bailey bee

beauty, home and lifestyle blog

My Dermaplaning Experience

A couple of weeks ago I experienced getting dermaplaned for the first time with my sister. Our mom previously had it done and liked it so much that she got us gift cards so we could go ourselves! I wanted to share my experience and show a couple before and after shots I got while I was there.

Firstly, let’s get into what dermaplaning is. If you did not know, dermaplaning is essentially shaving your face with a very high quality, medical-grade scalpel to remove vellus hairs(read: peach fuzz) and built-up dead skin. This procedure is supposed to benefit you in two ways: it heightens the ability for your skin to absorb skincare products better and also allows makeup to apply smoother across the face. I was intrigued but unlikely to ever pay to have it done professionally. I’ve used those eyebrow shaver sticks in the past to shave my upper lip and almost every single time I’ve used them, I’ve broken out. I was certain that if I got my entire face dermaplaned that I would break out EVERYWHERE. That was not entirely true.. read on.

The session started with a quick cleanse of my skin with a bit of alcohol. After that, the esthetician began shaving away in the direction of my hair growth; first starting at my cheeks and then moving to my forehead and nose/upper lip region. I felt and heard little to no sensation while I was getting everything done. I had expected some sort of scratching noise but found nothing audible really occurred. The process was fairly relaxing, actually!

After everything had been ‘planed, there was a round of witch hazel swept across my face. This was to further cleanse my now wide-open facial pores. My worries about breaking out were eased a bit because witch hazel is a strong astringent that is known for clearing and preventing breakouts. After the witch hazel was applied, a cooling rod was drawn over my entire face to close the pores. Process complete!

I had a handful of pimples pop up in the week following my dermaplaning procedure but they weren’t anything I couldn’t handle nor were they very painful. I assume they were a byproduct of the procedure and my skins way of removing toxins that were now closer to the surface of my face. The weirdest thing that happened was that over the following week, I noticed that my face was always clammy. Regardless of how many times I washed my face, it felt sticky (I guess) because there were no longer hairs left to make it soft to the touch. I didn’t love that.

Another weird sensation I experienced post-procedure were the super heightened feelings on my skin. I was suddenly hyper-aware of whenever I was touching my face or if a stray hair brushed against the skin. It wasn’t a positive nor a negative– just a strange sensation that I had noticed. It must have been something else to do with the fact that there were suddenly no hairs on my face to warn my skin “hey something is about to touch you” *insert shrugging emoji here*

As for the claim of a smoother makeup application, I absolutely can speak to that. Both liquid and powder products applied in a noticeably different manner. It took some time to be able to differentiate between the product ACTUALLY applying in a different way and my face just being extra aware of my makeup brushes touching my face. The most notable feeling was with my bronzer on the sides of my face– this is an area that I never focused hair removal on in the past and was seemingly the most obvious difference for me in terms of the weird “feeling” sensation. Below you will see my cheek/bronzer region before and after I got dermaplaned:

dermaplaning before and after

With the pros and cons considered, I’m fairly confident enough to say that I likely won’t get dermaplaned again. It was definitely a cool thing to have done but I didn’t love having breakouts afterward. I know that even happens after something like a facial but that and the clamminess were too much for me. It was fun, though, and I’m glad I finally got to test out and learn about dermaplaning. I suggest trying it at least once to see how you like it!

If you have been dermaplaned before, let me know what happened! I’m curious if the clamminess was just something I dealt with– my sister said she didn’t have the same issue. I find it interesting that we all have such different reactions to the same things in life and I’m curious to hear. Hit up the comments below ↓↓↓

To read up on some of my skincare posts, click here!

Light Bronzer Faceoff: Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer vs. Fenty Sun Stalk’r vs. Benefit Hoola

Fenty just released a new line of Sun Stalk’r bronzers and I was keen to get my hands on the lightest shade, Inda Sun. I wanted to compare it to two other popular “light” bronzers on the market– the Physician’s Formula Butter bronzer in ‘Light’ and Benefit’s Hoola bronzer in ‘Lite’

Keep on reading to see how it compared and to see some swatches.

three light bronzers: physican's formula butter bronzer in 'light'. fenty beauty sun stalk'r bronzer in 'inda sun' and benefit hoola bronzer in 'lite'

Upon first look, you can see that Hoola Lite is significantly lighter than these other two. I almost never wear it for that reason. It’s too light for me and that is saying something because I am on the fairer end of the spectrum (NW15, Fenty 110/120). That being said, I really commend Benefit for releasing a product that works for the fairest of fair complexions.

on-arm swatches of three light bronzers: physican's formula butter bronzer in 'light'. fenty beauty sun stalk'r bronzer in 'inda sun' and benefit hoola bronzer in 'lite'

I didn’t have any expectations going into this comparison so I don’t feel anything in particular when I notice that ‘Inda Sun’ is the darkest of the three. In addition to being the darkest, it is also the reddest. I like this because both Hoola Lite and the Butter bronzer both seem to disappear into my skin. They do a proper job of adding warmth to the face but I like my bronzer to add a bit of depth as well so I see myself reaching for Inda Sun over the others quite often.

