Color Change Nails!

Last week, I got the BEST manicure. Remember mood rings where the color changes with your mood (aka the temperature)? This polish works the same way. It's perfect for someone like me who hates making decisions and sometimes takes 20 minutes to pick a color at a nail salon and then starts second guessing my choice as soon as they start to put it on! The color I got goes from a light grey to a charcoal and sometimes is a sort of ombre between the two. 

Simple Gift Idea

While in China I picked up a bunch of my favorite face masks, made in Korea where my sister lives. I've been wrapping a few of them up with some washi tape and giving them as gifts to friends after I returned from Beijing. BUT I think they'd also make a fun little holiday gift. Everyone could use a face mask in the months of dry winter skin. I love that they aren't as messy as face masks as we think of them, these are actually face shaped sheets with eye, nose and mouth holes and are fun to give out to people to try out!

PS. Here is a similar option I found on Amazon, I haven't tried them, but they seem to have great reviews. 

What's Your Beauty Routine?

It seems that beauty routines have become the thing to post about these days.

It's lead me to wonder, does EVERYONE but me have a set routine? I mean, I wash my face every day and all that jazz, but I can't for the life of me commit to any products. When I run out of face wash, moisturizer, lipstick, etc. I pick up something new, somehow hoping it'll work better than the last thing I had.

I've gone on all natural kicks, all one brand, then all another brand. I've tried pretty much everything but I'm loyal to nothing.

I've been loving Cup of Jo's Beauty Uniform series, these posts from No More Dirty Looks and Huff Post's Beauty Street Style column as well. Each time I read one I find myself wondering if this person will have some miracle product that will work for me too.

I seem to be on an endless quest. I rarely buy the same products more than once. I am forever assuming that there must be something better out there that I haven't stumbled upon yet.

Thankfully, instead of buying every product someone one raves about, I've become obsessed with Beautypedia. Have you checked it out? It rates most every skincare and makeup product you could think of and at first, I was skeptical. However, I can tell you, they've been right on about what products will irritate my skin.

Here's what I HAVE learned from reading tons of other women's beauty routines. 

1. Everyone mixes and matches brands. Most product lines try and tell you that if you use their cleanser, for the best results, you need to use their toner, moisturizer, etc. Real women are mixing things up.

2. Everyone splurges and saves in different areas. I was surprised at how most all women were using a variety of department store and drugstore brands. Maybe their cleanser cost under $10 and then they are following that up with a $100 serum.

3. Everyone's skin is different. This I can tell you from personal experience. Some of the products ladies have been raving about on blogs have not worked out well for me and my sensitive skin.

So, my goal for the summer, to find myself a beauty routine. I want to find products that moisturize and don't irritate my dry/sensitive skin, that are proactive about the wrinkles I'm starting to see without being super crazy expensive. And ideally, products that don't test on animals and are fairly natural.

Anyone have anything to recommend?



Images via Pinterest