Michael Todd Blue Green Algae Toner

I'm a big fan of white noise - and YouTubers.  On the dreariest of work days, I sometimes que up some videos by my favorite WebCelebs (FleurdeForce, Tanya Burr, Zoella, Elle and Blair Fowler, Daily Grace....) in the bottom left hand corner of my screen while plugging away.  This has really helped keep me in good spirits on bad days and given me some not-so-necessary reasons to online shop during lunch.
Always in search of a good organic skin care range, I was intrigued by the vast quantity of Beauty Gurus who rave about Michael Todd True Organics and last spring, I figured I should try it out for myself.  A huge fan of sample bags, I snagged a discovery kit that contained the Blue Green Algae Toner everyone covets.

Local Beauty Product Spotlight: Mojo Spa Bath Salts

It's been a pretty rough winter so far here in Chicago - practically no sun, loads of snow nearly weekly (if not more frequently), temperatures in the -40's (F) with the windchill.  Needless to say, this means I've been cooped up in the house avoiding the elements and am starting to get ridiculously depressed because of it.  

It's easy to recommend that someone "get out" and grab a bite to eat with friends, go to a museum, head to a spa, but we've made it our goal in 2014 to save money for a number of big trips we'd love to take in the near future (Morocco, Mt. Kilimanjaro, New Zealand....), and there's only so much staying in I can do.

To try to lift my mood, clear my head, and warm up at the same time I started taking weekly or twice weekly baths.  Having used up my Lush bath bombs, baths weren't as exciting a prospect as they could be.  I remembered my stylist at Fringe Salon mentioned a local store in Wicker Park that pedals goods similar in ideals to Lush, but on a more unique scale - Mojo Spa (1468 N. Milwaukee - right by Wormhole).

Review: Love me some Tart(e)s

As you may guess, I'm always on the hunt for fantastic "friendly" makeup.  By friendly, I mean products that skip gross chemicals, like parabens, and at least somehow seek to make the world a little friendlier through a lack of animal testing and an honest use of recycled packaging, etc.

One of the first lines I've found that embodies many of my values in terms of "friendliness" while providing truly fantastic products is Tarte.  This brand, the brain child of Maureen Kelly, boasts impressive color and product ranges that not only make you look fantastic, but contain richly beneficial ingredients such as maracuja oil, natural fatty acids, Vitamin C, and it's signature Amazonian clay.

In 2013 I "updated my collection" (a kind way of saying I spoiled myself by purchasing) the brand's new BB Tinted Treatment and a summer sample collection containing a blush, eye shadow paint pot, finishing powder, primer, full size concealer, shadow brush, and sample of their pure maracuja oil.

Summer Saviors: LaVanilla Deodorant and Jo Malone Cologne

For years I've been devoted to the same perfume, Chanel Coco.  A slightly spicy, rich scent, it always jives with my chemical makeup perfectly - sinking in, yet remaining present - the way a perfume should.  Given this happy relationship, I've never considered changing things up seasonally, regardless of the fact that it's something we should all think about.  The humidity and heat absolutely change the way scents act on our skin, leaving Coco sitting slightly heavy during the summer months.  On a whim, I trekked downtown to Nordstrom to visit the Jo Malone counter.

Summer Saviors: DermOrganic Shampoo & Hair Repair Masque, Love&Toast Body Lotion

Like most of us, I'm pretty finicky about my hair.  Luckily, I was blessed with thick, fast growing hair from birth and it tends to be rather shiny on its own.  My only peeve is that it never does what I want.  Ever. Talking with my stylist at Sine Qua Non Salon in Chicago, he suggested I try their salon go-to shampoo and conditioner, both by DermOrganic.  

By now we all know that the hype surrounding hair products laden with argan oil is beyond justified.  A believer in it myself, I've tried the company's Argan Hair Oil before (picked it up at TJMaxx, whatdya know!), and love it, so I thought it would be worth giving salon gorgeous hair a try at home.  I picked up the smaller (although slow to disappear!) shampoo at the salon and the Intensive Hair Repair Masque (which I use as a regular conditioner) at TJMaxx (surprise!).  

Summer Saviors Review: Deep Steep and Earth Therapeutics

We generally think of summer as the ideal time to work flirty, floral, citrus scented products into our daily routines.  Oftentimes, vanilla scented products can feel heavy and musky against the hot, humid air.
The Argan Oil Body Wash in Warm Vanilla & Coconut by Deep Steep is a "deeply" pleasant departure from this norm, and the formulation is light enough to use on even the stickiest summer day.

Summer Saviors - Bath & Body

For many, summer is a best friend with some unavoidably obnoxious qualities.  We wait for that first glowing peck of the sun on baited hooks and, when it finally arrives, we dunk our skin in gallons of illuminating SPF products and spritz our hair with a concoction of "salt water wave inducing, frizz reducing, shine boosting, overall completely contradictory" products in order to achieve some mythic summer glow similar to what Grecian Gods must enjoy on Olympus.