Beauty Care Regimen

So here is the 411 on my day-to-day beauty care products. 

Nothing special here, all super affordable, and all used daily. 

I feel it is important to note that I have NO idea what I am doing when I pick out personal care products. In fact, my skincare regimen should be taken lightly, considering I still breakout like a teenager on a regular basis.  I would love to be one of those girls who just slips out of the house in jeans and a t-shirt with nothing on but vanilla lip smacker--but that is far from my reality.  I must where at least some makeup, or else...Well, let's just say it's not pretty--I'm serious.

1. Matrix Amplify Shampoo and Conditioner:

smells amazing, gives volume without causing tangles.

2. Kirkland Make Up Remover Wipes {from Costco}:

not sure what I did before I found these puppies.

3. Bare Minerals Prime Time, foundation primer:

just introduced to me by my Momma, and I am now hooked. This primer totally fills in large pores, wrinkles and other irregularities so that your foundation doesn't look caked on.

4. St Ives Apricot Face Scrub:

having been using this since I was 16.

5. CO Bigelow Mint Lip Gloss:

Always, always have one in my purse--can't live without lip gloss, and this is the best.

6. Neutrogena Healthy Skin face lotion:

I have an oily t-zone, and this moisturizes without being greasy.

And here is my latest little not-so-secret secret.

Someone who is very special to me introduced me to this product, and it is basically a miracle to anyone with thinning hair.  Believe it or not, Joan Rivers is selling this magic powder on QVC, and because of its awesomeness, I can wear my hair down in public without the stress of people staring at my secret.

 For some reason, since becoming a Momma, I never ever have my nails painted. I think mostly because even if I find the time to paint them, I certainly don't have the patience to let them dry before smearing them on my jeans zipper or my kiddos Legos.  Well, this season, I am determined to paint them fun, young summer time colors. mark.my.words.

For the scoop on my makeup products, click here.

And for my hair tutorial, click here.

What is your can't live without beauty product?

Particularly a face wash,

I'm ready to try something new.

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Congrats to comment #80

Danielle, you won the Mod Tots $100 Giveaway.

Whoop Whoop!

How to Curl Your Hair: Wavy Curls

How to Curl Your Hair: Wavy Curls

Wavy hair makes me happy.  It means less blow drying, less brushing, less straightening, and more volume.

Many of you have emailed me wondering how I get the lose curls in my hair.

And honestly, I can't take the credit.

I watched this tutorial on The Daybook and it changed my life.

Seriously, any tutorial that cuts the time it takes me to do my hair in HALF, is life altering.  Watch Sydney's tutorial, it will change you life too.

However, we all have different hair, and therefore need different techniques to make certain styles work for us.  So I do a few things different than The Daybook, to make the look work for me.

And here's what I do to create my messy curls:

My products:

Big Sexy Hair Spray

Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves

1.5 inch barrel curling iron

Straightener {optional} 

First I take a shower at night.

I brush through my hair, then spray about 4 pumps of the Wonder Waves. I part my hair the way I wear it normally. Then I scrunch my hair lightly, and wait for it to air dry. Sometimes, I blow dry my bangs so they don't get to crazy. Once my hair is air dry {damp} I pull it back in a lose braid, and tuck my bangs behind my ears.

Then I go to bed.

When I wake up I look like this:

A lot of my hair has fallen out of the braid, but that's ok.

Also note that I don't braid my hair all the way to the bottom. I leave about 3.5 inches because I don't like when the bottom of my hair gets all kinked.

Then I un-braid my hair. And it is in ULTRA messy/stringy waves. 

And I have cowlicks on my bangs.

So I take my straightener to my bangs.  I pull down all the front pieces and I straighten them together, curling the straightener under at the ends, so that the ends of my hair curl around my face just a bit.

Note: you must roll your eyes to the back of your head for this straightening technique to really work, see photo for reference.

I also straighten out any other weird kinked parts of my hair. I tend to like the soft straight look on top, and the curled look on the bottom--so I often straighten the top of my hair about 3 inches down, all the way around my head.

Now I am ready to start curling.  I put half my hair up in a pony tail.

What's that? You're noticing that my hair looks a bit weird like this...

That's because this is where you can see my hair extensions.  They make up about 25% of my hair.  They don't add any length, but they add volume.  Read this, if you're new here and wondering why I need extensions.

I take the first chunk of hair, about this much...

And then I start curling from the MIDDLE first.

