I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with my natural hair… and tend to appreciate it in waves. In high school, I had a great natural curl… I could let it air dry, with some product, and the end result was something I didn’t even have to touch up… full, voluminous curls (then again, this was 20 years ago… so maybe this is what I think it looked like…). Then I became a full on self serve salon in my 20’s… blow drying my hair, straitening it, curling it… and then I had Harper and my hair texture went a little wonky (it was pretty much just a lion’s mane of frizz…)… then I had Camille and it seems that the curl has reappeared…
And since it’s the summer season, I’m ready to embrace the natural texture of my hair as much as possible. Seems all it took was finding the right combination of products. I started my search at Nordstrom, which is my one stop shop for beauty essentials… they have everything from hair and nail care to the make-up products I rely on daily (and a great selection of “natural” beauty items as well, which I appreciate). After doing a lot of research on the products that would match my hair texture, I decided to give Olaplex No 6 Bond Smoother , Olaplex No 8 Intense Moisture Mask, Olaplex No 7 Bonding Oil, and Briogeo Curl Charisma Leave In Crème to achieve the natural, air dried, beachy waves hair I was going for this summer season.
My routine is as follows:
If I’m short on time, I use the Olaplex No 8 Moisture Mask and leave it in my hair for 20 minutes (I spray my hair with a bottle before hopping in the shower)… if I have more time, I rinse my hair the night before and use the No 6 overnight. This really helps to reduce the frizz in my hair, which means a smoother appearance to my waves/curls.
After I wash and brush out my hair, I use the Briogeo Curl Crème… for my hair, I’ve found that two quarter size drops work (one on each side). I scrunch it in my hair, root to tip (I tried to curl gel in addition to the crème but it was a bit too much for my hair texture and made it a little crunchy… so I haven’t used it again) and then allow my hair to air dry (I haven’t used a diffuser yet…).
After my hair is completely dry, I touch up some pieces on the top by wrapping my hair around the barrel (takes out 5 minutes) and then use the No 7 Bonding Oil to tame any flyaways and bring a nice shine to my hair. On subsequent days, I follow this last step and have found I can get away with voluminous beachy waves for 3-4 days without having to wash again.
And since I’m all about embracing all things natural, effortless, and easy this summer season I wanted to share a few other beauty products that have become my go-to for a glowing, minimal, everyday makeup look……
RMS Master Radiance Base: I use this daily for a really subtle overall glow. I combine a small amount (a little goes a long way) with a drop of foundation and apply it all over…
RMS luminizing Bronzer: I’ve been using this bronzer for about 2 years now and it’s my favorite…. it has a sheer coverage but gives an excellent touch of bronzed coloring…
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer: Another product I’ve been using for the past 2 years is this NARS concealer…. it helps to brighten my under eye area and to coverup and small blemishes that appear during that time of the month. It’s lightweight and I’ve been super happy with it over the years.
Ilia Illuminator: I love using this illuminator for an extra glow on my cheek bones and the tip of my nose.
Ilia Eyeshadow Palette: My favorite 6 shade eyeshadow palette for a couple of years now.. it has beautiful warm tones and I apply a brush of pink and shimmer on my eyelids and a the corner of my eyes…. and finish with this eyebrow pencil.
Following this routine, everything from my hair to my face feels lightweight and natural! Here’s to a summer of ease!
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(Outfit Details || Shorts (3 colors, I have mine rolled up once) | Tank (great as a coverup or with these “nippies” underneath) | Bandana | Hat | Sunglasses)
Thank you to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
