Five Beauty Tips to Kiss Winter Goodbye + Bonus

I’m having a truly indulgent moment today. It’s one in the afternoon, and I’m currently sitting in bed, still in my PJs. I’ll admit, part of the reasoning behind this indulgence is that my in-laws’ in-laws are visiting today (nope, I really didn’t accidentally type that twice,) which means there’s a big party happening not far from my home-office door, a floor below.  The other reason is that, despite it being gorgeous outside, I wasn’t quite feeling the walk to my other office today, aka my favourite table at Second Cup. So, thanks to my trusty 2 in 1 laptop, its the bedroom-office for me today. What has made this bedroom-office moment so truly awesome though, is the fresh air and chirping birds coming from my open window. Spring has arrived! Finally. It’s time to shed those last remnants of winter, and thanks to a whole bunch of samples I’ve tried recently, here’s what I got for you.

1. Winter Legs Was So Last Week

   It’s time! Capris, shorts and skirts are back, so its time to clean up the lower half. I hate shaving, mostly ’cause I can never find an hour of bathroom time I’d need without someone banging on the door, desperately trying to get in. Such is life when sharing a home with at least six others, including a four year old that doesn’t understand locked door = occupied for good reason. I also wasn’t a fan of waxing at home until this past week. Waxing was messy and painful, and left me looking sunburned until the next day. Now? It’s still messy while I try to figure out the best way to wax, but I’m entirely a fan now with Nair’s Cire Divine Microwave Resin Wax. While the first try wasn’t the easiest, I might not have heated the wax fully through, it was still so much better than shaving that I’ll take time to learn how to do it right. I hadn’t realized that the majority of the ouch I felt with previous waxing attempts was based on the wax sticking to skin. After applying a liberal amount to my leg, holding my breath and even muttering a few prayers, I had to double check that the wax actually worked, ’cause it didn’t feel like it did. That is, it didn’t feel like I tore a few strips of skin off along with the hair. Nair’s not kidding when they say “Bye bye ouch!”
   

2. With Legs Done, Tidy Up the Brows and all That

   I’ll admit, having a much easier time than ever before waxing my legs, I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal to try the eyebrows next (with a different wax, since the Cire Divine isn’t meant for the face.) For waxing anywhere on the face, give Nair’s Ultimate Rinsable Roll-On Wax (with Argan Oil) a try. It was the easiest thing to do, simply by microwaving a mug for hot water and then plopping the tube of wax withing for a few minutes. The rolling tip of wax is easy to apply, but the kit also comes with an application stick for those hard to cover places. This kit also comes with strips for waxing. While I find I much prefer the Cire Divine type of wax that doesn’t require strips, these ones were easy to use anyway. I’ve used ones in the past that didn’t seem to actually want to stick to the wax after application, but these did the job as advertised.
   

3. Fake It for That Sun-Kissed Glow

   Many of us have this catch-22, where we want the beautiful golden skin from a sun tan, but not the damage that UV rays can do to our skin and overall health. There are ways around this of course, tanning beds, sprays and lotions, all of which can leave a fabulous sun-kissed look if done right. But what about those oops moments? I once had to figure out ways to hide my streak-laden hands after a disastrous full-body spray tan from a salon, that was also entirely the wrong shade of orange for me. I remember watching Jay flinch a few times when he forgot that I looked more Sunkist Orange than sun-kissed tanned.

   The Body Shop has developed a great solution to bronzing your face, without having to reach for the semi-permanent cream that can lead to embarrassing streaks. What I love about The Body Shop’s Honey Bronze is that I can control how tanned I want to look. From hiding in the shade, to walking on the sun levels of tan, the Honey Bronze gel provides the kind of sun kissed look you want, without any streak. The face gel is also infused with a great moisturizer, for smooth application. (Hot tip! Mix a few drops of this moisturizing gel with your foundation, to get that darker shade you need after playing in the sun.) This insta-bronze look is even more fun when paired with the Honey Bronze Highlighting Domes for a natural-looking, brilliant flush to your tanned cheeks; or pick up all three for a sparkly contoured look.
   

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4. Why Stop At Sun-Kissing Your Skin?

   I haven’t tried L’Oreal’s Casting Sunkiss Blonding Jelly yet, but I’m entirely intrigued by it. I love the idea of getting a head start on those sun-designed highlights!
   

5. Liven Up That Mani

   I’m addicted to my monthly Julep Maven subscription. And I’ve just made my choices for my May box that I simply can’t wait to have arrive on my door step. I started the subscription for the nail polish, but I’m sticking around for the wide variety of other beauty products as well, from dry shampoo to lovely eyeshadows and lip stains. You name it, Julep probably has it.

   Here’s what I’ve selected to receive for May:
   

   And here are the other nail polish choices available:
   

   I picked up this fabulous Angie polish last month, that I’m hiding from TheSis or else I’ll never see it again!
   

   Want to be a Julep Maven?

6. That Bonus Tip: Go for Sparkling White

   Did you know you should be replacing your toothbrush every three months? Best way to remember when to switch is to rely on the quarter calendar, and we’ve just recently jumped into Q2. Arm & Hammer has a Truly Radiant line of brushes and paste to try. While I love the tooth paste that works nicely on whitening my smile (and now that the sun’s out, its a great time to get rid of those 50 Shades of Yellow on your teeth,) I’m well and truly intrigued on the manual Spinbrush. My dentist continues to suggest that I go with one of those expensive rotating/vibrating toothbrushes every time I visit, as they’re supposed to give better cleaning coverage over manual brushes. Problem is, I’ve tried those brushes that vibrate and well… they freak me out. I just don’t like the feeling. I really enjoy this manual Spinbrush though, that relies on your manual work to spin the head, and hope that once I visit my dentist next month that they’ll agree its an awesome compromise.