What's in my purse?

Hey guys!

I have been meaning to do this blog for a while. I have seen it done on YouTube so many times (I would love to do it on there but I do not really have a camera to use unfortunately!). The bag I am currently using is one I picked up from my workplace – unfortunately I can’t show a pic of it but it is a fairly large turquoise handbag and I’ll try to explain as best as I can!

I tend to have a lot in my purse because I like to be prepared for no matter what. So here is a list of the current things I have in my bag and why I have them there!

- Nivea lip balm – I am going through a phase right now where I can’t stand lip glosses so I always have a ton of balms stored everywhere – this is a balm that my boyfriend has too as it is unscented and has no color. Nothing is worse than being stuck out somewhere with chapped lips and nothing to help!

- Mini Britney Spears circus fantasy perfume – if I am heading out somewhere and want to smell nice

- Pepto bismol – for upset stomach L

- Cell phone charger – I am traveling right now and will need to charge my phone

- Sephora bamboo charcoal blotting papers – to soak up mid-day oil

- Bear Paws – for if I am stuck out somewhere and need a snack

- Mint from last time we went out to dinner

- ID holder from Icing – bought it to use for next time I go to a buck and doe as you can just put your ID, cash and tickets in there

- Black Suzy Shier change purse – I like to keep change separate from my wallet so I have one bag I can just grab out to pay

- Ticket stub from Horrible Bosses

- Little pack of Kleenex

- Bath and Body Works coconut lime verbena anti-bacterial hand lotion – I hate the smell of hand sanitizer but this lotion does not smell like alcohol at all, plus it moisturizes your hands and makes them smell good

- Nivea dry confidence 24 hour deodorant

- Crest samples – I got these sent from Shoppers – little flosses, toothpaste and mouthwash samples

- Dove Go Fresh Body Mist Revive (pomegranate and lemon verbena scent) – if I just want a light scent, I wear this especially if I’ve been at the gym

- Notepad and pen – for writing things down on the go – super helpful to have

- Bath and Body Works nail file

- Purple croc print wallet from Bentley’s – receipts (especially my ones from BBW that give me $10 off!), and all my store cards and debit card and all that fun stuff! I won’t go into detail about which ones I have though

- Birthday cards – I have about 6 friends who have had birthdays that I have not seen yet and need to give to them!

- Girl stuff lol

- Finally I have a little polka dot bag that I got from work too that I put all my little stuff in and these are all things that are helpful to have with you – halls cough candies, band aids, lens cleaner for my glasses and sunglasses, Secret Cocoa Butter Kiss body splash, excel mints, Vicks vapo inhaler, a matchbook of bobby pins from Claire`s, Life Oil Absorbing sheets and a 10 pack of Tylenol

PhPhoto credit: http://www.interestingbuys.co.uk/buy/handbags/?_pge=0&_rec=54 (this is not my purse but it is somewhat close and very similar in color)

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That is all that I have in my purse at the moment. Other items I tend to have are a lotion from Bath and Body Works and a book or magazine to read, but lately I have been bringing a second bag full of car stuff for if we take a trip somewhere.

Face Wash

Hey guys,

In this blog I’m going to talk about the current cleanser I’m using which is Clean and Clear Morning Burst. I will admit I haven’t tried a ton of different face washes – I have recently tried some new samples from Sephora but I haven’t found anything worth switching over to. My skin is combination veering on the oily side, so if you have the same skin type I would definitely give this a try. I believe it says on the bottle that it is recommended for any skin type though. I think it’s super important to figure out exactly what skin type you have so you are able to treat your skin conditions.

Something that is great about this product is that it is fairly cheap to buy and you can pick it up in drugstores. As much as I love Sephora, sometimes when I pick up products it is frustrating because I have to drive an hour to the closest one. I usually get this at Shopper’s Drug Mart and I try to stock up when they put their Clean and Clear products on sale.

This product is a gel cleanser which is real ideal to use for oily skin – if you have drier skin you’re going to want to use a cream cleanser. It helps to remove any extra oil without making it tight and dry. I use it twice a day, morning and night. In the morning I use it in the shower – I use one pump on my Sephora scrublet, spending more time on oily areas on my T-zone. It helps me to feel really clean and get a fresh start in the morning, and I use it to remove my makeup at night. If you don’t have access to a Sephora, you can use the L’Oreal Paris scrublet that comes with their face wash – I haven’t used it but it looks to be about the same.

