amazon prime day picks

first of all let me say that i am not entirely sure what the prime day thing is...isn't every day prime day if you have amazon prime? that said after perusing through the "prime day" offerings and entering my searches i think the gist is that select items are simply on sale, if you are a prime member. so, yeah...i suppose if you aren't a prime member you're S.O.L. but also not really because their picks were about as exciting as starting your period the day you're invited to a pool party. 

so what i did was find all the things i have ordered and re-ordered on amazon and made sure they were available for prime. regardless of price. but most of the items i chose are pretty cheap to begin with. however, i did manage to find some useful and worthy items that were on sale as part of prime day. 

 

yeah, i posted about this last week. lait creme concentrate is my new favorite moisturizer. the price is right, and the quality feels a whole lot more expensive than it is. it's not on sale but it's still under $20 and available for prime. 

 

i recently heard this stuff is pretty miraculous at growing your lashes (especially if you've had extensions and your natural lashes are almost non existent). you can read about that here. 

the results aren't overnight and most say they didn't see results til about a month in. i'm ok with that as i have nowhere to go but up. 

 

 

best dry body brush ever. if you've never dry brushed before i recommend a softer bristle but if you are a die hard like me this is the one you want. 

 

 

this is why my bleached hair is so healthy and soft for bleached hair. every time i go in for color my girl is like...you're hair is in such good condition and feels so soft. i use olaplex once a week and leave it on overnight and most of the next day. 

 

 

black pendant light. under $40. cute as hell. 

 

 

need about four thousand of these. 

the south is hard. 

 

 

the movie was decent enough to make me want to read the book. 

 

pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. i use mine all the time. if you don't own one now's your chance. the good ones are at least $50. this one is on sale for $26.  pro tip- never cook tomatoes in your cast iron skillet. 

 

dis candle smell goooooood. 

"Scandalously scented with black currant, green apple, wormwood, patchouli, and moss. Earthy but couture—it's a tempting taboo to inhale! And when the candle burns out, the porcelain vessel makes the perfect stash box."

 

mrs. stewart's liquid bluing for the whitest sheets. (seriously, has anyone used this? my sheets are looking like a serial killer slept in them after burying all his victims.)

 

makeup brushes. jump on this. this IS part of the prime day thing and it's halfway claimed. this is a $65 set on sale for $15. 

 

 

a $0.99 country living mag subscription. i'm getting it. 

 

did you score any deals? send them my way. 

 

 

the summer skincare routine

we are all in agreement that i try the products, report and then you trust me and decide to try for yourself, right? 

we all know that honesty is my only policy, correct?

ok. 

we also know that summer skin is not winter skin and if you aren't changing shit up your skin is gonna act cray, right?

alright....let's get on with it.

first of all let's recap the facts. i like it dewy but i don't want to put a trillion things on my face in summer so i don't. sunscreen you say? ok if i must but ima do it my way. 

i drink a ton of water. like 3 quarts a day. 

i measure this out in a glass measuring thing that equals 1 quart. i pour from it into a large drinking glass and basically take a sip/gulp every 15 minutes throughout the day to complete this (harder than it seems) task. if you aren't drinking your weight divided by 2 in ounces you aren't drinking enough. add more if you exercise and drink (ME). 

oh yeah...i exercise too. a lot. and i sweat. hard. these 2 things are pretty crucial to good skin. so let's just be honest...no amount of product is going to give you the skin you want unless you are addressing your skin from within. good food, exercise and water. stay on track. 

that said...i DO drink alcohol. and smoke an occasional cigarette or 5. 

not so great for skin. and yet, my skin is pretty good in spite of these facts. but i'm guessing it's a balance thing. plus live your life!

 

my basics are pretty simple:

cleanse / tone / mask / moisturize. 

i am in search of a new serum because i do love a serum. i'll keep you posted. 

i take off my make up at night with a cleansing balm. they really get in there and get everything off. plus they're very hydrating and plumping. my face feels clean but not stripped. 

i really like green clean by farmacy. it's organic and you don't need to use a cloth to remove it. though i do use one most of the time. depending on the level of make up i got going on. 

 

next i tone with thayer's rose petal witch hazel. it's alcohol free, smells amazing and i can get away without moisturizing my skin at night after use. in other words it's also very hydrating while still taking off any leftover residue from the cleansing balm. 

 

if my skin is feeling plump and hydrated i skip moisturizer at night. if i need a little extra love i will either sleep in a dab of this crazy expensive shit or moisturize with the best kept secret in the universe. or maybe it isn't. embryolisse lait creme concentrate. my god is this stuff awesome. it's the most dew-inducing moisturizer i've ever used. i apply my foundation almost immediately after so that the application is seamless and less foundation is actually needed. pro tip ladies. pro tip.

i also rub it all over my body after a shower. it's sublime. 

 

if it's morning i don't usually cleanse. almost never really. just use a hot, steamy cloth to refresh.

2-3 times a week i exfoliate with tata harper regenerating cleanser which is still gentle but completely changes the texture of my skin immediately. it's fantastic and one of the best exfoliators i've ever used. 

 

 for those days/nights when you need to have the best skin of your life enter my favorite mask maybe ever. tata harper resurfacing mask. it's best used with the regenerating cleanser. your skin will look incredible. it smells amazing and a little goes a long way. it's cooling and refreshing too. and plumping. and just plain awesome. i take my jade roller out of the freezer and really press it into my skin. 

 

when my skin seems congested i use this leland francis black rose bar. it has detoxifying charcoal plus essential oils to hydrate and soothe. i love it. 

 

your questions:

do you use an eye cream?

nope. the only one i use is for illuminating and extra moisture and it's this one. but i use it more in winter when i need it and only when my dark circles be poppin'. because it's got some diamond dust in it, so it's like a snapchat filter. but i don't use it at night. and i usually apply a thin layer OVER my foundation. (i don't use undereye concealer just really good foundation)

 

do you still use retin-a?

not currently. i think it messed with my period. as in made it stop. it could be that i'm just getting old but i was using it so much and out of the blue my period just stopped i did a little research and found that i wasn't the only one who claimed it made their period screwy. so i stopped. period came back. will i use it again? i may try a more natural version this winter. i'll keep you posted there as well. 

 

do you use sunscreen?

i confess not every day. i use it when i know i will be outside a lot. if i am like literally IN. THE. SUN.  i.e. beach, pool, lake etc...i will slather on some kind of nasa formulated shit made for albinos. otherwise it's spf 30 and its mixed in with my regular moisturizer. 

my foundation has spf as well. and my primer if i'm using it. so it's not like i'm devoid of any at all. 

golly. i think that might about cover it. 

 

any questions?