The Daily Beauty Break

Hello my beauties….hope you had an AMAZING Turkey Day…..I was blessed to be up in Seattle with my family…doing nothing but enjoying the beauty of being together. BUT I must say it feels pretty darn good to be back in the ol’ D. Dallas may not offer much in the way of topography (or independent espresso bars) but the sunshine actually woke me up this morning.

Well, being with family DEFINITELY got me motivated to start perusing Holiday Beauty gifts….and I was lucky enough to have found these little balls of joy just in time….Verikira Naturals Aroma Shower Steamers ($22) in Eucalyptus Revival. Just unwrap from the foil package, set in the corner of your shower and ENJOY stimulating your senses…..My sinuses were instantly opened and it made a routine shower feel TOTALLY LUXURIOUS…..

And the real beauty? They come 5 to a pack…..perfect stocking stuffer….you can “Share the Love” with another while stealing one for yourself (if you can manage breaking up the darling packaging)!

Even better, all Verikira products are Certified Vegan, Cruelty-Free and All Natural……

Be Beautiful Ya’ll….

Hello my beauties!!! Had MAJOR technical difficulties (they are redo-ing all the dsl on our street) so it’s good to be back. Had a few days to think up some post ideas and between grocery and drugstore runs this week, thought I would list my top 5 drugstore beauty finds!!!!

1. Neutrogena Acne Stress Control 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment (<$10). Well, it didn’t get top pick from Allure editors for no reason..this is the first 2% salicylic acne treatment that didn’t A. Burn like dickens and B. Create more redness and more flaking….love,love!

2.  Loreal Skin Genesis Pore Minimizing Face Cleanser (<$8). The fragrance in this stuff has a kick!!! I seem to taste it every time I wash my face so it’s a no,no for you sensitive girls….BUT it takes off makeup lickety-split...especially eye makeup, so it’s a no-brainer for moi….

3. Covergirl Line Exact Liquid Eyeliner ($7). My hero, makeup artist Pat McGrath came up with this little lovely and I finally picked one up. GREAT for newbies to liquid eyeliner because of it’s tiny size; it really helps to keep your hand steady (and the felt tip is easier than a brush). Loved the formula (lasted a long time)…just wish they would come out with more colors…..

4. Borghese Nail Laquer (<$9). This latest department store import kept the department store quality but changed the prices….it’s got a great brush and went on super smooth and remained chip-free my required week (plus it has no nasty ingredients!)….

5. St. Ives Swiss Minerals Body Lotion (<$5). I don’t why but the minerals in this stuff really appealed to me….and I’m glad I bought it because it is super moisturizing without being greasy and feels pretty luxurious for a pretty cheap price!!! ( I probably go through a gallon of body lotion a week…NOT my most favorite beauty ritual but necessary...)

So there you have it. My grocery store and drugstore beauty conquests this week….if you are in need try them out next trip out (and be sure to leave a comment and tell ME if you find something that makes your step a little bit prettier….)!

TGIF and Be Beautiful Ya’ll……….

Mothers. What are they good for?  Pretty much everything.  MY mama gave hubby and I a night out on the town here in Dallas last weekend!!! …One nights stay at the legendary Fairmont Hotel, tickets to a play and dinner…the WORKS. It was pretty great……especially for moi. Our room was just perfect…fancy linens, bathrobes and deluxe toiletries! The Fairmont was all about Miller Harris….made by luxury perfumer Lyn Harris.

Turns out the Citron scent is a blend of all the citrus notes plus mint leaf, basil and marjoram. It is made up of contrasting notes of citrus with spices such as cardamom, cumin and some cedar.

Well it was perfectly wonderful in a non-offensive, metro-sexual kind of way….and really helped MAKE our stay!

Is it wierd that I feel compelled to write about hotel toiletries? Oh who cares!

I’m always on the lookout for new body washes…Seriously, I get awfully excited anytime I get close to the bottom of the bottle because it means newness is on it’s way…..Anytime I can find a new scent to make my shower experience more luxurious I probably get way more excited than a beauty “normie”…( that’s what us beauty addicts call you girls out there than can achieve balance in the beauty department).

Well my latest coup was finding Lavanila’s Healthy Body Wash($20) in their  Vanilla Coconut scent. Lavanila has THE coolest story girls…It was started by two girlfriends and beauty pros that (like moi) had floated around and been in some aspect of the beauty biz their entire career.  Lavanila was created out of their own personal need to find products that had fragrance that their own sensitive noses could handle….traditional fragrances made them both break out in major allergy symptoms….I mean, talk about major bummer…there is nothing worse than finding a new scent only to get it home and realize that you can’t wear it because it gives you a headache ( me and Dior Addict..so sad, I loved that stuff)!!! SO, these two spent a lot of time researching and sourcing ingredients and finally Lavanila was born!

What makes Lavanila “Good for you Beauty” is that none of their products contain any of the scary petrochemicals, nasty preservatives or artificial fragrance that the other guys use. I love their Healthy Body Wash….it smells yummy and gives you that heady feel without overwhelming or giving you the slightest hint of skin irritation that some scented products do. It lathers just so and is ideal for shaving….really reduces my need for the gallons of lotion I have to use after I shave my legs (HATE that!).

So if you are a “Natural Nancy” and have sensitivity issues with scented bath and body products, LaVanila is SO for you! (or if you are just an addict like me and want MORE!NEW!NOW)! You can find LaVanila at Sephora, Nordstrom, and Anthropologie.

Bath Beautifully Y’all…..

Hey my beauties! Hungry yet? I KNOW…..I figure since my weight is tipping the scales at UNACCEPTABLE, I need to stop treating myself with food sweets and switch to body treats…and to my surprise, lookie what I found? Jaqua Beauty Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Shower Creme($18) and Hand Creme($8). YUMMY!!!

