Polish: Current Obsessions

I have 2 things that I am currently obsessing over, neither has anything to do with each other!

First, apparently, I cannot NOT blog about summer topics. I may be mildly obsessed, which is due to the fact that it is currently cloudy and possibly raining outside. People in my office have boots and sweaters on, while I am wearing platform sandals and cropped skinny jeans. I am clinging to whatever residual sun there might be from the first day of summer! Generally in the summer, most of us wear a little less face product. With that in mind, a great exfoliator (Both manual and chemical) is a must have for our summer skin, to bring out that natural glow.

Both of these products can be found at Target. They also both have Salicylic acid in them, best known to get down into the pore and get the dirt out. In comparison, Benzoyle Peroxide will sit on top of the skin. Good used in moderation, but used too much can dry out the skin. This will cause more dead skin cells to stay, slowing down the natural exfoliating process which actually causes more breakouts. I prefer BP as a spot treatment. Play around with what works best for your skin, and of course ask you derm.

The second item I am currently obsessing over is v-neck T's! I know it seems silly, and rather generic. I feel like it has taken a while (as with most trends) for some quality products to trickle down to the average persons price range. Of course I always fall in love with brands like Elizabeth & James, or C&C, especially for basics that are staples for your wardrobe. I also always find it hard to spend $50-$200 on a plain T. Target has had some great v necks out for a while in a variety of colors, usually under $10 bucks. TOTALLY doable. One drawback, the dreaded one-boob pocket. It's not so bad on plain t's, but I still just don't like the look of them. I was at Zumiez yesterday and found some... WITH OUT POCKETS!! As friendly as those boys usually are, they still found my excitement odd. Whatever, I'm stoked, and they were 2 for $25. A little better quality than Target. Most were wide or skinny stripes (like the one pictured above), but there are some plain colors on the website. Some were also in the store, sweet green kind of like mint choc-chip ice cream, but it did have a pocket.

A small side point for your Target items: As these are great buys, they do tend to be flimsier fabric and can fall apart or fade quickly. If you refrain from putting these guys in your dryer, and hang dry them, it saves the color, shape and hem. I do this with most of my clothing, and as a result have pieces from 10 years ago... GULP! Well worth the extra time, and evening of your house looking like the washer exploded!! Check back next week for my suggestions on hang drying, including where to get drying racks that last, are inexpensive AND can be delivered to your house!!



~V-neck t's and glowy faces~

Sun Sun Sun

Now that the sun is FINALLY trying to make an appearance here in the Ndub, as summer officially starts tomorrow, we have to be prepared! While we can't change what we look like (healthily anyways) In the next few days, we can prepare in some outward ways.

Swim Suits!!!

I, unfortunately, have a small collection of suits lately. The one below, from Victoria's Secret (Who happens to be having a sale right now) is what I am craving. Fun colors, and accents to make it a little different, and stand out from others sharing the sun with you. Also, something to keep in mind, if you have any occasions coming up this summer, a suit like the one below that has remove able straps is great. It takes the stress out of trying to spray away, or pile makeup over your tan lines! Check out this site!
You will see alot of options, convert ability, and nice pricing so you can grab a cover up and wedges for under $100!!

Tans!!

We all want to be tan in our suits. Our fat looks better, the colors pop more, and you just feel a little healthier. As we all know, having color isn't necessarily healthy. That said, make sure you spray tan before you go to the beach. It's a great way to still feel great in the sun, but save your skin. Don't forget your SPF of at least 30, and REAPPLY!!!! several times during the day. I always forget that part :)

Color!!!

Pedicures and Manicures are a great way to add some brightness to your every day routine. Seafoam greens, Corals, Hot Pinks, and even bright orange are popular right now. Orly has a great green, Essie has good corals and seafoams. Sinful Colors (At Walgreens and Fred Meyers) has all sorts of brights as well as some decorating pens to add your own flare to your manicure. Try out the half moon, some stripes, or instead of white tips do a fun color.

HAPPY SUMMER EVERYONE!!!

"That" Girl...

Being a chick around the MX industry... we ALL want to be "that girl". Just like Mercedes Terrel. If, however, any of us thought of showing up to the actual track like that, we would be seriously made fun of, or thought of as the other "that" girl. The one that you can easily play, which one does not belong?

I feel like, over the years, I have been able to find the balance to look like "THAT" girl. The girl that likes to look good at the races, but also likes to get dirty, help out, and scream at her friends ripping by, not caring if she gets mud in her face or oil on her jeans.

