Aveda Product Knowledge {My TWO favorite products}

I FINALLY finished at Aveda Institute Portland! My blogging sabbatical is officially over!

My first post back is a review of Aveda products I love. I think Aveda products are a nice product for people wanting to spend an average amount of money on good skincare. I believe their products do work, they are not the most advanced on the market but like in all things you get what you pay for when it comes to skincare and if you are wanting a step above drug store skincare that is also naturally sourced, Aveda is perfect for you.

My favorite toner Aveda makes is the Botanical Kinetics Skin Firming/ Toning Agent

This toner not only smells amazing but truly works as a wonderful toner for people with dry to normal skin types as well as those with rosacea. This toner uses rose water which is hydrating and soothing to the skin. Not to mention the rose water adds an amazing smell to this toner. I put this toner on after I’ve cleansed, exfoliated, and put on eye cream. I follow the toner with moisturizer to help lock it in. This adds the sip of water my skin is missing. This won’t break the bank either 🙂

Another one of my favorite products from Aveda is the Botanical Kinetics Liquid Exfoliant!

This is liquid exfoliant- yes not a harsh scrub or mechanical exfoliant. This is liquid, it is a chemical exfoliant that is gentle on your liquid but still effective. When I am doing extractions on my clients I used this liquid exfoliant religiously. It helps clear out dirt and debri that sit in your pores. I LOVE this stuff!! It is also not very expensive- another perk.

I applied every skin care product Aveda offers to my skin over the course of the four months I attended school there. I felt it was a great opportunity for me to try a bunch of different products on myself and others so that I could write about what I saw and felt. Hopefully my product reviews help you all 🙂

If you have any product knowledge requests or anything you want me to cover please don’t hesitate to comment asking!

Love

Kalee

Aveda

I’ve now been in school almost three weeks! It’s amazing how time flys when you are so busy. I am gone from my house almost 13 hours Tuesday through Friday and Saturdays it’s even longer because I drive to my other home. My actual home- where Nick is. 

Isn’t it funny how as your relationship grows home becomes a person and not a destination? It’s truly remarkable to feel it happen. Just a random thought 🙂 

Aveda has been truly amazing so far. Honestly, I am in the right place doing what I should be. I’m blessed to have discovered it. Aveda is expanding my skincare knowledge by the day. Learning about ingredients and procedures you can use to improve people’s skin- just makes me so excited! I can nerd out on product and ingredient knowledge all day. 
I’m learning about Aveda products as well. Different skin care lines and different oils that can benefit health and wellness. 
Your skin is a sure fire tell tale sign of your health. Tone, texture and temperature are key elements of healthy skin. It’s funny how now that I’m going to a school based around skincare I’m constantly looking/analyzing/ treating in my head. I’m pretty sure it’s driving everyone I live with insane  ( oops ). But I’m obsessed with learning about skin. Everything skin! I’ve also learned waxing. Everything. Yes everything. It was kind of frightening- especially the Brazilian area, but now I’m adjusting and getting used to it and had it done to myself so that makes it easier to be able to do on others. I’ve started to enjoy it, I mean it is instant gratification ( hair to zero hair) , and so that’s always fun. 
One product I’ve implemented into my regiment is toner- how was I not using this before ?? I love Aveda’s Botanical Kenetics toner. It’s amazing and it has rose water as one of the main ingredients ( smells fantastic ) and just gives your face that little sip of water it’s been missing. 
That’s my past two weeks! Have a lovely weekend 
Xoxo
Kalee 

New Adventures

From the beginning of our relationship Nick and I discussed the fact we will never have an ordinary relationship. There are going to be plenty of times where we aren’t in the same state let alone the same country. Its just not in the cards for us. He is in the Air Force and that is his career and his duty to his country will call him to be places that I’m not always able to be as well. Therefore it is important that I have my own thing, my own hobby, passion and love ( besides my Airman). For me that passion is skin care and children. I had a light bulb moment about a month and a half ago and decided that I needed to pursue my passion of skin care so with the help of my amazing support system I decided that I was going to attend The Aveda Institute Portland to get my Esthetic license so that I can work in the dermatology or plastic surgery industry. I couldn’t be more excited to pursue my passion and use it to hopefully make a difference in someone else’s life. 

