my favorite lotions

I'll admit, I can be very lazy when it comes to applying lotion. When I get out of the shower, all I want to do is get dressed and go about my business. But lotion is really a wonderful thing, especially in the summer months - it moisturizes, gives skin a glow, makes self-tanner last longer (always a plus in my book), and leaves a lingering yet subtle scent that lasts all day. Although I don't religiously apply the stuff, I always feel more pampered and my skin looks 100x better when I do.

Since there are 40 kajillion lotions out there, how do you know which to choose? Lotion is a very personal preference - you have to consider consistency, fragrance, level of moisturization, etc. to find the perfect one. Hopefully, this list will guide you to a new fave:

1. Fresh Sugar Lychee Body Lotion ($28): I first tried this stuff at a Hollywood hotel and felt like I really was giving my skin the star treatment when I slathered it on. It's thick (you only need a little bit on each limb) but non-greasy, and it's the perfect scent for someone who wants to smell deliciously sweet but not like vanilla frosting (since I like to EAT cake, not smell like it). Pricey, yes, but it's like heaven for your skin.

2. Jergens Original Scent Cherry-Almond Moisturizer ($6): When I use this, I feel like I'm back in 1989 in my grandparents' Jersey Shore house. It was the only lotion they had, so I had no choice but to use it. Now? It sits among 30 other lotions in my house and I keep going back to it for it's sweet, nutty, notalgic scent. It's a medium-weight lotion, non-greasy, and the huge bottle lasts forever. One of my all-time drugstore faves.

3. Aveeno Creamy Moisturizing Oil ($7): How I heart Aveeno. This is a brand that realizes girls with sensitive skin want to smell like something (fragrance-free bores me). This clean, fresh-smelling lotion feels so lightweight on the skin, making it a summer staple. Another plus is that it gives the same moisture-locking benefits of a body oil but in a lotion form. When I use for a week, I notice that my skin is in better condition than before. Miraculous.

4. Korres Body Milk ($15): Both scents of this lotion that I've tried seem to have disappeared off of Planet Earth (Coriander and Mint Tea), but that's alright. Why? Because every single Korres product I've tried has really wowed me and I'm sure their other scents are just as lovely. This is the lightest weight lotion I've ever tried, which makes it ideal for really hot summer days when you want the BARE minimum on your skin. It actually sinks into the skin rather than laying on top of it, but it manages to moisturize as well as a heavier formula. Next on my to-buy list is the Fig scent.

Anyone with me on any of these? What are your favorites?

Maybelline's new mascara venture

Months ago, Maybelline’s Lash Stiletto took the drugstore mascara market by storm. Now, the brand has created vibrating mascara - the latest in eyelash trends - to really shake things up.

This July, Define-a-Lash Pulse Perfection will make its debut and be the first of its kind to hit the drugstore market. The battery-powered mascara delivers an impressive 7,000 vibrations per minute and the movement of the wand mimics the back-and-forth method that makeup artists swear by for ultimate volume and length.

Hm. I've seen vibrating mascaras before, but I haven't been intrigued enough to purchase. I like to control my mascara and I'm not sure if I want something battery-powered that close to my eyes. But hey, if it produces gorgeous results, the risk of damaging my corneas for amazing eyelashes might be one I'll have to take.

my beauty products take a hike

I went hiking this weekend, and in the days leading up to my journey, I was nervous. I don't often go outdoors without makeup or smooth, groomed hair so the thought of me in the woods with nothing but a fanny pack full of granola bars, sunscreen, and a map put me in a mini state of panic. I had two options: leave fanny pack as is, bring Chapstick, and grin and bare the fugliness that would appear in pictures OR bring the my usual touch-up kit which includes lip balm, lip gloss, eyeliner, MAC blot powder, mini comb, hand sanitizer, hair ties, and oil-blotting sheets and risk losing it all on the Appalachian Trail. Against my will, I chose the former.

