October Favorites

If you know me, you know I looove me some beauty products. I'll admit, I'm a beauty junky and my new position at Sephora definitely isn't helping it. This month, I've put together seven beauty items that I haven't been able to live without.

October Favorites

Here & Here

If you've never tried Josie Maran products, you honestly do not know what you're missing! Josie Maran's all-natural products are infused with 100% pure argan oil. After watching a few beauty gurus on YouTube rave about the Josie Maran Argan Oil, I knew I had to give it a try. I bought the original formula and fell in love. A few drops of this oil rubbed over my face before bed left me with soft and moisturized skin in the morning -- something very rare, thanks to my super dry skin. My skin drinks this stuff up, never leaving me with an oil slick on my face. I've also used it as a bath oil and put a few drops in my body lotion. I received the Light version of the Josie Maran Argan Oil as part of my gratis when I began working at Sephora. This lighter version is perfect for those with normal to oily skin or those looking for a great day time moisturizer. I know you oily skin ladies are fainting at the thought of putting an oil on your face, but trust me, all natural oil like this argan oil will help to cut down on your face's natural oil. By putting a natural oil, that will not clog your pores, on your face, you are essentially tricking your skin into thinking it's produced enough oil, and in return, producing less. You're probably all saying "Okay Jenna, we get it. You love it" and you're right. I can't stop raving about it. Josie Maran has a ton of different argan infused products that you need to check out -- take my word for it! Just go into your local Sephora and ask for some samples. You won't be disappointed!

Here

Okay, an hour later after Jenna's Josie Maran rant, I bring you product number two! MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish in Give Me Sun. I've raved about NYX Matte Bronzer before on my blog, but I threw that stuff out the window after discovering this product. As a MAC product should be, considering the price, it's fantastic. The MSF's are extremely smooth in texture and long lasting and this shade is the perfect bronze color. There is no sparkle or shimmer so it is perfect to use as an all over bronzer.

Here & Here

I'm completely sold on Makeup Geek eyeshadows. No longer will I spend $10 on a depotted pan on MAC eyeshadow. Makeup Geek eyeshadows have the pigmentation and creaminess of MAC eyeshadows at the fraction of the cost! A single pan of eyeshadow costs $6 (a couple dollars more if you buy it in a compact). GIMME MORE! The two colors above have been my absolute favorite. Peach Smoothie on the left is a skin toned peach color that works perfectly as a transition shade for the crease. Cocoa Bear on the right is a gorgeous red brown. Use this to create the perfect red-brown smokey eye or throw some on your lower lash line for an added pop. The best part of buying these shadows in the pan without the compact is that you can store them all in a Z-Palette for easy organization.

Here

I'm all about the deep berry lip this fall and this color is perfect. I love high-end lipsticks, but brands like Revlon and Maybelline have never done me wrong. Plum Velour by Revlon is gorgeous! It's the perfect deep plum but still extremely wearable. The formulation is super smooth and creamy. My only problem with this lipstick is that it's not very long lasting, but a little reapplication never hurt anyone.

Here

Last but not least, my Sephora facial brush. If you've been with me for a while, you may remember that I mentioned this little tool once or twice before. Now, this brush ain't no Clairisonic (I want one soooo bad) but at only $7, I think it does the trick. The brush isn't as gentle as a Clairisonic, so you need to be careful -- scrubbing your face too hard will cause serious damage to your skin. I forgot about this brush for a while but when J and I moved to Indiana, I found it and decided to try it again. For the first week my chin started breaking out really bad, but that's normal! Using a facial brush to deep clean your face will cause all of that nasty dirty and oil deep down in your pores to surface, causing little break outs. But if you can hold out and let your skin run it's course, the results will be amazing. My skin has never looked so clean and clear. Good skin is the foundation for great makeup, so you can imagine how much better my makeup is looking.

And there you have it -- my must-have products of October.

What have been your favorite products this month?

Have you ever used any of the products on my list?

Happy Monday!

DIY: Makeup Removing Face Wipes

Pinterest over did itself once again. When I found a DIY project for makeup remover wipes, I knew I had to try it.

{via}

Before I get into the ins and outs of this easy project, can we please talk about skin care? I know there are days (or shall we say nights) when the last thing you want to do is wash your face before bed. Believe me, I know! But do you know how important it is? Not only will it save your pillows from the wrath of your makeup but it will save your skin from breakouts and early aging! While you're sleeping, your skin is working overtime to repair itself, but how is it going to do that if you still have your makeup, dirt, and oil from the day clogging your pores! So do your skin a favor and take that make up off every night. If you're like me, once you get in the habit of taking your makeup off nightly, you won't be able to go to sleep without doing it.

One of my favorite ways to take my makeup off is by using makeup removing face wipes because it's easy and quick! But have you ever noticed how expensive face wipes are?! My personal favorite was the Olay Cleansing Cloths for sensitive skin and they run upwards of $10 a pack (depending on where you buy them).

How would you like to make your own super cheap and super amazing makeup removing wipes? Oh, well perfect because I can tell you how! (Go ahead, thank me endlessly in the comments....jokes).

Here's what you need:
*1 roll of paper towel, cut into thirds
*3 cups of warm water
*1-2 tbsp of coconut oil
*Some type of container to keep your wipes in, I used tupperware similar to the one pictured above

Cut off one third of the paper towel roll and place it in your container. Mix the water and coconut oil together and pour into the middle of the paper towel roll. Put the lid on your container and tip upside down to evenly distribute the mixture. The cardboard tube in the middle should be loose enough to pull out at this point. Let the wipes sit for a couple hours before you use them to allow the paper towel to soak up the mixture, and voila! You're ready to take off your makeup!

Coconut oil is amazing for taking off makeup, especially eyeliner and mascara. It's also a natural antibiotic and soother so it's perfect and gentle enough for both sensitive and acne-prone skin. There's no need to rinse your face after using the face wipes. The coconut oil will leave your skin super soft and moisturized! I usually smooth a little more coconut oil over my face afterwards because my skin is super dry.

So do your skin, and your wallet, a favor and get on these DIY makeup removing face wipes. You can thank me later...

**All you mommas out there, you can use this same recipe to make baby wipes! Just add a couple squirts of baby soap. You have an all-natural wipe for your bundle of joy and you're saving yourself some serious dough!**

When I Grow Up....

I've always had three passions in life. Social work, children..... and esthiology. I know, I know. Weird combination. Social work doesn't exactly go with skin care and makeup artistry, but what can I say...

I've mentioned before that my first three jobs were in salons as a receptionist. I'll be honest, my main pull towards working in salons was the fact that you get salon services done for free, and for a hair color junkie like myself, that's like heaven on earth. But I also really enjoyed learning about cosmotology and esthiology. I probably would have gone to school to be a hair stylist after high school if I wasn't afraid of butchering someone's locks.

All of this to say, after a lot of thinking and talking to Justin and my fabulous hair stylist/cousin Cara, I'm seriously thinking about going to esthetician school. It's not something that I would be able to jump into right now. With our wedding less than a year away, I need to be saving all of the money I can! But it's definitely something I will be looking into after we get married.

I absolutely love social work, but if I'm looking way into my future, it's not something I want to do once Justin and I start having children. Social work careers take up a lot of your time and energy, and if at all possible, I want to be a stay-at-home mom when my children are young. But let's be honest, this day and age, being a stay-at-home mom, for most families, is financially impossible, and I'm more than willing to help out if needed. Being an esthetician would allow me more flexibility than a social work job would.

So you never know ladies, in a couple years I could be giving you facials or doing your makeup and working my social work magic on you at the same time!