But it is surprising that it’s taken me nine frigid,dry winters to discover nail brushes.

I keep it in my shower, and spend all of 30 seconds brushing my nails every day in the shower. My fingers are soft, cuticles are where they should be, and I haven’t seen a hangnail since I started.

The best part? At  most, you’ll pay about $5.

Is this news to anyone? Or am I the last person on this earth to figure out how surprisingly powerful these little nail brushes are?

Got an office holiday party coming up? A Christmas soirée at a friend’s house? A charity ball? You’ll want to take your daytime makeup routine up a notch (or, if you’re anything like me, a couple notches) but it’s always a bit of a challenge to look glam without overdoing it.

I used to just put everything on a little bit heavier when I had a fancy event to attend. I would apply my regular makeup, but put it on extra heavy, maybe add a darker shade of eye shadow, and call it a day (or a night, rather.)

And inevitably, when I saw pictures of myself after the event, I was like “Who let the raccoon into the party!?”

Oh no, that’s ME!

Don’t let that happen to you. Here are a few tricks that will help you take your makeup up a notch without overdoing it.

5 Holiday Party Makeup Tips

1. Try a new color palette.

If you normally don’t wear a ton of makeup, you may not want to suddenly apply every product ever made for your fancy night out. Instead, choose a different color palette and stick with your typical routine. I normally wear earth tones during the day, but when I go out at night, I like to wear plums or blues on the eyes to give them a different look. I also like to wear a different shade of lipstick, just for kicks.

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I’ve never been one to wash my hair every day. When it was long, I would throw it up in a ponytail every other day, and even over the summer, it was long enough to at least stick it up in a clip on the “off days”. But now? With my current short hair style, I find that I need to wash my hair every day because when I wake up, it looks like, well… like I slept on it! Plus, I’ve started smearing coconut oil on my face every night before bed, so even if my hair wakes up looking half decent, it’s usually oily around the front.

But with TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo, my world is about to change!

TRESemmé Fresh Start is a dry shampoo that is designed to revive your style between washes.

Formulated to absorb excess oil and remove odor, the full line of dry shampoos rejuvenates hair without a drop of water. And with a renewing burst of citrus extracts infused into every product, you can leave hair with a clean, fresh scent.

Okay, sounds great! Let’s put it to the test. They sent me the Fresh Start formulated for oily/straight to normal hair, and I put it to the test this morning. It was the perfect morning to try it because I have to be out of the house early for a work appointment, and I’m going to work out later today so I don’t feel like doing the whole get-ready routine with a wash and blow out. I just need to revive my hair a bit so I can make it through the day without looking like a total skank. Here’s a quick video on how to use the TRESemmé Fresh Start Waterless Shampoo.

Here’s how it went down. First I applied makeup so as not to scare anyone on the Internets.

Then I bribed my husband into taking pictures of me before leaving for work. That’s a good man.

Before

Shaking it up, getting ready to spray.

Shake It Up!

Spraying It On

You have to pick up your hair in sections and spray each section. Then leave it for a minute or two (I went into the other room and found some jewelry to put on to finish my look) before combing through.

Then it’s time to brush it through.

Brushing It Through

Brush, brush, brush...

And then primp it a bit.

primping

It did feel nice, running my hands through it. It a nice, smooth clean feel. I can’t say that it added much volume, but then, my hair isn’t exactly friendly to volume. It did give it a little boost and it smells nice and clean.

AFTER!

And I’m ready to face the day!

Watch this video for a tutorial!

This weekend is LOFT’s Fall Style Event – stop into a store on Saturday September 10^thand receive 30% off–ALL DAY! Enjoy music and refreshments while you shop. To take advantage online, use code STYLE8 at checkout.

Loft has an AMAZING fall line this year. Right on trend, as usual, and gorgeous!  Our picks?

Faux Fur Collar Cardigan - $69

Animal Print Sheath Dress - $89.50

Rinse Wash Modern Flare Denim - $69

Casey Cap Toe Heel - $89

Tayna Suded Wedge Boot - $178

Fashion Friday is the most fashionable day of the week! Thanks for stopping by: link up your fashion posts and join in the fun! Fashion Friday Sponsorships are available – contact us for more information!

Sensitive skin can be hugely frustrating. The slightest change in your diet or the weather can set off sore, reddened patches, itching & dryness. Make-up is a minefield, body care becomes boring – no bubble-baths, no fancy perfumed crèmes. Thankfully, the latest generation of skincare companies is stepping up to the plate. I’m seeing a good variety of sensitive skin products appearing on the shelves & online, & no longer feel restricted by what’s available at the health-food store. At long last, we can enjoy a proper pampering on Sunday evening (or whenever) without worrying that it’ll make us uncomfortable.

