LuxeBudgetnistas

Livin' luxe on a budget

Beauty

How To Keep Skin Hydrated During The Winter Months

Happy Wednesday loves!  I have an exciting post coming at you today.  I have partnered Dr. Lauren Boudreaux, a local dermatologist based out of Portland, Oregon.  We are both going to share ways on how to keep your skin hydrated during the winter months.  Let me put the disclaimer out there now- I am not a professional, nor do I claim to be.  I am simply sharing some tips that have worked for me.  Although I may not be a professional, Dr. Lauren Boudreaux is and can assist with any and all questions you may have.

About Dr. Lauren

Dr. Lauren received her degree from University of North Texas Health Science Center and is currently completing a Dermatology residency.  If you are local, you can visit Lauren at the Key Laser Institute.   I would also check out her Instagram for daily skin formations and beauty tips and tricks.  Check out her awesome content here.

Jacki’s Winter Skin Hydration Tips

Alright, let’s get down to business.  I am super excited to be sharing some things that I have done during the cold winter months to help with my extremely dry skin.

  • The first and probably most obvious, probably most important- is drinking lots of water.
  • Use lukewarm water when bathing.  During the winter months, it’s almost automatic for us to turn up the hot water.  I think we are all guilty of it, but try to avoid at all costs to avoid stipping your skin of the natural oils.
  • Protect your skin!  It is really important to use a barrier between your skin and the elements.  This can be a hat, gloves, scarf, and SPF- Yes, even during the winter months!
  • Night moisturize!  I use Derma e hydrating night cream  and Derma e facial oil.  This combo has been my skins savior for the past few months.  Although they do not have this particular facial oil available anymore, however, I would definitely recommend one of the following as replacements:

–Illuminating Rosehip & Cranberry Face Oil

–Rejuvenating Sage & Lavender Face Oil

I won’t go too much into detail on these products because I have a full skin care post coming up, be on the lookout for that.

Now onto some special advice from the beautiful and talented, Dr. Lauren.

 

 

A Dermatologists Top 3 Tips For Keeping That Glow In the Winter:
1. As tempting as it is to take a long hot shower in the winter, that can be damaging to the skin. Try to limit showers to 5 minutes and keep the water lukewarm so you don’t strip the skin of natural oils.
2. Gently exfoliate off dead skin using a moisturizing scrub in the shower. I actually make my own with coconut oil, coffee grounds (to combat cellulite), and organic raw sugar. See the recipe below!
3. Immediately after showering, apply a moisturizer all over your skin. I love using a moisturizer with alpha-hydroxy acids to exfoliate and give the skin a nice glow! Try Gold Bond Rough and Bumpy or Amlactin for affordable options at the drug store. They work amazingly for rough skin and actually have been clinically proven to smooth and prevent aging of the skin.
COFFEE-SCRUB RECIPE:
  1. 1 cup ground organic coffee.
  2. 1 cup organic sugar or salt.
  3. 1/2 Cup organic coconut oil.

I hope you all enjoyed this really informative post on how to keep your glow during the winter season.  If you love the collab with Dr. Lauren, you will be happy to know that we have another collaboration post coming up soon.  So be on the lookout!

 

 

Measurable Difference Review

Let’s talk affordable makeup- after all, we are budgetnistas.  Tia and I love finding quality items at a really affordable price because we believe it doesn’t need to be a luxury brand to be good.  We have partnered up with Measurable Difference for this blog post to show you some of the products they offer and a way to get some additional savings.

The Brand

The story behind this brand is pretty amazing.  Measurable Difference, founded by Helma Arminak, a former refugee from Beirut, Lebanon.  Created about five years ago with a dream in mind. Helma aimed to offer great products for face and body but wanted to keep everything affordable.  I would say that dream is being accomplished.

What I Picked Up
The Diamond Collection Well Stacked Makeup Collection- $12.00

This small compact palette comes with a blush, bronzer, eyeshadows, and brow product.  It is perfect for on the go and works well for creating a full face.  If you have been a subscriber for awhile, you know that I work very early in the morning- 5 A.M. to be exact!  I need easy to use, multifunctional products.  The shadows work great to create a nice neutral look for every day.  If you need to transition the look into a night time look, no problem!   I would suggest using some of the eyebrow powder as a shadow to create a smokey eye.  The blush is a beautiful mauve that works well with all skin tones.  The only iffy product in this palette would be the bronzer-  it is a bit dark.  If you are lighter skin toned, I would steer clear or use a very light hand.

