The Essentials: August 2021

Lots happened! On February 14, I had a healthy baby boy and experienced that “mom love”. I’ll dive deeper into this whole new chapter later on month.

Normally, I would have had lots of products to rave about but honestly, I’ll be lucky if I could squeeze in a wash day. It’s all a balancing act really.

But last night, while the babe was asleep, I had the chance to dive into my beauty closet, empties and reassess my skin routine. Here’s what I can share with y’all:

HAIR: Wash days are nearly non-existent so when I do have have a solid 45 minutes I jump right into the shower and give my strands a deep treatment. Along with post-partum hair loss, nursing has made my curls really, really dry. It’s not as tragic as it sounds but a deeply hydrating hair mask, and a lot of slip for those tangles, makes a world of difference. I’ve been alternating between Eva NYC’s Therapy Session and Bread’s Hair Mask. Both come from different price points and both are highly recommended.

And because wash days are few and far between it’s so important to treat my scalp too. I absolutely LOVE TPH’s Master Cleanse - the design of the applicator, the formula, the tingling sensation. All of it is so good. This has been my fourth bottle purchased and I honestly hope it never gets discontinued.

Eva NYC’s Gotta Bounce Cream has made its way over to my desk and it’s a solid product. Curls were defined and didn’t weigh down my strands. I do wish they made the bottle bigger - my curls drank it right up!

FACE / SKINCARE: Clean beauty is where it’s at! Maybe I’m bias since I’m nursing but here are some heavy-hitters:

Indie Lee has so many great products from masks to facial oils. Currently, I’m loving their Brightening Cleanser. It has good-for-you ingredients leaving skin gently cleansed, hydrated and bright.

Pai is a cult-beauty favorite. Their Rosehip BioRegenerate Face Oil. This oil feels so luxurious and has so many nutrients which deeply condition the skin. But, that’s not why I included this into my routine! This treatment helps clear and even skin tone. This is a re-buy for me.

I’m not 100% positive if Image Skincare falls under the clean beauty umbrella, but they do have amazing spa professional products. Heyday Skincare uses a few of their items at their spas and that’s exactly how I found out about Vital C Hydrating Enzyme Masque. The mask gently exfoliates buildup, fades dark spots, and keeps skin hydrated and balanced. There’s something about the slightly sweet scent that brings me comfort too,

Honorable mention goes to Drunk Elephant’s Umbra Tinte. You either love it or hate it and I’m definitely a lover. However, I wouldn’t recommend wearing makeup over it as it could cause pilling. (This best for those fresh-faced looks!)

FACE / MAKEUP: Let’s be honest. When you’re thrown off the deep end and fully immersed in the newborn stage - makeup seems frivolous. Now that I’ve survived the newborn stage and entered the infant phase, mascara is do-able. One that’s been on my list is Glossier’s Lash Slick - some love it, some hate it, so I had to try it. And honestly, I like it for those days that I want to emphasize my eyes but don’t want that caked-on feeling. Not a lot of volume but does give my lashes length and color.

BODY: Bear with me, I bought a lot of Glossier during Black Friday and am finally using it all. I snagged a lot of new items, like their Body Hero Exfoliating Bar, to see if they were worth the hype. And friends, the bar is definitely worth the hype!! The scent is intoxicating, the bamboo powder is the right amount of exfoliant, and skin never feels dry after use.

Like I mentioned, nursing has made my curls dry but it’s also made my skin super dry. Womp womp. Two moisturizers I discovered and loved - Flamingo’s Light Hydrating Spray and Herb Essntls Cannabis Infused Body Lotion. Flamingo’s spray is seriously so good for the summer season. It applies evenly and feels refreshing. Skin is moisturized all day long. Herb Essntls lotion is a bit thicker and luxurious. The formula, which consists of omega3-omega6 and Cannabis Sativa seed oil, perfectly mirrors the natural proportions in your skin.

I’m still using natural deodorants and testing out new brands. Drunk Elephant launched their own Sweet Pitti Deodorant Cream and tbh, I thought it would be terrible. BUT, it’s actually quite nice. The formula doesn’t leave any stains on clothing, the scent is light, and does a great job at keeping sweat minimal.

SHOP MY ESSENTIALS:

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven // twelve // thirteen

Dreamin' of Summer

WOW. It’s been three years since I’ve written and uploaded a style post and that makes me so sad. It also makes me feel like a flake. It’s not like I stopped taking outfit pictures, because I haven’t, I just haven’t uploaded them so these photo assets have sat idly on my hard drive for years.

Anyway, I’m hoping to change that and just get them up even if we’re not in season. Enjoy the throwbacks!

View fullsize

View fullsize

These were taken during the summer of 2017.

My hair looked SO GOOD and I remember thinking how excited I was to have Lydia capture this really good hair day. (My hair appointment went longer than anticipated so my excitement turned into anxiety.)

Going blonde was honestly the most fun I ever had - every week I wore a different hair style, different shades of red on my lips, and experimented with all of my clothes. If bleaching my hair didn’t affect my curls (or my bank account) I’d still be blonde.

For this look, I decided to challenge myself with two things:

• Style my Docs in a fun, light way and away from the dark clothes typically paired with it

• Incorporate this denim, polka-dotted skirt

Overall, I feel like the look came out great and would definitely wear again. What do you guys think?

