My "Get People to say Nice Things to You" Skincare Routine

            “Wow, you have such beautiful skin.”

            Up until about a year ago I would have never thought I would receive such a compliment. My face was dotted with acne and hyper pigmentation scars, and I had a huge problem with skin picking, which just made everything ten times worse. Now? I get it all the time. There’s still a part of me that can’t believe it when I hear it, because my skin was bad for so long, but it’s such a confidence booster! I can’t even put into words how good it makes me feel, so I’m going to tell you what I do to make my skin so great. That way, you can experience the compliments for yourself.

            The first two things I’m going to mention aren’t even what you might think of as skincare, but they are the rock solid foundation to build everything else up from. Number one, do everything possible to resist the temptation of picking at your face. This was a really hard one for me. I had to keep my nails cut short for a very long time in order to get myself to break the habit. Number two is to stop using antiperspirant style deodorant. I know we all hate sweating, but there’s a good reason for it. Your body uses sweat to release toxins. If you block that sweat, the toxins will find a different way to get out. My skin has been so much clearer since making the switch. If you’re wondering what I use, it’s the Tom’s of Maine LongLasting Aluminum-Free Deodorant in the fresh apricot scent.

            Now on to more traditional skincare. Most of the products that I use are from Origins. I love that their products are all natural, everything smells divine, and they make everything using earth friendly practices. Plus, you can get a free mini facial with loads of samples any time you go into their store!

            To wash my face I use the Dr. Weil for Origins Mega-Bright skin illuminating cleanser in the morning and evening. I just dampen my face with water and then rub a thin layer all over. You only have to use the tiniest amount, and it keeps your skin looking renewed and bright. The consistency of the product on the skin feels so luxurious you are going to fall in love.

            After washing my face I use the Mega-Bright skin illuminating moisturizer, also from the Dr. Weil’s line. If you have combination or oily skin, this is perfect for you. It’s incredibly light, and really sinks into the skin without leaving any residue. It works perfectly with the cleanser to keep your skin fresh and hydrated so that you don’t have any dull, dead skin clogging up your pores. These two products, along with coconut oil as an eye makeup remover, are what I use on an everyday routine basis.

            There are a few things that I’d like to mention that I use if I want to give my skin a treat. Every couple of days I’ll trade my Mega-Bright cleanser for the Modern Frictionnature’s gentle dermabrasion, just to keep things extra smooth. Do this in the shower and the grainy bits (they use ground up rice) wash off with no mess.

I still get blackheads around my nose and chin, and whenever they’ve developed enough to become noticeable I use the Clear Improvement active charcoalmask. It pulls those suckers right out, but doesn’t leave my face with that uncomfortable tight feeling. Plus it’s fun to scare family members walking around the house with jet black clay on your face.

If I do have a pimple pop up, I take care of it with the Yes to Tomatoes Acne Repairing Lotion. It uses a combination of salicylic acid, bisabolol, ginger, and witch hazel to clear acne, combat redness, and control oil.

Now, I know the products in this post have been heavy on the splurge side of things, but take some things into consideration. One, with everything I’ve mentioned a little goes a long way, so you get a huge bang for your buck. And two, your skin is important, why not take care of it with some of the best stuff possible?

Thick Hair Tools: What to Pick Up, and What to Laugh at and Put Back on the Shelf

            Thick hair. I’ve got it, Nat’s got it, and I’m betting some of you have it too. And if you’ve got thick hair, you know what it’s like to try tons of different hair tools that work great for your friends with normal amounts of hair only to have them sit unused in a drawer because they just don’t work for you. That’s what I’ve done. I learned after a while that there were certain types of tools and accessories that work fantastically, some that only worked in combination with other tools, and some that I just had to stay away from.

            Let’s get started with what I consider to be the Holy Grail of thick hair tools; the Tangle Teezer. It’s a brush with no handle that you just nestle into the palm your hand. My hair is so thick that it tends to get tangled a lot, and when I’ve tried to use regular wide tooth combs or brushes they just tend to get stuck. The different length bristles of the Tangle Teezer are meant to detangle your hair gently and easily, whether wet or dry. It’s the best thing I’ve found for getting through all of my hair with little to no breakage.

            The next thing you’ll want is a good boar’s bristle brush. I use this one from Conair. While it won’t really get through your hair like the Tangle Teezer, it does a great job at smoothing over your hair and spreading your scalp’s natural oil from root to tip. Ever wonder why your scalp looks like a greasy mess while the ends are dry? You’re not letting the oil do what it’s meant to do, which is keep your hair soft and protected. Plastic bristles can’t spread that oil, and when the oil doesn’t spread you end up washing your hair more than you need to because your roots look gnarly. With lots of hair, that’s a big waste of shampoo if you’re washing your hair when you shouldn’t need to. Plus all that washing is likely drying your hair out even more.

