Beauty Review: NuMe Classic Curling Wand

I've seen curling wands all over the place but never tried one until recently. What rock have I been living under? My sister used her NuMe curling wand on me when she did my hair for my bachelorette party and I loved the way my hair looked. The curl stayed in all night and it still even held the next day. That never happens to my hair! I knew I had to get one of my own. 

I purchased the 25mm classic curling wand in black. Shipping was extremely quick and I had my wand in a matter of days! The wand also comes with a glove to protect the hand used to curl your hand. Don't be too cool for the glove -- it will save your life. I made the mistake of not using it once and after burning my hand really bad, I'll never make that mistake again. The iron gets really hot really fast so be careful when using the wand.

 

 

I thought it would take longer to curl my hair since you have to wrap each section and hold it for a few seconds but it's actually a lot faster than my other curling iron! I split my hair into three sections (top, middle and bottom) and start with the bottom layer moving up. After all the layers are done I brush out the curls with a paddle brush for a more relaxed wavy look. Finish off with some smoothing serum and hairspray and you're good to go!

I will never go back to my old iron after making this switch. I'm so glad my sister introduced me to this amazing curling wand! Need some help on how to use a wand? Check out these videos on their website!

Have you used a curling wand before? What other beauty tools have you been wanting to try? 

Shaping Your Brows

We’ve mentioned it before—eyebrows are very important to a woman’s overall look. Well groomed brows can totally transform a face. The problem is that there are so many ways that eyebrows can be done wrong—too thick, too thin, too short, uneven, etc.

Here are a few tips on how to achieve a good shape for your face:

1. Use a pencil or other thin object to align the inner corner of your eye with the start of your eyebrow. Your brow shouldn’t extend past this line.
2. The arch of your brow should match up with the outer part of your iris.
3. The end of your brow should align with the natural upward curve of your bottom lash line.

Also make sure that you aren’t tweezing or waxing too much from the underside of the brow. Make it a point to leave your natural shape intact and get rid of hairs that are outside of your natural shape.

Some other tips: 

• Don’t tweeze the top of your brows. There’s a misconception that eyebrow shape is attributed to the lower part of the brow, but the top provides a lot of shape too. Only get rid of obvious strays on the top.
• If you aren’t sure how to shape your brows, visit a professional. There are plenty of places out there that offer eyebrow waxing or shaping. If you’re on a budget, you could ask for a consultation and revisit once or twice.
• If your brows are too thin and you’re trying to grow them back, do some research and brow hair growth products. You could also invest in a good eyebrow pencil or powder to help fill in and keep you from continuing to over-tweeze or wax. 

How do you keep your brows looking great?

Fitness: Tips for Working Out During the Week

If you're like me, it's hard to stay motivated to workout during the week when you're busy with work. Adrianne and I work a 9-5 desk job and sitting all day does not help our fitness levels. I've come up with a few tips that have kept me motivated throughout the week and wanted to share them with you if you're finding yourself in the same situation or just want to become more active. 

1. Put all of your workout clothes in a gym bag the night before. This will ensure you have everything you need and will be ready to go the next day. 

2. If you workout before work lay out your clothes right next to your bed and put everything else you need for work right by the door (don't forget some kind of breakfast!). I'm not a morning person so early morning workouts before work don't usually work for me. When I occasionally drag my butt out of bed I've noticed this trick helps a ton.

3. Write down your scheduled workouts for the week in your planner. If I see that I have arms scheduled for my workout of the day, I know skipping it will throw off my schedule for the week. It helps keep me accountable and keeps track of what I've done.

4. Go with a friend. Luckily they have installed a gym where I work so I can run down there for a half hour on my lunch. I usually go with another coworker to help keep me on track and motivated to actually do it. I've found that going on lunch really breaks up my day and gives me an extra boost of energy in the afternoon. If you can get away from your desk, even to just go on a walk, you'll notice a huge difference in your productivity later in the day.

5. If you start to try to talk yourself out of going to the gym remember this: the sooner you start the sooner it will be over and you'll never regret working out but you really will regret not going. That always gets my butt in gear! If I'm not feeling it for the day I cut my workout a little short. However, I've noticed that as soon as I get going, I usually feel great and get a boost of energy to keep going. 

Have I convinced you yet that you should go workout today? What little tips or tricks do you use to keep yourself motivated and on track? 

