Try This Cheap & Unusual Trick for Soft Lips

This post has been sponsored by the PRIMP Network. All opinions are my own.

Today is a day of celebration! And for THREE reasons! First off, it's MY BIRTHDAY! It's my dog Charlie's Gotcha Day! And FINALLY y'all, I am no longer sick! Because who wants to be sick on her bday? Not this lady.

So yeah, I had strep, which I haven't had since I was like 12 or something. And I don't know about y'all, but when I get sick, my skin gets so dry. Part of it is from meds, like decongestants just dry me out. And part of it is from breathing so much out of my mouth. My lips get so dry and cracked. It's not a cute look, especially when being a beauty blogger means you have to take pics of your face. No one wants to see dry lips.

While at Walmart getting "I'm sick" essentials (tissues, meds, makeup--wait, how'd that get in the cart?) my eye was drawn to a product you might not think of: Herpecin L.

Herpecin L a unique, pharmacist-recommended product provides instant relief from burning, itching, and oozing from cold sores. You wouldn't believe how common cold sores are--it's estimated 50-80% of US adults have them. Herpecin L is remarkable because it also speeds up recovery so you don't have to suffer from cold sores for a week or longer.

Note my nails aren't painted. This is how you know I'm sick, y'all!

But it's an under-the-radar-little jewel! I love Herpecin L because it is a product than can be used year round and not just for cold sores! It can be used to prevent chapped lips or as a preventative treatment. It is more hydrating than other lip treatments AND it contains SPF!  It protects painful cracking of lips and promotes healing without numbing or drying.

Herpecin L is safe to use every day and it is uniquely formulated with dimethicone for protection, and sunscreens to help guard against the sun's harmful rays. No more sunburn!

And it's only $4.99 at Walmart. So keep this trick in mind for the upcoming cooler temps--or when you're headed out in the sun! And let me know what you think!

Beauty Hacks Using Baby Wipes You've GOT To Try

I have been compensated by Johnson's® Baby for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own.

I'm not just Elle, the beauty fanatic. I play a lot of roles! I’m sure you do, too. I'm also a nanny, an aunt, and a pet owner. Sometimes I'm some of these at the same time. It can be a challenge, but I wouldn't have it any other way. All of these roles are so different and I have different bags for each one of these—nanny bag for the kids, a bag of stuff for when I travel with my dog, etc. But believe it or not, there is one item I keep in my bag that works for no matter what I'm doing: Johnson & Johnson Hand & Face Wipes. I get these at Walmart.

These wipes are a true staple and you can find them in any of my bags or in my car--glove box and back seat, because life happens. And I have so many uses for these! And my uses go beyond just using wipes for cleaning up. Not only do I use these on the kids for sticky messes, but I use them on my dog Charlie to clean his paws after a walk through muddy or wet grass. I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite Johnson's Hand & Face Wipes hacks.

Ever get deodorant marks on your clothes? I use a wipe to quickly erase those marks.

Of course I use my Hand & Face wipes for makeup mishaps and wiping off my hands while I'm getting ready. If I had one bit of advice, it would be to please, please always remove your makeup. I know, you're tired at the end of the day, but don't let that be an excuse! I keep a pack of wipes in my nightstand for such occasions. These wipes are alcohol-free and so gentle on skin. Plus, they're much cheaper than makeup remover wipes.

I also use the wipes for quick cleans on my makeup brushes. 

Now this is kind of different, but I make sunscreen wipes. Let me explain: I open up a few wipes and let them dry out. I apply a little sunscreen onto them and fold them back up and keep them in a sealable bag. Then, I'll use them on the kids in a pinch. It's so quick and not messy. I do the same thing with aloe vera after a hot day in the sun.

Sometimes I'll keep a few wipes in the fridge for a cooling wipe down. And for a special treat, I'll put one in the microwave for a couple of seconds, check it always, and use for a spa treatment. It feels wonderful.

I also make little body scrubs using my wipes. I'll take a wipe, add a bit of sugar or salt, and some lemon juice, and use as a scrub on my hands or feet. Trust me, this works and isn't messy. It's great to use before shaving or self-tanning.

