Rolling Stone July 2014 - Lana Del Rey photographed by Theo Wenner
A few days I ago I saw that my July issue of Rolling Stone magazine came in, and on the cover was the gorgeous and amazing Lana Del Rey. If you haven't listened to her music, I highly recommend that you do! Aside from the cat she's cuddling in the photo, there were two things that stuck out to me - her long, pastel colored nails and her red lip. The rest of the cover photo is very minimalistic and natural, and I thought those pops of color looked perfect together! Of course, the cover inspired me to look at what nail and lip products I already have to recreate her look.
Nails
I read in another blog that she was wearing 'Bikini So Teeny' by Essie, which made me happy because I actually have that color in my nail polish collection. As I painted my nails, I noticed that Lana's nails looked lighter than mine. That may be due to the lighting and editing of the photo, but either way, both colors are very pretty. I have to be honest though...the consistency of this polish is not my fave. It's a little watery, and it can start looking streaky unless you glob it on. I have on two coats.
Lips
There are tons and tons of red lipsticks out there, and I'm assuming she has on a couple high end products. I only have a few red lipsticks, but there was one that I have that stood out to me to look the closest to what Lana is wearing. I picked out the Rimmel Kate lipstick in 111 'Kiss of Life.' This is a blue based red and it's matte, so it matches perfectly with what Lana is wearing. This is a great lipstick. It has great lasting power and it doesn't dry out my lips.
The rest of her look is pretty simple. Fill in those brows, apply a dark shadow to your lower lash line, pop on some falsies, and you're good to go!
During Spring and Summer it's important to have a good pair of sunglasses, and in these seasons its perfect to try out some fun shapes and lenses. I've actually been really bad and not worn sunglasses the majority of the Summer. I'm awful at taking care of them and I always forget to grab them when I go out. That's the main reason why I haven't really invested in a really nice pair of sunglasses. I know protecting your eyes from the sun is EXTREMELY important, so I made an effort to find a pair that I love. I've seen a lot of celebs and fashion bloggers wearing the Ray-Ban Aviator Flash Lens sunglasses, but I was definitely not going to spend all that money on something I knew I probably wouldn't take care of very well. While I was out shopping, I went to Charlotte Russe and saw that they were selling all their sunglasses for $5. I searched for a long time and finally found a pair that looked like the flash lenses that I wanted. The lenses look blue, green, or yellowish depending on what angle you look at them. The frames are a brushed silver, but I do wish that they had a brushed gold frame. For $5 I can't really complain though! I love finding great bargains like this one!
After being out of town for 4 days, I came home yesterday just in time to celebrate one of my best friend's birthday. I've basically known Summer her whole life, and she's 20 now! I think we bring out the weirdness in each other. She actually gave me my nickname "Dahj," and that's what a lot of people I know call me now, AND that's also where my blog name came from :) In return, I call her Sahj. (I know...very weird.) Unlike most "best friends," we don't like to show affection for each other, so this won't be a cheesy post!
I went to her birthday dinner with her family and a couple of friends. For me, choosing an outfit can take ages, but when I don't have enough time to get ready, I always reach for a maxi skirt or dress. As you can see, we both went for the same thing. Like I mentioned in my June favorites, maxi's are so easy to wear, and they can instantly make an outfit more "dressy."
Today is a Friday Favorite! I love having color on my nails, and there's one particular color that I love wearing all year round. I've been reaching for it the past few times I've done my nails. It's a very deep and dark turquoise/navy. I love having dark colors like this one on my nails not matter what season it is, so if you have any recommendations on similar colors then let me know! This one is from Ulta, and the consistency and pigmentation is amazing. One of the reasons I wear it so much is because it's easy to apply. I have on two coats.
Hey guys! Today it's all about my face routine before bed. I know there are many people who go through the struggle of falling asleep with makeup on, but I'm the complete opposite. If I don't go through my night time face routine, I won't be able to sleep! I've been pretty consistent with the products I've been using in my current routine, so I figured I would share it!
FYI - I have combination oily/ oily skin.
If I have makeup on, I'll use Target's makeup remover cleansing towelettes. These are comparable to the Neutrogena night calming makeup wipes, but you can get them at a cheaper price!
I use the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap as my cleanser every night. Every other day I'll exfoliate with the St. Ives Apricot scrub before cleansing. I've been using this exfoliator for years, and I love it! It makes my skin feel very smooth and clean.