The formulas are important to consider as well. As per its name, the Butter bronzer is smoother than the others and almost feels a bit wet. Both Inda Sun and Hoola Lite are your traditional powder products with Inda Sun being a finer powder than Hoola. The finer the powder for a bronzer, the smoother the transition on the face. I have found all three apply really nicely with little to no patchiness.

I am really excited to continue using this Sun Stalk’r bronzer. The formula and shade are perfect for my intended uses. Each of these bronzers have nice formulas and apply well. Their main differences are the shades and depth of color.

I’ve done some other “faceoffs” in the mascara, eyeliner and eyebrow gel departments. Check ’em out!

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My 2019 Sephora VIB Sale Picks

I rarely do these kinds of round-ups simply because I am never ahead of the curve enough to get your attention before or as the sales begin. This time, however, I am! I wanted to share my favorite products from Sephora as their VIB sale kicks off today for VIB level members as well as Beauty Insiders. Read below for a short blurb about each product shown above.

From top to bottom, left to right…

I rarely wear foundation but when I do, it is the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Foundation. I wear 120 but really am more likely a match for 110. This is a matte, semi-sheer coverage foundation that dries down quickly and stays put throughout the day. This works wonders for my combination skin and I love that my freckles can still shine through when I’m wearing this.

In the same vein of Fenty, my favorite eyeliner currently is the Fenty Beauty Flyliner. It is a deep, dark black that doesn’t flake off and the pointed tip of the applicator actually stays pointy (unlike my old favorite, the Stila Stay All Day liquid liner). Even with a bit of age, it continues to be super saturated and applies beautifully.

One of my favorite lipstick formulas at Sephora are the NARS Velvet Matte lipstick pencils. They are opaque, super comfortable on the lips and are very easy to control the placement of with the pencil-like applicator.

The YSL Touche Eclat All-Over Brightening pen is a very bougie option, I understand, but it is incredible. This pen provides the right amount of coverage while not making the application area look cakey at ALL. I use this under the eyes to cover darkness, around the nose to cover redness and on blemishes as well. I feel really fancy when I click the bottom of the pen to dispense the product. It’s worth the splurge for that alone.. heh. But really, you have 15% off, why not?!

I have begun using the Anastasia Beverly Hills clear brow gel for things other than my eyebrows. This stuff is liquid concrete for your brows and lately I have been utilizing it as a hardcore gel for my baby hairs whenever I wear a power pony. It slicks them back and they do. not. move. Love this stuff 4ever.

If you aren’t a gloss person, you’ll enjoy the Bite Beauty French Press lip glosses because they are the perfect formula for us “non-glossers”. The formula is really slick and plush so you won’t feel like your hair is getting stuck all over your lips. The French Press range has a great nude for every skin tone, too. It’s hard to go wrong with a nude gloss.

Next up is my tried and true Tarte Amazonian Clay highlighter in ‘Exposed’. This is the ideal powder highlight because it contains no base pigment and gives a perfectly natural, glossy glow. I use this every single time that I do my makeup and somehow I haven’t hit pan. Talk about a good value!

The mascara that unseated my favorite of MANY years (the Maybelline Colossal) is the Hourglass Caution mascara. This stuff is a rich, dark black and separates the lashes while simultaneously lengthening. It doesn’t flake off during the day but comes off easily with remover at night.

Lastly, we have a new favorite of mine in the Velour Lashes Effortless lashes in ‘Would I Lie?’. I love me some falsies but I don’t love when they are too long or super thick. Velour’s ‘Effortless’ line is what my dreams were made of and this style in ‘Would I Lie?’ is the wispy star of said dreams. They look so natural and have a very comfortable band that blends into your natural lash line easily but are not too finicky to apply.

I hope I persuaded you to try out at least one of my favorite products! There’s no other time than the present with your 15% off coupon code (HEYVIB) to try out some new makeup!

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Wedding Wednesday: Bridesmaid “Proposals” feat. Julie Mollo

Whew, you’d think we would be much closer to our actual wedding date with the amount of content I’m pushing out but nope– still got a year and a half left! I’m just so motivated to get the “big things” out of the way so we can 1. slowly pay those things off and 2. not stress about a lot of these things all at once as we get closer in.