If you haven’t heard of the Jacqua Girls, they are like the “O.G. Spa Party, Beauty-in-a-Box” girls…I’ll never forget when we first took them on at Nordstrom (like a DECADE ago…YIKES!!!)….their little spa party boxes were the cutest things EVER and none of us had ever seen anything like it…now everybody and their brother in the beauty world has their own “spa party-to-go”…..SO I give them major props for being the first!…After having successful careers in the entertainment and spa industries, these two sisters decided that they needed to create products to fulfill their own beauty desires.  So off they went…and after researching ingredients, designing their darling packaging and throwing spa parties to introduce their new products to all their girlfriends, Jacqua Beauty was born!!!

Jaqua Beauty lives the values the Jaqua Sisters were raised on: “Never settle for anything but the best you can dream up.”

Well lucky for me….because this Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Shower cream and Hand Creme were just the little pick me up I needed. The shower creme is super luxurious and moisturizing….perfect for shaving the legs..( a little bit goes a long way, trust me)..and the hand lotion does that really cool thing where after you rub it in it for a minute or so it turns to liquid silk…without being too greasy to touch stuff.  And if you happen to be at the grocery store and are curious as to what it smells like….my mind went straight to Herbal Essences Longterm Relationship Shampoo and Conditioner…crazy how that our reptilian brain remembers scents to everything (or maybe it’s just mine….)..makes sense though since they are both Raspberry-based scents.

So…if next time you are in Bath & Body Works, Ulta or Fred Segal treat yourself with some Raspberry Buttercream Frosting LOVE!  Once you fall in love with Jacqua, don’t forget to go to their website and join their VIP program to join their Sinfully Rewards Program, find out about their latest and greatest and learn how to “spa” on your own!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll……You deserve it dangit!!!

Confession. I KNOW that every time I get out of the shower I need to slather my dry body with SOMETHING…moisturized skin just looks so much BETTER…especially during tank top and short season…but sometimes (unless I’ve just discovered a new body lotion) I just don’t want to take the time.

Well look what I found….Nude Skincares Hibiscus Monoi Body Oil ($68).….this wonderfully luxurious organic body oil is PERFECT for slathering on immediately after you get out of the shower….and SUPER FAST….and the key to maximum moisturization is this….don’t towel off first….I’ve been using this hibiscus-infused, Tahitian coconut oil right after I get out of the shower to lock in the moisture and my skin feels awesome!!! And what a nice break from the daily GRIND of body lotion…….and the smell? My first thought was, “MAUI in a bottle, baby”…anyone that is into tropical floral scents MUST have this oil!

If you haven’t heard of Nude skincare before the company is AWESOME…their packaging is all made of 50% recycled plastics…they don’t use any of those scary petrochemicals or preservatives and- Get This! Their company is CARBON-NEUTRAL….wow…(right now our home probably lets out enough air conditioning to cool the entire neighborhood, old houses….talk about a love/hate relationship).

Anyways…I feel really great about Nude skincare…I am finally at a point to where I don’t mind paying more for a product if I know it comes with good intentions, you know? (and it helps that a little bit of this stuff goes a long way….)

Nude Skincare is available at Sephora, Barneys and at their website.

So be beautiful today ladies….you deserve it!!!

xoxoxo

Hey beautiful people!! Welcome to my Daily Beauty Break, my name is Josi and I will be your tour guide today. I am a INDEPENDENT Beauty Editor and Freelance Makeup Artist here in Dallas,TX……. And no I do NOT have big hair..(although I am growing it out…who says you can’t grow out your hair after 30?). I just love beauty…..it’s what I do, what I’ve always done. Personal care is my passion…and should be yours too… I think I know why Oprah takes a bath everyday if you know whadda mean…

So now let’s talk beauty.…and I have to tell you about one of my latest health/beauty routines…..BATHS…sometimes it’s nice to turn on the faucet and “tune out” the world (if you know what I mean?)… Feels oddly weird to be taking a warm bath on a hot summer day but let’s face it…oddly indulgent…( you know we got our AC’s cranked in the big “D” right now baby)……. And you can NOT let money deter you because it is possible to acheive a “superior” spa like experience for under $10….

You will need to take a detour in the “health and beauty” section at your local everything store next time in (so put it on your list)……….I was turned on to this routine by a naturopathic doctor a few years back…….First you will need some Epsom salts. Epsom Salts are the main ingredient in all those fancy salt scrubs,etc….Usually $3 for a lb or two………. But this stuff goes waaayyy beyond beauty…an Epsom Salt bath helps detox the bod of toxic metals..(which are in everything) and help alleviate aches and pains because all the magnesium it contains…and since it’s so cheap you can put in HANDFULS as you fill your bath…….ABSOLUTELY DELISH.…

Now here is where you get “World Class”…I add copious amounts of my favorite essential oil aromatherapy drops from a natural body care line called Sensaria. …..Based in a little town in Washington state (close to my hometown Port Orchard,wA) . Sensaria is all about making personal care into a loving, compassionate thing that everyone deserves…and the kicker is once you try even ONE of their products you will agree…Sign me up Sister!!!!….Click on Sensaria and my friend DeAnna can introduce to a little piece of heaven

. ..Tonight I had a bath with their Release scent….this concoction contains “stress-relieving oils of Rosemary, Peppermint and Lavender that are combined with oils traditionally used to ease sore muscles and tension.”……Ahhhhh……Feeling better and getting pretty?…..And while you soak you can burn these oils to scent your ENTIRE bathroom as well……. whoopsie…did I just multi-task?

XOXO….