Because this has a citrusy scent it is great for using in the morning to wake you up and get your revved up. It has tiny little granules inside it that help get rid of oil and dead skin cells.

The scrub I use is clean and clear morning burst facial scrub, which is meant to be used everyday. For awhile I was using it everyday but I’ve cut down on that amount just so I don’t irritate my skin. This scrub is basically designed for all skin types, and it is kinda similar to the face wash but it has bigger and coarser granules. I like this product because it’s something that’s easy to go out and buy at the drugstore, and I really like the clean and clear morning burst line. The scrub I would only use in the morning when I do it, but the face wash I do morning and night.

At night I use my eye makeup remover as my very first step because it’s an oily product and that way I can wash all the oil off afterwards. When I wash my face I make sure to do my neck and ears too because I do makeup on them as well. I spend extra time on my oily zones, specifically my t-zone to try to get it really clean.

For awhile I had been using Clean and Clear astringent afterwards but I recently bought Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion 3 which is a “gentle, oil-free exfoliating lotion for combination and oily skin.” The great thing about Clinique is that their products are specifically designed for various skin types. I haven’t bought the Clinique step 1 face wash but I may end up trying it out in the future. I use a cotton pad and swipe it over my face and neck and it’s supposed to get rid of oily and dead skin cells, so I’m going to keep this up for awhile and see if it helps.

Finally, the moisturizer I am currently using is Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. This moisturizer is AMAZING! I have tried quite a few different face lotions out and it’s been kind of a tough journey to find one that moisturizes without being too strong for my oily skin. I tried a Nivea one that made me completely break out because it was way too rich. Word of advice – I got this product at Sephora and you have to make sure you get the dramatically different moisturizing GEL and not the LOTION unless you have dry skin. This gel is amazing at giving my skin enough moisture without making it oily at all. I would totally recommend this to everyone with combination/oily skin and I’m sure the lotion is just as great for those with dry skin. I bought a 1.7 oz tube at Sephora for $15 to try it out but will definitely be buying another one when I run out.

The Besties!

The Besties!

Hey guys! These are my favourite beauty products ATM. These are just a list of products that I find work for me based on my skin type, coloring, all that stuff. So here we go!

*I have provided links for as much as I can so you can get a better idea of what the product I'm talking about looks like, the price and all that fun stuff!

Foundation: The foundation I am currently using, and have used for awhile is L’Oreal Paris True Match Foundation in N1 Soft Ivory. It is not the longest lasting product I have ever used but it goes on smoothly, has pretty decent coverage and comes in a great variety of colors. Maybelline’s 24-Hour Super Stay foundation is awesome at lasting a long time but the lightest color is too beige for me, but it’s a really good foundation itself. EDIT: I recently purchased Sephora Collection foundation and was so disappointed by it! It slides off the oilier areas of my face and builds up in the dry areas, and it is kind of a weird color. I thought I liked it when I tried it on in the store but the day after I purchased it I put it on and didn’t. The girls on the Sephora message board have suggested Makeup Forever Mat Velvet and Mattifying Foundation and Clinique Superbalanced Makeup so I may try one of those next time I go to Sephora.

http://www.lorealparis.ca/cosmetics/face/true-match-super-blendable/soft-ivory-n1.aspx - website for L'Oreal Paris True Match foundation

Bronzer: Hands down, Bonne Bell Blend and Glow. Such a great product. It has four different shades of bronzer, one which is more of a highliter. I mix them all together when I apply them. This is a great powder bronzer. What else do you guys think is a good bronzer because I am definitely open to trying new ones!

http://www.bonnebell.com/products.php?id=23

Lip Gloss: Always on the hunt for the perfect lip gloss. My favourite right now is actually called My Favorite Lip Balm by C.O. Bigelow at Bath and Body Works. It is basically a hybrid between a balm and a gloss and it does not have a strong scent at all which is a plus. I used to use Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush lip glosses (from La Senza) for a long time but they are pretty sticky which sucks when you are outside and your hair gets stuck in them – they do have cute colors though.

