Hair and Beauty Bag

Happy Tuesday! I hope you had a great weekend! Today, I'm sharing my my latest cut and color plus what's on current rotation in my beauty bag. I have to get my hair colored on about an every seven weeks or so because I've had some gray hair since I was 18. Not fun and it seems like I have even more gray hair every time. I'm all about appreciating that aging is an honor but I just like to color my hair. I'm not ready to commit to gray! I really enjoy the hair coloring process and it's fun to add in my new colors every once in awhile. My hair is naturally pretty dark so I've decided to embrace the dark hair. Dark hair is definitely here to stay but I do love adding in a few light pieces to break up the dark color. My stylist added a few extra lighter pieces for summer and I am loving it. My cut is long bob with some layers. I just get the ends trimmed because I am currently still letting it grow out. It's grown so much in the last year!

My stylist curled it with a 1.25 inch curling iron. To achieve this style she used Kenra Dry Texture Spray and the Kenra Working Spray. These are two of my personal favorite hair products and they are worth every penny. They also smell so good on top of working so well! I wish Kahli could come to my house and style my hair for me every day so that it could look this good all of the time! She's the best! I have learned so much about styling my hair from her. My stylist is Kahli at Renew and she's been doing my hair for over eight years! If you decide to let her work her magic on your hair, be sure to let her know that I sent you over!

You can also read more about my hair care routine and how I go four or more days without washing my hair in this blog post! I don't skip washes because I'm lazy (but that might be part of it haha), I skip washing because my hair is so much healthier and so much more manageable when I skip a few days between washes. I've also shared about a life changing hair brush in this blog post back in January. It has been a game changer for my own hair but especially my oldest daughter!

The past six weeks, I have also been letting my hair go "natural" pretty much everyday. My hair texture is naturally wavy with some curl. I have been learning honestly, this is really just a learning process right now. I don't have a formula nailed down that I think is perfect. However, I have found some products that I am really loving that I would recommend if you are wanting to go natural. I have been washing like normal and then rinsing. After rinsing out my shampoo, I have been using my regular conditioner but the main thing I have been doing different is that I have been rinsing my conditioner with my hair flipped over, kind of scrunching my hair as a I go. When I get out of the shower, I have been using a cotton t-shirt or micofiber towel to gently remove some of the moisture. I also do this in a scrunching motion to maintain the direction of the wave/curl. Next, I'm applying a little bit of the Iso bouncy creme by scrunching it into my hair and following up with a little of the Kristin Ess air dry creme. 

I sleep with my hair in a pineapple (basically my hair is in a soft srunchie on top of my head). In the morning I refresh my hair by flipping my hair over, spraying it with water and leave-in conditioner (that I mixed together in a spray bottle) and scrunching in a little more bouncy creme with my hands. I flip it over and scrunch again before letting it air dry. I'll keep updating y'all as I find products or techniques that work for me. For now, I am having fun embracing my naturally wavy hair! It's a little wild but it's mine!

H A I R  P R O D U C T S   I' M  C U R R E N T L Y  L O V I N G:

Now, on to my beauty bag! For the most part, my beauty routine has stayed the same because when I find what works, I keep doing it. But, I feel like the most important parts of my makeup routine is definitely skincare. When I started intentionally taking better care of my skin, my makeup starting going on so much better. You can read more about my budget friendly skincare routine in this post! I am by no means a beauty pro but this is what works for me. I have made some changes and updates to my skincare care routine so I will be updating my skincare post soon!

P R I M E R | I received this primer free as a part of a sponsored Instagram project and I fell in love with it! I had never even really used a primer... pretty much ever so I was excited to give it a try. I applied it after my moisturizer and before my BB cream. I couldn't really tell the difference it made until all of my makeup was on. My skin was literally glowing and my makeup stayed on (and looked better) all day long. I'm officially a fan! A little goes a long way and this first container has lasted me months.

B B  C R E A M | I love this super budget friendly BB cream! It comes out white but as soon as you put it on your face, it blends into your skin tone. It comes in several shades but I personally use the shade fair because I think the shades run a little dark. I have been using this product for over a year and half and I highly recommend it! I've tried much more expensive BB and CC creams and I just keep coming back to this one!

