What is the one thing I hope that never goes out of style? Great eyebrows. For me, achieving great eyebrows is something I have to work for every day. No, I am not blessed like so many women and men are, including my brother Conor *insert unamused face*.  I often wonder if I could have had nice brows if I never found my mom's tweezers...

Yep, let me take you back to my days as an awkward and goofy (still awk and goofy) 6th grader. I was in the prime of all awkward stages. Baby fat raging, braces, weekly crushes on every boy in my class. I had just been granted the right, yes I mean right to shave my legs. All of my friends were doing it and I was just begging my mom to let me shave. I didn't want to be the only one in gym class with hairy shins. First of all, I'll never forgive myself for rushing into shaving. I'd give anything to not shave anymore. Anyways, I'll never forget the day my mom handed me the electric shaver and I did it! Wow, I thought, I'm a woman.

My obsession with being hairless didn't stop there, I moved all the way up to my face. No, I didn't have a beard or a mustache. I did however have eyebrows that were in desperate need of an arch. I took to them like Anthony takes to a plate of pasta- cleared house. Plucking in all of the wrong spots. The verdict? Welp, I came down from my room for dinner and my parents asked me what happened to my face. I've been paying for it ever since.

So many brow phases. Not knowing which color was right for me. I was stealing my mom's brow pencils (she has dark brown hair) and hoping I could pull it off without her noticing the pencil had gone missing and why my brows are 5x too dark. After 12 years of experimenting, I finally feel like I have found the best products for me.

For my best brows, I use:

• L'Oréal Paris Unbelieva-Brow in blonde: here
• Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW pomade in blonde: here
• Sephora Collection PRO brow brush #20: here

Happy summer, loves!!!! 

Personal update: As some of you may know, I've been spending some time at my family's quaint little home in Cape Cod. I've been taking this time to rest, relax, re-cooperate, and reset- that's a lot of re's! I've been spending my days beaching, running, reading, and eating my favorite summer foods. I've also been really focused on mastering my summer glow!  

If you know me on a personal level, or you've been following my blog for the last four years, you may have noticed that I'm a bit of a nail polish addict. Over that last 6 years or so, I have collected probably 250+ nail polishes. If you'd ask Anthony, he'd probably roll his eyes and tell you it's wayyyy more than that! 

On top of my elaborate collection of nail polishes, I always have to have my nails polished, and polished perfectly. I don't know where it comes from? Maybe from my mom and grandmom, with whom I can recollect special memories of trips to the nail salon for a reward or a just-because afternoon. 

So as I sit here on this warm summer's afternoon, I look down at my nails and want to share with you my favorite summer nail colors! I personally love colors that help to accentuate and compliment your summer glow. This is a warning though, I am a bit of a polish snob. OPI, Essie, or Bust. 

The colors I'm currently wearing:

Finger nails: Essie Gel Couture- Dress Call 

Toe nails: Essie Gel Couture- Style Stunner










For summer colors, I love to stick to blues, purples, pinks, and red. All of these colors stick to the general theme of fun and sunshine. The colors I'm loving for the summer:

Blues:

• Essie: Find Me and Oasis
• Essie: Bikini So Teeni 

Purples:

• Essie: Go Ginza 
• OPI: You're Such a Budapest @Tanile, if you're reading this ;)
• OPI: Show Us Your Tips! 

Pinks:

• Essie: Mademoiselle 
• Essie: Hi Maintenance 
• Essie: Tart Deco 
• Essie: Muchi Muchi 
• Essie: Just Another Pretty Face 
• Essie: Fiji 
• OPI: Aphrodite's Pink Nightie 

Reds:

• Essie: Clambake 
• OPI: Cajun Shrimp 

Lush is a store that has made a huge impression in the lives of the skin-loving. Lush has always been a store that I've popped in, bought a bath bomb, and deuced. I always felt really overwhelmed walking in there because there are just so many products. I didn't even know where to begin. Finally, a couple weeks ago, I dragged my boyfriend Anthony in there with me. After meticulous sampling, I couldn't choose just one, so I settled on two products: Dark Angels and Mask of Magnaminty.