You know what? It wasn't all that bad. I was having so much fun being "one with nature" I didn't notice that my hair was frizzy, my face shiny, and my lips colorless. Besides, I decided in the end it would have looked a million times more ridiculous if, there I was, standing amongst the trees and bugs with a face full of makeup and perfectly "done" hair.

Have you ever been in a situation that required you to give up your usual beauty routine? One place that gets me squeamish every year is the beach. The whole sand-in-face and knotty, salt water hair look never really worked for me, but I guess it all comes down to this: if you're having fun, who cares what you look like?

my real haircolor makes its debut

A funny thing happened this weekend. I was standing in the sun at a lovely Memorial Day BBQ and my dear boyfriend noticed an interesting thing happening on top of my head - the hair there was lighter than the rest and- knowing I'm a dyeaholic - wanted to know if I changed the color AGAIN. Interesting. Not a single drop of permanent dye has touched my hair since last September, so I did the math in my head and realized the color he was looking at was, in fact, au naturel. What he said next was music to my ears: "I really like it."


This is monumental. I haven't seen my natural hair color since I was 17, so I was positive it was half gray by now (it's not). Truth is, the color staring back at me was quite nice. I would describe it as a medium golden brown with subtle red highlights and for now, it's a keeper. It looks good with my skintone and eyebrows (as it should!) and I figure just saying NO to dye this summer will make my hair nice and healthy.

That said, I'll share an interesting tidbit: many hair colorists advise bringing in a photo from when you were 6 or 7 years old to find your perfect, most flattering grown-up shade. No more ripping pages out of magazines for me - I'll just revisit mom's old photo albums....

summer-proof your look

Ah, Memorial Day weekend - quite possibly my favorite time of the entire year. It's the kickoff of another summer (yay!) and which means it's only going to get hotter from here (finally!). I'm definitely a fan of warm temps, but along with this high heat comes that feeling we know all too well - melting makeup. Seriously, how frustrating is it when you spend time perfecting your look in your air-conditioned bedroom only to step outside be shiny and sweaty within minutes?

Luckily, there are quite a few tips and tricks to keep in mind to avoid this. I won't tell you not to wear makeup (um, and risk looking bad in summer pictures? I think not.) but I will tell you to apply with a light hand. If there's one thing to remember, it's this: the less makeup that's on, the less makeup that can melt off. And then there's always everyone's favorite beauty equation: oil + excess dirt + sweat + bacteria = breakouts!

Issue #1: Sweaty, Shiny Skin

First thing's first, ladies: oil-free is your friend. Would you leave the house with Crisco slathered on your face? I certainly hope not. If you use oil-containing foundation, moisturizer, or concealer, please stop and switch to an oil-free version to beat the greasies. All skin types produce more oil and moisture in humid, hot climates. Get an oil-controlling foundation (Clinique Work Out Makeup All Day Wear is a good summer pick) and add a drop of sweat-proof sunblock to it - you'll stay matte all day and get sun protection at the same time. 

Issue #2: Smeared Eye Makeup

Smoky, messy eye makeup at midnight is hot. At noon? Not so much. To avoid looking like someone colored over your eyes with a black Crayola crayon, just say no to kohl. I love kohl eyeliners (hint: a lot of pencil liners are kohl) because they allow me to smudge the lines and get a sexy, undone eye look. This is precisely what you want to AVOID in the summer because it just translates to unpolished mess. Go for a water-proof gel eyeliner instead- it won't budge until you take it off (Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner is unbelieveable, not too pricey, and will last forever. I also love the wide range of fun shades). Stick to powder formulas for eye shadow and make sure lids are makeup-free and dry before applying. Apply your regular mascara as usual, then add a coat of waterproof on top of it. H20-proof mascaras tend to dry out my lashes, so this trick prevents runny mascara but keeps lashes conditioned.

