A New Hair Style and Some Recent Loves

I have really, really insane hair. It's of a decent thickness, but the individual strands are baby-fine and corkscrew curly. It always feels nice to the touch, but wow, is it a pain to work with. So I've depended on adding layers when I can afford it, and sticking to ponytails and topknots when a $35 haircut is not a financially sound option. You can put some "fresh twists" on those two styles--wrapping ribbons or more elastic bands down the length of a ponytail, for example--but even that gets old.

I go back to those styles, though, because they're kind of necessary when you wake up with hair like this:

Ahhhhhh, I'm not walking out of the house like that unless I'm starring in a 1980s hairspray commercial. Sorry.

Then I noticed this cute look in a couple of magazines. It combines two of my bad hair day go-tos: topknots and scarves. You just put your hair in a high ponytail, tie a scarf around the base, and braid the two ends of the scarf and your hair together. Then you wrap it all in a circle and secure it with some bobby pins. Surprisingly cute and fresh. I think I'll wear this scarfknot a lot this fall, though not for work, as the final look is kinda quirky and casual.

In other news, I've fallen back in love with the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. It's nothing fancy, but it definitely softens up my skin and squeezes any excess oil out of my pores. I can also get a little exfoliation out of the mask when I gently remove it with warm water and a soft towel. Huzzah! I just wish it didn't contain pigments and perfume to create that fake mintiness.

Also, I recently realized that I haven't talked about food recently. So here's a shot of one of my current favorite snacks: homemade trail mix!

Yeah, it's the same old, super-basic trail mix recipe: raw almonds and walnuts with M&Ms candies and raisins. But it's a classic for a reason! If you want to get fancy, you can add more goodies like dried fruit or ginger, mini-marshmallows, cashews...whatever floats your boat. I suggest keeping the almonds and walnuts no matter what because they're great for your skin.

And my other favorite snack of the moment...

...is thin crust ham and pineapple pizza with a glass of wine. It's like I'm back in graduate school!

As for brunch, my old standby...um, stands. It's some of the best skin food out there: Fage 0% Greek yogurt provides protein and live cultures, blueberries are full of antioxidants, and strawberries are a major source of vitamin C. It's also a very filling, low calorie meal that doesn't kick up my IBS. (I can't say the same for the pizza and wine, unfortunately.)

Oh, and a quick favorite from Simmis: catnip mats! You can purchase these from local craft and pet stores, or at your next festival. It's just a cute little mat full of catnip. Simmis loves to play with her mat, then doze on it for a quick cat-nap.

A last note for the day: I got my phone working again, so I'm back on Instagram! Fair warning, I'm kind of addicted.

Super-Early Spa Morning and FOTD

I rolled out of bed at 7am this morning. Not my normal routine, especially on days off when all I've got to do is clean and organize. But between my sister's phone alarm going off, my parents talking downstairs, and my cat loudly hacking up a hairball...well, I wasn't falling back asleep.

She may look cute, but I know her. That's her version of

Sigh.

But even when I'm up early, I don't like putting on my makeup before noon-ish unless I need it for work or an event. I'm in the habit of running errands or shopping in the afternoon, so I want my face to look fresh at that time. So what do I do in the morning?

SPA DAY, OF COURSE!

I was going to try my sample of the much-hyped GlamGlow mud mask, but then I realized that it could irritate my skin, and I REALLY wanted to wear makeup today! So I went with my old standby, the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. I cleansed my face before applying the mask so that I'd have a good, clean surface. I also decided to exfoliate and hydrate my lips, which are extra dry and flaky these days.

The Queen Helene mask is actually best for oily skin, but I still like to use it once or twice a month on my dry skin to squeeze out the gunk in my pores. I find that it's best to apply the mask to my least oily areas (my nose) and work out to my driest (my cheeks). I also leave it on for 10 minutes instead of the usual 15-20, as this is a somewhat drying mask.

I can't wear my glasses when I'm doing a mask, which renders me blind, so I decided to sit around and have a snack. Our grocery store FINALLY had a sale on Bolthouse Farm juices, which are some of my favorite snacks, and they're fantastic for you. Fixing my poor, tired skin from the inside out!

Can you see how quickly that thing dried on my skin?! Man oh man.

ANYWAY! I remove this mask with a cloth soaked in warm water, then I rinse my face with cold water. Obviously the "pore tightening" effect of cold water is only temporary, but it was preparation  for makeup!  Also, the cold water cools and smooths my skin, which makes the moisturizer I smooth on afterward feel extra nice.

Avon Nurtura has been my favorite face cream for three years now. It's thick, rich, creamy, and uber-moisturizing, but it doesn't feel tacky or heavy on my skin, nor does it emphasize my pores or break up my makeup.

My sample of the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream, gifted to me by a kind MUAer, is so precious that I only use it maybe once a week. Today was a spa day, and I knew I wanted to wear heavier eye makeup today, so I had to pat some on to my undereyes and browbone.

ALL DONE.

I gave it all a few hours to soak in. And of course, I had to entertain myself with some classy stuff. Drag queens, anybody?

I may have screwed up that whole moisturizing routine by sitting in front of the space heater and baking myself. Erm. Oops?

BASE: Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin primer, Kevyn Aucoin Liquid Airbrush foundation in 02, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx02

EYES: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara, Shu Uemura Hard 9 Formula brow pencil in Seal Brown, Lancome Metallic eyeshadow in Pink Zinc, MAC Frost eyeshadow in Satin Taupe, MAC Frost eyeshadow in Vex, Makeup Forever Uplight #22, Milani Liquid Eye eyeliner in Black, Eyeko liquid eyeliner

CHEEKS: Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Moist Glow blush in Tansoleil, Makeup Forever Uplight #22

LIPS: Lancome Rouge In Love lipstick in Sweet Embrace, Revlon Super Lustrous gloss in Coral Reef