Quick Update! -- Happy Summer :)

Good Morning! I hope you all are having a fantastic week after the long, Memorial Day Weekend. 

Wishing all of those who serve and have served our country a belated "Thank You" for all that you do. 

I know you all have been waiting on the next Polish of the Week post, but to tell you the truth I've been giving my nails a break from polish for the past week. Sometimes you just have to let them breathe and go al naturale. 

My next post will be a little later than I planned and here's why. My husband is in the Navy and stationed in Virginia, but this week he is on leave so we are taking a vacation and going back home to Florida! I'm not sure what the wifi situation will be where we are staying so I wanted to keep you all updated and give you a heads up on what to look for on For The Love Of Beauty very soon! 

What vacations will you be taking this summer? I'd love for you to share!

Have a great rest of the week and weekend!

Xoxo

DIY-Goodbye Blackheads, Acne Scars and Hyper Pigmentation!

If you're skin is similar to mine and you struggle with clogged pores, scarring from acne or hyper pigmentation, then this "do it yourself" facial mask is going to not only work great for your skin, but keep those pennies in your bank account and away from the spa. Spa treatments and products can be expensive, especially when they are products or services focusing on a specified skincare issue like anti-aging, acne, and hyper pigmentation. You can spend tons and tons of money on peels, microderm, etc.. OR you can use all natural products you probably already have in your home to achieve the same result! Now keep in mind, the time frame and the quality of the results are not going to be the same. Would that really be very realistic? Of course it's going to take a little bit longer to see results using all natural products from home, but it's going to be a lot healthier for your skin and much more cost efficient. So let's get started!

You are going to need:

1 Egg (Egg White)

Small Bowl

1 Lemon

1 Mixing Spoon or Whisk

Hair Tie

Headband 

Facial Towel or Washcloth 

Old Foundation Brush or Paint Brush (optional)

Step 1: Crack the egg into your small bowl separating the egg yolk from the egg whites. You're only going to be using the egg whites, so instead of throwing them out, save your egg yolk for breakfast in the morning or for a bonus step at the end of this post!

Step 2: Cut your lemon in half and squeeze the lemon juice from both halves into the egg white mixture. 

Step 3: Whisk the lemon juice and egg whites mixture until frothy. 

Step 4: Tie back your hair and apply a headband to ensure no product gets into your hair. 

Step 5: Apply warm water to the face to open up your pores. You may also use your facial cleanser with warm water during this step. 

Step 6: Pat skin dry or let air dry and then with your fingers, foundation brush, or paint brush, begin applying the mask to your face. I prefer using a brush to ensure I coat the product evenly over my face and it's less messy this way. 

Step 7: Once you have finished applying the mask, let it sit for about 20 minutes until it hardens. Your skin will feel tight and dry.

Step 8: After 20 minutes, remove the mask with warm water and pat your skin dry. 

All finished! Now you are set to apply toner, serum, and your moisturizer. It is best to perform these skincare rituals at night so that your skin can properly absorb all of the products without interference of the sun, makeup, etc. Toning your skin is important to balance the pH of your skin after stripping it of moisture during cleansing. Serum is a must if you're looking to improve the tone and texture of your skin; serums can only help the process! Moisturizers go without saying, they're a MUST no matter the skin type, as long as the moisturizer you are using is fitting for you!

**As a bonus step, after removing the egg white and lemon juice mask, you can apply the egg yolk onto your skin for about 15-20 minutes and then remove with cool-warm water and apply toner, serum, and moisturizer. This step will help to moisturize your skin and tighten up your pores. 

Now I can't end this D.I.Y. without explaining the benefits of using these products on your skin. Egg whites work great for drawing out impurities such as dirt and oil and tightening your skin and pores, while lemons are an amazing natural exfoliant for the skin which helps to remove blackheads and dead skin cells. This increases skin cell turnover and in result the skin looks brighter. Lemon juice lightens the skin, so this also helps with the reduction of acne scarring and hyper pigmentation. Keep in mind, the average rate of skin cell turnover is every 30 days. So keeping up with this mask about 1-2 times per week for a month is best to do in order to see results. Don't be discouraged if you aren't seeing results immediately. Using natural or organic products takes a little bit longer, but in the long run is going to be better for your skin. I promise that once you see results you will never want to spend the average $50 on a skincare treatment or product again. The key is consistency. Consistency=Results!

xoxo,

7 Deadly Sins of Beauty Tag!

Hi beauties!

 I wanted to do this fun tag, just to share and I hope you share yours with me as well. I think tags are fun to read and a great way to pass the time if you're bored and surfing the web. I love this tag because it's an interesting way to incorporate the 7 deadly sins into questions about beauty products.
Something I know we all love!
 I tag you!  

Hope you enjoy. :)

TAG QUESTIONS

1. GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?
I would have to say that my most inexpensive beauty products are most definitely anything from the elf Cosmetics line that are as cheap as $1. They may be cheap but some of them are really great quality for the price! 

And my most expensive beauty product is the Aveda Green Science Line Minimizer which retails for $85. (Thankfully I used to work for the company so I got a pretty decent discount.)

2. WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? What product has been the hardest to get?
False Lashes. I love the way they look, but I HATE wearing them. 

