St. Ives Review

I admit it, I'm a beauty product junkie. I love reading about, seeing, and trying new products as soon as they're available. Sometimes my lust for the latest and greatest makes me forget about tried and true classics, like St. Ives. The lovely people at St. Ives sent me some goodies to review, including the ultimate always and forever amazing Apricot Scrub.

I still remember seeing St. Ives Apricot Scrub among my mom's things and loving that is smelled just like my Apricot doll. (She was the only doll I ever liked and had white hair and always used big words, seriously, so much foreshadowing of what was to come...) I don't think the formula has changed a bit, and it still works wonders on skin. I treated myself to a little DIY pedicure before a Memorial Day BBQ, where my feet made their reappearance in a super cute pair of wedge sandals. Just work the scrub into wet skin and let those little granules do their magic. The apricot oil helps keep your skin hydrated and nourished out of the shower. This is one of those products that made me feel so grown up once I started using it, like I'd finally become part of the secret Lady's Beauty Club. It's still winning awards and smoothing out skin of ladies and gents all over the world. I hadn't used it in ages, but judging how quickly I emptied the tub St. Ives sent me, it seems safe to say that I'm back in the scrub club.

I also got two different face washes from St. Ives' olive line - Moisturizing Olive Scrub and the Moisturizing Olive Cleanser. The olive products are gentle and will keep skin moisturized, I normally wouldn't use a moisturizing product - my skin is oily-slash-combination, so I stick to products made for oily skin. But lately I've been seeing some annoying dry spots on my face, what better time than to try these two cleansers? Both have a wonderful, fresh olive scent I'm kind of crazy about. I keep the scrub in the shower and use it on my neck and décolletage, since those areas need a little TLC too. I use the cleanser with my Clarisonic Mia, and my skin feels soooooo soft and clean afterward.

I enjoyed my trip down memory lane with St. Ives, especially with the Apricot Scrub - which, if you haven't used it in a while (or ever), is worth a revisit. Grab yourself a tub of it from the drugstore and scrub away! Then show off that fresh clean skin at the next beach blanket BBQ, but don't you dare forget the sunscreen!

DIY Beach Hair

After writing last week about what my Summer Hair Essentials are, I realized that my absolute favorite of them all was the sea salt spray to create that messy beachy look. I also realized at the time that I was sure I could make it at home. I looked online and found a few DIY recipes and picked and chose what I wanted in mine to create my own recipe.

What you will need:

Clean Spray Bottle

8 oz Water

Sea Salt (finely ground is best)

Gel

Hair Oil (Coconut, Moroccan, Almond, Etc.) or Conditioner

Optional:

Tea Tree Oil or other Essential Oil

Alcohol

Directions:

In bottle, mix water with 2 tsp. of sea salt (the more salt, the more wave but also the more dry your hair will be)

A tbsp. of hair gel (try to find unscented so it's scent won't compete with the other scents)

A dollop of conditioner or 1 tsp of oil to counteract the dryness.

I put in3-5 drop of Tea Tree Oil for scent and it helps promote a healthy scalp but you can use any type of Essential Oil if you would like.

Combine all ingredients and shake! Make sure to shake well before each use if you put oil in it as the oil will float to the top.

This recipe is very soft and will not give you that "crunch". If you want the crunch, you can add 3/4 tbsp of rubbing alcohol. If you add too much alcohol, it will overpower all other scents. For that extra crunch without alcohol you can also add more salt and/or gel until satisfied with the outcome of your hair. I happened to have all of these products at home so I literally spent $0 !



As you can see I have generally straight hair with a slight wave at the bottom (thank you erratic pregnancy). I put no alcohol and very little gel in my mixture because I hate crunchy gelled out hair, but it still gave me a soft messy wave that I like. I am beyond low maintenance, and at times I may venture into hobo territory, so this style is perfect for me. It's great if you're in a hurry or you need to fix that bed head ASAP. You can spray, scrunch and go or blow dry on low heat/low air or high heat/high air with a diffuser. The options are endless! okay not really, there really is only like three options but still it's super easy! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Trendy Mommy Tuesdays: vol. 9

Inspiration: Selma Blair

Picture thanks to Babble

Selma Blair. I have loved her since her "breakout role" in Cruel Intentions. She is a little bit weird, and a little unconventional looking but that is what draws me to her. My favorite actress roll of hers is Liz Sherman in the Hellboy series.