 

Baked Face Blush Mini- $2.00

The blushes are beautiful and affordable at two bucks a pop.  You could easily purchase all 4 colors. All very wearable colors, but two of the colors are better suited for spring/summer.

 

 

 

 

 

Posh Matte Liquid Lipstick – Opera-$6.00

Liquid lipsticks have been all the rage for the past few years and these affordable options definitely do not disappoint.  The formula is very comfortable on the lips and lasts a decent amount of time.  The color is different depending on your skin tone and lighting, which I think is pretty cool.  The color comes off on me as a brownish purple- great for the fall season.

 

Scented Bath Bombs – Green Goddess (Get well quick) Eucalyptus-$4.00

What can I say, it’s a bath bomb.  All bath bombs are pretty amazing.  These smell great and have a great price point.  I loved them so much that I have already bought a couple more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve found Measurable Difference at stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls- but they can also be found online Measurabledifference.com.  You can get 25% off and free shipping using code 25JACK.  No need to rush!  The code is good until March, so pick up a little something each month.

Interested in picking up an item I purchased?  Check out the board below!

Private Label: Mink Lash Review

Hi, loves!  Do you remember the review we did on Private label lashes last year?  Well, if not, check it out here.  We are breaking out of our “natural” comfortable shell and going full glam with some thick, volumized, luscious lashes.   This year it has been all about changes and trying new things, but I refuse to give up on good brands. Read on to understand why!

Let’s Talk Lashes

Let me tell you a little about Private Label Extensions.  It’s a wholesale company that dabbles in everything from wholesale hair extensions, mink lashes, and branding.  They can assist you with setting up your own business at an affordable price.

The lashes are 100% handmade of mink with double or triple layers.  Since Private Label is a wholesale company, you will receive the lashes unbranded and ready for resale or you can buy in bulk for yourself.  This would be perfect for an MUA kit because you get to choose from many different styles.  They really do cover everything from natural sets to full voluminous lashes.

 

 

Chloe- $12.50

The first thing I notice is the case, it’s been upgraded a bit.  Instead of just a clear case, they’ve added the pretty glitter backing.  I am happy to see that they didn’t change the case too much.  Since you get about 25 uses out of these lashes, the case is perfect for storing.

The Chloe’s are my daughters pick for her upcoming homecoming dance because they are full and fluttery, but not over the top.  Think girls night out, date night, or special event.

 

 

Alice- $12.50

Each style lash has a different color glitter case.  Perfect to tell them apart!  The Alice are my personal favorites.  They are a full set lash, but very wearable for every day.  Great for work and very transitional into a night time look.

These lashes are very easy to cut to fit your eyeshape, the band is comfortable, and application is super easy.  This is coming from someone who is horrible at appling false lashes.

 

 

Application
No lashes applied

 

False lash to natural lashes

 

Alice fully applied

 

Chloe fully applied

 

 

Chloe sideview

 

Overall I am very impressed with how these styles turned out.  They are not over the top, which is what I like.  I would highly recommend checking out Private Label Extensions lashes and seeing the end result for yourself.  They are amazing quality, pretty affordable, with super fast shipping.  Next on the list to try are the 3D Mink Thinline- so be on the lookout!

 

*Items provided for review purposes, but all opions are my own*

#Onebrandmotd- ColourPop

Hi, loves!

We are back with another #Onebrandmotd. If you’ve been following for awhile, you know what this is all about. If not, I am talking about a beauty challenge that Gaby, from Beauty by Gaby, and myself came up with called #Onebrandmotd.   This past week one brand motd was Colour pop.

Brand Challenge

For those that do not know what the brand challenge is, let me explain!   Each week Gaby and I will be doing a full face using one makeup brand. We try and cover our faces with as much of the branded makeup as we can.  This calls for creativity when creating the looks.  We have also decided to alternate between high end and drugstore to provide some more affordable options.  I am happy to announce that we have some new collab additions.  We have added two lovely ladies to the group.  You will now be able to see four different one brand looks, so be sure to check out hashtag #onebrandmotd to see the final looks on social media.