I’m lucky enough to have a passion that will allow me to be mobile so that I am free to travel around. This is something that is important to both Nick and I. Having a career based on something I’m passionate about, I truly couldn’t ask for more. I am beyond thrilled that I am able to continue going to school to pursue this passion of mine. 

Cheers to New Adventures 👌🏻💙 

  

  

My Skin Care Routine

Taking care of your skin is important and the younger you are when you realize this, the more it will pay off later down the line when you become older. I thought I should share my skin care routine with you because I have over the years tried a billion different products and finally figured out what works really well for MY SKIN. Everyone’s skin is different and so different things work for different people and my routine is a combination of a bunch of different tools and methods taught to be by an assortment of people. 

I should note I rarely ever touch my face during the day. And I never do unless it is for a premeditated purpose. I am very careful about this and I have been since I was in high school – my mom ingrained this into me 🙂 bless her heart. 

Also note: I have dryer skin. Not oily. So I like moisturizing products 🙂 

My skin care routine varies depending on my skin. If I am going through a period of time where my skin is breaking out a little bit I will wash my face with cleanser and my clarisonic TWICE a day ( morning and night), things like that. But for my daily skin care routine this is it:  

I wash my face with cool water every morning right after I brush my teeth- brushing is the first thing I do when I wake up.

After showering I moisturize and apply under eye cream- Both these products are different than I use at night. Day time moisturizer is Epionce Renewal Lite Facial Lotion. This is perfect for under primers, foundations, creams or just by itself! Its light weight and won’t break you out or become too oily. I am IN LOVE with this lotion and it would be hard for  me to ever give this stuff up.

Under eye I use Puff Off by Benefit Cosmetics! This is perfect to cool under your eyes and give them an instant puffiness than gets rid of fine lines and wrinkles. Perfect way to begin your day 🙂

At night before I go to bed and after brushing my teeth ( I always do this so i don’t wipe off any products while rinsing out my mouth or anything like that) I use my clarisonic with a dime amount of cleanser.

This is it 🙂 I love this cleanser because it is gentle on my skin but yet cleanses thoroughly.

I then apply serum to my face. Right now I am using Benefit Cosmetic’s facial serum and I am loving it. It truly feels like a drink of water for my face.

I then lock it in with Intense Moisturizer ( note: this is a different moisturizer than I use for the day time) I am also using Benefit Cosmetic’s Total Moisturizer. This helps lock in the serum so that it doesn’t come off onto my pillow ( EW) and just gives my skin and extra little bit of moisture.

Last but certainly not least I apply eye cream 🙂 I am using Epionce Renewal Eye Cream. My mom swears by this and so I have taken her advise and am giving it a try. If you are on a budget I also love Benefit’s eye cream. I read an article when I was 19 years old and it quoted Jennifer Anniston as saying the best skin care advice her mom ever gave her was to use eye cream. If Jenn A is using eye cream, I certainly NEED to be using eye cream. I’ve been trying different products ever since, from Olay to now Epionce and multiple in between I am full of Eye creams 🙂

I then apply chap stick ( I use my mom’s special chap stick from the Dermatologist office where she works) BUT I’ve applied chap stick before bed for years, even before she worked at the office. I used to apply Aquaphor or Vaseline. Soft hydrated lips are a MUST!

My routine doesn’t take very much time, its simple quick and covers the basics. Cleanse, restore, moisturize/hydrate. Simple and effective! If you have any suggestions or have products you like to use in your daily skin care routine please comment and fill me in! I always love to try new things 🙂

xoxo

K

Air Force Event- Dining Out and All the BEAUTY that goes into it

There are so many things as a female that you have to think about when getting ready for a big event.

Your outfit alone can take a ton of time between choosing the perfect dress, to styling accessories and shoes to go along with it. Not to mention our hair, make-up, skin, and nails we have to think about. We put some serious time and effort.

This past Friday night I had one of these events and getting ready for it was a challenge to say the least. I knew I was going to be in front of a large crowd of high ranking people and I always put a lot of pressure on myself to look perfect. Its just part of who I am, I am slowly learning to be more accepting of myself but it is a process.

To get ready I needed the assistance of my girlfriend and together we collaborated on my look.