Selma Blair and her mom Molly Ann Beitner and son Arthur Saint were out shopping recently in Beverly Hills, CA where this picture was snapped. Selma is rocking a cute striped Summer dress and flip flops. How much more California can you get? 

This week I'm only focusing on the staple of this outfit which is the dress. I've rounded up a few options as far as striped dresses in a range of prices for your viewing  and buying pleasure!

Under $25:

 Left to Right: YesToStyle $22, Charlotte Russe $24.99, Forever 21 $22.80

Under $50:

Left to Right: Delias $39.50, YesToStyle $27, PiperLime $49, WeLikeFashion $25 

Under $100:

 Left to Right: French Connection $78, Vince Camuto $90, The Limited $80, Felicity & CoCo $68, ASOS $99 

Swanky Sweepin' Volume 35

Daily:

Wine-inspired nail polish set  200 winners, ends 6/30

Weekly:

Charlotte Russe shoes  I believe I posted this a long time ago, but it is still running. Unknown expiration.

Single:

Trip to San Fran to eat a bunch of chocolate  Ends 5/31

Suki skincare gift card  30 winners, ends 6/11. Do not subscribe.

$350 Estee Lauder shopping spree  Ends 5/31

Round trip ticket through Orbitz  22 winners, ends 5/31

$1,000 giftcard from Barneys New York  Pinterest contest, ends 6/3

3 Zoya nail polishes  2,000 winners if it reaches 20,000 pins. Pinterest contest, ends 6/5

Trip to LA to meet Paula Abdul  Ends 6/5

CoolSculpting and a trip to LA  Ends 6/30

A trip to London and a bunch of vibrators  I'm not even kidding. Ends 7/13

Photo: Paula Abdul in her "Opposites Attract" music video

Get Nailed: Memorial Day Nails

Memorial Day is upon us and in the spirit of Patriotism why not jump on the American bandwagon and show my support of this holiday with my nails ? Okay, maybe I am exploiting Memorial Day for a reason to do my nails again, but hey it's all in good fun right ?

I saw the idea for Doily Nail Art at Hey, Nice Nails. The link is currently on page 5 of their blog but I am sure it will move as they add more nail art. If you are in the Long Beach, CA area, go check 'em out. They will do your nails and they also book events! Anyhow, here is a picture of my inspiration from Hey, Nice Nails.

And here are my nails. They are not nearly as awesome as the tutorial however I had no tools. They are cute and remond me of flags, which I guess was the point right? Anyhow, this nail design has inspired me to go full nail salon on your ass and buy all the brushes and tools that I need to be fancy. So watch out for future episodes of Get Nailed!

Picnic Party

Warm weather equals time outdoors, and time outdoors is always best when there is food involved.

Why not have a picnic? On the beach, in the park, or right on your front lawn - enjoy the day and stuff your faces!

Here's some picnic supplies I gathered, all for $30 and under!

PICNIC PARTTYYYY.

Woven Basket, $26.99

Picnic set for 4, $19.99

And if you don't want to share your food, bring it all in this Organ Cooler from Think Geek, $19.99. Get 3.5% back through Ebates and free shipping for orders over $75.

 

Summer Hair Essentials

Everyone wants Mermaid hair, okay maybe it's just Heather and I, well mainly Heather. Sometimes Summer can impede this process a bit when you end up having to cut your hair instead of growing it out...Summer is here and that means fun in the sun, swimming, BBQ's, and going to the beach.  All of these things can be hard on your hair. At the end of every summer I usually cut about 2-3 inches off of my hair from all the "fun" that I've had. If you make sure to have these few essentials laying around, you should have no problem maintaining length, looks, moisture, elasticity, and shine!