View fullsize

View fullsize

Photos by Lydia Hudgens.

Shirt: Gap  Skirt: Thrifted (similar here)  Sunglasses: Frankie Shop (love these too!)  Watch: the 5th (love this!)  Shoes: Dr Marten  Purse: Rebecca Minkoff  Earrings: Love these!  Choker: Unbound Babes (turns into a whip, FYI!)  Rings: Old (love this!)  Lipgloss: Glossier Gloss

The Essentials: January 2021

Happy New Year!

In case you missed the news, I’m expecting a little baby boy this February so I for one celebrated the new year a lot differently than what I’m used to. Oh, and the fact that we’re still living through a pandemic definitely kept our social circle very, very small. I hope you celebrated safely as well!

I know I’ve been consistently not posting but one of my resolutions last year (pre-Covid) was to create and publish more blog and Instagram content. That kind of fell by the wayside due to multiple factors but this year, that same goal feels more manageable. Maybe it’s because there’s this sense of newfound hope or this commitment that I have to myself to do what makes me happy. And believe it or not, creating has always made me happy.

It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out with a newborn, ha! In the meantime, I’ve prepped a lot of content to make it easier on myself and the huge transition I’m about to embark.

Now, here are some favorites I’ve enjoyed this weird winter.

HAIR: If we’re being honest, I wasn’t all that much into styling for about 8 out of the 12 months last year for obvious reasons. But the tangles and knots were too much of a hassle to deal with on wash day so I made it a point to get a short chop AND dedicate one full day to washing, styling, and drying my curls. It helped - a lot! Two products that pleasantly surprised me were Drunk Elephant’s Cocomino™ Glossing Shampoo and Cocomino™ Marula Cream Conditioner. The shampoo is formulated with a sulfate-free blend of coconut-based surfactants to lift dirt and styling products without damaging the hair shaft or stripping color. The formula also helps prevent water loss and adds smoothness, which means less frizz for curly girls. The conditioner has a nourishing blend of plant oils and butters work to soften, smooth, and detangle while fortifying the hair shaft to protect against the damage done by heat styling and color treatments. I love the light, nutty scent they both have, not at all overpowering.

FACE / SKINCARE: I’ll start this section off with one of my favorite, and recurring buys the m-61 PowerBlast Mask. All it takes is two minutes for the mask to foam up to exfoliate and clarify the skin. And thanks to ingredients like chamomile and lavender, it’ll calm and soothe the skin. I wrote more about this mask here.

My go-to toner as of late, is the COQ-10 from Indie Lee. It’s a clean beauty product that uses aloe vera and cucumber to refresh, smooth, and clarify. It also has Hyaluronic Acid which provides continuous moisture and other nutrients + powerful antioxidants.

I’ve also written about Bliss’ Glow & Hydrate Serum in the past, and my love for the lightweight formula and its superstar ingredients, niacinamide + hyaluronic acid, which help reduce blemishes and brighten up the skin. Definitely scoop this up if you’re looking an inexpensive serum to add to this year’s routine.

I haven’t written about Naturopathica’s Calendula Cream yet but I have mentioned it plenty on my Instagram page. It’s a nourishing moisturizing, thick cream that’s perfect for the winter season. Its main ingredient, Calendula, is an anti-inflammatory that soothes dry, sensitive skin. I like to layer this on thick at night and wake up to dewy, moisturized skin in the morning.

During the AM, I opt for a lighter formula. Right now, I’m loving Skinfix’s Triple Liquid-Peptide Lotion which has squalene, jojoba, and macadamia oils that micmic the structure of the skin’s vital natural lipids to more effectively replenish those lipids. And its high concentration of botanical actives deliver optimum nutrition for improved skin barrier function. Another thing that I love about this brand - they share clinical results on nearly every product they create.

Lastly, a product that I’ve admittedly slept on and now love is Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex. What sucked me in is the gel creme texture that absorbs quickly and leaves the area feeling silky-smooth. The formula kept my eyes looking bright, hydrated, and not-as puffy. The formula also repairs UV and blue light damage which is needed after all the screen time I put in last year.

FACE / MAKEUP: I’ve worn the least amount of makeup but when I did put in the effort, I opted for a multi-tasking product like ILIA’s Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40. It’s a weightless, light coverage tinted serum that softens imperfections with a luminous finish. It also has skincare actives like niacinamide, squalane, and hyaluronic acid so you can skip your skincare routine if you’d like!

And if I’m wearing makeup outdoors it’s super important to set it with a powder or risk having it all rub off on my mask. I’ve been using Tarte’s Smooth Operator since it also helps diffuse imperfections and minimizes oily skin for a natural-looking finish.

BODY: I made the transition to natural deodorants back in February, which was great timing for testing out and finding the best formula that worked with my body chemistry. Definitely not an easy task or scent to endure at first but after reading reviews on Kaia Naturals’ Underarm Bar and adding it into my routine things went more smoothly! The bar helps to manage and keep odor under control thanks to its ingredients like activated charcoal and apple cider vinegar. It can also enhance a natural deodorants strength - making it a powerful duo together. The bar might seem a bit pricey but I’ve only needed to restock twice in the last year.

SHOP MY ESSENTIALS:

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven