Step One: Remove face and eye makeup.
We like Neutrogena's HYDRATING makeup remover towelettes. It's common knowledge how important it is to NEVER go to bed without washing your face. Not going to lie though, we've all had those nights when you're just so exhausted, the last thing you want to do is get up and wash your face before crashing. If you're going to skip it, at least wipe your makeup of with one of these cleansing towelettes!
Step Two: Exfoliate with cleansing brush and Purity cleanser.
Our favorite cleanser is Purity cleansing gel by Philosophy. This stuff is amazing, and not to mention smells delicious :) We've all heard of the clarisonic, but there are so many cleansing brushes out there, and we've actually found one we like even better! It's the Spin for Perfect Skin Brush from Vanity Planet. It comes with four brushes: a cleansing brush, exfoliating brush, body brush and pumice stone. PLUS, we have a discount code for out readers for 70% off all face brushes! Use code saltyspin at checkout :)
Step Three: USE A RETINOL!
Ok, Paige here, and this is something I swear by! I'm 27, and a few years ago I started noticing some deeper wrinkles starting to form on my forehead and around my mouth. In today's world, of course we all want that quick fix, so my first instinct was to get me some botox! Pronto! After talking to my mom and a dermatologist, they recommended trying a retinol first. I tried out a bunch and finally found one I'm so in love with! It made a HUGE difference, and I'm so glad I didn't go straight to botox! I use GLOW by Dr. Brandt. It's a little pricey, but lasts SO long and is SO worth it!! I can't stress this enough people! :)
Step Four: Moisturize.
For our eyes, all three of us, as well as our mom, use All About Eyes by Clinique. It's the best! As far as moisturizer goes, our mom, Regan and Sidney all use Olay's Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream. It's a drug store product you can get for $20 at any grocery store or by clicking on the linked picture below. There have been so many studies done showing Olay products to work just as well as most expensive department store creams, and we love this one! Paige however, has become somewhat of a moisturizer snob, and has been switching out between this and another one of her beloved Dr. Brandt products. It's pricey, and she's embarrassed to even admit paying this much on a moisturizer, but swears by it. We suggest getting a few samples of it first at your local Sephora, and decide for yourself what works best for you :) As for the rest of us, we think we'll be sticking with our $20 Olay cream! Both are pictured and linked below, as well as our eye cream :)
Although this is all pretty self explanatory, sometimes we need things laid out plain and simple…so we've included another short video tutorial. Watch me, Paige, below doing my nightly skincare routine. Also, don't ask why my mouth is open the whole time like a weirdo while using my facial cleansing brush! K bye :)
Skincare Essentials Part 1 - Foundation Tutorial
We've been meaning to share our skincare routine for a while, and now that we're entering one of the hottest months of summer (when skincare is most important) we thought it would be the perfect time.
Using clean, natural makeup without any harsh chemicals is really important to us. Using a foundation that actually IMPROVES your skin…well that's just a dream come true ;) Working at Nordstrom, Paige tested out a ton of different foundations thanks to her friends at the makeup counter. She eventually found one that she fell in love with, and we all three now use and love it too. We use Clinique's "Even Better" Makeup as our main foundation. Not only is it free of harsh chemicals, but it actually helps IMPROVE your skin. The shade we use is "honey" but stop by any Nordstrom or makeup counter to find your perfect shade :) Click on the picture below to read more about it.
After applying Clinique's "Even Better" Foundation with a brush, we blend it with a beauty blender. If you guys don't have one yet, we highly recommend it! Click on the image for the link.
For extra protection, and to set the foundation, we use colorescience sunforgettable powder. This stuff is seriously amazing, and offers great protection from the sun all day long. Click on the picture below to read more about it.
Lastly, we use a little bronzer under cheekbones to make them stand out, and sometimes a little blush (we're not big blush people, but we love "warm soul" from MAC). The bronzer and blush we use are pictured and linked below. The bronzer color is "medium deep".
Below is a short video tutorial on applying foundation, made by the one and only
Sidney Shannelle Studios. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram and watch for an upcoming giveaway!
Lashes
We are so in love with our new eyelashes from Lash Affair Utah! We've been wanting eyelash extensions for a while now, but were worried they might look too unnatural or be annoying our eyes. We were so wrong and couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out!
Paige's sister-in-law, Noelle, has been getting her lashes done from Lindsey for a long time, so when Lindsey recently started her own business, we knew we had to give them a try. Check out Noelle's perfect lashes HERE.
There's a couple different options for eyelash extensions, so we thought we'd fill you in a little since we were totally clueless when they asked us what kind we wanted. Lindsey did the volume lashes on Paige (right), which are finer, lighter lashes with 3 grouped together for every 1 natural eyelash. This creates a really full, but natural look. Lauren did the classic lashes for Regan (left), which are thicker individual lashes and are glued on just one at a time. These are a little bit bolder looking.
We highly recommend Lash Affair Utah if you're thinking about getting eyelash extensions! Mention Salty Blondes when making your appointment to receive $25 off your first time. We love that we can just wake up with ZERO makeup on and still feel like we look decent. Plus, they're 100% waterproof...perfect for summer days at the beach or pool ;)
Having lashes for summer is actually what we're both the most excited about. We can't wait to show up to the beach makeup free with gorgeous lashes! We've already started a little summertime shopping, and below are our favorite new swim suit coverup dresses from Jane.com!
No Hair Don't Care
Photo by Courtney's sister-in-law Tiffany Morton
We couldn't believe it when we recently discovered our cousin, Courtney, has breast cancer.
Our family was so shocked when we found out because she is one of the healthiest people we know, and is so young!
She has an amazing story and we wanted to share a little bit about her, because she is one of our favorite people and we are so inspired by her.
