Beauty Wise Wednesday: Beauty tips from an other generation

I had so much fun interviewing my mom for mothers day I thought I'd interview her and my grandma (my mom's mom) on a little lighter subject, Beauty!!! It's interesting to see what the older generation says about make up and how their view on make up has changed as they have gotten older.

What is your must have beauty product?
Mom: Mascara/eyeliner every day of my life I have put it on, it's a habit
Gramz: Lotion Cera Ve renewing lotion "I'm obsesses with it", Mouse and my Bobbi Brown lip stick: doesn't have lead in it.

How old were you when you first started wearing make up?
Mom: 13 years old, without mom knowing
Gramz: Lip stick when I was 16, never wore make up till I got to be in my 40s. Mascara in my 20's.

Who taught you to wear make up?
Mom: girlfriends; kinda learned together from magazines.
Gramz: No one, mom my passed away when I was young. I learned from ads and that type of thing.

Does make up make you feel better about yourself? why?
Mom: if I am wearing make up I fell better to face the world. "my best face forward" I have more confidence. If I ran to the store and saw someone I know without make up I would be mad
Gramz: It does because I think I look better, it is part for other people but mostly it makes me feel more put together.

What is one beauty tip you would give a person new to make up?
Mom: don't over do it. make sure all your foundation is all blended in. IE: no jaw bone line "one of the grossest things I've ever seen"
Gramz: Start washing your face at an early age. I didn't wash my face till I was older and don't forget sunscreen!

What beauty product do you find unnecessary?
Mom: eye lash curler b/c I've never had to use one in my life.
Gramz: False eye lashes (side note my grams says she only needs to use an eye lash curler on one eye cause they other is perfectly curled already. She's too cute!)

If you could do your make up like any celebrity who would you choose?
Mom: "That's a toughy" I would say Eva Longoria I just thinks she's gorgeous

Gramz: Jennifer Lawrence She looks so well put together.

How has your make up routine changed from when you were younger?
Mom: from wearing blue eye shadow to NEVER wearing blue eye shadow. It all has dwindled down, became more natural. I cringe when I see blue eye shadow now
Gramz: I am actually using make up now and using a brush to put on foundation.

How would you like your grand daughter (Sloane) to look at make up?
Mom: I wish she would never look at make up but if she does, keep it simple. mascara! Gotta have mascara!
Gramz: Sparingly. I would hope she would take care of her skin first or for most. good cleanser and moisturizer. not to look at it like it is going to change her, just enhance what she has.

Any last beauty thoughts you would like to share?

Mom: Make sure you wash your face and put on moisturizer at night!!
Gramz: can't over emphasize the use of sun screen or sun block... no one should be without it anymore!!!


Overall I can see why I am so natural with my make up style, my main influences growing up just aren't that into make up. It's also nice to see what they find important since they have had the time to learn what's important. I will for sure be teaching my daughter a good skin care as soon as possible.

So what are your answers to these questions? Leave your answers below or leave me a link to your blog, I'd love to know what you have to say.

And with that I am off to do a face mask and put on moisturizer!

 

Mommy Monday: The Liebster Award 2013

I was nominated by Hannah over at The "krustee" BLOG to do this tag. It's a bit of a random blog but I thought I'd do it for my Mommy Monday blog post since I am the mommy and this is all about me! I remember doing things like this on MySpace all the time and I have to admit I loved doing them so this was right up my ally, plus hello easy blog post!

(I guess this is what this is called)

Requirements:
- Name your nominator and provide a link to that persons blog.
- Post 11 facts about yourself.
- Answer 11 questions from your nominator.
- Nominate 11 other bloggers.
- Ask 11 questions for your chosen bloggers.


11 Facts about Me:
1. I was in labor for 6 hours, pushing and all.
2.I realized I was pregnant when I weighed in during a biggest loser weight loss competition and had gained weight.
3. I tend to link my toes together when I'm sitting around bare foot.
4. My second two (pointer toe?) is the longest of my toes.
5. I'm completely addicted to watching Vlogs on YouTube. I don't even watch TV anymore.
6. When I was in elementary school I would spend my recesses either helping teachers or in the library.
7. I was full grown and fully developed by 10 years old.
8. I have had 7 cars in the 12 years I've been driving
9. when I first started shopping for myself I thought I had size 10 feet but as I got older I realized
I was actually a size 9
 10. I've lost 40-50 lbs twice in my life and then gained it all back. I'm back at it now and I hope I can keep it off for good this time!
11. my best friend of 20+ years, Tara,  and my boyfriend of 7+ years have the same birthday but a year apart.


