August Favorites

Hello again!

Is August really over already?  This year is flying by!

I thought I would share what I was loving this month with y'all.  I am going to give you a little of everything…make up, skin care, fragrance and some random stuff.

Make Up:

- IT Cosmetics CC Cream
This has been my go to foundation everyday.  I have tried the Loreal and Ole Hendrickson CC creams and they are great as a primer or to even your skin out however I would not use them as a foundation.  This CC cream evens out skin and adds coverage.  I usually use this as a day time foundation, but I have used it for night time looks as well.  My skin feels very velvety after using it.  It is a great product!  Love it!

- ELF Keep Singing Blush from the Snow White beauty box
I posted pictures of this beauty box on Instagram because it stopped me in my tracks at Walgreens.  Snow White has been one of my favorite Disney Princesses, one because she was the only one I could dress up as (she had black hair) and my niece Mia absolutely loves her…so I naturally need to love her even more.  I swear Mia's first words were Snow White.  Back to the blush…I like this color because it gives you a skin kissed look to your cheeks.  It has a bit of a sheen to it as well so it is a nice healthy glow.  When you wake up looking like a corpse a healthy glow is definitely something you go for.

- NYX Brown Eyeliner Pencil
If you know me you know that I love a black eyeliner.  All sorts…gel, liquid, marker…anything that can give me that perfect winged cat eye.  But I have been leaning toward the NYX brown eyeliners I recently purchased.  The look is much softer and I have been loving it!  It really warms my eyes and I am just obsessed.

- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light
There has been a lot of raves about Hourglass Ambient light highlighters.  I have been going back and forth on whether I believe the hype or not.  To be honest I don't think it is amazing, especially because of the price.  Maybe its because of the one I purchased but I don't think I would repurchase it.  However, I have been reaching for it and it does provide a slight highlight and glow to my face.

- Stila Lip Pot in Baie
I have switched my lip products a lot this month and have found a lot of favorites…can I just say Melt cosmetic lipsticks are my new obsession!  But I haven't worn them the entire month…watch out because they might just be in my September favorites!  One product I found by shopping my stash when I was getting ready for my friends bachelorette weekend was Stila's Lip Pot in Baie.  It is such a pretty rosey mauve color.  It is pretty sheer so it just a lil hint of color on your lips and for sunny days by the beach or pool I don't want to go for a heavy colored lip.  It is also pretty hydrating.  I may need some more colors…hmmm.

Body Care:

- Shea Moisture Foaming Milk & Body Wash in Coconut & Hibiscus 
I am on my second bottle of this stuff.  I got it at Target (Turrget) and I love the smell of it!  My lil sister came out to visit and was obsessed too and we went to get it for her.  We found it at Ulta as well and they have a bigger selection of products with the scent so you could…collect the whole set!  It is a creamy body wash and I actually have been using it to shave my legs so that should tell you how moisturizing this body wash is.  I purchased the body wash and lotion because I wanted to double up on this yummy scent.  But this month I have only been using the body wash.

- Bath and Body Works Oahu Coconut Sunset body lotion
My lil sister and I went crazy at Bath and Body Works because they suck you in with their sales!  I bought way too many candles and added some lotions and body spray on their Hawaii scent line.  I purchased two lotions, the Oahu and Maui body lotion.  I really like both of the scents but I have been slapping on the Oahu body lotion all month long.  I basically love all scents that remind me of being at the beach or in Hawaii.

Scent:

- Bath and Body Works Cool Coconut Surf
Like most of Bath and Body Works body sprays this scent does not last all day however it just smells yummy.  The scent smells like coconut and a floral scent too.  I love scents that transport me and this scent smells like the beach / Hawaii.  I spray it all over and even in my hair.  If I do that it actually lasts longer so if "I whip my hair back and forth" then I get that beachy scent all over again.

