Sock Bun Tutorial

Ever wonder how Kim Kardashian gets that perfect looking bun? I'm sure she has a hair stylist that does her hair, but the look can be accessible to anyone if you just follow my "sock bun" tutorial shown below! This is a great look for weddings and black ties, but it can also be a great look for dates or just a night out with friends as an alternative to your usual go-to hairstyle.

Sometimes it's nice to just switch things up and pull your hair back and show off your beautiful face! :)

Here's what you'll need:

1. A hairband

2. Clear elastic hair bands (the small ones), like these

3. Bobby pins

4. Hair spray

5. A rolled up sock with the center cut out. Like this: 

1. The first step is to simply pull your hair back in a high ponytail, shown in the picture below.

2. Now, make two small or medium sized braids on both sides of the ponytail and secure them with your small clear elastic bands.

3. Next, take the sock and pull your ponytail (excluding the braids) through the hole in the middle of the sock. Hold the sock at the top, like in the picture below. DO NOT pull the sock all the way down to  your ponytail holder.

4. This fourth step can be a bit tricky. Take the hair at the end of your ponytail, and tuck it under the sock and start rolling the sock down. The hair will start rolling with the sock and it will start covering the sock. The sock will be fully covered with your hair once it's rolled all the way down to your ponytail holder. Amazingly, you won't even need to secure the sock with another ponytail holder because your hair that you have tucked into it holds it secure.

5. Now that you've rolled the sock all the way down to the ponytail holder tucking your hair under along the way, you should have a bun similar to the one shown in the picture. You'll take the two braids that were left out of the bun and wrap them around either side of the bun, and secure them with your bobby pins. Hairspray wherever necessary.

And voila! Your result is a beautiful bun that couldn't have been easier to make!

Anti Puff Eye Remedy

Don't you just hate those mornings when you wake up and your eyes basically look like slits in your face because of all the puffiness? Whether it's just been one of those nights we all have where we just can't fall asleep, or we have to stay up late working/studying/whatever, or from a fun night out with friends, we all know what it's like to have those "tired eyes"...and it's not attractive! 

When we are too tired, it usually shows and especially in our eyes. They get that heavy feeling and our eye lids won't open as wide as normal because they are weak due to tiredness. It also causes swelling right underneath your eyes. Sure, you can use makeup to help cover up the circles, but unfortunately this isn't really fixing the real problem.

I want to introduce to you your "tired eyes'" new best friend (or better yet, worst enemy): Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller by Garnier Nutritioniste. It has a metal roller at the end of it that gently rolls the serum under and around your eyes to help stimulate micro-circulation and to decongest excess fluid which in turn helps diminish the dark circles and puffiness. One of its key ingredients, caffeine, is what helps rid of the puffiness and dark circles. Another key ingredient, pro-vitamin b5 refreshes and hydrates. With the two of these ingredients combined in a serum, you'll be looking well-rested and refreshed after you use it! 

How To Use: Just wash your face and then once it's completely dry, take the eye roller (shake before use) and roll it underneath your eyes, in the corners, and on your eye lids where the lid hits the brow bone. You might feel your skin tightening or tingling, but this is a sign that it's working. Make sure that you gently rub in any excess serum. Additionally, you can keep this product in the refrigerator so that when you use it, it also has the cooling effect that helps reduce swelling. After the serum is fully absorbed and dry, make sure that you use a moisturizer under and around your eyes. Dry skin most definitely makes you look more tired! 

Where To Buy: Amazon, Walmart, Ulta, Drugstore.com, and most any drugstore (CVS, Walgreens, etc.). Price is between $10-$13.

Bronze Beauty

If you aren't using self-tanner and are still going to the tanning bed, please, I'm begging you, stop! There are so many amazing self-tanners out there these days that there is absolutely no reason to go to the tanning bed. Not only does it cause wrinkles, but it can lead to skin cancer!! We all know this by now, but some of us just can't break the habit. Ok, now that I've gotten today's lecture out of the way...