My 11 Questions to my Nominees:
1. Do you or did you play any instruments?
I attempted the flute in middle school and the guitar in high school... I just don't have the patients or strive to practice to get good.
2. Which animal best represents your personality?
hhhmmm... this is an interesting question... ( let me sit with my hand on my chin and ponder this) thing is I don't know the behaviors of all animals... I'll go with a kangaroo for my personality right now as a mommy.
3. How do you like your coffee or tea?
NEVER! don't like either... OK well I have on occasion drank tea but I'm picky so it doesn't happen often.
4. What is your ideal Sunday afternoon?
spending the day with Mat and Sloane probably out doing something fun either a pic nic at a park, exploring the city or taking a hike... my ideal day is NEVER a day sitting around doing nothing, there is too much I want to do in life to waste time like that.
5. What is the meaning behind your name?
I know my name is French but I don't know what it means. My mom just liked that name and wanted people to call me Dani Lee (like Sara Lee) but no one did... My family does call me Dani however.
6. Favorite dessert?
Ice Cream!!! forever and always. I have done very good lately at cutting back in the ice cream intake lately however!!
7. What type of organization is your favorite to donate time/money to?
Children's Hospital. I have toured their two main facilities here in the Seattle area, I have volunteered for several different events and I just think it is so important for children to have somewhere to go when they aren't well that they will feel comfortable. Seattle's Children's does a great job of that I think. It also is more important now that I have a child because it gives me piece of mind knowing that there is somewhere like that for my child if it is ever needed.
8. Favorite social media site?
Twitter of course!!! I say anything and everything on Twitter. I'm sure people hate me for it but, Hey I have nothing to hide!!
9. You’ve just won a $5,000 dollar shopping spree to ONE store (clothing, furniture…), where are you going?
hmmm a place where that $5000 could stretch a long way and get a good variety of items... The best place would probably be target.
10. Explain in detail your dream car.
I'm not really a girl with a dream car... I have always enjoyed big vehicle's where I could fit all my friends. I have always wanted an Escalade; to make it my dream car it would be completely electric so I wouldn't have to pay for the crazy amount of gas it would take.
11. If you could choose the sex of your child, would you? Boy or girl?
I'm happy with my daughter but if I was to choose my next child I guess I would choose a boy just because we are only going to have two kids and it would be nice to have one of each but two girls would be absolutely adorable also. Plus cheaper cause we have everything for a girl.

I nominate:
Kristin
Molly
Hannah (I know you already did it but I don't know many bloggers!)
(the rest of these bloggers I don't know and I don't know if they will even see this blog!)
Aunt Becky
Sara
Amber
Katelin
Melissa
Megan
Whitney
Jen 


11 questions for my nominees
1. what is your middle name and do you like or hate it?
2. where is your favorite place to go on vacation and why?
3. what is your favorite thing to do, out and about, on your weekend?
4. how often do you workout and what are your workouts like?
5. what is the meal you would have as your last meal?
6. what are two of our favorite names?
7. what chore do you hate doing?
8.What is your longest relationship?
9. Do you have a favorite number? If yes, why is that your favorite number?
10. Are you crafty?
11. Do you or will you have kinds? How many?

 

Pintrest Cook Off!!!

What do you do on Memorial Day Weekend? Well I work two out of the three days, plus the weather was reported not to be so great so I invited over two of my favorite girlfriends for a Pintrest Cook Off!! I always pin recipes on Pintrest and I am always looking for an opportunity to move the pins to my check mark board.

What is pintrest you ask? Well I know most of you reading this are well aware of what pintrest is but because of my computer illiterate family I know there are people who have no idea what this is. Pintrest.com is a website where you can share our ideas. Most of it is people who have written blogs and then pinned that blog on pintrest. The basic idea of pintrest is: Think of a bulletin board where you would post your ideas so that you can come back when you are looking for ideas. Pintrest is basically a huge bulletin board where everyone can share their ideas together!

 I told my girls to arrive at my house with a Pintrest recipe they had picked out to share. It took me a whole week of searching Pintrest to pick out the perfect recipe to share.

My choice: Pesto Fondue basically it is a fondue with pesto flavoring. I used almonds but as I look back at the recipe I realize I didn't toast the almonds, I don't know if it made much of a difference. I did half the recipe because I was anticipating all of use bringing a recipe but we quickly went through the half so I would recommend making the whole recipe. it was very yummy. I was worried at first because we've had fondues before that all you could taste was the alcohol was cooked with but this one you couldn't taste at all.






