Now that the sun is moving into the northern hemisphere (translation: AZ summer is rapidly approaching), we need to protect ourselves from it’s damaging rays. Choosing not to wear a sunscreen with SPF in the sun can cause wrinkles, brown spots, and worst of all-skin cancer.
But, have no fear, we’ve got you covered! Our stylists are sharing their favorite picks for face and neck sunscreens to keep your skin babydoll smooth during our brightest months!
Sabrina’s Pick:
First up is the Eminence Bright Skin Moisturizer SPF 30. Eminence helps to lighten age spots and while toning the skin to promote an even complexion and skin tone. It is super smooth, non-greasy and absorbs quickly. Best of all, it’s organic!
Kelly’s Pick:
Second…PCA SKIN SPF 45. This broad spectrum sunscreen provides UVA/UVB protection with ultra-sheer zinc oxide, and the antioxidants milk thistle and caffeine. Its unique, quick-absorbing and light finish makes Weightless Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 45 ideal if you have oily skin or are prone to break-outs.
Daniela’s Pick:
Third…Swim, play, and enjoy the outdoors—knowing your sunscreen loves water as much as you do with Neutrogena Clear Face Liquid Lotion Sunscreen SPF 30.This sunscreen is specially designed to provide superior sun protection without causing breakouts on acne-prone skin. It provides superior broadspectrum UVA/UVB protection. Perfect for face, this liquid-lotion has a water-light texture that leaves a weightless, matte finish so skin can breathe. Ideal for outdoor activities and sports, it provides high sun protection, yet is comfortable and gentle on the skin and is waterproof for up to 80 minutes so grab your bikini and towel and head to the pool.
As with all sunscreens, these must be reapplied every2 hours! Now you can catch some rays and keep your skin youthful at the same time. xo
Planning a wedding no matter if you are doing it yourself or have a planner to help, it is stressful. There are so many dates to remember and appointments to keep track of that it all can be a bit overwhelming. Yes, it will all be worth it when you exchange the “I do’s” but until then we have a great tip on how to relax and take a break from the craziness of life and planning a wedding and it is as simple as taking a soak in the tub.
We suggest doing this once a week but even once a month will make a world of difference. Fill your tub with the desired warmth of water that is most comfortable to you. Throw in a handful of Epsom salt, 10 drops of lavender essential oil and half a cup of baking soda and soak for 20 minutes. By adding this mixture into your bath and soaking for 20 minutes will help draw out toxins, helps lower your stress related hormones and helps balance PH levels. And a big plus, the lavender essential oil helps make your skin sound lovely. My favorite time to do this is right before bed. I’m relaxed and a little sleepy and lavender always helps me sleep well!
You’ll be more relaxed and hopefully energized the next day, ready to get more planning done and check those items off of your to-do list!
As all of you have noticed, bright shades of colorful hair and rich pastels are all the rage right now.(Unless you have been living under a rock then welcome to the world where everyone has hot pink and lime green hair.) From one color to multiple colors, it seems like everyone is coloring their hair as fast as they can so they can have as many colors as they possible can in their hair. Part of the process of this coloring is bleaching your hair which is something I highly suggest a professional hair stylist does in a salon and not something you do in your bathroom. Bleach is a powerful chemical and if used inappropriately can damage your hair beyond measure i.e. hair falling out, burning off or turning into almost a gummy like substance. So best to the leave it to the professionals. Then when the color is on your hair and you have fallen so deeply in love with it you want to do everything you can to make it last. You definitely want to start with high quality professional product which goes back to having a professional in a salon color your hair. Once you have done that then follow these simple steps and that mermaid hair you have will last far longer than you expected.
First, you NEED high quality salon shampoo and conditioner. They can contain harsh chemicals so look for shampoo and conditioner that is made for colored hair. Look for the key words of “color-preserving” or “color safe” or “for color treated hair” anything of that sort. These shampoos have more mild ingredients which can help preserve the color of your hair. Even you can find a sulfate free color safe shampoo than that’s a double win. So throw that Suave in the trash! And using a conditioner with extra moisture can help make your hair look extra healthy and shiny. Coloring your hair can dry it out and make it look stiff so really conditioning the ends all the way to the middle of the hair can help make it looks its very best.
Secondly, rinse your hair with cold water. Yes, cold water. The hotter the water the more dryer your hair can get and the more dull it can look. Hot water also makes dye fade super quickly. So use the hot water for your body but cold water for your hair.
Thirdly, do not wash your hair everyday. It’s not good for your hair whether it is colored or not but it’s especially not great for colored hair. The more you wash the faster it fades. I know that is this a very hard habit to break especially if you have oily/greasy hair. I suggest in using a dry shampoo in place of washing every day.
Fourthly, check your hair’s condition before you dye it. If your hair is unhealthy and weak than coloring it will only make it worse. Try some deep conditioning treatments every two weeks to get hair healthy again.