            Another thing I always keep handy is a fine tooth comb. Nothing fancy, and I don’t use it for combing through my hair on a regular basis, because, let’s be honest, it just can’t do that. Mostly what I use it for is to smooth the surface of my hair when I’ve put it up.

            I cut my own bangs so that I can stretch out my time between salon visits, but in order for them to not look too crazy I use these thinning scissors from Goody. You've probably seen something similar at your hair salon. They’re used to soften the ends of your hair so that they don’t look so blunt and harsh. The first time you use them is a bit scary, because that little part of your brain insists that you’re about to chop off all your hair, but it really only gets about a third. If you do any home trimming, these are a necessity.

            Have you ever seen that first world problem meme about how your hair is too thick for the hair tie to go around three times, but the hair tie is too loose if you only wrap it around twice? Did it hit just a little too close to home? Well these hair ties from Scunci are the answer to your prayers. You can see that their diameter is noticeably bigger than normal hair ties and are strong enough to really hold your hair in place the way you’ve always dreamed a hair tie could.

           Thin regular sized hair ties also have their place in your vanity. While they can’t hold up all of your hair at once, they are great for putting up half of your hair without having to use a clip that will snap your hairs. They’re also great for the ends of braids, or for helping hold up hairstyles like top knots and Gibson tucks.

            Another thing you need are hair pins. Don’t get me wrong, bobby pins have their place, but if you’re trying to do something like a bun one hair pin can do the work of three or four bobby pins. They can really reach through and grab hold of your hair. I can do a top knot using only four of them!

           Now really quick, let’s go through the things that aren’t really worth your money. Obviously, you don’t need a hair doughnut. They are for making your bun look fuller. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my bun to be so big that it looks like an extra head. Regular sized hair ties are another thing not to waste your money on. They will just make you sad when they snap (though side note, snapped hair ties make great cat toys). You may also have found that most hair clips don’t work right for you. That’s because the amount of hair that will fit in them is usually not right proportionally on your head for the look that they are designed for. The quarter updo anyone? No, it’s not a thing, but that’s all you can fit in those clips meant for the standard half updo.

           There are of course exceptions to everything that I’ve said. None of us have exactly the same hair, so some things that may work for me won’t work for you and vice versa. Be that as it may, I wanted to share with you what I’ve found in hopes that others of you might also find what I’ve had to say useful. If you have any thick hair tools that you can’t live without, let me know in the comments.

Cheers,

Julia

Sheer Lip Color

I've always loved makeup but lipstick always made me a bit nervous. I always found it drying on my already dry lips, my husband (then boyfriend) didn't like kissing gunky lip products and I probably wasn't proficient at choosing a flattering shade.

Well, I've come a long way. So far so that I really don't feel like my look is complete without some kind of color on my lips, even if its a very neutral/natural look. I love a bangin', in your face lip but on a day to day basis I'm just far too busy for the maintenance. I'm putting a baby down for a nap or running around the grocery store. I just want to add a little life to my face. Enter, sheer lipsticks.

The sheer lipstick obsession surprisingly started with a very inexpensive drugstore product; Maybelline Baby Lips in the cherry shade. It was my first taste of the ease that is sheer lip color. I could keep it in my bag and know I had an easy pop of color on hand. This is my most sheer lip color and is really more of a tinted balm but it's still really pretty and is so easy to pull off. It brightens your face nicely and has a light cherry scent. It isn't a true red shade. I'd call it more of a slightly cool fuchsia/raspberry color. Its so sheer though that it still looks nice on my warmer complexion.

I knew I had to get my hands on some more sheer lipsticks. This time I went to the complete opposite end of the splurge/save spectrum. It is the YSL Volupte Sheer Candy in Sweet Fig. I had swatched this little item once before & loved it but the price stopped me from taking it to the checkout line. The next time I was at Sephora I swatched it again & just couldn't say no. It is freaking gorgeous. The shade is so unique. YSL describes it as a sheer, brick red, which is true but it's so much more. It's not vampy like you would expect a brick red color to be, it's much fresher. It is so smooth on the lips & doesn't ever leave my lips feeling dry. The smell is out of this world, definitely the best smelling lip product I've ever encountered. It's fruity & sweet but not in an artificial or sickening way; it's just divine. I can't say enough good things about this lipstick. I will definitely purchase this again. I see myself using this whole tube up, no problem. It will be the perfect fall color but its still very wearable year round.