For my skin we used:

• Laura Mercier Hydrating Face primer
• Nars Luminous Weightless Foundation
• Trish McEvoy Instant Eye lift
• Trish McEvoy Eye base essentials
• Bare Minerals BlushES
• Too Faced Bronzer
• NYC Highlight and Contour Kit

For my eyes we used:

• Naked by Urban Decay
• Too Faced Bronzer
• Anastassia of Beverly Hills Eyebrow Wiz
• Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara
• Bare Minerals powder eye liner
• Dior LashExtension Mascara
• Chanel Mascara

My hair was a mix of curls and teasing. I love VOLUME!!! Big hair is everything. And my hair is extremely thin so it takes some serious effort to get big hair out of it.

More importantly the past few weeks leading up to this event I have been using benefit cosmetics skin care as part of my nightly routine, so I’ve been washing my face with my Clarisonic and cleanser then using a serum and moisturizer and eye cream after. This has kept my skin hydrated so that I could safely apply these products and know I wouldn’t have dry, cracked, or cakey looking make-up and also avoid breakouts.

I also have to say, as soon as I was done at the event I immediately went home and washed my face. I knew it was going to be important to let my face breathe. I used warm water, my clarisonic, and cleanser immediately and baby oil of course to take off my eye make up ( if you’ve never used baby oil you are truly missing out on something spectacular because its great for your eyes, pores, and helps rejuvenate skin cells around the eyes improving elasticity as well. Pretty much a miracle worker). It felt glorious. I take off my make up every single night. Regardless of what time it is, or what I’ve been doing, or how much I’ve had to drink, or how I feel. I take off my make-up both facial and eye make up. There is nothing that will make you age faster or clog your pores ( well besides sun) other than not taking off your make-up. If I could give anyone a single tip, it would be wash your face every night regardless of who you are or what you’ve done. Wash with warm water and rinse with cold. ALWAYS.

Here are a few photos of me from that night ❤ It was a ton of fun and I am blessed to be able to attend. 

Dress: Astar – Nordstrom

Jewelry: Forever 21

Shoes: BCBG – Dress Barn

This is my look and the products I used. I absolutely loved it. My girlfriend did amazing in helping me look like this!

xoxo

kalee

Pay it Forward: Its the little things

Here is a random post about something that has happened twice to me in the past week.

I have walked into two different coffee places this week and had someone ( a random stranger) pay for my drink. This has never happened to me before and it got me thinking about the concept of true meaning of paying it forward.

Small random acts of kindness that people bestow upon others whether it be monetary, time, or something else- is a small thing, that is so much greater than most people understand. Having someone pay for my coffee changed my entire day around. It was a highlight of my day not because of the coffee ( although don’t misunderstand, coffee is a highlight of my day) but it was the thought that someone out there decided to pass along kindness to a group of people that day, not knowing where they were at in their lives, if they could even really afford that cup of coffee they were purchasing, how many mid-terms they were taking this week and how needed caffeine is, not knowing what had happened the previous day and if they were down, or struggling with an issue. Someone paid for my coffee without knowing me. And that kindness is beautiful.

I think we’ve all read or heard that saying that goes something like ” You never know how a smile can turn someone’s day around” this is a monetary example of the same thing. Just knowing that some one out in our society which has a lot of ugly and cruelness, cares enough to put their hard earned dollar towards someone else is a wonderful example of society, and something that we need more of.

In church today our pastor spoke about christians needing to be more self sacrificing like the lamb, and that self sacrifice is the purest form of love. Paying it forward through coffee is a small example, but its the little things in life that add up and truly mean the most.

Which brings me to Air Force.

Something I love about my Airman is his heart and his desire to serve his country. He is self sacrificing and for that I love him entirely. I so respect that. Its something I think we should remind ourselves when when see a member of the military, branch doesn’t matter. Its that they have a greater calling and it is one that might call on them to be self sacrificing. They all give up personal time, a constant home, family time, and money to be a part of the military. That is something that should be recognized. And like I said, its something I adore, respect, and am enthralled with about my boyfriend ( this term seems so weak compared to what he actually means to me).

Its the little things in life that mean the most, and these are a few examples in my every day life that show me love and kindness and overall goodness in our world. How can I do more to demonstrate this self sacrificing, pay it forward attitude that has been bestowed on me this week? I have reflecting to do.

Just a thought for everyone on this beautiful Sunday

xoxo

k

My Haul: Beauty Products

I am a product junkie!

I LOVE make-up, skin-care, hair-care, cleaning… any kind of products. I could spend way to much money purchasing products that I will rarely ever use but want to try and might possibly someday want to use or might need. As I am learning more and more about skin care I am learning more about the importance of the quality of products I put on my skin. I purchase more expensive make-up to put on my face because the quality of ingredients behind the product far outshine the ingredients in drug store make-up. I am about Quality.