In those years I have gotten pretty good at track acceptable makeup. I have below a few of my favorite things that will withstand mud, rain, wind, and sweat. Enjoy! (Skip to the bottom for an abbreviated version :))



The first thing that I do (after moisturizer and sunscreen of course) is spray on Makeup Forevers Mist & Fix. It has aloe which is soothing, but it helps your makeup to stay and be even ALL day. It also doesn't have alcohol in it like some, cough cough, others do. Depending on conditions, I will also throw on some primer that has silicone in it. I still love the Smashbox clear primer. (Get it in the travel size, you only use a bit, and you can get more out of it then the $36 bottle.)





Then I layer on top of that a tinted moisturizer, or light buildable foundation with SPF. Laura Mercier is great because it has a little more coverage than an average tinted moisturizer, and has an SPF. If you want more coverage, I love Make Up Forevers Face and Body foundation, which also happens to be water resistant. A less expensive version is Loreal True Match at the drug stores. It has SPF in it also. I try to put on a light layer, and then conceal where I need to. I have problem skin, so I will put also add a light layer of mineral powder to cover the red. Bronzer and blush are a staple of mine. Jemma Kid has a water resistant one that can be found at target. If I brought one with I will put a light pink cream blush with a powder one over it. It wont move ALL day. Finish with a little more Mist &fix, and some translucent powder and complexion is finished.

Now for the eyes. I love Benefits Creaseless Cream Shaddows. You can use them on their own, as a base for other colors to stay put, or even a highlighter on cheek bones, bridge of nose, etc. I like Bunny Hop (light pink, iridescent), and Birthday suit (Taupey). MAC also has paint pots that do the same thing, but they are more matte if you prefer. You can also use some of the darker colors as brow filler. Since they are cream, they stay put a little better than power through the elements.


I use this to line my my eyes. Since I do my eyemakup so simply at the races, I will usually do a little flick at the end, or up the layers of mascara that I use:) This is water resistant, so it is OK on the bottom lashes as well as water line.



I finish with this mascara. Loreal Voluminous Lash. FAVORITE since high school. My senior picture lashes rock, and its all because of this stuff! I am a mascara junky, so 3-4 coats of this does me well. They do offer a waterproof version, but I find that it is a little flaky. I just don't coat my bottom lashes. (The wind often picks up at the tracks, and your eyes will water, or rain gets blown in under your sunglasses! Yay! haha)




Last but not least, I reapply this stuff ALL day long. Its nice because it has an SPF, so you are less likely to get wind burned or chapped lips. It is also not sticky or sparkly. If you have long hair like me, you don't have to worry about trying to hand someone goggles and water with half of it across your face, and no free arms to get it out!


Here is the sped up version.

• Find a primer or fix spray to make your makeup stick, and be water resistant.



• Find a foundation that has SPF and is light, not cakey.



• Paint Pots, or Benefits shaddows are known to stay put. Gel liners wont run as easily as a pencil.



• Bronzers and blushes in creams and set with powder ones in the same tone will guarantee wearability throughout the day.



• Be sure to have a chap stick or balm with an SPF.



• A HUGE pair of sunglasses are necessary :)
  
  
  
  

Get Dirty!

Sarcasm, Sunglasses, and Bananapanties

Coming back to reality after a long, crazy weekend is always a bit of an adjustment. For my roomie and I, that was an understatement. We Left Seattle at 1:30pm to meet up with our friends at the 5th round of the WORCS series, in Payette Idaho. 7 hours of coffee, car dancing and Red Bulls, we thought would take their toll. Turns out, no one could sleep! Saturday was a bit rough with our boys racing on no ZZZZ's. Suffice it to say, sarcasm and sunglasses seemed to be the theme of the day. Dallas had fun, and ended up riding 3 classes. Rookie (getting pummled by Stillwell Performance team owner in the first photo) rode pro, and got 10th. It wasn't what he wanted, but he pushed, finished and got some points.

Later that night we took over a little bar in a mexican joint. Literally. We all drank, ate chips, and teamed up for some Rookstool family Words With Friends on one end of the table. All the while, poor Kevin had to take it in with water. He went back to the room early to get some sleep for his race the next day.

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!