After I wash my face I use a toner. I love the Clinique clarifying lotion for combination oily skin. This gets all the extra dirt that was left behind after washing and it feels very cooling and refreshing after I apply it.
Then I moisturize. This is a very important step in my skin routine. Even though I have oily skin I get dry spots, and I hate the feeling of dry skin on my face. I use Clinique's dramatically different moisturizing gel. This moisturizer is for combination oily to oily skin. I love the gel consistency, the way it applies, and how it makes my skin feel.
I use coconut oil around my eyes. This is a great natural way to moisturize the under eye area. I always make sure to dab it on and not rub it in.
The last thing I do before bed is moisturize my lips (dry lips is a pet peeve of mine). I use Maybelline's Babylips lip balm.
If you have thick, curly/wavy hair like I do, washing your hair everyday is a hassle. Even though it's actually good for your hair not to be washed everyday, there's the issue of having weighed down and oily second day hair. Lately I've been using the Dove Invigorating Dry Shampoo to freshen up my hair if it starts to look a little oily. I've had this product for months, but I've just now found the trick to making it work.
When I first tried this dry shampoo I hated it. I did exactly what the bottle told me to do. I held it about 8-10 inches away from my head, sprayed the roots, rubbed it in, and brushed it out. I thought it made my hair look and feel oilier than it already was. I'm the kind of person who's always running my fingers through my hair and messing around with it during the day, and whenever I felt my roots it felt kind of gross. For a while after I would use the dry shampoo and end up just putting my hair up in a ponytail or messy bun. The only thing I liked about it was that it smelled nice...
About a week ago I tried it again, but I did it a little differently. Instead of spraying it far away, I held the the dry shampoo about 2 inches from my roots and sprayed. I went underneath different layers of hair around the crown of my head and directly sprayed the roots. I gave the crown of my head a light spray like you would if you were using hairspray. I basically used a lot more product than I used to. Then I let the dry shampoo set for about a minute or two. I massaged my roots where the dry shampoo was and then I brushed it out. The results I got through doing this were so much better! My hair didn't look oily anymore, and I got tons of volume that stayed throughout the day. You can also use it to add texture and volume to freshly washed hair, and it looks great. I know some dry shampoos can leave your hair looking a bit gray, especially if you have dark hair, but this dry shampoo doesn't do that. It's very affordable as well, so if you're on the lookout for a good dry shampoo, it won't hurt to try this one out!
Does anyone else feel like June went by way faster than May?!
Anyway, it's July! So that means it's time for some June favorites. I don't have many this month since I haven't tried many new things out, but I do have a few that I want to talk about. So here we go...
Beauty
This month I've been using that same lipstick literally every time I do my makeup. It is a Revlon creme lipstick in the color Blushing Nude. I know it's Summer and people tend to lean towards more bright and light colors, but I keep reaching for this one. It reminds me of the lip color that Kylie Jenner has been seen in a lot, but her lip color looks more matte. This one is a creme so it has a bit more shine, but if you're looking for a similar nude like the one she's been wearing a lot that's affordable, I recommend this one.
This month I rediscovered a blush that I stopped using months ago, and it is Maybelline's Dream Bouncy blush in 'Coffee Cake.' I've been loving this blush because it works as a blush and highlight, which is great because it's so hot that I try to use as little products as I can. This blush is a creme, and I used to use a brush to apply it, but lately I've just been blending it into my skin with my fingers and I love the effect it gives.
I've neglected my Urban Decay Naked palette for a while now, but this month I decided to use one color and I fell in love with it all over again. I started using 'Buck' as a crease/blending color again. I've forgotten how perfect this color is. With my skin tone, it looks very natural but it can still transform an eye look instantly!
Fashion
My fashion favorite this month has definitely been maxi skirts and dresses. I love them because they save me the trouble of figuring out a whole outfit to wear. One of my favorite maxi dresses is featured in my last blog post. They're also very comfortable!
Random
This month I have a YouTuber favorite. I have been OBSESSED with Joe Sugg's channel...ThatcherJoe. If you haven't checked out his channel, do it now! I laugh hysterically at all his videos, and this month he launched a gaming channel, ThatcherJoeGames. If you were obsessed with playing Sims when you were younger like I was, definitely watch him play.
Another random favorite this month is a band. This month I've been listening to The Vamps. If you've never heard of them, they are a band from the UK. I clicked on their video for 'Wild Heart' while I was on YouTube, and after watching it I got hooked. This month 'Somebody to You' has been a favorite, and the single version and music video features Demi Lovato!