Whether you're trying to break the habit of going to the tanning bed, don't have time to tan in the summer, or are naturally fair-skinned, I have the most amazing self-tanner for you. I used to get spray tans in the summer and spring...I can't even count how many I've gotten over the course of time, but that stuff is expensive!! But that was when I was working. Now I'm a full-time student, so I had to figure out a more economical way to get my tanning fix.

I have tried Jergens and Tan Towels, but found that they gave me more of an orange color, and after getting used to my instant tan from spray tanning, I was getting impatient with these products waiting for the tan to build. One of my sisters introduced me to St. Tropez, and I have to admit I was a little reluctant at first because it was a mousse, which I thought could get messy and I was worried it could potentially be streaky. Luckily, I was wrong. This stuff is amazingggg (with four g's). So what is so great about it? Well number one, the color. It is the closest self-tanning product I have found to the bronze color that a spray tan gives me. In fact, I cannot tell any difference between what I look like when I have St. Tropez on vs. a spray tan. Not orange at all.

Also, I can literally put this on the morning of the evening event that I am trying to get tan for and by the time I shower I have my tan. It works so fast and you don't have to build it up the way you do with other products. Additionally, a little bit goes a long way. With tan towels, you normally get about 10 in a box and have to use at least 3 or 4 to get to the color you want. Then you're almost half way out of tan towels. With St. Tropez, you can choose how much mousse you want to use so it's up to you how fast it runs out. Last, it does not smell bad. If you have ever self-tanned before then you know how weird that stuff can smell. I can't describe the smell, but it's unpleasant until (and sometimes after) you shower. St. Tropez has developed Aromaguard, a new fragrance technology, that replaces the aroma that the other self-tanners can have. It's more of a fresh scent and never bothers me, if I even notice it at all. So now you want to try it, right? Here's how...

St. Tropez Tanning Essential - Mitt

How to Use: For best results, use the night before and morning of the event you are tanning for. You could even go as far as two nights before and morning of, but I never normally find that necessary. You'll need to buy an application mitt which is $6.00 or less. 

I would also buy a pack of small makeup sponge puffs to use for facial application. Make sure you have exfoliated both the skin on your face and your body, and do NOT put any lotion on, except for on dry areas such as elbows and ankles. Unlike Tan Towels and Jergens lotion where it is hard to tell which areas you've covered due to the solution being clear, St. Tropez mousse is brown so you can see exactly where you have and have not covered. So now you will just squirt some mousse on the mitt and cover the areas of your body that you want to be tan, rubbing it in with a circular motion. For your face, you will need much less. Just a little squirt should about cover your entire face. Be sure to get your neck as well. For best results, wait at least 4 hours before showering. And always shower between applications (i.e. if you apply at night and want to re-apply the next morning, I would wash my face and rinse off, but I don't exfoliate this time because I don't want to take off the tanner from the night before). After you have showered at least 4 hours after your final application, it is imperative that you use lotion. Keeping your skin moisturized is the key to keeping your tan, whether it's a self-tanner or a tan from the beach. 


Where to Buy: Sephora, Amazon, Nordstrom, QVC. Price of a 4 oz. can is $27-$35. Price of an 8 oz. can is $40-$45.

Shine On!

Ever gone into a really nice, expensive hair salon looking for a trim, only to come out with 3-4 inches off your locks that you've been patiently trying to grow for God knows how long? Yeah, that happened to me one too many times so I figured I'd go to Hair Cuttery for a cheap $10 trim with someone who really would only cut off 1 inch when I told them to! That's not the point of this post though. Little did I know that I'd be convinced by a Hair Cuttery stylist to buy a product that I didn't really think I needed at the time, but has become one of my all-time favorite hair products.

It's called Redken Shine Flash 02 Glistening Mist.