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4004124

Mascara: CoverGirl Lash Blast – leaps and bounds above the others I have tried! Lash Blast Fusion is my favourite – it is a great thickening mascara. I always pick the darkest black shade it comes in, and I always buy a waterproof version. Great mascara. It makes your lashes look great and full – it’s a drugstore mascara so you can usually get it for a really decent price. And you don’t have to pile on a ton for it to look good. My vote for worst mascara – Maybelline Falsies – ugh.... turned my lashes into a clumpy mess! The first mascara I have ever thrown right into the trash shortly after I bought it. I try different mascaras sometimes though because I replace mine every 3 months so I am open to trying new products.

http://www.covergirl.com/lashblast-fusion-water-resistant-mascara

Blow Dry Product: John Frieda Daily Nourishment Leave-In Conditioning Spray. This product is amazing – it is a detangler, a UV spray, a moisturizer, and a heat protector. I use this when I get out of the shower and I have towel dried my hair so I can brush through it and so that it’s prepared for heat styling. If I could only use one hair product it would be this one.

http://www.johnfrieda.ca/en-CA/ProductDetail/Hair-Care/Frizz-Ease/Daily-Nourishment-Leave-In-Conditioning-Spray

Shampoo and Conditioner: John Frieda Root Awakening – as you can tell, I love John Frieda hair products. I initially picked out this shampoo because it was designed to hydrate your scalp, and I have a really dry scalp so I felt this would help. It has a tingly feeling when you wash your hair and it smells like the shampoo they use at the hair dressers. It is a bit expensive for a drugstore shampoo but Shoppers Drug Mart often has it on sale for half price so I try to stock up then. John Frieda’s Brilliant Brunette and John Frieda’s Luxurious Volume are great too. I also recently bought The Body Shop’s Banana Conditioner and it smells delicious. I alternate each shower between using John Frieda and The Body Shop conditioners and once a week I swap in my deep conditioner from the last hair dye I used.

http://www.johnfrieda.ca/en-CA/ProductDetail/Hair-Care/Root-Awakening/Strength-Restoring-Shampoo

http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/hair-care-products/natural-conditioner/banana-conditioner.aspx

Straightening Product: John Frieda 3-Day Straight. This is a spray you can spray on your hair before blowdrying and flat-ironing it to keep it straight for longer. My hair gets greasy so I wash it every day, but I do like using this spray when I straighten my hair to make sure it gets as straight as it can. Another product for getting straight silky hair that is amazing is John Frieda Frizz-Ease Serum – nothing else even compares to this! Put it on when your hair is wet and your hair will feel really silky and smooth after.

http://www.johnfrieda.ca/en-CA/ProductDetail/Hair-Care/Frizz-Ease/3-Day-Straight-Semi-Permanent-Styling-Spray

http://www.johnfrieda.ca/en-CA/ProductDetail/Hair-Care/Frizz-Ease/Hair-Serum-Extra-Strength-Formula

Hairspray: I’m not too picky about hairsprays – I am using Herbal Essences right now, and I also use Got 2 B Sometimes. I don’t use hairspray that much unless I am going out for the night and need to make sure my style stays through the night. I’m pretty open to using whatever.

Face Scrub: Clean and Clear Morning Burst Facial Scrub – has a great smell, makes your face super soft, and gets rid of any dead skin cells – I was using this every morning but I’ve cut down on it just so my skin doesn’t get too irritated. I use it in the shower with a scrublet from Sephora. There are a lot of other really good drugstore face scrubs out there as well so don’t feel you have to splurge for a really expensive one.

http://www.cleanandclear.ca/en/prod_details.asp?productid=54

Face Wash: Clean and Clear Morning Burst Facial Wash – this one has lemon and caffeine in it, smells soooo good and is great for waking you up in the morning – I use it morning and night for washing away excess oil and removing makeup, works great for my skin type J In the morning I use it in the shower with my Sephora scrublet, making sure to spend extra time rubbing it into my t-zone.

http://www.cleanandclear.ca/en/prod_details.asp?productid=29

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P262041&categoryId=S3000&shouldPaginate=true

Moisturizer: Clean and Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Moisturizer – at first I was hesitant to use a moisturizer at all during the day because I have combination skin but this one doesn’t make my skin all oily, it stops the tightness you get after washing your face, and helps your makeup go on really smoothly. I use a more intense moisturizer for night.