Dark Angels: smells absolutely phenomenal- it reminds me of black licorice. I like to put it on and let it dry on my face for 5-10 mins- make sure you take your makeup off first! While I'm washing it off with warm water, I like to rub it on my face. It is black so be careful with what you're wearing because it may stain. When it is all rinsed, pat your face dry and feel the magic.

Mask of Magnaminty: this mask is so lus(h)cious. The smell is minty so it is refreshing and clean. I wash my face to get all of my makeup off then put it on- typically after I shower. I brush out my hair and get my clothes ready for the next day while I wait for it to dry. I love this mask because of the whole ingredients. After I wash it off, it leaves my face feeling soft and ready for sleep.

I've been using these at home for the past couple weeks and every time I use them, I feel like I am being transported to a spa. They give me instant relaxation and some nights that is absolutely necessary.

If you're close to me, then you know how challenging my back and forth personal struggle with acne has been over the last four years or so. I have a few month period of breakthrough where my acne clears up and my face is back to normal again and then it's back (dun dun dun). But actually. I've tried every on-the-spot treatment both over the counter and prescribed. I've been on acne clearing antibiotics and they would work for a few weeks or so then it's right back to the struggle.

When the New Year rolled around, I decided to try something I had tried before, two years ago, to help combat the nuisance that controlled my face and sometimes my happiness. Sad to admit, but very true. I decided to give up drinking coffee.
I'm one week in and I'm not going to lie, it has been a struggle. I find that it is harder to sleep at night, the bags under my eyes aren't great, my kids at school ask me why I look so tired, my appetite has grown and I find myself reaching for any sugary product around but the one (and probably the most important) thing I've noticed is a change in my skin. The pimples on my face aren't cystic, the breakouts are showing up less and less, and the redness on my face is disappearing. Mind you, it has only been a week.

The tea that I am absolutely in love with is Yogi tea. Yogi tea can be purchased at pretty much any grocery store around the nation! I swear by this tea for the taste and also for the little uplifting quotes and sayings they put on their tea tags. My Yogi tea of choice is Yogi Blueberry Slim Life Green Tea.

If you're interested in following the progress of my journey to a clear skin life, I will be posting an update post in about a month! I'm very excited about the results!

Okay, so you wake up in the morning to find that your face has been attacked overnight by the acne-stick (is that a thing??) Horrible. What is worse?? Okay, obviously there are worse things in life but a breakout can be pretty devastating especially if you have a big day full of presentations, meetings, an interview, or a date. A breakout can make your confidence levels go down ten-fold. It's such a hassle and it's just unattractive. So, to make it better, you cover it up, suffocate it, and you have created a negative skin cycle. But, you can't not cover up your breakout, so what do you do?? I have compiled a few tips that can help to beat that breakout because everyone deserves to feel gorgeous and happy!

1. Clean your makeup brushes: Cleaning your makeup brushes is such an overlooked task. It's actually something that should be done weekly. When you fail to clean your makeup brushes, bacteria and unwanted germs build up on your brushes. This can aid in causing a breakout because you're introducing that unwanted bacteria to both your face and your makeup. So please clean those brushes! It's as easy as 1, 2, 3. First, wet your brush with warm water (it cannot be too hot- think lukewarm). Rub the wet brush on a bar of soap- I use Dove. You'll start to see the residue from your makeup products come right off. Last, rinse it with the warm water and let it dry on a towel. I usually let mine dry overnight but it all depends on your brushes and their thicknesses.

2. Analyze your diet: You know the old saying "you don't need to write down what you eat because your body is a walking food journal" or some derivation of that? Yeah, well the same thing is true for your skin. Your body is a machine and when it isn't nourished the way it's supposed to be, it tells you. Think about what you put into your body because there are many foods that cause breakouts. High levels of gluten, fried foods, etc. Breakouts can also be caused by what you're not feeding your body. There are so many miracle foods out there-all of which come from the Earth might I add.