Skin Care:

- Aveeno Ultra Calming Make Up Remover Wipes
I don't know if this happens to everyone, but most make up remover wipes burn the crap out of my eyes.  I have tried pretty much all of them, Neutrogena, Dove, Simple, Yes, etc.  Aveeno is the only brand of make up remover wipes that does not burn my eyes.  They are a bit more money but my eyeballs appreciate the splurge of the extra dollar.  I have used make up remover solutions and they don't bother my eyes as much but I really like the convenience of the wipes.

- Perricone MD Science of Cold Plasma 
I am always looking for a holy grail skin care line.  I have found a few that I really love but I still search.  I really really love all Caudalie products and was thinking of ending my search but I have also liked Perricone products that I have tried so I thought I would give it a go again.  I went to Ulta and tried the Plasma Starter Kit.  Basically a sample of the line to see if you want to go crazy and splurge on the regular sized products.  It included a Blue Plasma, Cold Plasma that you wear under moisturizer, Cold Plasma Sub-D Neck Cream and Cold Plasma Eye Cream.  The biggest thing I have noticed is my skin is very soft after using this set.  After I am done using this set I will write a complete review on all the products in the set.

Random:

Dannon Oikos Chocolate Greek Frozen Yogurt
For the love of god save me from myself!  Over a month ago my stomach was bothering with really bad heart burn.  I have never had it so bad.  I changed my diet significantly and tried to figure out what exactly was bothering it.  It seemed like most everything bothered my stomach so I started to take probiotics and drinking a few teaspoons of Aloe Vera juice each day.  I think that definitely helped.  One of the things that didn't bother my stomach was greek yogurt so I was eating it on a daily basis.  I have a bit of a sweet tooth around that certain time of the month and I didn't want to indulge like I normally do by diving into some Reeses Peanut Buttercups and going into a coma after so I went to the market to just browse the frozen dessert aisle.  I wandered upon the frozen yogurt section and then I remembered that commercial with Jon Stamos eating Oikos frozen yogurt and their marketing worked…I bought some.  I bought the chocolate and I had to stop myself from eating the entire thing that night.  Deeelish!!!  It didn't bother my stomach and I was worried because of the chocolate.  If I'm gonna be completely honest I buy a few of them a week.  Complete pig.  But I take the dogs on long walks, do weekly hash runs and do squats…that should equal it all out right?  Well…thats what I tell myself and I'm totally convinced!

Jon Stamos…you suckered me in!

Hoped you liked my August favorites…what was your favorites?

KLS

Chrystal

Skin Care Empties - Likes and Dislikes

Hi everyone,

Round 2 of my empties blog.  This time it is my skin care items that I have used up.  Again a big inclination of a love item is whether or not I would repurchase the item or not.  But there are so many different skin types, hair types, etc. so even if I don't like it, it may be just because it doesn't work with my skin or just I'm not feelin' it.

Empties:

- Ahava Dead Sea Essentials Comforting Vanilla Sugar-Salt Spa Scrub

- Arbonne RE9 Night Repair Creme

- Dermalogica Multi-vitamin Power Serum

- Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery with SPF 30

- Kiehl's Abyssine Eye Cream

Ahava Dead Sea Essentials Comforting Vanilla Sugar-Salt Spa Scrub:

I got this lil bad boy at one of my favorite places…Target…or Turrrget!  I can't get out of Target without buying things I don't need.  Does anyone feel that way?  I like this scrub.  I like a little harder scrubs so I feel like its doing its job…scrub that sh*t!  This scrub isn't too hard but it definitely scrubs the dead skin away.  My skin felt softer after use.  I will say to steer clear if you have a cut since it does have some salt in it.  It will sting but it isn't as bad as straight salt scrubs.  The yummy vanilla smell is just a bonus.  It smells like a vanilla sugar cookie, but not too sweet.  You won't end up smelling like a baby prostitute.  Sorry…Mean Girls reference.  I really like Ahava products and think they are very hydrating.  I still am using the Hibiscus body cream and will review that once I am done with it.  I bought a heavy duty lotion from them when my mother in law was in the hospital and it worked so well on her sensitive dry skin!