Issue #2: Messy Lipcolor

Stash away those creamy, opaque lipsticks for the cooler weather and go for a lip stain instead. It'll give your lips a pretty, juicy, tinted look that lasts for hours (Pixi Lip Blush in Purity - at Target gives me a nudish-pink tint that I'm obsessed with). Top it with lip balm for shine and moisture, since lip stains tend to be drying.

Issue #3: Melting Bronzer and Blush

Look for bronzers or blush that don't sit on top of your skin - it'll do a slip-and-slide act on your face in minutes - but tint your skin instead. Apply a facial self tanner before bed and you'll wake up looking like Casper's sexy Brazilian cousin rather than the pasty ghost himself (Jergens Natural Glow for Face is one I recommend to everyone, with no complaints so far). Complement your new "tan" with a pop of color on the cheeks. Avoid powders (they clump) and creams (they smear) and go for sheer cheek stains instead (Pop Beauty Apples Of The Cheeks is adorable and works like a charm). 

shampoo switch-up

I've read time and time again that hair doesn't get "immune" to shampoo if you use the same one all the time. But, if it seems like your fave shampoo isn't impressing your tresses as much as it used to, it's likely that you've got some product buildup going on. Yes, just like you exfoliate your face, you need to exfoliate your hair so that it's healthy, bouncy, and shiny.

The main problem that I've encountered with clarifying formulas is that they dry the HECK out of my already dry hair. I sometimes feel like they're made for a load of dirty laundry rather than human hair. I once used a deep cleansing shampoo that I swear could take grime off a minivan if they used the stuff at the car wash. I do not need that frustration, people.

I had to do something because, deep down, I knew that my string of bad hair days stemmed from my overuse of my ultra-moisturizing shampoo. Great for fighting frizz, but it also makes my hair limp after a while. Enter my little miracle (literally, it was travel-sized): Burt's Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit and Sugar Beet Shampoo. I lathered up with this stuff this morning and now I'm having my best hair day in weeks. My hair is shiny, voluminous but not pouffy, and feels conditioned and soft. The magical ingredient here is grapefruit oil, which has intense cleansing properties but doesn't strip the hair of moisture. It also contains coconut and sunflower oils and soy protein to keep hair strong and shiny. Lastly, I absolutely adore the natural, fresh scent and how soothing it felt on my scalp as I massaged it in. I don't think I've been this impressed by a shampoo in quite a while.

I know where my next $8 is going - to the full sized bottle!

best.bronzer.ever.

Bronzers can be cruel sometimes. Some are too shimmery, too dark, too light, too "muddy" looking, and so on. I had just about given up hope on finding the perfect powder to give me that just-right tan color when I tried this one by Too Faced. Chocolate Soleil is, by far, the best bronzer that has ever crossed my pale cheeks. For starters, it smells like chocolate because it has real cocoa powder in it. I know you're probably sitting there thinking, why on EARTH would I want my face to smell like chocolate? Well, I thought the same thing when I was introduced to this at a Too Faced event last year. BUT, you only get that cocoa whiff when you apply it and maybe for about a minute after it's on your face. Kind of made me feel like I was brushing Swiss Miss hot cocoa powder on my face, but I love that stuff so it worked out.

Now, on to the color. This is a great bronzer for fair to medium skintones because you can apply a little bit to get a teeny tiny bit darker (great for getting rid of that pasty, ghost-like shade) or you can apply a few layers to get a deeper color that matches the rest of your faux-tanned body. Walking around with a pale face and sunkissed limbs is kind of scary. I'm all for pale, but if you're gonna go white, go white all over. Another thing to love about Chocolate Soleil: it's completely, totally, utterly MATTE. Thank the lord for creating a matte bronzer that isn't the color of quicksand, because I was so over those. Dare I say it, this stuff actually makes me look like I was tanned by the real sun. No shimmer, no glitter, no orange color whatsoever.

There you have it - my glowing review of Too Faced Chocolate Soleil - the bronzer for those who hate bronzers and love chocolate.