A lifestyle blog featuring my favorite beauty and fashion trends, hauls, reviews, outfit of the days, healthy eating, recipes, mommy and baby favorites and more!
I just got done putting together Addie's Easter basket for Sunday and thought it would be fun to share with you the goodies I put in it The Easter Bunny left her (he came a little early ;)) Though she may not quite understand Easter yet, I included things I know she will love and get a ton of use out of.
(All Easter is ON SALE - AND "KDRT-8XT8-MXMG will get you an additional 15% off through 4/17, so you can stock up for next year)!
I found this adorable Fairy doll at Buy Buy Baby when I was there for a shower gift last week. She has a few "dollies" that she sleeps with and carries around, but this will make for her first rag doll! It is super soft and made out of all natural cotton that is free of any toxic chemicals (there is a blonde one too!).
I always love an excuse to get her more books, as she loves when we read to her, especially now that she has learned how to turn the pages!
To fill her pretty Easter eggs, instead of chocolates and candy, we opted for yogurt melts and her favorite puffs (Plum Organics Strawberry & Beets), and a new hair wrap. I hope you all enjoy Easter with the little minis in your life!
What kinds of things are in your love bug's basket this year?
Where do I even begin with this product? After hearing all the buzz and rave reviews on this, I felt compelled to try it out for myself. And so my love affair with GlamGlow's Supermud began....
The first time I tried this I saw immediate results - and that my friends, is something I can't say about too many products. It has a spa-like menthol and black licorice smell which I really do enjoy (and I HATE black licorice). I apply it with a flat synthetic brush and find that it helps to distribute the product more evenly and waste less. Once you apply it, it immediately starts to harden (literally, good luck trying to smile) and dry. It dries completely in about 7-10 minutes and as it starts to dry, the magic begins. I was shocked horrified to see the amount and size of the pores all over my face. I guess I never looked that closely to my skin before to notice them all, but after using this, well I am quite aware of their existence! It wasn't even completely dried yet and BOOM they were everywhere! Whats even better is the amount of dirt that came out of them. While some may think this part is gross, I happen to love seeing the spots all over my face in a sick and twisted way. It was fascinating and if I'm being honest-freaking AWESOME!
Taken right from GlamGlow's website - "NEW ACNECIDIC-6™4.4% the first 6-Acid AHA & BHA Blend for mind-blowing faster results. NEW Pore-Matrix™ with Activated-X Charcoal & New K17-Clay™ for deep pore vacuum extraction, encapsulation & seemingly poreless skin."
SPOILER ALERT - Scary Pictures Ahead....
Feel free to click on the pictures (at your own risk) to really get a close look of all the beautiful pores and dirt removed on my face thanks to this baby! All of those "pieces" are who knows what, but my guess is dirt, grime and everything else that has been stuck deep inside my pores for a long time. After I rinsed it off with warm water, my skin felt super soft and very supple. I couldn't wait to do it again and counted down the days for my next treatment. I was even more amazed the second time around to actually see less dirt and smaller pores! Needless to say, I am forever a fan and will continue to not only repurchase it, but shout it from the rooftops to everyone and anyone. I've even gotten my husband hooked! Oh, and if you can't a few days to do your next mask, you can actually use it as an overnight spot treatment - amazing!
As soon as I heard Hourglass was set to release correlating blushes to their ever-so-popular Ambient Lighting Powders, I could not WAIT to get my hands on them! They released 6 different shades of blush each of which has a corresponding lighting powder swirled in with color and baked. They look very similar to MSFs from MAC. The packaging is a smaller version of the powders and set in gold rather than bronze. To compare, each blush retails for $35 and contains .15oz., whereas the powders contain .35oz and retail for $45. I decided to go with Mood Exposure and Diffused Heat. I thought these were the most "bang for your buck" as far as color payoff.
I use the Diffused Ambient Lighting powder on a daily basis (major HG status), so it was only natural for me to go with the partnered blush. It is described as a "vibrant poppy" and let me tell you-it.is.freaking.gorgeous. It is definitely one of the more pigmented of the 6 and gives off a very bright coral color on the cheeks. I love that if it goes on a little too dark I can go right over it with the powder to "diffuse" the color and soften it a bit. I have been waring it a ton, however I think it will look even better on sun-kissed tan skin. Spoiler Alert - his will most likely be in every month's favorite's video throughout the summer!
Mood Exposure is a gorgeous deep neutral flush. It is described as "soft plum". However, it doesn't really read plum on my skin. I would describe it as more of a dusty rose. I would put it in the same family as Tarte Exposed or NARS Douceur. I think it is a must have Fall / Winter color, but its definitely one I would feel completely comfortable wearing in the Spring and Summer. I find myself reaching for this when I just want something more natural or on days where I want to skip the bronzer but still want some defined cheek bones.
It fascinates me that these blushes give off such a glow to the skin, without any kind of shimmer/glitter/satin finish. I have been switching between these 2 for the last 3 weeks and have had no desire to reach for any other blush (and if you've seen my blush collection, you will know how serious my love affair is)! I'm thinking I may need to go back for Radiant Magenta eventually, but I'm not really into the other 3. I swatched the others in store and they didn't have a great color pay off nor do I think they would show up too well on my skin-especially with a little bit of a tan. If I'm paying $35 for a blush, you better believe I want the blush to actually show up!
