My bed time routine...

Everyone know that SLEEP is the #1 beauty essential, but before sleep, there are a few more things that are MUST-DOs. 

Here is my STEP BY STEP nightly routine:

STEP 1: REMOVE MAKEUP. I like to use coconut oil. It's gentle on the skin and is great for around the eye area.

STEP 2: CLEANSE. Once your makeup is removed, make sure to wash your face. 

STEP 3: EXFOLIATE. Exfoliation is the removal of the oldest dead skin cells that cling to the skin's outermost surface. When done correctly, exfoliation leaves the skin feeling smoother and fresher looking! Who wouldn't want that! (I use Vitagoods Spin Brush and Lush's Angels on Bare Skin.) PS. Don't forget to exfoliate your lips and the tops of your hands too!

STEP 4: CASTOR OIL. I use Castor Oil on my eyebrows and eye lashes, because castor oil helps to darken, thicken, and grow your hair! (Read more about CO here.) Then I lightly apply coconut oil all over my face!

STEP 5: MOISTURIZE.Then I lightly apply coconut oil all over my face!

STEP 6: FLOSS FLOSS FLOSS. This little step will keep the dentist away! (For a little while at least.) Flossing is SOO important I can't emphasis this enough!!!! According to CBS News,  flossing daily can add 6.4 years to your life! How crazy is that!!!! (Read more about that here! Also said chocolate and sex add more years too!! :))

STEP 7: BRUSH your teeth. This one is a given...after a long day of eating and drinking, who wouldn't want to brush a day out of their mouth!

STEP 8: BRUSH your hair. I love brushing my hair. A friend of mine even referenced "Marsha Marsha Marsha" once. I don't like to tie my hair up at night, gives me a headache in the morning, so I leave it down. I've actually noticed it growing faster in the pat month, because I've been brushing it religiously! (I've also been sleeping on a silk pillowcase. Which is great for hair and preventing wrinkles. I bought mine here.)

I hope these steps help you to a more beautiful morning!

Sweet Dreams!

DIY Hand Sanitizer

With the flu season upon us, hand sanitizer is a must! Getting sick sucks, so I always try to be as prepared as possible! Here is my favorite recipe using all natural ingredients!

The lavender and tea tree oil have great natural antiseptic properties. Lavender oil is antibacterial and may even prevent scarring. Tea tree is one of nature’s greatest natural antiseptics, and is also good for insect bites and stings, burns, cuts, and abrasions. 

Aloe Vera alkalizes the body! Disease cannot manifest in an alkaline environment. It is a well-known adaptogen, which boosts the body's natural ability to adapt to external changes and resist illness. It also is high in vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids, all great for promoting beautiful skin!

Vitamin E comes from antioxidant properties, which removes the unstable compounds that damage the cell structure. It also works great to target excessive dryness. (I love applying Vitamin E oil at night in place of a night cream!)

Witch Hazel is an amazing disinfectant! It works as an anti-inflammatory and fights germs with its amazing antimicrobial properties. It also treats sunburns, great for eczema and psoriasis, reduces wrinkles, moisturizes, heals bruises, treats acne, and reduces puffy eyes! (Now you know what to do with the rest of the bottle ;))

Ingredients:

*2 tablespoons Aloe Vera

*2 tablespoons Vitamin E

*1 tablespoon Witch Hazel

*10 drops Lavender Oil

*10 drops Tea Tree Oil

*Filtered Water

*2 ounce glass bottle (found here)

Directions:

Mix the aloe, vitamin e, witch hazel, lavender oil, and the tea tree oil in glass bottle. (I used the dropper to fill the bottle with the ingredients.) Then fill the remaining bottle with filtered water. Make sure to shake before every use!!

Hope this keeps you healthy this cold and flu season!!!

Favorite Fall LOOK - Over the knee boots!!!!

Fall is officially here!!!! It's about time!!!  I've been dying to bust out my scarves, sweaters, coats, and especially my new over the knee boots!! Thigh high boots are THE BEST fall accessory! They are super versatile! You can dress them up or down!