3. Coffee & chocolate: The thing with coffee and chocolate is that they cause hormonal imbalances within your body which can lead to acne. If you look at where your breakout is, you can analyze why. Your T-Zone breaking out is normally due to imbalanced hormones. Aren't they annoying. Think about what you put into your body because everything has it's own energy compositions therefore, your body perceives them all differently. Also, I am a huge fan of tea and tea is great for your skin!

4. Natural detoxes: there are plenty of resources out there that can tell you a million different things to detoxify your body. Lemons are an amazing thing to have on hand at all times. They make for a great scrask (check out my lemon&honey scrask) and if you put them in hot water with some honey and cayenne or just by themselves, they make for a great skin detoxifier. So many people swear by this. I know I definitely do (check out my post here).

5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: I don't think I can ever stress this enough. Hydrating your body is one of the best things you can do to take care of yourself. If there's one thing you take from this post, be it that you DRINK WATER. It's really just too important to me. It's such an easy thing we forget to do but it has some major consequences. One of those being that you breakout. Drinking a lot of water brings nothing but good health to you. I know it's a hassle when you have to use the bathroom 20 times a day, but that's HEALTHY. It's the natural way your body rids itself of toxins. Every person should drink AT LEAST 60 fl oz of water per day. In terms of plastic water bottles, that's 4. You should be drinking more than that. Your goal should be 75-100 fl oz of water. If you workout or sweat a lot, make it 100-120 fl oz. It's so good for you health and your skin. Please, make water your best friend when you're suffering from a bad breakout. You'll truly see a difference.

What are your acne remedies? Please share in the comments!

I am completely and utterly obsessed with facial care. I mean who doesn't want perfect skin. I love finding new ways to help a breakout, take care of unsightly blackheads, or cure the dark circles under the eyes from a sleepless night. The only thing better than finding new ways to help my face is finding NATURAL ways to do it. I am a firm believer that almost all of the necessities we need for our bodily health come from our very own mother earth.

I am obsessed with this facial scrub/mask (scrask??). It is so simple and so easy to put together. It's made with lemon, honey, and a dash of sugar. First you want to cut the lemon in half and then pour about a teaspoon of honey onto the lemon. Next, sprinkle on the sugar. When you're finished sprinkling the sugar, take the lemon half and  rub it all over your face. I did so for about two minutes. When finished, let the scrub/mask sit for 15-20 minutes or until your face feels tight and dry. Wash your face with warm water and towel pat dry.

When you have completed the scrub, your face will feel smoother than a baby's bottom. It will feel so fresh and so clean. I felt like a million bucks!!

Benefits:

• Lemons: are SO good for your face. Who would have thunk it?! They help to heal and cure breakouts and they can also help to remove those stubborn blackheads. Lemons are also great for lightening and treating dark spots, blemishes, and scars. The acidity in lemons helps to brighten your face and make your skin tone more even. The citric acid also has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties to help kill any unwanted germs on your face. 
• Honey: is also an amazing natural remedy for skin, nails, and hair. Honey is a natural moisturizer. Raw honey contains enzymes that clean and clear out your pores of any unwelcome particles. Like lemons, honey helps to fade scars and even your skin tone. Honey also has antibacterial and anti fungal properties to help fight and cure breakouts. 
• Sugar: is a natural exfoliator. It helps to scrub away any impurities and dead skin cells located on your face. Cindy Crawford keeps a bowl of sugar in her bathroom because she uses it to exfoliate before she washed her face. 

Okay, so this may upset a few girls out there to find out that we start aging at age: sixteen. Yep, you read that right. Our gorgeous and fragile faces start to age when we first learn how to drive. I was shocked, too.

So my tip for this week is overnight eye cream. This is a beauty tip that will benefit anyone and everyone. I use the brand: H2O Plus and the product called Eye Oasis. It helps my eyes to look and feel fresh when I wake up in the morning. I suggest it for everyone!!





















Happy anti-aging :)