I have absolutely come to terms with the fact that I am not, and never will be, a beachy bronzed goddess. I embrace my pale Scandinavian skin, however sometimes (or a lot of them time) I secretly yearn for a little extra glow. It's not that pale skin isn't beautiful too, but I find that my skin tends to look a little dull and ashy when it's lacking any color. In order to combat this, I turn to three trustworthy, skin-saving products.

First and foremost, I've learned that my skin craves moisture. My legs especially get incredibly dry, so having a heavy duty body lotion is a must for me. The triple moisture body creams from B&BW have been life changing for me! They are rich and luxurious and leave my skin SO soft, yet not greasy. They are an essential product for me before I apply any kind of self tanner as well. Most importantly, they smell amazing without irritating my uber sensitive skin. My fave scents: beautiful day, hello beautiful and orange ginger energy.

When I want to upgrade from soft and smooth to sunkissed, I turn to the only self tanner I trust: the St. Tropez bronzing mousse. I love how easily this tanner applies, the gorgeous, natural color it gives and for being a self tanner, it smells pretty nice! This product is far from orange and delivers a beautiful bronze hue that looks pretty natural for something that comes out of a bottle. Apply with the corresponding mitt for fool proof application!

Finally, when I really want to go the extra mile to get my glow on, I use the St. Tropez perfect legs spray. This product adds a hint of bronzey sheen to the legs, concealing minor imperfections and giving a smooth finish. Not an essential in my book, but nice to have on hand for sure!

It may not be much, but I thought I would share the few items I picked up from Sephora recently, as well as my initial thoughts. Being the inherent saver that I am, I do my best to stay out of that dangerous place unless there is something I truly need. Otherwise, my wallet would probably be out of a job, as I would have no money left to hold onto. Here's what came home with me last week:

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer ($34)

Let me tell you, even the thought of using a product other than Anastasia's Brow Wiz on my eyebrows is enough to put me through an anxious spiral. With that being said, I feel as if every time I experience serious brow envy, I find out that the brows I'm lusting over have been sculpted using the dip brow pomade. So, I put my big girl pants on and decided to venture into the world of the dip brow. I was scared. I was inexperienced. But I forged ahead. Now, to be fair, I tried the pomade about a year and a half ago when it initially came out. I was immediately disappointed because at the time, the pomade came in a very limited shade range and I was left with a color that was either too ashy or too red. Fast forward to modern day, I figured since the shade selection had been expanded, I was destined to give this bad boy another shot. 

As far as first impressions go, I'm sad to say that this product was a major let down. I found the consistency to be almost too creamy, making application pretty difficult. Not to mention that as I was working with the product, my eyebrows looked far more unnatural than when I use my brow wiz. I know some swear by this product, and for them it may be a HG item, however for me, I'm sticking with my one true love and not messing with my brow products ever again. (...or so i say...)

Anastasia Beverly Hills #12 Brow Brush ($18)

In an {online} world full of product raves and reviews, I think it's pretty helpful from time-to-time to reflect on products that miss the mark. I've compiled a few items from my beauty stash that are cult favorites in the beauty community, yet left me less than impressed. No malice is intended in this post, just my honest opinions and experiences. 

I'm usually not one to stray from my signature scent (Chanel Chance, I'm lookin' at you), but when the hot & humid summer days strike, I find that keeping a rollerball with me wherever I go is an absolute must! I mean come on, I'm practically sweating my face off over here, so I'd rather not be worried about how fresh I smell. Here are my top three fragrances to-go! Definitely comment below and let me know what summer scents you love!

Truth be told, my nails never really look that great. I am a chronic nail picker and my cuticles could use a heavy duty overhaul, but that doesn't stop me from attempting to make my nails look presentable. When it comes to painting them, I am a no-fuss kind of girl. I want a polish that is easy to use and will hide most of my mistakes. Calling all pastel nail polishes!! I love pastels because they are flattering on my pale skin, they appear to elongate my fingers and are super easy to use because unlike obnoxiously bright colors, making a mistake with a pastel is not that hard to correct! Here are my favorite shades at the moment...