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 :)

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!!

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!

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!

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???

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 :)

Ahhhhh Summer!

So I know summer hasn't officially started according to my calender. But for me, Memorial Day weekend signifies the start of the season. There are so many smells that remind me of the season: the beach, Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil, Coppertone, Jasmine and BBQ are just a few. 2 years ago I stumbled upon a limited edition perfume line from Estee Lauder called Bronze Goddess. It comes in the most fabulous bottle and makes me want to be either: on a yaught somewhere or in Palm Dessert (yep I love the dessert so much-I even go in June!). Looking at the bottle now just makes me happy :) The scent is summer. It smells like a mix of Coppertone meets coconut oil meets the beach meets delicious meets chic!

I found that it wasn't such a limited edition and was actually more of a seasonal item and it is back! This year I bought the Body Oil Spray(I'm OBSESSED with body oils-more on that in a future post) and it has not disappointed. I want to throw on a cute jumper or dress (anything Tory Burch, DVF, Trina Turk or Milly to be specific!), grab a mojito (virgin for me!) and spray this fantastic summer in a bottle all over myself! Have a fun holiday weekend :)

If you have a Dishwasher, you need this!

Bloggers, there is nothing better than sitting around chatting with girlfriends. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending some time with one of my besties, Leah and one of her besties, Lori (of the fabulous Paper & Thread Studio!) and one of Leah's coworkers Kylie. We were stuffing the invites for Leah's upcoming wedding (July 24th!!) and we literally discussed everything. Not exaggerating. From sex to child birth (scary!) to food to celebrities to skin care to dish washing detergent!?! Which brings me to this post. We were at Lori's house and she mentioned that her dishwasher had stopped getting her glasses sparkling clean. Leah and Kylie said they had the same thing happen. So I let them in on a little secret: Lemi Shine. It is amazing!!

I get the super concentrated kind (the one in the picture) because there are a few different kinds out there. It is a powder that you put where you would normally put your dish washing detergent and it seriously gets glasses so nice and sparkly!! It is sold at some Targets, but I recently saw it on Amazon(don't you just love Amazon-they have everything!!!) It removes hard water spots and more importantly that film that almost looks like you were drinking milk out of the glass that just came out of the washer. It great!

Cute, Soft & Cheap!

Bloggers, there is nothing I love more than a pretty, girlie nightie or chemise to sleep in. I love them-they make me feel much prettier/sexier than my flannel snowflake PJs (from 1999) that I still rock on occasion(ha ha sorry Kevin!). My problem is that I usually end up taking them off in the middle of the night because of a tag/clasp/button/zipper/something that itches me or is uncomfortable. So I end up butt naked. That's not such a problem at home, but when I'm visiting my mother in law and she comes to wake me up or bring me coffee-its always a bit...weird...if I'm nude. So Ive been on a hunt for attractrive yet super comfy sleepwear and I had to post about this great find from Target. It is by the brand Gilligan & O'Malley called Women's Fluid Knit Chemise. AND It is only $15!! Buy two!!! It comes in a couple different colors (I have black, my mom just bought the pretty periwinkle color) and isn't super girlie/frilly, but it is cute and flattering and it feels like I'm not wearing anything at all :) I suggest ordering a size up (I got a medium) because I think the key to comfort is to have it be flowy. I got it in store but they have it online too!! Happy shopping!!

The Fountain of Youth??

Coconut water is all the rage right now. I completely understand why. It has more potassium than a banana, four other naturally occurring electrolytes, only 60 calories, and no fat or added sugar. It is low in acidity and high in potent antioxidants. It literally is a miracle drink. I feel better after I chug a carton of it.

I first heard about it in a magazine (did I mention I am a magazine junkie too?). I read that Gisele drinks it daily. Well, if its good enough for Gisele, its good enough for me! I went out to Whole Foods and bought a little juice box of it and YUCK! Hated it. I learned later that it is best served very cold(even over ice). Now Kevin and I drink this magical elixir all of the time. It gives me energy, makes me feel happy, makes my skin look nice and Ive grown to love the taste. Its also the best thing to drink right before bed if you are worried about a hangover!