It can't be!! Not my beauty routine!! Run away!!!

Caution!!!!!! This beauty routine may be horrifying to some viewers. Viewers who use a lot of good  hair and skin products may become horrified! Viewer discretion advised.

Hair: My hair is really thick and curly so I use Totally Twisted Herbal Essence. I wash my hair about every other day. My hair gets supper tangled so I have to use a lot of conditioner. I don't use any other hair product except Got 2 b Glued hair spray when I do my hair up, or in victory rolls. I like straightening my hair but I only do it maybe once a month.

Skin: I used to wash my face in the sink every night on the days I wore makeup. Now I just use a mixture of olive oil and witch hazel to remove my makeup. Kandee Johnson has a video on how to make it! The only time I wash my face is in the shower with Clean and Clear. Once and a while I do a face masque. I don't use any specific kind of lotion, as long as it makes my skin feel and look good, I use it.
                                                                                                              
Hair Removal: I shave ruffly every other day, I use cheap razors and they get dull and rusty really fast. I would like to get some nice razors that would last longer. I haven't used any shaving cream in about six months to a year. Right now I just use my shampoo, it works pretty well. But sometimes it gives me razor burn. :( When I pluck my eyebrows I do it before a shower so my eyebrows aren't red for the rest of the day. 

I would like to take care of my hair and skin better, so hopefully I can start trying new products in the next few months! :p
If you have any tips leave a comment! XoxOX

Why #3 takes so long getting ready!

My beauty routine is probably the longest out of all my sisters. I have to get up an hour before we need to leave to get ready in time and even earlier if I take a shower. I can get ready faster but I just prefer not too. Haha.

So we will start things off with my HAIR routine ( you know, it's like fur only not) : I have thick, coarse, wavyish, color treated hair! You probably wouldn't think it's very thick now because it's been thinned out and has so many layers now but you'll just have to trust me on this one! I usually use "Color Me Happy" shampoo and conditioner from Herbal Essence but my hair has been dyed a lot this summer so I tried Pantene Pro V "Brunette Expressions" to make it healthier and I think it's helped a lot! I've also been using Herbal Essences "Split End Repair" before I blow dry my hair just to protect and help heal my hair. I only wash my hair about every 4 days which I know grosses tons of people out, but with my hair being dyed it helps the color stay longer, and plus I don't NEED to wash it more often, and it stays healthier this way! And anyways you would have never guessed unless I told you so there! Heehee. I pretty much always blow dry my hair and then flat iron it because I have frizzy, wavy, and poofy hair if I don't. I have a Remington flat iron I got from Ross for like $12 and I love it! It works so well! It actually works better than really expensive flat irons i've tried. After I flat iron it I tease my hair. Yes I tease it. I use a gargantuan amount of "Got2b Glued" hairspray religiously and I think it's called "Special Effects Molding Wax"(?) after that to dirty my hair up if it's just been washed. And on days my hair is on the edge of looking a lil nasty I use dry shampoo. It's a life saver! I use TRESsemme dry shampoo because I'm poor. Haha. Most everything I use is pretty cheap. So that's about it with hair. I pretty much just straighten everyday and wear it down. Nothing special. I wish I was brave enough to try more up-dos and braided hairstyles. I usually don't feel comfortable enough to wear them even if I do like the way they look. But I would love to get brave and wear them out with cute accessories too! Like head wraps and bows <3

Okie dokie now SKIN (the stuff that keeps your guts from falling out): I used to wash my face in the sink every single night to take off my makeup and use face cleanser like Clean and Clear and Neutrogena and only use facial lotion on my face. Well now I’ve gotten lazy and use makeup remover and just wash my face in the shower. We actually make our own makeup remover (thanks to Kandee Johnson) out of a half and half mixture of witch hazel and olive oil. I love it! Unfortunately I had to throw out a whole batch the other day because I wasn’t paying attention and put rubbing alcohol in instead of witch hazel. Yeah our eyes were the first ones to notice. And yes I’ve broken out all over my face because of that small incident. Haha. I’ve found one of the most important things for my skin in this dry weather is to keep it super moisturized. I actually just use regular body lotion (Queen Helene Cocoa Butter is my favorite!) 2x a day for my face now because it keeps my skin healthy and moisturized unlike face lotions. I honestly have not figured out a solution for acne. I just pop them, ice them, put benzoyl peroxide on, and conceal it til it’s gone. Oh but I love St. Ives "Apricot Scrub" to wash my face with every time I take a shower. And I have to admit I did use some fake tanner this summer. I couldn’t get tan or even sun burned no matter how hard I tried! I didn’t even wear sunscreen over 15 spf all summer. So I used Neutrogena "Build a Tan" and Jergens "Natural Glow".

