Beauty Poll

A couple weeks ago I asked my Instagram followers some beauty questions and I wanted to share them/ask you all as well!

From Hair to Nails to Skincare...I loved reading all the different brands and products mentioned.
Here are the top answers I received..

essie

OPI

Sally Hansen - Insta Dri, Xtreme Wear, Miracle Gel

Urban Decay

tarte

elf

wet n wild

MAC

Lancome

It Cosmetics

Arbonne

Estee Lauder

L'Oreal for Men

Jan Marini

Arbonne

Beauty Counter

Rodan and Fields

Tula

Estee Lauder Night Revitalizing Line

L'Oreal for Mean Charcoal Cream

Arbonne Re9
Rodan & Fields ReDefine line & Lash Boost

TRESemme Dry Shampoo

Pureology

Main Culture products

Moroccanoil Products

Monat

At Home Treatments

Face masks

Nails

Deep Conditioning treatments

Salon Treatments

Hair cut and color

Mani/Pedi

Eyebrow Microblading

Facials

Parafin dip

Botox

Dermaplaning

Now it is your time to answer!
Let me know your favorites in the comments below.
And who are your favorite beauty bloggers?


XOXO ~ Vanessa

Favorite Beauty Hacks | TBB Asks

I am in no way, shape or form a beauty blogger.

I can throw on my make-up quickly to look presentable, and my hairstyle is typically pretty simple.

So when I want to do something more with myself I turn to YouTube.

Seeing someone apply their make-up a certain way or create that perfect braid in their hair is so much easier for me to understand than just reading words and looking at pictures.

I have a couple ladies that I turn to on YouTube that are amazing! 

Angela Lanter @ Hello Gorgeous

Love her!

She is super cute on Instagram.

I love her Podcast and blog.

And she is an Ohio girl!

Oh, and she is married to an Ohio boy named Matt Lanter (90210 (remake), Timeless fame)  ;)

Here are a couple of my favorite videos from Angela.

Harmony @ Haromize Beauty

She is pretty darn funny on her Instastories too!

Honestly, you have probably seen her before.

I swear I was pinning images of her hair right after I joined Pinterest.

I thought she was just a hair model at first.

But now I have come to love her videos she posts about hair and make-up, as well as her every day life :)

Here are a couple of my favorite videos by Harmony.

Who are some of your favorite Beauty bloggers?

Who should I be following?

Let me know in the comments below!

Linking up with The Blended Blog today :)

XOXO ~ Vanessa

Give Me All The Fall Things

Hello Friday!

I am ready to get this weekend started!

But first, I want to thank you all so much for stopping by and commenting each day on the blog!

It means so much to me!

I also want to apologize for my response time when getting back to you.

I am no longer getting notifications that I have any comments :(

So I only see them when I physically go to my post and click on the comment section.

Grrr!

And my computer won't let me reply :(

So I can only respond from my phone.

Another Grrr!

With all that said I want to thank you again for sticking with me!

You all are the best!!!!

Now on with my favorites! :)

On the blog this week was all kinds of goodness!

Monday it was TBB Asks - Giving Thanks!

I shared my love for some wonderful Thanksgiving things - like the crispy skin on the turkey! 

Check out all my answers here!

Tuesday was twice as nice with a double Disney DVD Giveaway!

Head here to enter to win your own copies of Incredibles 2 and Christopher Robin!

Both are excellent movies for the whole family, and would be great gifts for the kiddos!

 And Wednesday I shared what I might be wearing for Thanksgiving this year while linking up with TBB.
All options are in-law approved ;)

We have 3 more weeks of Fall looks coming at you!
Don't forget to link up your posts with us :)


On the home front....I was driving by our house and it appears that Fall has come and went with the way the trees are looking after all the rain and heavy winds :( 

What is left is still gorgeous colors, but just not much of them :/ 

Someone shared this on Instagram and I immediately had to share it!

I have a feeling just about everyone can relate to it!


Saturday we headed to the trampoline park to celebrate a friend of X's :)

I tried zooming in, but it just gets blurry :(
They had so much fun on the dodge ball courts!

And then it was time for pizza and cake!
The birthday boy is a huge fan of Star Wars!
Look at this cake!

These kiddos had a great time!

I ran a few errands later that day and made sure to swing through Ulta.

I had a 20% off coupon that was good for basically everything in the store!

That is the best time to grab a few things you need or test out some things you have had your eye on! 

I love the Rose water spray I have from Mario Badescu, so I decided to grab this kit to try out more of the products.

