Top 5 Skin Care Must Do's! ❀

Just like most girls, I spent a good majority of my young teen years, frankly, not giving my skin the time of day other than to make it look decent and go about my day. It wasn't until years later that my love for playing with colors and makeup led me to actually care about what was going on my face, and making sure all that stuff comes off at night, so my skin can rejuvenate. Let me tell you, that revelation made ALL the difference. Who woulda thought, right?

Now that I'm wiser in the department, I'd like to share with all you, both just starting to get into a makeup routine AND those of you who are just looking for more advice on the matter, what I do to make sure my skin looks healthy. Remember, healthy skin cuts your makeup application time and you will have more fun playing around with makeup rather than being frustrated in using your makeup to cover up your skin (which in turn will clog your pores intensifying your problem...kind of a catch 22). Soooo, bottom line, take the time to take care of your skin! I promise that after following this routine a few times, it should not take you longer than 5 minutes to complete in the morning and at night!
Here are my top 5 skin care must do's:


Skin Care Must Do #1
Use a Cleanser!

I would advice using a foaming cleanser. I spent a lot of my time loving the Aveeno Brightening Cleanser, but have recently switched to Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser and I absolutely love it. It doesn't make my skin oily or dry. It completely removes my makeup in just one simple wash!

Skin Care Must Do #2
Use a Toner!

If you have dry skin, I would advise using an Alcohol-free toner. Alcohol tends to dry out the skin. I personally love using Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner. It is cheap and does an excellent job removing dirt. I also advise using an exfoliating cotton pad. They do a great job in removing dirt from your pores. I have been using the exfoliating cotton pads from Ulta, and I do not recommend these, as they fall apart in just a few strokes on your skin *sigh*

Skin Care Must Do #3
Use a Moisturizer!

During the day use one with SPF and during the night use a night cream. I have been a die hard fan of Aveeno's Positvely Radiant SPF day time moisturizer. It adds an ever so slight shimmer which is an added bonus. I also love Oil of Olay Anti-wrinkle night cream. It smells divine and really helps to seal in moisture without making me oily in the morning.

Skin Care Must Do #4
Use an eye cream!

I am a recent fan of eye creams. With my ridiculously hectic schedule, I have found that my little sleep nights are prone to giving me circles and bags under my eyes (surprise surprise!). Sooo, I gave in and bought the oil of olay 7 effects under eye cream for nighttime use. I dab it on under my eyes with my ring finger and voila! My puffy eyes have been significantly under control. Bobbi Brown Hydrating eye cream has been raved about as well, but I haven't been able to let myself spend quite so much on that stuff!

Skin Care Must Do #5
Always test new makeup on the back of your hand!

Okay, so this one isn't quite so much of a daily routine skin care must do. This is more of a trick I've picked up over the years as a result of sensitive skin and loving makeup. If you are like me and have sensitive skin, please do not purchase a new makeup product, slap it on your face and then have a reaction that is going to make you wish you stuck with your old favorite. Always test new products on the back of your hand. Wait an hour or two and make sure you do not react! If it is eye makeup (eyeliner, concealer for the under eye), I would even leave it on over night or for a few more hours and see what happens! Better safe than sorry.

Those are my suggestions for maintaining healthy and glowy skin. Of course I could go on with a few more, but at the very least, please try to fit these into your busy schedules! If you get into the routine of these steps, I assure you it will go by in 5 minutes and you WILL see results of better skin in no time!

Please leave me a comment down below and let me know what YOUR skin care routine is and what you think I should add to my top 5 list of skin care must do's!

xoxo,
GirlontheGo

Hearts and Dots Nail Tutorial ❤

Happy Monday!!

I was originally going to wait until Saturday for my next post, but why wait on a good thing? Today I want to share with you guys a nail tutorial I think is perfect for any occasion! 

If you are in search of the perfect nude nail polish, I have your answer! OPI's Samoan Sand is absolutely the perfect nude shade for almost all skin types. I used a contrast color for the added details. My pick was L'oreal's Violet Vixen #500. To add a pretty touch to your nude nails, I used a dotting tool add some dots to my thumb and ring finger, and using the same dotting tool, added hearts to my middle and pinky fingers, but later decided if I were to do this look again, I would only add the hearts to my middle finger and leave my pinky and ring finger completely nude (As shown in my finished image to the right).

To make the heart, I placed to dots in the center of my nail. I then used the dotting tool to connect the dots and bring it down to make the tip of the heart. Follow my images to recreate your look and let me know how this look worked for you!

