How I Keep My Blonde Hair Healthy and Toned

Do y’all remember the days of waking up before school, showering and washing your hair, blow drying it, AND THEN also straightening it?! Every single day! Please tell me I am not the only one who did this!

I have no clue how my hair survived those times but now that I have a bit more knowledge, I make sure to treat my blonde locks much nicer!

Today is all about my favorite hair products that keep my hair looking and feeling healthy! My hair is naturally a sandy blonde/dishwater blonde color. I get balayage to lighten things up because that’s what I prefer. These are all products I use and have not damaged my color treated hair.

  1. Shampoo & Conditioner: I discovered the Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s line through my hair stylist and have continued using it for years. It is truly a multi-tasking line of products that makes your hair so soft and moisturized without weighing it down. Plus the fragrance is so good! Because my hair can get used to products quickly and stop working as effectively, I rotate this line with the Bumble & Bumble thickening products to keep body in my hair.
  2. Oil: This may not come as a surprise considering what I just said above, but the Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil is the bomb. I put it on my ends after showering while it air dries as well on the ends of dry, styled hair.
  3. Heat Protectant/Hair Primer: If you’re looking to simplify your hair routine with one great miracle worker, this is it! The EVA NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Primer detangles, softens, protects against heat damage — you name it, this stuff does it! The smell is also heavenly!!
  4. Air Dry Creme: I have become a BIG fan of Kristen Ess products. Her line really brings salon quality with an accessible price at a place we are all already shopping! I rarely blow dry my hair. I prefer night showers, so when I do wash my hair, I want to be able to throw some products in and go to bed. But I also need to wake up with hair that isn’t all over the place! The Kristin Ess Weightless Shine Air Dry Crème smooths everything out and gives you natural texture. Just wash-and-go (to bed in my case)!
  5. Dry Shampoo: I am what you call a dry shampoo connoisseur. You name it, I have probably tried it. This dry shampoo is one of the bests! I also recommend this one as well, specifically in the “wild” scent. If you are a fan of the Diva laundry detergent you will LOVE it.
  6. Texturizing: This could really be classified above with the dry shampoos, but I think it is so good it deserves an individual mention! This is a dry shampoo in a fine powder form. It will reallyyyy absorb some oil but I love it to add texture and volume to my hair! Highly recommend adding this product to your line-up if you don’t currently use it.
  7. Scalp Scrub: Now this is something I have recently discovered and I wish I had known about it sooner. During the summer, my scalp can get irritated and itchy sometimes — probably from the mixture of Alabama sweat and dry shampoo lol. While it may sound strange, I urge you to give it a chance! This exfoliating scalp scrub soothes your scalp and removes build-up, but is gentle on the scalp. Don’t knock it until you try it!

Other honorable mentions:

Hair Ties

Silk Scrunchies

Purple Shampoo

Pillowcases

Curling Iron

That’s it! I hope this post was helpful! Please let me know if you have any recommendations or products you swear by. Make sure to visit my “Blog” page to read other recent posts!

june makeup must-haves + effortless summer dress

I hope everyone is having a great week so far! It has been rainy here in Alabama, but thankfully that has cooled things down a bit! At the beginning of quarantine, I was seriously judging everyone who was wearing makeup and anything other than stretchy pants while they were confined to their own home. But now I have become one of those people! In order for me to be productive, I have to get up and get ready as if I am physically going into work or I won’t feel like doing anything all day. Quickly, I found that doing my full-face routine was just too much, so I adapted my routine to a simplified and more summer-friendly look.

The past month I have been trying out some new makeup products and I am excited to share these with you because I think they are a must to add to your makeup bag! I always love drugstore products —they have come such a long way since I was a diving into the world of cosmetics as a kid. Unfortunately for my bank account, I go through phases where I am also really into higher-end products. This was one of those times, but I am so glad that I splurged because these products are worth it! All of these products are linked so you can purchase directly.

