skincare

GIFT GUIDE: BEAUTY STOCKING STUFFERS

It’s that time of year again! We’re one week into December, and gift-buying crunch time is coming soon. These are my picks for stocking stuffers for the beauty lover in your life!

Living Proof Dry Shampoo
Read: The best dry shampoo ever.

Tula Primer
You can’t go wrong with a blurred look.

Bio Oil
Tried and true. Good for keeping dry skin at bay.

Real Techniques Beauty Sponge
WAY better than the Beauty Blender, and it’s a fraction of the price.

Lime Crime Metallic Velvetines
One of my favorite lippies for the winter season.

Slip Small Silk Scrunchies
Makes me feel a little less bad about wearing my hair up so much.

OPI Nail Polish in “Let’s Be Friends”
The most flattering nail polish EVER. Buy one (or three) for everyone.

Lime Crime Venus XS Vixen Palette
These shadows are super-pigmented, and this palette is travel (and stocking) friendly.

Ouai Hair Oil
If for nothing else, it smells AMAZING.

Morphe Lip Gloss in Flower Child
Gimme alllll the peach tones.

Lilly Lashes in “Miami”
I usually opt for Ardell lashes, but these babies are worth the price.


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GIFT GUIDE FOR THE BEAUTY LOVER

VITAL BLONDE GIFT GUIDE FOR THE BEAUTY LOVER

one // Laneige Kiss and Makeup Set

     I can’t live without this stuff!

two // Drunk Elephant Babyfacial

     Tons of raving reviews.

three // Slip silk eye mask

     For luxe beauty sleep.

four // Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry Palette

     Possibly my favorite palette EVER.

five // MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in “Soft and Gentle”

     The best highlighter. Also love the color “Global Glow.”

six // Mario Badescu facial mist trio

     One for every mood.

seven // Beauty Blender

     A staple.

eight // Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask

     Ultra hydrating for stressed-out skin.

nine // Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb

     Looks amazing on everyone.

ten // Lawless Beauty liquid lipstick in “Cameron”

     My daily go-to color.

eleven // Skin Gym rose quartz facial roller

     Also love a good ice roller.

twelve // Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette

     Can’t go wrong with any color — I love the “rock chick.”

thirteen // NARS lip gloss in “Sixties Fan”

     My favorite for a subtle kiss of color (it’s not as dark as it seems!)

fourteen // Urban Decay Born to Run palette

     So many fun colors!

fifteen // Vital Proteins Beauty Collagen

     Beauty begins within! Other flavors available also.

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SEPHORA SPRING SALE

SEPHORA SPRING SALE 2018 | VITAL BLONDE

If you know me at all, you know I can’t resist walking into Sephora as soon as I see it. (Okay honestly I pretty much run as soon as I see it.) Lucky for all of us, Sephora’s Spring Sale is back, BUT it ends today. I decided to round up some of my favorite or “must-have” products for you to snag before the sale ends tonight. Today is my 23rd birthday, so I had no shame clicking “add to cart” on a few items as a little birthday present to myself.

SOOO… HOW DOES IT WORK?

First off, you need to be a Beauty Insider to participate in the sale. You can sign up here. Once you sign up and have your items all in your cart, you’ll want to enter the code for which level Beauty Insider you are.

Beauty Insiders: 10% off everything with code YAYINSIDER

VIB: 15% off everything with code YAYVIB

Rouge: 15% off everything with code YAYROUGE

MY FAVORITES:

INVISIBOBBLE // These are my favorite hair ties! They look way cute in your hair and don’t leave a crimp.

KOPARI COCONUT BODY GLOW // I want anything and everything that will make me glow AND smell like a tropical paradise.

LAURA MERCIER TRANSLUCENT POWDER // I always need more powder. Always. #OilySkinProbs

NARS POWERMATTE LIP PIGMENT // This liquid lipstick does. not. budge. I have the shade “Get It On” because I’m incapable of resisting a cheeky color name.

