confessions of a conceal-a-holic

Garnier / MAC / Clinique / Tarte

It's true, I am a conceal-aholic. When I look into my makeup bag it tells a story of said addiction. For the most part, I feel like I've tried them all, from drugstore to designer. 

That being said I am not into concealers for their blemish covering powers (that should match your face) but instead for the highlighting miracles they can perform over the rest of my face. 

All of my favorite concealers don't actually break the budget, and run roughly in the same price range. The Garnier concealer would be my absolute favorite if it lasted longer, but I feel like it works best when you're in a hurry and not looking for long lasting full coverage. (I have used it with a really sticky primer (benefit's stay don't stray) which made it last significantly longer, but that is almost twice the work of just applying these other concealers. 

What are some of your favorite concealers?

Review: Philosophy's Just Release Me

I have been a devoted Philosophy fan ever since I first tried their face wash purity. I don't know why I never tried their makeup remover before, but I ran out of my cheapo alternative and decided during a sephora haul that I'd give it a shot because ounce wise it was way more than any drugstore brand and costs 18$ for double the amount. 

Anyways, for a makeup remover I just love this stuff. A little bit on a cotton ball and a few swipes later and my eye makeup is melted to smithereens and my skin is clean and ready to wash. 

I feel like finding an eye makeup remover at a medium price point is hard to come by, but Just Release Me is more than a steal of a deal. 

My Favorite Shirt (ever)

I feel genuinely lucky to be living in the Bay Area about 98% of the time. I have access to super organic, locally grown produce, the beach when I want, the mountains when I want, a big city when I want.

But one of the things that I definitely do not take for granted are all the big name stores and boutiques that are in a 10 minute driving radius.

My favorite store on the planet is Aritzia (my boyfriend lovingly refers to the store as "Criteria" because from far away the A looks like a C in their font). There is nothing in that store I don't like but one of my favorite items that they make in a spectrum of colors is their TNA Pomona T-Shirt ($35). 

I have varieties of the shirts in a broad range of colors and filter through them weekly and even nightly because I never want to take them off. They are light enough to wear all summer, but warm enough to wear all winter.

If you order any, I promise you won't regret it.  It is a staple in my closet and I don't know if my wardrobe would function without it.

What's a staple in your closet? 

best, 

Siobhain

Product of the week: The PERFECT summer body lotion

I tend to play favorites with my products. I use things religiously. My most recent and favorite body lotion has been Avalon Organics Lavender hand & body lotion. But on a recent trip to Target I took a chance on a new product. I've tried several of the organix brand shampoos and conditioners, but I smelled (and, okay.. sampled) some of this tea tree & peppermint lotion ($8.24) from the brand and seriously fell in love. I can definitely see myself using this after laying out in the sun or on a hot day to cool off and refresh my skin.

Not only does it feel great, but I am actually really loving how much my skin absorbs this stuff. My skin feels soft and moisturized but not greasy which is great because I hate greasy feeling products.

I totally 100% absolutely recommend this stuff. Grab a bottle for summer and thank me later ;]!

What are some of your favorite summertime splurges?

Siobhain 

Product Of The Week: Moroccan Oil Treatment

I love this stuff. I would buy Moroccan oil everything.. the smell alone is addicting.. But when it comes to this 'treatment', idk what it is about the formula but it actually a great product for moisturizing those dry ends.

My favorite thing about this product is actually how versatile it is since you can use it on both wet and dry hair and it doesn't leave you looking greasy at all.

Since I have what feels like the splittiest ends ever, I rub this stuff on the ends after showers or post-styling and it really helps soften and defrizz everything.

(The size pictures happens to be the travel size, but I will definitely be upgrading to the full size when this baby runs out)

Product of the week: WEN (Just try it already!)

I KNOW I KNOW. I am SO late to the game with this one. I recently was browsing through my local Sephora and decided to snag a sample of the Wen hair cleansing system. Despite my prior skepticism (infomercial products to me always seem too good to be true!) this stuff works!

Wen is a total game changer. 

I feel like I am betraying Moroccan Oil (A hair care line I've been seriously loyal to) just by this little sample I got. I am floored.

Not only is my softer, it's not frizzy at all and totally more manageable. To give you an idea about my hair it is very fine and has been bleached at the ends 3-4 times over the last year because I keep covering & then redoing the ombré which is seriously bad for hair and left me with some severe split ends and dryness. Wen is a miracle worker. It has completely restored the luster of my hair and what split ends I have are hardly noticeable after 1 use.

I wasn't expecting miracles here, but I got them. If you haven't tried Wen, and are skeptical like I was, go to your nearest Sephora and ask for a sample, it's free and worth it if you've been searching for your hair care soulmate.

Now, I don't think I'm converting permanently (I just love Moroccan Oil too much) but  I'm definitely mixing this stuff into my routine somewhere because, like, my hair looks totally awesome you guys! I'll try to add a picture when I can of a before and after, but for now, you'll just have to take my word for the amazingness.

**(Wen is a "cleansing conditioner" which basically means you forgo your normal shampoo-conditioner routine for this "all in one" style product-- it claims to reduce frizziness and boost volume)