We got all packed up, not sure what the day would bring us. Rookie raced at noon, and got 9th. We now know, that was his last WORCS race for a while and he will be heading East to catch the next Outdoor Nationals. Marisa and I caravanned along with the boys, to Bend, OR for another 5 hours of sleeping, car dancing, and continuing to be amazed at the random places boys find to pee. Our new friend, Jeremy, has somewhat of an MX compound that we were all welcomed too with an amazing dinner (breakfast and lunch the next day also), and beverages. Monday was spent being lazy, sitting in the back of a truck, watching boys work on and ride their dirt bikes. I love this life :) Nothing like the smell of exhaust in the morning!!

The weekend didn't officially end until yesterday. After work Marisa and I went to do a little shopping, and had dinner. Bananapanties sums up our evening, I will leave it to your imagination or a hunt around Bellevue Square to put the pices together. Stoked for next weekend, when we will be on our way down to Honey Lake for the next round of WORCS!

Rookie Killing it up the hill.

Trying to keep warm, and cheer on Rook! Keep it Classy Payette!

Memorial Day Beauty Tricks

I can't believe that it is already MEMORIAL DAY! So much for keeping "this thing" up, as it is only my second post of the year. I have written out a list of ideas of the things I am loving right now, and I have lots of activities on the agenda for the summer, so I think I have a good shot at this go round!

Since Memorial Day Weekend is already upon us, and most are in the search for sun I have some tips and tricks sun seekers might find helpful with Self tanning, preventing hair color fade, and keeping SPF on all day.

I am all about sunless tanning, I however am not all about orange and streaks. Mystic tans are OUT unless your local tanning salon can help you put barrier cream on properly and not put in all the bronzers. When I need a quick dose of color, Rock Star Tan Bar in Kirkland has the VERSA spa. It's the best booth tan I have seen so far. I like the Dark Bronze cocktail. You can get a clear one, but I think the bronze gives you just a little more.

For my maintenance, I love the Loreal Sublime Bronze in Medium/Dark. You can get it at Target, Walgreens, or any other drug store that might be near you. When I get out of the shower, I spray (In sections) when I jump out of the shower. I usually do it twice and then follow with a gradual tanning lotion to make sure things are even. I like Jergens for in inexpensive brand but you can really smell the DHA (the chemical that changes the color in your melanin). For a product the delivers results, is not incredibily pricy, offers a little shimmer and a nice beachy smell, I love Two Faced Tanning Bed in a Tube.

Of course you need to have sunscreen on these weekend get aways. We all know we should wear it daily, but it is such a pain to not only put on body/face moisturizer we have to put on SPF on top of all of it!?!?! Sheesh, I know it hurts to be beautiful, but thats just a painful step to add into our daily regimen. One brand that I LOVE is ALBA. It is a natural brand full of great ingredients like aloe vera, and avacado oil, and they have a body lotion with SPF 15 in it. Super affordable too! Most drug stores carry it, you can also find it here. If you are going to be out in the sun for real, do make sure you put on http://www.drugstore.com/neutrogena-wet-skin-sunblock-spray-spf-30/qxp328491?fromsrch=nutrogena+SPF, and if you are a makeup wearer here is a great option for reapplication throughout the day without having to take off your face every time!

The last thing is your hair! If you color your hair you will want to protect it with wearing a hat. TJ Maxx has some cute large brimmed hats, and American Eagle has some cute straw fedoras that are all the rage it seems. You can't usually cover it all tho, and for the pieces that sneak out I love products like HALO and Redken that have UV protection. Below is a lotion that you put in damp hair and style normally. There are also shampoos, conditioner, and shine sprays!

Happy Sun Finding Washington!!!

2011!

So it has been 3 years since I have started this blog' and I have done a dismal job of keeping it up. This year, I wouldn't say its a resolution but my goal is to keep this thing up. To show people whats new in the world of fashion, makeup and fun.

My newest fabulous item that I have found this year is actually at Walgreens. When I worked at Sephora, there was a skin care brand called BORBA. It is a brand that was started by an esthetician, and focuses on skincare from the inside out. They still have it at High end stores such as Saks and Fred Segal, but they now also have it available at Walgreens at a better price. Some of it is just smaller packaging but makes it affordable to try something new! Borba has drinks, topical items and even supplements all for every skin type. It is used by celebs like Annalynne Mccord and featured in magazines like InStyle monthly. Go to http://www.borba.com/ to do some research or head to your local Walgreens or ULTA and try it out!