TTO the Product--Julep Boost Your Radiance

Hi all, it's Jess.  A few weeks back, I purchased Julep's Boost Your Radiance Reparative Rosehip Seed Facial Oil.  Overall, I'm happy with my skin, but I have some redness, a few fine lines and dryness in the winter.  I was looking for a treatment that would keep my skin hydrated and address a couple of skin issues.  This product gets great reviews and even the Duchess of Cambridge is a fan of rosehip oil so I thought this would be worth the try!

The oil comes in a small bottle with a dropper applicator.  The directions suggest adding 1-2 drops of product to your skin after cleansing.  You can also mix it with your morning and evening moisturizer and then apply.  I chose to add it to my moisturizer directly for ease of application.

At first I didn't think that just a few drops would really make a difference.  Even though I generally have dry skin, I was a little worried that my skin might freak out and be too greasy after applying oil to it.  I added a couple of drops to my favorite night cream (Clinique Repairer Laser Focus Night Cream) and applied.  There's a noticeable herby scent to the oil, but I didn't mind it.  After application, my skin felt smooth and silky, but not greasy.  I also had a slight glow, too.  In the morning, I noticed that same glow and no greasy feeling.

I've been using this oil at least once a day for the last month or so and I can say that I have found a difference in my skin.  I don't have a lot of fine lines, but I think my coloring has become a little more even and my skin is smoother than it usually is this time of year.  Overall, I'm super happy with it and will continue to use it!

Would you try using Boost Your Radiance?  Do you have any other favorite facial oils?

Twins Take on the Trip: The Outer Banks, NC

We have been taking an annual Girls Trip to The Outer Banks in North Carolina for many years now!  It's one of our favorite things about summer and we look forward to it every year.  This stretch of islands along the coast of North Carolina offers great beaches and beautiful weather.  Here are our tips if you decide to visit OBX!

Getting There:
The closest airport is Norfolk (ORF) if you plan to fly in.  Depending on where you stay on the Outer Banks, it will be in the 1.5-2 hour drive from the airport.  Since the Outer Banks is right along the coast, there's basically one main way to get there (Highway 158 and the Wright Memorial Bridge).  If you're driving in (especially on Saturday, the traditional check-in day), plan on sitting in traffic for a while.

Stay:
There are tons of great lodging options up and down the Outer Banks.  We are partial to the Kill Devil Hills area, but we have known folks who have loved Duck, Nags Head or even Hatteras Island. We recommend renting a house or condo, rather than a hotel to give you a relaxing, personal experience.  We also like this option because with a kitchen, you are able to cook at home and spare yourself the hassle of going out each day (see below).  Also, according to our mom (and our mom is always right), ALWAYS spring for ocean front not just ocean view.  It's ALWAYS worth it.

Oceanfront is always better!

Visit:
We are pretty laid back vacationers, so we don't spend a lot of time sight-seeing.  Our main activity everyday is laying on the beach (Rent your chairs here) and reading.  If you're into water sports, rent a kayak or paddleboard and head out on the ocean.  You can fish, bike and bird-watch if you're outdoorsy.  If you're into shopping, there are tons of local shops.  One of our favorites is The Christmas Mouse, where you can find thousands of Christmas ornaments in any theme!

This tree was Irish themed!

Eat:
As we hinted above, although there are a ton of restaurants on OBX, but this kind of a case of quantity over quality.  Many of the places offer mediocre vacation food (think burgers, fish and fries) and long wait-times.  For most of our visit, we prefer to cook at home and enjoy more time at the beach, rather than waiting for a table at a restaurant).

That's not to say that there aren't a few place worth visiting.  Our favorite breakfast spot is Stack 'Em High, a family owned pancake house with two locations in Kitty Hawk (3801 N. Croatan Hwy) and Kill Devil Hills (1225 S. Croatan Hwy).  You can't call ahead or put your name in, you just wait in line until your turn arrives.  We love the pancakes, french toast and southern-style biscuit sandwich.

