Beauty

Beauty, Real Talk, Wellness

If you know me you know I love to do my research – this means really digging, understanding biases, agendas, you know the drill. 

WAY back in 2009 I wrote a blog post about sunscreen. That is when I learned that not all sunscreens are created equal and wrote about the benefits of using a physical sunscreen vs. a chemical sunscreen. But now, I’ve learned that there is a lot more to the picture and a lot more to consider even buying physical sunscreens, because some are still filled with toxic chemicals. 

Almost every health and/or women’s magazine will advise you to wear daily sunscreen in an effort to protect us from skin damage and skin cancer. Until a few months ago, I followed this advice. Once I learned about the toxic chemicals in most sunscreens and humans’ need for unprotected sun every day, I now only wear sunblock (and yeah, there is a difference between sunscreen and sunblock) when I will be out in the sun in the middle of the day for an extended period of time. 

Ok, now back to sunscreen vs. sunblock. The difference is simply that a sunSCREEN will screen out the sun with chemicals. Chemical UV filters penetrate the skin, enter the bloodstream, and can wreak havoc on our bodies. 500 of the most popular sunscreens actually increase the speed at which malignant cells develop and spread skin cancer. {via} SCARY SHIT, right?! {via} SunBLOCK is a physical block, such as Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide. You will need to work a little harder to blend sunblock into your skin, but it’s SO WORTH IT. 

Not only is sunscreen (the ones with toxic ingredients)  mostly just not great for you, but we actually need to be able to produce Vitman D naturally for optimal health. {via}

So what’s a girl to do? How can we protect ourselves from sun damage?

  1. Eat a nutrient-dense diet and avoid polyunsaturated fats which will help your body protect itself from disease. {via}
  2. Dress well – A hat and longer sleeves protect the body without any chemicals.
  3. Use a natural, non-toxic sunblock when you will be exposed to the sun for an extended period of time. My favorite is Juice Beauty’s Sport Sunscreen. The only ingredient is Zinc and it blends into my skin really well. No breakouts, either. I apply it anywhere and everywhere that I need it. 
  4. Use coconut oil as a backup – I just learned that coconut oil has a natural SPF of 4, and I’ve put it on my arms for early morning hikes and no burns here. 

Since most of us are working from home right now, I feel like we should make it a mission to get outside for at least 30 minutes each day and get that Vitamin D! Being in the sun also just puts me in a good mood.

Off to do some sunning…

xx, Lynn

Beauty

It’s tanning SZN! But you know we don’t like tanning beds. And that’s where a good fake tan comes in. Personally I like to have a glow year-round, but it’s something I do even more during the summer months.

There are a few tricks that you must know before getting that good faux glow though. Because we’ve all seen some bad fake tans, right? Like Oompa Loompa orange skin, extra dark palms, patchy-ness + more.

Let me say that I have experienced ALL of the above. And that is why I’m writing here today about the tips and tricks to practice to get your best, even, natural AND non-toxic glow.

Let’s get right into it:

PREP

  1. At least 8 hours before you use a tanning lotion or mousse, shave everything you need to shave. This is to avoid having your hair follicles show up darker than the rest of your skin when you apply the self-tanner. They need time to close back up after you’ve cut the hair down.
  2. After shaving, exfoliate your entire body with a dry brush or with a shower scrub. I LOVE this one from Nécessaire.
  3. Do not apply fragrance, deodorant, or lotion (yet) to your body.

Quick break from the steps to talk about the tanning mousse that I recently started using and absolutely LOVE. Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tinted Tan Mousse. I’ve been going through the process of replacing toxic beauty products with non-toxic alternatives which I recently did with my tanning products – not naming names here but when I typed in the self-tanner that I was using before into Think Dirty (you need this app if you want to make sure your bath, body, and cosmetic products are clean) – it came up as VERY DIRTY as in TOXIC. Think Dirty offers up a list of clean alternatives and that is how I found Vita Liberata. This mousse is streak free, lasts for 2 weeks on me, and it does not smell.