So those are a few of my favorite hacks using Johnson's Hand & Face Wipes! What are some of yours? Also, check out this Pinterest board for more ideas.

If someone is reporting an adverse event or a product quality complaint, please tell them to call the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) North America Consumer Care Center at 800-361-8068 during normal business hours of operation: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. After normal business hours, they can report adverse events or product quality complaints through www.jnj.com Contact Us page.

Try this Trick for Loose, Messy Waves

"How did you get your hair like that?" asked a relative at my nephew's birthday party. It snapped me out of the intense heat for a second, and I immediately grabbed my hair in defense and looked through it. Was there cake in there or something from the kids? You never know, right?

Y'all she was talking about the waves in my hair. After some discussion, I figured out what she meant--it's a common question I get, so I thought y'all might benefit as well. Look at the picture below--can you tell the difference between my hair on each side?

On your left, we have messy, loose waves. On the right, we have traditional curls with a slight bit of wave to them. I like both, but the one on the right is a little too polished. Here are my tricks to make it messy:

1-When curling your hair, vary the size and the direction of the curl. If you don't, it will end up in one giant curl. No one with naturally wavy hair has hair that does this. I used to study the wave pattern on my sisters' hair (#beautynerd) to try to figure out how to get that in mine.

2-Only curl the middle section, as seen above. Leave the top and the bottom of hair out of the curling iron.

Because I know someone will ask (and that would be me if I was reading this post on another blog) my curling iron is via PRO Beauty Tools® 1 1/4” Professional Iridescent Curling Iron. This is the 1 ¼ barrel. You can find them in different sizes and at Target for around $29.99. If you follow me on Snapchat, I've been obnoxiously posting this because it's so dang pretty! Or maybe I'm just drawn to shiny things.

3-So what if you've already curled your hair and it still doesn't look right? Here's my best trick that changes the game--use a flat iron on ends, and at the crown if needed. It instantly adds that undone look to waves. I've seen this done in salons countless times and it works on all lengths of curlable (I made that word up, so go with it) hair. This is also a perfect technique for those who haven't yet mastered waves with a flat iron.

Sometimes I'll go over the whole section with the flat iron to really flatten out the curls, but it depends on the mood I'm in or look I'm going for.

Sometimes I might add a little pomade to define pieces of hair, but that's it. Wavy hair that looks messy, undone, and lived in, just like me on a Monday morning. Now all I need is a beach, y'all. Who's in?

What's your favorite way to wear your hair? Do you like messy waves or polished curls?

7 Tips to Refresh Makeup (Without Having to Reapply)

Y'all, last night was one of the best nights of my life for blogging. I'm getting teary-eyed just thinking about it. Last night I got to speak on a panel about social media and being an influencer. I was SO nervous, but your thoughts and prayers gave me courage! The audience was SO nice and attentive. I might just be one step closer to being less shy in public. Maybe!

So I had to leave straight from work to make it to the event--that meant I had to do my makeup before 8 am and expect it to last 12 hours...with two little girls around as well. Luckily I had some tricks up my sleeve to keep my makeup refreshed, and I thought they might help y'all too! Grab your makeup bag and let's get into it, y'all:

EYES:

1--For makeup creases under the eyes, take the tiniest amount of eyeshadow primer, rub between clean fingertips and gently press under the eyes.

2--For creasing eye makeup, take the brush you used to blend (or it can be clean) and buff out the crease.

3--Mascara starting to flake? Rub some plain lip balm (the brand is up to you) either onto lashes via clean fingertips or rub some on a spoolie (clean mascara wand) and brush through.

CLICK HERE: 20+ Uses for Lip Balm

FACE:

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4--Out of oil blotting sheets? The best on-the-go solution I've found are napkins from Starbucks. Just press on the face to absorb oil. Another option would be toilet paper covers, but I've done bacteria tests on them (#beautynerd here) and trust me, those aren't going on my face.

 Check out: STARBUCKS BEAUTY HACKS

5--Another option (and this is what I do for bridal or professional makeup) is take a beauty blender and wrap it in a tissue. About 1 layer is fine of tissue. Blot that on the skin to remove oil without disturbing makeup.

