The Best Part of Waking Up: Soap & Glory's Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub

I really love exfoliators, and I will tell you why. I have super dry and itchy skin, and it's vital for me to scrub off dry flaky skin cells so that I have super smooth skin. And granted I probably don't exfoliate as often as I should because I get lazy, but when I do, I see a really huge difference not only in how smooth my skin is, but in how itchy it is also.

Now that it's summer and everyone's got their skirts and shorts on, I'm noticing how years of scratching at my dry skin has effected me. My legs in particular have dark scars from constant scratching and my skin breaks very easily so I bleed and have scabs and bruises quite frequently. It's really bad and it makes me feel very self conscious about my skin, to the point of not wanting to wear shorts in the summertime. And I've tried all sorts of lotions and creams and such and nothing really makes the itching stop, just maybe prevents it for a few hours at most. So I have to be super diligent about taking care of my skin.

In an effort to do this, I've started using Jane Park's Shower Method. Jane Park is the CEO of Julep, and basically her theory is this: exfoliate away first, then cleanse - this way you're cleansing the new layer of skin cells rather than dead ones, and the moisture from your body wash will get into your skin more easily. So far, it's definitely making a difference.

But of course, the exfoliating is crucial. So I've started using Soap & Glory's Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub.

Okay so I wanna start off by saying this shit smells amazeballs. It's like...brown sugar oatmeal goodness. It does smell like something you could eat (but don't, cuz that's gross). And it feels like rubbing brown sugar on your skin too. Unlike Soap & Glory's Flake Away, it's a much thicker exfoliator so you really get a good scrub, which is what I need. I like a really hardcore exfoliator that really scrubs off all that dead, dry skin. And I love Soap & Glory's products - they always smell amazing, and they definitely work. So exfoliate, cleanse, and then rub your skin down with Soap & Glory's The Righteous Butter in that 3-minute window after you shower to lock in moisture and get the ultimate smooth, silky skin.

Works like a charm.

4 for you, UNIQLO

I will never need another tshirt again.

I don't know if y'all have heard of Uniqlo - it's a Japanese brand that's expanding in the US like wildfire - seriously, they're gonna be everywhere soon. Their main thing is boss basics and easy everyday clothes, but they've been doing a lot of really cool collaborations lately with the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art here in New York), Pharrell Williams and his i am Other campaign, Disney, and designers like Jonathan Adler and Ines de la Fressange.

So I went and picked up a ton of tshirts, because I really have trouble with tops that aren't tshirts, so I wear them with everything. I'm all about tees with ladylike skirts for summer. Great thing is, these tees from Uniqlo are super comfy and easy to style. You'll notice I cut the necks off some of them - I fully encourage DIYing tshirts and making them your own. And these tshirts are made to be lived in (boyfriend is wearing his Star Wars UT like every day and its still the softest shirt he owns). But anyway, I'm really pleased with these. 4 for you, Uniqlo. 4 for you.

from top right: Jack Pierson tank, Andy Warhol tshirt, Andy Warhol tshirt, Pharrell Williams i am Other tshirt, SPRZ NY tshirt, Jean-Michel Basquiat tshirt

featuring Uniqlo UTs, Uniqlo Ultra Stretch Jeans, Superga sneakers

photos by J. Saldana

Do Ya Blowout

I don't know about you, but I still find it really difficult to get the perfect blowout at home. I always feel really great after going to the salon, and a salon blowout will usually last me about two days. But I have short hair, I can't manage to do it as good as a stylist can. So I need some product help.

Obviously starting off with a great wash is the best way to get great hair. I've been using Redken's Color Extend Magnetics shampoo and conditioner to protect my color, and I love it. I also try to do a treatment once in a while (try Lush's Jasmine & Henna Fluff Eaze ) to keep my hair smooth and well hydrated. This is especially important if you're using a lot of heat with your hair. I blowout and flat iron, so I have to be really careful. My hair is also naturally very frizzy and poofy, so a smoothing treatment helps keep it under control.

Before blowing out, I'm using Redken's Pillow Proof Blow Dry Express Primer to keep my hair smooth and protected while I blowdry, but this also helps speed up the process. I have thick hair and it takes a long time to dry, so I don't want to be sitting here for a half hour just working on my blowdry. Ain't nobody got time for that.

After my blowdry, I flat iron to perfection (read: till it's bone straight) and spray with Redken's Pillow Proof Blow Dry Two Day Extender & Oil Obsorbing Dry Shampoo. Now, I am not a dry shampoo girl. Usually they're too heavy and make my hair really sticky and gross. But this one is nice and light, and if it keeps my hair nice overnight so that I don't have to do anything when I wake my ass up at 6am for work, I am all about that.

The Redken products are a good alternative to Bumble and bumble's Straight Blow Dry cream which I also really love, but is a little more expensive. I've been using this system regularly and I've never been so happy with my blowout.

What products give you the best blowout! Tell me in the comments below!

Evil Queen Book Club: June

This Month's Selection: Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Post due by July 6

I know a few of you have read Wicked already, but I think it's the perfect choice to start off with. It's a great read - a great story told with wonderfully sophisticated prose, it's a fresh take on a story we all know and love. I think everyone will really enjoy it.

Members: Please take a look at this page - I've listed all our current members and contact information so you can all add each other (you've all been added to a twitter list too so you can find each other there!). This will also be where I post all links and discussions for you to reference. In addition, please make sure to follow me on twitter (@christinaostyle) and bloglovin so we can all keep in contact. 

At the end of the month, I'll post a few discussion questions for everyone to respond to in their individual posts. 

Where to find it: Barnes and Noble, Amazon (if anyone finds an e-book download, let me know!)

Let the reading begin! 

Introducing: The Evil Queen Book Club

I have always been a huge bibliophile. I love books. I love reading, I love getting lost in a good story, I love collecting books and shopping for books and it never feels right when I don't have books around. I'm one of those weird people that collects old books and multiple copies of my favourites. I studied English in college, I've always been a creative writer, and books are my life.

As I've gotten older, it's been a bit more difficult to read as much as I'd like to, so I've always really liked the idea of a book club. So I've decided to try a blogger book club, and there's been some interest in this idea, so I've teamed up with my friend Kay from The Desert Bibliophile to get this going.

Introducing The Evil Queen Book Club

Here is the plan:

• We read a book a month. Each book will be by a female author, or will feature a strong female character.
• Each blogger will be in charge of selecting a book for the whole club to read for the month. This book can be classic or contemporary fiction, YA, poetry, or nonfiction/biography. That blogger will also be in charge of posting 3-5 discussion questions for the rest of the group to answer which will kick off a discussion.
•  At the end of the month, each Book Club Member will make a post in their blog with a summary, their thoughts, and the answers to the discussion questions. Once posted, links will be submitted to me so that I can keep a masterpost.
• I'll keep a masterpost of everyone's posts so that we can comment back and forth, talking about what we've read! 

If you're interested in participating, please leave the following information in a comment below:

1. Name
2. URL of your blog
3. Twitter handle (if you don't have twitter, please leave another way to contact you)

Once I've got all this information collected, we can start reading!