ANASTASIA DIPBROW POMADE // This is the secret to amazing brows.

T3 HAIR DRYER // I have an older model of this hair dryer, but it’s made a HUGE difference in my hair. (aka I dislike washing my hair a little bit less now)

ANASTASIA GLOW KIT // Does anyone else want to bathe in highlight? Just me? Ok.

DR. DENNIS GROSS ALPHA BETA PEEL PADS // Every time I use these my skin feels BOMB. Read more about why you should get these here.

KATE SOMERVILLE EXFOLIKATE // I use this in the shower, turn the water heat all the way up (I enjoy burning my skin off it’s fine), and then enjoy the steam for a couple minutes before washing it off.

WHAT I BOUGHT:

SOL DE JANEIRO BRAZILIAN CRUSH FRAGRANCE MIST // I just wanna smell like summer all the time.

DR. JART ALL THAT CONTOURS SHEET MASK // I’ve heard this sheet mask is similar to getting Botox, so I will report back with results. Sidebar — I got Botox almost 2 months ago and I’m working on a post about that experience!

NARS CREAMY CONCEALER // This concealer has a cult following, and since I’m almost out of my beloved Tarte Shape Tape I decided I would give this a try.

ESTEE LAUDER DOUBLE WEAR FOUNDATION // This is a repurchase for me! I love this foundation because it has great coverage but also feels super light.

If I had it my way, I would probably purchase just about everything during this sale. BUT I’ve done a little too much #treatyoself this month (birthday month so it’s justified?) so I had to limit myself a bit. Let me know what you’re picking up for yourself from the sale — be sure to hurry, it ends tonight!

How to Get Better Skin

Your skincare routine has a great effect on determining how “good” or “bad” your skin is. I used to be perfectly content with simply using a makeup wipe to take off makeup and then go straight to bed. That lazy girl within me was probably the entire cause for any skin problems I had. My skin right now is the best it’s ever been, because of my skincare routine. Although I’ve been pretty lucky I’ve never had problems with acne, (thanks for the good genes Mom & Dad!) I do still get an occasional breakout like everyone else. However, with my current skincare routine I’ve seen less redness, softer skin, and I can’t remember the last zit I had (knocking on wood now…) You can live this dream of great skin too! Here are my suggestions on how to get better skin.

The Lipstick Tales - Skincare Favorites

1. Actually wash your face.

Okay, I know that this seems like a no-brainer but a face wipe does NOT count as washing your face. I used to be so guilty of this. Face wipes don’t clean your pores as well as they need to be, but they can be a good first step to remove makeup. However, I suggest using a cleansing oil or cleansing milk to remove makeup. (Read my whole post about these here!)

2. Wash it again (and use a wash cloth!)

My post on cleansing oils also talks about why double cleansing is great. It helps you deeper clean your pores. After removing makeup with a cleansing oil, I wash my face with this detoxifying cleanser. Also, using a wash cloth will help clean your face better. Into the Gloss has a great article on how to pick the best wash cloth.

3. Use a toner.

Toners will help remove anything your cleanser left behind – any little traces of makeup, oil or dead skin. Avoid using one that contains alcohol because it can be too drying on your skin. I really like this one because it’s natural and soothing.

4. MOISTURIZE.

This was the hardest one for me to learn. My thought was always, “I don’t need to moisturize, I’ve got oily skin.” I was wrong. Not moisturizing can actually make your skin over-produce oil, which can lead to breakouts. You have to make sure to pick a moisturizer that is suited to your skin type. If you’ve got oily skin like I do, opt for something lightweight or a gel. If your skin is dry, you’ll want something more like a cream. You will also want to use something with SPF during the day. I use this moisturizer in the morning, and this one at night.

5. Use face masks or pore strips.

Masks and pore strips are also great to deep clean your face in ways cleansers can’t. I love Lush’s face masks (especially cupcake – smells so good!) as well as this Boscia mask (I really like the whole Boscia black line ok) and Biore pore strips to get rid of unwanted blackheads.