*Can't find a link for this one so not sure if they even still make this - which is sad because it is a great moisturizer!

Lotion: I have so many really good smelling lotions that I love right now! At the moment it’s Bath and Body Work’s Signature Coconut, which was a discontinued scent that they brought back just for the semi-annual sale. Kinda bums me out because I know I’ll get attached to it and then never be able to buy it again! It is an amazing summer scent – just super tropically. Bath and Body Works Coconut Pineapple, Carried Away and Dark Kiss, and Victoria’s Secret Wild and Breezy and Fresh and Clean are my other favourites right now. They are all really good at moisturizing and they all smell so good I have trouble deciding which one to wear in the morning!

http://www.cheapcoconutbodybutterlowprice.co.cc/shopping-Bath_Body_Works_Signature_Collection-B00420MWL4 - this is a link to the discontinued product I was mentioning

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=4191845&cp=4090259.4090258.4090270.4418550&cm_sp=IM-_-Lotions+%26+Creams-_-Body+Lotions - link to Bath and Body Works lotions (I notice there are two new ones on there I have yet to smell! so excited!!)

http://www.victoriassecret.com/pink/beauty Victoria's Secret Pink lotions and perfumes

Self-Tanner: Still on the search for the perfect one! I like Jergens and Banana Boat though (noticed on BB's website that they don't make the one I use anymore :(

Perfume/Body Mist: Britney Spears Fantasy is my signature scent. I have worn it for years, and it will probably always be my favourite. I do sometimes just spray a body mist instead, such as Bath and Body Works Hawaii Coconut or Carried Away depending on what I’m doing and how heavy of a scent I want that day.

http://www.britneyspearsbeauty.com/

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10752341&cp=4090259.4090258.4090280.4430465.4191851

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10752335&cp=4090259.4090258.4090280.4430465.4191851

Body Wash: The Body Shop Mango shower gel is amazing smelling, and so moisturizing! When you use a loofah with it, it lathers up like crazy... another thing I may use is a shower gel of a scent I have in a lotion from Bath and Body Works such as Carried Away or Dark Kiss, to try to layer my scents.

http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/bath-products/shower-gel/bath-mango-shower-gel.aspx

Nail Polish: Sally Hansen Insta-Dry and Sally Hansen Hard as Nails are products I have tons of – I recently counted and I have 45 nail polishes. I have tried Essie, China Glaze and OPI but I still feel Sally Hansen polishes are superior – they last way longer without chipping and dry super fast when you put them on, lessening the chance that you will smudge them as they dry. They had a massive sale on them at Wal-Mart not too long ago and were super duper cheap – like $2 something for the x-treme wear and $4 something for the Insta-dri ones.

http://www.sallyhansen.com/products/nails/nail-color/insta-dri%E2%84%A2-fast-dry-nail-color

Bath and Body Works Product Review

Hey guys!

These are some products I have used from Bath and Body Works and what I thought of them!

ü Coconut Pineapple Shower Gel – Just bought this product, I find all their shower gels to basically be around the same quality, but this is one of my favourite scents so I like having it in a shower gel as well

ü Carried Away Shower Gel – I use this one pretty regularly, Carried Away smells like raspberry, jasmine and vanilla, an amazing scent, lathers up really well

ü Dark Kiss Shower Gel – basically same as the ones above, smells really good and works really well!

ü Carried Away Fragrance Mist – about a compromise between an all-over body mist and a full-on perfume, this is a scent I use pretty regularly

ü Hawaii Coconut Fragrance Mist – a nice tropically fragrance, I love the scent of coconut, but this one isn’t super strong, I like the new coconut line a bit better

ü Victoria’s Secret Pink All-Over Body Mist Fresh and Clean – I didn’t actually get this from Bath and Body Works but this product is on their website so they must sell it at some BBW. For a long time I was obsessed with this scent! It smells like apples and lily and it is basically what it says it is – a simple, fresh, clean scent that smells amazing, and it is light enough that you can use it all over!

