Category Archives: life

February Favorites!

Posted in Beauty, Eye Shadow, Favorites, life, Lipstick, Mascara, Product Reviews by

Februrary Favorites

Hey there! This month is going so fast – good thing we get an extra day this year! Today I wanted to share with you all of my favorite beauty products this month. So, we’ll go through my day and I’ll tell you all about the products I’m currently using and the one’s I’m loving enough to continue in my beauty routine long-term.

I am not a morning person, so I like to look for anything and everything that makes my morning as simple and painless as possible. These products below are doing the trick!

Crest Pro Health

Teeth/Mouth: I’m not one of those people who chooses a toothpaste and then sticks to it for the rest of my life. Nope, I switch it up all the time unless I find one I’m really loving and then I’ll stick with it for a couple tubes. Right now (and for the last couple of months) I’ve been using Crest Pro-Health Advanced Clinical Gum Protection Toothpaste. I love this toothpaste because I feel like it truly works. The Pro-Health line from Crest has been a go-to of mine for quite a while because these products provide so many benefits and cover so much ground in mouth-cleaning that it’s hard for me to not keep buying them. I’ve also been using the mouthwash that I guess goes with it – the Crest Pro-Health Tartar Protection with Fluoride Anticavity Rinse (the name is a mouthful!). These mouthwashes are great because they don’t burn after 3 seconds like other brands I’ve used do (like Listerine), yet I still feel like it’s working and killing all of the disgusting mouth germs!

Garnier Fructis Micellar Water

Face: I have a love/hate relationship with most face products – I find one I like and then over time it seems like it’s not as effective, or my face randomly decides it doesn’t like it anymore. My cleanser I’m currently using and loving is the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1 Cleanser and Makeup Remover & Cleanser. This is a new product from Garnier Fructis. It’s so amazingly simple to use (which as I mentioned, I’m all about!). All you have to do is shake it up, and pour it a little  bit on a cotton pad and swipe it all over your face – you’d be amazed at the amount of makeup your makeup remover pads leave behind! I use the one that removes even waterproof mascara.

Hair Products

Hair: As I do with my toothpaste, I also switch my shampoo/conditioners up quite often! I also don’t use the same shampoo every day. I have thin curly hair and it’s so easy for it to get damaged, so I try to do everything I can to keep it healthy! I am currently loving Just Natural Hair Care Shampoo for Hair Loss – it’s a bit pricey, but you don’t use it every day and it makes your hair super healthy and shiny. The best part is it’s all natural and it also contains essential oils, which makes it even more incredible. I am also loving OGX Thick & Full Biotin & Collagen shampoo. This is another great organic shampoo that adds lots of volume and great vitamins to your hair. For conditioner I’m using another OGX product, Moisture Plus Vitamin B5 conditioner. This conditioner smells amazing and I just love how soft it makes my hair.

I also straighten my hair on an almost daily basis, so I do my best to not damage my hair with all the heat. I’ve been loving Garnier Fructis’ Sleek and Shine Sleek Primer Style Prep. I dry my hair with my hair dryer and then spray this product in before I use my flat iron to straighten it. I feel like not only does it add a layer of protection from the heat, but it also definitely helps with keeping my curls straight and sleek all day long.

Eye Products.PNG

Makeup: For foundation, I’ve been loving my Mary Kay Endless Performance Creme-to-Powder Foundation Foundation. This is a medium to full-coverage foundation and it’s totally buildable. Of course, if you’ve read any of my recent posts, you already know that I’m totally obsessing over ColourPop products at the moment, so my current eye products consist of their SuperShock Eye Shadows – Nillionaire is my current favorite. The eye liner I’ve been loving is Rimmel London’s Auto Waterproof Eye Definer in Noir. I love this eye liner because it’s waterproof, so it doesn’t wear off your waterline like other liners do, and it goes on super smooth. For Mascara, again, if you read my Top 5 Mascara post (link to post here) you already know that I am in love with Maybelline Lash Sensational. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a February favorite as much as an all-time favorite, but still I just love it so much I added it in here anyhow. For my bronzer I am loving Pur Minerals Mineral Glow. This is a pressed powder bronzer and it is super pigmented and has just the right amount of shimmer. My highlighter, I just received in my last ColourPop haul (link to post here) it’s a SuperShock face in Smoke N Whistles. It’s a dreamy creamy little pot of shimmer and highlight that sets like magic and lasts all day.