I know some of these tips may be more maintenance for your hair than you would like or are used to but that is part of having colored hair. I follow the tips and my purple hair still looks fresh even after 3 months of coloring. Below are some extra tips that you can definitely incorporate into your routine but are not as important as the four listed above!
Extras!
1. Protect your hair from the pool. An excess amount of chlorine can strip that color right off. If a swimming cap is not your style (best way to protect) then rinse your hair in the shower first and apply conditioner before swimming. This will help prevent the hair from absorb the water and then rinse after swimming.
2. Avoiding heat tools all together is highly suggested due to colored hair being way more susceptible to damage and heat tools can add to that. But if those tools are necessary than make sure to use a heat protectant product.
3. Eating healthy. A diet full of vitamins and lean proteins can help keep your hair strong and healthy.
My of my favorites right now is aloe vera. I only ever used it in the summer until I learned of all of the amazing uses it has. I tried to grow it and use it fresh but my cat kept chewing on the leaf so I have to use the gel. But come summer I stock up on the gel to use all year (it’s always on sale and I love a good deal). Of course we all know the uses it is has for burns and help soothing them. But many people didn’t know how many other uses aloe vera has. Some of these uses cannot utilized when using the gel but they are still good to know for whenever you may need them.
Regulates your weight. By drinking aloe vera juice helps clean your digestive system which can help regulate your weight. I love this one because with someone who suffers from digestive disorders I love anything natural that can help.
Treats sunburns or burns from minor mishaps in the kitchen. We all know this one. If you have a sunburn (and we’re hoping this doesn’t happen very often) or a burn from cooking (this happens too many times for me) applying aloe vera (gel or straight from the plant) helps soothe the burn.
Dandruff. For those who suffer from either kind of dandruff have probably been suggested to use a harsh shampoo to help dry out the scalp but this also unfortunately dries out your hair as well. A more natural way to help dandruff is aloe vera. With its concentrated mixture of vitamins and minerals and moisturizing properties are exactly what a scalp needs in order to normalize and rid itself of the dandruff. Aloe Vera also contains something called pectin. The pectin in aloe vera has special properties that act as a type of “cell cement” that causes cells to be stimulated, divide and grow. The fresh, healthy cells result in a fresh, healthy scalp.
Brightens the skin. If your skin has been looking a little dull or if you have dark spots, try using aloe vera. Due to its properties it can give you a natural glow and help decrease dark spots. And it leaves your skin feeling smooth and refreshed.
Ends Constipation or Indigestion. Due to the natural fibers contained in the juice, it can improve your bowel movement, thus improving the digestion process.
Treat Pimples and Acne.
I love when I incorporated aloe vera/aloe vera gel in my regular beauty/health routine from my digestive system to my skin. And the best part is, I actually saw results. So with summer upon us stock up at your local drug store or even try growing some and hopefully your fur babies won’t try to eat it like mine did.
Wedding season is here and we could not be more excited; especially with all of the fun spring makeup trends. Because one of them is a big bold lip we wanted to share with you on how to keep those lips smooth from morning to night. Perfect tip for your wedding day or a night on the town! Start by prepping your lips with a lip scrub. You can use a store bought such as Fresh’s Sugar Lip Polish or there are plenty of DIY recipes out there; either or scrub works great! Next you’ll want to apply some hydrating balm or serum to those lips! One of our personal favorites is MUFE’s Hydrating Elixir (it can be used for eyes or face). Next comes the lip primer. This will give your lip product something to adhere to other than your lips. Then continue with your liner, lipstick and or gloss. And lastly and also incredibly important, blot. And to give the lips a crisp clean outline follow with a clean blended line of concealer in the cupids bow of the upper lip and under the bottom lip. Perfect tips for perfect lips!
Well, it’s happened. I have jumped on the coconut oil train and I will never jump off. And the more I use it the more I ask myself how I did I not jump on sooner?! I started using it as a face mask to help treat acne. I suffered from severe acne in high school and I still have quite a bit of scaring and redness. So instead of globbing on makeup I looked for a more natural way to help reduce the redness as well treat some of those pesky blemishes that pop up every once in awhile. I came across this very simple face mask consisting of coconut oil (I prefer the coconut oil from Trader Joe’s) and tea tree oil (Doteerra is my go to for essential oils). By mixing these two ingredients together you have a treatment that helps fight bacteria on the face naturally and also will not over dry nor clog pores. It’s what everyone who suffers from acne ever wanted.
After I discovered this face mask that’s when I really jumped into the coconut oil life style. I now use it in my hair, when I cook, in my coffee and sometimes I just rub pure coconut oil on my skin before I go to sleep. It’s fantastic! And because of it’s growing popularity the price dropped significantly since when it first came on the market. It has now become a staple in my beauty routine as well as my eating habits and I will never look back!