Free Stylin'

My Favorite Inexpensive Beauty Products

March 22, 2013 by beth 2 Comments

This is my most recent post for Or so she says…

Hey Friends! I’m excited to be talking about some of my favorite things today…Beauty Products!! I am such a girly girl, and I love getting my glam on. I wanted to share some of my ALL TIME favorite inexpensive beauty products – these work great, and they don’t break the bank!!

I’ve mentioned before that I love Oscar Blandi’s dry shampoo. On those days that I am running late and don’t have time to wash my hair, I sprinkle the dry shampoo into my hair and comb through. It’s light and much more dry compared to baby powder. When you use a little bit at a time, then it doesn’t make your hair turn gray and chalky like other dry shampoos I’ve tried. And it smells SO good! A small bottle costs $11 at Ulta, and it lasts FOREVER.

My favorite conditioner is Generic’s Conditioning Balm. It rivals Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm and costs much less. Sally Beauty Supply sells this extra thick and creamy conditioner for about $5 – $6. I have naturally curly hair, and the conditioner helps shape and define the curl. When I wear my hair straight, I find my hair easier to comb through and much softer.

Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon is a hair finishing cream that tames fly-aways and extra frizz. Again, I wear my hair curly and straight, and this product works well either way. With curly hair, it defines the curl and keeps the frizz at bay. With straight hair, this cream keeps my ends from looking frayed and tired. Secret Weapon costs about $6.

Oh my gosh, can I just tell you how much I love Pond’s Dry Skin Cream?! This winter has been crazy dry. I live in a humid place, and it has never been this bad before. Usually I buy products that say, “for normal skin,” but I’ve had dry patches for months (especially my cheeks and nose), and this awesome cream is literally the only thing I have found to fix it. And the price is awesome, too. I paid about $4 at Target for my new favorite cream.

Revlon’s ColorBurst Lip Butter is my favorite lipstick at the moment. It’s soft and buttery (like the name) and makes my lips smooth. It stays on fairly well, but I do have to reapply every so often. Berry Smoothie is my go-to lip shade right now. I suggest buying your favorite color at the grocery store, Wal-mart, or Target over a drug store. The price seems to be about $2 less. I’ve paid between $6 and $8 a tube depending on the store.

I am also in love with Revlon’s Cherries in the Glow lip gloss. It is the perfect red for all skin types. I’ve seen this color on multiple friends, and it seems to look great on everyone. I will be honest – I’ve had a little bit of trouble finding it in stores lately, but you can find it on Amazon for 7 or 8 bucks.

I was getting frustrated because I couldn’t quite find eye shadow colors I liked, and I felt like I was wasting my money on buying separate shadows one at a time to get the perfect shade. Sonia Kashuk’s Eye Palette in Neutral is everything I’ve been looking for – and they’re all in one place!! Although the initial cost is a little steep (for me, at least) at $20, it is way less expensive than buying 14 different eye shadows just to be disappointed. This eye palette is found at Target.

Ok, so my ALL TIME favorite beauty product has to be L’oreal’s Lash Out mascara. I absolutely love it because it makes my eyelashes so long! The wand is especially great at separating your lashes without clumps. This is not a volumizing mascara, though, just in case you’re looking for that. I’ve actually been wearing this mascara since I was about 16, and it drives me crazy when I run out and have to buy more. Because, although the product is not discontinued, L’oreal has made it a little harder to find. :/ I buy mine two at a time at CVS, or you can get it on Amazon.

And last, but certainly not least, OPI’s Red nailpolish (it’s actually called OPI Red) is my favorite color choice when I get a pedicure. It’s the perfect red. My toes look happy and pretty when I’m wearing it, and the actual polish stays on quite awhile. There are so many times that I’ve gotten stuck trying to decide between two colors at the nail salon, and 9 times out of 10 one of the colors is OPI Red. You can buy your own bottle for about $8.

So, who’s ready for a makeover? What are some of your MUST HAVE beauty products?

By the way, stop by Or so she says today for my newest FabuLESS post!

*This post contains affiliate links from amazon.

Filed Under: Beauty, Favorite Things Tagged With: Beauty, Favorite Things

Weekend Wonders: A 48 Hour Bathroom Makeover

March 20, 2013 by beth 1 Comment

Helen Davies is a content writer for Better Bathrooms, who sell good looking contemporary and traditional bathrooms at realistic prices. This is a sponsored post.

