Patriotic Nails with Photos + Tutorials.

With the 4th of July weekend coming up in a few days, I wanted to share some easy patriotic nail tutorials and inspiration I found. The 4th of July is one of the holidays where I go all out with my nails and create some fun nail out, and I always DIY. Trust me; if I can create this nail art on my own, so can you.

All you need to do is pick up some nail polish in red, white and blue shades and follow one of these tutorials. I use COVERGIRL Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss (I love the color that lasts for a week and stays super shiny) in the following shades:

Red - Fury
White - Snow Storm
Blue - Eternal Oceans

I love the flag manicure above and it was created at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 with COVERGIRL. In this video, they show you how to easily how to DIY at home.

I like how easy this one looks layering silver and using painters tape. I know I could do this one.

I'm not so sure about the beads in this tutorail - I'm not that facny. I do like the stripes and blue in the corner and it looks pretty easy to recreate. I think I am going to try to attempt this design.

Affiliate links have been used in this post to help support our site. Please see disclosure policy for complete information.

IT Cosmetics Must Haves for Summer.

I'm so happy that summer is here, and the warm weather is like the icing on the cake. When it's hot outside, my hair goes up, and I pare down the makeup. I regularly wear quite a few products from IT Cosmetics, so naturally, my summer makeup routine includes some of the brands great products too. These are my must haves for summer from IT Cosmetics, which includes some new products they are launching. 

I typically use IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream as my base product, but for summer I am changing it up just a bit and using Your Skin But Better CC+ Illumination. This primer, serum, color-corrector, sunscreen and foundation in one offers natural-looking full coverage in one product. Plus it features the brands Drops of Light technology, so it radiates the skin in a way that you look lit from within. I apply it with a brand new brush from IT, called the Heavenly Skin™ CC+™ Skin-Perfecting Brush. This brush makes application a breeze and makes skin look flawless.

I'm also switching up my normal Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Concealer and using Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Illumination Concealer for summer. This concealer also uses Drops of Light technology for an added touch of radiance.

I love IT Cosmetic's bronzers, and they have a few; I prefer to use Sunshine In A Compact for every day in the summer. This is a matte bronzer that looks beautifully natural on the skin.

For eyes, I keep it simple. I usually just sweep my bronzer over my lids and browbone with a large fluffy eyeshadow brush and finish it off with mascara. IT Cosmetics Tightline™ 3-in-1 Black Primer - Eyeliner - Mascara is an all-in-one primer, eyeliner, and mascara. It features an ultra-skinny wand that deposits the lash-loving formula right at the roots of the lashes for instant definition and the look of a full lash line. It does double-duty and gives a look of a natural eyeliner and mascara at the same time.

I like to keep lips looking natural in summer, and IT Cosmetics brand new Je Ne Sais Quoi™ Hydrating Color Awakening Lip Treatment is perfect for this. Offering just a hint of natural tint and a ton of hydration with essential oils and butter, lips are nourished while flushed in a perfect shade of natural pink.

IT Cosmetics is on QVC today with 4 of these products for a Today's Special Value and of course, the deal can't be beaten. Just for today, you can scoop up the IT's Your Customer Favorites Set which includes the following for a one-day only price. 

• Tightline™ 3-in-1 Black Primer - Eyeliner - Mascara

• Heavenly Skin™ CC+™ Skin-Perfecting Brush 

• Supersize CC+ Illumination™ Color Correcting Illuminating Full Coverage Cream SPF 50+

• Je Ne Sais Quoi™ Hydrating Color Awakening Lip Treatment

Shop with QVC Item #A278194 or #A284868 for Auto-Delivery.   

A press sample of the products featured have been provided for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used in the post. Please see disclosure policy for complete information.

Top Sunscreens for Face.

You need to wear sunscreen every day; I think you know that by now. The skin on your face is delicate, and it needs a different sunscreen than your body. I have tested quite a few sunscreens for face, and I'm pretty particular about them. I don't like a thick sunscreen or one that leaves any residue behind. I like my sunscreen to feel light like I'm wearing nothing more than a light moisturizer. These are the top sunscreens for the face.

1. Lancôme Bienfait UV 50+ Sunscreen

2. Kiehl's Super Fluid UV Mineral Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ 

3. AVEENO PROTECT + HYDRATE Lotion Sunscreen SPF 50 For Face

4. Neutrogena Age Shield Face Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70

5. Clinique SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Fluid for Face

6. Clarins Sunscreen for Face Wrinkle Control Cream SPF 50+

7. Supergoop! Skin Soothing Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40

8. bareMinerals Mineral Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Daily Prep Lotion

9. La Roche-Posay Anthelios 45 Face

10. Algenist Ultra Lightweight UV Defense Fluid SPF 50

A press sample of the products featured have been provided for editorial consideration. I am an AVEENO Ambassador. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used in the post. Please see disclosure policy for complete information.