Colour Pop

Colour Pop is big in the makeup industry.  Known for the amazing quality and affordability and they also have the same manufacturer as Kylie Cosmetics- Dupes!  When ColourPop first came out, I went on a binge and purchased a ton of their products.  Since purchasing the items, I have maybe only used them a handful of times, so I am glad I was able to utilize them for this challenge.

Pictured above, I have the super shock shadows, blush, highlight, lippie stick, and eyeliner.  I found the shadows really hard to work with if using a brush.  I had to use my fingers to finish applying my look because I could not get them to apply the way I wanted.  The highlight was pretty easy to blend with a brush, but it was a whole other story for the blush.  I found it applied best with a stippling brush.  No issues with the lippie stick or liner.  Pretty basic.

Anndd..here is the completed look!  Overall, happy with it, but was not happy with how long it took to create the look.  I am going to give their pressed eyeshadows a shot and see if they apply better.  I hope you enjoyed this #Onebrandmotd.  Keep an eye out for our Urban Decay  #onebrandmotd post.

 

 

#Onebrandmotd- Tarte Cosmetics

We are back with another #Onebrandmotd. If you’ve been following for awhile, you know what this is all about. If not, I am talking about a beauty challenge that Gaby, from Beauty by Gaby, and myself came up with called #Onebrandmotd. I am a bit late with getting the deets up from last weeks #onebrandmotd, I figured it was better late than never.  My kids have returned home from being gone for a few weeks.  Now that the anxiety is gone from, we are getting back to routine.  Last week’s makeup of the week was Tarte Cosmetics.

Brand Challenge

For those that do not know what the brand challenge is, let me explain!   Each week Gaby and I will be doing a full face using one makeup brand. We try and cover our faces with as much of the branded makeup as we can.  This calls for creativity when creating the looks.  We have also decided to alternate between high end and drugstore to provide some more affordable options.  I am happy to announce that we have some new collab additions.  We have added two lovely ladies to the group.  You will now be able to see four different one brand looks, so be sure to check out hashtag #onebrandmotd to see the final looks on social media.

The Look
Product Details

Join in on Tarte’s campaign to stop cyberbullying with the hashtag #kissandmakeup!

 

Multi-Beauty Aide

If you are into all natural, affordable, multi-use products then  Radha Beauty 100% pure fractionated Coconut Oil is a must have for you! The Radha Beauty coconut oil is odorless, colorless, non-greasy, and stainless. Their coconut oil is a cruelty-free product, with a variety of uses, but is meant explicitly for external use. Coconut oil generally comes in a solid state and melts into a liquid when exposed to any heat such as your own body temperature.

 

Fractioned Coconut Oil

I tried this product in a few different ways. First, I used it to shave with in the shower which worked extremely well and left my skin feeling moisturized. I also tried it as a lotion which left my skin feeling amazing. As a makeup remover, it worked pretty well but it took a little extra effort to remove my mascara.

It works amazingly as a massage oil, my boyfriend has sciatic nerve pain and I massage him daily to help reduce the pain. It works well as a tanning oil, I particularly like it to tan, because it’s more of a dry oil and doesn’t leave you feeling greasy and oiled up. I know many people use it as a facial moisturizer, but I wouldn’t recommend it for people with oily skin like me as it may add to the oil issue and break you out as it did with me after a few days of use. One of my favorite ways to use coconut oil is to create body scrubs with it, these are great for exfoliating the skin (I’ll be posting my personal recipe for yall soon!)

I also used it as a hair mask, I have very long hair and I’m always looking for ways to keep it moisturized. One helpful tip I do have for anyone who uses it this way is to make sure you distribute it evenly throughout your hair and to rinse it well afterward or your hair can seem oily after. It also works as a hair oil after you shower.  I would suggest doing this while your hair is still wet. Putting it in a spray bottle may be helpful for this to help even distribution. It leaves your hair so silky and shiny.

 

 

 

 

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has so many uses it would be hard to make an argument against buying it. It can replace many items in your beauty stash and many others around the house as well. This makes it extremely cost-effective. You can even use it on your pet to give them a silky shiny coat. Coconut oils are used for everything from cooking to oil pulling.  There are some uses I have yet to try like aromatherapy, making soaps, lotions, ointments, and as an antiseptic/disinfectant. There are literally over a hundred uses for coconut oil, whats your favorite?