So, once you’re ready to start the tanning process:

  1. Stand on a towel to protect your floor and the bottom of your feet
  2. Take off all jewelry
  3. Apply a barrier cream (lotion) on areas where your skin is thicker, like your knees, ankles, elbows, etc.
  4. Start at the tops of your feet and work your way up your body using a tanning glove. I love this one and I wash it often.
  5. When tanning your hands, form a bear/claw-scare pose with your hands to apply the self tanner so that it doesn’t miss your knuckles. I’ve walked around with tan hands with white knuckles before and it ain’t cute.

If you’ve heard about washing your hands right after your tanning sesh, don’t do it. You’ll end up with white hands and a tan body. LOL. Wait at least an hour if you can.

POST

  1. If you start getting too tan, just shower. That will stop the tan from developing any further.
  2. I try not to shave afterwards for as long as possible. No exfoliation either. Not even a loofah! You want that tan to last.

That’s it! Let me know if a video on this process might be helpful?

Here’s to the perfect golden glow!

xo, Lynn

 The Body Dry Brush Medium • Dr. Barbara Sturm • $35 

 Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Self Tan Mousse - Medium • Vita Liberata • $54 

 The Body Exfoliator • Nécessaire • $30
Beauty

CLIP-IN HAIR EXTENSIONS!

There are so many kinds and your head might be spinning trying to pick out the best pair for your hair. And then blend them in with your real hair. Clip-ins are my JAM and I feel like an authority on the topic because I have tried out so many different brands and styles. I’m pretty detail oriented when it comes to my extensions. They can’t look like they’re dangling from my head like an octopus or give me a penis head. You know what I’m talking about, right?!

Let’s get right into it. Here’s my guide on how to make sure your clip-ins look as natural as possible:

♡ Make sure that the hair extensions texture matches your natural hair texture. The best way to do this is to make sure that 1. the hair you are buying is 100% human hair and NOT at all synthetic. No plastic Barbie vibes here. 2. Take note of the amount of grams you’re buying. If you have thick hair, you’ll want to up the grams.

♡ Make sure the color is on point. Usually with hair extensions you can go 1-2 shades lighter or darker (give or take) and your hair will blend. However: I have had the most luck having custom color done. This will allow you to have the most natural, seamless look color-wise. When I had NBR extensions (not clip-ins), they were custom colored to match the highlight pattern and color of my hair perfectly. You could not tell where my real hair started and ended.

Side note: I recently went darker and LOVE my hair color so much. I wanted something more natural and seamless so Noelle at ash Salon toned by blonde way down to a bronde and left my roots alone for a pretty melt. I had purchased these Hair Shop clip-ins that were bright blonde to match my previous color, but she toned them with the exact same toner that was used on my hair to match my new hair perfectly.

The Hair Shop is my go-to place to buy clip-ins because the color selection is amazing, the quality of the hair is better than any other clip-in brand I’ve tried (and I’ve tried A LOT), and the customer service is fabulous. If you need help color matching, their team will help you.

♡ Have your clip-ins cut to accentuate your hair cut and style. This one is SO IMPORTANT. You don’t want to be walking around with hair that doesn’t blend. Whether you have layers or no layers, you’ll still want to have the extensions cut to make the whole look natural.

After mine were cut, I took one weft out at a time and labeled each one with where it was placed on my head and I keep them all labeled in a drawer with hair ties around each weft. For example: on the top right side of my head, I label that weft “top right” so that I know exactly where each piece goes. I snap them all in super fast – less than 2 minutes!

Let me know if you have any questions – I love helping you with this kind of stuff!

xo, Lynn

Beauty

Press-on nails have had a bad reputation. When you think of press-on nails, you probably think about thick, ill fitting nails, right? Yeah, I did until recently because I have used those shitty nails in the past…when I was in my early teens to be specific.

Let me give a little backstory here. Before I started getting my nails done at the salon, I would buy glue on nails – always the french mani style…early 2000’s, ya know? They were hard to apply, never fit quite right, and would pop off so easily. The last time I applied them back then, I accidentally glued my lips together – LOL. I got the glue on one of my fingers, touched my mouth, and there you have it.

