Style, Life, Beauty Kim Britton Style, Life, Beauty Kim Britton

2019 Holiday Gift Guide for Her

Holiday gift ideas for women all under $100!

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No. 1 Kopari Lip Glossy and Kopari Coconut Rose Toner, No. 2 Stars Above Beautifully Soft Fleece Lounge Jogger Pants, No. 3 Sunbeam XpressHeat Heating Pad, No. 4 Clarisonic Mia, No. 5 Lavince Sleep Headphones Bluetooth Sports Headband, No. 6 Morphe x Jaclyn Hill Palette and Morphe x James Charles The Eye Brush Set, No. 7 Pacifica Sea Foam Face Wash and Dreamy Youth Day & Night Face Cream, No. 8 Tone It Up Fitness App, No. 9 Calm Meditation App, No. 10 Lindor Truffles, Ferrero Rocher Hazelnut Chocolates, and Sarris Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Christmas is eleven days away…can you believe it?! I can’t! And with only ten shopping days left you might be struggling to find the perfect gift for your girlfriend, spouse, mom, sister, bff, co-worker or daughter. I’ve assembled some of my favorite recent-ish purchases. And the best part is these gifts are all under $100.

For the last year, I’ve been trying to clean up my skincare and makeup products. I’ve tested quite a few non-toxic, cruelty-free products. Kopari and Pacifica are easily two of my favorites. Their products smell delicious, feel incredible on the skin and won’t break the bank.

Another skincare product I’ve been obsessed with for a while is my Clarisonic Mia. My face is smoother, softer and has less breakouts. I only use it a few times a week, but that is all that is needed! It’s the most expensive item on my list, but it’s well worth it. I’ve had mine for two years now and highly recommend it. Just make sure to start out with the sensitive brush head to see what your face can handle.

A few months ago, I discovered the heating pad! I’m not sure how I never owned one, especially since I am always cold. Now I can’t live without it. I use it for cramps, lower back pains, and sore muscles. I also use it at work when my office is freezing. Yup, that’s right, I own not one, but two heating pads: one for home and one for work.

And while I’m laying in bed with my heating pad I’m wearing the most comfortable jogging pants I’ve ever owned. The Stars Above Fleece Joggers from Target are amazing. I started with just one pair, but hated when they were in the laundry. So now I have three pair. And if there were more colors available I would own more. Do yourself a favor and buy one as a Christmas gift and one for yourself.

My next recent favorite purchase is my bluetooth sleep headphones/headband. You can wear them to bed while listening to music, an audiobook or meditations. You can wear them during the colder months while jogging or walking. Or my personal favorite use - I wear them while making dinner to catch up on podcasts and to drown out the sound of my husband watching the dreaded news.

For any beauty lovers in your life, the Morphe x Jaclyn Hill eyeshadow palette is a must! I purchased this palette well over two years ago and use it just about every day. With the variety of options you can create looks for any occasion. And the price can’t be beat: 35 eyeshadows for $35!

And while you don’t need fancy makeup brushes to make these eyeshadows amazing, I’ve found the Morphe eyeshadow brushes to be some of my favorite for quick and easy application. The Morphe x James Charles brush set has every eyeshadow brush you’ll ever need.

The next two items on my holiday gift guide are digital and the two best apps I’ve every paid for. The first is the Tone It Up fitness app from Katrina Scott and Karena Dawn. I purchased this app over a year ago and just renewed my subscription. The fitness app has all types of workouts: yoga, strength training, cardio, kickboxing, barre and HIIT. The sessions range from ten minutes to sixty minutes and have modifications for all skill levels. The best part is I get to choose when and where I work out.

After a workout, I follow up my cool down with a ten minute meditation. I’ve tried both Headspace and Calm. For me, Calm is the clear winner. I prefer the background noises, program options and the narrator’s voice in Calm. They also have sleep stories narrated by Matthew McConaughey. If that’s not enough to peak your interest, I don’t know what is!

And the last item(s) in my self-care routine are oh-so-yummy chocolates. What girl doesn’t love chocolate? And the ones on my list are my favorites to receive in my stocking on Christmas morning.

I hope this gift guide offers up some inspiration to complete your Christmas list. What are your favorite self-care items for yourself or to give as gifts?

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Style, DIY Kim Britton Style, DIY Kim Britton

YouTubers You Must Watch for Halloween Inspiration

Looking for some Halloween costume inspiration…check out these social media halloween badasses.

Christmas is my favorite holiday - an entire month of family traditions, shopping, gifting, that warm & cozy feeling of being with your favorite people. BUT...the creative, makeup lover in me makes Halloween a VERY close second. However, I didn't always feel this way about Halloween. It was fun to run around with friends getting all the candy, but it was not about being creative. I remember wanting to choose a fun costume, but they were always store bought and rarely required crazy fun makeup.

As I've gotten older and more comfortable with makeup, Halloween is now a time to release my creative energy. Every year I hope one of my friends will host a Halloween party because then, it's over. I stop all other projects or hobbies to focus on creating an awesome costume. And I freakin' LOVE it! I comb Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube for costumes I've never done before. And I’m not talking about cutting up a sheet, throwing it over your head and calling yourself a ghost. I'm talking full face of makeup, creating a costume from scratch, spending night after night working on my costume.

