5 Products to Create a DIY Blowout with Texas Sized Volume

5 Products to Create a DIY Blowout with Texas Sized Volume

 

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Rather than having hair that’s fully curled or perfectly straight, I like my hair to be somewhere in the middle. I love lots of volume and soft, smooth, light curls towards the bottom of my strands. When I use these 5 products together, I create the perfect blowout with healthy looking volume.

1. Drybar Sake Bomb Conditioner

Creating healthy looking volume starts with how you wash. I don’t like to spend 50 dollars on shampoo and conditioner. I have too many diapers and goldfish to buy right now! I currently use a concoction of this sake bomb conditioner ($24 but worth it! So moisturizing) along with my good ole L’Oréal shampoo ($5). That way I still splurge a little without getting crazy! My hair has transformed since I started using this conditioner! It feels so much healthier and I don’t have nearly as many split ends, which means I can go longer in between haircuts. It also smells like walking into a Drybar. If you’ve never been to Drybar, I highly recommend you go and treat yourself! It’s heaven.

2. Drybar High Top Rollers

Blow drying with a round brush can be exhausting and it takes me a while. I blame it on my extremely thick hair. I started using these rollers for the crown of my head and the pieces of hair that frame my face and now it cuts my blow dry time in half! I just allow my hair to dry 3/4 of the way, place these where I want, and secure them with clips. I blow dry the rollers until they get really warm, and then allow them to set while I do my makeup and blow dry the rest of my hair. I don’t work too hard on the rest of my hair because I know the rollers are holding the most important pieces that will frame my face and lay over the hair I’m drying. If you want to do your full head you might need a few boxes of rollers depending on how much hair you have. I actually plan on buying a few more boxes for days when I want extra curl and volume!

Tip for taking out rollers: It’s super easy to secure the rollers as long as you have some type of clip, but removing them used to stress me out. I remember first trying rollers in college and making my hair a tangled mess. I was like nope…these aren’t for me!  After some practice I’ve learned to take out one roller at a time. When I first take a roller out, the strand looks a little frizzy and there may be marks from the clips (My clips are metal and I probably need to try plastic). To fix this I just run over the strand 2 or 3 times with my dryer and round brush to smooth it out. That way I get a perfectly smooth strand with a light curl at the end (See pictures below). Using rollers help create light curl without much work, and that’s why I love them so much!

Frizzy strand right after taking out roller:
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I run over the strand with a round brush and blow dryer, then set strand with hair spray and wa la!

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3. Olivia Garden Thermoactive Ionic Boar Brush

This is the round brush I discuss using above. The large barrel on the brush is 3 inches wide and works great with my long hair. If you have shorter hair or if you want tighter curls, I would recommend getting a brush with a smaller barrel. I’ve watched so many youtube tutorials to try and learn how to use this thing and I’m honestly still not very good. Just always remember to hold the brush with your writing hand, and the blow dryer with your opposite hand. Also, aim the blow dryer down the shaft of your hair to help keep you hair smooth and to stop frizz.

4. Drybar Triple Sec 3-in-1 and TRESemme Hairspray

I cheated and put two products under #4 because I can’t live without either! This Drybar spray is one of my holy grail products. After I finish blow drying and all of my rollers are out, I tease my hair. I always tease at the crown of my head and use this spray before I tease. Triple Sec creates as little or as much volume as you want and also adds soft, matte, texture. I ran out of this last week and tried teasing my hair and it just wasn’t the same. It also smells amazing just like the Drybar conditioner! P.S. – Ulta is having a deal right now where if you spend $35 on Drybar products, you get a 3-piece mini gift set for free. This offer is valid through 6/3. You get a mini triple sec spray, dry shampoo, and dry conditioner!

This TRESemme hair spray is only 6 dollars and it beats all other expensive hairsprays I’ve tried. I’ve been using it since high school and I don’t plan on stopping. It holds curl so well and it doesn’t make your hair a sticky mess. Have you ever tried a hairspray and then it totally ruined the curl and volume you had going? This hairspray will never do that and it holds volume so well!

5. Spornette Little Wonder Teasing Brush

This wonderful little brush is on Amazon for under 6 dollars. I use it almost every day because it creates so much volume.

Okay so I tried to get a picture of the full look on Sunday, but Max desperately needed to lay down for his nap so I had to put the pictures on hold. We slept for two hours and then I rolled out of bed and this is what my hair looked like. I’ve got some bed head going on but it still held so well. That’s what I love about blow drying and using rollers! Your hair will still look good even when you’ve slept on it. 😊 It’s now Monday night and I can still smell the sake bomb in my hair. I didn’t do anything to it this morning before work except put a few rollers back in and blow them with my hair dryer. So easy!

