Winter Skin Savers

Okay..
If you're ANYTHING like me, you hate the winter just for the havoc it does on your skin alone.
I've been dealing with this for as long as I can remember.
Dry patches at the corner of my nose and mouth, constant redness on my cheeks and forehead.
My hands and feet are like sand paper and I don't even want to tell you about my elbows.
Sometimes it physically hurts to SMILE.
Like, excuse me winter, you can't just come around and screw me like that!

This year I've been having a bit of luck with some new products I tried.
And when I say a bit, I mean thank you sweet Anthropologie for putting these products in front of my eyes.

  ++ Kocostar Dry Foot and Hand Surgery ++ 

First let me tell you about this little brand called Kocostar. 

I came across these little packets because at first glance I thought they were sheet masks,

aka my new obsession. (Post on this later)

HOWEVER, these are a little different

They have them for both hands and feet and look like little socks and gloves.

They stay on for about 20 minutes and provide the most refreshing feeling ever. 

After finished, I could actually rub my feet together without wanting to cringe. 

++ Mario Badescu Facial Spray ++

This thing I owe my life to.

It's one of those products that I would bring with me on a deserted island 

if I could only bring three things. It's just that good. 

Three to five spritzes of this on your face and you are great to go. 

Like I sprayed it on my boyfriends skin that's even DRYER then mine the other day.

Guess what? 

Right after I was done, all his flakes on his face were gone. 

Like it's magic, I swear.

And for $7????!!!!?!?! 

I buy one of these for each of my purses, makeup table, and next to my bed. 

++ Cocovit Coconut Oil  ++ 

This little baby is what I use on my elbows, knees, and pretty much everywhere else.

Of course, you could buy coconut oil at the grocery store...

But look at this packaging?? It's so much more fun to put this on your vanity

instead of those ugly jars you get at Giant Eagle. 

This one is pretty self explanatory and SUCH a trend right now, but rightfully so. 

Slab this on your dry spots and within three days you'll be soft as a babies butt.

I promise. 

++ Skin Laundry Nourishing Cleansing Oil ++ 

So this one I was a little nervous about and I started with a sample.

That sample led me to buy not one, but two bottles.

The world 'oil', for my skin scares me, frankly.

As you all know, I have had quite the skin struggle, but this winter I thought I'd be ball-sy.

I figured that coconut oil makes my skin loose those awful winter flakes,

so it could do some good on my skin, right? 

Well, I was.

This product has given me protection from wind burn, redness, and all those dry patches I get. 

I can't say that it's made my skin any better..

but I can for sure say it has not made it ANY worse. 

So if it's keeping my skin from getting dry, I'll find other products to work on the acne part.

What're your favorite winter skin savers?? LMK! 

Haute Holiday

There's something in the air when December comes rolling around that tricks my mood into liking all the things I don't normally like. 
This list includes: 
     +Snow
     +Weather under 60 degrees 
     +Naked trees 
     +The colors red&green together (or any compliment colors that is) 
BUT before you call me the Grinch, I can promise that I love the holidays. 
There's something about all the twinkling lights and Christmas music that ya just can't hate. I mean, I'm convinced every singer sounds BETTER when covering my favorite x-mas music. 
It also really is a time for family, and anyone who knows me  can confirm that my family are my favorite people in the world. 
This year the outfits for all those Holiday parties you're going to are far more sexy yet classy than I can remember in past years. I really am having trouble picking which ones I will wear myself! 

++ PRE CHRISTMAS COCKTAIL PARTY ++

I feel like this designer read my mind when they created this dress.

It's just.. so.. beyond words.

For me, I'm more into leg than I am into the maxi thing. 

It's weird how into girls legs I am. 

But, obviously, in the winter you need to cover up a little to avoid freezing to death.

The silhouette of this dress & low-cut shows off just enough to make your friends

 boyfriends friend KNOW he wants you, 

but the arms add that slightly boho feel that gives this dress individuality. 

++ WORK PARTY ++

We all know I have a love affair with Stone Cold Fox deeper than my relationship with my boyfriend.

At first glance, this dress didn't seem my style and DEFINITELY did not seem SCF.

Then I clicked on it just because I was into the flow-y arms, and I noticed the lace.

Classic Fox lace. So delicate, so intimate, so romantic, so to-die. 

Black is such a sophisticated color. It's perfect for the work place because it's so un-controversial.

Buy this, and then hang it in a frame and show it off in your house. 

++ CHRISTMAS EVE  ++

This dress has a slightly Asian//slightly 90's feel. 

This dress is the most incredible neutral color and the velvet feels even better than it looks.

Velvet is so fun to play with around the holidays because it's about the only time it works. 