Tara's Choice: Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole (chicken omitted) This was a very successful recipe, so simple and quick to make. Tara actually wasn't able to take the whole time to cook the recipe so she actually defrosted the tater tots and then layered the ingredients and cooked it in the crock pot until the cheese melted. I think you could obviously cook this in the oven as well and it might cook a bit faster. Overall we really enjoyed the recipe and got lots of ideas on how to alter the recipe in so many different ways.

Kristin's Choice's: Orange Sherbet Champagne This was a very fun idea but it was difficult to put together. We put the champagne in first and then the sherbet and it created a volcano so we put the sherbet in first then the champagne and it created so many bubbles that you weren't really able to fill the glass to where you would wish. As I was searching for this pin I was similar posts but where it is pictured in a wine glass. I think making it in those would make it a much easier task.
Cake Mix Cobbler This was such a great idea, a quick, easy cobbler. It says not to mix the cake with the soda but we found that to be not such a great idea. It ended up being a but runny (she did add more than a can of soda) and the cake mix was a mix of dry powder cake mix and cake mix that was baked and fluffy then there was also cake mix that mixed with the juices and felt like it was raw. This is a recipe that we would like to try again but possibly mix the cake mix and the pop together. Also it might benefit to just use one can of pop.

Overall our Pintrest cook off was a major success! As we choose the recipe's we felt that we wanted to try and make this a monthly occurrence because we saw so many recipes that we wanted to try! If I personally was to announce a winner of the cook off I would say my recipe was the winner, but I might be a bit bias.  We pretty much announced Kristin's recipes as Pintrest Fails but we think if we attempt them a few more times they might turn into successes.

Beauty Wise Wednesday: My May Ipsy Bag

Sorry this post is late. I have been suffering from a horrible stomach ache and haven't really been able to function. Anyways, time to get to the exciting stuff... My May Ipsy bag!!!

This months bag is a fun blue, orange and white chevron print. I'm so in love with chevron print these days that this bag is very exciting!

(sorry for the horrible picture, my stomach ache made me not try so hard to capture a good image)

Product #1: Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl Luminizing Body Butter 2fl oz: Sells on their website for $7.00
Product Description: Shimmer and glow with coconut oil, pearls and sea minerals; ultra-nourishing tropical phytonutrients.
Coupon: 20% off on the Pacifica web site
First Impression: I'm super excited about this product! I absolutely loved the last Pacifica blood orange body butter I got in my first Ipsy bag so I know I will love this one. The shimmer is a fun addition for the summer!

Product #2: Pacifica Island Vanilla Perfume Roll-on .33fl oz. This is a full sized product that sells for $12 on their website.
Product Description: From their website: Sensual blend sets sweet and sultry vanilla absolute, with honey-jasmine notes and a touch of fruitiness, against a deep and beautiful base of tea.
Coupon: Same as product #1
First Impression: I'm excited I got the vanilla scent because I'm always drawn to vanilla products. This is a great size to keep in my purse!

Product #3: Juice Beauty Lip Gloss in Champagne .14oz. This is half the size of the gloss they sell on their web site so it's worth about $7.50.
Product Description: From the website: This Reflecting Gloss will give your lips the most brilliant shine on earth. The combination of antioxidant-rich berries, minerals and sweet agave will wrap your lips in radiant color
Coupon: 20% off on the Juice Beauty web site
First Impression: Pretty excited about this product as well. It's a perfect color for me, not too far out of my comfort zone. Plus it will look great over other lip products to maybe tone down their color.

Product #4: Concealer refill in the color Buff. This seems to be a full sized refill that they sell on their website for $4.85
Product Description: No real description available but a concealer doesn't really need much describing.
Coupon: 20% off the Yaby website
First Impression: This was something I wasn't sure about when I saw it in the preview pictures from the Facebook page because I wasn't sure if they would send me the correct color, but they did and I'm excited to try it out. As you know I am still on the hunt for the perfect concealer.

Not Pictured above:

Product #5: Zoya nail polish in the color Jacqueline. This is a full sized product that sells on their website for $8.00.
Product Description:  Light creamy beige has slight warm undertones and a glossy crème finish.
Coupon: Buy 2 get 1 free on the Zoya website
First Impression: I wasn't in love the color simply because it seems very similar to colors I already had and I wanted something a little different. Luckily my friend got a minty green color so we are trading. Unfortunately I have given her the polish I got but haven't gotten the one she got from her so I don't have an actual picture to share.

Total value of the bag: $39.35... Once again I only paid $10!! Such a great value and I love everything I got. Don't forget you can sign up at Ipsy.com

 

 

Mommy Monday: Gift Exchanges with strangers, and a give away!!