If you find the idea of renovating your bathroom quite daunting, don’t worry – you’re not alone! It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of a full bathroom renovation project: the planning, the decision making, all the expense and disruption….

But help is at hand. It’s possible to avoid a lot of the mess and the expense, and almost all of the disruption, and still create a shiny new bathroom… in just one weekend. If this sounds like your kind of restyle project, then here’s what you need to know.

First off, most good quality bathroom suites are designed with durability in mind – so you should find that you’re able to refresh your bathroom scheme a few times while retaining your original bathroom suite. This keeps costs low and reduces hassle, too.

Even if your bathroom suite is looking a little dated, though, it’s still possible to refresh the look and feel of the room without replacing a set of perfectly functional sanitaryware. The key is to simply update your brassware. Changing your basin and bath taps can give your aging bathroom suite a fresh, new look – and as modern taps will very likely be both water saving and easier to use, you’ll find that your bathroom functions better as a result, too.

Of course, you’ll need to make sure that the taps you want will fit the basin and bath you have, and you also need to buy taps which will suit your home water pressure (especially if your home suffers from low water pressure). These two considerations aside, there’s a world of contemporary brassware out there with which to update any bathroom suite.

Once you’ve tackled your taps, it’s time to move on to the overall design of your bathroom. The look of any furniture is affected by its setting, and bathroom suites are no exception. Take some time to think about the mood you’d like to create in the room – warm and cosy, fresh and bright, cool and contemporary – and select a colour scheme to suit.

Tiles can be restyled with tile paint and their grout lines scrubbed clean then finished with a grout pen (or even a simple tennis shoe whitening pen!), after which it’s all about reviving your paintwork and hanging fresh wallpaper. Adding some coordinated new bathroom accessories – things like a robe hook, toilet roll holder, soap dispenser and towel rail – will help to pull your new look together. And it’s perfectly possible to find gorgeous freestanding ranges of accessories, so there’s no time-consuming and messy drilling to be done. Finally, piles of fluffy towels in colours which complement your new room scheme will finish off your bathroom makeover beautifully.

All images via Houzz.

Filed Under: Bathroom, Guest Post Tagged With: Bathroom, Guest Post

Master Bedroom Makeover…For Reals

March 19, 2013 by beth 2 Comments

K, so about a million years ago I posted my ideas for our master bedroom. I had every intention in the world to actually jump on it and make our master bedroom a retreat. And, to be honest, I don’t know why I haven’t really done a whole lot about it since, with the exception of some pillows I created from lingerie and a Ballard Designs inspired mirror project. I bought a new bedspread/coverlet for our bed, but I haven’t blogged about it. You can see small glimpses of it HERE and HERE. And that’s about it.

Anyway, with a new little one on the way (I’m down to single digit weeks, people!!!!), generally you decorate a nursery, right? Well, the room that will eventually be his bedroom is currently The Hubs’ office. And The Hubs needs the office because he works from home a few days a week – work that requires the door to be closed. So, for now our new little blessing will be in a bassinet in our room. SO, even though I’m not decorating a nursery right now, I’ve decided it is important to decorate the master bedroom before this baby comes because it is the place I will be spending a LOT of time. Sleeping (hopefully), feeding, changing, and rocking my sweet little guy.

And, I’m not doing this makeover alone. I’ve called in the big guns. I am absolutely head-over-heels-in-love with everything my girl Autumn, from Design Dump, does. She has a gift, seriously. Autumn is an interior designer, and she offers various e-design options. I recently had a birthday, and I told The Hubs that the only thing I wanted this year was a consultation with Autumn.

I opted for a phone consultation because I already had an idea of which direction I wanted to go. Before the phone appointment, I e-mailed her ~~a million~~ a few questions and ideas. I also sent her pictures of my bedroom, plus some ideas I had Pinned to my Master Bedroom Pinterest board. Autumn was able to sift through the crazy that is my brain and help me plan a beautiful room.

This is the inspiration picture for our room:

Source

I love the peacock blueish wall color, the white linens, the hint of glam from the silver accessories, and a little bit of pink (my favorite color!).