As for hardest to get, I'd have to say the Naked and Naked2 palettes. Not because I can't find them or afford them, but I just can't bring myself to 1) spend that much on a neutral shaded eyeshadow palette or 2) convince someone else to spend that much on it for me. ;)

3. GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?
The aromatherapy line for Bath and Body Works. They all smell AHHH-Mazing!

4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness?
Well I actually have two answers: serums and primers. 

I just always seem to forget to use them! It's like an extra step that I just can't ever seem to remember. :/

5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?
Foundation for sure. I think that I just am so in love with flawless looking skin and foundation allows me to feel more confident that my skin looks as close to flawless as can be.

6. LUST: Which products or brand do you find has the most physically attractive packaging?
No specific product or brand, but perfumes in generally always have such attractive, pretty packaging. I think lots of women will agree.

7. ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?
A set of Sigma brushes or the Naked2 palette. 

Hope you liked this tag! Let me know if you'd like to see more of these types of posts. You are all tagged, so leave the link to your tag below and I'll be sure to check them out!

Have a Happy Monday!

Love,

Jessica 

Smoky Eye Look

Hi Friends! :)

Happy early Sunday! 

Tonight I was experimenting with an eye look and I came up with this twist on the classic smoky eye. The reason why I say a "twist on the classic smoky eye" is because a true smoky eye is rounded, rises higher than the crease as it fades upward, and is smoked much more on the lower lash line. This look is smoked outward a little bit (in more of an almond shape) and ends right in the crease with a heavily lined lower lash line and a bit of smokiness. I think this is a little more flattering for my eye shape and makes a smoky eye a little more wearable for me. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what it looks like. Leave me a comment letting me know what you think! And stay on the look out for a makeup tutorial on this eye look in the very near future! 

Stay beautiful! 

Love, 

Jessica

How To Avoid Makeup Meltdown This Summer

With summer just around the bend, the approaching hot weather has many of us ditching our holy grail full coverage foundations in fear of makeup meltdown and running out to buy something a little more lightweight.  Trying out new tinted moisturizers, BB Creams and mineral foundations can be scary and not to mention expensive. Ladies, have no more fear of makeup meltdown or breaking the bank. Here is a simple, oldie but goodie trick for lightening up the coverage of your foundation for a more breathable, long-lasting wear this summer. All you need is your moisturizer and your favorite foundation and you have your perfectly matched tinted moisturizer! Mixing equal parts of each will give you half the coverage of using your foundation alone. The more foundation than moisturizer, the more coverage and the less foundation and more moisturizer the less coverage. It's as simple as that and you don't have to spend a dime! 

Tinted moisturizers are great during the summer because they not only feel lightweight, but they are absorbed into the skin more than a full coverage foundation alone, making it easier for your skin to breathe and less likely to start running off of your face when you're out in the hot weather. Setting with a  translucent powder or any powder you prefer will also help with increasing the lasting power of your makeup during the day. Use a powder matching your complexion on top of your tinted moisturizer for more coverage if you need or prefer it. This will keep you from having to layer upon layer your tinted moisturizer to get more coverage and will prevent caking. One last tip: Don't forget to prime that pretty face of yours before applying your tinted moisturizer. This will only enhance the staying power of your makeup and help you to avoid makeup meltdowns! 

That's all there is to it! If you haven't heard of this trick, then I bet you're wondering why you haven't thought of this before. And you might have heard of this, but are asking yourself why you just went out and bought that brand new tinted moisturizer. Hope you still have your receipt! 

No more fearing makeup meltdown or that expensive purchase at the makeup counter this summer. 

That's the great part about DIY's! 

Below are two of my favorite duo's for tinted moisturizer. 

The Aveda Tourmaline Charged Hydrating Creme is my favorite moisturizer to mix in with foundation. It's a thicker cream-like lotion so it doesn't feel runny or too wet and liquidy. You only need a pea size amount to mix in with your foundation for the perfect coverage.

The Aveda Mineral Tinted Moisturizer in 'sheer' is great too because it contains SPF 15, which makes it a great two in one moisturizer and sunscreen. 

Pictured above: (Right) Aveda Tourmaline Charged Hydrating Creme and Revlon New Complexion Foundation in '04 Natural Beige'. (Left) Aveda Mineral Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in 'Sheer' and elf Cosmetics Flawless Finish Oil Free Foundation in 'Buff'. 

Follow me on Twitter and let me know how this works out for you!

@jessicar009

Love,

Jessica

Pretty in Pink

Good afternoon, lovelies! 

Please forgive me for being MIA and posting a late Polish of the Week.

Things have been busy!

Never the less, here you go!

Today I'm wearing OPI's Japanese Rose Garden.

It is a light rosy, pink with soft purple undertones. 

This polish just screams SPRING and I personally love it paired with my olive complexion, but this color would look great on all skin tones. 

I picked this polish up at an Aveda Institute in Tallahassee, Florida. 

They have an amazing policy for pedicures and manicure services. With the purchase of your service you receive a FREE OPI nail polish! 

If you are in Florida, check out your local Aveda Institute for your next mani or pedi!

Hope you're having a great week and a fantastic Thursday! 

I'll be seeing you soon!

Xoxo!