Arbonne RE9 Night Repair Creme:

I can't say enough good things about this night creme.  I have normal to dry skin…depending on the season.  I would say normal during the spring/summer months and dry in the fall/winter months.  This is definitely a must have for me especially during the winter months.  I have tried different night creams but when I go back to this I wonder why I ever stopped.  My skin feels so soft the next morning I almost don't want to wash my face.  I think it is really calming for my skin as well.  I have had bad breakouts or dry skin patches and after one nightly use it definitely calms my skin.  It is very hydrating and is perfect for my skin type.  I would say if you have normal to dry skin…buy it!  And if my sister is reading this…help I need more!

Dermalogica Multi-vitamin Power Serum:

Since my skin is on the dryer side I am always looking for a good serum.  My stylist suggested I should try the Dermalogica brand so the product junkie that I am…I did.  I bought a starter kit and it included a toner, this serum, a daily moisturizer, and a little intense hydrating serum.  I am still using the toner which I like and think it is pretty hydrating.  Although I wasn't blown away by this serum.  I was expecting a lot from the name but I felt like it just sat on my face.  Haha!!  Anyway…back from junior high school boy jokes…for reals it did not sink into my skin.  I like to feel like my skin care products sink into my skin and hydrate it…my skin gets real thirsty!  Anyways I would not repurchase this.  Although now thinking about it, it might be a good make up primer.  Hmm...

Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery with SPF 30:

I liked this moisturizer.  It wasn't too heavy or too greasy, I think it was the perfect consistency.  At first I wasn't blown away by it because I felt like it didn't make that much of a difference but after using it all and running out of it I will say I was bummed out at my last few pumps…I was going to miss it.  I think this is my perfect spring/summer time daily moisturizer.  I do need a heavier one during the winter and I think that is why I didn't care for it at first because it was during the winter months when I purchased it.  I would definitely repurchase this moisturizer for my spring/summer time moisturizer.  Sorry I don't have a picture for this because all of the wording rubbed off.  I travel a lot and because it was in my travel/make up bags it rubbed up against other products and the wording was gone.

Kiehl's Abyssine Eye Cream: 

I have been on the search for an amazing eye cream that does it all for my issues.  I have dark circles, puffy eyes in the morning and trying to combat the signs of being an old hag.  I really liked this eye cream.  I like thicker eye creams because I have skin on the drier side and also I think my skin around my eyes need it.  I think the more hydrated your under eyes are the better your make up looks.  If you put concealer on under eye skin that isn't moisturized and you have some fine lines…girl you will look 10 years older!  Maybe it's just me but I have done that before and looked in the mirror like "Granny NO!"

I bought this at Nordstrom Rack to give it a whirl and I ended up loving it.  I definitely would repurchase it but I actually want to try the Kiehl's avocado eye cream because I heard rave reviews about it.  

If you tried any of these products I would love to hear your thoughts as well!

Talk to you soon!  

KLS

Chrystal

Hair Product Empties - Likes and Dislikes

Hi everyone,

I am going to start adding product reviews to my blog.  I have had so many friends ask me to start doing this for years but I am just a lazy bum so I never started it.  I usually just give my reviews and tips face to face with my buddies.

I have always been a huge 'product junkie' as my friend used to call me.  I love hearing what other people think of products so I thought I would give my two cents on items I love, like, could take or leave or just plain dislike.

I thought I would start first on product items that I have used up.  A big inclination of a love item is whether or not I would repurchase the item or not.  But there are so many different skin types, hair types, etc. so even if I don't like it, it may be just because it doesn't work with my hair/skin or just I'm not feelin' it.

Empties:

- Caviar Repair Rx Instant Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner
- Living Proof Prime Style Extender
- Aveda Dry Remedy Shampoo and Conditioner
- Kevin Murphy Young Again
- Philip B pH Restorative Detangling Toning Mist

Caviar Repair Rx Instand Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner:
My wonderful and lovely hair stylist Mandy used Caviar products on me before so I wanted to try more.  I have colored my hair so much the past few years it is insane that I still have hair on my head.  I decided I needed to show a little love to my strands and tried this shampoo and conditioner.  I liked this shampoo and conditioner.  My hair definitely felt softer and shiner after using this.  I would repurchase this shampoo and conditioner but I am still trying other brands.  So I wouldn't say for me it is the holy grail for my hair but it definitely made my dry processed hair soft and shiny.  Try it if your hair needs some tlc.

