Spring Forward

I love “guides.”  I figured since March is right around the corner I should compile a little sumpin’ sumpin’ for all of you gals eager to get your spring on!

Take a break for your usual treadmill routine (or get started…!) and take a run outside!  Smell the fresh air, enter a marathon, or go on a brisk walk.  Regardless of what you’re doing, you’ll feel better wearing these crops.  I love that they come in purple because it’s a great spring color AND all of us TCU gals can represent our Horned Frog pride 🙂

I love braiding my hair and making it into a headband however it’s tedious and it’s only been perfect once in my many attempts.  Sephora has a fabulous option if you’re in a rush or have little patience.  Also, at the mall yesterday I found a really great braided headband at Forever 21, but it wasn’t a natural hair color — it came in black/gold and white/gold and was very hippy chic.  I cannot find it on their site (I’ve searched!) but if you happen to have a Forever with a huge accessories section then they probably have it.

My roommates can testify that although my car may look like a complete mess, it ALWAYS smells good.  For winter I had a lovely pine scent and now I have Sweet Pea.  It’s refreshing to get in your car and have it smelling fresh; even better when it’s not the result of a tree-shaped air freshener hanging from your review mirror.  The Scentportable makes scents well-hidden.

The WallFlower puts a great flare on home scents by making the plug it actually look cute instead of something that will inevitably crack open and cause a mess (a la Glade Plug-ins).  I bought a set which was cheaper than buying the diffuser separately from the scents, so now I save a ton of money when they have specials on the scents alone.

March always reminds me of two things:  Spring Break and interviews.  For eight good years of my life, I was accustomed to endless interviews for clubs, jobs and internships in March until the big SB payoff (Molls and Lindsay, enter SBFBC joke here).  Interviews = needing a polished suit and if nothing at all a great pair of business pants.

I absolutely LOVE these pants.  They elongate the legs which is excellent since I’m lacking in that department and they fit great – I have a big booty (this isn’t news to most of you) so finding pants is a serious struggle for me because I always have problems.  If the waist is perfectly fit, the legs are too long; if the legs fit great within my thighs, the waist is too high/too big, etc.   Ladies if you have this problem I promise you that Seven for All Mankind or Joe’s Jeans will have a great alternative for you, however you’ll be paying upwards of $200 (the horror of buying designer jeans).  Express does have a great jean though that has helped me with my budget and their fit is spectacular.

Anyway, these pants make it WORK.  The pockets aren’t on the side so they don’t give your hips extra inches which is something I’m always against considering I have enough hips for everyone, thank you.  I personally favor the Signature Stretch type.

Most of us haven’t seen the light of day since last summer, so we’re due for a proper bronzing before we get into any type of swimwear this spring.  You have two options: tanning beds or airbrush tanning.  With all of the drama surrounding the tanning bed business I would recommend going UV-free with Infinity Sun.  I know my stuff when it comes to airbrush tanning and this stuff is AMAZING.  The formula lasts seven days and it’s awesome – not orange or blotchy.  The great thing about Infinity Sun is that the solution has a greenish tint so when you apply it it develops more of an olive tone instead of Oompa Loompa orange.  I encourage everyone to stay away from any of the sunless tanners you see at Target or Walgreens… you will be sorry.

As far as the application goes, do it in a bathroom with a shower.  Hang up towels if you don’t want the walls to get sprayed and turn on any vents if you have them.  Grab a friend and make it a duo application so that you can each get each other’s backs.  I’d strongly advise a friend with a good aesthetic eye, i.e. perhaps she makes beautiful cakes, paints/draws well, make-up and hair always looks nice.  Don’t try this with the friend who can barely write her name or apply a decent coat of mascara.  You need someone who can control the can and understand the concept of distance; if the can is too close, you’ll streak.  If the can is too far, you won’t get it on evenly.  Most people mess up the most because they’re scared of the tan.  Don’t be afraid!  Go for it and make sure pay particular attention to not overdo the elbows, knees, neck or chest.

Last thing on this topic: I know I probably shouldn’t say this but here goes nothing.  If you are going on a vacation to a tropical island in two weeks, I’d strongly recommend hitting up tanning bed asap.  If you plan on keeping covered and using SPF out the wazoo, ignore that comment.  However if you want to go to Cabo and get the best tan of your life you’ll end up being burned and worse for it if you don’t slowly start exposing your naked-white skin to the light of day.  If you choose to hit up a tanning salon, I’d start with very low times depending on your skin tone.  Never start at 10 minutes unless you’ve been tanning year-round.  Definitely start around six minutes (even four if necessary) and gradually improve your time; wear a lotion meant for tanning beds, not the crap they sell at Rite Aid.  Then moisturize, moisturize, moisturize after your tanning bed sesh to ensure your skin stays hydrated and your tan will last.  As you slowly increase your time in the bed, you’ll get exposure to UV rays without frying your skin to a crisp and you skin will better accept the rays at the beach.  I always recommend wearing SPF 30 or higher on your face and at least SPF 50 on the rest of your body.

If you’re traveling and want a show for the plane/car ride that gives Sex and the City a run for it’s money, go purchase the (only) two seasons of SDofaCG.  It’s addicting, hilarious and it makes you really think about the call girl profession (not joining it, silly, but all the crap they must go through).  This series started off as the blog of Belle de Jour, an alias of a very expensive call girl in London.  Her identity has since been revealed and she’s now a research scientist at Bristol University.  Here’s the link for her blog if you’re interested in a juicy read. Belle de Jour

The perks of working at Frederic Fekkai are endless, but one of the most obvious would be having fabulous hair.  I am obsessed with these products!  The Tousled Waves spray is perfect for anyone with curly or wavy hair who wants to amp up their curls without making them hard or crunchy.  It’s a lightweight formula so it feels great and it’s also perfect for anyone who has subtle waves and wants to look like they spent the day at the beach.  Silky Straight Ironless serum is unbelievable!  If you have curly or unruly hair and don’t want to spend time with a straightener, put this on wet hair and blow dry.  It will stay straight as a board for what seems like forever!!!  If you color your hair you have to use the Salon Technician Color Care collection.  Just like you use SPF to protect your face, this collection protects your hair from oxidizing which allows the color to be maintained longer.  These are luxury products, hence why they are more expensive that your regular drug-store buy, however if you invest money to taking care of your skin then you need to consider taking care of the hair on your head!  PS: Ask me if you’re having any hair issues and I can recommend products that would work best for you 🙂

If you really enjoyed this post, send it to your friends… or employers or contacts who need someone to write for their beauty or lifestyle publication! 🙂