Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Cheap Chic Day 3: Bronzer Bang for Your Buck


My husband is such a typical Southern California guy. He was born and raised in sunny San Diego (Del Mar to be exact) and he has always loved the beach, surfing and getting sun. So he definitely thinks that women having a nice tan=pretty. This would never have been a problem in my college years where I would bake myself all day, but now that I am hanging on to my youth with all of my might, I refuse to tan my face. My body on the other hand I do get color on but we will discuss that in a future post. So enter one of my top beauty necessities: face bronzer. Not the self tanner kind. I like a solid powder form and I put it on with a nice big fluffy powder brush. Once again-Ive done the hard research and tried everything from Nars to MAC to Cover Girl and I really like this Physician's Formula the best. Its about $10 at Target and as long as you don't drop it and shatter the powder-it lasts for a long time. I get lots of compliments of people saying "you are glowing", most of them say think the glow comes from being preggo but I know that it is from this Cheap and Chic bronzer :)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Day 2 Cheap Chic: Great Lash mascara is pretty great!


By now bloggers-I hope you trust that I am a sucker for all the beauty hype. This means I have probably spent hundreds (maybe thousands?) on mascara over the years. I started using the clear Cover Girl mascara at the ripe old age of 13. Since then I've tried every brand, formulation, color, etc. At times I would shell out $25 for Chanel, Lancome, Lauder, you get my point. I keep coming back to this preppy little tube of pink and green goodness. Maybelline's Great Lash Mascara in Very Black is my fav. It does what all good mascara does: lengthens, thickens, seperates and makes lashes look luscious. I hate the waterproof stuff bc I feel like I cant get it off at night. You can get this for super cheap at Target and I just saw it on Amazon for a buck. Now that is Cheap Chic :)

Monday, June 28, 2010

Cheap Chic! or Budget Beauty!


Hi Bloggers. I am going to blog this week about inexpensive beauty products. I know some of the things I have mentioned so far are a bit spendy and so I thought that a week of affordable beauty goodies was in order. My first Budget Beauty product is this nice big tub of Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. I buy the 20oz tub from Costco. I use it everyday after I shower and it leaves me soft and moisturized. I'm always hunting for the best body cream/lotion that REALLY moisturizes and this isn't the best Ive found (but you know I will post about the best Ive found soon!), but it does a nice job, much better than most lotions, and it is very affordable. A few other good things about it is its thick-but not so thick that it doesn't rub in easy (like Nivea Cream-so hard to rub in!) and it is fragrance free. Love it!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Sales and Savings! (And a shout out to a sweet Bestie!)




Bloggers-I am obsessed with having good hand soap(not bar soap-only a pump will do), by all of the sinks in my house. I really like Bath and Body Works Antibacterial. It comes in so many yummy flavors and I think its a nice touch to a bathroom. Sooooo they are having their big sale where the scents that they are discontinuing are very cheap! I bought 16 bottles yesterday! I really stock up once or twice a year at their sales and then of course get a few Holiday scents in November. So if you need hand soap-please go check it out!

Another great sale right now is Lalicious is having 30% off everything until Saturday!! And Old Navy is having 30% off the entire store until the 30th(I think its the 30th-you may want to double check that one).

And last but not least, I'm headed to Catalina this morning for one of my dearest friend's bachlorette party. Leah and I have been friends for over 12 years now!!! Yikes-we are getting old! I met her through my sorority and am so happy that she is getting married next month!!! I posted 2 pics of me with the bride to be: the one of me smooching her is at my bachlorette in Palm Springs 2 years ago and the one of us smiling is at New Years. Love this girl and can't wait to soak up some sun and hang with my sweet girlfriends. Of course-Ive packed my Clarins SPF 40 and my Bronze Goddess!

Have a great weekend!!!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

I Heart Martha!!


There are quite few women who really inspire me. Martha Stewart is definitely one of them. I know some people think she is a know it all and bossy, but hey I am both of those things too-so who am I to judge?!? I love every recipe, decor item, book, magazine, etc that she produces and this new line of cleaning products is just as fab! Martha Stewart Clean is sold at Home Depot and Amazon. I love the hand wash/dish soap but my favorite product by far the All Purpose Cleaner. Here are the highlights about it:

*Cuts through grease, grime, and dirt
*Safe on all surfaces
*Non-toxic plant- and mineral-based formula that is safe for children and pets
*Comes in a recyclable clear plastic bottle
*99 percent plant and mineral based
*All purpose cleaner
*Its Non-toxic
*No fragrances or colors, just natural cleaning agents
*Safe for children and pets

Great right? I used to be addicted to Windex-but I have problems w/ my cleaning stuff smelling so chemical-y and this one doesn't. Plus, being preggo, I'm trying to stay away from hash cleaning agents and this one is plant and mineral based. Ahhhhh, I think I'll go spritz my kitchen counters :)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Want Flawless Skin?