Living Proof Prime Style Extender:
I got this as a sample from Sephora and was pleasantly surprised.  I use this as the first step of my many steps to get my hair right and tight!  I will tell you my steps of prepping my hair if anyone is interested.   I really like this product and will definitely repurchase.  I felt that it made my hair easier to manage and was softer.  I am not sure if it actually did extend my style because my hair usually keeps its curl pretty well.

Aveda Dry Remedy Shampoo and Conditioner:
I did not like this shampoo and conditioner at all.  I used it all up so I wouldn't feel guilty but I will tell you I was glad when it was used up.  I actually used it sometimes to shave my legs just to get rid of it.  It made my hair feel really greasy and heavy.  That is hard to do because my hair has been so dyed and fried lately.  I even tried to style my hair with using no other products and it felt so greasy and heavy I hated it.  I tried using less of the conditioner or just using it on my ends and still no good.  I like other Aveda products but for me this was no good for my hair type.  I think if you have really thick and dry brittle hair this would work well for you.

Kevin Murphy Young Again:
I absolutely looooooove this product!  Again another recommendation from my stylist.  She used it on me and now there is no going back.  I previously was using Moroccan Oil and I still do every once in awhile, but once I tried KM Young Again it changed my routine for sure.  It makes your hair so soft, not greasy at all and has heat protection as well.  I dry and curl my hair most days so that is a plus.  I use it when my hair is still wet and sometimes after to tame the fuzzies or just at the ends of my hair if I feel it needs a little more love.  I was told you can even use this as a make up primer!  Love this product!!  It lasts forever too.  The only reason that I was done with this is because I dropped it on the bathroom floor and it cracked open.  It was sad.  I immediately repurchased another one.

Philip B pH Restorative Detangling Toning Mist:
I use this spray when I am wearing my hair wavy/curly.  Since my hair is ombre and has been bleached/colored my hair looks really dry when I let it go to its natural state of craziness.  This spray has really helped my hair not look like straw.  It is a very light hydrating spray so your curl can remain bouncy and it also tames the fuzzies.  It says it "adjusts the pH of tap water allowing the cuticle of the hair to seal tightly, leaving smooth, detangled, shiny and gorgeous."  I would say it does help hydrate and detangle my hair and help minimize the frizz.  The only thing is that I am not 100% in love with is the smell.  It contains vinegar in it and that isn't the best thing you want to get a whiff of when you are flipping your hair around trying to be cute.  People be like…why am I craving fish and chips right now…oh it's because of Chrystal's hair!  It says that it contains apple cider vinegar because it is a natural astringent and pH balancer.  That being said I repurchased it even before I was even out of it.  Below is a picture of my new bottle.  To combat that apple vinegar smell I spray Philip B's Maui Beach Spray over that not only because it provides texture and helps with fuzzies too…but it smells heavenly.  It smells like the beach…it smells like Hawaii.  Thus the name.  HauteLook has Philip B products every once in awhile for a good price.  Check out the products!

Well I hope you enjoyed my likes and dislikes.  I will be adding more because I have a serious addiction to all things skin care, make up and such.

If you tried any of these products I would love to hear your thoughts as well!

Talk to you soon!

KLS

Chrystal

Mom and Chrystal Take On America Day 3 - OOOOOklahoma!