BONUS TIP: Store your beautyblender in a plastic toy egg for clean storage!

6--I don't really use powder that often on myself, and the rare times I do have powder the dang powder has exploded in my bag or some sort of disaster. So instead I use primer to refresh my makeup. Just like I did with the eye primer, I will take the tiniest amount between lean fingertips and press onto my face where needed. It helps mattify and helps to hide pores as well. Just a tiny amount, y'all.

HAIR:

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7--Yes, I carry some dang dryer sheets in my bag! Straight up, sometimes I've have found them in my pants leg or shirt after putting my clothes on. Real life, y'all. But I have dozens of uses for them, such as using one to remove the frizzies from hair or to freshen it up scent-wise. Just a quick swipe is all you need.

I could go on and on, y'all, but I want to know:

How do you refresh your makeup?

Which tip was your fave?

Beauty Hacks for Wrinkles

Y'all, I don't know how it happened: I got old. One day I looked in the mirror and wrinkles popped out of nowhere. Half of you are thinking I'm not old--thank you, thank you. The other half are thinking We thought you were 22! I know, right? ;)

Seriously though, sometimes my wrinkles bother me and sometimes they don't. And by the way, not smiling or having Resting B*tch Face does not prevent them from happening. The wrinkles still showed up anyway. While I do use products that help smooth them out a little like this, sometimes I want a little more. Okay, I want them GONE.

Here's how I came up with a beauty hack to temporarily get rid of wrinkles:

One of the kids I take care of has a scar from a bad fall (I wasn't there, fyi) and I recommended a silicone scar patch. I used one from a post-surgery scar on my arm. It helped smooth the scar and the wrinkles or puckering around it.

That's when it hit me. Wrinkles. Smooth. Silicone pad. I got the crazy idea to get one for myself to test out on my facial wrinkles. I tested it out on my laugh lines and marionette lines around my mouth--this is how my brain works, y'all. It WORKED. The results were temporary as long as I kept using them, but it worked. You can get these at Walmart, Target, drugstores, online.

Here's another hack for wrinkles that's similar:

I also tried these with gel eye patches, like the ones pictured above. I thought they were the perfect size for the lines around the mouth.

I like these because they are smaller, usually cheaper, and easy to find too. I leave these on for about 30 minutes. Lines will be instantly softened. If you can, sleep in them--easier said then done--which is why I like the silicone patches. I trim those to size. There are silicone patches for eyes used by those who dye lashes--a bit pricier but an option.

Here's the before. Not too bad, but noticeable. I decided to test this out on one side of my face. Please excuse the difference in lighting on the pics. These were all taken different days, and I thought I had the same settings. Also note I am wearing an illuminating foundation in the hopes that it would make my wrinkles more prominent on camera.

Here's the after, after a week of use. Looks practically gone, right? I know what you're thinking--she's just tilted her face towards the light to blur out her wrinkles. Nope. I think you can see the wrinkle on the other side of my face.

To prove it wasn't some fancy lighting trick, here's the front view. CRAZY!! It looks so weird seeing it like this, but I assure you it's real, or I would have bought Photoshop and edited out my chapped lips, rash on my neck, and peach fuzz (are those things you can do in PS?).

I know I can't be the only one to think of this because I was sent a kit to remove chest wrinkles (side sleeper here) and it has the same "technology" of the silicone.  If I skip a night, it comes back some, so I only do this every once in a while because I forget (or lazy). But it lasts as long as I keep up the ritual of wearing the pads. Just something I thought might be helpful to others!

FYI:  If you are allergic to silicone or the products mentioned, please don't use them.

Do you ever use beauty hacks?

Extra Elle:

I recently wrote a post about cleansing balms. It's right here.

To further explain them, I made a video on my blog's Facebook page where I give a demonstration and more. You can view it here. I didn't make a Youtube video this week, so check it out instead if you'd like. Have a great weekend!

More beauty hacks:
Summer beauty hacks
Nail art hacks
Starbucks beauty hacks
Hotel beauty hacks