L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil Review

Hello again!

I hope it's becoming Spring wherever you are! It's been rough here in Michigan, but today it's sunny and 55! I'll take that over snow any day!

Today I am going to review the L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil line! I received the shampoo, conditioner, and serum free for review from Influenster. I was not paid to do this review, and all opinions stated in this blog post are my own.

If you're interested in these products, keep reading!

First, let's start off with some background on my hair. I have always had very fine and dry hair. My scalp is very dry and so are my ends, however, my roots tend to get very oily, possibly because I have a terrible habit of touching my hair.


With that said, about 3 or 4 months ago, I stopped washing my hair every day (yes, I still shower daily) and only use conditioner on my ends once a week. I wash my hair every other day and just use dry shampoo on my roots on the days I don't wash my hair. It has really helped with the texture of my hair. Prior to this, if I let me hair air dry, it would just get frizzy and poofy. I could never go without using heat unless I wore my hair up. I no longer use heat and wear my hair down naturally every day, as it has transformed to a much more manageable wavy look.


With that said, let's get into my before and after and my thoughts!

It's hard to see a huge difference in my before and after pictures as it was night when I took these and the lighting in out bathroom wasn't the greatest. Not to mention I had to use the front facing camera on my phone and my mirror because Tommy was sleeping.

If you look closely at the before picture, you'll see that my hair is a bit poofy. It was also quite dull and dry. I used the shampoo on my roots, the conditioner on my ends, and then the serum on my ends when I got out of the shower. I ten let my hair air dry overnight and took the after picture the next morning before going to work.

This line of products made my hair super shiny and smooth as well as making it much easier to work with in general. Not to mention, it smells absolutely amazing. It has so many great oils in it and over the 2 or 3 weeks I have been using this, I have really noticed a difference in the health of my hair.

Now the real test was my second day hair. I was going to take a picture on the second day, but I was running late for work and it just didn't happen. But I will tell you that my hair was still shiny and smooth on the second day. I did still use dry shampoo because my roots get extremely oily if I don't, but I didn't have to use nearly as much as with other shampoos that I have tried. In all honesty, I probably don't even need to use dry shampoo, as my hair never looks oily on the second day, but I'm paranoid that someone will think my hair is greasy, so I use it anyway.

My final verdict: Go buy this product! Seriously, if your hair is anything like mine, you need this line in your life. I am typically very cheap when it comes to shampoo, but this is something I will definitely splurge on and I plan on repurchasing it when I run out.

Have you tried this product before?

Let me know what you think!

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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Shop with me! Avon and Storenvy

Apple Peanut Butter Waffle Sandwich

Hello everyone!

Just a quick post for you tonight! This is a healthy lunch idea that I came up with a few months ago. It's super easy and inexpensive and contains some protein as well as fruit. It's great for those days where you don't really know what you want. It's the perfect mix between savory and sweet!

What you need:

• 2 Frozen Waffles
• 1 Apple
• Peanut Butter

All you need to do is toast your waffles, spread some peanut butter on them, then add some slices of any apple of your choice.

It's as easy as that! This is a great last minute lunch idea and would even be a good choice for a snack!

What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Let me know what you think!

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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Spring Daisy Manicure

Hello again!

Is anyone else dreaming of Spring? Here in Michigan, we had 2 days in the 60s last week and it has me ready for Spring. I'm even wearing my neon coral skirt today! Unfortunately, we will be getting quite a bit of snow in the next few days. That doesn't mean my nails can't be Spring-ready!

I painted these yesterday (Sunday) and unfortunately, they are already chipped (I did the dishes without gloves), so shame on me for not using Gelous!

What you need:

• Avon Nail Experts Ridge Filling Base Coat
• Avon Nailwear Pro+ in French Tip White
• Essie in Lilacism
• Sally Girl in Canary
• Pure Ice Quick Dry Top Coat
• Various sized dotting tools

After my base coat was dry, I applied a thin layer of my white polish, just to make Lilacism pop.

I applied 2 coats of Lilacism, until it was opaque, then let dry.

Once your base polish is dry, place 3-4 yellow dots with a small dotting tool on each nail.

Next, place 5 white dots with a smaller dotter around each yellow dot.

Apply a top coat and you're done!

What's the weather like where you live? Are you dreaming of Spring as well?

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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DIY Night Stand Lanterns

Hello again and happy Monday!

This is my 100th published post! How exciting!

I'm going to apologize for the lack of pictures, but my mom and I were having trouble with the drill, so my uncle ended up drilling holes for us. We made these lamps for my mom and step-dad's nightstands and they were so easy I decided to blog them!

What you need:

• Lanterns (or a vessel of your choice. These were $15 each at Hobby Lobby after some coupons)
• Lamp Socket
• Chord
• Light Bulbs
• Drill

The lamp socket and chord together cost around $7. You can buy the lamp kit, but there are a bunch of extra parts that you may or may not need. And you can customize it more if you purchase them separately. All together, these lamps cost my mom about $25.