It was just by chance that we were going to be driving through my birth state on my birthday and I was really excited about it.  The last time I went to Oklahoma I was 12 years old it was summer time and I just remember it being really flat and brown.  I also remember crossing the Red River when we drove from Lubbock, TX to Fredrick, OK.  I was born in Altus Oklahoma because that is where the hospital was, but we lived in a little town called Fredrick.  When I was born I think it was the second time my parents moved out to Oklahoma.  They were doing missionary type work basically.  Helping small congregations that needed help preaching about the Bible.  I always think it was cool that I was born out there while my parents were doing such an amazing thing.  Actually myself and my brother were.  He was born in Kansas though.  We moved from Oklahoma to Kansas when I was a baby to help another small congregation in Yates Center, KS.  The best thing of the day was that I was driving through Oklahoma on my birthday with my mom.

But we had to drive through a little bit of Texas to get to Oklahoma.  Howdy Texas!

Had to take a quick picture of The Big Texan!

So on to Oklahoma we went!  It was beautiful!  Again I wasn't expecting it to be so green.  The combination of the big blue sky, red dirt and green was just gorgeous.  Again - the pictures don't do it justice.

We wanted to stop off at Lucille's Gas Station, a really old stop on Route 66 because I wanted to get a picture of Lucy and I.  We could not stinkin' find it!  It's really sad because the town was so small you could blink and be through it - how could you miss it!  So we just decided to go to the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK.

This little museum was pretty cool.  Had a little diner in there and gift shop along with the museum.  If you are ever going to drive through Oklahoma on I-40 I would stop here.  It is small enough to where you don't have to spend hours there - but enough little details that if you wanted to spend a few hours - you could.  Loved all the old cars that were in the museum.  There were a lot more than I listed below but some of the pictures just didn't come out good.  Here are my favorite pics from the museum.

We wanted to stay at the Blue Swallow Motel in Gallup, NM.  My mom said her and my Dad stayed there and there are like maybe 8 rooms and really cute.  A lot of the old motels on Route 66 have been updated and would be really fun to go a stay in on a road trip.

My mom stayed outside with the pups because her and my Dad had already gone through the museum the last time they drove back from Kansas.  It was too hot to leave the pups in the car so they enjoyed some Nini time!

We had a great drive through Oklahoma and are next stop was Fort Smith, Arkansas.  It is on the border of Oklahoma and Arkansas.  This picture below is of me leaving Oklahoma.

Fort Smith was actually a cute little town that I definitely would want to drive back through and spend some time in.  Cute little down town area - all old timey and stuff.  The hotel was clean and the neighborhood was safe.  Mom got her foo foo sauce from the market next to our hotel and we were so pooped we ordered Dominos so we didn't have to move.  We keep it classy.

Great day Oklahoma!  You were OK!

Kiss Love Squeeze

Mom and Chrystal Take on America continued

Day 2 of our trip was from Flagstaff, AZ to Tucumcari, New Mexico.  One of the things we needed to do was to take a picture of the road side billboard that said "Tucumcari Tonight!"  With ads like that I knew I was in for something special.

We got the pups ready and we were on our way.  I again thought New Mexico would be very brown and deserty (weird spellcheck says that isn't a word), but it was green - not like Ireland green or Central Coast green - but it looked like it got a healthy dose of rain because we saw lots of green.  It was really beautiful against the red rock formations and plateaus.  My mom said when we were kids (and they were kids too) they used to drive this route and she had never seen it so green.  It was nice to see something with my mom that she had never seen.

Aren't their bows cute - they didn't last long on Brando.  

So pretty!

We then saw some caves in the side of plateaus or mountains...whatever you want to call them.  The pictures of course doesn't do it justice, but it was really cool.

My mom and I started another book on tape which was another Paul Reizer book, Parenthood which was not as good as Couplehood in my opinion.  I forgot to mention on the first day when we were getting close to Flagstaff we were done with the Couplehood book and I asked if my mom wanted to listen to a book I read and loved called "Lets Pretend This Never Happened".  The writer is a blogger and is hilarious.  She is from Texas and has a crazy family and I thought she would enjoy it.  Well...I was wrong.  We didn't get too far into the book when mom was like...yeah ok I can't listen to this anymore.  I did forget that this lil lady had a sailor mouth and her dad was a taxidermist for fun.  Also because we were going through a rain storm as well and my mom can't drive through a rain storm while hearing a girl say the f word and explain how you skin a deer....I know it's weird.

