•Beauty Trick•

Baking Soda!!!...what does baking soda have to do with beauty and makeup? Baking soda has so many uses around your house, but it also has various beauty uses. I love to use it to whiten my teeth and nails. I'm telling you it is a miracle!

Something I am very picky about is my teeth. I am terrified of dentists, and have been since I was a kid. My logic is that if I take care of my teeth I never have to sit in that grey chair of death! I started drinking coffee in high school and started to notice thaty teeth weren't as white as I would have liked. I sucked up my fear and went to the dentist. My dentist and I go way back, he does not like me going in as much as I don't like to go in. (News flash...I bite!) My teeth were healthy I just wanted them whiter. He recommended that I add a little hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to my toothpaste a couple time a week, then when my teeth get as white as I want them to only use it once in a while. I use it once a month to maintain my color (or lack of).

What I use baking soda most often for is my nails. I always have nail polish on. I find that sometimes the nail polish will stain my nails after a while. When I want to clean/whiten my nails I use a baking soda/hydrogen peroxide mixture. I take about a tablespoon of baking soda, add a few drops of hydrogen peroxide and mix. I continue to add a a few drops of hydrogen peroxide at a time, while I am mixing until I get a paste/whipped butter consistency. I put the mixture on my nails for 20 mins. When I wash it off my nails are clean, white and have almost a French tip look to them. I like to do this every so often as my nail care routine. 

If you use baking soda in your beauty routine, let me know. As always lots of love from me to you :D

•Petal Power•

About a month ago I was at the MAC counter looking at their blushes. I was almost out of my MAC blush in "Prism." This has been my go to blush for so long that I knew I had to make sure that I always have it on hand. While there I was interested in looking at some of their other shades. Normally, I do not like any shimmer in my blush, but I was willing to try it. 

While swatching different shades, the MAC associate assisting me showed me the new MAC Mineralized Blush shades. As soon as she swatched the shade "Petal Power" I was hooked. 

It is comparable in color to NARS "Orgasm." I do think that MAC "Petal Power" is more pigmented and lasts longer on the cheeks. I love this coral color with gold shimmer. When using a light hand it will give you a beautiful dewy glow on the cheeks. You can build up the blush to add more coral color to the cheeks. I have worn this blush both ways non stop since I bought it. I love both looks so much. 

I have used this blush on other people and it looks beautiful on all different skin types. I think that it is especially beautiful on tan, olive and darker skin colors. All the MAC blushes are amazing, you really can't go wrong wearing them. I absolutely love their formulas and staying power as well as the amazing color selection. Next time you are ar a MAC store or counter at the very least swatch this blush. 

Have a great day! Lots of love from me to you!!! :D

July Nail Fav's <3

This summer I have really been addicted to nail polish. Normally I wear a bright red or nude shade throughout the year. Lately I have been addicted to the brighter colors. I is ridiculous how many new nail polishes I have purchased in the past few months...mostly Essie because I absolutely LOVE their formula, color selection and most importantly their STAYING POWER!!!!

I have been changing my nail polish about 2-3 times a week. I know...crazy right? These are my most worn colors for the month. Keep in mind I almost always wear between 2-4 colors on my nails at any given time.

From left to right the colors are:

China Glaze "Purple Panic" Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro "Sunset Orange" Essie "A Cut Above" Essie "Strut Your Stuff" Essie "Chills & Thrills" Essie "Bikini So Teeny" Essie "Serial Shopper" Essie "First Timer" and Essie "Au Natural"

"Purple Panic" is a bright, almost neon, fuchsia. "Sunset Orange" is a beautiful pinky coral. "A Cut Above" is just a metallic light pink glitter that I love to put on top of different colors to make them pop. Usually an accent nail. "Strut Your Stuff" is a new color this summer. It is a bright beachy blue. "Strut Your Stuff" & "Purple Panic" are probably me favorite colors this month. "Bikini So Teeny" is a pale, pastel baby blue shade. "Serial Shopper" is the more orange coral. "First Timer" I can only describe as a lime green. These three shades are probably my favorite when I have more of a tan because they really pop. Paired with an accent nail like white with "A Cut Above" on top, is one of my favorite looks. Every time I wore them I got so many complements. The last color "Au Natrual" is a nude shade with a subtly iridescent shimmer through it. When I just want nude nails with a bright accent nail, this is the color I always reach for. When the sun hits it is is even more beautiful. What I love about this nude is that it is not so sheer that you have to put on 10 coats. I only do 2 coats and it looks perfect!

I hope you give one or all of these colors a try. If you have a favorite nail polish color you want me to try, please let me know in the comments.

I hope you have a great day! Lots of love from me to you :)

Summer Essential!

There are so many amazing products that I can recommend for the summer, but if you only buy 1 product it has to be MAC Fix+. I am someone that used to have dry skin and this product was AMAZING at making sure that my makeup did not look caked on. I used it year round. 

Now that I have moved to Oregon my skin has actually become more oily. This was a new situation for me because I have always had very dry skin. I didn't really know what to do. My oily skin combined with the heat made my makeup just melt off and look terrible. I watched some YouTube videos and saw a lot of people saying that they have oily skin and they use MAC Fix+ to keep it looking fresh all day. I was already using my smashbox primer but I still could not achieve the look I wanted. So I started misting the Fix+ on my face in the mornings and I really noticed a difference!

Before my face looked like an oil slick by mid day. Now it looks dewy and glowing without the oily shine. 

I find that it is best to use a primer under my foundation and the Fix+ on top. If you have dry skin you can skip the primer all together. For oily skin it is really the Fix+ that makes the difference of how your makeup wears throughout the day. I just re-purchased this product in the full size and travel size to keep in my bag. 

What is also important to mention is that I have THE most sensitive skin in the world. I have NEVER had a bad reaction to this product. It has not caused any breakouts on my face when I had very dry skin from living in Idaho. When my skin started to become more oily I had concerns about breakouts. I have been using the Fix+ for over a month now and I have not had any problems at all.

I HIGHLY recommend this product to everyone, year round, but especially in the summer. If you are worried you can get the travel size to try. This is my absolute #1 summer must have this year!

Have a great rest of the summer everyone! Lots of love from me to you! :D