I have heard nothing but good things about the Living Proof brand, so I grabbed this mini kit to see what all the hype is about.

My hair takes FOREVER to dry!
So when someone shared this blow dry primer on Instagram and how well it sped up their drying time I was all over it!

And I can't resist BareMinerals mascara!
I grabbed this new one and I am loving it so far!

Because we are living in super small quarters right now, I decided it would be best not to decorate like we normally do for the holidays.

So while I watched football this weekend, I pulled out one of our smaller trees and started adding the ornaments.

 While I would love to have the whole place decked out, this will have to do for this year.

I headed to Columbus for a doctor appointment and I got out just in time for lunch.

I couldn't resist getting Chick-fil-A!

I also made a pit stop at one of my favorite stores and scored a couple items on sale :)

Football Tank

 #cantresistagraphictee
#especiallyfootballones

One more thing before I go....
Did you know I have a Facebook page for X-tremely V now?
I would love for you to give it a like and follow along :)
And that my friends is it!
I am looking forward to a weekend with friends at my annual Favorite Things Party!
And X is begging to go see the new Grinch movie, so we might check that out as well!


What are you up to this weekend?
Have you started decorating for Christmas?
How about shopping?


Thanks for stopping by!
I hope you have a great weekend!


XOXO ~ Vanessa


Linking up with The Blended Blog, Andrea, Narci & Erika!

TBB Talks | All About Hair

I think I have finally nailed down a good hair routine for myself.

It only took me 39 years, but who's counting ;)

I used to be a wash my hair every day (sometimes every time I showered) person.

A few years ago I decided to try the every other day thing because I knew it would help my hair color last longer.

Not going to lie...when you are first starting out it sucks!

But once you and your hair get used to it things aren't so bad.

Once we moved to a house with well water that wasn't filtered I really stepped up my game in the no wash department!

And that is when I started using dry shampoo.

#andtherestishistory ;)

I tend to style it daily with a big round curling iron, unless it is the weekend.
Then I throw on a hat :)

I don't like styling my hair, so I try to keep the time to the bare minimum.

And honestly, most days my hair ends up in a bun by noon :/

So onto to what I use!

I have tried so many shampoos and conditioners over the years, but I really like what Moroccanoil Volume Shampoo and Conditioner does for my hair so I have stuck with those for about a year now.

I now wash my hair every 3-4 days!

Some days I can't even believe it!

So on days I wash my hair, I apply Moroccanoil Root Boost.

My stylist has used this on me for years, but I never bought until last year.

I love it!

And if you are thinking of giving it a try, but are worried about the cost....a little goes a really long way!

I also don't use this every single time I wash my hair because it needs to be activated by heat.

So I skip this step if I am just letting my hair air dry.

Whether I dried my hair or let it air dry, my next step is a little Batiste Dry Shampoo in Divine Dark.

Even on the days I just washed my hair!

It gives my super fine and silky hair some added texture.

Then I throw a few loose ways in my hair with my Hot Tools 1 1/2 inch curling iron.

Quickly comb or use my fingers to loosen them up, and then finish with Big Sexy Spray & Play Hair Spray.

I picked this up late last year and it has been a game changer for me.

My hair truly stays put, but still has some movement through the length.

I love it!

On days 2-4 I use the Batiste Dry Shampoo, touch up my curls/waves, I might add a bit of Moroccanoil Molding Cream to the lower half of my hair, 

and then a quick spray of Big Sexy to the roots.

And that is it!

What products do you use on your hair?

How many days do you go in between washings?

Linking up with The Blended Blog today :)

Favorite Beauty Products 2018

Let me start off by saying I am by no means a beauty expert.

Heck, some days my hair is thrown up in a bun 3 seconds after I styled it because it looks pathetic.

Make-up is another thing I just can't seem to master.

But that is life right?

And regardless of the fact that I am not a pro at doing my hair or make-up, I do have some products that I love using.

And they do work.

I just need to get better at using them ;)

Some of these items I have been using for a few years and others I just starting using over the last month or so.

But I like them, scratch that, love them enough that I want to share them with you!

Hair Products & Tools

When I was younger I used hairspray all the time! Remember those big bangs of the 80's and early 90's everyone had? They sure didn't stay that way without lots of hairspray!
But when the big bangs faded, my use of hairspray went with them.
I typically would pick up one of the cheapest options at the store just to have some on hand when I wanted to use it.
But then Mel at Ella Brooks Blog talked about using Big & Sexy Spray & Play Hairspray and I absolutely love her hair!
So I picked some up at Walmart a couple months ago and the rest is history.
It works SO GOOD!
I can literally tousle my hair at the roots a little bit and then spray and it adds volume and keeps my hair looking the way I styled it!