How To Soothe Irritated Ears

{via}

Ever since I was a baby, I’ve had my ears pierced. My first piercings were done before I could even talk. But, one of the problems I’ve encountered my whole life is sensitivity to certain types of metal. If I wear anything other than real gold, my ears become red, inflamed, itchy and irritated. So, what’s a girl to do? 

The easiest thing to do is buy earrings that don’t irritate your ears. But, if you aren’t able to do that there are a few other things you can do.

Do some tests. Experiment with various types of metals. Perhaps only one type of metal irritates your ears and others don’t. Then you know what to look for. One common irritant is nickel. If you can’t help but wear earrings containing an irritating metal (like I sometimes do), limit the amount of time you wear your earrings. Usually six to eight hours is my threshold.

Here’s one trick: before you put on your earrings, cover the post or loop in Vaseline. Vaseline provides a coating on the earring, moisturizes your skin and cuts down on the metal having such an intense effect on your ears. Though I haven’t tried it, I believe products like coconut oil or Neosporin would offer the same benefits.

If you’re already experiencing irritation, make sure you have take care of your ears. I usually clean my ear lobes with some rubbing alcohol or Bactine on a cotton ball. Then, just one of the products I mention to moisturize and heal the irritation. 

Do you have sensitivity to certain metals? How do you prevent or soothe irritation?

Beauty: Read This Before Purchasing Any New Products!

I recently used a gift certificate for a spa day from my groom. My morning of pampering included a body wrap, massage and a facial. When I was getting my facial she asked me a lot of questions about my current routine and what I wanted to improve about my skin. Not only did I walk away with some great tips but she let me in on an amazing secret: CosmeticsCop.com. 

This website is full of expert and customer reviews on any beauty product you can think of. You can search by brand, product or type of product. 

There is also a TON of advice about specific beauty questions. I'm already hooked and I know I will be using this as a great resource to educate myself on the best way to take care of my skin.  

Search all brands: 

 By a specific product line:

By type of product: 

The next time you're looking to invest in some new skincare or makeup products I highly recommend checking it out! 

Have you used this website or a similar one before purchasing your beauty products? Would negative reviews impact what you purchase?

Girls Night Out Makeup

This past weekend we celebrated Amanda’s upcoming wedding by going out on the town for her bachelorette party. Here is a picture from the festivities:

I thought it’d be fun to share the makeup look I wore that night. Here are the products I used:

• Face: Smashbox Studio Skin Foundation, Benefit Erase Paste, Clinique Airbrush Concealer in Neutral Fair
• Cheeks: Tarte Dollface Blush and MAC Blush in Garb (for contouring)
• Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion, Naked 2 Palette (Bootycall for all over lid color, Pistol for crease color and Blackout for liner), MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, Urban Decay Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero CoverGirl Lashblast Mascara, Sephora lashes
• Brows: Avon Ultra Luxury Brow Liner in Light Golden Brown, Anastasia Clear Brow Gel
• Lips: CoverGirl LipPerfection Lipcolor in Temptress

What makeup products do you like to wear for a night on the town? 

Review: Benefit Cosmetics Brow Zings

I've loved almost every Benefit Cosmetics product I've tried. The price point is a little more than I typically like to spend, but the product you get is definitely worth it. I have dark thick eyebrows and I love filling them in to make them pop even more. I've tired different products over the years including the Benefit Instant Brow Pencil and have been happy with the results. I was almost out of the brow pencil and decided to give the Brow Zings a try. I knew I could always return it for the pencil if I didn't like it as much. 

My thoughts? I love the Brow Zings! The kit comes with a tinted wax that defines and shapes brows and a setting powder to fill in the gaps. It also comes with small tweezers for stray hairs, a hard angle brush, and a blending brush. You can decide how much product to apply so it can be as natural or dramatic as you want. The wax really helped to keep my brows in place and the setting powder filled them in perfectly. I purchased the medium shade which works perfectly with my brow color.

The price point of $30 is a little steep just for brows but a little product really goes a long way so it will last me a long time. As much as I loved the Instant Brow Pencil, the product was really soft and I would sometimes use a tad too much on my brows - making them much more dramatic and I was wasting a lot of product. I think the Brow Zings is the perfect solution to that problem!

Do you fill in your brows? What are your favorite brow products?