Winter 2020 Beauty Update and Home Blowout Revamp

Recently I haven’t shared as many of my new beauty purchases as I should be, and I thought it was about time that I share some of my best finds! I’ve also purchased a bunch of new items that have completely changed how I quickly blow out my hair at home. I’ll share my new favorites and routine in this post as well.

As usual, I’ve been taking full advantage of my Rouge status with Sephora’s Beauty Insider Program. I get early (or exclusive) access to products, special promotions, beauty rewards and I’ve even signed up for Flash Shipping! The program is free, so if you’re not already a member you need to join now.

You may have seen this picture on my Instagram. I’m a bit obsessed with the new NARS Afterglow Lip Balm. When I heard that NARS had released my beloved Afterglow Lip Balm in new shades (previously it was in Clear Cut and Orgasm), I immediately bought all of the shades. I carry them everywhere, they’re in purses, pockets, my car… you name it! I was on call at work the other night and realized I had all of these with me! Right after I took this picture I found another shade buried in the side pocket of my call bag.

I love these lip balms because they offer just the right amount of color, without being a lipstick. They’re very hydrating, not at all sticky and the shades flatter every skin tone. My favorites are Fast Lane and Dolce Vita.

Every winter the dry air, cold temps and wind start to take their toll on my skin. I’ve found that using gentle skincare products (like this moisturizer) and super hydrating my skin every night makes a huge difference! I love trying out new hydrating skin products, and this year my new favorite is the Drunk Elephant F-Balm™ Electrolyte Waterfacial Mask.

I swap F-Bomb into my nightly skincare routine when I feel a bit dry, it doesn’t feel heavy or sticky at all. The result is glowy, moisturized skin! It pairs well with a face oil (this is my favorite one), it’s perfect for days that I’ve spent extra time out in the winter cold.

Bonus: F-Bomb is pregnancy and nursing safe.

I’m forever trying out new things with my hair, and my latest change is due to DryBar. Their Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush was a recent splurge, and it’s so worth it! I can not round brush my hair at all, I’m simply not coordinated enough But I can finally get those results easily at home.

The Double Shot is similar to other blow dryer/round brush combinations. There are a few very popular ones that come at a lower price point, and I’ve tried all of them. Every single one has been under powered for my long, thick hair. They don’t dry my hair, the results haven’t been any different than a rough blow dry and they’ve been more time consuming. I can’t even tell you how many of these tools I’ve given away to friends with shorter or thinner hair.

To start, I prep my hair with a few products. My current favorites are the Southern Belle Volume-Boosting Root Lifter, and Jump Start Quick Dry Blowout Serum. Once I’ve applied them and combed my hair, I’ve been doing a quick blow dry just at my roots. It isn’t really necessary (I could skip this step, the brush does dry my roots), but my hair is so thick that spending a few minutes with a traditional dryer (I’m using this one) does save me more time later.

I work section by section, taking about 1″ thick sections and wrapping it around the brush. I slowly move the brush through my hair, usually 2-3 passes are all I need to fully dry a section. I don’t need to be particularly organized about it, I just make sure to work my way through all of my hair. It takes about 10-15 minutes total to dry my hair.

Once I’ve dried all of my hair, I finished with a little of The Chaser High-Shine Finishing Cream.

If you have long, thick hair like me, this is the hot air brush that you want! This actually dries my hair and with minimal effort I get smoother hair as if I had just had an actual blow out at a salon.

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This post is a collaboration with Sephora, but all opinions (and over purchasing of NARS Lip Balms) are mine.