Except my room looks nothing like this right now. But once I’m through with Autumn’s suggestions it will!!

K, so are you ready to see my master bedroom right now? You sure? Cuz it’s pretty ugly and not my fave. This is a “No Judgement” Zone, got it? Alright:

I know you wanna Pin this, but it’s okay if you don’t. I won’t be offended.

Our room has a few things going for it. I like the size – we have lots of space. I love my bed. I dreamed of owning a sleigh bed most of my life, and The Hubs surprised me with one a few months before Pickle was born. And…that’s about all I like about our “master retreat” right now.

A few of the cons: way too many angles (how the #&$^@ am I supposed to hang curtains?!). I HATE the color brown, and there is way too much brown. And tan. And beige. Blech. Our nightstands are tiny, and so is the rug. The mirror is a DIY project 2 1/2 years in the making. I WILL finish it. I WILL.

We used to have the bed and nightstands on this wall, but the double doors lead to the bathroom. They were hard to open with the bed right there, and the light would shine out onto anyone trying to sleep. So we moved the bed to its current arrangement.

Although I love all the space the layout gives us right now, I absolutely HATE sleeping under the huge window. It actually freaks me out. We live on a bit of a hill, and our bedroom is on the second floor. When we have big rain or wind storms, I am literally scared all night long. I imagine the windows busting through onto our bed, killing us in our sleep. Of course it hasn’t happened once since this house was built, but I just know it’ll happen to me. Irrational fear? Maybe. But the storms still keep me awake, and I just can’t get over it.

So, we are going to move the bed to this wall, and the dresser, and mirror, and a chair will be going on the opposite wall (across the room). Aka nothing in front of the window so I don’t die.

We’ll be editing out some accessories while adding in some new ones. (Probably not the pictures we never hung that still sit on the floor.) I’ll also repurpose some of our furniture (after a little paint!).

My first step was to pick a paint color from about seven colors Autumn and I discussed. I narrowed it down to three and then bought samples at Lowe’s. Now there are three different paint samples painted on four different walls in our room. The Hubs and I have looked at the samples on the wall for about a week and agreed to our final color! (I’ll share it with you soon!) Time for a painting party!

Master Bedroom Makeover

I also made a trip to Ikea for a few things:

Speaking of Ikea…that is one of the things I loved about working with Autumn. Yes, she’s an interior designer, but she understands that there are a variety of budgets to work with. My budget is very, very small. Autumn didn’t treat me any differently, and she helped me use a ton of things I already own to keep my costs low. When it came to items that have to be purchased, she gave me options from Ikea, Target, HomeGoods, Kirkland’s, even Wal-mart. I really appreciated that about her.

So, now this master bedroom makeover is really getting started. I am so excited to have a peaceful, beautiful place to sleep in. And the hours I’ll be spending in here with the new baby will be so much more enjoyable when I’m surrounded by a space that I love.

I can’t wait for it to be finished! Stay tuned for more!

Filed Under: Master Bedroom Tagged With: Master Bedroom

Steak and Berry Salad

March 14, 2013 by beth 4 Comments

K, so the other day I was trying to figure out what to have for dinner, but I was stumped because we keep eating the same things over and over. (The end of a pregnancy really wears on you, ya know?) Then I remembered this SERIOUSLY easy and yummy salad that The Hubs and I love. It only takes a few ingredients, and an hour or two to marinate, before throwing it on the grill. Here’s the recipe:

Steak and Berry Salad

1-1/2-pound flank steak
2/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1 TB balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 cloves of pressed garlic
8 cups torn lettuce leaves
3 cups fresh berries. I love strawberries and raspberries. Blackberries and blueberries are also really yummy!
1/2 cup broken pecan halves
Ginger-Balsamic Dressing (Whisk together 1/4 cup each balsamic vinegar and vegetable oil, 2 TB teriyaki sauce and 1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger root.)

Directions:

*Score both sides of steak; place steak in large plastic food storage bag.
*Combine teriyaki sauce, vinegar, oil and garlic; pour mixture over steak.
*Press air out of bag; close top securely. Turn bag over several times to coat steak. Refrigerate 2 hours, turning bag over once.
*Remove steak from marinade and discard.
*Grill steak, turning over once.
*Holding knife at slight angle, cut steak across grain into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices.
*Divide lettuce on 4 individual serving plates.
*Arrange steak slices on top of greens and top with fresh berries and pecans. Serve with dressing.

