Legs Like Buttah!!

I'm obsessed with smooth legs. OBSESSED. I have KP or "chicken skin" they call it lovingly...ugh. They are little red bumps that appear mainly on the back of your arms and on your thighs. Basically the way I understand it, the hair follicle gets plugged up with dead skin and different products you might put on and it traps the hair, creating a little bump.  There are different scrubs you can use to combat it, I use DERMAdoctor's KP Duty Body Scrub and it works pretty well. Shaving helps too.... which leads me to my latest product craze......

From the same folks who brought you the EOS lip balm that looks like an egg (Love it!)... they've created a shave cream. Yes, CREAM... not a gel or foam... CREAM.  I'm telling you... it's like BUTTAH!!! Seriously, I felt like was spreading I Can't Believe It's Not Butter on my legs in the shower! It was so creamy and smooth and it felt like I was putting on a protective shield for my legs! The other great thing about this save cream is that you can use it on WET or DRY legs! So if you're in a hurry and need to shave from the knee down... don't act like you don't do it... then you can have silky legs by using this product!! 

I love, love, love this stuff... it smells so good! It makes shaving quicker and cleaner. And my legs felt fabulous when I got out of the shower! This means alot to me because of the KP I have on my legs... I want smooth legs like everyone else! This definitely helps with my goal!

I HAD to share!!! What do you use when you shave? Is there something I should try??

Tell me on TWITTER!!

hb

xox

EOTD: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

This might be my favorite smoky/neutral eye! By using a blending brush I can get a really nice "faded" look.

-First, I started by applying a primer to my eyelids so the product sticks and lasts all day.

-I then applied a matte cream color to my entire lid.

-Then I applied a matte light brown color in the natural crease of my lid.

*At this point you don't need to be neat...It will all get blended in the end.*

-Then I take my Sigma blending brush and I blend the shadow in a circular motion until all the "lines" are gone.

-I then go back in with a small, angular brush with a dark chocolate brown color, in the outer corner of my eye.

-I try to make a triangle shape on the out corner of my eye with the dark shadow... kinda like a cat eye but not that extreme... unless you want a more dramatic look.

-After I have the dark shadow where I want it, I go back in with my blending brush and blend it out to give it that natural, faded look.

****BLEND****

-I then go back in with my matte cream colored shadow in the corners of my eyes to brighten the look up!

-I line the outer, upper corner of my eye, as well as the upper water line so the outer corner of my eye looks darker than everything else.

-Curl your lashes, give them a few generous coats of mascara... and you're good to go!

Here are a few pictures!

Let me know if you have any questions about this look!

Please follow me on TWITTER!!

hb
xox

SHOW ME YOUR YUMMIES: Gluten Free Spring Rolls

So, for those of you who don't know, I am Gluten Free. If you don't know what that means just click HERE and it will give you a description of what being Gluten Free means.  I don't have Celiac but my mom does have a form of it. It is genetic so I said to myself... "Self, you should go GFREE with your mom... #1 for support and #2 for prevention!"  So a few months ago I went GFREE completely and haven't looked back. I can say that I feel so much better than I thought I could feel and I can tell a huge difference in my mood, my body and just being comfortable.

So, at the request of one my the beauty bloggers/youtube gurus I follow 9click on her name for her blog)... Jenn Staz... Here's her awesome YT Channel...I'm going to post one GFREE recipe every week and call the segment: SHOW ME YOUR YUMMIES... Cute right?! I encourage you to try them and let me know what you think. I also encourage you to talk to your doctor about it and get tested for it. Most people don't know they have it until they have a serious medical issue (that's what happened with my mom) so I think it's better to be safe than sorry!

Here's my first recipe.... SPRING ROLLS

Here are the items you will need. Keep in mind, what you put in your roll is entirely up to you... This is just what I put in MINE =)

-Rice Paper Spring Roll Wrappers (I got mine at Giant Eagle, I know Meijer them too)
-Shrimp or chicken or just leave the meat out for Veggie!
-Cabbage
-Matchstick Carrots
-Green Onions
-Cilantro
-Sesame Seed Oil (2 tsp.)
-Chili Sauce (1 tbsp.)
-Soy Sauce (eyeball it..don't go overboard... salty)
-Wide bowl with water
-Small bowl with water & cornstarch mixture (Just add water to a 1/4 cup of cornstarch) *this will be your seal for your rolls.