Experience the Pleasure of Faking It with AGEbeautiful Haircolor.

Sponsored

I fake it every day, do you? Ha! I pile on the skincare, wear makeup and color my hair all to look and feel my best. I am not only trying to look and feel good, but I am also trying to defy the clock and fake my age. I think one of the most important things I do is color my hair, because if I didn't, I'd look much older than I am. That's why I experience the pleasure of faking it and choose great products like AGEbeautiful Haircolor. With AGEbeautiful Haircolor, you won't just be faking your age - you'll be redefining it. 

When I have naturally youthful looking hair, I feel great about myself and with the right hair color that not only colors but conditions hair, you'll achieve an amazing afterglow. AGEbeautiful Haircolor fights all five signs of aging hair - grays, thinning, wiry texture, dryness, and dullness. When coloring, not only are you adding in gorgeous color, you are restoring moisture, volume, manageability, and shine. Each product is also infused with vitamin E for hair and scalp health, so it's a hair treatment.

I'm a stickler for having great hair. The hair color formulations you find in the drugstores are made to develop too fast and are very harsh on the hair - not good. AGEbeautiful Haircolor is a professional formula that is simple to use (follow the instructions here), so you get professional results right in the privacy of your home. There are over 40 professionally developed shades so you look the most natural, younger-looking you.

What you need to color at home: AGEbeautiful Haircolor (it comes in a liqui-créme or liquid color version), developer, gloves, bowl and brush OR bottle. Be sure to protect your clothes and follow the instructions as noted above. Using the right developer for proper color lift is important. I use Volume 10 and the color 10G with 8N right at my temples for my hard to cover roots. I prefer the liqui-créme version as it's thicker and less messy in my opinion and I use the bowl and brush method as I just touch up my roots. The bottle is better for all-over hair color. 

Experience the #PleasureOfFakingIt with AGEbeautiful Haircolor at sallybeauty.com. Faking it has never felt or looked so good!

This post was sponsored by ZOTOS. As always, all opinions are my own. Please see disclosure policy for complete information.

Top Tinted Moisturizers.

With summer just about here and makeup routines lightening up for the warmer weather, it is time to rethink wearing foundation every day. Summertime days call for a lighter, more natural look - at when it comes to makeup. I like to use tinted moisturizer to even out my skin tone and hide my flaws instead of wearing full foundation when it's hot outside. 

Applying a tinted moisturizer is easy too; I usually use tinted moisturizer directly out of the tube using my fingertips and blend it in as I would a moisturizer. When I feel I need more coverage, I dot a bit more over those areas needing more coverage and blend in with a beautyblender sponge.

These are the top tinted moisturizers for summer.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (read my review here)

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (read my review here)

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue (read my review here)

Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer

Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizer (read my review here)

Josie Maran Argan Tinted Moisturizer

A press sample of the products featured have been provided for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used in the post. Please see disclosure policy for complete information.

Makeup-To-Go: Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Foundation Stick.

Summer is filled with weekend getaways and vacations. You don't have to carry messy or hard-to-travel-with liquids when you have a great foundation that comes in stick form. When looking for makeup-to-go or to take with you on vacation this summer, look at the ultra-portable Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation Stick. This makeup will be coming with me wherever I go this summer.

Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation Stick is a highly-pigmented, oil-free foundation stick that offers buildable, full coverage. It is so easy to use as full foundation, for spot touch-ups or just as a contour or concealer. I love that this foundation offers coverage but feels so lightweight while making skin look flawless. It has a unique cream to powder feel as it dries down; coverage lasts all day.

To apply, I simply draw a few lines on my face and blend it with the Lancôme Perfecting Foundation & Spot Corrector Brush. For contouring, pick up a darker shade and draw a line right under the cheekbone and blend in.

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation Stick comes in a full range of 20 colors that will suit many skin tones. They are separated into Cool, Warm and Neutral shades which makes selecting a shade more suited to your skin tone. I have a medium complexion and am using the shade 330 Bisque (N) which blends really well into my skin and offers great coverage while still looking like real skin. The color stays true on me all day with little oxidizing and doesn't rub off easily on clothes.

Shop for Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation Stick ($42) online at lancome-usa.com or at a Lancome counter in a department store like Bloomingdales, Nordstrom or Sephora.

A press sample of the products featured have been provided for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used in the post. Please see disclosure policy for complete information.

Refreshing Essentials for Summer from Suave.