After my love affair with the YSL lipstick I was on the hunt for a dupe. I decided to check out the L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse lipsticks. Now, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't call these dupes for the YSL Sheer Candy but they are nice & if you don't want to splurge on the $32 YSL these are a nice alternative. They have a similar scent, slightly sweet & fruity but not near as nice as the YSL. I like the scent but it's just not the same. The feel on the lips is similar too, which I like. I first bought the shade Rose Taffeta. I absolutely love this shade. It's a very nice "my lips but better" shade, a very nice dusty, rosy, mauve shade. Again, I think this will be perfect for fall & winter but it could really work all year round. Of course after loving Rose Taffeta I knew I needed a few more shades. I picked up Sunset Angora which is a pinkish coral color & Merino Mauve which is a medium, mauve/pink. I love Sunset Angora. It's the perfect coral shade for spring & summer. Merino Mauve is a pretty color but it's just too light on my lips. I have quite pigmented lips & this shade is simply too light for me. It did, however, work on Julia so it went home with her. Knowing now that I liked the formula of these L'Oreal lipsticks the addict in me needed a red shade. After seeing some swatches of the 2 red shades available I decided on the shade Cardinal Plume. This really is the perfect red shade; not too orange & not too blue.

So, to summarize, I am really loving sheer lipsticks. Cheap, middle ground & high end. I still love my MAC lipsticks for days out to the mall or nights out on the town. But, when I'm running around town with my kids, the sheer lipsticks win. If I had to chose a favorite, it's no surprise, it would be the YSL for sure. The others are really nice though & will be getting a lot of use from me.

We are by no means department store snobs, but we aren’t penny pinchers either. There are plenty of good drugstore options & awesome DIY tutorials on Pinterest these days but sometimes you need to splurge on the high end stuff. We’ll give you a quick synopsis of our lives up until now which will lead into the philosophy of this blog.

Natalie:

“I was born in December of 1987 and came home to my childhood home in Snohomish, WA. My parents still live in that home today. I was my parents’ first child. Then my sister was born in February of 1990. We grew up in a house where my dad worked & my mom stayed at home. I was always a little ahead of my time; always wishing I was at that next stage. I fell in love with my husband when I was 15, got my first full time job at 18 and was married with a house at 20. I told you I was ahead of my time. We had our first child, Connor, about a year and a half into our marriage. That first year was hard. We had little money, despite both of us working and Connor was a…difficult baby. When Connor was 2 we decided it was time to give him a little brother or sister. Harrison was born in August of 2012 & I quit my job to be a stay at home mom. I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom so I was (& still am) very excited about this opportunity that I’ve been given. We’ve decided that our family is complete & now that I’m done making babies it’s time to spend a little time taking care of me. I’m having fun remembering why I loved makeup, trying some new brands & new techniques. I’ve finally discovered the wonders of skin care! There are few people in my life as interested in makeup/skincare as I am so I’m here to type out some words for anyone who will listen. Be you a mom, single, newlywed, empty nester, teenager, it doesn’t matter. We’re here to talk makeup, hair, skincare & maybe a fashion post now and again.

The twist is that I’ll be blogging with my dear sister. Our mother always said we would be best friends when we grew up & we didn’t believe her. Fine mom, you were right. We want to explore the concept of saving & splurging. As you read above, I’m a stay at home mom. That means we have 1 income. I am working on a budget. There’s a time to save (dupes!) and there’s a time to splurge.”

Julia:

“I’m trying to figure out some clever way to say hi to you all without sounding pretentious or cheesy, but it isn’t quite working so I’ll just go with hello and welcome to our world. My sister Nat and I have known each other for twenty-three and a half years (though she’s been around two years and two months longer) and we’ve decided that we like each other enough to start this blog together. We want to show you what it’s like to live a fun and stylish life, saving money where it makes sense so that you can splurge on what’s really worth it.

                I’m Julia, by the way. As you may have guessed I’m twenty-three years old, and the younger sister of this duo. I’m unmarried, but dating a wonderful man. Right now I work part time and take the occasional community college class when I feel it sounds like a good idea. I’m living at home right now, but I’m trying to make my little corner of the house be as me as possible. I’m running out of bookshelves. Might have to try and make some.

                I love playing around with makeup. My skin is extremely fair with lots of freckles, and I have blue eyes, so I’ll be doing a lot of showing you what works for that complexion type. From foundations that honestly are not too dark, to eye shadow and mascara that will really make things pop (and yes, pale people can rock a bold lip!).”

Sometimes a drugstore item is just as good (maybe better) than the high end version. Sometimes a high end item will last FOREVER & a cheap one is gone in a few months. Sometimes that expensive item ends up being cheaper in the long run. And friends, sometimes that expensive item saves you no money but the product is just so damn luxurious, effective, beautiful (you fill in the adjective) that you just have to splurge. We’ll be exploring all of that & more.