Glow Ahead: Spring Skin Set-Up

Skin! It's our body's largest organ! And, we want it to glow, don't we? Without getting knocked up, I've managed to find a good glow fitting of warmer weather. If you're still working on yours, this may help. 

THE PROCESS

1. Wise Woman Day Cream by The Body Shop : Before anything, I moisturize. This one was just what I wanted, mostly because it is reflective. It's great for  brightening my skin - all glow, no glitter. The anti-aging, super hydrating qualities of this cream are great bonus, too. 

2. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil-Free (Caramel) : This stuff right here, this stuff is amazing. I bought it when my skin was going haywire with breakouts a year ago and it was a miracle. It softly blurs blemishes and because it's not a cakey foundation, it lets your skins natural light show through. It's pricey, but so worth it.  

3) Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-HR Concealer (Tan) : To handle darker spots, I layer this with a brush and then smooth out with a sponge. This is very easy to blend and stays where you put it -- just what a good concealer should be. 

4) M.A.C. Mineralized Skinfinish Natural (Medium Deep) : I've been using this for years as a finishing powder. It's not full coverage, but it's great for setting foundation with a natural finish. I love that this powder has light-reflective minerals that pull together the glowy look.  

5) Wet n' Wild Color Icon Bronzer (Reserve Your Cabana) : No glow would be complete without a highlight, and although it's packaged as a bronzer, it's not one. This is all highlight, baby. I love this for so many reasons. It's cheap, it melts into my skin (blends well), and there is not one fleck of glitter. It's all a radiant powder, with gold undertones.  I sweep it under my eyes, over my concealer and down onto my cheek bones. For an extra highlight, I even apply to the inner corner of my eyes. 

THE RESULT

Below you will find a very flattering mugshot of me -- this is a good show of how this skin set-up lasts through mid-day. Oily skin has kicked in, but everything is still in place and glowing.  

(Oh, also, my mom says to mention that drinking water is good for skin! And so is fish oil and avocados  So, you know, consume some of that.)

On-the-Glow: Charlotte Ronson Review

It doesn't take much for e to convince myself that I need more make-up. I pay no never-mind to the drawer full of unused products I have. Thanks to American affluenza, I will always need more!

In support of my make-up collection, my lovely co-workers gifted me a Sephora gift card for my birthday and I wasted no time in using it. 

Although there were many glamorous options, I did what I always do and went to the sale area where Charlotte Ronson's line was 30% off. FYI, I also had a 15% off coupon because of Sephora's #chicweek so I saved all sorts of money. I'll hook you up with it below. 

I already had one of her eyeshadow palettes (this one, great neutrals, perfect pigmentation) and I was a fan, so I went right for the On-the-Glow set. Something about a pre-packaged-do-it-all kit makes me jump for joy. The ease it promises is attractive for a gal like me who's always running late. Always. 

ON THE GLOW KIT 

THE GOOD: 

I love the "3 x a Charm" Luminizer, Blush & Bronzer! I can see myself throwing it in my mobile makeup bag for the days I'm super behind (every day). The lip gloss, Elanor, isn't pigmented, but it gives a flushed and glossy look. 

THE BAD: 

There is no real bad, but I will say the copper shade (3rd from right)  in the palette is a bit more red than I'd like. Blended out enough, it can look less harsh. 

FINAL WORD: 

While you can buy all these items separately, the kit is the best deal at only $32 on sale. The eyeshadow is perfectly pigmented and the colors allow for a lot of looks. And, ohmygod, the face palette is to die for. The gloss is good and the eyeliner is standard, but because it's an illuminating gold it looks great in the inner corners of the eyes as a highlight.  

Sephora's Tutorial shows you how to use the On-the-Glow kit, but of course you can use it however you want. 

Mattenificent Bikini

Lookie here lookie-loos! I've mastered yet another manicure! In my experimentation with making my nails look like I put forth effort (without actually putting forth effort), I've found I have a place in my heart for matte! 

I've tried it in the past on other colors and wasn't all too impressed, but on top of this almost-blue-almost-purple pastel, it works. It puts a powedery soft focus on an already very soft color. And I know when you think of getting your nails done, you think "Gosh, I just HAVE to have powdery soft nails!" No? Just me. Okay...

MATTENIFICENT BIKINI

PRODUCTS USED: Essie "Bikini So Teeny & Set in Stones" NYX Topcoat "Matte Me Crazy," L.A. Colors Color Craze "Live" 
METHOD: Again, this mani-style is pretty dang simple. It just requires the ability to sweep a single color of polish on your nails, which is pretty basic as far as manicures go. The only special thing is the top coat, to make it nice & matte. Oh, and of course the glittah! 

Gilded Mint Goodness

Nail creativity is at an all time high. Unfortunately for me, my free time, skill set and patience to turn my fingers into mini works of art are not. 

The pang of sadness that comes with seeing a chipped manicure that took hours to complete is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. With the longevity of a good old-fashioned manicure at about a week, I only feel like investing 30 minutes (50 minutes if I'm feeling crafty) of my time to having fabulous fingers. 

Now that I've explained all that, here's this very pretty, very easy manicure. With the perfect combo of colors and a little glitter, you have a 30-minute-mani that'll get you a handful of admirers (for a week until it chips off. Hey, life ain't perfect). 

GILDED MINT GOODNESS

PRODUCTS USED: China Glaze "Re-Fresh Mint," Milani Jewel FX "Gold," Revlon "Gold Coin" 
METHOD: It's absolutely too easy to even describe. Look at the picture! It's as easy as sweeping the paint on your nails, except, you choose two accent nails to make it seem like you really tried: glitter on one (always necessary) and a metallic polish on the other. And ta-dah! You're a winner!