Another favorite restaurant is Tale of the Whale (7575 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head).  Arrive early enough to sit on the deck and enjoy a signature cocktail and live music.  The crab cakes and shrimp and grits are our favorites!

Odds and Ends:

• Many rental properties are rented by the same families year after year during the same weeks.  Because of this, if you're traveling in the summer, you'll want to book in advance!
• We aren't kidding about the traffic on arrival and departure.  Most rental properties feature the same check-in and check-out times, so most folks are coming and going at the same time.  Plan ahead by arriving early and hitting a public beach or shopping if you want to avoid the gridlock.

So there you have it--our tips to have the best Outer Banks trip you can!  Have you been there before?  Let us know if you have any favorite spots in the comments below!

Shellac Manicures--Are They Worth It?

Everyone knows that a mani-pedi is imperative on a beach vacation.  As we prepared for our trip last week, we decided to try a little something new.  Usually we do our own nails and we're pretty great at it.  However, we were looking for something with a little lasting power, so we decided to splurge on shellac manicures at a salon.  (Okay, it wasn't a large splurge, since Jess's generous students gave her a gift card!)  We know we're a little late to the party, but we figured we would give you our review of the hits and misses of shellac!

Hits:

• Staying Power:  Boy, did the shellac last!  We can be a little hard on our nails between typing and house work, so a regular manicure never lasts more than a week.  With shellac, our nails were still going strong long past Day 10.  Jess decided to remove on Day 11, but Ry is still rocking hers.  If you're looking for a manicure that will last you for a while, then this shellac definitely the way to go!

Day One--Love that color!

Day Nine--still going strong!

• Color Choices:  The salon we visited used CND Shellac colors and there are so many amazing shades!  We were both looking for something bright and summery, so Jess chose Winter Glow and Ryan chose Be Demure.  

Misses:

• Price: Obviously this varies from place to place, but in our area, shellac manicures will run around $35-50.  This would be a splurge item for us, as we can purchase several bottles of nail polish and use them MANY times for this price.

• Removal:  Most salons provide removal service too, but we wanted to try to do it on our own. With a little help from a regular reader (Thanks, Denali!), I set out to remove her own polish, armed with cotton balls, aluminum foil and acetone polish remover.

This was sadly not as easy as I was hoping.  I think my problem was having an acetone-based remover, instead of 100% acetone (which I struggled to find at Target and Ulta).  I soaked cotton balls in the remover and applied them to my fingers and wrapped with foil.  Then I sat (and caught up on Bravo on my DVR) for about 10 minutes.  After that time, I was able to peel or scrape most of the polish off using my other hand and/or a cuticle stick.  This was kind of a tedious process (especially since I couldn't figure out how to wrap my second hand once the other was done, so I did one hand at a time).  I assume you probably get better at this over time and actual acetone would probably work better, but it was kind of a pain. -- J

Overall, we loved the look and staying power, so we could probably put up with the removal.  We'll probably add shellac in for special occasions and holidays, but stick to DIY manicures on the average week.

Do you like getting shellac manicures?  Do you have any tricks to keeping shellac going strong or removing shellac?  Let us know in the comments below!

Friday Pick-Six: 8/4/17

Here's what we are loving and living for this week!

1.  Do you have a spiralizer yet?  These veggie slicers are a great way to create ribbon-like strands of vegetables that you can cook up like noodles.  Hooray for eating more vegetables!  You can find some great recipes with zucchini noodles, like these summer shrimp zoodle bowls!

2.  You know we're addicted to fact masks and recently I tried this Yes to Cucumbers Buh-Bye Bags and Dark Circles Kit.  This kit comes with a cucumber cooling mask for your eyes as well as a treatment cream that you can use after the mask.  The results weren't long lasting, but I did feel like my dark circles were a little brighter than usual post-mask. --J

3.  We've talked about our love for Treat, Love Color, Essie's awesome nail treatment with a hint of color.  Lucky for us, they've come out with even more colors!  The blog EssieBuff has some swatches if you want to check out what they look like before you buy.

