"Summer days drifting away to the summer nights..."

I am totally unprepared for the end of summer! Especially since we finally got some sun and heat here in the NW. Enter my new favorite shower gel and body lotion, Philosophy Aloha Girl! The perfect scent of coconut, reminiscent of sunscreen in my childhood. This set, for $25, comes with a shower gel (can also be used as a shampoo), a body lotion, and a yummy lipgloss. Not only is the scent right on, but the products are fabulous! My whole shower smells like coconut, my skin is soft and smooth and my lips are shiny! Speaking of lips, the gloss is not sticky, has a subtle flavor and adds a lot of shine which works over lip color or on it's own. At least for now I don't have to acknowledge that Autumn is just around the corner.........

Red Lips with a New Trick!

I am a fan of lipstick! I like it pale and I love it dark! Realistically, I don't dress up my lips very often, but I was super excited when I read a trick (so simple and obvious) for red lips that made them sooo wearable. First I took my Bobbi Brown Kir Lipstick (a plummy brown) and swiped it on the top and bottom lip. Next I lined with Nars Salsa Lip Pencil (perfect reddish brown). Blot with tissue. Now here's the trick, I applied a brighter red, Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in True Red, to the center of my lips and pressed my lips together. Somehow the brightness in the center gave me the classic red lip, but the plum base kept it from looking garish. Plus with the layers the color lasted for several hours. Just don't put gloss over the top!

Smokey Eyes for Daytime

I was getting a little bored with black. Plus, I really wanted to wear red on my lips...or plum, or bright pink! But black, smokey eyes and colorful lips can be a little overwhelming. So I decided to pull out some of my old favorites and mix them together. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Chocolate Shimmer Ink is beautiful! I apply it close to the lash line (literally rest the brush on your lashes and drag along the line) with MAC angled brush #266. This brush is great for creating a wing-tip at the outer corner. Just lift towards your eyebrow at the end of your lash line. Then use the left over color on the brush to apply a little liner along the lower lash line. After the chocolate I applied a plum-raisin shade from Makeup Forever (Aqua Eyes pencil # 18L). The Aqua Eyes line is very long lasting. Waterproof and all :) The combination of chocolate and plum created a multi-dimensional smokey eye that was subtle and compliment worthy. I had several people tell me they loved whatever it was I did to my eyes (lol!). Funny thing, I loved my eyes so much I sorta skipped the bright pink lipstick!

RED!!!

Red for your eyes, of course! So I had to see how this worked. I've used the MAC eyeshadow Beauty Marked but it is mostly just black. This eyeshadow palette actually has a dark red eyeshadow. Granted, it is a cream, not a powder, but the effect was truly very cool! Basically I started my eye with the smoky charcoal (gloch) on the entire lid then added the silver (slayer) to the crease. After that I used my finger to "pat" the dark red cream (bloodletting) onto my lid over the charcoal. I used the dark purple (ace of spades) as a liner with a smudge brush. Unfortunately my camera takes away about 20% of the color so imagine that my makeup was a bit darker and smokier.....very hot! This is a great look for holiday parties! Possibly paired with a glossy nude lip (Nars Little Darling lipstick and MAC clear lip glass) and some super sexy heels!

Preparing your feet for Spring!

My all time favorite product for feet is Aveda's foot relief! I use this all winter long before bed and by the time spring rolls around, my feet are soft and pretty. ;) It has lavender and rosemary oils for a nice soft fragrance. The lotion softens and smooths out calluses and dry patches. It's is not greasy and it absorbs quickly, yet the next day you can tell a difference as if you had loaded up with tons of product. I highly recommend this product to everyone that loves to wear flip flops and heels!

Another Sexy Option!

I get my hair cut and colored (like almost every other girl in America) every 7 weeks or so at an Aveda salon. My hairstylist, Hollie, is the owner and THE MOST amazing hair stylist I've ever had! She rocks. She is also very good at recommending products that I love. This Volumizing tonic (Aveda) is one of my most favorites! I spray my roots when my hair is damp, flip my head down and blow dry. Once the roots are dry, I flip my hair back and continue drying with a paddle brush. After my fair is styled I can either back-comb the roots for extra volume, or rough up my roots with my fingers. There is no color deposited so it is much cleaner to mess with. Ingredients include organic aloe and wheat amino acids which help add body and shine. And the volume lasts well into the second day. I wake up, rough of the roots and head out the door....

Unsexy!

On the other hand, the TRESemme Dry Shampoo goes on white (see baby powder description) and leaves a dull cast to hair. The volume was decent, but not impressive. This product was promptly placed in my camping bag for next summer. Maybe in the woods, no one will notice dull hair? ;)