Thanks to Kylie Jenner, the trendiest lip products have been lip pencils and powdery matte colors. I’m happy that we are nixing sticky lip glosses and have worn my favorite MAC lip liner down to a stub to celebrate. Nowadays it takes something really special for me to want a traditional lipstick, but I think that the Kosas Weightless Lip Color gets it right.
Maybe it’s the Instagram-worthy branding of the line. Or maybe it’s the hefty and luxurious packaging. Either way, Kosas is convincing me to put down the matte lipstick and adopt a sheerer lip look this Fall.
With my combination-oily skin type, venturing into the realm of beauty oils was a totally unexpected move. But since every trusted resource I turned to reassured me that I too, with my mid-day shine, could reap the benefits of facial oils, I had to give them a try. This was two years ago, and since then I haven’t looked back. If you haven’t caught onto beauty oils yet, you absolutely have to give them a go. Frankly, there’s no better time like now when the seasons are transitioning and your skin needs some extra TLC.
The only catch to incorporating beauty oils into your skincare routine is that there’s a slight learning curve. Don’t give up on them until you figure out:
1) At which step in your routine to massage them in
2) Which beauty oils to use for which purpose
Let me share some of my tips and my current arsenal of beauty oils after the jump!
I went apple picking a few weeks ago, and it really put me in the Fall spirit. Or maybe it was the smell of fresh-baked apple crisp wafting throughout our apartment afterwards. Either way, I was feeling ready for Fall when I first tried out the Kopari Coconut Cleansing Oil and Kopari Coconut Rose Toner. Well immediately upon applying the Kopari coconut skincare products, the balmy coconut scent hit me with fond and recent memories of this past summer. Guess I’m not ready to let go of warmth and sunshine yet.
If you associate the fragrance of coconut with summer like I do, get yourself these summer-in-a-bottle to reminisce about your last beach vacation before the temperatures drop to below 40. Then thank yourself for preparing your skin for colder temperatures with these coconut oil packed beauties.
We’re already into the middle of July, but it’s never too late in the Summer to get the scoop on a good deal like the POPSUGAR Must Have Subscription Box. Since the June package that I’m about to share with you is sold out already, you’ll want to sign up asap for the July installment.
POPSUGAR sent me this Must Have Box to try and it’s “Beach Bag” theme is very appropriate and useful for my upcoming beach vacations.
Inside we have an ALOHA Collection Mid-Size Ocean Coco Palms Pouch that I’ll use as a swimsuit travel bag and a Billabong Aloha Forever Trucker Hat that’ll protect my face from the sun. The Captain Blankenship Mermaid Sea Salt Hair Spray is a beach beauty bag must-have and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will be a fun beach read. NCLA So Rich — Mermaid Tears will keep my cuticles nice even if the sun strips my mani and the Belgian Boys Mini Cookie Stash will be a fun beach snack. I’m looking forward to drinking aperol spritzes with the Meri Meri Blue and White Party Straws or maybe I’ll stick one in a Starbucks Frappuccino Chilled Coffee Drink.
Get $5 off your first POPSUGAR Must Have Box with code SHOP5 and let me know in the comments what your experience with the POPSUGAR box is like!
I definitely go through phases when I want to color my hair and experiment versus leaving it alone. Last summer I made the best decision to go to Spoke & Weal at their Los Angeles location to have my hair balayage highlighted and just recently got a refresh this January. Low maintenance color and cuts are definitely my thing. I’m not a huge fan of sitting in the salon for 4 hours, but I’m willing to do it every few months.
That said, I’m only able to extend my color that long because a) I ask for balayage specifically, which is the most natural kind of highlight service since each highlight is hand painted and blended, and b) I am strict about preserving my color with the right products.
Evo Fabuloso Platinum Blonde Colour Intensifying Conditioner is my top pick for fighting brassiness, the worst look for months old highlights. It’s a super pigmented and dense purple conditioner that you leave on for a few minutes that combats orange tones (hello, color theory) and maintains a level of coolness to the raw warmth of bleached hair. You can also use a matching purple shampoo, but I find them less effective personally since they stay on the hair for less time. Instead, I use the coordinating Evo Fabuloso Pro Preserve Colour Maintenance Shampoo to prevent damage from the cleansing process in the first place. It’s a mild shampoo that doesn’t strip color.
For styling, I like using the Evo Love Touch Shine Spray to condition and detangle hair. But for serious damage repair, like after the bleach session, I can’t say enough good things about Olaplex, which magically bonds broken parts of hair together. Use once every month or so for noticeable results.
What tips do you have for maintaining your hair color?
Look up a variation of the #minimal(ist)(ism) and you’ll be set on black and white marbled eye candy until your thumb starts hurting. Minimalist living is also a lifestyle method itself. Think bare-bone closets and clutter-free, streamlined homes. It’s a little too extreme for my taste, but I do love the bags that minimalists tend to be drawn towards.
Sleek, unadorned designs that really let the leather and craftsmanship shine, minimalist bags usually come in a wider-than-normal array of neutral colors so you can find just the right bag to complement your 38-piece wardrobe. Here are some of the nicest ones this season.
A little more than a month ago, after months of going back and forth, I got my septum pierced at NY Adorned in LES (Lower East Side) Manhattan with J. Colby Smith. Long story short, I’m in love with my piercing thanks to my superb experience.
If you haven’t heard of J. Colby Smith already, he’s somewhat of a guru for piercings amongst the fashion crowd. Some fashion editors refuse to get pierced by anyone other than him, and now I certainly see why. He pierces at NY Adorned a few days a week (see his scheduler here).
The septum piercing came into the mainstream spotlight a few years ago, and arguably some say it’s going out of style now, but I hadn’t really known about them until last year. To be honest, at first I thought they were too steampunk and grotesque. Then I came across J. Colby Smith’s work (and his self-designed septum jewelry) and fell in love. I had only seen really large and in-your-face designs before, so I wasn’t aware that such dainty, gorgeous pieces existed.
The studio itself is very clean and has a beautiful storefront. They don’t have that many pieces of jewelry available, but I preferred their highly curated collection of quality, tasteful jewels. I chose the rosegold ball chain with a surgical steel retainer. To explain: the retainer is a staple-shaped piece that the open chain (has two circular loops on each end) hook onto; the jewelry is two pieces.
Needles for me induce panic attacks. I was sweating bullets before J. Colby Smith walked into the room. He has a very soft voice and light attitude, which helped put me at ease as he explained each step. Not only was a he a professional, but he was clearly very experienced at doing septum piercings specifically. It was over in a minute and did not hurt at all, which was both relieving and made me cry from all the anticipation. I highly recommend him for your piercing needs in NYC.
I love how my piercing looks still, and it’s nice that I got the retainer since I can hide it by removing the chain and flipping the retainer up. Bonus: NY Adorned was extremely helpful in answering all my questions by phone after I came home and realized I had questions about cleaning my piercing.
What are your thoughts on the septum piercing? Have you heard of NY Adorned or J. Colby Smith?