Hair Ties

The best non slip, no pull hair ties hands down are Goody Ouchless Hair Elastics, $4.80. Easy as that.

Beach Waves

Don't have time to actually make it to the beach, but you are dying for that messy ocean hair? There are so many products out there today that claim to work

and I have tried quite a few including Bumble & Bumble, KMS, Aussie, and the sadly discontinued John Freida Beach Blonde. One that has recently come to my attention for "all hair types" is Aquage Sea Salt Texturizing Spray, $17. This product can be a bit drying after prolonged use but it gives the desired effects with a nice light smell and even works on fine hair! If you do not overuse this product it leaves you with the look of beachy hair not the stiff feel of it.

Hair Sunscreen

L'Oreal EverPure UV Protect Spray, Rosemary Mint , $8.19 is getting harder and harder to find on the store shelves but it works amazing! I found it on Amazon for only $8.19 which is a steal. It is specifically for colored hair to block out most UVA/UVB rays and to prevent fading. This can be used even if you do not have colored hair to protect your hair from the sun's harmful rays. Added bonus is it smells great and is safe for daily use!

After Sun Hair Care

Aveda After Sun Hair Care Masque, $13 (ARV $26!) is a great masque to restore your hair after a fun day in the sun, and not mention it smells amazing!

Deep Hair Conditioner

After all the Summer sun and hair products you use, everybody needs a break and a clean slate now and then. There are so many hair masks out there and they all basically do the same thing, but the product that has rescued my hair time and time again is Fekkai Salon Technician Color Care Rapid Results Moisture Mask, $39. You can get this product at ULTA (online or In-store) and use one of their monthly coupons on it to make it a bit cheaper than anywhere else. If you have normal hair, use this mask once a week. If you have dry hair, use this mask 1-5 times a week and your hair will thank you! The price is a bit steep but it literally works miracles. 

May Birchbox Review & Contest

I feel like I should be ringing bells or banging gongs right about now. I've been looking forward to the Gossip Girl themed Birchbox for weeks, and now it's here! The best part is..... It's contest time! Whoreders will be giving one lucky reader a 3 month subscription to Birchbox!

Here's what you need to do: leave a comment on this post telling us about your favorite beauty product. That's it! Easy as leave-in conditioner, my friends. Make sure to sign in when leaving your comment (either to Blogger, Google, etc.) so we can get in touch with you. The contest will be end at 11:59 pm (PST) on May 31st, and there is one entry per person (duplicates will be taken out of the drawing). The winner will be announced on June 1st in a blog post and on our Facebook page, so keep those lovely peepers peeled!

P.S. If you already have a Birchbox subscription, we'll give you a $30 gift certificate to use on anything your heart desires. This contest is brought to you by Whoreders, and is not sponsored by or affiliated with Birchbox.

Woo! Are you excited?! Let's dig into this Gossip Girl box and see what we've got!

Swanky Sweepin' Volume 34

Daily:

$100 Cinemark gift card  101 winners, ends 8/19

Trip to LA for the premiere of The Walking Dead  Ends 6/5

A ridiculously expensive motorcycle made by Jesse James  and $30,000 to cover the taxes on it, ends 5/29

Single:

$200 Bare Necessities shopping spree  50 winners, ends 7/2

Mushroom grow kits  5 winners, ends 5/23

$2,000 Alexander McQueen shopping spree  Ends 5/25

Versace sunglasses  5 winners, ends 5/22

$1,000 One Kings Lane credit  Pinterest contest, ends 5/25

Cutesy picnic basket  12 winners, ends 6/11, do not subscribe

An invite to Katy Perry's pool party  Ends 5/24

Sunny Days and Spring Frocks

It's warm again!

Time to garden, go on bike rides, visit the beach, and bust out those cute lil' Summer dresses!

I searched through Etsy to find you some new duds, all for $30 and under!

Etsy Treasury list: Spring Frocks



Images by Etsy sellers voguevintage, FashionGoRound, and TyneeTreasures

Whoreders: Get Nailed: SPLAT !