Make Up Forever Blurring Powder Foundation – This stuff is a game changer! Easy and quick application with great coverage for everyday that is buildable. This can also be used as a powder to set your makeup! If I do a light foundation or just some concealer, I swirl a powder brush in this product and then set it. The shade finder on Sephora makes it easy to find the right shade for your skin and undertones — I use the shade Ivory.

Fenty Beauty Freestyle Bronzer – This is my first Fenty Beauty product and will definitely not be my last! The quality of this product gets 5+ stars easily. There is a great shade range in this product. I purchased the color “Amber,” which is a contour shade. It is the perfect cool contour for fair skin and I wish I had found it sooner. I use this e.l.f. brush to apply some product under my cheekbones, around my forehead, sides of nose, and jawline. Even if you aren’t doing a full glam face, just blending some of this product in will give you an effortless pulled together look!

Benefit Cosmetics Gold Rush Blush – I LOVE this blush. It is a perfect blend of a warm and glowy peach shade that makes you look perfectly flushed and summer ready! Highly recommend because you can skip highlighter with this product since it has a bit of shimmer in it.

Tarte Sea Breezy Cream Bronzer – Waterproof and buildable, a bronzer that applies effortlessly. It really gives you a just got back from the beach glow! I stipple a little of this over my blush and around the forehead to warm up my face.

Keep reading to get the outfit details!

Breezy Summer Dress

This effortlessly chic and flowy dress is a must buy! You can wear this around the house working from home, for a fun summer dinner date, or while running errands. It is so versatile and I need it in more colors!

Earrings: Kathryn Stallworth Designs | Hat: Amazon

Headed to the beach later this week and I can’t wait to relax and let my brain reset. Talk to y’all again soon!

Hot Girl Summer

Does everyone feel it’s too soon to browse pre-fall outfits or is it just me?! Walked in one of my favorite boutiques over the weekend and it was FULL of fall sweaters and I thought whew, I can’t even think about buying these right now! Even the lightweight ones aren’t wearable until Octoberish here in Alabama!

Since this hot and heavy weather seems to be sticking around a bit longer, I thought I would talk about some of my favorite makeup products that stay put for 12+ hours during a full day of activities!

#1 Elf Poreless Putty Primer | First of all, ELF has come a long way since it’s original days as a cheap, low quality makeup brand! I have many things I love from this brand, but this one is my latest fave. Feels light on the skin and creates a great smooth canvas!

#2 Makeup Revolution Full Coverage Foundation | Oil-free yet creamy and comfortable formula that dries down to a long-lasting, demi-matte finish. Totally full coverage and doesn’t settle into fine lines!

#3 NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator | Even in this extremely hot summer, this stuff gives a luminous and healthy goddess glow. I promise it won’t make you look a sweaty mess. Also looks great under makeup or alone!

#4 Smashbox Spotlight Palette | An easy-to-use, 3-well highlighter palette that spotlights your favorite features, adds dimension and gives you a buildable glow. This palette is my FAVE for traveling because it has 3 different levels of highlight perfect for daytime and going out wear.

#5 Laura Mercier Undereye Brightening Powder | A transparent, weightless powder to set under-eye concealer, brighten dark circles, and diminish the look of fine lines. Need I say more?

#6 Essence Lash Princess Mascara | My lashes look like falsies when I wear this and it is typically less than $5!

#7 NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray | I purchase this stuff over and over again! Every time I stray from it, I come right back. It will lock your makeup in place for hours. Even in this terrible heat!

#8 MegaLast Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipstick | I love a good lipstick. One that stays all day, has high color pigmentation, and is under $10 seems like it would be too good to be true. But this one is it! This stuff does NOT budge. Like at all or all day. You can purchase online for swing by your local Walgreens to find it in stores.

#9 Countercontrol Matte Effect Gel Cream | This stuff provides all the hydration and no shine. Plus it’s a safer beauty product and doesn’t contain anything that you don’t need to put on your skin and in your bloodstream. I am trying to transition to cleaner living. It’s hard, but this brand makes it a little easier!

I hope these product recommendations work for you. Give them a try and let me know if you’re going to make them a part of your daily rotation to beat that dreaded makeup melting off in the heat look!