I recently picked up a few pieces from the Trish McEvoy Beauty line that Nordstrom carries and I must say, I am really liking them so far. This make-up line developed by Trish herself with the help of her dermatologist husband,  and it truly focuses on caring for the skin. The line is smaller than most cosmetic companies but everything they do make is high quality. I recently purchased the Eye Primer, Instant Eye lift, Brush 66 Cream Blender, Beauty Booster-Lip and Cheek color in Perfect Rose, as well as Brush 48 Blending. I am LOVING these products so far.

I never understood the importance of brushes and how pivotal they can be to correctly applying make up until recently which is why I splurged and bought 3 new ones to help me apply. I bought the Brush 66 cream blender to help me apply the under eye from Trish. Now yes you can use your fingers but it really does make a difference in blending out the makeup. I also bought the purple brush from Blush Beauty Bar in portland to help me apply foundation and give me a light, even look as well as not get any dirt/ oil from my fingers onto my face ( I try to NEVER touch my face- fun fact about Kalee ). I also bought Brush 48 because its a soft brush head so for contouring my blush, bronzer and instantly eye lift highlighter it makes it appear much more natural. I don’t appear to be wearing a lot of make up ( and honestly I never really do) but I am still able to improve my appearance and natural bone structure while looking natural.

I also purchased several Nars Products that aren’t a lip color! I purchased my very first foundation ever. Yes at 24 I finally broke down and bought a foundation purely to play and see what all the hype is about. I am obsessed with this new foundation by Nars called All Day Luminous Weightless foundation. This is amazing. It provides full coverage but doesn’t look cakey ( I dislike the look of make-up being extremely heavy or over done on a day to day basis, its just not my style). I went in to Blush Beauty Bar in Portland on Nw 23rd, and got my skin color matched. This foundation provides an amazing clear canvas of skin and it lasts from when I put it on at 8 am to when I take it off at 9:30 pm. I love it. I also purchased a Nars blush, in the color Gaiety. This is a fun pop of pink on any cheek. I love it! Even my boyfriend mentioned that he noticed a change in my cheek color and liked it ( WIN!)

Since you can’t properly view it in the photo, here is a photo of the color 🙂 How amazing is that Pink!?

Last but certainly NOT least I bought a new brow pencil!! Now I have loved my Chanel brow pencil for a few years now, but I love to try new things so I switched it up and bought the brow wiz in dark brown from Anastasia Beverly Hills. This is dark for me, especially since I have very blond hair naturally, but this dark color is kind of my new love right now. It goes on really well, and has a little brush at the opposite end so you can brush your brows out and help them look more natural.

This is a photo with my new products on! I love to try new things, and am always open to try anything at least once. When it comes to make up, I believe in doing it in such a way no one can tell how much you truly have on. I try to alway blend, and never look over done. Polished is the best way I believe to look. We look put together with mascara and blush on, and I love that look. Less can be more, and more can be more. It all truly depends on the look and style you are going for that day.

xoxo

Kalee

My Haul : Bikram Yoga

I started my love affair with yoga this past January. In the past few months I’ve realized how much I was missing out on before I began my practice. And I wanted to share with all of you, because I believe Yoga does a lot more for one’s self than just physical benefits.

I began having some serious medical issues in December and have not been able to work out since. I did however talk my doctor into allowing me to practice yoga once or twice a week ( I must admit I do NOT follow this rule). I since then have grown to love the sense of community yoga provides.

Don’t get my wrong I LOVE the physical benefits from Bikram Yoga!!

• Increased strength and tone
• Increased flexibility
• Improvement of respiration, balance and energy
• Cardio and Endurance strength
• I Snore Less! ( No I’m not kidding- I can snore LOUD and yoga helps my breathing)

The mental benefits of Bikram Yoga for me are the most rewarding. I tell my boyfriend all the time, yoga is my 90 minute break from the world. Yoga provides a time of peace, I am not connected to technology or my phone at all. You virtually can’t get a hold of me for that period of time in my day. I can’t tell you how rewarding this has been for me personally. I can tell a difference in myself if I do yoga on a regular basis. I am more relaxed and am not as quick to get anxiety about small things.