The cut of this is so unique and flattering. Trust me, I bought it in two colors.

The best part about buying this dress is that you're not wearing ANY materials that impacted the environment in any negative way. Gotta love Reformation, man. 

++ NYE DRESS ++

This is contradicting my whole show off your leg thing, but I mean, come on. 

This dress screams New Years Eve and is probably the sexiest 

thing I've seen since Kate Moss&Johnny Depp 

Metallic is so traditional December 31st, but this throws an edge on it. 

I would throw a leather jacket over this with a choker and some crazy beach hair.

The only problem is, no outfit you wear in 2016 will ever compare. 

Secret Miracle Worker

++ GLAMGLOW Super-Mud Clearing Treatment++

For all you with not so perfect skin, like me, you needed this yesterday. 

Actually, last week. 

A couple weeks ago I took a trip to my local Sephora to buy a face mask hoping it would be the last step in my weekly process to getting pretty clear skin (aka as clear as my skin will get).

I was looking for something cheap-ish, but the skin artist who helped me told me I had to try a sample of this mask before I said no to the $69 price tag.

I took it home and used it that night after I washed my face with my Clearisonic and Origins face wash. 

It is a charcoal mask, and comes on looking like mud.. as it dries it made my skin feel a little tight and got a light grey color. 

The coolest, most official, but also a little gross, part of this mask is that while it's drying you can see these little holes opening up in the mask, which is just the product clearing out pores and absorbing oil. 

It was easy to take off, unlike some masks, and left my skin feeling refreshed.

Instantly, I saw no results, so I was not planning on purchasing. 

THEN, the miracle happened....

I woke up in the morning and ALL of my acne had gone away or decreased significantly. 

I felt like a babies butt, and didn't have to wear any time of make-up all day.

I didn't want to give in right away, and I was told by the skin artist to only use this 1x a week or as a spot treatment, so I knew I had to wait until the next week to make my final decision.

And the next week, the same thing happened again.

Even though $69 is a pretty penny for a girl like me, a little goes a long way and trust me, it is worth it. 

Food Do's

Since coming home from college for the summer I have been obsessed with all things food.
TBH, obsessed is a bit of an understatement..
But I mean seriously, who can blame me after nine months of the same d-hall food over and over.
All year I pinned hundreds thousands of beautiful looking food with recipes I was dying to try.
I have done a few of them, but usually I end up making my meals from random ingredients left around my house.
Here are a few of the noteworthy ones (and some meals out I just had to share pictures of).

++ The Best Kale Salad ++ 

DRESSING -->

1. Poor Honey Dijon dressing into a bowl (choose the amount based on how much dressing you need for the salad, since this is the primary ingredient)

2. Poor a smaller, but still significant amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the same bowl

3. Followed by the same amount, (or less, if you don't like the taste) of Red Wine Vinegar

4. Top of with some lemon juice

5. Mix until all liquids are blended together

SALAD -->

1. Take fresh kale and poor the amount you want into a bowl (I choose organic)

2. Take goat cheese and toss it into the bowl based on how much you desire

3. Cut up half a cucumber and cut the individual pieces into four, and throw those in

4. Choose a type of meat, I've done turkey, chicken, shrimp, and salmon

5. Poor the dressing and toss it all with a fork 

VOILA !! 

 ++ The Breakfast Club ++

(My mouth waters just looking at it)

1. Throw two eggs in the frying pan and cook them until the ends are a golden brown

2. Toast two pieces of whole wheat bread

3. Cut up an avocado ... Slice up 1/2 of it, and mash up the other half for different textures and place each half one piece of bread

4. Cut the sunny side up eggs in half and put one on each of the bread pieces

5. Add sea salt, pepper, and chile powder for flavor

6. Add fruit for a small side and here is the most fabulous breakfast.. it keeps you very full too! 

++ Suja Juices for Snacks ++

I, personally, could never survive a juice cleanse because my food is my other half.. but these Suja Juices are the most perfect snacks for a day spent running around. 

++ Ahi Carpaccio ++

Unfortunately, this is not my own work, but I know they have a decent amount of Cheesecake Factory's around the world and I just needed to share this with everyone. It is, legit, to die for. For a few days after my taste buds say a big "F YOU" to all other foods. It's just that good. 

Thursday Thoughts

The past few weeks I've been totally MIA, but first I was dealing with finals, then it was packing up my whole life into my little Jetta and unpacking it into room at home. It is way more challenging than you may think. 

Next on the list was to get my summer foundation.. one of my fav things to do to let my skin know it's finally summer. 

                                       SUMMER              SPRING//FALL           WINTER

Call me crazy, but I am a firm believer in switching foundations with the seasons. 