Long time, no nail art. So sorry, but I have been extreeeeeemely lazy..errr...busy. Yes, busy, that's it. Anyhow, after browsing the Internet for nail art ideas, I got even lazier, and all my ambition went down the drain. Next time, I promise something new and exciting. This time, I decided to do splatter paint nails, it may not be new, but it is exciting! I mean come on, I named them SPLAT! nails.  

How did I do it you ask? It seriously is the easiest manicure in the world, even my two year old daughter could do it...maybe even better than I did, but we won't talk about that. Anyhow, all you do is put a dollop of polish where you want the main "SPLAT!" to be, and take a toothpick, bobby pin, or other pointy tool to drag out lines and splat marks! That's it..seriously. While the manicure isn't perfect, that's the genius behind it, you can be messy and still claim you wanted it to look that way !

Originally I was thinking of doing something along these lines, but I wanted something simpler with little to no clean up. Luckily, I found the amazing Nail Nerd and saw these super cute nails that she did. I used her idea but changed up the color combo and did not use a base coat.

If you try this or have done it in the past, please feel free to post pictures as we would love to see your mani's! If you have any other ideas or requests for future posts leave a comment here or on our FB!

Corona & Lime Cupcakes

Picture & recipe directly from LaurenConrad.com 

Corona & Lime cupcakes, yum. I originally got this idea & recipe from Lauren Conrad...yes, the girl from Laguna Beach and The Hills. And yes I'm pregnant and baking with beer, don't judge me. I didn't eat any of the cupcakes because no one would let me. However, I would like to point at that according to certain sources, only 35% of alcohol in this specific recipe is retained after baking. I'm not a math wizard by any means, but 35% of a beer that is 4.5% alcohol level (of which I only used 1/2 a bottle) probably equals close to nothing. Bottom line, I didn't have any but I really wanted to.

Anyways, I digress...where was I? Oh yeah, cupcakes. I made these cupcakes for a Cinco de Mayo fiesta and they were a hit. The cake is almost corn bread like in texture, and still retains a hint of the Corona taste, and the frosting is amazing! I read that LC (yeah, we are on a nickname basis), didn't care too much for the frosting as it was too rich and sweet, so I cut down on the powdered sugar and what came out was a cream cheese frosting with a hint of lime, SO good! I realized these cupcakes aren't only fun for Cinco de Mayo, but for BBQ's and other summer time gatherings! 

Makes 24 cupcakes
*All of these ingredients I already had in the house except for the limes so my total for this recipe was $1.23!*

Stained Salt

I had a Cinco de Mayo gathering of the tacos on, well... you guessed it - the fifth of May. My friends and I wanted margaritas (to go with our copious amount of tacos) and I decided to have some fun with it. Why not dye the rimming salt the colors of the Mexican flag?

I am a brilliant idea maker.

It's incredibly easy:

Trendy Mommy Tuesdays vol. 8

Inspiration: Katherine Heigl



Pictures thanks to JustJared

I LOVE KATHERIN HEIGL! There, I said it, well, actually I shouted it. I have been a fan of Heigl since her Disney Days in Wish Upon A Star (we won't talk about My Father the Hero). At that time, I was 10 and I thought she was the most gorgeous person I had ever seen. I always wondered why she was never in anything else (that was mainstream anyways) and then lo and behold Grey's Anatomy debuted and there she was, and I have loyally stalked her ever since! I think she is so fun and cute, I just wanna squeeze her Elmyra Duff style!

Anyhow, besides her being a hilarious actress in some of my favorite movies, she is always put together and well dressed everywhere she goes. This past Mothers Day weekend was no exception, and now that she is a mother of two adopted children (Go Heigl!), I get to rant and rave about her her on Trendy Mommy Tuesdays!

Shirt: YesToStyle $25.20

Pants: Levi's from Macy's $42

Shoes: Seychelle's from 6pm $50

Glasses: Charlotte Russe $5.50

Belt: NY&Co. $9.95



Shirt: Olivialicious from BTY $62 (pricey but soo cute!)

