2013 Must-Haves: Hair and Nails

Here is the third part of my "2013 Must-Haves" series, this time on the hair and nail products that were my favorites of 2013. Hopefully, this series will help you get a feel for what types of products I use and enjoy!

Hair

I'm not as big on hair and nails as I am on makeup, but I still know what works for me and what doesn't, and I'm also constantly searching for the perfect products for that work with my hair. Though it definitely is not glamorous, my hair is temperamental and I sometimes suffer from a dry, itchy scalp along with oily roots. In an ideal world, I would only have to wash my hair a few times a week, but the longest I can go while still maintaining some level of style is washing my hair every other day. And even then, I have to dutifully rely on dry shampoo to cut back on the dirtiness and griminess of my hair. However, these products are what I turned to to take care of both my scalp and my ends.

Shampoo: Everyday Shea Moisturizing Shampoo (vanilla mint)

Conditioner: Herbal Essences Shine Collection Brilliance Conditioner

Leave in Conditioner: It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Conditioner Plus Keratin

Hair Mask: Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Styling Product: Sunsilk Layers Texturizing Wax (discontinued)...alternative: Aveda Light Elements Defining Whip

Dry Shampoo: Batiste Dry Shampoo Original

Heat Protector: TRESemmé Thermal Creations Heat Protector Spray
Hairspray: Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly

Nails

My favorite nail polishes come and go with the seasons and with my moods, which I think most of you can relate to. Though, there are those colors that I want to wear constantly and these are those polishes of 2013 that I got the most use out of. I don't always stick to the typical polish colors for the seasons, but my favorites clearly represent each category: gold for winter, pastel for spring, neon for summer, and oxblood for fall. In general, I like to change my nail polish every week or two, depending on how much time I have with school and all, but my polish is able to look fresh and acceptable for at least one week because I use four layers. I start with one layer of base coat, two layers of color, and end with one layer of top coat. This sandwich of nail polish really keeps my nails from chipping for quite a long time.

Winter Polish: Essie Pennie Talk

Spring Polish: Butter London Muggins

Summer Polish: Circus By Andrea's Choice Ringmaster

Fall Polish: Revlon Vixen

Glitter: Nailtini Nail Lacquer in Millionaire

Base Coat: Revlon Colorstay Gel-Smooth

Top Coat: Revlon Colorstay Gel-Shine

What hair and nail products were your 2013 winners?

All About My Eyebrows

I will begin by stating how I absolutely loathe red-hued eyebrows. However, if reddish eyebrows flatter you, by all means, go for it, but they do not suit me at all. In my opinion, cool-toned, bordering on grey colors look far more natural than their warm-toned counterparts. My hunt for the perfect cool-toned product seems endless, but for now, I have found a few products that work well for me. 

NYX Brow Cake Powder in Taupe/Ash--$5.99

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Ash--$21.00

Top: myglam Eyeliner Brush  Bottom: Real Techniques Brow Brush 

Brow Powder

NYX Brow Cake Powder in Taupe/Ash--$5.99

Personally, if I only put on one thing, I always always always fill in my eyebrows. Despite my British mother, I have inherited my dad's sparse Asian eyebrows that do not show up in any photographs unless they are filled in. I cannot emphasize enough the need for a well-defined brow because it instantly completes any face--with other makeup on or without. My current eyebrow product that I must have with me is the NYX Eyebrow Powder in Taupe/Ash. Aside from it's extremely reasonable $5.99 price, the brow powders are the ideal colors for me because they are cool-toned and ashy, meaning they don't have any red in them. On a side note, please excuse how extremely gross the brow wax is in the product--the powder mixes in and it gets messy, which is exactly why I don't use the wax anymore.

Brow Pencil

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Ash--$21.00

Brow powder and brow pencil are completely different products that achieve a similar, but noticeably different, effect. Powder tends to stay on the slightly more natural side, while pencil can often look drawn in. The NYX powder is obviously far more affordable than the brow wiz and lasts twenty times longer than the few month life of the brow wiz (from daily use). However, the brow wiz is a cult favorite for a reason: it's faster to use, more travel friendly, and the formula is not too soft and not too hard so it stays on all day.

Brow Gel

Chella Defining Eyebrow Gel--$18.00

I don't really use brow gel that often, but if I feel that my brows are just too uncontrollably long and need to be tamed, this is the one I use. I am also not too fussy about brow gel, but this is the one I have. I am sure that Maybelline Great Lash in Clear would work just as well.

Brushes

myglam Eyeliner Brush

This brush is what I use if I want a really sharp and defined line. Because of how dense the bristles are, it manages to get a fine line, but it doesn't pick up and hold as much product. Therefore, I often have to go back into the powder several times in order to achieve the effect that I want.

Real Techniques Brow Brush (from Starter Kit)--$17.99

I am a huge fan of all the Real Techniques brushes, this one including. Larger than most angled brushes, this brow brush really allows me to fill in my brows quickly and precisely (which is exactly what I need when I am rushing to fill in my brows while in the car, on the way to school). The bristles are more loosely packed so it picks up and holds powder well which means I can use less product and achieve the perfect effect. This really is a must-have brush for me!

What are your favorite brow products?

2013 Must-Haves: Skincare

This is my second installment of "Must-Haves" and this time I am going to mention all the skincare products that I couldn't live without in 2013. For some background information on my skin, I have combination/oily, sensitive, and sometimes acne-prone skin that can be difficult to match products with. But through a lot of trial and error, here are the items I found that work well for my face.

Cleanser: Boots Expert Anti-Blemish Cleansing Foam

Exfoliatior: up&up Apricot Blemish Scrub
Mask: Boots Botanical Conditioning Clay Mask

Daily Moisturizer: Philosophy Take A Deep Breath 

Night Moisturizer: Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream

Sunscreen: CōTZ Face Natural Skin Tone SPF 40 

Makeup Remover: Bioderma Créaline TS H2O

Treatment: Clindamycin Phosphate Topical Gel 1%

Tool: Clarisonic Mia 2 in Pink

What are your skincare must-haves?

2013 Must-Haves: Makeup

This is going to be my first post of my new "2013 Must-Haves" series where I talk about all the products that came out on top for me in the past year.

I often find that I have so many unnecessary items even just in my modest beauty collection that I really don't use very much. However, there are those products that made it to my everyday-use-makeup-box that I gravitated towards and always needed on hand. By no means did I use all of these products everyday, but if I wanted a full face of makeup, this is what I used.

Face

Primer: Benefit the POREfessional

Foundation: Chanel Vitalumière Aqua (20 Beige)

Concealer: MUFE Full Cover Concealer (5)

Under-Eye Concealer: Maybelline Instant Age-Rewind Concealer (Light)

Powder: Aqualillies for Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder

Brow Powder: NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Taupe/Ash

Blush: Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dazzled 

Bronzer: Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess

Eyes 

Primer: Urban Decay 24/7 Primer Potion

Palette: Urban Decay Naked Palette

Liner: Loréal The Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner 

Mascara: Covergirl Clump Crusher

Lips

Lip Balm: Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss

Lipstick: Mac Viva Glam V

Lip Stain: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey

Lip Gloss: Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Nudist

What are your makeup must-haves?