4.  We're not quite ready for fall fashions yet, but have still been checking out the fall new arrivals.  How cool are these leggings?  Combining black and navy is one of our tricks to looking instantly chic.

5.  We both have a love of rose gold jewelry and how adorable is this necklace from Three Sisters Jewelry?  Putting it on the Christmas list STAT!

6.  In honor of our beach vacation, here's a great article with seven cocktails that are perfect for summer parties!  We'll take one of everything, please!

What are you loving and living for this week?  Let us know in the comments below and have a great weekend!

Friday Pick-Six: 7/28/17

Here's what we're loving and living for this week!

1.  If you follow us on Instagram (and you should), you might have seen me enjoying an Aperol Spritz at brunch earlier this week.  Apparently, they're all the rage in Rome and it was the perfect summer cocktail.  Here's a recipe you can try to make them at home.

2.  You know how much we love the Duchess of Cambridge!  The awesome gals at Go Fug Yourself had a great compilation post of all the amazing outfits she wore on a recent trip to Poland and Germany.  Love this gal!

3.  If you're looking for something to do with overripe bananas, then you have to try this banana bread recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  My tip is to freeze bananas in a Ziploc bag as they start to go bad (peel them first!), then when you have enough, just defrost and use them in the recipe.  You can also supplement with a little applesauce if you're short. --J

4.  During the Nordstrom Sale, I decided to splurge on the Beachwaver Rotating Curling Iron and can't wait to give it a try!  Look for a review post sometime soon! --R

5.  In other royal news, there are several TV specials about the late Diana, Princess of Wales in honor of the 20th anniversary of her death.  Entertainment Weekly has a list of all of them, our favorite of which was the HBO special (which you can watch on HBO Go).  It featured in-depth interviews with the Princes and personal photographs.

6.  If you're looking for a great, quick workout, try this Body by Simone for Sweaty Betty 35 minute whole body workout!

What are you loving and living for this week?  Let us know in the comments below.  Also, we might be a little lighter on content next week with our vacation coming up.  Be sure to follow us on Instagram for vacay pics!

The TTO Summer Reading List: Non-Fiction

A while back, our mom, the TTO resident book expert, gave you her picks for fiction reading this summer.  Well, we teamed up with her today with her picks for non-fiction reading.  Here's what you need to download/put on hold at your local library right now!

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi:  We first heard about this book from one of our favorite bloggers, Joanna Goddard at Cup of Jo.  It was written by her late brother-in-law and chronicles his battle with lung cancer from the unique perspective of being a neurosurgeon himself.

Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give by Ada Calhoun: This memoir about the ups and downs of marriage is based on the author's popular Modern Love essay (and subsequent podcast, read by the fantastic Kathryn Hahn).

Stories I'd Tell in Bars by Jen Lancaster:  Jen is one of our favorite authors and her memoirs are always hilarious!  This one gets released tomorrow, so we plan to read it on the beach on our vacation!

A Low Country Heart by Pat Conroy:  We've always been fans of the late, great Pat Conroy and this memoir gives some insight into his life as a writer.

The Wonder of Birds by Jim Robbins: This was one of Mom's picks for the summer.  "Everything you've ever wanted to know about our feathered friends."

Astrophysics in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson: Another one of Mom's picks--read this one on the beach if you want to look and feel smart!

The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs: A memoir from a mom struggling with cancer.  Get the Kleenex, gang.

The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt:  Journalist Anderson Cooper and his famous socialite mother share their life stories in an interesting and compelling way.  Each chapter shares a conversation between the two that depicts both their shared experiences and complicated pasts.  Very compelling!

Are you planning on reading any non-fiction this summer?  Let us know your favorites in the comments below!