I wanted to drive through Gallup, NM obviously because of the Route 66 song.  It was actually pretty cool.  They seemed to have put some money into making it worth the drive through or staying over night.  I originally wanted to stay in Gallup the first night but my mom thought we would be pushing it with the dogs on our first day and she was right.

 We took this picture for my brother in-law Peter because we were sure he would want to stop here and eat.

It was my turn to drive so we stopped to grab a quick bite to eat and we were on the road again. We started to see the clouds get bigger and darker and I for sure did not want to get stuck in a rain storm.  We saw this area far away dark cloud that appeared to be dumping a whole lot of rain and I was like crap are we driving toward that or away?  My mom said - definitely away - the road is not going that way.  In the next minute the road turned and we were driving toward it.  Great.  So I said "ok mom I'm gonna try and out run it before it gets to the highway.  We are the storm runners."  So our lil Element blasted down the I-40 and yes...we out ran it.  Well...that and it started to break up literally right next to us - so we won both ways!  So my mom and were laughing about out running the storm and took a little video for the occasion just to freak out our family - but I know we both wanted to poop when we saw we were going toward it.  I at one point asked if my mom was scared that I was driving because she usually likes to be the one driving if it is raining.  But she said "No honey I'm fine!"  We both possess that high pitch tone of voice that was handed down to us by my grandmother, her mother Teri.  That pitch is very distinct...you use it when you are scared, trying to clean up a mess from a child or just plain pissed off and you don't want to talk about.  "Me? No...I'm fine honey!  We are going to drive through this storm with no problem!"  Insert a big smile and maybe even a giggle.  Even though I know my mom is probably gripping the door so hard she is leaving finger nail marks.  But it is a great quality to have because usually everything is okay in the end anyways and then you can boast to your family and friends that you are like Cool Hand Luke and laugh about it.

We finally get to Tucumcari - sorry I don't have the picture for Tucumcari Tonight!  Mom has that one. I will have her send it to me and I will update this post.  Because I know everyone is dying to see it.  Anyways, we get to the La Quinta in Tucumcari and it definitely was not as nice as the one in Flagstaff, AZ.  There was a chaise lounge in the room and it looked like it had been the bed of a thousand dogs for 35 years.  It was nasty.  I then took the pups out to the designated grass area for them and it stunk so bad of pee that I almost gagged.  The mixture of the heat outside and grass that obviously is never watered so there is just stale pee scent is something that I wish no one to ever have to smell.  My mom also went to go get dinner and to try and find a market so she can find her foo foo coffee creamer sauce.  She came back and said...this place is scary...more like Tucumscary!  So that is what we will now call this crazy place.

There were about maybe 5 other families staying at the hotel...maybe.  But they all had dogs.  So what do the intensely smart people at the Tucumscary La Quinta do?  Well put them all right next to each other so all the dogs will bark all night long and everyone can know that you are taking your dogs out every hour because of their explosive diarrhea!  I mean why else would you be slamming doors until 4am!  Needless to say the dogs and I did not get a lot of sleep - even though we tried.  I think it was about 4am when I completely lost and opened my lovely hotel room door and screamed loudly "are you kidding me?!!!"  Not one of my finest moments...but I smile fondly at the memory.

I could not wait to get out of this place.  I was tired...it smelled...there were too many flies...I was done. I got up early to take the pups out to do their business and found another place that didn't stink so bad.  There was a little hospital down the way with a big grass area.  I walked them down there and let them run around.  After they were done and I turned to head back we all almost stepped on a snake in the grass.  Yep...just hanging out waiting to bite someone.  Needless to say we all ran so fast back to the room to get the hell out of there and never come back.

 Good Morning Tucumscary!  I'm pretty sure that there are dead bodies buried out there.

Beautiful isn't it?

Trip isn't over!  Day 3 is just getting started!

Kiss Love Squeeze