I Love Bobby Pins!

      Day two of curly hair = quick and easy                    updo! Man I love bobby pins!

Autumn leaves photoshoot!

One of my favorite times of year to shoot out of door, the colors and smells of the world on the brink of change is inspiring!

Winter Skincare Tips & Tricks!

Winter is coming folks! Actually, it’s already here, which means it’s time to break out the protective layers to  arm ourselves against the harsh and volatile weather; but before you run for the closet to pull out every jacket, sweater and pair of boots you own make a quick stop at the powder room to apply a different,  yet equally important layer of protection..to your face! Ladies and gentlemen, just like we protect our skin from the blistering damage of the sun in summer, so to must we protect it from the blistering cold in winter. You wouldn’t walk outside in a pair of shorts and a crop top in 40 degree weather would you? No, so layer up! Same goes for your face! Moisturizer, moisturizer, moisturizer people, slather in on in all forms and keep your skin hydrated just like you would in summer, possibly more so! Yes I know there may be wet slushy stuff on the ground and in the air but at such low temperatures I can tell you  it isn’t doing you a lick of good in the hydration department, in fact it’s doing just the opposite. So here are some things I use to keep my skin from getting dry, chapped and irritated during the holiday season, as well as some of my everyday skincare steps.   

I love a good toner/astringent any time of the year but when the weather starts to cool down I set aside the slightly harsher oil fighting toner for something a bit gentler like a hydrating toner. My go to for all times of the year is my Alcohol-Free Skin Extertise HydraFresh Toner from L’Oreal Paris ($6 at Target):

It’s gentle enough that it doesn’t burn and feels very refreshing yet it still strong enough to help stave off the acne and can really clean of any dirt or makeup clinging to your face after you wash. (I use toner after I get out of the shower even, you’d be surprised how much dirt and grime doesn’t come off in the shower)

The other toner I like is the hydrating toner from Jafra (left), it’s great if you already have chapped or oversensitive skin because it’s very mellow and doesn’t have any burn to it at all. That said, if my skin starts to act up in the acne department I switch over to the L’Oreal again or combine them. I also like the balancing toner from Jafra (right), which I use in the summer to help with acne and to curb oil production. These are a bit more pricey at $15 but they last a long time!

On to moisturizers! Okay so this next one doesn’t really count as a moister sure but I love it, RoC Retinol Deep Wrinkle Night Cream. Retinol as you may know is used for skin turnover, celebrities love this stuff! It’s like a pain free, mini chemical peel that you apply at night and sluffs off dead dry skin while you sleep! I like it because it leaves my pores open to really soak up my moisturizer in the morning and gives my skin a tightness and glow that’s just lovely to wake up to. Plus! It’s not super oily or creamy; it stays on my face, which means it’s not on my pillowcases, yay!

In the morning I use coconut oil. Yes I know, “Ugh, we are back to coconut oil again,” I was a coconut oil skeptic myself but hey, I found it works for me. It goes great under my makeup and helps lighten the redness on my face casued by old acne marks. I get it from a health food store called Sprouts for $10. It sounds pricey but it lasts, you get a ton of it. Really, it’s heavy, do not drop this thing on your foot. It IS a solid when you buy it but dip your fingers into it to apply and it melts to oil pretty fast as it comes into contact with the heat from your skin.

While I’m on the subject I have also fallen for the coconut milk mask. It’s super hydrating, better that lotion! I apply it as if it were lotion, I keep it in the fridge in a tuba wear and when I’m just sitting at home I pop it open and rub some on my face, even in my hair if I’m taking a shower later. It’s cool so it is very soothing, I used to do yogurt masks but they had nothing on this. It doesn’t stink either! I’ve slept in this overnight before, it doesn’t smell sour in the morning as milk or yogurt would . The enzymes in this are very good for both skin and hair. Other masks are exceedingly irritating to my skin but not this. And you can’t beat the price, .79 cents at Sprouts, I prefer the premium kind because it’s thicker:

Finally face creams! I use Verage, it is a natural moisturizer made completely from 99% pure essential oils. No ‘oils’ does not mean ‘oily; I actually prefer this because it’s not super greasy on my skin and does not leave a residue on my face as it is made from essential oils that sink in  rather than sit on. It’s great under makeup; I might even go so far as to say it helps my makeup stay in place! (Another perk is this stuff doesn’t have a shelf life as the only chemicals in in are those found naturally in plants, it doesn’t discolor or become harmful to your skin after so long. That means you never throw half a bottle of it away!)

You can find this and the whole skincare line here: http://mydoterra.com/skinchic

(For a full in depth on this skin care line, right down to the oils used in each product visit my Verage blog post! http://myempresschic.blogspot.com/2015/09/verage-skin-care-seminar-anti-aging.html  )

However as far as cheaper drugstore finds go I also like Garnier’s Ultra Lift Firming Anti-Wrinkle cream ($12.50). Like all non-natural creams it leaves a bit of a residue but if you are going for mega moisture and a nice firm feel this is it. The moisturizing cream is also good but a little much for me, you might like it if you have severely dry skin, I find the firming cream to be a nice in between cream. Also I like the pump cream bottle if you noticed; when you dip your fingers in a jar of cream you contaminate the whole jar. Contamination and bacteria can also cause the cream to have a shorter shelf life as it will discolor more quickly. Also, you know, bacteria..bad for the skin and all that.

My Emma Watson inspired photoshoot!

I'm such a large fan of Emma Watson and when I got the chance and the right scenery I couldn't 

resist! The shoot was so much fun!

Photo inspiration :

Sun's Light

Selfie that happened to capture this amazing sun ray formation. What a beautiful world we live in!

Kors Gold

Stylish Up do's for Quick & Easy Elegance

I have never been very good at curling my hair; my hair has a life of it's own and is very stubborn. I also have pin straight hair with little to no volume, so as a compromise I have become very good at up do's for when I go out and want to get dressed up and my favorite element of an up do are these amazingly easy to do twist and princess braids. Here are some of my past hairstyles:

Twist buns are so easy to throw together and also works great if you have wet hair and don't have time for it to dry or are trying to avoid the hair dryer. It still looks professional for work, and way better than a dripping messy bun. All you need are bobby pins! You can also try the larger version of this.

If you want to give your hair a more romantic flair and you have a little extra time you can go for rope braids. If you apply them to slightly damp hair and wear them throughout the day when you take them down in the evening, if you plan to go out, you will have the added perk of flowing beachy waves. 

You can also  dress this style up with hair accessories, jeweled pins etc. Or put your own spin on both of the above hair styles as I did here:

My final hairstyle is what you can do if you are about to go out to a special event, attempt to curl your hair, and it doesn't work for you. This has happened to me many, many times before and ladies, bobby pins and hair accessories are your best friends. Take those curls and pin them up in a dramatic do, tease them if you must, then cover any mistakes in sparkling jewels.