This is the MOST important trick I learned from Sydney.  I always wondered why my curls would fall out so quickly in the past--then I learned, that if you start your curl half way up the strand, it lasts waaaayyy longer.

Leave the curling iron there for about 10 seconds. Then loosen the grip and pull the curling iron down to the end of your hair.

Then re-roll it all the way up to the top.

Wait another 5-10 seconds and then slowly release the hair.

Then I use my fingers to lightly separate the curls.

Continue this step with the remaining hair.

Then take your hair out of the pony tail, and follow the same steps on the top. I like to curl the strands in front AWAY from my face--that way they have more of a "Charlie's Angels" look.

Then spray once over with your hair spray.

And that's it.

I can usually get this to last 2 days before washing again {or putting it up in a baseball cap}.

A bit messy, a bit curly--that's the way I like it.

{outfit post for this to come soon}

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Say hello to your fabulous sponsor,

not like she needs an introduction

since she is pretty much world famous and 100% awesome.

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And the WINNER of the Mod Memento GIVEAWAY

CONGRATS to comment #212

M.O.T.B said...

keegan + mandy

One boy...one girl...Flirted in science...She asked him out...He accepted...October 4th,1992...Love at 15...Snowball and baseball games...Heartbreak and betrayal...Distance could not erase...Phone calls and emails...15 years later...He climbed a ladder made my dreams come true...October 4th,2006...Forever...June 6th,2007 met the first living breathing symbol of their love...Aidan Kale...And February 14th, 2009 their second Kamden Kane...And that boy and that girl...haven't looked back...

...to be continued

And there is still time to use your discount code:

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And today I am guest posting over at cool kids.

Please come say hi!

 

The One Where I Show You How I Put My Face On {and a WINNER}

How I Put My Face On:

Little Miss Momma's Make Up

{Some of you asked, so now I'm telling.}

Warning: I don't know what I'm doing. 

I am not an authority on the do's and don'ts of the "art of makeup". 

I do things like lick a q-tip and then wipe off smeared mascara. 

I can't live without lip gloss.

My eyebrows are two different shapes,

likely as a result of some plucking mishap in the past.

There is nothing I despise more

than putting on mascara--it feels like a chore,

but like many girlies, I feel naked without it.

So take whatever you read here with a grain of salt,

and then go find some other blog where the girl actually knows what she's doing.

Here is the makeup I use right now.

1. Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation. Shade: Light {Sephora}

2. Bare Escentuals Bronzer. Shade: Faux Tan {Spehora}

3.Sonia Kashuk Blush {Sephora}

4. Benefit cream to powder foundation stick Shade: Paper Dolls {Sephora}

5. Stila Eyeshadow Trio. Shade: Gold Glow {Sephora}

6. Stila Smudge Pot. I use this as eye liner. {Sephora}

7. Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara. Shade: Black {Sephora}

8. Eye lash curler. {anywhere}

9. Lorac Lip Stain. Shade: Sweet Emotion--see below. {Sephora}

First I take my Benefit concealer and I color over all my blemishes.  You'll notice there are A LOT of dots.

Then I take a sponge and blend in all the concealer.

Yes, it's time for me to get a new sponge--ick.

Then I apply the bronzer. This is my MUST have make-up. Without it, I look pale and sick.  I once read in a magazine that you should apply bronzer wherever you would get a sunburn.  It should not be applied ALL over your face--that's what I read anyway.

{right after bronzer}

Now I apply my mineral foundation over the top of the bronzer. This will help blend the bronzer and hide the rest of my pesky zits.

Then I use my blush and apply just on top of my cheekbones.

Now the basics are done, but I still look bleh until I put on my eye makeup.

I LOVE this Gold Glow Eyeshadow Trio by Stila.

First I apply the lightest shade one to my entire eye lid, and just a little teeny bit underneath the bottom of my eye.

Next I use both of the darker colors and apply to the upper crease of my eye lids, like so:

I use an eyeliner brush to apply a quick line of the Stila Smudge Pot under my eyes. I don't use eyeliner on my upper eyelid, simply because I don't know how to put it on.

Then I curl my eyelashes and put on my waterproof, black mascara.

But I still have my secret little somethin somethin left to put on.

My all-powerful, and very sassy Lorac lip stain, followed by a layer of lip gloss.

And that's it.

Nothing special.

{Happy Mommy necklace by Starfish}

What make-up can you not live without???

____________________________

And the WINNER of the

Vintage Wanna Bee giveaway is:

Maren

Comment #132

 CONGRATS!Email me at ashley@littlemissmomma.com for details on your big WIN!