Let's make our mixture! Oh and preheat your oven to 425 for baking!

-Chop/shred your cabbage how you like. Also cut your matchstick carrots a little unless you like big pieces. Chop your green onions using both green and white parts and chop your cilantro.
-Now, I eyeballed the amounts of the veggies so I can't tell you exactly how much I used. I filled up a medium sized mixing bowl with the veggies if that tells you anything!
-Once everything was cut I added in the sesame oil, chili sauce and little bit of soy sauce.
-I then added in the chopped grilled chicken I had cooked previously that was seasoned with salt and pepper.
-I mixed it up until everything was incorporated.

-Rice Paper Wrappers are very sensitive... Once you open the package make sure you cover them with a damp towel to keep them from cracking.
-Set up a wide bowl of room temp water, gently coat your wrapper with water starting with the edges and working your way inward.
-Here is a youtube video that really helped me alot with this process... HERE. The guy will also show you how to wrap them if you don't know how... just like a burrito!
-After you wrap you roll, dip your fingers into your water+cornstarch mixture and seal your roll.

-After the rolls are wrapped I placed them on a cookie sheet that was sprayed with Pam cooking spray. -I then brushed them with a little bit of veggie oil.. a little goes a long way... mine came out a little to greasy for me so I wiped alot of it off.
-Pop these babies in the oven at 425 for 10 minutes... flip... then bake for another 10.

-EAT!

You can also just eat them without baking them... some people also fry them but I feel like that defeats the purpose of eating a healthy spring roll...LOL.

PLEASE, let me know if you have any questions about these!

Make them yourself and #SHOW ME YOUR YUMMIES on my TWITTER PAGE !!

hb
xox

Eyes of the Day: Smokey Brown/Black Eye

First off, I look high in this picture so please excuse.. It's hard to see the color when my eyes are all the way open! Here's another EOTD! I did a smoky brown/black color. I swiped a NYX Eyeshadow Pencil in Brown on my lid and smudged it with my finger. I then went over it with a dark brown shadow (you can use anything) and I blended it all out. After that I lined my top lash line only with a black eyeliner pencil so I could smudge it out to get that smoky affect (effect?... I get confused). I like blending it out using a blending brush so it looks faded a little... more natural looking, and you don't have a harsh line on your eye. I like this look on my eyes because I have really dark eyes and I think the dark shade compliments them! I hope you try this look... show me your smoky eyes on twitter! Follow me @hollybright1 =)

Birchbox: August Edition - Beauty Innovation

I received my Birchbox for August last week and wanted to share what I got. This is my 3rd month receiving the Birchbox service. If you don't know what it is then let me tell you about it...

Birchbox is a monthly subscription like a magazine. $10 a month gets you 4-5 deluxe beauty samples delivered right to your door. When I say deluxe I mean like travel size but maybe a bit bigger and you even get FULL SIZE products every now and then! I like it because it gives you the chance to try products you might not normally try so you could find something you fall in love with! When you sign up, you take a little beauty profile quiz so they know exactly what to put in your Birchbox! Then once a month you'll see a little pink box in your mailbox full of goodies! =) If you like a product you can purchase a full size product at a discounted price once you've accumulated enough points from purchases and referrals.

So, this months Birchbox was all about beauty innovations... products to take us into the future and help us out! When I first opened the box I was immediately excited because I saw Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer.

Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer - I've been wanting to try this but just didn't want to spend the money unless I knew it worked well. It's oil-free and it claims to smooth skin with a matte finish before applying foundation. I must say it does make my skin extremely smooth but I'm not sure I see a big difference after I apply my foundation. I also think it may have been the culprit to the break out on my chin =( So, I'm glad I got the sample to try but I don't believe I will be buying a full size.

 Shaveworks The Cool Fix Targeted Gel - I'm IN LOVE with this stuff. I have KP (Keratosis Pilaris) and I have a major issue with razor burn after I shave. This stuff has literally fixed that problem. I just smooth this gel on my legs after I shave and it soothes and cools and gets rid of those horrible bumps. I've used it twice and I already can tell a major difference in the feel of my skin... LOVE IT.