6. Drink lots of water.

Seriously. LOTS of it. Your skin and body will thank you. Avoid hot showers too – they strip your skin and hair of moisture!

7. Sleep (on a satin pillowcase!)

Of course, get plenty of zzz’s as well. You’ll get more health benefits than just great skin from that. You should also sleep on a satin pillowcase. It’s easier for your skin & hair to slide around on satin than cotton, so it will help prevent wrinkles, keep natural oils in, and it’s also nicer to your hair and eyelashes. Mine is from Savvy Sleepers and I love it.

8. Be Consistent.

This one is SO important! One night of sleeping in your makeup can wreck all of your hard work maintaining your skin. Believe me, I learned this lesson the hard way. Consistency in your skincare routine is key to see lasting results!

So there you have it! These are all things I’ve done to improve my skin. Keep in mind that not everything that works for me will work for you, since everyone’s skin is different. Each tip is a pretty general category so that you can find products within it that work for you. Always test out new products to see how they will react with your skin to find what works and what doesn’t! Sephora is awesome at giving out samples, next time you’re there just ask for a one of any product you want to try out before purchasing the full size.

As always, thank you so much for reading! What products are your skincare must-haves?

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Cleansing Oils

Cleansing Oil

I’ve been really trying to focus more on skincare lately. I used to think just using a face wipe to take off my makeup at night was okay, and now I cringe at the thought. Recently I’ve adopted the “double cleanse” method, which comes from Korean skincare. I know, washing your face twice seems like serious overkill. The trick is to use a moisturizing cleansing oil as your first cleanser since it will strip away makeup, but not your skin.

I know what you’re thinking. “Hunter, I have oily skin. PLEASE do not tell me to rub more oil on my face.” Hear me out- you need this. I was not a fan of the idea of using oil to clean my face. I have very oily skin and usually always opt for oil-free products whenever possible. Plus, the thought of rubbing oil on my face just seemed… wrong. However, oil attracts oil so believe it or not using a cleansing oil actually helps remove unwanted shine. Of course, I wasn’t completely sold on this idea but I had to try it out.

I bought the Garnier Cleansing Oil, since I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a product that I was nearly certain I wouldn’t like. (Surprise, I was wrong.) First off, the oil smells great. It’s kind of tropical and summery, which is refreshing in the middle of winter. To use it, make sure that your hands and face are completely dry, and get about 1-2 pumps of oil on your fingertips. Then, just massage it into your skin to remove makeup. It’s safe to use around your eyes, too. Once I feel like I’ve covered pretty much everywhere that needs to be cleansed, I add water so that it emulsifies and rinse the oil off.

And poof. All makeup gone. Even every last bit of my mascara, and my skin feels incredibly clean- not oily or gross at all. I then wash my face a second time with my Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser to ensure that my skin is super clean and to remove any of the cleansing oil that I may have missed. This step is what really helps deep clean your skin better than just washing your face one time with your usual cleanser.

I thought for sure that using an oil to clean my face would do more harm than good, but I swear my skin has never felt so clean. My skin has even gotten softer over the past month that I’ve been using a cleansing oil. It also doesn’t feel like I’m having to scrub at my skin to get rid of all my makeup, it takes it off SO easy. I highly recommend using a cleansing oil especially if you have oily or troubled skin. I promise you it’s worth the extra time invested in your skin. I double cleanse morning and night since my skin is pretty oily when I wake up, but if yours is drier you will probably only want to at night. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to just washing my face just once again.

I’ve been sampling this Josie Maran oil recently, and so far I think I like the Garnier version better since it has a little bit thinner consistency and seems easier to get all of my makeup off. I also really want to try this cleansing oil– apparently one is sold every ten seconds worldwide.

Have you ever tried a cleansing oil, and do you have a favorite one? Let me know if you have one I should try, and thank you so much for reading!

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