Five Fave Face Masks

Our latest beauty obsession has been face masks.  There are so many affordable options on the market to address a plethora of skin concerns.  Your skin concerns might be varied (like ours) but for reference, Jess has some combination skin with some redness concerns and Ryan is looking for anti-aging benefits.  We've tried out quite a few but wanted to bring you five of our current favorites.  There are lots of designer brands, but we decided to stick with masks you could grab at Target, Ulta or a regular drug store.

1.  Yes to Miracle Oil Calm and Soothe PrimRose Oil Mask: This clay-based mud mask features a natural soothing agent (PrimRose oil) to tame redness and purify your skin.  I tried this after a run, which makes my redness flare up.  There was a noticeable difference afterwards.  My skin looked less red and felt smooth.  The results only stayed until my next workout, but they were nice while they lasted! --J

2.  Miss Spa Restore and Brighten 24k Gold Radiance Mask: Gold-based masks have been a celebrity trend for quite a while.  They are supposed to soothe skin and anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties.  I recently tried this version, and I found it did make my skin look a little brighter and feel much softer. Twin Tip:  the package says you can just pat your skin dry after use- I found that left (way!) too much sparkle on my face for my liking.  I did a quick rinse with cool water and that was much better for me. --R

3.  Yes to Grapefruit Brightening Vitamin C Paper Mask:  Paper masks are a big trend right now so I checked this one out.  I didn't notice a big difference on the few darker spots I have around my eyes, but I did think my skin looked a little brighter and pores looked good.  I did find the application a little tricky though.  I always find paper masks a little challenging to get into just the right spot for coverage but you might have an easier time than I did. --J

4.  L'Oreal Pure Clay Masks:  I am a sucker for cool looking packaging, and I was drawn into a display of these masks while at my local Target.  I ended up buying the red Exfoliate and Refine mask and the black Detox and Brighten versions.  The red one really did make my skin feel smoother and the black helped clean my pores.  Both versions left my skin feeling refreshed and looking brighter.   Lately, I've been using both of these at the same time- the black in my T-zone (just like the boys of Friends!) and the red on the rest of my face.  --R

5. Yes to Miracle Oil Brighten and Condition Argan Oil Mud Mask: This mask has both clay for drawing out toxins and argan oil to brighten your skin.  I was hesitant because I have found that clay-based masks tend to dry out my skin.  However, I found this one to be a little more moisturizing than I was expecting.  Also, my skin really was glowing for a day or two after I used it.  Worth it! --J

Are you a fan of face masks?  What is your favorite drug store face mask find?  Let us know in the comments below!

Essie Treat, Love & Color

Hi gang, it's Jess.  If you're anything like me, it's rare that you don't have polish on your nails.  Seriously, my students always notice if I have plain nails and assume I must be sick or something when it happens.  Anyway, after constant polishing and removing, sometimes I notice that my nails are brittle, chipping and dry.  Okay, this happens pretty much every time I remove my polish.

I heard about Essie's new Treat, Love & Color line through their Instagram account.  These sheer polishes claim to treat damage and brighten your nails in just a week.  They're specially formulated with collagen and camellia extract and DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde free.  Not to mention that, but they come in three sheer colors (check out Lauren's site for some great swatches), so that your nails don't look totally boring and plain while you treat them.  I decided to order the lilac color (Laven-Dearly) and check it out.

This is what my (admittedly terrible looking) nails looked like before:

Here's what my nails looked like on the initial application.  I did two thin coats which still looked a little sheer.  In certain lighting, my nails looked almost natural and the shimmer showed up best in natural sunlight.  Overall, it's lighter than I would usually go, but I liked the effect.

I got antsy and removed my polish after just 5 days, but I noticed a difference almost immediately.  Check it out.

Not perfect, but definitely better than before!  My nails looked shiny (similar to after buffing them) and felt stronger and less dry.  I still have some cracks from before, but I think the overall appearance is much improved.  I would definitely recommend this product if your nails are in need of a break from over-polishing or dryness.  

Have you tried any of the Essie Treat Love & Color treatments?  Which were your favorite?