Category: beauty
I’m not the type of gal that has a medicine cabinet brimming with beauty potions, age defying serums, and imported oils that guarantees to make my hair as thick and as a horse’s mane or my money back. The fact that I have a Birchbox subscription is deceiving- try as I may to up my beauty regime I always rely to my tried and true products.
Image c/o The Soap Dude |
Can you describe the soap making process?
Ah, the soap making process. I actually use the hot process method to make soap. There isn’t a lot of difference other than I can have the soap ready for use in a few hours rather than weeks and there is a bit more danger to the whole ordeal, which is how I got into soap making in the first place.
An in store hive- behind glass of course |
The honey tasting bar |
My obsession with Savannah Bee Company began when my sister sent sent me a box of their goodies for my birthday back in February. Ever since, I can’t get enough of their products- and I do mean all of them. From their limited edition and seasonal offerings, honey infused coffee, honey hand soap, honey hand creme, well you get the idea. I’m addicted to all of it. The honey isn’t your typical mass produced sticky stuff that’s sold in a bear shaped bottle. There’s wildflower honey from Georgia, Orange Blossom from Southern Florida, and varieties specifically made for grilling, enjoying with tea, or smearing on cheese. I was lucky enough to visit two of their three stores when I visited Savannah in May, and stocked up enough to last me until my mom went a few weeks ago and brought back more goodies, including a 20oz. bottle of black sage honey that’s only produced once every 4 years.
I never thought I’d use hand soap to wash my face, but the Tupelo Liquid Honey Hand Soap is gentler than most facial soaps I’ve used in the past. I’m prone to breakouts, and since I started using it on a daily basis I’ve only had a handful of blemishes. And the hand cream smells heavenly. Did you know that honey never goes bad? Not that mine sits around long enough to question if it’s still edible or not. I drizzle my ambrosia on ice cream, slather it on toast, or (dare I say it) eat it straight from the jar during a 2:00 am pantry raid. Pick up their foodstuffs in your city, including Rouses Supermarkets here in New Orleans.
Founder Ted Dennard kept bees as early as high school, and went on to join the Peace Corps after college where he taught beekeeping to village farmers in South America. In 1998 he started selling his honey in found bottles as a hobby. His first expansion went from the kitchen to the garage, then later into an 800 square foot former classroom. That’s humble beginnings considering production is now housed in a 40,000 square foot warehouse just outside of Savannah.
Southern hospitality- bee style |
What I Wore: vintage Hunter Club, Zara skirt, wedges all from Buffalo Exchange belt from Armoire |
Best blow out I’ve ever had! And I know how to recreate it at home. |
Ridiculously cute Irregular Choice shoes in the boutique section |
My favorite ladies, Dorothy Young and Leslie Almeida |
Outfit details from Instagram. Follow me slowsouthernstyle |
Today’s post is brought to you by a good friend of mine, Leslie from Unmade. Leslie is my go to gal when it comes to anything relating to beauty products, especially nails.
- It’s applied just like regular polish, but it dries under a UV lamp in between coats – It’s your natural nails, but better!
- Your nails are completely dry before you get up from the manicure table
- No dents, scratches or smudges; Put those boots on right after application!
- Application takes only a few minutes longer than a regular manicure would
- 3-Free (No toluene, formaldehyde or DBP)
- Helped my nails grow stronger, thanks to its durability
- Stays shiny and chip free for two weeks
- Limited color selection – More will be released around January 2011
- Should only be removed by a professional – Your tips will soak in pure acetone, then the product comes right off
- Pricier (but I think the convenience is worth it)
I’m a bad, bad southern belle. I rarely, if ever, wear makeup. I’m not very good at applying it and I hate the way it feels on my skin. I’ve employed the help of a friend who knows a lot about beauty products to help y’all look your best when the humidity and heat are at their peak.. Lorraine recently started her own blog where she shares her makeup secrets and goth fashion tips.
Trying to wear a full face of makeup in the southern summer sun can end up feeling like an exercise in futility. Luckily we live in an age of beauty breakthroughs that help us get more mileage from our makeup even in the most hot and humid of climates.