Seeing as we have our venue, our photographer, my dress and even our save-the-dates, I figured it was time to make it official with my girlies.

bridesmaids proposal packages with gifts laid out

I wanted to send my bridesmaids something small to ask them to be in the wedding and make them feel included– while not asking too much of them. My goal with our wedding day is to be as chill as possible. I don’t want my friends spending a ton of money or having to take a bunch of time off of work on my behalf. They’re a part of the day and it’s gonna be chill and “cheap” but FUN! As much as weddings have gotten out of hand, I like the trend of “proposing” to your girls because although my intent is to keep things lowkey, they will still have some responsibilities and it should be a no-brainer for me to get them some little gifts to kick planning with them off.

I borrowed a letterboard from my sister and spelled out the following messages…

"will you be my bridesmaids?" written out on a letterboard
"will you be my maid of honor?" written out on a letterboard
"will you be my matron of honor?" written out on a letterboard

and then took polaroid/Fujifilm Instax photos of the letterboards. These photos are going inside of the cards that are in the “proposal” package aka inside of a personalized clutch made by Julie Mollo. Keep reading to see!

bridesmaids proposal polaroids laid out with knot ring

Also in the packages are some paint swatches showing the color scheme for the wedding with matching handcrafted lollipops and some knot rings— as a play on “tying the knot”. (ring pillow can be found here)

handcrafted lollipops in matching colors to our wedding theme
"tying the knot" ring on a ring pillow
bridesmaids proposal package with gifts laid out

The absolute STAR of these packages are the personalized name clutches by Julie Mollo. I had seen her designs before from a friend on Instagram but once I saw that she made bridal party clutches, I was SOLD. These are such cute gifts and will make the perfect little photo op on the big day, too! Julie made one for me as well so I could be in on the fun.

personalized navy and gold name clutches by Julie Mollo

Her clutches are made of vinyl, which makes them super flexible (literally) to suit any need (traveling or going out) or outfit (dressed down or up). Julie’s fashion designs have been donned by some BIG names like Katy Perry and have been featured in various other print and media outlets.

To order some personalized bridal party clutches for your group, click here. You choose the names, colors, any extra fun shapes or icons for the backside and if you’d prefer, you can add a wrist strap too. Julie is so accomodating and I love love love that we got these bags. They were the ideal thing to make a “wow” statement in these packages while also being completely practical! I cannot recommend enough.

Want to see what else we’ve planned for our big day?

Head over to my Wedding Wednesday tag to read all or use this navigation to pop to a certain subject:

VENUE | PHOTO | DRESS | SAVE THE DATES 1

My Experience with the Billie Razor

my experience with the billie razor - pictured hanging out in my shower

Have you heard the hype around Billie? I did. Heard it loud and clear!

I decided to try out this razor in an attempt to “fight the man” (and subsequently, the “pink tax“), to save some coin and overall just switch things up. I’ve been using the Schick Hydro Silk since college and genuinely haven’t had any difficulties with it other than the fact that refills are a bit expensive– usually between $12 and $15 for four. With that being said, the razors on my Schick last a LONG time and I haven’t felt the pinch when buying refills as much since graduating from college and maintaining bi-weekly paychecks. tl;dr I can afford them easier than I could before.

I mention all of this information on my Schick so early on because I really didn’t enjoy my experience with the Billie razor. I don’t think the lowered cost of their product will help sway my thoughts enough to keep me on board as a customer.

To start, I whole-heartedly appreciate the concept behind Billie. The concept of the “pink tax” and simply, the generally higher costs women incur just by being women is real. I believe it is both societal and institutional and it is important to have businesses that are working towards progress. As time goes on, however, I believe a product must be able to speak for itself. My main issue with the Billie razor is that I get a slight razor burn after using it. Additionally, I can get away with using my old razor without using shaving cream but even with shaving cream, Billie still gives me issues.

I’m so glad so many other people enjoy this product and that Billie exists, although I’m disappointed it didn’t work out for me. Here’s to breaking the “pink tax” in other avenues of our lives such as hair care and cuts, clothing and DRY CLEANING as well as so much more.

If you’re interested in trying Billie out for yourself (which I recommend because I seem to be in the minority with my experience), they offer a $9 welcome kit that includes the razor plus a backup cartridge, a handle in the color of your choosing plus the magnetic holder for your shower. Plus, they will include some samples of their shaving cream and lotion. If you enjoy Billie and want to keep using their products, they’ll deliver four cartridges at a time interval of your choosing.

Have you tried the Billie razor? I’d love to know if it has worked for you! Let me know in the comments below.