Since Halloween is only a week away, it's the perfect opportunity to share where all my inspiration comes from for my second favorite holiday. Below are my favorite Halloween Instagram/YouTubers. Take a look through their IG accounts and let me know what you think. I hope they provide you with the same inspiration they provide me.

#1. Nicole Guerriero

Glamour shots but make it Tim Burton.👀 #halloweenmakeup Inspired by : @abbyroberts 👑

92.7k Likes, 1,298 Comments - N I C O L E. 🦄 (@nicoleguerriero) on Instagram: "Glamour shots but make it Tim Burton.👀 #halloweenmakeup Inspired by : @abbyroberts 👑"

#2. Abby Roberts

#3. Alex Faction

#4 Shonagh Scott

 

Let me know in the comments below: Who are your favorite YouTubers or Instagrammers for Halloween? Where do you get your Halloween costume inspiration? I'm always looking for new ideas!!

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Beauty, Style Kim Britton Beauty, Style Kim Britton

Impressed with KISS ImPRESS Nails

My new beauty obsession: press-on nails. BUT…these are not your momma’s press-on nails and I am hooked!

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Holy moly, I have to let you in on my new beauty obsession: press-on nails. Yes, you read that right, press-on nails, like back in the 80s. BUT…these are not your momma’s press-on nails. KISS ImPRESS nails are the new and improved press-on nails. They apply in minutes, last around seven days and are a quarter of the price of a gel manicure.

Long story short, my friend Samantha was in Target and complimented an employee on her manicure. The employee told her about these new press-on nails back in the beauty aisle; no glue, two-ish week wear, and less than $6. Was this cashier telling tales, or were these nails a reality? We had to find out for ourselves.

We headed to the closest Target and made a bee-line for the beauty department. We found the nail care section, and there they were: KISS ImPRESS. The box boasts of a one-step gel manicure, no glue needed. We both found a style we liked and decided to give them a try.

Going for a Test Drive

It took me about an hour to put them on from start to finish. That time included figuring out each nail size, pushing back my cuticles, wiping off each nail bed with an alcohol prep pad, applying each nail, pressing them down for about 60 seconds, and finally filing each nail down to my desired length. One 60 minute drama later and, voila, a fresh set of nails.

I was floored with the results. They definitely looked like a from-the-salon gel manicure. But would they stand up to a week’s worth of activities? I was skeptical at first but pleasantly surprised to see my nails lasted through all my household duties, work responsibilities, workouts, and beauty routines.

The first manicure lasted seven days before I decided to remove them. The removal process was just as easy and painless as the application. Some of the nails were quickly removed while others needed the assistance of an orange stick dipped in nail polish remover. After a little wiggling of the orange stick between the press-on nail and your real nail and the press-on will come right off. After a few swipes of nail polish remover on a cotton pad, I inspected each nail bed. My nails looked and felt the same as before the press-on nails. No damage at all! You can’t say that after having a gel manicure removed.

To Buy or Not to Buy

Since my first experience was positive, I decided to browse the KISS ImPRESS website to see what other colors/styles they offered. I was greeted by page after page of fun, colorful nail sets each with one or two accent choices. They also had themed sets for holidays and sports.

The cost on the KISS ImPRESS website is a few dollars higher than they were at Target some sets priced at $7.99 and some at $8.99. And clearance sets were available for as low as $4.00. I happily added a few different sets to my cart until I reached the $30 free shipping total. As I reviewed my shopping cart I noticed there was a free manicure set in my cart. When you buy four sets of nails they give you a set for free. Woop, woop! And with that, I completed my purchase.

A Few Suggestions

The first time you apply your press-on nails, pay attention to the sizes you choose for each finger. Jot down the numbers you select for each finger. This will make the next time you apply press-on nails a lot faster since you will already know your sizes.

If you don’t want to file down the press-on nails, a tip I learned from the KISS website is to add a clear coat to the underside of your press-on nail. Any exposed glue will be sealed.

And if for some reason a nail happens to come loose, no worries. Each set comes with 30 nails of varying sizes so you will, most likely, have another nail similar in size to replace the loose one. No need to take all the nails off if you can get a few more days out of your manicure by swapping out a nail.

I’ve tried both the square-shaped and oval-shaped sets. The oval-shaped sets seem to fit my nails a little better and lasted ten days before the sides started to lift a little. Definitely give both shapes a try before deciding which ones work best for your fingers.

Overall Opinion

KISS ImPRESS manicure sets are perfect for weddings, special occasions, holidays, or just a typical work week. They come in a variety of colors/accents and are relatively inexpensive compared to a gel manicure. It’s been six weeks since my first press-on manicure. I have used four sets in those six weeks and purchased quite a few more (sixteen more to be exact). I’m hooked!

I’m such a fan of these new and improved, not-your-momma’s, press-on nails. You have to try these out! And when you do, or if you already have, leave me your thoughts in the comments below.

Are YOU impressed with the Kiss ImPRESS manicure sets?

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