Products I Love: Brand Spotlight Josie Maran

I had been wanting to try Josie Maran's Argan oil FOREVER after constantly reading about it in magazines and beauty blogs and when I finally did I only have two words for you: game changer!

This stuff is so moisturizing and makes my skin look and feel amazing! I've only tried the "light" version so far, but also can't wait to try the original. Just a few drops and my entire face is covered. It makes my makeup go on smoother and feel moisturized all day long! 

I spoke about the mascara in a previous post saying "The Josie Maran Argan Black Oil Mascara ($22 full size) gives my lashes amazing curl with no eye lash curler needed and goes on smooth with no clumping." I LOVE this mascara!! 

Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil in Limitless Pink tints and treats lips and cheeks. It is also very moisturizing and gives a perfect amount of color for a natural look. The Coconut Watercolor Eye Shadow in Rio de Rose Gold gives eyelids a pretty wash of shimmering pink gold color. Last but not least, the Argan Illuminizer highlights and enhances the look of skin. These can all be used year round but I can't wait till summer time to (hopefully) be able to throw these on with a nice tan and be good to go! 

I purchased these products at Sephora, but they can also be found on Amazon and JosieMaran.com

Are there any Josie Maran products you can't live without? I would love to hear! 

Xoxo Lindsey

Products I Love: Benefit's Benebalm & Benetint

I I have been looking for a good sheer red lip balm FOREVER! Something lighter and more moisturizing than a lipstick and better for everyday. I tried a few different drugstore brands and high end brands and just couldn't find the right red for my olive skin tone. I started browsing beauty blogs and pinterest and kept coming back to products from the brand Benefit. I don't have a lot of experience with the brand but have heard good things so I decided to try it!

I originally was just looking for red, but TOTALLY lucked out while browsing Sephora's website and was able to score Benefit's previously sold out "3 Scoops O Sexy" holiday kit. The kit included full size lip balms in the shades Benebalm, Posiebalm, & Lollibalm, and mini sizes of their complementing lip and cheek tints, Benetint, Posietint, & Lollitint.

It's safe to say I immediately fell in love with all six of the products! They all go on so smooth and have a great build-able color that can be worn day or night (I even love the Lollibalm & Lollitint which I figured I wouldn't like because of their purple-ish hues- but they are SO pretty on!) 

My favorite shades would have to be the Benetint and Benebalm and I think I'll be adding them to my list of must haves, and I'm excited to have another brand I like to try products from!

The kit I got is now sold out again but you can purchase these awesome products at Ulta and Sephora, both in store and online!

Have you tried Benefit's lip/cheek stains or lip balms? Are their any other Benefit products you can't live without? I'd love to hear! 

Xoxo Lindsey

My BB Cream Obsession

About a year ago I decided I needed to step up my makeup game. All I was really using on a daily basis was concealer, for my dark under eye circles, eye liner, mascara, and blush. At first I thought I needed to go buy foundation, but wasn't ready to put something so heavy on my face just yet. Ive been pretty lucky and have never had to deal with any major skin issues aside from the occasional pimple. Anyways on one of my many trips to the greatest store on earth, AKA Target, I decided to pick up some BB cream and see what I thought. 

 

This is when the obsession started. Over the past year I've tried eight, yes eight, different brands. One was so terrible I wont even waste your time talking about it, except for saying don't waste your time or money on the Rimmel BB cream. Moving on!

 

 The first brand I tried was Covergirl (can be found here!) and I LOVED it! It evened my skin tone without feeling heavy and had a super sheer coverage that was exactly what I was looking for. Fast forward a few weeks and add a few pimples and I was not feeling like the Covergirl cream was cutting it. I needed something a little thicker that offered more coverage.

 

While at Ulta I grabbed Almay's Smart shade CC cream (can be found here!) after reading on pinterest that it would help to cover up my flaws a little better. I loved how light this cream felt on my skin and the coverage that it offered but it still wasn't thick enough. My skin needed some help!

Time for another trip to the store! This time I came home with Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream (can be found here!) Again, this one evened my skin tone, but the best part was it was a thicker coverage while still feeling light on my face! It was exactly what I was looking for.

After trying and loving these great creams I started picking up different brands to try whenever I found them on sale at Target, Walgreens, or Ulta. Maybelline also now makes a Dream Pure BB Cream (can be found here!) that contains 2% Salicylic Acid to help with acne treatment. I've found that the Dream Pure is a more matte finish and a little bit thicker coverage.

