Ulta Love Your Curls Kit

I think it's time I come to terms with my new reality: I no longer have straight hair. After years of longing after messy waves and spending a ton of time curling it, my hair has undergone an evolution. First came the summertime frizzies. Then, I started getting little curls around my forehead. Now, if I don't fully dry my hair, flat iron, and pin it up to sleep, I get waves.

This is a whole new world from someone who used to have hair that would shed a curl within 2-3 hours. So I'm still trying to figure my new hair out.

Enter the Ulta Love Your Curls Kit.

To be fair, this has a sample of one of the items I was mulling in-store and I thought it might be a good set to try. I'm not going to go too deep into each item, but if you're familiar with them please leave your thoughts in the comments!

This kit cost $9.99 and claims to be a $56 value.

Let's take a quick look at the products inside:

1. Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Oil (full size: $38)

Honestly, this is one of the products I was mulling. I'm at the end of my Drybar oil, and I love putting a bit on my ends. I'm a huge fan of Living Proof and nearly purchased the travel size ($20).


2. DevaCurl Melt Into Moisture (full size: $36)

This is a Matcha Butter Conditioning Mask. I've been loving a matcha cleanser, and I'm into hair masks... I'll probably try this very soon.

3. Matrix Air Dry Twisted Boho (full size: $18)

This is one of two products I don't see myself using anytime soon. I already own the Bumble and Bumble Don't Blow It cream and will be using that for quite awhile!

4. Bed Head Screw It Curl Hydrating Jelly Oil (full size: $21.99)

This is the other product I don't think I'll be reaching for. I'll play with it this winter because it perplexes me. That said, this is a huge product.

5. Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel (full size $26-75)

I wish I'd seen this a couple of months ago. I'm very interested to pro/con this against my Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream!

6. KMD Moist Repair Anti-Breakage Spray  (full size: $23.50)

For some reason, I didn't photograph this. Whoops.

I'm in. I use a protein spray on my hair several times per month, and I'm always looking to rotate my products.

I'm so happy that Ulta is stepping up their game with these kits- I almost picked up a drugstore skincare one at the same time. I'm looking forward to digging into this kit- and figuring out my new hair!

Snow Day Beauty

With so much of the country experiencing snow within the past few days, I thought I'd re-start the blog by bringing you my snow day beauty favorites. This is the exact combination that I wore while shoveling for hours- and why I chose each carefully curated item.  This comes from a lifetime of living in areas with snowy winters- and never having the luxury of a garage/snow blower!

Please note the yummy throw- it may show up from time to time as a background. It seems right since we're talking winter. This picture really was taken by a fireplace (which was in use recently).

1. If you're planning to spend all day digging out in the snow, it's important to pamper your face a little bit more. I upped my moisturizer to L'Occitane's Shea Butter Ultra Rich Comforting Cream ($34, 1.7oz)(sample from last holiday's L'Occitane Advent Calendar) to give just a bit more protection. It has 25% shea butter, which allowed my sensitive skin to deal with the cold elements with nary an issue.

2 + 3. UV protection is a MUST, and you'll be getting a lot more UV (reflection from the snow) than you may estimate. Even though it's winter, protecting your skin is essential. I trotted out my regular daily duo- Chanel UV Essentiale  Complete Sunscreen UV Protection Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50 ($55, 1 oz) and Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream SPF 34 ($35.50, 0.6oz). In the time that I've been away from blogging, I have re-dedicated myself to a SPF'd lifestyle. This combo is my HG for use with daily makeup and provides as high of a SPF content as I can find.

4. A light base- I personally love Iope's Air Cushion XP as an awesome cushion compact. It's not available directly for sale online in the US, but it's worth tracking down. I'll post a full review in the coming weeks, as well as more info on how to find the most pale-complexion-friendly cushion compact on the market (IMO).

5. Even though I went au natural for blush and the cushion compact let my freckles (and rosacea) shine through, I have a few spots that I wanted to cover, plus my naturally-occurring dark circles. I could've pulled out my NARS Creamy Concealer, but Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer ($14) has been in my rotation far more often as of late. PS- my NW15ish skin likes shade 01- Bavarian Cream.

6. Right now, my hair is a few shades darker than my natural shade, so filling in my brows is a must or I look silly. I adore my Tom Ford Brow Sculptor ($45) in Chestnut for a quick one-step brow.  (In case you're curious, I love using MAC Cork with some Fix+ for additional coverage.)

7.  This was one of two totally unnecessary steps, but honestly I wanted to test this out after getting a deluxe sample during the holidays. Any totally neutral eye pencil will do, but I wore NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Color in Angel ($24), a lovely nude shade. It's my eyes but better. It wore decently well while exerting myself, but if I was going to do this over I'd pull out Laura Mercier's Eye sticks.

8. Pick out your favorite waterproof mascara. This is the one that I have open right now, Chanel Le Volume Waterproof Mascara ($32).

9. Your lips will need some pampering. Do it up right with the Rolls Royce of lip balms, By Terry Baume de Rose. I pulled out the special edition from Holiday 2015- the Gold Baume de Rose Parure Lip Balm ($31). It's Baume de Rose with shimmer. It's the best of both worlds- the luxurious lip balm and a glittery gloss.

10. Let's be honest, friends. Shoveling is an awesome cardio workout. Continue smelling awesome with a little bit of perfume oil. I pulled out one of my favorites, Elizabeth and James Nirvana White Perfume Oil ($35).

11. If you're heading out to shovel, or if you're simply taking a halftime break, a great dry shampoo is essential. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo ($28) is my HG and beats the pants off of any other dry shampoo I've tried.

If you want to simplify, simply edit out the mascara and eye pencil. I didn't wear them on the first day that I was shoveling.

What are your snow day beauty must-haves?

Living Proof Nourishing Styling Cream

Now that summer is almost close enough to taste, I thought it would be the best time to share one of my favorite summer hair products: Living Proof Nourishing Styling Cream ($15/2oz - $26/4 oz - $36/8 oz).

Living Proof touts this product as "the biggest anti-frizz technology in over 30 years." The product description from their website states:

"A deeply nourishing styling cream that eliminates frizz by blocking humidity and smooths the hair strand leaving hair tamed and shiny, yet never heavy or greasy. Powered by our patented Healthy Hair Molecule (OFPMA), which is the biggest breakthrough in anti-frizz technology in over 30 years. Our Healthy Hair Molecule:

• weightlessly blocks humidity 
• 70% better than silicones and oils 
• nourishes and provides optimum moisture levels keeps hair cleaner, longer 

Good for thick or coarse frizzy hair. Sulfate-free, silicone-free and oil-free. Safe and formulated for color and chemically treated hair."

Wow, that's a bit of a mouthful. In reality, this is the first product I've found that stands up to the worst days during the summer when the air is so thick and heavy that it's almost like walking through soup.

It doesn't take more than a pea-sized bead for shoulder length hair. Most importantly, it doesn't weigh down my hair or make it greasy.  I apply this after washing and before drying. My hair is color treated, and this product works well with it.

I highly recommend at least trying this product- even if you're just looking for a product to protect hair from frizzing from the flat iron.  I try to use as few products in my hair as possible, otherwise I'd just use it year-round.

I purchased mine via Sephora, but Living Proof is carried in Sephora, Ulta, and several other retailers.


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