B Cleansed: How to detox your beauty routine

Today I start a juice cleanse. I know, I know "I'm crazy". But before you make any quick judgements let me tell you its only for three days. That should be cake, right? Meanwhile I'm detoxing my whole body I thought about what it takes to detox my beauty routine. It's these simple steps that make your regular routine work deeper and better throughout the month!

Bobble water jug // sharpie // Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo // Revlon facial steamer

Drink water: We hear this over and over but this really is the easiest solution! I've started to aim to drink a gallon a day. It's a lofty goal but my body still feels great if I miss by a glass or two. Starting with this will help with so much more than just your skin but a glowing hydrated face is a major plus!

Check expiration dates: Do you know our beauty products expire? I forget all the time. Try to go through your products quarterly and throw any that have been around too long. Below is a break down is what should be tossed after a certain time frame. Don't know when you purchased something? Better safe than sorry, toss it.

Two years:

• Foundation
• Concealer
• Powder
• Eyeshadow
• Blush
• Moisturizer

One year:

• Lipstick
• Pencils

6 Months:

• Mascara
• Eye cream

Next time you purchase a new product, write the expiration date large and clear with a sharpie so that you don't forget!

Remove build-up: Products are great but sometimes you need a good deep cleaning for them to work again. For my hair, I use Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo. This will strip your hair gently of shampoo and product build up. To ensure I don't dehydrate my hair with over cleaning, I'll use a deep conditioning formula on my ends right after.

See a professional: Face it (no pun intended). No one can get you as cleansed and detoxed as a professional esthetician. There are plenty of at-home extraction DIY videos but there are also a lot of risks to scarring your face further if done wrong. Extraction removes built up oil and dirt from hard to reach places! On a budget? Many salons now offer just extraction for under $20 and after all that's the hard part! To keep up with my clean pores post-facial, I use a at-home facial steamer to open my pores so product gets to work deep.

B Snacked: Rosemary pretzel bites and cheese dip

I love when I have no intention on blogging a subject but then my Instagram blows up with requests. Being the people pleaser I am (you're welcome) I will share the crowd pleasing recipe I have loved to dish out. Rosemary pretzel bites with cheese dip! Yep, how can that go wrong.

I first made this recipe a couple months back around Christmas. The pretzel bites turned out perfect but the cheese dip was awful. Here are a few things I learned and adapted from this recipe:

• Instead of making traditional pretzels, roll doll dough out and cut into 1-1 1/2 inch bites
• Let the cheese dip take adequate time to thicken up after adding milk (I rushed this in my first try).
• Salt and pepper are crucial. Season your cheese dip well but don't forget you have sea salt on the pretzels!

Overall, I have loved making this recipe. There are many little steps but simple in process and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. I'm hoping to expand on my dips for the next Sunday gathering... how good does Jalapeno cheese dip sound? Yep, I'll blog it after.

B Favors

We could go into the long catch up of where I've been listing my excuses of why I haven't been blogging. But instead I prefer to just jump back into things that I love or in this case favor. Here is just a bit of what I've been wearing, loving, listening to, etc. And in return I hope you share what you've been favoring lately.

ONE | Neutral sweaters: It feels as if Winter should be over but I know it's not. In order to make good purchases but also keep myself warm, I'm investing in neutral sweaters that will still be classic for next season regardless of the trends. The T. Babaton Gene Sweater from Artizia has been a huge favorite that I can't stop wearing.

TWO | Deep cleaning: Beauty junkies love cleaning their face and I don't know what I was doing before Dermalogica's precleanse. You'd think putting an oil on your face would only clog the pores but ta da! That's the trick to bring dirt up before you go in with your cleanser. Addicted.

THREE | Hunter rainboots: Not much to say about these babies. Classic, so many colors and a Seattle essential.

FOUR | New tunes: Best part of music award season for me is watching Bruno Mars perform and I hope to see more of him. His new CD Unorthodox Jukebox has been on repeat as of lately.

