Lifestyle With J

Practices and products to feel polished everyday

Hey Angels! We have all heard the adage, “beauty is only skin deep.” While this is true, it is also true that we often judge a book by its cover. Putting ourselves together before we leave the house is a simple act of self-love, and an act of kindness to everyone we meet. I remember learning in high-school (probably from an old teen magazine) to choose at least two categories to focus on in order to feel put together in a rush: hair, skin, nails, outfit. When you want to look your absolute best, ideally, you have the time to focus on all 4. For today, lets focus on our hair and skin, which are both large indicators of our personal health.

Be Polished

The best outfit in the world won’t make up for a lack of hygiene. This is not to say we can’t feel confident and complete without the perfect complexion and blow-out. We all have a unique proclivity to certain skin and hair types, as well as different times in our life when the stress might show up on our face more than we like. However, doing our best to take care of our hygiene and keep up with our hair can eliminate the distractions of feeling unclean or having a bad hair day. Read on for a refresher of simple practices to keep yourself feeling your best, whether your clean and groomed skin and hair is a starting point to your glamorous makeup and outfit, or something simple you do to feel put together on casual days.

Love the Skin You’re in

I hesitate to recommend any skincare products, since many of my personal skin-care habits would get me in big trouble with most dermatologists. There is also the great debate of following a strict and expensive skin-care routine, versus, oil-cleansing, ect.. At the end of the day, every woman has different skin-care needs and preferences based on her lifestyle and stage of life. Rather than suggest a cleansing method, I will leave that to the professionals, and instead suggest methods that I believe are proven to make a positive difference in your skin regardless of type. I know the difference these practices and products makes in my own appearance and feeling.

Holy Trinity of Facial Care: gua sha, facial tape, ice roller

Using a gua sha is a practice that only takes a few extra minutes, but does wonders for both the appearance of the face, and the health of the body. When I get lax with this practice, I notice my face looking puffy and tired. When I take the extra time to do it fully, I am amazed at how confident I am in my looks without makeup. If you’re on the fence about the benefits of this practice, consider the fact that it is so affordable and takes so little extra effort to reap benefits! A simple google search will explain how it can reduce the appearance of fine lines and increase lymphatic drainage. I want to make note that it is important to do this on clean and moisturized skin. The only time gua sha doesn’t feel amazing to me is when I forge to apply my moisturizer first. With so many benefits and so little to loose (here is a great option for under 15$) its time to join the gua shau fan club.

This product is a little secret weapon that women of all ages looking to reduce the appearance of wrinkles (without botox) can employ. I certainly love my sun, and am not willing to give up on it anytime soon. Maybe the day for botox will come, but in the meantime I am sticking to something a little more holistic: Facial tape! This is a practice that I sometimes get lazy with, and when I remember how much I love the results, I return to with renewed vigor. While this is not a permanent fix, the goal of facial tape is to train the facial muscles to hold themselves a certain way rather than moving in ways that cause wrinkles to occur. When consistent with this method, you will find yourself naturally resisting contorting your face in ways that form harsh lines. This product mimics the goal of botox while allowing you to keep the ability to emote with your face :))

Ice, ice Baby

This is a practice that I would likely continue even if it had to cosmetic advantage, simply because it is such an affordable and convenient way to wake up and cool down. My only regret is not starting this sooner! Ice roller benefits are similar to gua sha, in its improvement to the skin’s appearance, but the cooling effect gives that extra boost in soothing your skin. The gua sha is better for targeting specific areas, whereas the ice roller is best for over all skin soothing and cooling. I keep one both at my apartment and my family’s home so I am never without it. This practice both improves the quality of my skin and reduces my stress and sore muscles. I like to use it on my neck and shoulders in addition to my face.

Hair Time

Similar to skin, everyone has a unique hair texture and different needs for their hair. Some hair textures require more moisture, while others require more frequent washing. For most women, clean freshly blown out hair will make you look and feel your best. I enjoy a nice low toxin shampoo and conditioner option such as native (this is my favorite scent, although it can be found more affordably at target if it is in stock) or maui (the pink and purple sets are my favs!). When your hair needs an extra boost of moister, a good hair mask can be a life saver. There are so many great drug store options. I found a travel size of this giovanni hair mask and found the full option to be affordable and accessible. I found this option to be so moisturizing, without causing excess grease or stickiness that some masks cause.

Blow it out

While the bedhead look can be fun, there is nothing like a blowout when you want to feel your most sophisticated self. I have been lucky enough to be gifted the dyson air wrap (thank you Grandpa and Shannon!) and it has truly made my hair routine so much easier. The dyson does take a little playing around with to figure out how you enjoy using it, but being able to make a heated hair style in less time with less damage is such a game changer. I find that I look best with a loose curl and that is so easy to make happen in a flash with the dyson. The technology is in the name, and being able to loosely hold your curls around the barrel to shape your curls rather then holding them around a hot barrel and risking burning yourself is so much easier.

The Dyson method is also super quick if you are just looking for some flowing loose curls. If you want that windswept, I just rolled out of bed but still look fabulous aka Serena Van Der Woodsen hair, just sleep on your damp or air dried hair and put in some loose curls where you see fit in the morning. Who needs a hair brush? This look can be done in 5 minutes flat and elevates your appearance so much. Despite the price, the Dyson Air Wrap will save you time and heartache, and give you fab hair days. If you want to try a blow-out tool but find the price point intimidating, I have seen great reviews of the shark option, and it comes in at half the price of the dyson. While I have not used the shark personally, it seems to be the same technology as the dyson, and there are plenty of videos that show similar results.

Hair up

On days you need to give all heat tools a break, or keep your hair out of your face, stylish up-dos are easier then ever with claw clips and scrunchies in style. Kitsch has some fun and affordable basics to get you started. To elevate your everyday hair styles, this slick back stick is so convenient to tame your flyways and give your hair some extra moister while its up for the day. It is so easy to elevate your claw clip, or pony tail with the smoothing effect of a hair stick. To elevate your everyday pony on days your hair is too frizzy to leave down, just do a simple braid once you brush your hair back into your desired pony-tail length with your scrunchy. Using tiny rubber bands to tie off your braid will keep your braid tightly secured for the day. Don’t be afraid to play around with braids to mix up your look!

Stay Beautiful

Committing to spending a few extra minutes in the morning to keep your skin and hair clean and polished will go a long way in making you feel and look your best. When you are polished and confident, you show up as your brightest and most radiant self. You owe it to yourself to share your beauty with the world.

Xoxo,

J