Texas-Bound: What's in my Carry-On!

I'M GOING HOME!

As my Texas trip is wrapping up and plans are changing, I'll be flying back to Tampa in the morning and I thought this would be the perfect time to do a quick post about what I brought in my carry-on.

Aside from my kitty, Rajah, this is everything that went into my bag for my flight. So, from left to right (and kind of from top to bottom)...

• My Simplified Planner from Emily Ley's 2015 line. This thing is my life. I have the daily edition -- which is perfect for taking lots of notes and doodling if I'm stuck in a waiting room for a while.
• My eos lip balm in Honeysuckle Honeydew. I have a problem with dry lips.
• Medications for the week. Not much to say. I take medicine. This helps me keep track of it.
• Hand sanitizer from The Body Shop in Satsuma. I kinda went crazy around the Christmas sale and bought like 2 or 3 of them. Okay, I bought 5. I take it everywhere with me.
• Deodorant! I like the Old Spice scent Fiji. At 5:30 am (an ungodly time), I sometimes forget a step or two. My bad.
• Wallets are important. Duh. I found my fun, colorful one at Target a few years ago.
• My Albuterol (inhaler) and peak flow meter to help me get an idea of how my asthma is doing. Funny story that you can probably skip: I actually started to have an attack on the plane after we took off and ended up buying the in-flight wifi just so I could iMessage my brother to ask if I could use an inhaler on a plane. Oops. Asthma noob.
• Mint Julips sugar lip scrub from Lush. This stuff is the bomb. I usually use this every night. And because my lips get very chapped in cold/dry weather, I've been especially grateful for it this week. I've been sick all of this trip, so my mouth-breathing tendencies have made my lips extra chapped. I stick some of this on my lips, rub them together, and lick it off. BAM. Fresh breath and soft lips.
• After I do the whole lip scrub thing, I'll use this Agave Lip Mask from Bite Beauty overnight. I get up in the morning with moisturized lips, and it's nice & sweet. Aside from the packaging (awful), this is a perfect product. It's pricey, but I've had the same tube since I bought it in California this summer and I haven't even used a quarter of it. Magical.
• Tide To-Go Pen! Thankfully, I haven't had to use it, but I'm glad to have it just in case.
• Gerard Cosmetics lip gloss in Shimmer of Hope, a light peachy nude, and lipstick in 1995 (thank you, Sarah!), a grungy, darker neutral from my queen, Jaclyn Hill.
• My MacBook Pro. I can't decide if I want to bring this on my flight back or tuck it into my suitcase. (Thoughts, anyone!?)
• Candied Ginger from Trader Joe's! Great for motion sickness or an in-flight snack. My roommate, Callan, introduced me to the magical world of Trader Joe's a couple weeks ago and it changed my life. Amazingly enough, you can find this stuff on Amazon!
• Awesome, extra large, leather, studded sunglasses case (also from Amazon) because I realized I loved my Aldo sunnies too much to let them get scratched in my purse -- even if they were only ten or twelve bucks.
• Travel-sized Formulae Known As hand & body lotion. Because I take it everywhere with me.
• Emergen-C Immune+ (the citrus flavor isn't that great, but whatevs). This is usually my go-to when I start feeling lousy and since I was traveling I thought I'd throw a couple in my bag. Clearly I didn't bring enough though, because here I am with this nasty cold/sinus infection business. 
• Orange Tic Tacs. Who doesn't like orange Tic Tacs...? I finished what was left of these in the first hour of my flight.
• Charging cube. I eventually threw the cable in with it. Surprise, surprise. I had to charge my phone after the flight because it died. If anyone has tips for keeping a battery alive, let me know! Apple can't replace the phone/battery, but my phone (iPhone 5) is seriously letting me down these days.

That's it! Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments if you have any tips/tricks for flying (and life in general) or if there are any particular posts, reviews, or hauls you'd like to see here. See you soon... :)

Texas-Bound: What's In My Makeup Bag!

Twenty-four hours from now I will be over a thousand miles away from my Tampa home in Dallas, TX with my lovely friend Rena, probably at In-N-Out or sipping a fantastic margarita at a great Mexican joint. This morning, though, I realized I hadn't packed at all! Too busy with work, classes, and laundry to even begin, so I packed everything I could this morning. 

Here's a look at what I pack in my makeup bag for the week... plus a few bonus products that aren't technically makeup.

Here's everything!

It's important to me to pack a few different multi-purpose products, but there are some things for every day use that I couldn't leave behind. 