So do I!! This tinted moisturizer certainly helps get you closer! It is called Balm Shelter by the brand The Balm. Its SPF 18 (but that's not enough-so wear sunscreen under it!!) and its sheer and light but it still provides nice coverage. I found out about this little gem from my sweet wonderful make up artist who brought it down to Mexico for my wedding. They sell it in the salon she works at and you can order it online too. I hate heavy foundation-I feel like it just sits on your skin and is very obvious and looks so make up-y. Ive tried all the usual suspects: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, Clinique, Dior, Bobbi Brown, Lancome and all of these are not as good as Balm Shelter. I even got my sweet buddy Megan hooked on it! (And she is VERY picky!!)

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Yummy New Gum Alert!!


I always have lots of goodies in my purse. Some would compare me to a 70 year old grandma who always has: gum, mints, lotion, wipes, tissue, safety pin, etc in her purse. It makes my bags ridiculously heavy-but that's just the way I roll. Ive tried to cut down on what I carry-but it just isn't happening. One of my newest exciting discoveries is Dentyne Pure Chewing Gum. It is soooooo delicious!! Definitely a breath freshener and just really tasty. I like the green flavor a lot and have the blue in my bag-but haven't tried it yet. Being that everyone knows that I'm always stocked with gum, I always get hit up for it and every single person who has tried Dentyne Pure has raved about it too!! Enjoy!!

Monday, June 21, 2010

On the Fence...


Good Morning Product Junkies!! Today I am writing about Moroccan Hair Oil. I kept hearing about this stuff and how all the celeb's use it so of course I did what I do best: went on Amazon and ordered a little bottle of the stuff. They have a whole line of hair products everything from shampoo to hair masks. I bought the original product which is actual oil for your hair. They say to use just a little bit and rub it between your hands then smooth it on the ends of your hair-kind of like BioSilk I guess. It smells delish and it does smooth out my ends but I'm not sure that its worth the price tag because you can get a big BioSilk bottle at Costco now for much less than the tiny bottle of Moroccan Hair Oil. I guess I'm still on the fence on this one. I need to be a better Product Junkie and use it more often so that I can form a real opinion on it. As of now-I would give it a C+.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Hands Down-the Best Hand Creme


There are times when I will mention that I really like a product. There are other times when I will say without a doubt that a certain product is 100% the best on the market. This hand creme falls into the second category. It is Herbacin Kamille + Glycerine Hand Creme for Protection and Care. Its not fancy. I found it at a beauty supply store years ago and since stock up whenever I can find it. Funny enough, I found it at a car wash place (Blue Wave in Santa Monica on Santa Monica Blvd), Im going to try to order it online because driving 45 minutes to a Santa Monica car wash just for my hand creme seems a little silly. It is super duper moisturizing but not greasy at all. It is thick-but goes on smooth. The scent is just a clean almost aloe-ish smell that doesn't clash with my perfume (cause dont ya just hate that?!?). I am a moisturizer/lotion/hand creme fanatic and have tried every other product on the market and nothing else gets close to this one!! There are a couple of different kinds of lotion by this same brand-so make sure you get the one in the picture!!If I find a place online to order it I'll update you all. Happy Father's Day!!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Bloggers-I've been MIA!!

I was moving and then out of town-so I have sucked as a Product Junkie :( But-Im all set up now and will be back tomorrow with a post about the most amazing hand cream...it will change your life!!!!

Friday, June 11, 2010

For all of the Preggos!


My sister sent me 2 books in the mail. One of them "Baby Bargains" is a must have for all Moms-to-be. The title in my opinion really sells the book short, because this book isn't just about finding cheap baby stuff. It is a detailed guide to buying all the things we need for our little one(and good Lord-there is a lot to buy!!). It compares all the major brands and takes in to account things like: safety, ease of use, cost, durability, ect and gives everything a grade. I especially love the stroller section (We have decided on the UppaBaby Vista after toying with the obvious other choices: Bugaboo(so 2008) and Orbit(not great safety ratings for the car seat)). Also they go over everything from changing tables to rockers to breast pumps to diapers to you name it-they cover it. A life saver when trying to sort through the crazy amount of baby stuff to choose from! The other book is equally as wonderful and useful(maybe even more so!) and I will blog about it next week! Happy Friday Bloggers! We are moving on Sunday-crazy!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Of Course I have Tried This!!