FIVE | Gifts to yourself: I've always loved receiving great gifts from loved ones that I can remember for years to come. Though there comes a time unfortunately when some items have bad feelings attached. Giving myself a gift after heartbreak felt empowering and marked a time where I'm happy to be who I am. How better to do this than with a David Yurman Crossover Double X Ring?

B Sightings: Christmas moments in Seattle

Last weekend was filled with first a family evening watching the Christmas ships off of Carillon Point followed by a dinner at Le Grand Bistro. I was able to sneak in a few pictures but mainly was mesmerized on snapping photos of my nephew enjoying his first Christmas.

B Inspired: Christmas button down

With the cold weather comes the necessary layers. This season I've found my layer has started with the plaid button down followed by a sweater and pounds of glitter baubles. I've been drawing inspiration on how to dress my Christmas button downs up and down for the rest of the season. What's your favorite way to wear a button down?

P.S. Have you heard? Seattle Magazine listed me in their Best of 2012 issue as a top local to follow on Pinterest (see here)! So thankful for the pinning props, I knew my imaginary wedding would come in handy!

*click on images for sources

B Festive: Holiday skirts

Trust me, you aren't alone. I'm also looking for the perfect holiday dress but I've called defeat (for now) and have turned a corner with the holiday skirt. The skirt has been underestimated. It can be interchanged with different tops and shoes to change seasons. Now you can trust that a festive skirt is on my shopping list this weekend.

ONE: Tory Burch metallic skirt
TWO: All Saints Embellished dream catcher skirt
THREE: Madewell dotted sequin skirt
FOUR: J Crew collection skirt
FIVE: Stars by Jonas Hallberg feather skirt
SIX: Dororthy Perkins peplum skirt

B Extended: 4 Things I've learned about eyelash extensions

It's been over a year since I got my first eyelash extensions. I have tried a handful of places, bought those famous groupons and really found the key to the best eyelash extension experience. It's a conversation I always seem to have with one random girl in a bar. The conversation always starts with "Your have beautiful eyelashes" or some get right to it and ask "Are your eyelashes real?". And being the beauty junkie I am, I go into a 10 minute conversation about how and what eyelashes can do for you. Here are the highlights:

Treat them as they're your natural eyelashes:
Eyelash extensions are individual lashes glued to your natural eyelashes and if done properly won't cause long term damage. Do you pick at your own eyelashes? When you do, do you find that they fall out? Yes, same will happen if you pick at your eyelash extensions. Eyelashes fall and grow just as the hair on our head does. And with special treatments applied to your lashes, it is important you take care of them.

Special treatments require special care:
Adding length to your eyelashes do make you more aware of how you use your eyelashes. For instance, when you wash your face your voluminous lashes will collect water. TIP: Pat eyelashes gently with towel when wet before opening your eyes.

Darker lashes save time and make-up costs:
I have never found the perfect mascara that I love. Eyelash extensions took this dilemma away from me. I haven't worn mascara in over a year and in return wear less make up in general. I found that the dark eyelashes applied created a more natural eyeliner to my eyes that worked for day makeup.

Not every "deal" is a good deal:
Your initial session could take over a hour and a half depending on the speed the of the technician. I found my salon in Seattle through a recommendation of a friend. This is the most secure way to find an appropriate price and clean salon in your area. When I moved to NYC, I looked for online deals and unfortunately wasted money on eyelashes that only lasted 1-2 weeks at most. I have found from experience that no eyelash fill should cost more than $75 and should last you at least 4 weeks between fills. With eyelash extension becoming more popular, this reasonable price is possible!

B Tried and Tested:
Seattle: Myano's Nails & Spa
NYC: Red and White Spa many times and saw my eyelashes lasted 3- 4 weeks
NYC: Blink Beauty in Union Square- eyelashes only lasted 1-2 weeks (don't recommend)

Any other eyelash extension questions? Tweet @brookeandersen!

*I am not a professional and only share recommendations through my own experiences.