Eyes

For those of you who don't know this about me, for the past five or six years I have struggled with a condition (called trichotillomania) of my eyelashes, so I wear falsies almost every day. The ones in the pink package were sent in one of my ipsy bags (monthly subscription service) a few months ago, but I just started to use them this month. The Red Cherry lashes are #43 and they're my "going out" lashes -- purchased on Amazon for only a few bucks, and MUCH better quality than any I have found in drugstores. The eye primer I use is one that I swear by. It's the Kat Von D High Voltage Primer. My eyelids can be very oily, and this primer has always kept everything in place for me. The two individual shadows are L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows in Amber Rush and Pearl. These are great because of their versatility! I can use them in a bright-eyed, everyday look or a look for a night on the town. I like to take this small Z-palette with me when I travel so I'm not wasting space for the 5-6 shadows I want to take with me. The shadows are some of my favorite from Makeup Geek, clockwise, are Bitten (dark cranberry, matte), Peach Smoothie (peachy, nude, matte), Cupcake (pale, rosy pink, matte), Chickadee (warm, dark yellow, matte), Cocoa Bear (warm, dark brown), Hipster (neutral, sand, tan, slight shimmer). The thin pencil is actually the Anastasia Brow Wiz and it's perfect for traveling. Not only is it retractable, but it also has a small spooly on the opposite end making it easy to adjust the product as needed. The last products are my eyelash curler and a brand new tube of L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara. This is the first (non-$2) mascara that I've bought for myself in probably 4 or 5 years because, until now, I haven't had the eyelashes to actually get away with only wearing mascara. So that was kind of an exciting experience.

Face

I don't like wearing a ton of face products, period. Especially not when I'm traveling. My skin tends to freak out sometimes. But I'm almost always overpacking anyway, so I've got a full routine here! The primer is a new purchase for me, the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. I haven't been able to find a good primer for my skin, but this one doesn't seem to break it out at all. The foundation I'm taking is the L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder in the shade "322 Sand Beige." I don't know if I'm crazy about this yet, but I'm taking it along because it doesn't require a brush to blend it out well. I'll most likely be wearing my Garnier BB Cream every day, just to even out my skin tone a bit (I wear the "Medium/Deep" shade) without covering my freckles -- if you've ever seen me in a full coverage foundation, you know I look weird without freckles. Of course I'm packing my Maybelline holy grail concealers: the Instant Age Rewind in "Brightener" to cancel out any dark circles and the Fit Me in "Sand" to blend a little better with my yellow undertones. The blush I'm taking is my tried-and-true Milani Baked Blush in "Luminoso." A perfect peachy, light blush for pretty much any look. Since most of my contour colors and bronzers are in palettes, I'm taking this deluxe sample size of the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in "Medium/Deep." I recently treated myself to the most beautiful highlighter OF LIFE. It is the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in "Opal." 

Lips

From left to right, I'm packing Milani Cosmetics Color Statement Lipsticks in Black Cherry (vampy) and Nude Creme (exactly what it sounds like), Nyx Butter Gloss in Creme Brûlée, EOS Lip Balm in Summer Fruit, and finally my birthday gift from Sephora: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella. 

Miscellaneous

Now, to wrap up this monster of a post! Tools, sprays, etc... I try to always keep a quick clip with me, as well as a wide-tooth comb. The makeup setting spray I'm packing is Urban Decay's All Nighter. Tweezers are from my mama and I've had them for years. I also like to keep some Q-tips and regular old cotton rounds with me when I travel. The small blue package is a mini Glamglow Thirsty Mud mask that I'll be using tonight before I go to bed and the night before I drive back to Tampa. The orange sponge is my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge -- which is the best BeautyBlender I've ever used. Run it under warm water for a few seconds, squeezing out excess water, and it blends out any liquid makeup beautifully. Standard Ardell Duo Lash Glue (dark) for applying eyelashes, and  It's A 10 Miracle Leave-in Product, which is exactly what it sounds like. Spray this in your hair when you've towel-dried it and let it do it's thing. 

WHEW.

You made it.

Thanks for reading! I'll be posting my What's In My Carry-On as I'm traveling! :)

Yay For Brunette!

A few days ago, my good friend Amanda came over so we could color her hair (yet again). This girl has been letting me play with her hair since the short, blonde days of freshman year at USF; now we're getting her hair as healthy and beautiful as possible for her wedding in May! 

BEFORE

I use Ion Color Brilliance Permanent Hair Color -- I like the liquid form for all-over color like this. The color I had used on Amanda previously was Dark Brown with some Medium Brown. After spending this summer on the ocean and working at the Clearwater Aquarium, not to mention simply living in Florida where the sun is always shining (even if it's raining), her color has faded quite considerably.

AFTER

This time we stuck with just Dark Brown, saturating her hair completely and letting it process for a few minutes extra. Amanda is stunning as a blonde, but Brunette Amanda is fierce.