Now that many California nail salons have been closed for months 🤐 I couldn’t take it any longer, caved, and bought press-on nails to see what all the rage was about. OMG, you guys, press-on nails have improved over the last 15 years. SO.MUCH. They are also so much less expensive than going and getting a manicure. Faster, too. I will always prefer my usual dip powder manicure, but the downsides are the cost and the time it takes. I don’t count those appointments as ‘fun’ ones because I am sitting there for over an hour unable to use my hands.

An Instagram ad got me a few weeks ago as I was searching for the best press-on nails. I ordered two styles after I read about Static Nails and as I type this I am wearing them for day 5. I LOVE THEM.

The process: super easy. You select the size for each nail before breaking out the glue by placing each fake nail on top of your natural nail bed. My nails are tiny and I did have to file all of them down a bit, but I love that Static Nails provides you with several size options for each nail. Next, apply a thin line of glue onto your nails starting from the cuticle and ending at the tip. I also applied a dot of glue to the faux nails for extra security and let the glue set for 6 seconds before applying the faux nail to my real nail. Works like a charm. Then, file or clip the tip into whatever shape and length your heart desires and get ready to shock everyone when you tell them your manicure isn’t dip, acrylic, or gel. I was at Trader Joe’s yesterday and the cashier asked me where I got my nails done. She was shocked when I told her that I was wearing press-ons and asked for the name of the company and the color. Yeah, they’re really that deceiving.

What I love about Static Nails is that they’re nothing like what you’d see at the drugstore – a cheapy box with a clunky style. They’re chic. They’re amazing quality. They’re vegan and cruelty free. <— THAT is what sold me.

So there ya go. Order them and you won’t be disappointed! Static Nail sets are the next best thing – or maybe better – than your salon mani.

xo, Lynn

Beauty

We all know that UVA and UVB rays are not so great for your skin. But there’s a new(er) “bad” light in town: BLUE LIGHT. As in blue light from devices such as your phone, your laptop, iPad, etc. It’s incredibly bad not only for your eyes and sleep but also for your skin. I feel like NOW is one of the worst times being that we’re indoors more due to quarantine.

Watching TV, using your computer and your phone can cause damage to your skin. Think of it kind of like an invisible sunburn. It can make your skin look dull, too. No one wants advanced aging skin whether it’s from the sun or your devices.

Ok, so let’s talk about combating the artificial blue light we’re all being exposed to…two words: Goodhabit Skincare.

Goodhabit just launched their brand and line of skincare TODAY and I had the privilege of trying it before they launch for a few weeks – and you guys, it is INCREDIBLE. Goodhabit Skincare is based around combating artificial blue light. All of their products use BLU5 Technology which neutralizes the blue light radiating from your device to your skin.

And if you’re wondering if SPF prevents damage from artificial blue light: no, not really.

“We discovered that despite what consumers think, most SPFs don’t offer protection against blue light damage. Chemical sunscreens don’t help at all, and only a small amount of physical sunscreens offer slight blocking protection.” – Goodhabit CEO Mariya Nurislamova

YIKES.

Not only does Goodhabit’s products prevent damage, but they also help to reverse damage from past oxidative stress caused by blue light. The BLU5 Technology in their products is made up of a few ingredients, including a marine active sourced from Greenland. “The rich proteins and exopolysaccharides actually form a protective barrier on your skin, protecting it against blue light damage. The other is an amino acid-derived molecule sourced from a salt lake in the deserts of Egypt.” –Goodhabit

The two products I have been using every single day since I received them are the Glow Potion Oil Serum and the Water Jelly Dew Cream.

I get into how to use them and show you my morning skincare routine in my new video:

So far, the biggest benefit I’ve seen is a brighter complexion. Like in comparison to before, I think my skin was a lot more dull.

Benefits of using blue light blocking products:

+ Neutralizes the effects of blue light, shielding skin from future damage

+ Creates youthful-looking skin, helping to smooth over fine lines and wrinkles

+ Brightens skin tone, preventing and fading the look of hyperpigmentation

+ Visibly improves skin’s texture and helps maintain a firm, supple appearance

+ Helps maintain a healthy glow by protecting skin from oxidative stress

Oh, also: all Goodhabit products are vegan and cruelty free.

Love, love, love.

xo,

Lynn

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