The older that I get, the more lackluster my hair seems to be. If I want my hair shiny, I know that it's going to take more than washing and blowdrying it these days. Of course, any time you apply heat to your hair whether it's using a straightener, wand, or curling iron, it's going to add some shine. But this is my secret weapon, always my finishing touch to make my hair super shiny (and it smells amazing). With shine-boosting and camelina oil and nourishing vitamin B5, this stuff will make your hair look like those girls on those Pantene Pro-V commercials.

How to Use: Couldn't be much easier than this - just style your hair as desired, hold can about 6 inches from your head and spray all over your hair. Kind of like using hairspray.

Where to Buy: Amazon, Drugstore.com, and Ulta. Price between $18 - $22.

Cover It Up!

I have found it. Literally the best cover-up ever invented. It comes in a small circular container and is called "Erase Paste" by benefit, and that is exactly what it does, literally erases imperfections. It's magic! 

Whether it's dark circles under your eyes, a zit, or uneven skin tone, this stuff can cover it all. What's different about this than other cover-ups I've used in the past is that this stuff really is a "paste"...it's thick and sticky but not in a clumpy, cakey way.

It's just the perfect consistency where it can really stick to your skin and stay on there for practically as long as you want it to. It is amazing how well it blends in with the rest of your skin and really does not have that cakey appearance despite its thickness. This is the brilliance of this product. Liquid cover-ups avoid having that clumpy look, but sometimes the coverage and camouflage ability isn't there. Thicker cover-ups I've tried always seem to bring more attention to what I'm trying to cover-up in the first place. But this product right here, I'm telling you, you will love once you try and you will never go without it! Oh, and a little bit goes a LONG way...a regular sized container will easily last you 6 months at the least.

Where to Buy: Ulta, Sephora, Macy's, Benefit. Price is $26.

Bye Bye Wrinkles!

There comes a time in every girl's life when she realizes she's not getting any younger. Instead of accepting defeat and wishing you could turn back the hands of time, I say do something about it. There are so many wrinkle creams out there (trust me, I've tried quite a few) and it can be overwhelming and seem like they are all guaranteeing empty promises of vanishing our wrinkles over night. I am not here to tell you that I have found the wrinkle cream that can keep that promise. But I can tell you about the best one I've found. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a bit of an obsession with wrinkles. 

A while ago I did some research and found that what seems to be most important in an effective wrinkle cream is retinol. Retinol was initially used to get rid of acne, blackheads and dead cell buildup in pores but it was found to have incredible anti-aging properties as well. There are a number of wrinkle creams out there with retinol, but my favorite is Roc Correxion Deep Wrinkle Filler, shown here: 

I swear to you, this stuff has practically gotten rid of my crow's feet (and keeps them from getting any deeper), and has also helped smooth out the wrinkles in my forehead as well as my smile lines. I used to use a high-end eye gel (that will remain unnamed) under and around my eyes religiously and it ran out so I started using the ROC around my eyes. I soon realized that this worked just as effectively as (if not better than) the expensive stuff. 

How to Use: After washing your face in the morning AND at night, put a small drop of the ROC deep wrinkle filler on your finger. I always do forehead first (just enough to cover your whole forehead), and then I put a smaller drop on my finger and rub it right underneath my eye where the wrinkles are, and also over my crow's feet. I do put a little above my eye to keep the skin below my eyelid tight, but be careful because that skin area is very sensitive. Last, I put some over my smile lines. Make sure to rub it in well. Now wait for it to dry and be sure to put on a moisturizer afterwards! The cream can be used the same way anywhere on your face where you have wrinkles...I just mentioned where I am currently using it.  

As with every new skin care product, you need to keep in mind that some products have different reactions with different people's skin. This product can cause some redness and burning, which is a sign that it is working, but if it seems abnormal then stop usage. And remember, the only thing that's going to get rid of wrinkles overnight is Botox, so you'll have to give this at least a couple weeks to start seeing results.

Where to Buy: I have bought this at various convenience stores such as Walgreens and CVS, as well as Walmart. It can also be purchased from Amazon. It generally runs anywhere between $18 - $22...a steal compared to the high-end brands which can run you anywhere from $80 to well over $100!