And I have to admit: it works. Very well. I started using Latisse in May of 2007 and the picture of me (I really tried to find one that zoomed in on my lashes-but this is the closest shot i could find-please ignore the vein bulging out of my forehead!)is from July 1st 2007. So in about 6 weeks my lashes were off the hook!! Long and thick. Everyone asked me if I was using fake lashes. At the time Latisse was not FDA approved yet, so I couldn't be very open about what I was using or my buddy who gave it to me could have gotten in trouble (sorry if I fibbed to you!). Now it is everywhere. A ton of my friends use it and I can spot a Latisse user from a mile away and its not just from their lashes. A common side effect(and my biggest issue w/ it) is it can cause eye redness. So at work, people would make jokes about me drinking too much the night before because my eyes were always red and glossy. Another issue I have is it can actually turn your eye color to brown. I love brown eyed girls-but I am pretty attached to my hazel eyes and didn't think it was worth the trade off. So I used it that whole summer and loved it-but after a while just got sick of the red eyes and decided I was OK w/ my own lashes. I do miss them though-so maybe if they perfect the formulation so that it doesn't brown my eyeballs and stops causing redness-I will give it another go!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Fellow Product Junkies: I need your help!


I have gotten several requests to post about the best under eye cream and deodorant. I use both religiously-but must admit, Im not in love with what I currently use. Please either comment on here, send me a message on facebook or babycenter or text me! The people have spoken and as a good Product Junkie-I must help them!!!! And posts are always better with a picture so here is a shameless pic of our family at my mother in laws house last fall. Ha ha-any excuse to post pics about the pups!!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Best Sunscreens for you Face!



I hate to admit this but I am an ex-tanner :( My Bestie Jules and I used to do what we called "double days" in college. We would wake up, drive to a tanning salon then come home and lay out at the Pi Phi house until it was time to get ready for our evenings festivities! Talk about sun damage :( Oh well-we can't turn back the clock but I have had to do a lot of skin "correcting" on the not so cute brown spots I accumulated on my face (mainly my forehead). I will post soon about how I finally got rid of the brown spots(they are gone!), but today's post is about how I keep them away: Sunscreen. Not just any screen will do. The best, most protective one is Clarins SPF 40 oil free. I promise you its better than your Neutrogena SPF 70 or whatever sunscreen you are currently using. It isn't really about the SPF in this case-its about the fact that this sunscreen has a physical block too and the sun just does not penetrate it. It amazing and it changed my skin! I get it at Sephora or Nordies, its $40 a bottle-but that bottle lasts forever. If I am walking, gardening, boating or spending any significant amount of time in the sun-I am religious about putting this on.

The other one is Kate Somerville Protect SPF 30. It smells so good and isn't as protective as the Clarins. This is my winter sunscreen or the one I wear if I'm not going to be outside at much (because I wear sunscreen on my face every single day). I get this one at Nordies too and I love it. It is moisturizing-but doesn't leave my skin oily at all. With these 2 sunscreens in my bag-I can happily enjoy my summer and know that my face won't pay the price down the road :)

Monday, June 7, 2010

Best Toothpaste and a Weird New Discovery



Good morning bloggers! I have 2 products to talk about today. The 1st is simply my favorite toothpaste ever: Crest 3D White Vivid Toothpaste in Radiant Mint. It is the perfect combo of minty-ness and I swear it really does whiten my teeth! I have to give credit where it is due though: Kevin was the one who discovered it. He picked up a tube when it was on sale and we will never look back! We use it with our electric toothbrushes and it not only cleans like crazy-but it also is a great breath freshener!! So my second product is pretty random. I am obsessed/addicted with flossing my teeth. It brings me joy for some strange reason. Well, my mom was visiting a few weeks ago and I mentioned how much of a flossing lunatic I am and she one upped me with "Welll, have you ever tried a waterpick"?!?! What??!!!?? Never heard of it-but I was intrigued! So we went to Target and she bought me one. It was about $50ish and it took a while to master-but it could be my new favorite hobby! I do it in the shower (or else water ends up everywhere)and it takes about a minute (sometimes more because I like to do it a few times) and it feels soooo good and it is really good for your teeth and gums! It is a cordless one that you fill up with warm water and hold near your gum line and it blasts a thin but powerful stream of water. So now I floss in the nighttime and waterpick in my morning shower. Ahhhhhh it makes my teeth extra clean!!