Here are a few examples:

Over the knee boots can be so fun!!! They come in so many different fabrics, colors, and styles!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Sam Edelman Kayla Suede Tall Boot, $258 

(Here is a 10% off coupon: FALL2014)

Comes in Black and Brown!

Chinese Laundry, Riley, $99 (On SALE!!))

Comes in Black, Chocolate, and Grey.

They come in suede or leather!

Chinese Laundry 'Jace', $200

Comes in Black, Dark Brown Leather and Brown Suede.

These boots were made for walking ladies!!!

DIY SUPER SIMPLE Avocado Hair Mask

A Mask for Overall Hair Amazingness

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3 teaspoon olive oil or argan oil or coconut oil

Method:

1. Mash yor avocado completely.
2. Add the coconut milk and olive oil (or one of the other oils), stirring rapidly to combine it all.
3. Warm up your mask on the stovetop until it’s slightly warm.
4. Apply the mask from roots to ends, massaging it into your scalp.
5. Leave on for at least thirty minutes or as long as you can, and then wash your hair.
6. Style as usual!

ENJOY!!!

The 411 on Dry Brushing

Every woman wants smooth, silky skin and here's an easy way to achieve that with DRY BRUSHING. What is dry brushing you ask? Well, it's literally taking a natural bristled brush, not to be confused with a good ol' hair brush, and gently rubbing it on your skin in short, quick strokes. YES it's that simple! 


SO here are the amazing benefits of DBing...

1. Gets rid of dead skin cells.

2. Increases circulation.

3. Helps the lymphatic system work better.

(In your body, your lymphatic system is the system responsible for eliminating cellular waste products. Hundreds of miles of lymphatic tubules allow waste to be collected from your tissues and transported to your blood for elimination, a process referred to as lymphatic drainage.

When your lymphatic system is not working properly, waste and toxins can build up and make you sick. Lymphatic congestion is a major factor leading to inflammation and disease. By stimulating your lymphatic system and helping it release toxins, dry skin brushing is a powerful detoxification aid. Source.)

4. Decreases bloating.

5. Reduces cellulite. 

6. Improves digestion and kidney function.

7. Relieves stress.

8. Helps to tighten skin.

9. Helps your skin to absorb nutrients by unclogging pores.

10. Helps with muscle tone.

Here's how I dry brush:

Before I get in the shower, I grab my natural bristled brush and pour a quarter size amount of vitamin E oil* and/or grapeseed oil* directly on my brush. (Kinda defeats the name of DRY brushing when using a liquid, but it's all the same.) I like to use oils because the bristles can be a little rough on my skin, and the oils help to soften up the bristles. (*Grapeseed oil helps to tighten skin and aids in anti-aging. *Vitamin E oil is a great antioxidant and promotes healing!)

I start with my right foot and move up my leg, then go to my left, always moving in a circular motion towards the heart. (Always brush towards your heart because it's best for circulation and your lymphatic system.)

I then work my way up to my bum, lower back, stomach, arms, chest and upper back. I don't brush my face as I will exfoliate once I'm in the shower. 

It's that simple!!!

Then I hop in the shower! My skin feels silky and smooth like a baby's bum!

Typically it will take me 5-10 minutes to do my entire body. I do tend to emphasis more on my thighs, bum and hips, where cellulite and stretch marks are more predominate. 

Here is the brush I use: Hydrea London Dry Skin Body Brush, $12

Here are a few others: 

• Hydrea London Dry Skin Sauna Brush, $16 (This one has a long handle for hard to reach places.)
• Hydrea London Dry Skin Brush, $14 (This one has a detachable handle.)

Go out and get your Dry Brush on!!!!

IG

@jessicamsurkin

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MAD 4 PLAID

Fall is my favorite season and is shortly upon us (probably longer for us in Los Angeles, UGH), and nothing is more perfect for fall like PLAID!!

Here are a few of my favorite plaid pieces for transitioning out of summer into fall!!

This is a great late summer skirt!!

Asos, Plaid Quilt Mini Skirt (ON SALE) $33

Love this with a pair of army boots and maybe 

some knee high socks!

Forever 21, Plaid Button-Front Dress $18

Perfect for work!

Forever 21, Windowpane Print Shift Dress $20

This is totally 90's!