ü Victoria’s Secret Pink All-Over Body Mist Wild and Breezy – I have been using this post-shower all over on a daily basis, it is a tropical scent, I think something like flowers and guava off the top of my head, a fairly new scent they have gotten, they got 3 tropical scents and this one was my favorite

ü Bali Mango Creamy Body Scrub – a pretty good scrub, I love mango shower products, a pretty gritty exfoliant, actually like this a lot better than The Body Shop’s Mango Body Scrub

ü Carried Away Bubble Bath – LOVE THIS!! Doesn’t bubble up like crazy but it has an amazing scent, so relaxing!

ü Mango Margarita Deep Cleansing Hand Soap – just a basic hand soap that smells great, definitely nice to pick up when they are on sale or if you need extra products to reach a certain amount (i.e. to get $10 off $30).

ü Vanilla Pistachio Deep Cleansing Hand Soap – same as above

ü Pink Loofah – really awesome, I like to stock up on these as they are only like $3, actually saves you money as you need to use less body wash, because it will lather up more

ü Coconut Pineapple Body Lotion – my addiction right now! Smells EXACTLY like pina colada – I keep this in my purse and reapply throughout the day when my hands get dry or when I want a fresh scent

ü Coconut Mango Body Lotion – great new scent that’s out at the moment, didn’t love it at first as I thought they were kind of weird together, but it’s definitely growing on me and I’m starting to really like it

ü Coconut Passionfruit Body Lotion – fantastic scent! Smells so good, one I wear most days

ü Bali Mango Body Lotion – one that’s been discontinued recently, I was more into this before the coconut scents came out, not a bad scent though

ü Dark Kiss Body Lotion – love love love, this is a scent I enjoy wearing on nights out as it smells fancier and more sophisticated than the coconut and tropical scents, I would recommend going to the store and smelling it as it is hard to describe the scent

ü C.O. Bigelow Mentha Cinnamint Lip Shine – not a bad lip gloss, but I overdid it and got really sick of the minty taste, definitely needed to take a break!

ü C.O. Bigelow My Favorite Lip Balm – this one totally is! I have mentioned it in previous posts so I won’t go on too much about it!

The Body Shop Haul

A couple of weeks ago I went to the grand opening of the Body Shop at Conestoga Mall. I was super excited as it is one of my favourite stores and they had amazing discounts (not sure if they still do, but the deals were unbelievable when I was there). When I walked in, I was greeted by an employee who told me that they had a buy 2 get one free, buy three get two free... deal, and they had a special deal that if you bought a reusable bag for $5 you would get 30% off everything in the bag.

The Body Shop is one of my favourite places to shop for beauty products because they are great quality products, great smelling scents, and are very consistent. I like Bath and Body Works as well, but they rotate their scents a lot so sometimes you find a favourite and it gets discontinued. The Body Shop has classic body butter scents like Strawberry, Coconut and Mango, which will probably still be around 15 years from now.

The first product I picked up was strawberry body polish. This works as both a body wash and body scrub. I have been using it as a scrub with an exfoliating cloth from The Body Shop as well. If you like the strawberry body butter, you will probably like this product as well. It is a good scrub because it is not too gritty but still does a great job at exfoliating. This was $18 for 200 ml.

I had been looking for a good highlighter for a while and I found one there that is called Radiant Highlighter – it comes in one shade a light frosty pink and it looks awesome to use on your brow bone, under your eyes and anywhere else you want to highlight. It’s a big size compared to other highlighters I have been looking at such as Benefit’s High Beam, and was only $14, which is not too bad – a lot better than $30+, which is how much high beam costs.

The next thing I found was banana conditioner. I had to pick this up because it smells AMAZING! It actually smells exactly like the banana penicillin medicine they give out for strep throat. I love products that make my hair smell good. I am a lot fussier with shampoo but I decided to try the conditioner and I am very glad that I did. It ended up being free because I paid for the other two products.