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I may be talking to just my mom and best friend right now but in case anyone else is here, thank you so much for reading!  I blew through everything a little quickly so if you have any questions please comment or message me. Hopefully one day I can work up the courage to make a youtube tutorial. Have a wonderful week everyone! xoxo

Relaxed Peplum Top

Relaxed Peplum Top

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I ran to Gap last Friday with Max to pick up a few things. I was there on a mission to get shorts for Max and pajama pants for Michael. I planned to stroll right past the women’s section, but Max was so content watching Moana in his stroller that I figured why not, I could take a peek, just to make sure there wasn’t anything I “needed”. Well it turns out I absolutely needed this top. I have a weakness for anything with ruffles right now. I ended up wearing it on Mother’s Day to brunch and got so many compliments.. It’s made out of 100% cotton and SO comfortable. I bought it in black (my favorite color), but it also comes in light blue and white.

If you got a chance to read any of my posts so far, you’re probably sick of seeing these shorts! I’m sorry but I’m totally living in them. 🙈🙌🏻 I linked them below along with another pair I’ve been swooning after. I also linked the pajama pants I bought for Michael on Friday because he actually ended up loving them, which is crazy because he’s so picky. The bottom of the leg has a slim opening like jogger pants. They look so good on him!

Peplum Top / Shorts / Also love these shorts / Sandals / Max’s shirt / Max’s shorts / Max’s shoes / Michael’s pajama pants

I added some of our attempted Mother’s Day pictures below just for fun. I have given up on trying to get Max to take a picture with me. He’s constantly moving and always a little blur in photos!

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Striped Oversized Button Up

Striped Oversized Button Up

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Michael has a button up striped shirt from college that I claimed as soon as I saw it hanging in his closet. I’ve worn it hundreds of times to sleep in and get ready in. It has a huge gash in one of the sleeves but I still continue to wear it 😂 I was in Gap one day and came across this oversized striped button up and fell in love once again. It’s nice because this one doesn’t have holes and I can actually wear it in public!

I like to tuck the front part of this shirt into jeans for work, and then I’ll do the same with shorts on the weekend. This shirt is slightly oversized and and it’s stayed that way even after several washes. I linked it below along with the Levi’s shorts I’m wearing. I also linked the cognac bag I’ve been carrying everywhere lately! So many pockets and It’s on sale for only $32 right now at Target. 😊 I hope everyone has a wonderful week. It will be Friday before we know it! xoxo
Gibson Ruffle Sweatshirt

Gibson Ruffle Sweatshirt

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Gibson is one of my new favorite brands at Nordstrom! All of their tops right now have the prettiest sleeves and ruffle details. My style has completely changed since having Max. I used to shop with the intention of wearing things out to cocktail hour and girls night, but now I find myself buying comfortable clothing that I can wear to the office, the grocery store, and the park with Max. One of my favorite bloggers once mentioned  that she loves to buy “napable” clothing and that stuck with me. I want to be able to go to church, hit the grocery store, and take a nap all in the same outfit. That might make me lazy, but I just hate changing throughout the day!

This sweatshirt is actually perfect for these awkward weather transitioning months in Texas because it’s so light. Last week we had some chilly days, and now its supposed to 85 all week. Typical Texas weather. Yesterday I wore this top with some Levis shorts that are SO comfortable and a pair of sandals I found at Target. I went and got a manicure with a friend, took a nap with Max, and then ate dinner and listened to some live music with the boys and some of our friends. I could live in this top and the best part is that it’s marked down! It was $59 and now it’s on sale $35. It’s almost sold out in grey but it also comes in the prettiest navy color. There’s also a striped version of this with short sleeves that I want! I’ll tag everything below. 🙂

Thank you for stopping by and I hope everyone has a wonderful week! xoxo

Gibson Long Sleeve Top / Similar Gibson with Short Sleeves / Levis Shorts / Target Sandals

7 Awesome Products You and Your Toddler will Love

7 Awesome Products You and Your Toddler will Love

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When I find a product that I love for Max, I get so excited and want to share the news with every mama I know! Fun Fact: I’m one of those people who writes the long reviews on Amazon that no one reads. Yes, I know I’m a total nerd!

Here are 7 products that we use daily and love.