Other stuff that eats up my time like a piggy eats pancakes: HAIR REMOVAL: Cheapo razors and shampoo. That is all.
EYEBROWS ( the fuzzy caterpillars that live above your eyes): I personally like my eyebrows thin and short. I trim them probably about once a week and pluck the living day lights out of them! Haha I also shave the ends off so I can make my eyes seem bigger and I can wear more eyeshadow (but that's a secret so don't tell anyone!).

So that's what takes so long! And I know there's more so I'll post more here as soon as I can remember!

Love,
#3 Delanie

Primping and Preening: My Beauty Routine

Most beauty consultants will tell you taking care of your body is the first step to achieving the look you desire.  Usually, they each have a different opinion about what to emphasize:  skin, hair, or really good make-up.  There are a lot of different approaches to a beauty routine and every lovely lady has her own version.
My beauty routine is generally low key.  The fewer steps I have to complete before bedtime or walking out the door, the happier I am.

Hair:
My hair is fine, thin and very flat.
Since I am growing out my hair, I decided to use Herbal Essence's 'Long Term Relationship' shampoo and conditioner.  I've probably been using it for about a year now and I am extremely pleased with the results.  While I can't say it has made my hair grow faster, I can say it has kept my split ends to such a minimum it allows me to wait months and months before I go in for a trim. 

Along with my shampoo and conditioner, I use Aussie's Hair Insurance leave-in conditioner.  I like to use it on days I switch up my shampoo (Head and Shoulders, anyone?) and when I am going to apply heat to my hair.  It's also helpful for when my super fine, super thin hair gets static-y. 

I am trying to incorperate Pantene mousse for fine hair to my after-shower routine.  I've yet to figure out how to use it best.

I tried a mayonnaise soak a few times on my hair to amp up the health.  I do not recommend it.  The only result I could see, rather smell, is that my head smelled like mayo for days (even after washes!!!)

Skin:
For my face, my skin tends to be some kind of dry. I cannot seem to find something to even it out.  Right now I use Mary Kay's Timewise face wash and lotion for normal to dry skin.  If you have a suggestion, I'd be more than willing to try it!

To remove my make-up, I use a homemade remover that works wonderfully. It's roughly a half-and-half mixture of olive oil and witch hazel.  I love this stuff.  Kandee Johnson shows you how to make it here.

I need to probably use lotion on the rest of my body more often.  It just takes so long ... and the dog wants to lick it off my legs. Haha!

Other:
Nails - for my finger nails, I have been trying to use some Sally Hansen nail strengthener (Green Tea + Olive) to keep them strong.

Hair removal - When it comes to hair removal, like my older sister I use disposable razors and water.  I haven't used shaving cream in years.  It slows down the shower process.  I should probably use it though.  I tried to do waxing when it came to my wedding, but NO WAY can I do that.  I don't see how girls endure that. 

For my eyebrows, I pluck whe I can.  I can usually go several weeks without having to pluck again but that's mainly because there's not too much to pluck in my case.  Also, every once in a while when I'm feeling ambitious I'll 'groom' my eyebrows according to Kandee Johnson's tips.  It really helps pronounce the shape of my brows well. 


So, those are the basics of my 'beauty routine.'  I try to keep it simple.  As you can see, I am glad to have found Kandee Johnson. Haha.  She has such great tutorials.  If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions don't hesitate to post!

1: My (Un) Beauty Routine

This week, we are outlining our beauty routines and the things we'd like to change or new things we'd like to add into our pampering time. 

Prepare yourself. This is my un-beauty confession.

Skin:

I’ll admit, I don’t know much about skin care. What I do know is that I commit far too many of the carnal sins of skin, for example: sleeping in my makeup on a regular basis.

I wash my face in the shower with Clean & Clear Oil-Free Foaming Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin maybe once every two to three days.  

I use Dr. Bronner’s Tea Tree Liquid Castille Soap or Sheepish Grins Goat Milk Soap Bar for my body.

Maybe once a month, just for fun, I use the Queen Helene Mint Juniper Masque or do an oil massage/cleanse with coconut oil and steam it off.

I rarely use lotion or moisturizer, but if I do, I use Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion.

Since having my daughter, my skin has chronically felt like sandpaper. A bit of exfoliation and/or some moisturizer sometimes makes it feel a bit smoother, but I rarely do it.

Hair removal:

I haven’t used shaving cream in years. I never buy my own and don’t want to use all of my husband’s.  I usually use various kinds of super cheap disposable razors, often after my husband has quit using them because they aren’t sharp enough for his face or head anymore. I only shave my legs about once a month, I try to hit up my pits a bit more often!

