Beating My Pregnancy Melasma
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After my first pregnancy I found myself with two lines of what I thought was freckles at the tops of my cheeks angling down towards my mouth. I thought it was just sun damage but I pretty quickly learned that I had actually developed some melasma that was amplified during pregnancy. Melasma doesn’t ONLY come with pregnancy, but the hormonal changes in my body made mine show up even more.

It would fade overtime and I had tried a few spot correctors to help lighten the area while I was trying to fight it.

This time around I tried Peony Instant Brightening Face Serum by Fresh and saw the most dramatic results that I had ever seen in my history of using dark spot correctors. It took about 6 weeks to really notice it and I’m so happy that the dark lines are gone!

I only had to use a little bit of product too, which was nice because it cost a pretty penny. I didn’t apply it all over my face either, I simply applied about a half of a pump to the tops of each cheek.

The newest area that I’m having some trouble with dark spots is on the right hand side of my chin. I’ll start using the Peony Instant Brightening Face Serum by Fresh there now to help fade those spots!

Have you had success with a dark spot corrector?

The case for the Roadtripper Jeans
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I bought my first pair of Madewell Roadtripper Jeans 2017 and as soon as I put them on my body I knew they were going to be a favorite. And they swiftly became the jeans I was most likely to wear all fall and winter long. Sure, I’d wear them in warmer months from time to time, but they honestly were worn at least 3-4 times a week during colder months.

Do you know where the name came from? They actually wore them on a road trip to test them out and that description alone was a big selling point for me because who in their RIGHT MIND would choose to wear jeans on a road trip?!

They are the most comfortable jeans I’ve ever worn.

They are the only jeans I could get back into postpartum, though the very top was a bit tight around my midsection. Since I loved them so much, and had been considering a pair in the longer length for times I wanted a full length jean that didn’t hit at my ankle, I went ahead and added another pair to my wardrobe in a size up. I figured they could get me through until I had shed some baby weight, and if I needed to have them taken in near the waist by my seamstress, I could.

The rise is high but not TOO high, and they have a great amount of stretch without bagging out during the day. The wash can be dressed up or down, and they still look great even after having them for over a year.

I feel like they are a good price point, right at $75.00, that falls between cheaper denim (think Old Navy or LOFT) and high end denim (like AG or Paige). Plus you can bring in an old pair of jeans to madewell to recycle and they’ll give you $20 towards your purchase of full price denim*, knocking that price down to $55.00.

For a pair of jeans that I’m certain you will wear over and over again? That’s a pretty good deal.

Outfit details: jeans, earrings (similar), top, bag, booties

*please click that link and read fine print

Does this blow dry brush work?
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Nothing feels quite as wonderful as leaving a salon with a fresh, bouncy blow out. The hair is light, airy, and has a soft bend at the ends. With a bit of practice you can certainly achieve this look at home, but it does take a bit of time an effort! And requires some serious tricep muscles if you have long or thick hair!

A reader asked if I had tried Revlon’s One-Step Volumizer and after googling it I thought it would be a great thing to try out. I like volume and efficiency so I had hopes that it could give me a salon quality blow out without using a dryer AND a round brush.

I tried it recently and have a few thoughts!

Pros: 

-Very easy to use

-Pulls the hair taut against the brush which aids in smoothing and shine

-Is large enough to create nice lift at the root area, and a smooth bend at the ends without creating a “curl”

-Has a cool “shot”, as well as two speed settings

Cons:

-NO HEAT ADJUSTMENT WHICH IS A BIG CON. The heat is HIGH and I burned my finger and found it to be too hot next to my ears

-Feels big in my hand making it a little clunky to deal with

-Is loud

Experience/Results:

In the interest of time, I dried my hair until it was about 85% dry. Then I pulled it into two sections. I found this tool very easy to use! It created really nice lift at the root and gave a nice bouncy shape to the bottom of my hair. Then I let down the top section and was able to continue to get lift at the crown and also a slight bend at the ends. It smoothed my hair nicely as well.

It was hot by my ears which hurt a little bit and I found myself wishing it had adjustable heat temperatures. I turned it down to low speed but it was still just as hot. It didn’t give me the smoothest of blow outs, but part of that is the climate where I live (North Carolina) and the high humidity causing frizziness no matter WHAT tool or products you use!

Final Thoughts:

This is a great option for those of you who don’t want to fumble with a blow dryer and a brush but it does not eliminate the need for a blow dryer. Consider it a styling tool in addition to your dryer. It’s a great price ($59.99) and will give you lots of volume and bounce. If you use it regularly, make sure you add a heat protective serum or spray because the temperature of the air is quite high.

P.S. You may like this video where I compare 3 blow dryers are different price points! 

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