The last three creams give a VERY sheer coverage perfect for summer time. They are all very moisturizing and offer SPF ranging from SPF 15- 50. (All of the creams I tried have SPF!)

Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream SPF 15 (can be found here!)

 

Physicans Formula Super BB Cream SPF 30 (can be found here!) 

 

Loreal Silky Sheer BB Face Lotion SPF 50 (can be found here!) 

 

Do you use BB Cream? What is your favorite? Id love to hear!

 

xoxo Lindsey

I'm Back! Current Mascara Favorites

Hey! I just realized I haven't blogged since AUGUST and it's now January. Whoops! The kids keep us pretty busy and if you didn't already know I'm pregnant with #3 who's due in June, and things are crazy around here. 

Let's get to the good stuff! I have an obsession with trial size beauty products. I love getting the mini versions to try instead of spending money on a full size product to then find that I don't like it. One of my favorite products to get in mini form is mascara! I always wear plain black and most of the time only use one coat. Believe me when I say I've tried everything! These are my top four right now:

The Josie Maran Argan Black Oil Mascara ($22 full size) gives my lashes amazing curl with no eye lash curler needed and goes on smooth with no clumping. (I got the mini size in a Josie Maran winter kit from Sephora- I'm obsessed with everything in the kit, but more about that in another post!)

The Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara ($18 full size) is a great every day mascara that gives an enhanced natural look. (I got the mini size in a Bare Minerals Star performers kit from Ulta)

The YSL Babydoll Mascara ($30 full size) is good for lengthening lashes and I think it's perfect for night time. (I got the mini size free using Sephora Beauty Insider points)

The Christian Dior Diorshow Mascara ($25 full size) creates thick full lashes. I keep it in my bag for when I forget to do my makeup at home and have to get ready quickly in the car! (I got the mini size free using Sephora Beauty Insider points)

To become a Sephora Beauty Insider you simply sign up online and earn points for every dollar you spend! There are many times throughout the year when they offer double or even triple points on certain items and you get a great free gift on your birthday!

What are your favorite mascaras? I'd love to hear!

Xoxo Lindsey

SALES!!

Heres a quick post with my picks from the Tory Burch Private Sale and the Kate Spade Surprise Sale! 

Tory Burch

Kate Spade

Hurry and shop because at these prices they won't last long!! 

I would love to hear what you get!

Xoxo Lindsey

Products I Love: Babyganics

What's more fun than a child with both sunburn AND itchy bug bites? Just about anything! So I thought I would share how to avoid both this summer with two amazing natural products from the brand Babyganics.

Their Natural Insect Repellent is 100% natural essential oils, deet free, and contains no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, or synthetic ingredients. It doesn't have the strong scent of normal bug spray and it really works. My kids like that it's not sticky on their skin and I like that I'm not spraying them with chemicals!

Their mineral-based sunscreen spray is another favorite. It's waterproof for 80 minutes and contains no PABA, phthalates, parabens, fragrances, or nano-particles. It sprays on and rubs in easily and is also tear free so it's perfect for little faces! We use the SPF 50+ and have been really happy with it!

I have purchased both products from Target but they are also available at Walgreens, Babies R Us, and many online retailers. The sunscreen retails for about $12 and the insect repellent about $10. For anyone that's a sucker for packaging like me, they also come in pretty cute bottles!

What are your favorite sunscreen and insect repellant products? I would love to hear!

Xoxo, Lindsey

Fun Summer Breakfast Ideas!

In an attempt to eat healthier I've been making a smoothie for breakfast every morning. For some reason my son will not drink smoothies if they're green, but if they're pink he's all for it! My daughter on the other hand, will try anything! They both love to help me in the kitchen and recipes that don't need to be perfectly measured out are always easiest. Some frozen fruit, spinach, kale, about a cup of orange juice and a handful of ice cubes in the blender makes this an easy pink drink. 

In this house we also LOVE waffles! My sister in law got us an awesome waffle iron and I usually make the batter from scratch make a ton of waffles and freeze some for later. When our freezer stash is gone and I don't have time to whip some up we love nutra grain waffles. A little peanut butter and some chocolate chips inside of a folded waffle makes a super quick and easy waffle taco! Perfect when the kids are wanting to run around outside or when we have a busy morning. 

What are your favorite summer breakfast ideas? I'd love to hear!

Xoxo Lindsey