Hope you are having a beautiful Spring day!

xoxo,

GirlontheGo

Spring 2013 Nail Polish Trends ☀

OPI Cajun Shrimp

Hello lovelies! I hope you are having a fantastic weekend! With Spring here, I thought I'd go ahead and post my nail polish blog a little early!

Spring time is the PERFECT time to bring out those bright and fun colored nail polishes. Here are my top picks for this Spring's best nail polish shades!

OPI is one of my all time favorite nail polish brands. They glide on smooth and last a pretty decent amount of time. Both during springtime AND during fall, OPI's Cajun Shrimp is a staple in my collection. This coral infused red tone is perfect all year round!

Zoya Arizona

If you're on the hunt for that perfect orange nail polish, Zoya's Arizona shade might be worth giving a try. I found that it adds just enough bright orange with still a more sorbet color so that it doesn't look like you're rockin' neon.

I have recently picked up this fancy little nail polish by Inglot. It is shade #203. It seems like just an iridescent nailpolish you could pick up anywhere, however, the small glitter flakes are anything but! Apply your favorite dark toned nail polish and apply these flakes on top, and it will add a 3d nail art effect with no effort at all. This nail polish is not available everywhere, but at select Macy's stores. You c

Click for larger image.
Top row shows Inglot#203.
Bottom left is Essie's Off the Shoulder.
Bottom right is OPI's Lucky Lucky Lavendar.

an however purchase it online through the Inglot store. It is rather expensive for a bottle that looks like a trial size, but for occasional use, this is truly worth the buy for any nail polish lover!

Violets are a great color for Spring, and OPI's Lucky Lucky Lavendar is my favorite lilac shade. It adds a classy touch to my nails and the nail polish goes on opaque with a glossy shine. You could probably even get away with a single coat and no top coat with this one!

What is Spring without a great pink shade? Essie's Off the Shoulder is my absolute favorite. It screams girly and cute and is one of the prettiest pink colors I have seen!

Essie Absolutely Shore

For the perfect light mint green, Essie's Absolutely Shore is one of my favorites.

Francesca's Mystic Shores

My pick for the BEST Spring nail polish color has to be a  bright mint color. I personally love the nail polish colors form a local boutique, Francesca's Boutique. Here I picked up the shade, Mystic Shores, and it is my absolute favorite. I have received compliments on this color each and every time I wear it, and it has currently been on my nails for about 2 weeks (which is saying a lot since I change my nail polish a little too often!). If you cannot get your hands on this nail polish, you can find similar colors to this one. I would suggest Essie's First Timer or OPI's Pea's and Q's (by the Nicole Collection).

Forever 21 Red/Black Arrow Bangle

Also, I could not resist myself and absolutely had to show you guys this adorable bangle set that I picked up at Forever 21 this past weekend. Unfortunately I could not find the exact bracelet on the online store, but I did find the same bracelet in gold and black, so I will go ahead and link this down below as well if any of you are interested in purchasing it. I am loving the cute arrow detail and the bright pop of color.

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking a quick read. Please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think I should blog about next Saturday!



Xoxo,
GirlontheGo


Click here to view the Arrow Cuff Bracelet in Black and Gold

Brightening Concealer Review: Maybelline DreamLumi

Happy Saturday, lovelies!

As the beginning of the new week is just around the corner, I thought I'd share with you my new under eye concealer purchase! Maybelline DreamLumi Highlighting Concealer. For a girl on the go who has nights of little sleep and hectic days, I have been on the hunt for the perfect under eye concealer to hide those dark circles and tired eyes. In the past I have tried a few MAC products along with a few drug store finds (Revlon, CG), and finally decided to give in and buy the DreamLumi that I have been eyeing for quite some time now.

My thoughts?

Upon first opening the product, takes a good 15 twists to get any of the product out (I definitely thought I was doing something wrong...). Putting a few strokes under my eye in an inverted triangle fashion, I found that this gel-based concealer was a bit sticky and dried rather quickly. Taking my ring finger, I dabbed it to blend, and then finished off with some powder to set the concealer and prevent it from settling throughout the day. My overall verdict on this product is that, although the product is rather sticky to the touch after application, it is one amazing under eye highlighter! The clickable dispenser and brush are a convenient way to apply the right amount of product exactly where you want to blend the concealer. It really brightens up the under eye area and is a thick enough concealer to really hide those dark circles.

Would I repurchase?
YES!

Maybelline DreamLumi shown in the top left. Top right shows the convenient clicker. Bottom right shows how smooth the DreamLumi blends into the skin and does not settle in creases.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think I should blog about next week!

xoxo
GirlontheGo