First, you want to drill a hole in the bottom of each lamp. We used the largest drill bit we could find and just moved it around until the hole was the correct size. (Sorry, I don't really know the measurements or anything).

Once you have drilled the hole, you need to connect your chord to the socket. Simply follow the instructions that are included with the chord. Also, don't connect them upside down! We made that mistake (whoops)!

Once your socket and chord are connected, simply slide the chord through the hole and nestle the bottom of the socket it.

Screw in your bulb and you're done!

Props to my mom for coming up with this idea and letting me blog it! I can't take any of the credit here! Also, how cute is her senior picture?

If you use this tutorial to create a  lamp, I want to see it! Use my hashtag!

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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Gray and Blue Arrow Manicure

Good Morning!

Today I'm going to share with you my most recent manicure, which I did last Tuesday, February 2nd, and I am still sporting it today. Granted, it's nearing the end, I have found an almost fool-proof way to make your manicure last a week or more without having to go to the salon!

This manicure was actually inspired by the ceramic coffee mug that I bought from Target, which you can see a picture of at the end. I also want to thank Tommy for helping me decide what to do, and for suggesting that I do a chevron pattern. What would I do without him?

What you need:

• Base Coat (Avon Ridge Filling Base Coat)
• Gray Polish (Maybelline Color Show - Audacious Asphalt)
• Light Blue Polish (Pure Ice - Bikini)
• Gelous Top Coat
• Fast Dry Tops Coat (Pure Ice)
• Small Detailing Brush
• Small Chevron Vinyls

Make sure that your nails are clean and dry. I always swipe mine with some acetone before polishing. Paint on a good base coat. If you aren't sure how good your base coat is, paint it on with nothing else and wear it for a few days just to test the wear! I did this with a strengthening base coat that I love and found out that it does not last well at all! It literally chipped off when I was washing dishes!

Once your base coat is dry, paint two of your nails gray and the other three blue. I ended up needing between 2 and 3 coats of each color, depending on the nail.

Once those are mostly dry, paint a coat of your quick dry top coat on your blue nails and allow it to dry fully. Once dry, apply your chevron vinyls and paint your gray polish over those. Make sure to remove the vinyls while the gray polish is still wet for the cleanest lines.

Then you will want to paint some small arrows on your gray nails with your blue polish. This takes some getting used to, and as you can see, mine aren't perfect, but they're still fun!

Once these designs are somewhat dry, apply a coat of fast dry top coat and allow to dry. After this is dry, apply a coat of your Gelous top coat, let it dry a bit and then finish with your fast dry top coat!

The key to getting your nails to last at least a week is the Gelous top coat. It essentially makes your manicure a gel manicure - but without the light.

Have you tried Gelous? What do you think?

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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The BEST Way to Clean Make-Up Brushes

Hello again!

I'm finally clearing out my drafts, which is scary, yet exciting at the same time! I have 5 left (including this one) so I need to get moving and come up with some new DIYs and such for you guys!

Today I'm going to show you my new favorite way to clean make-up brushes! I've been using this method since November and I love it!

All you need?

Zote Laundry soap and some dirty make-up brushes! This whole thing of Zote soap costs a whopping .97 cents at Wal-Mart in the laundry aisle! And let me tell you, it lasts forever! I've been using it for 3 months and I have barely made a dent in it.

I wash my make-up brushes once a week and this is the fastest way I have found to get them perfectly clean and looking brand new! All you do is get the bar of Zote and your brush wet, then gently rub the brush on the Zote.

Once you have done this, simply wring out the soap and all of the nasty make-up gunk, rinse, and repeat if necessary.

As you can see, it got all of my brushes, as well as my blending sponge perfectly clean.

You may notice that the color of the sponge faded. That is likely because I paid a dollar for it at Dollar Tree. I'm sure more high quality sponges would not lose their color!

Have you tried this out? What do you think?

What is your favorite way to wash your make-up brushes?

Let me know what you think!

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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Shop with me! Avon and Storenvy

Business Casual: Poncho

Hello everyone!

Today I have another post to add to my business casual outfit ideas! Recently, Meijer has been having amazing deals on sweaters, and this girl loves sweaters! With all of my new sweater purchases, I have been trying to come up with some creative work outfit ideas, since I work 5 days out of the week, and need to dress business casual 4 out of those 5 days.

Before we get into the details, I want to thank my wonderful mom for taking the full outfit pictures. I don't know what I'd do without her assistance!

Poncho: $5.25 at Meijer (similar)

White Shirt: $5.99 at H&M (Buy here)

Khakis: These were a Goodwill find a few years back (similar, similar)

Boots: $25 from Amazon (Buy here)

Lips: Avon Glazewear Lipgloss - Perfect Nude - currently on sale for $2.99!

Necklace: $2.00 at Meijer (similar)

Let me know what you think!

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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