 June Jacobs Papaya Purifying Enzyme Masque - I love masks... I got an Apple Peel mask from Birchbox in my first Birchbox (June) and loved it. So I immediately opened this up and tried it...! So did my mom! My first impression was it smelled yummy. It was thick and creamy and felt like a moisturizer going on my skin. After we applied it we waited about 10 minutes (the directions say 3-10 minutes) and then we washed it off with warm water. My skin was definitely softer but I felt like it made my skin a bit oily. My mom, however, loved it! Her face was smooth days after using it and she didn't need to put a moisturizer on afterwards. I'd say this product is best for people who have normal to dry skin.

Ouidad Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel - Ok, I usually hate to talk about a product if I haven't used it so I'll make this short and sweet. I'm totally excited to try this product but I haven't been able to yet. Hopefully I will wear my hair curly some time this week and be able to review this. It claims to respond to heat and humidity and leave your curly hair without frizz! We will see.....

Sorry I forget the name where this hair tie comes from... maybe because it's lame.

So, I will say I've been pretty happy with my Birchbox's thus far. This might have been my least favorite but I did LOVE the Cool Fix product. I look forward to September and what Birchbox has in store for us!

Fall is right around the corner and I really hope there are more makeup samples and less skincare samples next time!

Who's with me???!!! 

Please share your Birchbox experiences below... I'd love to hear what you think! If you haven't signed up for Birchbox and would like to, let me know and I will send you a referral email!

hb

xox

Eyes of the Day: Blue Hue

I know, I know... blue eye shadow isn't very cool. Kinda reminds me of when I was a kid in dance, wearing bright blue eye shadow and red lipstick... classy. LOL. But I've taken a more subtle approach to this look. I was out late last night and needed to wake up and look refreshed, even though I'm totally not!! The shade I have on my lids isn't blue in fact... it's a pearly white hue from Wet N Wild's trio....(the one with the brown and pink..sorry I don't know the names!) It goes on a little blue for me but I like it. I first applied NYX eye shadow base in white... then dusted the pearly white color over it and around my eyes to give it a glowy look. I did my regular lash routine... curl and a few coats of Lights, Camera, Lashes from Tarte. DONE!

I'm sorry.... So sorry...

I can't believe I'm apologizing AGAIN for not keeping up with my blog! These past few weeks have been busy, crazy, amazing and well exhausting too! Being a single mom can be tough and I'm really feeling it now. Nash is going through his terrible twos again... ahhh! But I keep telling myself it's a phase, which it is, and I carry on! one day at a time! In the midst of Nash's growing pains, the death of his dad's brother Joey and the massive amount of extra work I'm doing at my job, I've found the time to meet someone very special... who knew?  We'll call him J. He popped into my life unexpectedly and I'm so happy he did. I feel like I'm in high school again... and that's saying alot! I won't go into detail but I will say that he's like no one I've ever met and I love spending time with him. =) xoxo.

Now that I've explained my absence, please don't hate me! Let's get back to where we once belonged!

First and foremost... my friend Becca started a blog! YAY!  She's adorable and funny and I think you should make her blog a favorite!

Check it out.... http://gethighonsomethingelse.blogspot.com/

Now, I think it's time for a thing I like to call PRODUCT SHOUT OUT!!

1. E.L.F. Shine Eraser Oil Blotting Sheets.... thanks for keeping me oil free during work! $1 or $3 for 50 sheets... I can't remember... either way it's a steal.

2. Bath & Body Works Wallflowers in the scent Sensual Amber... my favorite... hands down.

3. Latina Magazine... subscribed and I'm glad I did.

4. Tim Horton's $.99 Iced Tea in the mornings... the best way to start a morning.

5. Treseme Heat Protection Spray... love the smell and my hair looks so much better now! It was looking like straw and no one likes that!

So it's Thursday.... and I'm anxiously awaiting the weekend. Looking forward to the Brad Paisley - Blake Shelton - Jerrod Neimann concert on Sunday to close out the Ohio State Fair! It's an outdoor concert...What shall I wear??? Any ideas???

hb
xoxo