MAC Powder Kiss Lipsticks in ‘Shocking Revelation’, ‘Influentially It’ + ‘Sultriness’

MAC Powder Kiss lipsticks in 'Shocking Revelation', 'Influentially It' and 'Sultriness'

Ah, yes. More MAC Powder Kiss lipsticks coming at you on this fine morning. I liked the first two I tried so much that I wanted three more! I forsee myself adding even more to my collection because MAC released even MORE colors that just arrived in-stores at Ulta.

My three newest shades of these MAC Powder Kiss lipsticks are ‘Shocking Revelation’, ‘Influentially It’ and ‘Sultriness’. As with the others, these retail for $19 and are what MAC proudly proclaims are a matte, yet moisturizing formula. I’m gonna just come out and say that although I wouldn’t say these lippies are “moisturizing” per se, they definitely are not drying and that is a win for a matte lipstick.

on-arm swatches of MAC Powder Kiss lipsticks in 'Shocking Revelation', 'Influentially It' and 'Sultriness'

Shocking Revelation is marketed as a “clean blue red”.

Influentially It as a “nude beige”.

Sultriness as a “baby blue pink”.

I naturally lean towards colors like ‘Shocking Revelation’ but was hoping to find a solid nude (for me) in ‘Influentially It’. Initially, I was scared away by promo pictures but when I swatched in-store I really liked it. Unfortunately, it is a biiiiiiit questionable on the lips as you can see in the on-lip swatch below. As for ‘Sultriness’, it is everything I wanted ‘Scattered Petals’ to be. A soft, neutral-leaning-cool pink.

on-lip swatches of MAC Powder Kiss lipsticks in 'Influentially It', 'Sultriness' and 'Shocking Revelation'

All three colors wear pretty decently and that wear time ranges from around 4-5 hours, depending on the shade. The lighter the shade, the shorter the wear time is for these guys. I think my next pick up from this range is going to be a pretty wine shade. Which do you want us to review next? All of the shades can be found here.

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The Best Products for Reviving Days-Old Hair

Before we begin, I must state that I received these products courtesy of Verb. I specifically requested one of these to use in video content that I shot and was recommended the second (for good reason!) That being said, as always, the below opinions are entirely unbiased and my own.

reviving days-old hair with Verb ghost dry oil and dry shampoo in 'dark'

How long can you go without washing your hair?

In college, I used to go a whole three days between washes. Nowadays, I wash every other day. I’m not sure what happened but I just can’t stretch it anymore unless I really, really try. My sister EASILY goes like, six days between and I just don’t understand how she does it. Although I’m understanding a little bit better after perfecting this cocktail of hair products from VERB.

I’m a loyal VERB gal. I’ve been using their stuff since I was introduced to them in college when I worked reception at a hair salon. I understand that one of their cult products is their Ghost Oil, although I have not tried it out personally. I have, however, tried their Ghost DRY Oil. It is essentially the same thing just with a different application method. I like to use this on my ends after they’ve been thrown into buns, twists and braids for days. At that point, they need a lil drink and some love.

On the complete opposite side of things, the top of my head needs no drink at all. It needs dry shampoo. and what better dry shampoo to use than one that is tinted to match darker brunettes like me? I section my hair parallel to my part and spray from around 10 inches from my head. I let the dry shampoo sit for a few seconds and then begin to work it into my hair. Ideally, dry shampoo is applied the night before when you need it but let’s be real– who does that?

I feel balanced once these two products have been added to my hairstyle. What had too much oil and not enough life has been dried out. What had too little moisture and still not enough life has been oiled and primped.

I’d love to know how you survive days without washing. Let me know in the comments below what your go-to hair survival products are!

Feel free to shop this post below if you’re interestsed in either of these Verb goodies:

Wedding Wednesday: Prepping + Designing Save-the-Dates with Basic Invite

Hey there! Happy Wednesday. HappyWedding Wednesday!

Today I am SO excited to be talking about what I have been working with Basic Invite on: designing our Save-the-Dates. Plus, I’m going to showcase all that Basic Invite has to offer because they have EVERY. THING. you need for wedding planning. I’ll be using them for our wedding website, our save-the-dates (already ordered them!), our invitations and more. This post is sponsored by Basic Invite but these opinions are entirely my own. I made our wedding website with them previously and will be using them for everything ‘wedding’ from here on out. I genuinely love all of their products. Let’s get into it!