Have you picked up any of these blushes recently? If so, which are your favorites?
We recently had a new Baby Gap / GAP Kids boutique open by our house, and this past weekend's gorgeous weather was the perfect excuse to go check it out (its at an outdoor mall). By far, THE BEST selection I have ever seen. I literally could have spent all day in there. As much as I love Baby Gap, I find the selection in "typical" GAP stores to be quite blah, and therefore do most of my shopping there online. There were so many more pieces, a huge sale section and even a couple brand new collections that aren't even up online yet! Pretty much the whole store was 30-40% off, and I don't think I paid full price for anything-#winning! Here are some of the pieces I snatched up!
Can you tell I am digging Yellow for Spring? Addison has really dark hair (and LOTS of it), so yellow is one of my favorite colors on her and I absolutely LOVE it paired with grey. I also recently picked up these adorable hair accessories from one of my favorite etsy shops to match some of her new outfits!
Ever since I started noticing less and less fall-out and shedding due to being Post-Partum, I couldn't wait to schedule a hair appointment. The last cut I had was about a month after Addison was born and my ends were desperately needing some new life! I also wanted to do something with the color since I haven't really touched it in YEARS. A few box colors here and there, but I haven't been to the salon for color in what feels like forever!
I wanted something chocolatel-y brown, soft and most importantly subtle. The thing I love most about my new color is that I won't have to worry about noticeable regrowth in a couple months. It will grow out with the same ombre effect. I can't tell you how much lighter and fresher the cut makes me feel too. She actually cut about 2 inches, and after seeing how little it was, I asked her to go a little shorter. I had her cut in long layers all around, which is normally how I have it cut, and Voila`!
When I asked Kristle about the exact colors she used, this is what she told me (literally, word for word) ;). "Your color is a dark chocolate at the base to a light chocolate at the bottom. Its a hand painted ombre crushed in foil, not a true baylage. All color, no bleach lightening". So there you have it! If you guys live around the Lehigh Valley and are craving a new do' I would highly recommend giving Kristle a try. And just a side-note, she does BEAUTIFUL up-dos, if you ever have a wedding/event to go to! You can schedule an appointment with her at Apotheca Salon & Boutique. Tell her I sent ya ;)
P.S. I often get asked if I am still getting Keratin treatments and the answer to that is no. The last one I had done was probably about 2 years ago. I honestly haven't felt like I needed one. My waves really have relaxed and the frizz is pretty much non-existent. Though I think I do have pregnancy to thank for that, I do attribute it to the 3 Keratin treatments I had done in the past. I really feel like the results have lingered and really helped my hair for the better. You can actually get them done at Apotheca as well. They use the Simply Smooth line (the only line I have and would use). I had my second one done there and had amazing results!
Video Outfit of the Day Details
I hope you are all digging yourselves out of the snow and staying warm!
Making Addison’s baby food has been such a fun journey! We started her on solids at 5 1/2 months and haven’t looked back since! Each week when I sit down to make our weekly menu for my husband and I, I also decide which new foods I’m going to introduce to Addie. I have been introducing 1 new food every 4 days to make sure she doesn’t have any allergic reactions. I look forward to finding new things for her to eat each week AND mixing and matching different things for her to try! I love that I know exactly what is going into her body, and if God forbid she has an adverse reaction to anything, I will know exactly what it is. Here are a few essentials (in my opinion) if you want to start making your own baby food.
You definitely will want some kind of blender to puree everything. I love the Baby Bullet because it is fast, simple to use, takes up very little counter space and is easy to clean.
This is more of a “nice-to-have”, as it is super fast to steam anything I want. Without this, you can boil your food (though I have read that boiling sometimes removes some of the nutrients), or use a vegetable steamer over a pot on the stove. Simply put-its convenient.
Silicone Ice Cube Trays
I picked these up at Bed Bath and Beyond after struggling with the one that came with my Baby Bullet. I find the smaller cubes are easier to pop out, and you get more space for food. Also, VERY easy to clean!
Ziploc Freezer Bags
Once the food is frozen, I pop them into these bags, and label them with the date and name of the food. Each night I decide what I'm going to give Addison for breakfast and put a few cubes in the refrigerator to thaw over night. In the morning, I pop them into the microwave for 10-20 secods to warm them up and then decide what she is going to have for dinner and do the same!
If you never wanted to do this because you assumed it would be too costly and or time consuming, I urge you to give it a try. It honestly takes very little time (maybe an hour to prepare several foods for the week / month), and I find that it actually is cheaper than purchasing packaged baby food from the store. I go a little bit more in depth in the video about the whole process.
What are your favorite combos to give to your little one?
If there is an excuse to put Addison in special little outfits to snap pictures of her in-I find it. Holidays make dressing her that much more fun and special. When it comes to shopping for your little princess, there are so many adorable outfits and bows to choose from. Its so easy to go crazy! Here are some of the pieces I've picked up for Addison recently that she will be wearing all this week in preparation for Valentine's Day on Friday! Where are your favorite places to shop for your little one?