I used to be one of the people who washed their hair every single day because that is what you do right?!?! 
When we moved to our current home a little over 2 years ago I noticed that the well water we have was not good for my hair.
I quickly starting trying all the dry shampoos out there so I didn't have to subject my hair to our water.
(FYI: Well water can turn your hair, or at least my hair a rusty tone. Exactly what I don't want!)
So I really liked the Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo for dark tones, but it isn't the cheapest thing in the world.
So when I ran out of it I decided to give Batiste Dry Shampoo Divine Dark a try, and I am so glad I did!
I love it!!!
I have been able to go 3 and sometimes even 4 days without washing my hair it works that well!
I even use it to help cover my roots when I waiting for my next hair appointment.
But I also use it to add texture to my hair.
It is great!
And at under $7 a bottle you can't beat it!

My stylist has used Moroccanoil Root Boost on me for years, but I never actually purchased it to use at home until recently when it came in the shampoo & conditioner gift set I picked up around Christmas.
Again, not sure why I never picked it up until now!

Honorable Mention goes out to the Moroccanoil Volume Shampoo and Conditioner.
They smell so good and work really well!

I mentioned this Conair Infiniti Pro Hair Dryer before, but it has to be mentioned again because it really is a favorite!
I have always picked up cheap hair dryers because it is something I never really cared too much about.
But for having fine hair, I have a lot of it.
And it takes forever to dry!
With this hair dryer I went from 25+ minutes to under 10 minutes to dry my hair!
And the best part is it is only $30!!!
If you are looking for a new hair dryer that won't break the bank I highly recommend this one.

I "invested" in a Hot Tools curling iron and straightener a couple of years ago and truly love how well they work.
While they aren't super expensive, they aren't $10 either :/

I decided I wanted to get the Hot Tools 1 1/4in. curling iron so I could add more waves than curls to my hair and this is just as great as the 1 inch iron I have.
Hot Tools never disappointments me :)

Skin & Make-up Products

A few years ago now I decided to take the plunge and give the Rodan & Fields Eye Cream and a few of the other R&F products a try.
I instantly fell in love with the eye cream!
I don't typically have dark circles, but I do have some dryness from time to time and sqwink lines :(
This stuff works really well for me!
I actually tried a couple other brands when I ran out of this, and immediately went back to it because the others just didn't work for me.
Technically, I can sell the R&F products but I don't promote it.
So if you are interested in anything R&F has to offer you can shoot me an email at leota6@gmail.com.

I have used Bare Minerals products for almost 20 years!
My skin is super sensitive, and the Bare Minerals products have always worked really well.
I have used to powder foundation, concealer, and such for years but then noticed my skin was changing.
As it became drier, I couldn't use a powder foundation anymore.

So I picked up the Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Cream in a gift set and it was the perfect amount of coverage for me.
And it still feels super lightweight like the powders.

I was gifted this Mario Badescu Facial Spray at my Favorite Things Party.
I use it almost every day over my makeup.
I spray it a few times when I am done and it just adds a bit of a dewy finish to my skin.
I have used it to refresh my makeup later in the day as well when I don't have time to redo everything and it works well for that too!

Another R&F product that has been life changing for me is Lash Boost.
My lashes used to be so long, but as I have gotten older they just starting looking like stubs.
I starting using this last year and quickly saw a difference.
My lashes are slightly fuller, but the biggest difference I noticed was the length!
They are so long now!!!
I get compliments all the time :)

Years ago I used the Bare Minerals sunless tanning lotion and it was just the bees knees!
Unfortunately, they changed the formula awhile back and it has never worked the same for me :(
But thankfully I found L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self Tanning Lotion awhile ago and have used it ever since.
I have tried sprays, but they never seem to get everything and always leave me splotchy.
This stuff gives me an instant glow and doesn't smell bad either!
How do I apply it you ask???

With this super duper cheap Sunless Tanning Mitt I picked up at Walmart!

It helps me get those hard to reach places (like my back) and my hands don't get stained in the process.

I use the lotion on my face as well, so when I am done applying it all over my body I just lightly swipe the mitt over my entire face.

What are your current beauty favorites?

Are you loyal to certain brands and products or do you play the field?

Any products I should try out?