You’ll need to begin with your skincare routine. Choose an oil-free cleanser. Try to limit exfoliation in the summer to once a week at this time of year. Doing it too much can over-stimulate oil-production and you’ll end up looking quite shiny.
Follow cleansing with a gentle toner and a light oil-free moisturizer. Let the moisturizer absorb for a few minutes, then blot with a tissue. One way to deal with the “Melt-Factor” in the summer is to substitute regular moisturizer with a good tinted variety (try Urban Decay Urban Defense tinted moisture) and skip foundation. This is nice if you don’t require heavy coverage but if you need to even out skin tone further or cover blemishes, read on!
A step worthy of adding to your summer makeup routine is facial primer. It not only fills in lines and pores but it creates a barrier between your skin and the makeup which helps it adhere and last longer. There are even tinted versions which help minimize redness or brighten up a dull complexion. (Try Make Up For Ever HD primer) If your eye makeup tends to smear and slide in the heat you will want to apply an eye primer as well. Eye primers prolong the staying power of liners and shadows as well as making the colors appear much truer and brighter. My eye lids tend to be oily so I don’t go a day in summer without my Urban Decay Primer Potion. A little goes a long way with these products and trial sizes are available.
Summer foundation should be oil-free and contain SPF. Liquid in a long-wear formula is a good choice for summer as is mineral powder foundation. Mineral powders give you coverage without looking made up and they come in such a variety, it’s very easy to find a color- match. Indie mineral companies offer samples of all their products so you can find your perfect match without breaking the bank. (Try Meow Minerals, or Aromaleigh for the most quality & variety of foundation) Try spot applying a cream concealer to blemishes before dusting on your face makeup.
Be sure to choose mascara in a waterproof version and try using a lip-liner to keep lipstick from migrating or feathering. Top it off with a setting spray from Urban Decay for extra lasting power and you can use blotting papers and a translucent blotting powder for touchups. (Try Hard Candy Welcome Matte blot powder)
Now that your face is guaranteed to withstand August in New Orleans, you want to make sure your hair isn’t a hot mess! My biggest tip would be to not fight your natural texture. You’re bound to struggle when trying to get curly hair to look sleek or keep curls from drooping in straight hair. The humidity here is so high that heat styling won’t be enough. If you must fight it, use an entire line of products made for the texture you want. If you want to go straight, use shampoo & conditioner for straight locks, a smoothing cream, ceramic ionic flat-iron and setting spray. The best styling tools I’ve found are from a company called Herstyler.
Their Curler is unlike any other, it’s tapered and it’s a wand sans clip. You start the curl from the hair nearest the scalp and hold the end with your fingers. The resulting curl is natural-looking, glossy and it lasts and lasts. Their flat-irons also work well and make your hair look very glossy. They both work so fast you will wonder how you ever made it anyplace on time without them in your routine! All styles can benefit from being topped off with an anti-frizz gloss spray such as tresemme no-frizz shine spray, and you’re truly good to go!
We all know the heat here in the summer is brutal. Depending on the amount of time you’re outside, how active you are and how oily your skin tends to get you may want to add one or two of these steps to your routine or all of them. This will ensure your makeup will be beautiful and budge-proof all summer long!
Polish up your look
Call me a bad southern belle but I rarely, if ever, wear makeup. Aside from the scary chemicals that go into most makeup I never want to be that person who people see as “only pretty” with a face full of makeup.
That said something that I always love but rarely do is lacquer up my nails. I usually chip my polish fairly fast taking my nails from chic to trashy in an instant. Fresh, fun nails are a great pick me up which is what I need as it is windy and cold in the dirty south.
I popped into American Apparel and discovered they now carry nail polish so I snatched up 3 colors for $15. Every color in the collection is matte, which is a big trend at the moment. They even had white which takes me back to my high school years. What’s that saying only do a trend the first time around?
These are the colors I selected.
This weather calls for some hot chocolate and an at home manicure. Guess what I’ll be doing tonight?