1. Boon Ripple Bath Mat

Max uses the same tub as Michael and I, so I’m kind of a nut about keeping it clean. I bought the Boon Ripple Bath Mat and instantly fell in love because you can fold it in half and hook it on your shower head to dry after every bath. We’ve had it for a few months now and it still looks sparkly clean. I just make sure to give it a good rinse with hot water and cleaner every now and then. This mat is also super long and covers the entire bottom of our tub. Max loves it because it’s comfy to sit on and I love it because it’s functional.

2. Boon Fluid 10 oz. Sippy Cup

I really wish cups would stop claiming to be spill proof when they aren’t. So frustrating! Also, who has time for cups with 5 different parts that you have to take apart and clean?! There are so many moms and dads out there who are currently searching the bottom of their dishwashers and cupboards to find missing cup pieces. I decided no more! I went online and ordered the Boon Sippy from Amazon and now it’s one of our favorites. The Boon Sippy has only two parts, it’s spill proof, and it’s easy for Max to grip! I twist the cap off, fill it up with water or orange juice, twist the cap back on, throw it in my bag and not a drop spills out.

3. Baby Dove Rich Moisture Shampoo (Tear Free!)

Dove just launched a new line called Baby Dove. I was really excited about this and picked up a bottle of Baby Dove shampoo last weekend at Target. After the first night of using Baby Dove I noticed how much softer Max’s hair was! His little curls used to get so tangled and dry with our old baby shampoo. Now his hair looks so much healthier!

4. Radius Totz Plus Toothbrush

Why do toddler toothbrushes have the tiniest set of bristles? Those little bristles make it so difficult for me to brush even half of Max’s teeth while he’s squirming around. The head of the Radius toothbrush is wide and the bristles are really soft, which is perfect because we don’t miss any teeth while we help him brush.

5. Up & Up Training Pants from Target

Let me start by saying I am not a potty training expert. I think that is extremely clear if you saw my Instagram post from last week. However, I have tried multiple brands of training diapers, and the Up & Up Training Pants from Target are my favorite and the most affordable. These training pants have tabs on the side, they don’t leak, and the material is actually great quality for the price. The side tabs are also easy for Max to undo when he has to use the potty. We prefer them to the training diapers without the tabs.

6. Peter Rabbit Organic Fruit Pouches

These fruit pouches are made with 100% USDA certified fruit and NO added sugar. Each pouch counts as one of your child’s “5 a day” fruit/veg servings. Max has one of these as a snack and he’s completely full, which is crazy because the boy loves to eat and he’s never full! I’ve purchased MANY other fruit pouches but he just sucks them dry like they are nothing and wants 2 more. These Peter Rabbit pouches come in multiple yummy flavors. Max loves apple grape and strawberry banana! So far I’ve only seen them sold at Starbucks, but you can purchase them for much cheaper on Amazon in packs of 10.

7. Cetaphil Baby Daily Lotion

Max has eczema on his legs and occasionally his cheeks. We use prescription cream when he has flair ups, but this Cetaphil lotion works great for daily moisturizing. It’s made with organic calendula, sweet almond oil, and sunflower oil. It’s also Paraben free and Colorant free. Max’s skin has completely transformed since we started using this and he doesn’t need his prescription creams nearly as often. I would recommend this to anyone who has a child with dry or sensitive skin.

Please feel free to comment, message, or email me if you have any questions about these products. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! xoxo

Flora Nikrooz Robe

Flora Nikrooz Robe

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This robe by Flora Nikrooz is absolutely stunning. I bought it to wear on my wedding day and honestly thought it would be too delicate to wear around the house. I was completely wrong. I wear it ALL the time (probably too much). But how could I not? I put this on while I’m lounging around, wearing a top knot with no makeup and I feel like a mom goddess. Another positive is that it keeps me cool during warm months here in Texas! I get so hot while I’m getting ready, mainly because my hair is thick and blow drying/curling/styling takes me about an hour! This robe is extremely breathable because of it’s sheer back/sleeves and is sure to keep you cool.

I think this robe would make a beautiful gift for Mother’s Day or even a new bride to be. You can find it at multiple retailers including Dillard’s, Bloomingdale’s, Antrhopologie, and Nordstrom. I ordered a Medium because I’m 5’10, but I could of gone with a Large to make it extra roomy. I’ve linked this robe below along with several others I think are perfect for summer!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a wonderful week! xoxo

Flora Nikrooz Robe / Similar Flora Nikrooz / RL Cotton Robe / Soma Robe / PB Bedding