Forever 21, Plaid Button-Down Midi Dress $23

Bring back your inner Cher from Clueless!!

Forever 21, Tartan Plaid Pleated Skirt $16

MY TOP PICK!!!!!

This poncho is the bees knees!!

Nasty Gal, Good Girl Gone Plaid Jacket, $60

Your fall wardrobe is NOT complete without this furry cardigan!

Nasty Gal, Motel Check Me Out Cardigan, $85

Disclaimer: All information provided on http://lipsticksnstones.blogspot.com is read of your own free will.  All opinions are my own,  I do not work for the above companies.  All the information provided is based on my own opinions and preferences! ;)

Top 10 Tips for Traveling

Hey! I know it's been over a month since my last post, but I have been in Europe on my honeymoon!! My husband and I were married September 1, 2013, but hadn't had any time to go until a month ago!

We did 3 countries, 6 cities in 19 days! It was amazing as well as exhausting! 

I wanted to share some of the things I learned on this trip to help you with your further travels, to make your experience a less complicated one!!

1. Cut the amount of clothes you want to take in HALF.  Packing can quite overwhelming. You would bring your entire wardrobe if you could, trust me, I tried. You will end up shopping, you're a woman, it's inevitable. So the less you bring, the more room you will have, and the less your bag will weigh. 

2. Roll your clothes. Once you eliminated HALF, yes, I'm serious, HALF your wardrobe, roll your clothes. In doing this, you will have tons more room. (When I traveled from place to place, packing was a freakin nightmare. I had way tooooo much clothing and it definitely put a damper on my trip.)

3. Rain Coat. Do a little research on the places you're going, to know exactly what to pack. In Europe it was humid and rainy for most of our trip, total bummer, but luckily we were prepared with light rain coats to keep us dry! The hotel offered umbrellas, which was awesome as well, but it's kind of a pain lugging them around, especially when you have to check it at every museum. (The North Face Resolve Jacket, $90.)

4. Comfy Shoes. This saved my life! We literally walked a minimum of  5-10 miles a day, exploring the cities, and I literally would have died with walking shoes. (Actually they were running shoes, which helped even more cause I felt like I was walking on air!) I also bought a pair of Birkenstocks and these were amazing as well. (Nike Free 5.0, $80. Birkenstock Sandals, $90.)

5. Portable Steamer. This is the best invention EVER! Even with your clothes rolled, they will wrinkle, unfortunately! I purchased a tiny portable steamer at CVS for $20! You add water, plug it in, and VOILA...STEAM! Your clothes will look freshly pressed with out using an annoying iron and will take less than 10 minutes*! (*Depending on the garment of course!) (Compact Fabric Steamer, $27.)

6. Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover. This little bad boy helps to remove those annoying, unwanted stains from all the delicious food you will be eating while on vacation. It's especially great when you don't have access to a washing machine! BUT, be careful with your whites. Too much liquid can add a yellow stain. :/ (Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover Liquid, $3.)

7. Under Eye Revitalizing Moisture Strips. Nothing is worse than traveling across the world and look like you just traveled across the country! These strips give a cooling sensation, depuff, and get rid of your under eye bags!!! (You will need to use your under eye concealer, but just not as much!) (DHC Revitalizing Moisture Strips, $16 for a 2 pack.)

8. Mark your bags "Fragile". By marking your bag with “fragile”, airport staff will often load your luggage on top of the others—meaning yours will come out first at the baggage claim. Read this little tip on a travel site and it actually worked in 2 out of 3 airports!!

9. All in One International Adapter + USB. My husband bought this great life saver. It has 3 international plug adapters and covers more than 150 countries. It also has 2 USB ports to charge cell phones and/or iPad! One adapter = less to pack! Score! (International Adapter, $14.)

10. Use GPS on your phone. This was something my husband taught me, that was a life saver. After checking into your hotel, connect to wifi and open your Maps app. Open it to your exact location and then move it so it shows the country. This will help you when away from your hotel. It will give a broader spectrum of the city. It will also help when looking for a specific location because you can pin where you want to go, and you can navigate yourself there, without wifi! 

I hope you all find these tips helpful!! 

Bon Voyage!!