Why? I'll tell ya. 

Living towards the east coast, we experience some serious seasons. 

In the winter my skin may not see that beautiful sun for five months, meaning I have absolutely zero color to my skin and it gets that dull-ruddy look.. so not hot. So for winter I opt for the YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation and it seriously is to die for. It provides amaze amounts of coverage which is really helpful for me since I wasn't one of those lucky people born with flawless skin. It is a thick foundation, which is why I keep it to the winter season.. I wouldn't want to walk around with my make-up falling down my face all summer. 

Since the spring and fall are generally the same where I'm from, I use the same foundations. Armani Silk Foundation is great for every type of skin, seeing as it was recommended to me by my Grandma. It truly feels like silk on my skin, so much that I continuously ask my boyfriend to feel my face when I'm wearing it, all while providing perfect coverage and being much lighter than the YSL. 

The foundation I just purchased for summer is the La Mer. It's the most pricey of the three but I don't think my skin could survive the summer without it. It is so extremely light I don't ever have to worry about sweating it off. The coverage isn't as intense as the YSL or Armani, but with some tinted moisturizer it does a hell of a job for the summer months. 

Although this is a pricey system I have going on here, it is so worth it, and my skin thanks me every season! 

Hair Answers

A little over a month ago during my spring break, I decided to do something fun and crazy with my hair. After looking at one million Pinterest ideas, I decided on a dramatic ombre. 

Dark and the top fading down to bleached blonde. 

The results were fab, and I was, and still am, absolutely in love with my head now. 

There was only one issue... and it was a BIG one. 

Every time I would shower, no matter what I did, my hair would dry rock hard.

Like literally, it looked/felt like straw you would see the cows eating in a farm. 

So not hot. 

I legit tried everything. I even splurged from my little college budget and bought fancy moisture surge shampoo, and had my mom send me everything she could possibly find to fix the problem, but nothing was working. I was completely lost. 

I ran out of my expensive yet useless bottles of shampoo/conditioner and decided to just get the cheap market stuff so I wouldn't have to spend any more money and I would just deal with my straw hair when I got home in a few weeks. And that's when a miracle happened. 

--> Suave Professionals Juicy Green Apple <-- 

This " cheap market stuff" literally saved my hair and basically my life. 

And heres what I did: 

1. First I lathered the TOP HALF ONLY of my hair with this delicious smelling shampoo and scrubbed it like a professional would. I didn't touch the bottom half, I just let it slowly drip down. 

2. Soaked the BOTTOM HALF ONLY of my hair in conditioner, and tied it in a low bun to let the conditioner soak. 

3. Continued on doing other shower things, like body washing and shaving. 

4. When I was all finished, I took out my bun and washed all the conditioner out. 

5. Put on my fav robe and towel wrap my hair while I moisturize. 

6. When finally done moisturizing (about 15 minutes), I take out my towel and squeeze two pumps of Moroccan Hair Oil in my hands and rub them together. I then rub my hands through the ends of my hair and done. 

I was absolutely in awe at the number this process did on my hair. I don't have to worry about cows chewing on my ends anymore, and my hair has seriously never been more shiny! 

I will be sticking to this stuff for a long time. 

Happy Shampooing

xx, T. 

What You NEED This Summer

I'm currently writing this while laying outside in the Courtyard in a bikini listening to my

 favorite cover songs (do yourself a favor and listen to this, this, and this), 

and fantasizing about all the fun I'm going to have this upcoming summer. 

I'm not going to lie, summer time has always confused me a little in the product department.

I learned the hard way that my fall/winter/spring make-up routine won't work in the hot summer days. 

But don't worry, my struggling has some positive too it, I can now help all those other girls struggling with what to buy this upcoming summer season. See! There's always positive. 

1. Summer is the season of showing skin, and this Fresh Body Polish will be the key ingredient to getting soft,  touchable skin. 

2. You've heard it before and you'll hear it again, you need Benetint in your make-up collection. It can double up as your cheek/lip stain, and it's light weight for summer. 

3. I was given this last year when getting ready for prom and it made my legs noticeable from a mile away. Put it on before a night out, and trust me, you will light up the place. 

4. This Josie Maran Bohemian Waves spray has some iffy reviews, but for me, it's the product I waited so long to find. Quick spray+scrunch, and I have the perfect just-out-of-the-ocean hair. 

5. These papers are life-changing. Since they're paper, they absorb some of the oils from your face, while dusting you with either blush, bronzer, or highlighter, depending on the color you choose. 

6. The Bobbi Brown Beach collection is everything you need with the perfect summer smell. It's all fabulous, but my personal picks are the body oil, and perfume. 

xx,T.