C O N C E A L E R | I have been using for over a year and I am still absolutely loving it! Such a great concealer and worth the extra pennies! This product is a game changer! I wear the shade "light sand" but I would recommend getting color matched at an Ulta store if you're unsure about which color to get for your skin tone.

P O W D E R | I have been using a different powder for over two years and they are discontinuing it so I am hunting for a new powder. I use a layer of powder on top of my BB cream to set it for the day. I am trying this new, budget friendly option and I like it so far. I would recommend applying this powder with the kabuki brush that I'm sharing at the bottom of this post. It goes on more smoothly and you can blend it so much better!

B R O N Z E R | I recently switched to this bronzer and if you haven't smelled this kind before, you need to! It smells so good! I also really love how smoothly it goes on and it gives you such a really glow. I would highly recommend it!

B L U S H | I have been loving this blush in the shade tea rose. I love it! This is such a good drugstore blush. Also, the packaging is so pretty!

H I G H L I G H T E R | I have been using this super budget friendly highlighter for over a year. This is only $4 and it lasts forever. It adds the prettiest highlight to your face!

E Y E L I N E R | I recently tried on this liquid eyeliner because it was a free gift with the purchase of my favorite mascara. I have never really used liquid eyeliner so I was a little hesitate to try it out. I have been using it on my top lash line and I love the bolder look. I also love this eyeliner. It goes on smoothly and lasts all day long plus it's super inexpensive! I use it on my lower lash line very lightly and then I blend it in.

E Y E  S H A D O W | This eye shadow palette is definitely worth splurging on! It lasts forever and the colors are perfect. My eye shadow lasts all day when I use this!

M A S C A R A | This It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara is probably the best mascara I have ever used! You only need one coat of this magic mascara. It adds so much volume and length to your lashes instantly. It's my favorite!

As much as I love my It Cosmetics mascara and I am always on the hunt for a more affordable mascara that works close to as good as it does. This Cover Girl Exhibitionist mascara is probably my favorite drug store mascara find of all time! When I look for a mascara, I'm looking for one that can give me length and volume. This one does just that and does it so well!

L I P S T I C K | This is the best lipstick ever! I am usually not a fan of lipstick because I feel like it drys my lips out but this one is different. My lips feel so soft after applying plus it lasts so long. My favorite shades are "Backtalk" and "Naked." It's also long lasting! I have also been wearing a new combo: this lip color (in shade sedona sands) with my lips completely filled in with this lip liner (in shade peekaboo neutral). It lasts so long! I also love wearing the lip liner with the lip gloss below for an everyday look.

L I P G LO S S | My lips get so dry this time of year so I was looking for a product that would hydrate my lips plus give a little hint of color for everyday wear. I have been using this lip gloss for the past few months and I love it! Super hydrating. I have the shades radiant rose and berry brown. Both are great neutral, everyday shades!

B R O W  P E N C I L | This is a new product for me and I am so excited to have found a great brow product! It's only $2 and works just as good (if not better) as much more expensive products. I use the shade deep brown in this. I am also really love this brow product, too! I use a combo of the two of them and I love how the natural look it gives my brows and on a budget!

M A K E U P  T O O L S | I use this blender for applying my concealer, I use this kabuki brush for applying my face powder, I use this brush for applying bronzer and blush, and I use this brush for applying my highlighter. Another great tip is to dampen your blender with just a little water (or I also love using this facial spray on my blender) before using it. This really helps your makeup blend much more naturally and keeps it from looking cakey. One of my favorite tricks!

M A K E U P  T O O L  C L E A N E R | Also, keeping your makeup tools clean is a super important part of your beauty routine! When I was younger, I didn't do a great job at this and my skin paid for it in breakouts. I have been using this soap to clean my blender and brushes for a few months now. I love this soap because it's make out of all natural ingredients. It comes in a bar or liquid formula and can be used for everything from cleaning your makeup brushes to your body!

Thank you so much for visiting! Here's to good makeup and hair days!

 I hope you have a wonderful day!

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