They also had a deal on that you could get their store discount card, regularly $10 for free – I think this card saves you 10% off all your purchases for a year. I also got with it a sample kit that would have been $10. It had a Buriti baby body butter, which I gave to my sister for my eight-month-old niece. It also came with a men’s maca root energetic face protector, which I gave to my boyfriend to use. Next, there was a Tea Tree Skin Exfoliating wash, which my sister had been contemplating buying so I gave her that one. There was a Vitamin E face cream that I have yet to use, a white musk eau de toilette that I have not tried yet either, a coupon for $5 off my next $25 purchase, and a free makeover where you can get a free eye makeup remover too! I spent $5 on the bag, which I have used several times since then, so I saved $9.60, and with my 10% off card, I saved an extra $2.74. I ended up spending $27.87 and SAVING over $38! I cannot even remember a time before saving much more than I spent somewhere. The girls working there were nice, helped me pick things out, and helped me to get the best deal possible.

My favourite Body Shop products

· Mango and Strawberry body butters, shower gels and body scrubs/polishes

· Peppermint foot products

Audrey Hepburn

Was watching a video about the lovely Audrey Hepburn. Who are your style icons?

Getting ready for a night out

Hey,

So this blog is all about how I get ready to go for a night out – whether it is a party, buck and doe, or just to the movies, I like to spend some extra time getting ready/freshening up my look from whatever else I was doing earlier in the day. What exactly I do depends on how much time I have before I have to leave. I have a playlist on my computer of fun music that I put on as I get ready.

I try to make sure to eat healthy during the day and get in some exercise if I can.

If I have time, I will shower, but if not I will just skip that because then it would take a long time to dry and straighten my hair. I shampoo my hair twice, and leave in conditioner while I get everything else done – wash my face, use both a face and body scrub to get super smooth skin, shave, and use body wash. The body wash I am currently using is from the Body Shop, it is strawberry scented, and I put it on a loofah. I always make sure to exfoliate so that my skin is smooth and that I can get rid of any dead skin cells. I finish by rinsing out all of the conditioner in my hair.

When I get out of the shower, I use a body mist everywhere. It is important that if you do this you use a spray that says all-over body mist or something equivalent. If you use a perfume or eau de toilette it will be way too strong of a scent. I use a Clean and Clear astringent on any oily areas to try to clean that up. Next, I apply Neutrogena Oil-Free Lotion designed for combination skin. Even if you have oily skin, it is important to apply a moisturizer so that your makeup goes on smoothly and your skin is nice and hydrated. My favourite body lotion now is from Victoria’s Secret Pink Aloha Wild and Breezy – it smells like guava and passionflower. I also like Victoria Secret Pink Fresh and Clean (fresh apple and lily) and Bath and Body Works Carried Away (raspberry, jasmine and vanilla). Adding a lotion in addition to your perfume helps your scent to stay longer. I moisturize my face with Clean and Clear Finishes Pore Minimizing Moisturizer. I use Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Revive Deodorant and I switch up my perfume sometimes. Britney Spears Fantasy is my all time favourite; I also like Circus Fantasy, BBW Carried Away and Katy Perry’s Purr. Lastly, I use John Frieda Daily Nourishment Leave-In Conditioning Spray. This works as a detangler, a moisturizer, and a heat protectant. I spray this all over my hair and detangle with a boar bristle brush. I clip up the front with a big claw clip from Sally Beauty Supply (you can buy big packs of them there).

Once I have done all this, the next thing I move onto is doing my makeup. I start with a primer – Too Faced Primed and Poreless is the current one I am using. I apply this all over my face to get a nice smooth base and to help my face from being too oily. Next step is foundation – I use L’Oreal Paris True Match. I would recommend going a little bit easy on your foundation because otherwise if your face gets oily it can turn into a bit of a mess. Next I use concealer (L’Oreal Paris Infallible 16 hour in fair/light) to cover up any blemishes and dark circles especially. These two steps are what I spend the most time on as I like having a full coverage base. Once I put these on, I use Make Up For Ever HD Mist and Fix spray to cement it in place. I finish my base with a pressed powder (Cover Girl). I use the puff it comes with and then I go over it again with a big fluffy brush.

Next thing I do is apply blush. I use either Maybelline New York or a blush that comes in a palette I have. I like to go a bit darker for my blush at night or for a special occasion than I would during the day. I tend to stick with powder for the rest of my products (blush, bronzer, eyeshadow) because having combination skin would make cream products slide right off if I know I’m going to be out for a long time. I use Bonne Bell Blend and Glow bronzer on my cheeks, forehead, and nose mainly but I will do it all over my face.