The environment in a Bikram Yoga class is so un-judge-mental. I can’t even describe how nice and kind these people are. I never in my life thought I would work out without my shirt on and be okay with it, but now I have no problem sporting a sports bra and spadex pants into class and not thinking twice about someone judging me for my body or ability to perform a certain way. In this day and age that is SO liberating. Especially as a female that is constantly pressured to look a certain way, being able to not worry about what others are thinking about you because you KNOW they aren’t judging you is a wonderful feeling.

I can’t imagine yoga not being apart of my life now. Even when I am healthy and able to run and lift weights again I know I will always find time for yoga in my weekly schedule. I am just praying that where ever my pilot and I are stationed they have a Hot Yoga studio close by.

xoxo

K

My ‘Haul’ : Ulta Addition

Alright a little fun fact about Kalee- I am OBSESSED with products. Whether it be skin care, make-up, or hair I absolutely love products.

I recently moved to Corvallis where there happens to be an Ulta located about 2 minutes from my house.

DANGER ZONE!

Since discovering Ulta I can’t help but wander through there, get my eye brows done and buy one or two or ten items while in there. 🙂

Today’s post is about my Ulta Product Haul. After discovering my Ulta love, I have ventured out and tried new make up brands that I really never heard much about because they aren’t sold in Nordstrom.

I went in yesterday to get my eye brows waxed ( if you’ve never been to a brow bar I highly recommend it) and I started talking to the esthetician that was doing my eye brows, about skin care and Benefit cosmetics.

I absolutely love Benefit cosmetics and not just their packaging . I recently jumped on the band wagon and let me tell you, their Roller Lash Mascara is my all time favorite. Above any dior, chanel, or mac mascara.

After discussing skin care I purchased Benefits sample skin care pack, a new Urban Decay lip liner and Benefit lip gloss

The Esthetician was raving about Benefit skin care, and so I am going to do a trial run with my skin. Take before photos and after a week of using the products. We will see how my skin looks and feels after 7 days of Benefit Skin care 🙂

I am also a fan of Dermadoctor which I wear everyday and purchase at Ulta. You can buy it at Ulta or online. This DD cream does 15 different beneficial things for your skin. 15! No I am truly not joking 🙂 Give it a try. I wear this every day and don’t wear foundation, or tinted moisturizer over it. It covers, heals, and even protects with SPF 30.

Again I can’t tell ya’ll how much I love Benefit. So I recently purchased their box o’ powders plush in Rockatuer as well as matching lip gloss which you saw above 🙂 I LOVE this color. I think it is perfect for if you are tan, or have more pale skin. I’ve put this on everyone from perfect white to tan skin and it just looks flawless on all.

Another recent love of mine is Puff Off. This leavings a cooling sensation on your skin for 20 minutes after you apply, not only does it work- but you get to feel it working. It alleviates under eye puffiness and helps with dark circles and fine lines. I am a person that always wears under eye concealer but since buying Puff Off, I haven’t used under eye concealer once! Its a miracle.

That concludes my Ulta haul 🙂 This is what I’ve purchased in the last month. As you can see I am a complete product addict and love experimenting and trying new items.

xoxo,

K

Introduction to Me!

<a href=”http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14015205/?claim=7vvaqfn5bmc”>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>HI! My name is Kalee and welcome to my blog! 

I am a 24 year old small town girl from the Pacific Northwest, more specifically Oregon. I am currently at Oregon State University studying Healthcare Administration. I have a passion for children, fitness, healthcare and skin care. My better half is in the Air Force and I’m excited to share what our future holds and what being the partner of an Air Force Officer is like.

I am always looking for exciting new skin care products to try! Want to get me excited, ask me about skin care and products I use. I am a product junkie! Running and lifting weights isn’t currently allowed to be part of my daily life due to medical issues I’m currently battling but I still have an immense love and appreciation for fitness and am looking forward to the day when I am able to be extremely active again. Yoga has become my love the past few months and I know, even when I’m well I will never give it up. Healthcare is my highway to helping a larger population. I’ve always had one goal when it came to my career, and that is to help people. Through healthcare whether that be through administration, consulting, or sales I want my career to be beneficial to someone else besides my family and I. Which leads me to my biggest love of all ( besides Nick) CHILDREN. I love children. All of them. Period. End of Story 🙂

To sum me up in three words I would use: Fast. Love. Spiritual.

I hope you enjoy reading.

xoxo,

K