Pants: Style&Co. from Macy's $25

Shoes: ALDO from 6pm $40

Glasses: JLo from Kohl's $25

Belt: Kohl's $15.60



Thanks for checking out another edition of Trendy Mommy Tuesdays, and as always, if you want me to cover a specific fabulous celebrity mom or if you have any questions/comments on the looks I put together this week, let me know via FB, Twitter, or leave a comment below! Thanks for stopping by, and until next week, keep on Whoreding!

Swanky Sweepin' Volume 33

Daily:

Handbag a day  Ends 6/5

Tablet of your choice  24 winners, and there's actually a bunch of the same promotion through other magazines, enter as many as you want? All end 7/30

$50 CVS card  100 winners, ends 5/31

Vacation!  One winner a day, ends 5/31

Single:

$150 Rent the Runway credit  67 winners, ends 7/2

Bright jeans  20 winners, ends 5/31

Roberto Cavalli perfume  118 winners, ends 7/2

Trip to Aspen  Ends 7/31

Chanel bag  Ends 5/20

Dark Shadows theme vacation  Ends 5/21

Trip to Comic-Con and The Walking Dead Black Carpet event  Ends 6/1


photo: ABC's original "Dark Shadows" soap opera

Extreme Cash Giveaway May 14 - June 10

Welcome to the May Extreme Cash Giveaway! Whoreders have teamed up with over 80 awesome blogs to bring you the chance to win $400 cash! 

This giveaway runs for a whole month, so don’t worry if you don’t have time to do all the entries at once. And don’t forget there are daily entries as well so come back every day to rack up all the entries you can. 

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends June 10th at 11:59 PM EST. Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This Spotty Mug

Hi, my name is Heather and I have poop stains on my face.

Soo... a while back I wrote about buying a Groupon for an IPL photofacial deal nearby and told you kids I'd give you my two cents. Well.... I'm a bit slow. I didn't make an appointment for a while and I waited another couple months after I had it done to take the "after" photos. I'm sorry. Please forgive me.

Swanky Sweepin' Volume 32

Daily:

Beauty products  Daily winners, ends 5/31

Beach stuffs  300 winners, ends 6/10

Cute stuffs from Teen Vogue   (don't judge me, my inner teen says yes to some of these items), daily prizes, ends 5/31

Serape Nails for Cinco de Mayo

It's that time of the year again... time to drink some tequila. Hopefully I don't fight a giant in a dark alley while in a dress and cute heels. That may or may not have happened to me before.

To celebrate, I decided to paint my nails like a serape! I hope they bring me warmth during the cold night.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! AY AY AY AYYY!

The Texas Handroll: A Party in Your Mouth

It's finally Friday (!!) so I'm going to stick with Vanessa's classy party theme here, ya'll.

New York City's Hill Country Chicken in the Flatiron area is an atomic little heaven of rich Southern fare: fried chicken, biscuits, and homemade pies with names like Whiskey Buttermilk and even an apple pie with a cheddar crust (note to self: need to try this). I've ended up here in the past because I love food but also because of it's proximity to an awesome antiques garage and flea market right down the street. This is dangerous stuff. Rummaging for finds (like this) and then settling down for a hot cafeteria-style lunch at HCC is a pretty decadent and perfect day for a girl like me.

One of my favorite things to get is also probably the weirdest on the menu: The Texas Handroll. Just don't sound right, does it? The Texas Handroll is like if Waylon Jennings had went to Japan and returned with a tasty illegitimate love child. It's wrong but so right. It's fried chicken strips (or deep fried avocado if you go with the vegetarian version) with a mound of coleslaw, sweet red pepper jelly, and sliced almonds all wrapped in a flour tortilla like a sushi handroll. Cute right? This thing is a delicious party in your mouth - a slightly disorienting party where you forget who you are and where you were going. Cool, hot, crispy, creamy, crunchy - there are a lot of textures and sensations going on here and it pretty much rules.

This week, craving one and getting bored with usual dinner options, I decided to experiment with making a healthier version at home using some of my favorite foods and and go-to tricks. Here is how it went down.