Courtney has always been someone we've admired and looked up to. She is just the type of person who radiates happiness, and is genuinely kind to everyone around her. She has been through so much, and is still smiling through it all!
Courtney wrote up a little backstory for us, and we wanted to share her story in her own words. She is the mother of three boys, and Mitch is her oldest.
Mitch was born extremely premature at 25 weeks weighing 1 pound 3 ounces. He was 12 inches long… about the size of a dollar bill. We knew there was some bleeding on the brain before he was born but we didn’t know the severity of it. After he was born, we found out that he had a grade IV brain bleed, we knew there would be complications from that but didn’t know what or how severe. He spent nine months in the NICU. He is the real fighter here! My sweet baby fought for every breath. He finally had to have a tracheotomy done to get off the ventilator to come home. He also had a feeding tube placed because he wasn’t able to eat enough to sustain him. He has been a driving force in all of our lives ever since. Mitch is now 13 years old and has Cerebral Palsy. He doesn’t speak but he communicates very well with the people closest to him. He’s personality plus even without talking! He still has his feeding tube but likes to taste things. He’s not walking but he gets around by scooting everywhere. In some ways he is your typical teenager.. messy room, moody, likes his space and freedom but in other ways he is still my sweet baby. He brings so much joy to our lives. He has two little brothers that love him very much. He’s had the best influence on them and we are so grateful for that. Every decision we make requires a careful consideration for how it will affect Mitch and his brothers, right down to the decision I made a long time ago to be the healthiest I can be to care for him. My fitness journey started with changing my eating habits, for most people its the opposite. I cleansed my body first through juicing and other things and then I started feeling so amazing and I had all this energy and I wanted to start working out as well. My moms diagnosis of diabetes was a defining moment in my journey as well. I really started thinking about the effects of my health on my family and most importantly Mitch. I realized as Mitch got older and heavier that I had to make a change. I started looking for personal trainers and different things and I came across my now good friend, Lindsey Mathews, owner of Moxie Full Body, and tried one of her boot camps and fell in love with the whole program. This was the perfect solution for me! Her program focused on diet as well as lifting weights. She is the one that got me so excited about lifting heavy.. I was one of those girls that believed I would look too “bulky” if I lifted heavy! Haha! I was wrong.. she helped me get to where I am now and pushed me to my outer limits and I’ve been amazed at how my body has changed. I had the good eating habits before but now I have strength too! I love it! Most importantly I have loved feeling strong enough to lift Mitch when I need to and care for him
I realize now that everything I have been through in my life has prepared me for my battle with cancer. October 9, 2014 I got the call that no one wants to ever get in their lifetime. I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, aka breast cancer. My life has been a whirlwind ever since. One thing that remains constant… my eating habits and working out. I have breezed through chemo because I am so healthy. I have continued lifting heavy through my treatments and that gives me the fuel I need to fight this. I am incredibly blessed to have this cancer at the most healthy time in my life.
How awesome is she?! Courtney's son, Mitch, is the sweetest boy, and she is the best mama. We love this sweet family!
Photo by Courtney's sister-in-law Tiffany Morton
She has been so inspiring to us throughout this whole ordeal, and we just had to do a post with her and share this amazing, inspiring woman with you as well! We know there is a ton of stuff out there on breast cancer awareness, but this just hit home with us, and we thought it wouldn't hurt to put it out there on our blog too.
Seeing how beautiful she is with or without hair is just a real testament that true beauty comes from within. Even with everything she's going through, she is just glowing and so gorgeous! Plus could she look any more awesome rockin this sweatshirt everywhere she goes? We love it!
She also has an amazing sense of style (when Paige worked as a personal stylist at Nordstrom Courtney was one of her top customers ;) - are you as obsessed with these lululemon leggings as we are?!
Our shirts, and Courtney's sweatshirt + tank top we got from a friend's company, who donates money and clothes to cancer patients for every purchase made from their site. Check out their story here.
To support the cause and make a purchase from this awesome company, click on the links below.
We love you Courtney! Thank you for letting us share your story!
Tee | Sweatshirt | Tank Top
Courtney's bracelets made by Syndee Hargis
Thank you Connie Balluf for these amazing pictures!
Hair Essentials
We've recently received lots of requests for hair tips and tutorials.
To be honest, when it comes to styling our hair, we are pretty boring and like to keep it simple.
Basically, we have three go-to hair styles: straight, curled, and side braid ;)
We do have a few essentials that we think are necessary steps in our daily hair routine, no matter the style.
First off, we can't tell you enough how important using good, quality products on your hair is. It all starts in the shower. We grew up using Paul Mitchell shampoo and Purology conditioner. Then we moved out and went to college, and started buying cheaper shampoo and conditioner, since we were the ones paying the bills. We noticed a HUGE difference in our hair and realized right away what it was. Quality shampoo and conditioner is worth the money people...trust us!
A few other things that are always part of our daily routines are...
We learned about biotin from Pinterest a few years ago, and have been using it ever since. We feel it really has made a big difference in helping our hair to grow healthier and stronger.
This stuff is seriously the best. Use it on wet or dry hair for soft, smooth, and shiny hair. You would think since it's an oil it would just make your hair look greasy, but nope! Even the day or two after a wash, a little bit of this stuff will have your hair looking fresh again and smelling AMAZING!
If you don't own a wet brush...go get one now! IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE ;) It's the ultimate brush for detangling your hair, especially when it's wet. It was a LIFE saver on our family Lake Powell trip after our hair would end up in a rat's nest on boat rides.
Scroll down for a video tutorial on how to get the loose waves and twisted braid pictured below…
We know we're both a little awkward in front of the camera, so bear with us! ;)