April 2014 – The Hustlin’ Homemaker

My St. Tropez Self-Tanning Experience

Hi everyone! If you are fair skinned like me, chances are you have tried or thought about trying some kind of self-tanner. I love being tan in the summer time, but I don’t want to lay out in the sun or in a tanning bed, so I like to use self-tanner. I really like the Jergens Natural Glow Gradual Tanning Lotion, but I decided to try something new! My cousin Shauna recommended the St. Tropez self-tanner, and I have heard a lot of great things about it, so I decided to try it out!

I purchased the small size St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse, along with the mitt from my local Ulta. I have heard that the mitt works wonders with streaking problems. I paid around $18 for the mousse and $6 for the mitt.

I gave the bottle a good shake and I applied some to the mitt. I was very surprised at the color…a deep brownish green color. Kind of scary! I started to rub “in circular motions” just like the instructions say to do. I only applied this to my neck area, arms, and legs, and I noticed right away that I looked a lot more tan, and not a bit orange at all.

The smell was pleasant, kind of like a hair product. After having it on for about an hour, I notice that it did kind of get that self-tanner smell to it, but I didn’t mind since I was going to sleep. The smell is really not bad though.

When I woke up in the morning, I took a shower and a little bit of color washed off. After I got dressed, I looked in the mirror and I couldn’t believe how natural my tan looked! It doesn’t look orange at all, and one application is all that I needed. There were a few spots that I missed, but those are easily fixable and it was my fault for being in a hurry. I didn’t have any streaks at all though. I would recommend working slowly and making sure you get every spot, and blend it as well as you can. I am super impressed with this stuff as this is the best self-tanner I have ever tried! The best thing about this mousse is how NATURAL it looks! I now know why there are so many great reviews!

The bottle looks small, but it doesn’t even feel like I have used any of the product, so I think this will last me awhile. I’m glad I finally tried this!

Do you use self tanner?

thanks for reading, have a great day!

xoxo, Amy

The BEST Hair Oil Ever!

Hi everyone! Hope y’all had a great weekend. About a month or so ago, I received a sample with my Sephora order of the Agave Healing Oil Oil Treatment for hair. I have tried other hair oils in the past, but I find that they always leave my hair feeling weighed down. That is, until I tried this one!

This oil smoothes, restores, and transforms unmanageable, frizzy hair. It says to Work a small amount through damp/dry hair and blowdry.

The product comes in a dark brown glass bottle with a glass dropper. It smells fruity and tropical, like coconut and vanilla. If you have ever smelled Kenra hair products, it smells just like those. The smell lingers on your hair, so you will be able to smell it all day, which I love.

How I use it:
After I get out of the shower, I apply about a quarter size amount (I have a lot of hair) of this oil to the bottom section of my hair. I only use oil products below my ears, because I don’t want my scalp to get oily. I comb it through, blowdry, and curl my hair. Everytime I use this oil, I cannot stop touching my hair. It makes it so soft and shiny. I don’t find that it weighs my hair down at all, but I don’t use it every day. I try to only use it once or twice a week.

I’m not gonna lie, this little miracle is pricey. I picked up the 2 oz bottle from Ulta for $24, and I know that some Sephora stores carry it also. You only need a little bit, so this bottle will last you awhile.

Have you tried this? What’s your favorite hair oil?

Thanks for reading!

xoxo, Amy

Top 5 Must Have Beauty Tools

Hi guys! Today’s post is all about my top beauty tools that I find essential for applying makeup! I have a separate post on my favorite brushes to apply makeup that you can check out here. This post won’t include any brushes, just some tools that I use every day. These tools make the applying makeup process a lot easier and quicker.

1. TWEEZERS

You have to have a good pair of tweezers! I recommend the Tweezerman brand. They are very sharp and pointy, and they are perfect for getting tiny stray brow hairs. I also like to use tweezers to apply false eyelashes. My fingers sometimes get in the way, and picking them up and placing them on the lashline with the tweezers is a lot easier.

2. EYELASH CURLER

I feel like there are a lot of eyelash curlers out there! Each brand has their own, but they all do the same thing. In my opinion, there is no need in spending a lot of money on one. I find that that this is a beauty tool I have to have! My mascara just doesn’t look the same when it’s applied to uncurled lashes. I recommend always curling your eyelashes before applying mascara, that way you won’t lose any eyelashes.