This salad serves up to 4 people, and it is seriously SO tasty. The Hubs and I gobble it up! Every time I eat Steak and Berry Salad, I feel like I just spent a lot of money on a pricey salad from a restaurant – it’s that good. Except my wallet isn’t crying in the corner, and I didn’t even have to leave my house.

Do you have a favorite Go To quick meals or salads? Here is a list of some of my other favorites!

Pin It

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Recipes

8 Tips for Hanging a Plate Wall

March 12, 2013 by beth 4 Comments

K, so a few months ago I got started on changing things up in my dining room. I was really gung ho about it at first. I painted the dining room chairs and created a pretty lantern for the table. And then we found out I was pregnant. Fast forward a few months…When I could finally get my head out of the toilet, it was time to tackle the next project on my list: The Plate Wall.

Here is our original design. It was pretty boring, I agree. And this is what people saw when they first entered our house. It kind of shouts, “Go AWAY!” doesn’t it? Oops.

Hanging a Plate Wall

But not anymore! I am happy to say my plate wall is complete! And it only took me 7 months to do it! Sort of but not really. It took about an hour or two to hang this plate collection when it all comes down to it. I learned a few tips along the way that I thought I’d pass on that might make hanging your plate wall a little easier and faster.

8 Tips for Hanging a Plate Wall

#1. Begin by deciding on a plate “theme.”

You can choose a theme by color, shape, pattern, or even the idea that anything goes. I like the look of all white plates because they are easy to find, and the white is calming and sophisticated.

#2. Collect plates over a period of time.

If you want to run out and buy a bunch of plates now, it can work. But I learned that I was able to find some really cool plates because I took my time gathering and collecting.

#3. Don’t spend a ton of money on your plates.

Shop garage sales, consignment stores, or even a friend’s donation pile for a plate wall arrangement. My plates weren’t expensive – they ranged in price from free/already owned to $8 for the largest, heaviest plate. Every time I went to a thrift store, TJ Maxx, or Ross, I’d keep an eye out for white plates in any shape and size.

#4. Arrange the collection on the floor before hanging it on the wall.

Sometimes is takes a little bit of trial and error when it comes to hanging plates. Arranging them on the floor gives you the chance to make changes without putting a bunch of nail holes in the wall. There is nothing wrong with coming up with a design, staring at it for a few days, and then tweaking it.

#5. Call in for reinforcements if you have to.

I started messing around with the plates I had been collecting, but nothing was turning out how I liked. Sometimes is takes a little bit of trial and error when it comes to hanging plates. I called in my sisters to help look at my arrangement. They were the ones who actually came up with the final placement of this plate wall (and, let’s be honest, hung the plates on the wall for me. Have I mentioned how clumsy I am when I’m pregnant?!).

#6. Don’t have any plate hangers? Use hot glue and paper clips.

This quick tip is especially easy when you want to make a change…like now. I can be pretty impatient, and when I want to change the look of a room, but don’t want to pay any money or leave the house, a plate wall is SUPER FAST and free when you use plates that you already have on hand, paper clips, and hot glue.

Be careful, though. Sometimes the plates can fall an break. See my seriously.SO.cute diamond shaped plate?

Yeah. It totally fell off the wall and broke just a few days after I took this picture. I was pretty sad because it was one of my favorites, and I’d bought it on vacation. Can’t really go back and buy another one. Which leads me to #7:

#7. Use plate disc hangers or plate hooks when hanging heavy plates or plates you love so much you don’t want them to break.

I used these Invisible English Disc Adhesive Large Plate Hanger Set (4 – 4 Inch Hangers) for my heavier plates. They were easy to use, and I can remove the discs later if I want to use the plates for eating. (How crazy would that be?)

#8. Remember where your traffic is.

I don’t recommend hanging plates right where people are going to walk. They WILL accidentally knock the plates off the wall. Also, notice where other furniture is placed in relation to the plates. I left a space open on our plate wall where the dining room chairs could knock the plates down if we weren’t careful.

So now the plate wall is complete! Whoohoo! It’s nice to have a pretty wall to welcome visitors. And the collection makes a big statement without spending a lot of money.