Cheap Thrills: Party In Your Pants

I can't believe it took me so long to make a Cheap Thrills in your pants post, I must be slipping in my old age. Pants are my most dreaded clothing item, I have yet to ever wear a pair and feel comfortable in them. I'm not talking about jeans, trousers and jeans are two totally different animals, jeans require their own kind of scientific fit and shopping techniques. I'm talkin' about pantalones, the dressy kind you'd wear to work and the casual ones you'd wear to a picnic if you didn't feel like shaving your legs.

So instead of immediately clicking on the "Dresses" tab of my favorite online shopping destinations, I ventured into new bottom territory. Camel toes are not welcome at this party...

Another Year Older and More Free Stuff

As I do every year, I turned another year older a few days ago. I love my freebies, so of course I signed up with a bunch of companies on Charlotte's post from a few months ago, and anxiously awaited my prezzies. To my surprise, there were a few extras I wasn't expecting!

A few of these are specific to my area, but this made me realize that all of you should look up your fav local eateries and mom and pop stores to see if they have a sign up sheet for an account, rewards program, or mailing list. If they ask for your birthday on the sign up there's a good chance they'll send you something, even if it's just a shopping discount! Hey, I like discounts, too!

Gotta Have It: Rubit Dog Tag Clip

Okay, we know I'm a crazy dog lady, right? I've accepted it, it's cool. As a crazy dog lady, I enjoy changing Oliver's collars every few months, usually with some sort of seasonal theme. One day, after breaking yet another nail, I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be great if there was some way I didn't have to remove and reattach all of these tags to each collar?" BOOM! The internet answered my prayers with Rubit Dog Tag Clips.

Rubit (roo-bit) is a carabiner style clip, which means there's a springy little bit that lets you clip it on or off in the blink of an eye. There's a traditional ring on the clip where you attach each tag (city license, ID tag, microchip tag, etc.), but the whole thing is easily clipped onto a dog collar with a quick snap. That means, you can switch your dog's collars in a couple of seconds - no muss, no fuss. They're super tough, and will stay on securely. Oliver has been using a Rubit clip for about two years and has never lost it.

I know if may sound like a trivial thing, dog tag clips, but if you've ever struggled with one of those stupid ring tag things - breaking nails and pinching fingertips, you'll know how handy the Rubit can be! They come in three sizes: small, medium and large, and start at $6.99 for small - each size goes up by .50 cents. There are oodles of colors, and they now have two new styles, blinged out rhinestone ($12) and heart shaped ($7.99). Oliver is totally getting one of those heart shaped clips, but don't tell him, I want it to be a surprise. Check out their whole selection here!

Rubit: Oliver approved!

Trendy Mommy Tuesdays vol. 7

Inspiration: Christina Aguilera (X-Tina if you're nasty)

Only my best friend knows this secret about me. I, am a fan of Christina Aguilera. Although I only know a few of her newer songs from Back To Basics, and Bionic, I will admit that I know every word of every song off of her album Stripped. Now that that "Dirrty" secret is out, I can continue with my article with a clear conscience.

This year, my poor Christina has been getting a ton of crap in the tabloids, whether it be for the "spray tan incident", the ongoing feud with Kelly Osbourne about her weight gain, her alleged binge drinking or her Diva antics and "lack of manners" (according to The Wanted) on the Voice. No matter what anyone says about her, there is no denying that the girl can sing and IMO, she has a fun sense of style!

Despite the rumours and allegations, not only do I love me some Christina, but I am seriously obsessed with The Voice, a TV singing competition on which Christina is one of the coaches. She definitely has had her questionable outfits on this show, but at least they were always memorable.

Speaking of Christina and her fashion, recently she was spotted shopping in West Hollywood, CA at Fred Segal in a royal blue sweater over a black skull print tube mini with black tights and pumps. Gurl also loves her accessories and made sure to rock some trendy sunglasses and a fedora as well.

This weeks looks are not made to mimic Christina,but rather are inspired by her!