3. SPOOLIE

I like to use a spoolie to comb out my eyebrows before I apply my eyebrow product. This really does help to put any unruly brow hairs in place and make the eyebrow-filling-in process a lot easier. I also like to use this after I apply brow powder, because I think it helps blend out the powder better and makes my brows look natural.

4. EYELASH COMB

Even if you are using a great mascara (ahem, Maybelline Rocket), sometimes your eyelashes still get clumped together. Using an eyelash comb like this one will remove all of the clumps from your lashes and your lashes will look even and pretty!

5. Q-TIPS

You can use Q-tips for so many things! My favorite way to use them are for smudging out eyeliner, and you can even use them to apply shadow to your inner corner of your eye to highlight. You can also use them to get into products (like foundation) to get the very last bit out. I also like to use q-tips dipped in some makeup remover to fix any mistakes or smudges that I have made, or to clean up fallout from eyeshadows. The uses for q-tips are endless!

I hope you guys liked this post, what are your must have beauty tools?

thanks for reading!

Review : Kardashian Beauty Sheer Joy Tinted Lip Balm Duo

Hi everyone! Today I have a review for you on a product I picked up about a week ago that I have been loving! This is the Kardashian Beauty Sheer Joy Tinted Lip Balm Duo. This was on a display at my local Kroger for $4.99, so I figured I would give it a try. I love tinted lip balms, and I am really impressed by these.

The duo comes with two colors, Cherry Kiss and Berry Kiss.

The box says:
Keep this perfect little tube in your pocket to slick on anywhere, anytime and slick it on for the pure joy of it…care for your lips with beautiful, sheer color and a soft, sweet flavor with emollient ingredients that moisturize and condition your lips on the go-without even looking in a mirror.

Here are the swatches:

As you can see, Berry Kiss is a pink-berry color, while Cherry Kiss is a brighter, coral color. These lip balms are very moisturizing, and they last for quite a while! They smell fruity, and remind me of Lip Smackers, except with color. I love these!

You can also find Kardashian Beauty products at CVS and Ulta.

Have you tried these?

thanks for reading!

xoxo, Amy

Ipsy Glambag April 2014

Hey guys! Hope y’all are having a great week. Today I am going to share with you what I got in my April Ipsy Glambag. My 2 year old daughter Allie loves these bags! As soon as we open the mailbox and she sees that pink envelope, she shrieks, “IPSYYYY BAGGG!!!” She always rips it open for me and immediately starts checking out the products. She even swatches. Lol.

For those of you who don’t know, Ipsy is a beauty sample subscription box where you pay $10 a month (you can cancel anytime) and they send you a grab bag full of goodies based on your profile every month. Most of the time they send full size products! The value of what is in the box is always over $10, and it’s a great way to try out new products!

This month’s theme was Beauty Rocks and came with 5 products in a navy colored bag with a graphic print on the front. I’m not crazy about the bag at all, but I never really use the bags for anything anyway. Allie said “we can give it to dada, its for boys.” I don’t even need to get a bag, in my opinion. All I care about is what’s inside!

Elizabeth Mott Pop Goes The Shadow single eyeshadow in Champagne – FULL SIZE Value $12.99

Mary Kay At Play Jelly Lipgloss in Teddy Bare – FULL SIZE Value $10

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Pencil in Black Velvet – 0.03oz Value $15

Nice! So, the eyeshadow is pretty, it is a neutral, shimmery color. It looks just like MAC’s All That Glitters and will be a nice color to use all over the lid. As for the Mary Kay lipgloss, I get it, they are trying to appeal to a younger demographic (which they should)…but this color is blah blah boring. It’s just a plain nude, no shimmer or anything to it. It doesn’t have a scent, and I think it will definitely have to be layered over another color. Ok, so the pencil. Urban Decay 24/7 liners are some of the best. I own these in a ton of different colors, and this Velvet kind must be a new formulation. I was really happy to see something this awesome in the bag. It’s almost full size too.

Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse – 1.5 oz Value $6

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant – 0.25oz Value $9.75

I already own this Big Sexy Root Pump in the full size, so this is definitely something I will use. I love all of the Big Sexy Hair products, and I was glad to see this in the bag. The skin exfoliator sounds nice, I have heard good things about that brand, so I’m excited to give that a try.

This was a great bag from Ipsy. I was really excited about that eyeliner. I paid $10 for this bag, and I received $53.74 worth of products! Good job Ipsy!

What did you get in your Ipsy Glambag?

Thanks for reading!

xoxo, Amy