Now onto my eyes. I make sure when I put on my concealer I apply it on my eyelids to use a base for my eyeshadow. Even for night, I do not use shades that are too dark because I find it makes my eyes look much smaller and it smudges and emphasizes my dark circles. This is the same reason I never use eyeliner. I will use mainly the same shades I mentioned in my work makeup blog – champagne shimmer highlight, pink or light bronze on the lids, and a chocolate brown in the outer corners of the crease. I may go a big heavier with the colors then I would for work though. I definitely finish my eyes with a few coats of waterproof mascara. Because I do not wear eyeliner, I put on more mascara to really emphasize my eyes. Finally, I add some lip gloss – right now, I have been wearing My Favourite Lip Balm by C.O. Bigelow from Bath and Body Works. Lately I cannot stand any lip glosses that have a strong flavour/taste because you reapply it so many times that I just find the taste sickening. So this one does not have a super strong scent, which is nice.

I will not go too much into how I do my hair. I like to straighten it when I have something nice to go to, and I will usually use John Frieda’s 3-Day Straight spray, blow-dry with a boar bristle paddle brush. I am impatient about straightening my hair so I will often get my sister to help me out with it, or at least to do the back. I use John Frieda shine spray and finish it with some hair spray as well.

Now it used to be I would get ready to go out, be happy with my hair and makeup but after being out for awhile I would end up with the inevitable makeup smudges and hair messes. This does not have to happen! You can do some things when you are out to stop this.

The first and maybe most important thing I would say is take it easy on the drinks. If you walk into a party, bar, wherever and spend the night guzzling down as many vodkas/beers/whatever you are drinking, as fast as you can, do not be surprised when you look like a hot mess by the end of the night! What I like to do when I go out is to drink rum and orange juice (I have issues with vodka) and once I finish a drink I alternate that with one that is just plain orange juice. You are still free to drink but it works out to not so many drinks so you feel better in the morning and save yourself some money as well. As well, if you are in an area that is hot and crowded, if possible go out and get some fresh air when you can. It helps to cool you down, and keeping your body temperature lower will help you from getting a bright red face and smudgy eye makeup.

If I am wearing my hair down, I will bring a hair elastic so I can put my hair up if I get hot, or if it is not very straight anymore.

If you are able to bring at least a little clutch there are a few lifesaver products you can bring. Most important is blotting papers. You can get these at the drugstore, one of my favourites is Clean and Clear – they are little blue sheets that will soak up oil without ruining your makeup. You can even just slip a couple of sheets in your pocket without having to worry about bringing a separate bag. If you do bring a bag, I would throw a pressed powder in there too because that will help blot up any oil. Hand lotion is a great multi-use product. A scented one will make you smell better, it helps to moisturize any dry spots, you can use a tiny bit to fix up any uneven areas in your foundation, it can be used as a highlighter for your cheeks, and you can use it for hair flyaways. Bath and Body Works always has cute and great smelling samples that are easy to throw in your purse. Finally, I put in my pocket whatever lip gloss I am wearing that night.

Sample Products to Bring for a Night Out

· Clean and Clear Oil-Blotting Sheets

· Roller ball perfume

· L’Oreal Paris Infallible 16 hour concealer

· Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss

· Cover Girl Pressed Powder

· Bath and Body Works lotion

A few last notes – when you get home, make sure to drink lots of water. Alcohol dehydrates you, which is not a pretty look for your skin. Drinking lots of water will also help you to feel better the next day. A multi-vitamin such as One a Day gummies will help you to get in the essential vitamins you need – alcohol also interferes with vitamin absorption. No matter how tired you are, you need to remove your makeup. Leaving on eye makeup such as mascara can cause eye infections and heavy foundation can clog your pores and cause you to break out. At the very least, keep a pack of cleaning wipes (most companies who make face cleansers also make cleaning wipes) next to your bed and you can quickly wipe off your face before you fall asleep.

That is how I get ready for a night out! What products are your go-to products? How do you keep your hair and makeup fresh throughout the night?