Beauty Snapshot: Kelly

If you have checked out my favorite blogs, you know that I love the site Into the Gloss. It is a fun site with beauty profiles of some very chic women in the fashion industry. From designers, to PR girls, to editors at Vogue, they provide us with what they have found works best for them. I love reading it, but sometimes it does feel slightly far reaching for a girl like me. No fashion house connections, no access to the BFF hair stylist, and no flights to Paris to hit up the pharmacy. I thought I would bring the same concept to Imperfect Polish, but make it more accessible to all of us ladies looking for what's great. So every so often I will be profiling chic ladies I know who will share some of their favorite ways to look great from all over the country. 

I am starting with my friend, Kelly, who is a mom of two adorable little girls and lives in the Chicago suburbs. She loves design and fashion as much as I do, so we love pouring over great blogs and ideas. Kelly shares with us some of her favorites in our first profile. Check out her adorable girls, Eloise and Millie Bea. Thanks Kel! 

"I keep it pretty simple. Things I really care about are things I put on my face and fragrances. I am definitely no product junkie but I do love a good cream. I was a long time La Mer  devotee but after a recent trip to Versa Medi Spa, the esthetician told me my skin did not require the kind of moisture it was providing, (not to mention it’s pretty spendy at $130/ounce), so I recently switched to Dr. Hauschka after reading a couple of celebrities I have skin envy of use it. I love the cleansing cream, face toner, and rose day cream. It’s all natural, holistic, and smells yummy and in the 2 months I’ve been using it, I’ve been happy with it’s performance. 

After a shower I slather on Kiehls Creme de Corps. It really doesn’t smell like anything and it makes my skin feel softer and more hydrated than any other cream I’ve tried. At night I use Egyptian Magic under my eyes, on my elbows, and feet. This cream, although it really shouldn’t be called a cream because the consistency is more like vaseline (which I also love), is truly magic. This super powered formula gets rid of eczema, under eye circles, dry cracked skin, basically anything you can think of. I’ve read others have used it as a hair mask, designers use it on their models for the runway, or slather it all over your face after a long flight. Amazing and you can buy it at Whole Foods. 

After having kids, my hair is now wavy so most days I spray Bumble and Bumble’s Surf Spray  and that’s it. Some days I’ll diffuse it about a quarter of the way and let air dry but the hair dryer rarely makes an appearance. I have fantasies of my hair looking like Gisele’s, my hair muse, but I’m thinking it requires way more work than I’m willing to put in. For shampoo I’ve been switching between Bumble and Bumble and Pureology for a while.  If I remember I will put Moroccan Oil on after a shower. I’m not sure how much I believe in this hair oil moment going on right now but I guess I’ll try whatever Rachel Zoe tells me to. I’ve only been coloring my hair for about 5 years and the only person I’ve let touch it is Laura Shepherd at Swerve Salon in Chicago. 

My makeup story is much like the rest - pretty simple. I like Benefit’s That Gal brightening primer and I also like Fresh’s Illuminating cream. I’ll switch off between the two. Certain days I’ll also use Erase Paste under my eyes. I swear by Cover Girl’s Lash Blast mascara. I’ve tried a lot and this one is really great. Mascara is really the only thing I put on every day which is weird because it’s the most time consuming part of my morning. It literally takes 5 minutes to put it on and although that doesn’t seem like that much time, I do not usually have the patience for things like that. However, it truly is one thing I really think makes a difference in how I look. I also like Anastasia’s clear brow gel,  Nars Turkish Delight lip gloss, and Make Up Forever’s waterproof eye liner. I am very sensitive to smells and perfumes. Day to day I love Body Time’s China Rain. It’s fresh, clean, floral, and a little musky and perfect for me. Special occasions I’ll wear Quelques Fleurs.  I have loved this perfume for a long time and it takes over 15,000 flowers to create just one ounce. Which is amazing. It’s been around for hundreds of years and one I’ll always go back to. 

Other services I love are the oxygen facial and bikini wax at Bliss and getting my eyebrows done at Versa. I can’t remember the last time I had my nails done - probably when I got married. I prefer them natural and can’t really sit long enough to get through it and it also requires WAY to much maintenance for me. I don’t think I’ve ever not ruined a manicure within the first hour. Ah well. 

For the girls we use Mustela or Noodle and Boo. Mustela has a great clean smell that is not too babyish and Noodle and Boo is the exact opposite - the epitome of what you think a baby smells like. They are both delicious and we switch off regularly. The best diaper cream is Kiehls. 

Going into this I thought it was funny Erin asked me because I didn’t think I would have anything to talk about but I guess I really do use quite a bit of product. I never thought of myself as a girly girl and compared to a lot of women who have crates of makeup (mine can all fit in one little travel pouch), I feel less superior in the world of beauty. Although I guess it doesn’t so much matter how much you do or don’t have but the quality of what you do."

Let me know what you think of our first profile. I would love to hear your feedback and what information you are looking for most. I will be adding a fashion aspect to this as well, like favorite jeans and accessories. 

xo

Erin