BB Creams, Oh The Obsession!

Hey Mom!  Make up take too long??

I know what every mother thinks, “I don’t have time to do make up anymore”.  I think there is a picture going around on FB and I quote “I traded eyeliner for dark circles, salon hair cuts for a pony tail, designer jeans for sweat pants, long hot bathes for  lucky if I get

A shower, late nights for early morning cartoons, designer purses for diaper bags and I wouldn’t change a thing”. 

Moms!  It does not have to be this way!  As tired as we can all become, all the running around, cleaning up the messes, trying to remember each and every little thing we must not forget to do!  But that is the problem, we forget to do them.  I am a mother of 2 boys myself,  I know what its like to forget things, however, because not all of us  mom’s wear “Mom Jeans” I want to let mother’s out there know about  how they can always have a nice clean slate to work with make-up wise!  BB Cream!

What is BB Cream you ask??  Beauty Balm.  I love BB cream because it really cuts the time in half when going into my make up regimen.  It does so much for such a little tube!  It conceals, brightens, evens out the skin tone and gives just the right amount of coverage.  With all the BB Cream craze now, its kind of hard not to give it the benefit of the doubt.

You have to know that BB Cream is my new secret weapon.  I love this stuff, it really gives me a chance to put my best face forward everyday.  When I feel like a million bucks, I certainly act like it!  What  a little make up can do to boost the confidence is amazing.  A little something for myself couldn’t hurt right?  Not at all.  So I tried it and I LOVE it!

Investing a little bit of time and money into our skin is always a plus!  Here are some of my favorite BB Creams:

Dr. JART + Premium Beauty Balm – I love the light weight formula.  Its SPF 45 and it coverage is amazing.  It really helps to even things out lovely.  $39.00 Sephora.com

Stila Stay all day 10 in 1 HC Beauty Balm – I love that is one acts like a primer as well.  This one really preps the skin for your next make up application in such a flawless way with out all the Junk that clogs the pores!  $38.00 Sephora.com

MAC  Prep + Prime SPF 35 – This one is awesome, it really stays where you put it and helps protect the skin from sun damage and lightly tinted to really work with your natural beauty! $30.00 MACcosmetics.com

L’Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream -  I was really shocked when I tried this one, it was light weight and really made my skin glow, all in one application!  $10.95 Duane Reade

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB -  This one gave me the most compliments from strangers!  I loved the coverage, the formula is amazing,  I really gave my face everything it needed to look fresh and ready for the day.  It lasts a super long time and is super light weight.  It also has SPF 30!  Protecting my skin to the fullest.  I even thought my skin felt super hydrated!  $9.95 CVS or Duane Reade.

SO whether you invest $30 or $9.95, taking a few minutes to do something for you is so rewarding in the end.  Every mom deserves it!  Celebrate your beauty!

Enjoy JV

The Perfect Blow Out!!

The Perfect Blow out!

You know what cooler weather means!  Great hair weather!!  Every time fall comes around, I always start to prep my hair.  I go get a good trim and because I am growing it out, the majority of the summer I just let it air dry and go!  Kind of giving it a break so that when the fall comes around, so I can have my best hair!

This is easy enough for the mommy on the go too!  If you do not like to fumble with your hair all week, once a week can work for you, look at it as a bit of YOU time! 

Once a week, I always give it a treatment of some sort.  If I feel that it’s a bit dry or over worked, a good Avocado mask (made right at home) is just the right remedy for my hair.  I mash some ripe avocado put the mask on dry unwashed hair and go about my business for at least a half hour (aka cleaning up the house while I let the avocado do its job).  Once I am ready to rinse, I let the water saturate my hair first before washing, then I get the shampoo (I use regular shampoo for this because you do not want your hair with residue left over, it will weigh down the blow dry) I wash it at least 2 times, then a condition.  Since I do this once a week, for many years, I find that this really keeps my scalp healthy.  If you work on keeping the scalp healthy, the rest will follow.  TRUST ME! I’ve tried it!  Try Treseme shampoo and conditioner, I use that because it does not have any sodium chloride, it is a harsh salt that will rinse out my keratin treatment faster, so I avoid any shampoo and conditioner with that salt.

After the treatment and the good wash and condition, I use a turbie twist.  You can find this at CVS and Duane Reade for $4.99.  This is really the secret to a great blow out.  It takes out all the water that your hair is holding.  You do not want to blow dry your hair while its seeping wet!  That is a big NO NO.  You will end up burning your hair and its not healthy for the ends.  You DO want to blow dry when your hair is at least 85% dry.  The difference is amazing and really allows your hair to capture volume, shine and brilliance.  I do not add any additional product to my hair because it does get oily quick.  Using a dry shampoo from time to time helps me get an extra day or two out of my hair! ( try Teseme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo $5.50 Duane Reade or Ojon Full Detox, Rub-Out Dry Cleansing Spray $13.00 Sephora.com)

After having my Turbie twist on for a least 20 min, I allow my hair to air dry a bit more, then I section it off, I use clips to section my hair in to 3 parts, the front in half and the back leaving hair starting from the bottom out and clipping the rest up.  (Plain hair clips can be found in packs of 6 or more at your local beauty supply shop for $2.99)

I have 2 size brushes I use the larger one on the bottom and the smaller one on the top sections (larger brushes make your hair straighter, smaller brushes can be used for curling the ends and volume.  Try to use boar bristle brushes, they can with stand the heat.  Others will melt. (Lado Pro brushes start at $5.99 and up and they have a variety of different kinds, I also like their Ceramic & Ion brushes, they are also found at local beauty supply stores) Most important is to clean your brushes after each use.

My hair dryer is my most prized position! (ask my husband!) I take care of it because it has an important job.  I use Turbo Power, Mega Power 4000.  I have come to use that they use in the salons because they last.  However, I also like the  Revlon line of hair dryers as it was the last one standing in my book of all the hair dryers I tried before going profession use. 

You want to start from the bottom and work your way up, DO NOT blow dry your hair upwards, make sure the hair and the brush is down and work your way all the way up sectioning each piece of hair as your continue up.  After you blow dry each section, give it a cold shot of air, it really helps make it shine!  After you are done, you can finish with a little Moroccan or Argan oil ( a little goes a long way, so make sure not to get heavy handed with the oil, this is supposed to last the majority of the week!) and Vaa Vaa Voom!  The perfect blow out