum butter.



I'm still not happy. So I'm sorry guys and gals but In this Instance this fresh product is definitely worth the money!!!

Love and lips!
Andy
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Birch box review

Hi! I have made a personal goal that I will use each product from my birch box and not waste them and let all these samples pile up. First off I just want to say that I've only gotten one birch box but I am LOVING it already!!! I can't wait for my next one!!



I have used the Orofluido elixir and it's really amazing. I have used the Moroccan Oil and it is similar but I do feel like this one is a little more hydrating and keeps my dry hair really smooth. I really am considering buying this. I'm going to do a little comparison between my hair products i have now and see if it's worth the purchase but so far I really love it!



The teas are great! Now granted I only have one of each so I don't know if the beauty benefits are happening or not but- it tastes good and there are so many amazing ingredients and antioxidants in them!! I'm all about health and getting amazing benefits from drinks and foods and whatnot but the truth is I'm just not a huge tea person so these are great but Just not my "cup of tea." haha get it? But if you're a tea person go for it!!



I love Jouer luminizing moisture tint. I will say it does not have the best coverage but the beautiful glow that comes with it is just amazing!!! I am really considering purchasing this!! It gives you the most natural, beautiful, subtle glows that I have ever seen!



The Ahava is a great moisturizer. It doesn't break me out and it feels really good. I will definitely use this but I just love so many moisturizers that most likely I will go back to my old standby when I finish this one. If you have really sensitive or dryer skin this would be a great option for you!



I am LOVING this!!! I can't wait to see all the other colors in the line! I have seen a few and they are so bright and beautiful and I am definitely ready of order some more bold beautiful colors for the summer! It has a sheer almost jelly sheen to it so it's easy to layer and build up the color. Here's a look at it on my toes- don't judge my polish application I'm awful at it!! And don't pay attention to how big my feet are!!






Annick Goutal perfume is amazing and smells so great!!! It's not too heavy but it still has an amazing scent and it's just light and lovely!!


I hope you enjoy!!


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