where are they now?

As a blogger I have certainly enjoyed the perk of receiving free beauty products to review. I can honestly say that of all the products I have happily welcomed into my home, none have been hated, but there are a select few that have firmly planted themselves in my daily routine. Many I have gone on to purchase with my own money after my sample ran out, & the rest, I will if I need to (shameless plug to receive more samples if anyone is listening!)

You can check out all my beauty product review posts, I especially love this one when I finally embraced moisturizers after year of distain & disgust (AKA where I had to eat my words because these moisturizers are amazing), and shop my forever go-tos below: 

{1} Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Creme - I am not the biggest fan of using heat on my hair (1 part lazy, 1 part protective of my locks) - so if I style my hair, I want it to last for DAYS! With this product, my curls last at least 2 (over my usual half the night)!

{2} Murad Daily Cleansing Foam - this is the product that made me enjoy washing my face. Super refreshing, without leaving my skin feeling tight (as evidenced on Instagram).

{3} Dermalogica After Sun Repair  -  my husband burns like a piece of toast (is that a saying?) & this has come to our rescue many times. A quick application when we get inside from the pool is a miracle worker.

{4} By Terry Rose Lip Balm  - a splurge for sure, but this super smooth & amazing smelling balm makes my lipstick stay put & properly moisturized for hours. I tend to get super self conscious when I wear lipstick (Is it on my teeth? Did it smudge? Has it all cracked off?), so the price tag is worth it to me.

{5} Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme - life long nail & cuticle biter here. Still working on my recovery, but a quick swipe of this while we watch TV at night is certainly helping keep things less scary around my nail beds. 

{6} Murad "Invisiblur" Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30 - a fairly recent addition to the family, but it is here to stay. The Invisiblur is a daily SPF & primer/perfecter all in 1. One of the things that I appreciate most about Murad is their thought process not only in the product itself, but also in the packaging, & the experience that you have when using it. This product is very easy to use, & I LOVE that with 1 pump it delivers the perfect amount - not too much, not too little. 

{7} Murad Acne Clearing Solution - I'm still waiting on my teenage acne to go away TOTALLY, but for now, a nightly application of the Acne Clearing Solution keeps most of it at bay.

{8} Jergens Natural Glow Daily Firming Moisturizer - I enjoy going to the pool, but slathered in SPF 50. So to add color (+ a little firming action too!), I try to apply this Jergens gradual self-tanning lotion every 3 days after my shower.

{9} C.O. Bigelow Lemon Sugar Body Scrub - The only way I will shave my legs now! The smooth skin I get from using the sugar scrub & then razoring the fuzz away is leagues above!

{10} Murad Skin Smoothing Polish - the more I read about exfoliation, the more I want to do it on every inch of my skin! I really appreciate that this Skin Smoothing Polish is a gentle enough scrub that I can do it every couple of days, & it feels so good!

I am also super excited about the new Living Proof "No Frizz" Line that landed on my stoop this week - still in the testing process, and I can't wait to share it all with you soon!

What are the beauty products you buy again & again?

twin set

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Living Proof. I received product samples to facilitate my review and to thank me for my participation.

Continuing to figure out the style that works for my new teacher lifestyle. It definitely is a balance between feeling good in what I wear, & not losing sleep over the latest stain on my favorite shirt (kids are dirty, & don't ever give them scissors or glue!)

I am finding that there are certain pieces that work for me, & from this foundation I have created my "teacher capsule wardrobe".

I have also learned that there is not much better than a new cardigan & clean hair. 

{ Blue Sweater outfit: J.Crew Factory "Clare" cardigan // dress ℅ Of Mercer // Old Navy ballet flats // vintage necklace (thanks Mom!) }

All Photos | Kate Davis Photo

{ Pink sweater outfit: J.Crew Factory "Clare" cardigan // J.Crew Factory cropped black "Winnie" pants // Ann Taylor leopard shell // necklace ℅ Daisy Gem // Sole Society wedges (the most comfortable wedges ever!) }

I do seriously intend to eventually have this cardigan in ALL THE COLORS! It pairs so perfectly well with my beloved Of Mercer dress (previously seen in the capsule wardrobe series here) and skinny cropped pants (spotted in this teacher outfit as well).

I am also happy to report that after using the Living Proof PhD products for the past couple of weeks, my head of hair is changed! I've been a dedicated user of the PhD 5-in-1 styling treatment for several years now (it's magical!)  but hadn't ever bought into the idea of really dishing out for the shampoo/conditioner. I mean, how different could it be from the drugstore shampoo I was already using (just whatever my husband had picked up at the grocery store)??

Well, mark this down as yet another occasion I will have to eat my words… it is a world of difference!  And the price isn't that much of a hindrance anymore now that I realize how LITTLE shampoo I actually need to get my hair incredibly clean & healthy.

Being a first year teacher (& having NO CLUE what I'm doing), means that I have very few precious moments to spend doing my hair (the rest of the time is spent trying to figure out how to teach 7th graders Science!). So now with the Living Proof products, the biggest change I have seen is my hair routine. My new hair care schedule is something like this: wash hair on Sunday night. Wear hair down Monday. Wear hair in a pony on Tuesday. Spray on the dry shampoo and wrap hair into a bun on Wednesdays. Wash hair on Wednesday night. Wear hair down Thursday. Wear hair in a pony Friday. Take an hour long shower on Friday & celebrate the weekend!

Before the Living Proof products I was having to wash my hair EVERYDAY. And by the end of 1 day, it was a greasy mess. Now I can go 3 days & still feel like my hair looks presentable every day (with a little dry shampoo to freshen things up between washes).

I never thought this would be possible for me. I always figured I was just destined to a life of greasy hair. Thank goodness I was wrong. Thank you Living Proof Perfect hair day!

Purchase your next perfect hair day here!

Saying goodbye to the greasy teacher bun & hello to more clean hair days thanks to Living Proof!

What product do you want to purchase in every color?

Have you had any hair care breakthroughs recently? Anyone else who was/is a slave to washing their hair everyday? Or are you a magical person who is a once a week washer??

**Now through November 8th, with an order of $20 or more, you can enter the code NOV2014 to get a free Perfect hair Day (PhD) 5-in-1 Styling Treatment in travel size. With this order you will also receive free samples and free shipping!