Sponsored campaign for Suave® Essentials on behalf of One2One Network

Long warm days, refreshing cool nights, ocean breezes.... these are just a few things that make me think of summer. With the summer weather finally here, I am bringing in refreshing summer scents every which way I can. I always update my scents seasonally, and that includes my body wash.

Suave® Essentials body washes come in so many fun, fresh fragrances that smell as beautiful and work as well as more expensive brands. Suave® just introduced two new refreshing, essential scents to their line-up and they are here just in time for the summer season. Cucumber Agave Smash and Amethyst Sunset are the perfect body wash scents for the season and they are great for my seasonal scent update. Not only am I a huge fan, my entire family is enjoying them as well.

Cucumber Agave Smash Body Wash is super refreshing and a great body wash to start my summer morning off right. This refreshing elixir is a mix of crisp cucumber and sweet agave with a touch of dewy rose. It's so perfect for summer and this one is going to be in my shower all season long.

Amethyst Sunset Body Wash is still refreshing, yet a bit more soft and floral as it sings of purple jasmine, jeweled apricot, ruby red grapefruit and sweet linden flower. I prefer to use this body wash at night after a long, summer day.

I love how all of the Suave® Essentials body washes work up a great lather and wash the body clean, leaving my skin feeling soft. It leaves my skin softly scented with a beautiful, lingering fragrance. Suave® Essentials body washes truly work just as well as the more expensive, premium brands for a fraction of the price.

Watch this video that features a "sniff test" and see how you really cannot not tell the difference between a more expensive brand and Suave® Essentials. Let your senses decide.

Look for Suave® Essentials body washes including the new Cucumber Agave Smash Body Wash and Amethyst Sunset Body Wash in your favorite drugstore or mass retailer.

This post was sponsored by One2One Network for Suave® Essentials. As always, all opinions are my own. Please see disclosure policy for complete information.

Currently Obsessed: Luminess Air Mystic Airbrush Foundation.

Sponsored by Luminess Air

I became quite familiar with Luminess Air Airbrush Makeup System a few months ago and love what it does for giving my skin a flawless makeup look. The brand just launched a new foundation, the Mystic Airbrush Foundation and let me say that I am obsessed with it after just using this new foundation a few times. Mystic Airbrush Foundation gives my skin such a natural luminosity that it is perfect for not only the summer months, but everyday.

I've been dealing with a lot of melasma recently and it's basically breaking up as it is fading. You see, I have been working on my skin a lot over the winter and it looks like my skin is full of uneven freckles at this point and it is something I am trying to hide. It's been a bit of struggle and I've found that my regular foundation routine hasn't been enough. Luminess Air and specifically the new Mystic Airbrush Foundation has been a real savior for me right now.

Luminess Air Mystic Airbrush Foundation offers opaque coverage (it's their highest coverage foundation) in a super lightweight formula. My skin looks real, like perfected bare skin while wearing - not overly made it. I love that it blurs away imperfections, like my freckling and sun spots along with my fine lines, as it mists onto my skin.  It's my new go-to.

Mystic Airbrush Foundation is like a foundation, concealer and corrector in one. I only use a bit of concealer under my eyes after applying the foundation and this is only to brighten up and then I'm done. The foundation lasts all day and looks fresh and flawless on me. With just a little bit of practice, it blends evenly and looks flawless.

My finished look includes some of the other Luminess Air makeup products that really helps to pull together the complete finished look. Products include fotoset PRO Face Primer, CC+ Airbrush Concealer,  Airbrush Translucent Finishing Powder, Infinity Long-Wear Mascara and AIRBRUSH Lip Gloss.

I've used the Luminess Air Airbrush system for quite some time now and have learned a few things to getting an even, flawless airbrushed look.

Tips to using Luminess Air

• Practice makes perfect! Watch the online application tutorial and practice.
• Use a headband or pin hair away from face to protect it from over-spraying.
• Hold the stylus approximately 6 inches from the face when spraying.
• Use 6-8 drops of Mystic Foundation.
• Apply in light layers and build up for more coverage.
• Always keep the stylus moving and apply in circular motions.

 

Airbrush foundation is not just for special events, proms or weddings; Luminess Air makes it so easy to use airbrush foundation everyday. I love how the Mystic Airbrush Foundation looks on my skin and feels on my skin (which is almost just as important). I hate how heavy some foundations feel, especially when they offer such beautiful coverage like Mystic Airbrush Foundation. I don't think I can even compare it to anything else - it's just superior.

Save 20% Off

Save 20% at Luminess Air on the Mystic Airbrush Foundation, a Luminess Air Airbrush Makeup System or any of the Luminess Air products by using the code below and shopping through this special link ---> luminessair.com

CODE: Teri20

This post was sponsored by Luminess Air. As always, all opinions are my own. Please see disclosure policy for complete information.