Sunday, February 24, 2013

Perfect Personal Products


Over the past 6 years I have been trying to find the perfect products for me. It's been a tough journey, but I think I'm nearly there!

I should note that, for me, it's been very difficult to find good products because my skin is very sensitive.

First of all, I take scorching hot showers, which can leave my skin very dry and irritated.

Secondly, I suffer from acne breakouts. Lame, I know.

When I was young, it was terrible. I just couldn't get my skin to look right no matter how many products or medications I took. You name it, I've tried it. Pro-Active only worked for a little while, but eventually it started to irritated my skin rather than help it,so I just learned to live with it the acne assuming it was hopeless.

As I got older, the acne cleared up (some-what, thankfully) but has never fully gone away. I started using Saint Ives products for blemish and black head control, which works pretty well, but just wasn't doing the cleaning I needed. Then I found this:


Man, this product really is a great cleanser. I'm also happy to say that since it's a 2 in 1, I rarely ever need to use anything else to wash my face! And it really does prevent my skin from breaking-out! I always have to be careful with the kinds of products I use on my skin, because if I use the wrong kind of product, my skin goes crazy! So needless to say, when this worked, I was beyond ecstatic! 

You can find this product at Target, here, for only $5.49



I love all things Aveeno. It is a godsend for my skin! I had no idea they had a shampoo and conditioner product until just last week and I am hooked! My hair has never felt richer, or finer! I honestly wish I could have taken a picture of the ends of my hair before using these products. My hair looks and feels amazing and so much silkier than it ever has. I would recommend this product to anyone with frizzy or dry hair.

Again, I'm the kind of person that takes scolding hot showers, so my skin dries out fast. I have super sensitive legs so when I get out of the shower, I use Aveeno's skin relief moisturize repair cream on my legs. It works wonders!

You can find these products here, here, and here or at any Target, Vons, Walmart, or Walgreens


Another product line I can never go wrong with is eos. Everything they make is amazing. I have been using eos evolution shaving cream for about three months and I don't think I'll ever use anything else (well, maybe Aveeno's!) I also always have eos lip balm on me. It's super cute and makes my lips feel so perfectly smooth.

You can find these products here, and here. They're also available at any Walgreens or Target.


These are samplers I got from Mothers a few months back. I pretty much use them before I put makeup on in the morning. They're really nice, but they make my skin break out (unfortunately). I love organic anything, so I do want to go back to mothers and try out some other products. I really want to find a lotion for my skin that will last and last.


I use these two products before I go to bed. The little tube is an organic "coffee bean caffeine eye cream" it brightens dark circles, lessens lines & wrinkles while nourishing with anti-aging nutrients. It also smells delicious and makes the bags under my eyes disappear!

You can find this product here

The organic body nourishing oil is probably my favorite products. It really feels amazing and a little goes a long way. I've used a lot of this, as you can see, but I've had it for 2 years!

See similar, here. You can also find this product at Target.


And lastly, my primer and concealer. I don't like using a whole lot of make-up since I have very sensitive skin. I also love the natural look, so these products are perfect for me, personally.

These are probably the most expensive products of the bunch, as they were purchased from Sephora. I'm all about cheap skate items, but sometimes a ladies needs to indulge!

Hourglass is the primer I've been using, and girls, it's no joke! A small bit will cover the majority of my face and it feels like it's coated with a silky substance. It's a perfect match for my Josie Maran foundation.

Josie Maran is a really interesting line. The concealer is made with chameleon pigments that when applied, go on white and adjust to match your perfect skin tone. It's not a "full coverage" so my skin is able to breathe. It also nourishes your skin using Organic Argon Oil. Pretty much, it's my perfect match.

You can find both products here, and here.



So, these are the products I love! What are some of yours?


xox, a modern dame


p.s. I may do a make-up post at some point, or even a "what's in your purse" post. What do you think?

Friday, February 15, 2013

Belated Valentine's Day Post


Aaron and I were both quite sick yesterday, so my VDay post is a bit late! Anyways, here are a few pictures  of my Valentine's day outfit. I wanted to wear something fun and flirty without being overly "red" or "pink" ~ I thought my new pink pump and pink purse would bring out the rose colors of my lacy collared top. I added  my thrifted black leather skirt and cropped jean jacket to tie the look together. I felt very cute! 


These earrings are so cool, I got them at H&M for less than $7.00! 



And, of course, I couldn't wait to wear my new owl necklace from Forever21! So cute!

How was everyone else's Valentine's day?

xox, a modern dame

Saturday, February 2, 2013

A Fallen Meteorite


I guess I should start by apologizing for my lack of blogging this past week, there are several reasons, but the main one was Aaron was gone for a trip to Canada with his mother for a couple of days. Nevertheless he's home now and I shall be back at it ;}

When Aaron got home, neither of us could contain ourselves, we gave each other our valentine's day gifts right away! His gift to me was a gorgeous, dainty, meteorite necklace. It's absolutely stunning, I am simply in love with it and couldn't wait to blog about it! 

While Aaron was in Canada, I thrifted this fun knitted poncho that I thought would be great for the shoot! I paired it with a cute leather skirt, a sheer long sleeved top, some black leggings, and long black heels Aaron bought me some years back. I also thought it would be neat to style it with this amazing tablet purse Aaron's dad bought me this past Christmas. I rarely, if ever, see business cases/purses styled and thought it would be a nice touch to this stormy look.


I really wanted to go with something darker for the look of this poncho, as well as for the meteorite, since it's iron. I had a fun time playing with the different textures for all of my mixed blacks, it created a nice layering effect that I'm really pleased with. 




Here is a close up f the meteorite necklace. I really don't want to take it off, it's so darn pretty and I am in love with the length. There's always something nice about intimate jewelry that I find much more appealing than huge statement necklaces, not to say that I don't love those, it's just smaller, more meaningful necklaces tend to make me feel more "special."



Here is the shirt I had under the poncho. It is extremely comfortable! I bought this at Buffalo Exchange for $5.99 what a steal! It is so soft and glittery, I can't wait to wear it with some plain jeans!



I love this Tumi tablet purse. I usually use it for my computer (samsung slate 700 series), when I'm out on freelance meetings, etc. It's really very classy looking, I think. I also really love all the extra pocket space it gives as well. 



poncho & leather skirt{thrifted}, boots {gifted}, sheer long sleeved top {ginger g apparel at Buffalo Exchange}, tablet purse Tumi , photos by Aaron Jones


Again, I couldn't help myself. Aaron looked so cute in the gloomy sky light I had to take a few shots of his new jean jacket and his lovely profile. <3



Aaron got his jean jacket from Zanrobe


xox, a modern dame