CO Bigelow night balm

Lips: Aside from my love of all things ColourPop lippie product at the moment, my nightly lip regimen this past month has consisted of C.O. Bigelow Lip Treatment in My Favorite Night Balm. This product is great. I put it on at night and go to sleep and when I wake up in the morning, my lips feel renewed and refreshed.

True Blue Spa Cashmere and silk

Hands: Each night I use True Blue Spa’s Shea Cashmere & Silk Hand Cream. It smells like baby powder and lightly like vanilla – I guess like Cashmere? But the way it makes your hands feel is incredible! I don’t know about you, but in the winter my hands get super dry and no one wants old lady hands, so get some cream on those bad boys! I recommend using this one :).

So, that’s it! Those are my top picks for this month.

xo,

Glitter Girl

*This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own 🙂

 

 

Essential Oils for weight loss?

Posted in Essential Oils, life, Product Reviews by

Essential Oils

After writing my last post, I began doing more and more research on essential oils. I have read a lot of other blogs and done a lot of website searching. I had come across a lot of combinations for weight loss. Of course I was intrigued! So after researching and figuring out how to safely ingest or rub an essential oil on my skin, I took to Amazon, eBay, and Young Living to purchase different oils.

So, first off – I am most definitely not a medical professional and I do not claim to be able to cure, treat, or prevent any sort of diseases. 

I first learned that there are basically two major brands in the essential oil industry those being Young Living and DoTerra. That is because they are the two brands that you are able to both safely ingest and apply neat to your skin (neat means apply directly to the skin – just a fancy essential oil way of saying it). These oils are 100% pure therapeutic grade and that’s what makes them safe. Being my cautious self, even if another brand of oil had that on their label, I still probably wouldn’t try to ingest it. Also, these two brands include a nutrition label on their bottles, thus further clarifying that they can be ingested.

Okay – moving on. I first learned that there are basically 3 main oils in the “weight loss trio” that many bloggers talk about. Those being: Grapefruit, Lemon, and Peppermint. Grapefruit has all sorts of great health benefits, but one of the best uses I have seen is for weight loss- it actually attacks and destroys fat! Lemon is another great oil – it is a great diuretic and has beneficial cleansing properties. Peppermint, aside from the great scent, is great for digestion in general. These 3 together create a trifecta of weight loss goodness!

How much and how to you may ask? Well, as for how much, the oils are highly concentrated, so you do not need very much to get the benefits. That being said, an example to put this into perspective: I read that 1 drop of peppermint essential oil is the equivalent of 26 cups of peppermint tea! As for how to, see below for suggestions:

Topically:

When using any essential oils topically, you must make sure you use a carrier oil in addition to the essential oil. A carrier oil is an oil that is mixed with the essential oil that is less harsh and will be safe for the skin. Some great carrier oils are: coconut oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, flax seed oil. The ratio of carrier oil to essential oil should be 2:1. Oils that aid in digestion such as the oils I have been referring to above, may be applied to the abdomen to aid in digestion and also help break down fat cells. note: when applying citrus essential oils to the skin be sure to avoid direct sunlight for at least 72 hours to avoid burns to application site.

In Water:

You can drink your weight loss trio oils – these oils are very tasty when added to water. Make sure to only add essential oils to a glass water bottle because the oils will break down plastic and you will end up drinking the decomposing plastic (yuck!). I have tried this method myself actually, and while I do like the way the oils smell and taste individually, sometimes it is difficult or me to drink them all day long. Maybe that is just me but I get tired of the flavors after a while. Sometimes I just suck it up and do it but it isn’t my favorite.

