Your Face and Sunscreen

I'll get off my soap box just as soon as possible. But first, I NEED to stress some sunscreen 101 to y'all.

During winter, having SPF in your moisturizer or make-up is great. But when summer comes around (especially in the south) we need to bump it up! Using a sunblock with just SPF and antioxidants is ideal.

I like Neutrogena's sunscreen for faces. It's SPF 80 (or some ridiculously high number) and definitely get's the job done.

Taking care of our faces is important but let's not forget the rest of our skin - don't neglect it! And don't assume that clothes will protect you either. A white shirt has an SPF of about 5.

So if you're stepping outside, step up your skin care regime and SPF :)

Spring Sprang Sprung!

I'm a Texas girl and needless to say absolutely love warm weather.

And with warmer weather, comes picnics, river floating and my favorite, pastel colors!

If you're a little shy or worried about looking like an Easter egg, start with these FABULOUS spring-inspired pastel nail polishes

Also, a quick tip:
Be sure to add a top coat to your newly painted spring nails. I like China Glaze's clear polish best.

Sally's Beauty Supply usually also has a sale on polishes - buy 2 get 1 free

Men Like This Should Just Not Open Their Mouths

There are NO words for how absolutely disgusted I was when I read an article from a men's magazine.

Some of the "knowledge" being written - Why you shouldn't bring her to the gym:

1. She'll catch you checking out other girls.
2. She will ask you how she compares and there's no good answer,
and my favorite, 3. You don't want to see her at her worst.

Well how about a few reasons why I would NEVER date a guy who thinks like this:

1. I WOULD probably catch a sleaze like you checking out girls (which, by the way, girls HATE. There's a reason why there are separate gyms where guys aren't allowed).
2. You'll think you CAN compare me to other girls at the gym. Newsflash: My body is perfect the way it is.
3. SEE ME AT MY WORST?! I'm beautiful even when I'm sweating and without makeup. And the only men I spend the time to date think the same way.

I would love to have a sit down with the idiot who wrote this crap and the rest of the village who believes it. We would have some words.

Oh, and when I go to the gym it's MY time so I don't want to go with YOU!

Inspirational Bobcats

As I walked out of my class yesterday afternoon, I began going through my mental to-do list: go to the bank and grocery store, do laundry, write a paper, research a case study and more.

Imagine my surprise when I came across this inspirational message written in chalk on the Texas State University campus.

"You are beautiful. Just believe in yourself."


I couldn't have been more proud to be a bobcat.

It's nice to know there are other people in this world who believe what I believe in. I hope just one other person read that and realized how beautiful they are. Imagine if everyone had a self-esteem that was unshakable by our peers, the ads we see and products they sell us.

To quote my new favorite Pink song, "Pretty pretty please don't you ever ever feel like your less than, less than perfect!"

You are beautiful and you are worth all the love in the world. But that love must start within first.

You're beautiful. Just believe in yourself. :)

Aging Gracefully

I believe in laugh lines, not wrinkles. I believe in grey hair, not over processed strands. I believe in a peaches and cream complexion, not an orange one. Most importantly, I believe that beauty has no age, no skin or hair color, no height or weight preferences; it's a feeling, and an attitude we have within us.

With that being said, I have just become the biggest Kim Cattrall fan. She recently gave an interview about resisting the societal pressures of having plastic surgery.

"I don't want to look in the mirror and not realize who's looking back," said Cattrall.

I'm over the moon thrilled that there is a woman in Hollywood that is willing to push back against the absurd societal pressures against women. What are we teaching our young girls? You can only have self-esteem if other people say you can?

Bull shit.

In 20 years, I only hope I can look in the mirror and see a woman whose life shows on her face. When I see a wrinkle it will be a reminder of the times I spent laughing, crying, smiling and worrying. That's life and that's what's beautiful.

NYX

NYX is a make-up line that is comparable to MAC without the designer prices.

My friend Fran (yes, t-shirt company Fran from the last blog post) turned me on to NYX when she was wearing a clean face with only an NYX golden/glitter eyeliner on. Of course I told her how gorgeous it was and asked where she got it.

She also informed me that RuPaul's Drag Race tv show uses NYX products - and let's be honest, drag queens know what's what in the cosmetic world.

I immediately went to HEB and bought a few products to sample. I probably won't be buying anything else from now on. Between their great quality and reasonable prices they've just about captured my heart. They're product reminded me of how fun make-up used to be. They have fun colors and glitter with the tools to make it look fabulous and chic.

And for you functional tweens, they have tutorial videos on their website for how to use their make-up.

They're full product line can be found at ULTA and most HEB's

They also have the most adorable mascot that they claim, Sir Bruce Barkalot. How can you say no to this sweet face!

Don't Hate on Her Hustle

One of my fellow bobcats, Fran (@MissFranMurray if you're on Twitter), is starting her own Texas State University merchandise company! How completely fantastic is that?

So if you happen to be a TXST student or alumnus, be on the look out for new merchandise. (I'm sure she'll have some fabulous stuff for me to blog about soon).

This got me thinking though, Fran is a smart girl with obviously very ambitious goals. Some might initially feel some type of jealousy toward her. But I'm here to tell every girl here not to hate on someone else's hustle. We need to be celebrating each other and helping one another out. Not wasting time on jealousy and bitterness. Fran spent a lot of time coming up with this idea. She's just hustlin'.

And when I congratulated her on her new business venture do you know what she told me? She wants to give me a few free pieces from the line to advertise! Building a friend up will get you a lot farther than tearing her down. My friend and personal hero, CJ Legare (the founding functional girl), always says, "Women would be running the world if we could stop our petty bullsh*t."

Those are words to live by, my friends.

Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize!

So you've probably heard your mom or women who are older than you preach about moisturizing your skin daily. Well, not to beat a dead horse or anything but...MOISTURIZE!

And I just found the PERFECT tinted moisturizer with SPF 30. (Let's not forget that we have to protect our precious skin from harsh sun rays).

Aveeno tends to be a little pricey but you can usually find an equivalent at the drug store or coupon on-line.

Not only does it moisturize, protect and add a slight, natural tint BUT it also evens your skin tone. That's worth the $14.95 to me!

Whether or not you buy Aveeno, just make sure to protect and preserve your beautiful skin by moisturizing daily and wearing an SPF.

Make-up Free Monday: The New Beauty Movement

Monday's just got a makeover. The new Make-up Free Monday beauty movement has me SO excited.

I think we're all a little guilty of feeling like we need make-up on before walking out the door. BUT WE DON'T! We don't NEED anything but a smile to be beautiful.

Today, women are bombarded with spray tans, hair extensions, caked on make-up and fad diets. But that's not beautiful, that's marketing making a profit off of our insecurity. So use Monday as a way to remind yourself just how amazingly beautiful you are.

Here are a few of my Make-up Free Monday photos to get you feeling inspired. (No retouches, photoshopping or make-up).