 

That's all for today! Next week I'll be getting ready to fly to Texas to visit one of my best friends in Dallas, and my brother and sister-in-law in San Antonio! Watch out for a "What's In My Carry-On" and "Travel Makeup Essentials" post in the next week or so.

Thanks for reading! See you soon. :)

Lush Skincare Favorites

For most of my adolescence, my mom would tell me to wash my face. "Do three steps," she would say, which was short for "go wash your face, tone, it and moisturize it with the AcneFree I bought for you!" She had a point, but I didn't care enough because my skin has always been fairly clear. Times have certainly changed for me and my skin, though. Now I'm the one recommending products for her to try (and pretty much shoving Lush on/into the face of anyone who will listen to me). I have good reason, though. This works for me! Lush works for my oily, combination, pimple-prone, sun-damaged skin, so I want to share a few of my favorite skincare treasures that I have been loving the last 6 months or so. 

9 to 5 Cleanser

You can find it online here.

This has been my go-to makeup remover since I tried it this past July. Two key ingredients include almond oil and dove orchid extract. The almond oil is great for removing any makeup, dirt, or anything else that may have accumulated throughout the day and dove orchid extract soothes any irritation in the skin. I use a dime-sized amount for both my eyes as well as the rest of my face before using another cleanser at the end of the day. Bottom line, this is a fantastically effective and moisturizing facial cleanser that works as my favorite makeup remover. This is great for every skin type.

 Herbalism

You can find it online here.

Herbalism is a oily girl's dream come true. This cleanser is 100% everyday, holy grail material. Ground almonds are the perfect exfoliant and the Kaolin clay base combined with the rice vinegar soak up the oils on my skin. The rosemary, rose absolute, and chamomile oil are all very calming ingredients. I use a marble-sized amount in the palm of my hand, add a little water and rub it all over my face and neck before rinsing with warm water. If you have oily, combination or blemish/acne-prone skin  this should definitely be something you at least get a sample of. 

Tea Tree Toner Water

You can find it online here. 

Tea Tree Toner Water has been the best for my skin because it brightens and balances my skin tone before I use any moisturizer. I spritz this all over my face, neck, chest, and upper arms -- especially my tattooed arm -- and either let it dry on its own (before moisturizing), add moisturizer immediately, or wipe it with a cotton round and then moisturize.

Enzymion Facial Moisturizer

You can find it online here.

Moisturizers are a bit of a wildcard for me. It's difficult to find one that hydrates without causing me to break out or make me shiny all day. Enzymion could be the one for me. It hydrates and mattifies my skin. It certainly isn't a night cream because of its consistency, but it serves its purpose well! 

Lovely Jubblies Breast Cream

You can find it online here.

Let's get real. It's nice when everything is nice and firm and perked up. Lovely Jubblies is a tightening and firming cream that leaves your skin softer than you've ever imagined -- and you can use it anywhere you feel you need a little extra oomph.  I could tell you all the ingredients that do all the things, or you could just go grab a sample of it and understand the magic of Lovely Jubblies.

Formulae Known As

You can find it online here.

I debated including Formulae Known As (Old Charity Pot), but I am literally obsessed with this stuff. I cannot tell your how much of this I have gone through in just 6-8 months, and I feel like I'm one of maybe 50 people that actually love it more than New Charity Pot... but I can't help it. Almond oil, ylang yang oil, geranium oil, and fair trade cocoa butter. GUYS. This stuff is the bomb. I use this every night on my lower body, and every morning on my upper body after I shower. But most importantly, I've been using it to heal my tattoo and all my sunburns over the summer. It has literally worked wonders. I can't even tell you.

Thanks for letting me tell you about some of my favorite Lush products! Let me know if you pick up some samples or what some of your favorite skincare products are. :)

The Intro.

Hi, hello, yes. I suppose every new blog & blogger deserves an introduction, right? While I'm not especially new to the blogging world, I am new to the beauty blogging realm. This is my introduction.

I'm Savvy! Well, Savannah, but most people call me Savvy. I am a skin care enthusiast, makeup artist, hair care devotee, and colorist/stylist. I love beauty, and that's something I like about myself. A great author wrote in one of my favorite books, Captivating, that "we want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; a beauty all our own to unveil." This is my goal -- to find my beauty to unveil and help other women do the same. As a Florida-based hair & MUA, I have been doing what I do (hair and makeup) for a total of about 7 years. The last two years I've been pursuing a degree in Theatre Arts, which has given me many opportunities to develop my skills with hair and makeup in both theatre and film as well as special events and nights out with girlfriends. I love helping people look their best, but even more so I love making people feel beautiful.

This has become very much a creative outlet for me and I'm relieved to have finally begun. I have a few posts in the works currently and I'm excited to share those, but first I want to say thank you for getting to know me a bit!

See you soon!