Friday, June 4, 2010

The Yummiest, Best, Make-Your-Skin-Soft Scrub!!!


I was never a huge body scrub fan. I would forget to use them and I hated how oily they felt. Well that changed! Now that Im getting older(30!), I try to find moisturizers in all shapes and forms and that includes body scrubs. I was introduced to the LaLicious scrubs a couple of years ago while visiting my sister. She left a little tub in the guest shower and I decided "What the heck-I'll try this". Now it is in my top 10 favorite everyday luxuries!!( More on everyday luxuries later). It is a sugar scrub that has oils in it so it is crazy moisturizing! The scents they come in are heavenly! I especially love the Passionfruit/Lime and Brown Sugar/Vanilla. They should be the very last thing you do before you get out of the shower and they are so rich-you may not need lotion after you use them! Kevin definitely compliments me on how soft my skin is after I use this delightful scrub! You can order it online from http://www.lalicious.com/ and I suggest you do bc they throw in a little sample with every purchase! The company also makes amazing body cream and body oils too! Happy scrubbing!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

My Crack aka Kiehl's Lip Balm #1


Hello, my name is Hillary B*** and Im a lip balm-aholic. Ok, this post is way past due...Any of you who know me, know that this is my #1 favorite product. Ever. I love/need it and always carry a tub w/ me(even in bar class, in the pool, at the doctors office, during dinner-I mean I never am w/out it!). A few weeks ago I was at Starbucks with one of my dear friends Julian. My purse was unzipped and he caught a glimpse of the 6 tubs of Kiehl's Lip Balm that I had in my purse at one time. He had to call me out on it and through laughs asked me if I really need to carry 6(!) tubs with me in one purse??!!?? I have to say-that yes I do! Its my own personal crack (and this crack is not whack!) and I am totally dependent on it. It is the most moisturizing lip balm on the market. It has the perfect amount of shine, but isn't too sticky. It doesn't have a taste(because lets face it, coconut on the lips tastes good for a day or so-but it gets old real quick!), my only gripe is that it is only SPF 4. It comes in a pot/tub or in a tube-but I swear the pot/tub is WAY better than the tube. I also put in on my cuticles and never get hangnails or dry cuticles. You can get it anywhere Kiehl's is sold, I generally get mine at Nordies. Ahhhh just talking about it makes me happy!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Gift with Purchase??



I promised myself I would not be suckered into buying a certain amount of cosmetics to get a "free gift with purchase" anymore. It is just wasteful because I never use those mini-tubes of product and I already have way to much junk/clutter in my bathroom as is(we are moving in 2 weeks-so I started packing and am SHOCKED but how much crap I own!!!). Well, I broke my promise. I was at the 1st day of the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale (started last Wednesday) and I saw the cutest little make up bag that clinique was hawking as part of their gift...Trina Turk designed it! And I heart anything and everything that Trina does...it's a bit obsessive-bit I think she is the chicest, most fab person ever. She is the queen of Palm Dessert and I wish I was the princess! Soooooo, I bought $50 worth of clinique stuff (under eye concealer, under eye cream(which I'll post about soon!), and some lip gloss). I got my gift home and gave my mom the stuff inside the make up bag (ha ha it is her junk now!) and now I have my cute little make up bag that I somehow spent over $50 to get???

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Easiest cup of joe ever


Good Morning bloggers! As I sit here, doing my morning routine (wake up, make coffee, drink coffee as I visit all my Internet sites: FB, babycenter, a few blogs, ect) I feel compelled to write about Starbucks Via Ready Brew. I'm not an instant coffee kind of gal, but things were getting dicey around here in that department. I normally brew coffee every morning for Kevin to drink on the road and for me to drink here. Well now that I'm on decaf(oh caffeine-how I miss you!)and Kevin still needs his caffeine to wake up-Ive been running to Starbucks for lattes every morning(too inconvenient and too much $$). And as much as I love my lattes-I missed my little routine. So my mom(who is a coffee snob too) mentioned that the Starbucks Via isn't bad at all. I tried it and its pretty good! Not amazing-but pretty darn good. Now it is sooo easy to make Kev's regular and my decaf in 2 seconds. So for the next 5 months until we are both on caffeine, I think its a great way to start the day :)