self care

Fall Beauty Favorites Under $25 (& Amazon Gift Card Giveaway)

Abby H.3 Comments

It’s fall, it’s finally not 90 degrees all day long in Southern California. I’ve been tweaking my self-care routine to incorporate everything I need to keep my body looking and feeling good. Some of these items are not 100% skincare/beauty-related, but remember that self-care is more than slapping a mask on and relaxing on the couch!

Here are some of my favorites that come in at $25 or less:

These Microfiber Facial Cloths are quick drying, wash up well (I wash mine in a large lingerie bag), and you get 12 for a little over a dollar a piece!

These Stella and Grace undereye patches are just one of my go-to eye patches. They are a cooling gel that infuses the under-eye area. Did you know that our undereye area has no oil glands? After you’ve enjoyed an eye mask, make sure to keep that area hydrated with an eye cream. I’m digging Global Beauty Care Smooth & Lift Collagen Eye Cream with Peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, and squalane. You can buy it on Amazon, but I recently found it at Dollar Tree of all places (Shout out to Dollar Tree for having some pretty decent skincare lately- remember to read the ingredients and know what active ingredients you are looking for!).

If you are like me and take meds twice a day and HATE refilling the stupid little containers every week, here is my savior… A 28 day pill organizer that has a day and a night area for each day.

28 days is perfect- That way it reminds you to check with the pharmacy or your doctor to get another refill.

As the weather gets colder, our poor feet need love too. I’m all about compression socks to keep the fluid retention down. I also love doing Legs up the Wall in the evening to help with circulation. Slather some of O’Keefe’s Foot Cream, pull on a pair of compression socks and chill with my legs up the wall for 20 minutes.  I have chonky claves, so I need the wide calf socks, but Levsox sells compression socks for all-sized calves in tons of cute patterns.

My absolute favorite bubble bath and bath salts are from Dr. Teals. They have melatonin, lavender, and chamomile. Target frequently has these on sale or as part of a beauty gift card deal. Even the kids like it!

If you are looking for something to help with your sleep routine, I use ASUTRA Magnesium Body Butter Lotion Lavender Scent. It contains Shea Butter and Almond Oil, and the magnesium can help calm your body for rest. It really helped Bitty Bird when she was having problems turning her brain off to sleep.

And finally, I’ve really gotten into Gua Sha facial massage over the past few months. It’s really helped with the dark circles under my eyes, and increased the blood flow to my face (but honestly all massage does this). I have a tool like this one (I bought mine at Dollar Tree), and I use this Glide Oil, but you can use any serum or facial cream. Tina Enego has some great videos and follow alongs on You Tube.

I’d love to hear about your favorite fall self-care. Drop a comment and be entered to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. I’ll choose a winner on 11/20/2023 and notify you via email. The gift card will be delivered via email. 

Tryazon: David & Mary Mother’s Day Spa Party

Abby H.

We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food.  You can learn more about Tryazon here.

Treat yourself and your friends this Mother’s Day with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity. David & Mary create skincare products that allow you to receive maximum results in a much shorter time than traditional salon treatments. Many people don’t have the time for lengthy salon visits but still want to maintain or improve their appearance. David & Mary have created that line of products with highly concentrated ingredients proven to achieve documented results that cause the skin to function at its highest level of skin recovery!

Tryazon has a total of 50 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack with a selection of David & Mary products, to sample and share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here.

My Quarantine Beauty Favs and a Giveaway!

Abby H.8 Comments

Here in California, as well as all over the nation, many businesses that are not essential are closed. That means no hair cuts, manicures, pedicures, massages, all the fun stuff that helps us relax and de-stress. Lemme tell you, after 5 months (as of Thursday) of being home with the kids all the time without knowing what is going on most of the time (or what is coming up next), I’m feeling a little stressed.

Most of you, I’m guessing, are in a similar situation. Recently I took some of my side hustle cash and splurged. Well, for me it was a splurge. I spent money on myself on some self-care items that were very much needed. These are my favorite beauty/personal care items that are helping me get through these uncertain times. 

I’m in love with this scrub! Everything by Tree Hut is awesome, but this sugar scrub is tits. It’s got Shea Butter to moisturize, sugar to exfoliate, and it smells like summer. I usually buy it at Walmart, but Amazon has it cheaper (especially when you subscribe and save).

 

Nature Nut Hair Conditioner for Dry & Damaged Hair– I discovered this conditioner through one of the companies that I test and review products through, and for the life of me, I can’t remember which one. Regardless- I am HOOKED. First of all, it smells great. Second, and most importantly, it makes my hair feel great. Smooth, soft, shiny, all that good stuff. And that’s important because my hair has been through some ish this past year. Purple hair is a lot of work. The shampoo is good too, but the conditioner? That stuff is tops!

Speaking of purple hair, I use Ion Permanent Brights Creme from Sally Beauty in Purple. Of course, you gotta have a developer, and a bowl and brush, and gloves too. I color my hair with this about every 8-10 weeks. My hair grows pretty fast, and to be honest, my hair is coming in more and more grey, so it’s super noticeable. To stretch my permanent color, I’ll hit the ends with a semi-permanent dark pink about week 4-6, and refresh the remaining all-over color with a semi-permanent purple. Right now I’m digging Color Jamz ( Reapsberry Kamikaze and Purple Passion to be exact). I use the pink on Bitty Bird’s hair too- It washes out in about 2-4 weeks.

I’m a huge fan of good skincare products. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen my self-care DIY facial flat lays. A couple of my go-to summer skincare products are:

Noexema– Seriously. It is incredible for soothing sunburned skin. I keep a jar under the skin for this very reason. Slather on a thick layer over sunburned skin and rest for about an hour. Rinse off any excess on a cool shower. Pat skin gently to dry.  

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater This toner is very soothing and calming. I stash this in the fridge in the summer and give myself and the kiddos a spritz a few times a day. And it smells nice too. 

I know that some extra time in the shower, scrubbing with some yummy sugar scrub isn’t going to make all the shenanigans going on in the world melt away. But if I can give myself some grace, chill the fuck out, and have a few extra minutes to myself, I’m going to do it. 

Oh, and if you are wondering what kind of hand sanitizer (called hanny-sanny by my daughter) we like- Usually I’d say whatever is on sale, but since there was a recent debacle about some imported Hanny-Sanny being poisonous (WTF?), we’ve got a couple of large bottles of Kundal Fresh Water Hand Sanitizer that are pretty good. And it’s not sticky. Having used many types over the past few months, I’ve come to discover that some types/brands are sticky. EW. Also, I’ve come to realize that most of it smells like cheap vodka, and now I have no desire to drink vodka. 

And now for the Giveaway- I want you to splurge and get yourself some awesome self-care goodies too. Leave me a comment on this blog post: What would you buy FOR YOURSELF with a $25 Amazon GC? You can earn a bonus entry by commenting on this Instagram post. I’ll choose a winner on 8/23/2020. I’ll notify the winner via email.