Capsules:

Yes – you can make your own capsules. Maybe I am the only person who didn’t know this, but you can buy empty veggie capsules and put your own stuff in them. I bought mine on Amazon along with a glass dropper bottle (it came in a set of 6, but you can buy single bottles as well). Once again, the reason I bought glass dropper bottles is because I am using citrus oils and I don’t want to consume plastic internally. I use Grapeseed Oil and figured out that with a ratio of 2:1 of carrier oil, I could come up with a formula of how much to make at a time. I decided I wanted to mix enough together to make 30 capsules, so 30×2= 60 drops of each Peppermint, Grapefruit, and Lemon. Double your carrier oil and you’re good to go. Swirl your recipe around in the jar to mix them together and add 18 drops to each capsule.

If you decide to make all 30 capsules at once, you will need to store them in the freezer because the essential oils will begin to break down the capsules after a short amount of time. I have been just making mine one at a time – I take my little dropper bottle and an empty capsule with me to work and it’s easier for me that way. Either method works, so you can do whatever works best for you.

I just started the capsules this week, so I don’t have much data on how well they do or do not work – its purely experimental at this point! I have noticed that I do not have as many food cravings and I do feel fuller for longer, so I will have to update in a couple weeks to share whether this has been worth it or not!

I’m still continuing in my research and learning more about oils and all of their uses and benefits, I have ordered a few ore oils to try, so I will update in new posts about my findings! Do you use essential oils? Have you tried this “weight loss trio?” let me know in the comments!

xo,

Glitter Girl

*This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own 🙂

Essential Oils, Anyone?

Posted in Essential Oils, life, Product Reviews by

One of my co-workers introduced me to Jane.com about a year ago. Each day, there are daily deals and new specials to see. Things are super cheap and are generally great quality. The sellers on Jane are typically Etsy shop owners. Usually when I order something, I generally receive a business card with their Etsy page info. I’ve gotten myself a bit of a Jane addiction I’d say – each day I look at the site (they have a great app too!) and usually end up purchasing something.

Essential Oils 2

Recently, I’ve been wondering about essential oils. My manager swears by them and is always concocting crazy combos and uses a diffuser in her office. She always talks about how great they are and how wonderful they make her feel. So, a couple of weeks ago, there was a deal on Jane for some essential oils. I decided to purchase some for myself to try. There are different sellers who offer different options, however the seller that day was offering a two for the price of one deal. I chose to order Lavender and Lemon essential oils. As you can see in the picture, they came with little business card sized cards that offer uses and information on what each of the oils can be used for.

So, I finally received my order in the mail yesterday. They are super tiny little bottles – so if you’re looking to just try the oils for the very first time or you’re not sure what to do or how to use them, this is a great way to start. I believe they are .5oz each. Not a bad deal – they were about $10 total including shipping and compared to the price of full-sized bottles this was a good deal!

Last night I decided to give the Lavender a try. I dropped a bit on a cotton ball, and placed it beside me while I slept. The lavender (as you can see on the card that came with it) is supposed to help with stress and basically be calming. Great for sleeping! I really do feel like it worked. I have a very stressful job and I quite often worry about my health from all of the stress. Using the oil made me feel calmer and breathing in the aroma truly made a difference. Now, I’m not saying that I didn’t feel stressed at ALL any longer, but it definitely made enough of a difference in my mood for me to notice.

I haven’t used the Lemon just yet, but I’ll update when I do. Lemon is supposed to be good for cleaning the air and removing bacteria so I may take this one with me to work to try.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the results. If you’re looking to try some oils, but don’t want to invest in the larger bottles or expensive name brands, then I highly recommend looking on Jane or even Etsy to find a deal from a seller who offers smaller trial sized bottles.

xo,
Glitter Girl

*This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own 🙂