For the perfect pamper session for sensitive skin, you’ll need*:

• Facial cleanser – make sure it’s free from synthetic perfume, sodium laureth sulfate & parabens
• Body wash – also as natural as you can find
• Sensitive skin face mask (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of sweet almond oil
• 1 cup of dry oatmeal (porridge oats)
• 1 cup of magnesium salts (Epsom salts) – plain, no perfume
• Clean face cloth
• Shower puff (those balls of plastic net for washing with)
• Hair band
• 1 old clean sock or the foot cut off a pair of tights
• 1 elastic band
• Beeswax or soya candle, on a candle stand, on a flat surface in the bathroom, away from curtains or paper
• Box of matches
• Glass of cool filtered water
• Nice clean fluffy towel
• A bathtub

Run hot water into the bath until it’s about 40 cm deep. While the bath is running:

• Tie your hair back so your face is clear but your scalp isn’t stretched tight
• Light the candle, so that “struck match” smell can waft away before bath time!
• Add the oats in the sock/tights & secure the ankle with the rubber band
• Sprinkle 0.5 cups of magnesium salts over the water drop the oat-sock into the bath water
• put your facecloth in the water too
• open the window slightly (unless the weather is awful!) to let the steam out

Magnesium salts reduce itching & inflammation. Oats are soothe & moisturise dry skin conditions, including eczema. You put them in a sock so they don’t stick to you in the bath!

Add cold water until the bath feels comfortable for you. If your hand turns pink when you put it in the water, that’s too hot & you’ll be unable to relax.

Once you’ve settled into the bath, remember to keep taking sips of filtered water, as heat & steam can make you feel dehydrated or uncomfortable.

Squeeze the excess water from your facecloth, lie back & drape or hold the cloth over your face until the fabric loses its heat. Then wash your face. If you want to use a face-mask, do so now. When it’s time to rinse off the mask, hold the warm cloth over your face again until the mask is soft enough to sponge away without feeling rough or scratchy.

When your face is clean, dip your fingertips into the almond oil & gently massage your face in smooth, circles, using sweeping motions up the sides of your neck. This helps get your lymph flowing & removes the toxins that can worsen skin conditions. It also feels lovely! Place the warm cloth over your face again & relax for a minute or two, & then dab off all the excess oil with your towel.

When you’re ready, use your shower puff & body wash to massage in gentle circles from your feet up, & your hands in, making sure to pay attention to your neck & shoulders, where tension can build up. Rinse yourself off with clean water from the shower, pat yourself dry with the towel & smudge a little more almond oil onto any dry patches, like your knees & elbows.

*Oats are hypoallergenic & magnesium salts are fine for most people, including eczema sufferers, but do a patch test with anything you’re not sure about before using it in the bath.

Whoops.

image via old navy

Always spell check your tees, people. You don’t want to walk around wearing something like this tee from Wet Seal… imagine the rocket scientists you would pick up.

image via wet seal

Classic Camel

Camel was the neutral of the moment last fall and its still all the rage. A fab camel trench coat is always a classic, or try a chunky sweater or even a corduroy skirt. Or – my personal favorite – this fabulous camel suit from the new Rachel Zoe collection!

image via neiman marcus

Faux Fur Vests
Yes, its still in! This cozy, luxe look was all over the place last fall and its back again! Despite this, I still wouldn’t consider this worth investing lots of money in. Try this one on sale at Last Call Neiman Marcus for under $50.

Lace
Lace is still here! And I am thrilled – I love this trend! Try mixing it into a classic look, like this lace pencil skirt by Talbots. How gorgeous is that?

Tweed Jackets
Pair your tweed jacket with flared jeans for a totally on trend look.

Which trend are you happiest to see sticking around another season?

Fashion Friday is the most fashionable day of the week! Thanks for stopping by: link up your fashion posts and join in the fun! Fashion Friday Sponsorships are available – contact us for more information!

But then I heard them comparing the brushes and the different properties, and I knew I had to give it a try.

They’re Real has a plastic brush with large, plastic bristles while BadGal has a traditional, oversized brush head.

The mascara goes on extremely smoothly with hardly any clumping.  I think the primary reason for this is the fact that it’s not a volumizing mascara – it is much more lengthening and a bit curling.

In the pictures below, I am wearing the new They’re Real on my left eye and BadGal Lash on the right eye.

In practice, I think this mascara lengthened much better than other mascaras I’ve used.

In removing it, I’ve found that They’re Real requires makeup remover.  I use it daily but I know some women who remove mascara with just soap and water – but there is no way that would cut it with this mascara.  For whatever reason, it’s tough to get off.

The only improvement I’d make to this mascara is to make it a bit more volumizing; however, I’ve worked around this problem by applying two coats with a minute of dry time in between.

Has anybody else tried They’re Real?  Did it live up to the hype?

But who can resist fall fashion? I mean really…

Plaid capes? Perfectly for pairing with skinny jeans and boots for grabbing coffee with a friend or strolling around the city.

Tinley Road Buckle Front Cape $89

Long Sleeved Dresses? Perfect for a fall wedding or date night!

Sanctuary Jane Dress $158

Warm fall colors? Who can resist spicing up your wardrobe with some fall colors? Perfectly paired with flares and menswear inspired platform loafers.

Hive & Honey Cabled Cocoon Poncho $69

And sweaters? Is it even possible to resist sweaters?

Rachel Pally Chunky Sweater Wrap $249

image via celebrity baby scoop

How cute is that? Lets find it, shall we?

White Maxi Skirt by DKNY $39, Tank by Old Navy $10, Striped Scarf by Delia’s $19, Aviator Shades by Loft $24.50