Teeth Whitening

As I sit here on a Tuesday night with a super attractive (not) mouthguard in, I've decided to share with you some of my favorite natural - meaning minimal chemical and product - beauty fixes:

For White Teeth

Baking soda and coconut are your best friends. You can get a super cheap mouthguard (like the one I have in) at Target for around $10. Fill it with some coconut oil and sprinkle on a little baking soda, and leave in anywhere from 5-20 minutes. I do this (well, try) about once a week.

For Clear Skin

Drink water! Agua, auga, H20! Dehydration, no no no! Seriously, though: besides a clever chant I learned at summer camp, that mantra is so important. Most of us are dehydrated without even realizing it, so drinking more water can only improve your quality of skin - and really, life.

For Long Eyelashes

Y'all. Vaseline on your eyelashes while you sleep WORKS. I swear. Get an old mascara brush, clean it off, and use it to apply vaseline to your eyelashes before you sleep.

For Smaller Pores

Rub ice cubes on your face. The cold temperatures will close up your pores, leading to less dirt infiltrating the skin on your face. Less dirt equals less acne, which everybody loves!

For Better Cuticles

Olive oil works wonders on torn and blistered cuticles. Just rub a small amount onto each nail bed and watch an episode of your favorite show on Netflix. Then simply wash your hands off with soap and water to remove the oil. Watch your cuticles heal in no time!

Back To School Makeup: Your Daily Look

It’s August now, and soon everybody will be prone to the classic First Week of School Syndrome: wearing the cute outfits you planned out over the summer, spending an hour curling your hair, you try out that new makeup contouring technique you discovered last week... However, after those initial mornings of excitement, the tiresome routine of balancing your looks and your studies begins to take a toll. As much as you deny it, you’re going to wake up later and spend less time on your makeup. So to make your mornings easier, I’ve crafted the perfect 10 minute makeup routine: a natural look perfected so that you’ll look awake and beautiful.

CLEAN

Start your morning by washing your face with whatever your favorite cleaning wash is - because of acne, I use the Proactiv+ 3-Step System (Proactiv, prices vary) to clean my face each morning and night. It’s important to wash your face each morning to get rid of dead skin cells and apply makeup to a fresh face.

FACE

Start with a tinted moisturizer - this will even out your skin tone without creating a cakey foundation look. My favorite is Miracle Skin Transformer ($48, Birchbox). Tinted moisturizer is also a great way to avoid putting on lotion before your makeup and then spending the rest of the day with an oily face.

Next, highlight under your eyes. Hide sleepless nights spent studying with a bright undereye concealer that is lighter than your skin tone. Benefit’s Fake Up ($24, Sephora) is perfect for this - it’s meant to conceal your dark circles and comes with a moisturizing ring around the concealer to reduce puffiness and invigorate your skin.

Coverup your zits or dark spots with your favorite skin-matched concealer. I personally like to use Maybelline’s FITme! Shine-Free Foundation ($9, Walgreens) because of its great matte quality. It doesn’t leave oily residue and stays on ALL DAY, a quality you need for a long day of classes. 

CHEEKS + LIPS

Go for a light tint cream blush. NARS’s The Multiple in Orgasm ($39, Sephora) works really well for this. Blend in with your fingers underneath the area you just highlighted.

A natural look isn’t complete without the perfect nude-ish lip color. I say nude-ish because completely nude will make you look washed out, while some tint will simply enhance your natural lip color. Clinique’s Chubby Stick ($17, Clinique) moisturizes and colors super well. Some great neutral shades are Whole Lotta Honey, Super Strawberry, Mighty Mimosa, and Bountiful Blush.

EYES

If you like to wear eyeliner, try lining your eyes very thin and close to your lashline. The tool you want to use for this is a pen-type liquid eyeliner. For this, I recommend STILA’s Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner ($20, Sephora).

Pick a mascara that will make your eyelashes longer and therefore your eyes seem bigger. You’ll definitely look and seem more awake.BeneFit They’re Real Mascara ($24, Sephora) is heaven-sent and perfect for this!

This quick and easy routine will help you look your best with less work in the morning. I wish you all the best this school year, and send me your feedback on this look or pictures of you trying it out!