I dry shave my eyebrows every few weeks with a dull razor (usually while doing my makeup when I notice my brows are out of control) because I’m too lazy/busy to pluck. I have a waxing pot, which I loved to use for my brows, but I’ve been out of wax for over 3 years and haven’t bought any more.

I wear Burt’s Bees Original Lip Balm religiously. I’m an addict. It’s a crisis if I leave home without it.

Hair:

I wash my hair about once per week with Paul Mitchell’s Tea Tree Shampoo, which is amazing. I haven’t used conditioner in almost 10 years.

So as you can see, there is LOTS of room for improvement. I really would LOVE to start using some nice products on my face and get it back to feeling nice and smooth on a regular basis. I probably could use a good exfoliation. I would love to get a nice razor and have my own nice shaving cream. It would be lovely if I could wax my brows again! I'm sure some conditioner wouldn't hurt my hair every now and then. In the next few months, I plan to incorporate some of these things into a routine in my life. Taking good care of myself makes me feel much more confident.

Are there any estheticians in our audience that can suggest some good skin care products for combination break-out prone & sandpaper dry skin? A good masque? Exfoliant? I need some advice from a pro!

Sister #4!!!!!! :D

Sister #4: Michaenna :p

Right now I'm home schooled and in the 8th grade; I also take home school enrichment classes. Currently I'm taking Founding Principles, and German intro. I love to draw and listen to swing and country music. Maybe sometime I'll post one of my drawings! (It will be nothing compared to my sisters drawings.) I love hanging out with my family, and going to my Grandparents' farm, gardening, driving the four wheeler around, shooting at the shooting range, and playing with the kittens. I also love watching Nascar, my favorite driver is Jimmie Johnson, I like Dale Earnhardt Jr. too!

I used to be a tomboy and wear awful clothes, baggy pants and a bent up blue baseball hat. I never minded getting dirty or sticky. I still don't mind getting dirty but I have a lot better wardrobe. My style varies, from leggings, a floral dress, and Dr. Martens, to jean shorts, a Nebraska Husker t-shirt, Chuck Taylors or flip flops. My normal every day clothes are a pair of skinny jeans or shorts, a t-shirt or cute no sleeve shirt, and a pair of flip flops. Sometimes I like to dress up more and wear a dress with leggings and do my hair in victory rolls. I love neon colors and leopard print, so my drawer has a bunch of really bright colors and animal print in it! I love the 40's, the swing dresses, the hairdos, and makeup. I love the way swing dresses spin! :D

About makeup...hhhmmmm well I can only wear mascara, so i don't have anything to say. But i do wear nail polish, and I love to try different colors and put random colors on some of my nails. But lately Parker has found new techniques, and they are really fun to try! I usually wear bright colors like hot pink, yellow, bright green, and bright blue.

My hair is really thick so I can't keep it up very long, I have never dyed it. It is naturally curly and sometimes I like to straighten it. I love putting my hair up in victory rolls and once and a while I put it in curlers. I  love my betty bangs, my sister cuts my hair and I love it! <3

Shoes. I love high heels!!!!! Especially the super tall ones! Even though I can't wear them yet, I love them!!!!! I love Chuck Taylors, and Dr. Martens too!!!! But most of all, I love tall high heels!!!!!!!!

Unlike my sisters I normally don't like to look at clothes on the internet or even shop. But sometimes I'm in the mood to look at clothes! 

Make sure you look at my sisters posts!!!!!!!!!!! Guten Tag!!!!! (good day) xoxoxo

Intro to Sister #2!

Sister #2: Molly

Oooh, look at this shiny new blog!

I’m sister number 2!  I’m a recently married audio editor for a syndicated radio show.  The current look I'm aiming for is rockabilly/pinup.  I’ve been drawn to this look for a few years but have only really started to experiment with it more heavily recently.  For example, my wedding look was 'pinup' style curled hair, a birdcage style veil, and a single string of pearls.  I also had a beautiful ivory satin swing dress for the reception.

When I was younger, my style was kind of a punk/skater mix I guess.  My day-to-day wear in high school and early college was jeans, skater shoes, a t-shirt (usually black), and a flannel shirt to go over it all.  While I still wear that sometimes, entering the business world has demanded I get a little more ‘grown-up.’  Thus, the more sophisticated step up from my grungy teen look is the classy Hollywood pinup look.  I’ve found it very hard to achieve, though, with my current wardrobe and wish I could empty it all and buy what I want to replace it!