I truly enjoy so many aspects of Basic Invite. To start, they have soooo many colors for customizing your products– 180 to be exact. This came in handy when trying to decide just which shade of “navy” we wanted because in reality, I wanted something a bit more blue than your traditional navy. I was able to find that in the shade ‘Persian’. In addition to the variety of options for printing, they offer 40 different colors for their peel and seal envelopes. Between the two mass color collections, it’s so easy to get a truly custom and unique wedding suite. You can change the colors on the designs and on any text– even the font itself can be customized.

all of their colors choices!

Back to speaking of their envelopes– which are already super convenient with the peel and seal closures. Basic Invite offers FREE address COLLECTION. Yes. All you’ve gotta do is send a link to your guest list to have them input their address(es). Then, when you go to order your save-the-dates, Basic Invite can print the addresses on the envelopes directly. I had collected a handful of addresses prior to discovering this unbelievably handy tool so for a bride like me, you can also manually input any addresses if you want to utilize their free addressing service. It’s a win-win no matter how you go about it.

Now, I want to showcase each custom save-the-date sample I received. I chose six different designs in a handful of different paper options (from signature matte, smooth coated and shimmer to luxe velvet, double thick, CLEAR or they even have wood!) that each showcased the exact design I would want if I were to choose it for our final product. I loved being able to have the custom samples because there is no room for wonder. What you see is what you’ll get from your names down to your wedding date and location.

‘Moody Mountains’ Save-the-Date

I tried out the ‘Moody Mountains’ design on both signature matte paper as well as their premium shimmer paper. Ideally, I would splurge a bit and have the “pseudo gold” ink actually be gold foiled and pair that with the shimmery paper. It was so beautiful and understated while having flashes of sophistication when the light hit the paper just right. With this design, I incorporated a bit of our “pop” color, ‘Pomegranate’, to tie in the entire color scheme for the wedding.

‘Something Blue’ Save-the-Date

For these ‘Something Blue’ save-the-dates, I tried out the luxe velvet paper that caught Charlie’s attention when he felt it. It’s super smooth and definitely makes a statement. I liked this design because it incorporates paint strokes that we are going to be using throughout all of our paper goods for the wedding. I’d like for everything to look as cohesive as possible and this would fit right in.

‘Bold Date’ Save-the-Date

For some reason, I’m not into photo cards but I wanted to try a couple out just to see how I felt. I loved the simplicity of this ‘Bold Date’ save-the-date. The small font that is paired with the statement text is so cute and quaint.

‘Casual Script’ Clear Save-the-Date

If you’re looking to truly WOW your guests, you’ve got to try out these clear cards. They are so easy for the design side of things because they’ll go with anything you choose to use down the road but clearly speak for themselves in terms of making an impression on your guests!

‘Gilded Strokes’ Save-the-Date

‘Gilded Strokes’ was Charlie’s favorite of the bunch which made me happy because it had that paint stroke that I’m digging so much. I feel like we will use this design collection for things down the road… possibly menus?

‘Luxe Watercolor’ Save-the-Date

I got this last sample, the ‘Luxe Watercolor’, printed on the double thick matte paper. Choosing that paper adds immediate class to this save-the-date and feels expensive. This was probably my favorite design of the bunch and I’m going to work on getting Charlie to come around to it. It has watercolor strokes, which I consider a cousin to my beloved paint strokes but seems a bit fancier, which works for something more formal like a save-the-date.

working on my hand lettering, clearly

Some other things that I adore about Basic Invite are that within your free wedding website, guests can RSVP electronically. Not all wedding websites are created equal, trust me. Electronic RSVPs are a feature I desperately wanted so we can choose between detachable RSVP postcards and electronic RSVPs.

I’m telling you. They have thought of everything.

Need wedding favors but want them customized? Basic Invite has that covered. Check out these calla lily coasters/wedding favors that they have. Are you a decent graphic designer and want to upload your own design to be printed? It can be done. They offer an ‘upload your own’ option for a lot of their wedding products.

No matter what stage you are in of your wedding planning, Basic Invite has something created that will help you out immensely. If you find a design suite that you enjoy, there are over 900 (yes) that include everything from save-the-dates and invitations to menus, belly bands, enclosure cards, programs and more that match. The best part? Their prices are downright CHEAP. Yes. Not just affordable, but they are WILDLY affordable for the quality and customer service that you’ll receive in return.

As I said before, we will be using these guys for every aspect of our big day and I suggest trying them out so you can as well. Even if you aren’t planning a wedding, Basic Invite offers christmas cards, baby announcements, birthday invitations, graduation announcments, general stationary, business cards and so much more. I could go on and on. I am just going to request that you check them out at www.basicinvite.com!

Want to see what else we’ve planned for our big day?

Head over to my Wedding Wednesday tag to read all or use this navigation to pop to a certain subject:

VENUE | PHOTO | DRESS | BRIDESMAIDS