My old hairstyle was the BEST.  You know that emo cut that everybody got in the mid- to late 2000s?  I had it first. BOOYA.  Haha no really, I got it when I was 12 (2001), but decided to grow the front pieces out so I ended up with this super unique haircut that I loved.  I’ve had my hair bleach blonde, natural red, and fire engine red.  Right now, I’ve grown all my dyed hair out, and have my all natural ‘medium ash’ brown colored hair.  It reaches below my shoulders now and I am aiming for mid- to lower back.

For make-up, I wear a lot of brown/gold/champagne tones with the winged black eyeliner.  My fingernails are usually clean or red when I feel frisky (My toes are usually much more exciting colors!). 

Speaking of colors, I guess I wear just about anything. People tell me I look nice in teal/blue/green colors which are pretty easy to wear with my complexion, eye color, and hair color.  I like to wear red, too, and have an extensive amount of black in my closet. Plus, I am ALWAYS drawn to gray.  It looks so comfy!  

Jeans are an essential for my casual wear. I don’t have many pairs, but whenever I’m going someplace that’s not work, the jeans go on.  My favorite shirt to wear right now is a black t-shirt from the band Continental with an old fashioned ribbon-microphone on it.  Unfortunately, for work it’s a lot of get up, throw on clothes and go.  The days I spend more time on my look are ones where I usually wear a dress or skirt, my black mary jane heels, a cardigan, and actually do something with my hair.  Those are usually the days I want to chuck most of my closet for a better one.

Really, I feel like that is my biggest obstacle right now.  My closet seems kind of plain-jane to me and I’d like to look fabulous everyday.  Slacks and a polo don’t pull it off.  (Ugh work, why must you be so uninspiring?) My second biggest obstacle would probably be getting into a little bit better shape.  Don’t get me wrong, my man LOVES my curves and I do too, but vintage sizing is unforgiving.  Got to get back to that workout routine.

When it comes to my inspiration, besides the lovely vintage ladies of the past, I often head to youtube.  I watch pancea81, KandeeJohnson, and Lilith Moon.  I spend hours looking at Modcloth.com for clothes that are WAY out of my price range but SO adorable!  I have a wishlist there and everything is just about at $100.  They have a link to their flickr page which serves as more inspiration! I also surf Etsy and Unique-Vintage.com for clothes.  I’ve yet to buy any, though.  Money is such a drag. 

To sum up, I guess you could say my style and closet are in a state of transition and refinement.  Perhaps I shall blog of this journey? 

Sister #3!

Sister #3: Delanie

I am 17 and a first semester culinary student at the community college, an auntie :D, and a fashion enthusiast!

My style is kind of edgy vintage I guess. I spend a lot of time ogling the vintage clothes at ModCloth, Unique Vintage, and I have a major obsession with Forever21. I LOVE patterned clothes! I always feel naked without at least some patterns on.

My wardrobe is mostly turquoise, navy blue, coral, black, yellow, green, and grey. I have a bad habit of getting stuck on colors for a while, and so I end up buying bunch of clothes in that particular color and then almost immediatley, move on to another color! Haha. I hardly ever wear high heels. I always feel silly or like I'm trying to be all serious and "grown up". Although I have a huge collection of heels!

I love hair too! I get an itch to change my color or cut monthly. Right now I have pretty short bangs (which I haven't had since I was 8!) and a natural shade of red hair. We'll see how long it last. Haha.

I usually don't wear many accessories. I used to never wear any at all but I'm slowly learning to appreciate them. I just decided in the past 2 years to start stretching my ears and so far I love it! The stone jewelry for stretched ears is stunning! I can't get enough of it! I have actually sort of become a jewelry hoarder because of how gorgeous stone plugs are! I also have started wearing necklaces and scarves a lot too. I bought a bullet necklace at a concert and I hardly go anywhere without it now. And scarves make any outfit look cuter!

And makeup...umm I obsessed with makeup too. Haha. I always watch makeup tutorials on Youtube to get inspired (Kandee Johnson, Pancacea81, Pixiwoo, ect.) and I like looking at Elle magazines beauty section on their website. And I like experimenting with different eyeshadow colors but usually not quite brave enough for lip color. I prefer super nude lips on myself.

For my nails I used to only wear non-metallic bright or neon nail polish colors but I have fallen back in love with glitter nail polish! I like all the cute designs and crazy things you can do on your nails but honestly I really don't have the patience to let all the layers of nail polish on my nails dry when I'm done! But I am loving the new nail techniques my lovely sister Parker is teaching us!

So yeah! That's probably all you can take of me for now (and that's probably all the interesting things I can write now!) so thanks for reading! And check back soon for sisters #2 and #4!