Since becoming a mom a whole new community has opened up to me. When I was pregnant I had the What to Expect When Expecting app on my phone. Within that app there was a November due date community board that I kept in touch with because it was nice to see other mom's that were in the same stages of pregnancy as me. That group spun off a Facebook group and that is where I keep in touch with them now. It is so great to have a group of women that have babies around Sloane's ago that I can go to for advice or support.

I'll admit I'm not a frequent poster in the group but I read posts in the group daily and from time to time I'll comment on a post when I have something to say. Overall I just enjoy having the group to follow. A fun way that the group stays connected is by doing gift exchanges.

The first one I participated in was the Mother's Day gift exchange. A couple group members organized the whole thing through Elfster.com This is an awesome website that helps you pair up people in a secret Santa type fashion. You can also make a wish list on the website to help your secret mommy get a better idea as to what types of things you would like as a gift.

 

I was so excited to participate in this gift exchange that I was trying to decide what to get the mother I had for a month! I looked at so many options and finally decided on something that I thought honored the Mother's Day theme. I got her a silver cuff bracelet with an inspiring inscription about mom's on it and "Are You My Mother" by P.D. Eastman, on of my favorite books when I was a child.

 

I sent the package through the US mail and unfortunately I got it out a little late so it didn't make it before mothers day. The gift I got however came well before mothers day.

The mommy who had me sent me a Passion Fruit Daiquiri Philosophy Shower set that came with shower jell, body scrub and lotion. I have always wanted to try out the Philosophy brand but just never had so it was exciting to get this as a gift. The package also has a recipe for a Passion Fruit Daiquiri that I want to make. I have searched for passion fruit around where I live and haven't been able to find any but I hope to find some so I can include that in my review blog of the product.

I am actually signed up to do two more gift exchanges now, both with a summer theme. One is once again through the group and the next is just signed up through a blog I follow. I'm excited to see what I get from those exchanges and I'm excited to go shopping for these exchanges as well. I love giving gifts!

Now for the give away!!! I got my very first from Inflenster, which is a sight that you basically do reviews on products and share the reviews you do through your social media. There is just some little things you have to do, like linking your social media and answering a short survey, to qualify for the FREE boxes. So my first box had Palmolive Soft Touch dish washing liquid in it. It came with two bottles so I figured why not give away one! To enter all you have to do is write a comment on this blog post (not a comment on the Facebook post but on this actual blog post) I'll randomly draw the winner on Friday5/24/2013 and contact you to get your shopping information!

 

 

Day 6 of counting calories

I am finally attempting to lose this baby weight! Shopping for new work pants was a depressing eye opener. I thought I'd share my plan for my weight loss and the tools I am using to reach my goals.

First of all I am counting calories and for course in this day in age I use my smart phone to help with that. I am using the Lose It app on my iPhone. This app is pretty great! You can search their database for foods or restaurants, you can scan a bar code and the nutritional information is right there, or you can enter the information yourself. You can also record your workouts and that gives you more calories for the day, but I try not to use those. I used this app before I was pregnant during the Biggest Loser competition at my gym. I know it works as long as I'm honest about everything I eat and I actually record it. It's also really important to keep portion control in mind.

I have a cheapo food scale I use daily that I find really find important while on a diet. I actually think I'll be buying a digital food scale very soon cause the tray of my cheapo scale is cracked.

Right now my work outs consist of just walking with Sloane. I have found it pretty hard to drag myself to the gym. There are many excuses I use to not get myself there. I paid for child care but then I have to get to the gym when it is open which is 9am-1pm. Now you would think this would be a perfect time but I usually want to work out right when I work out. Also Sloane's nap time is right around 9am so I would have to wait till after her nap but by that time I'm wanting to get things done around the house cause there is always dishes/bottles to be washed, laundry to be done, toys to be picked up, blogs to be written, so on and so on. Yeah I know these are all excuses but I also don't like the idea of being away from Sloane, when I could be hanging out with her, hence the walks.

My motivation is mainly to too tight work pants. I got work pants that fit but are just a bit tight so it reminds me not to eat junk. I also find motivation on Pintrest and in YouTube videos I watch. I also want to keep signing up for 5K's to keep giving me something tangible to work towards.  My next 5K is going to be the Run of the Mill on July 6th. This is actually the first 5K I ever did I think two years ago. This is a timed 5K and I would really hate to see a really horrible time compared to my other 5K in the past. 

 

So I'm only on day 6 of this attempt at losing the baby weight but I'm feeling pretty great and I'm thinking I'll be able to keep this up!

 

Do you have any diet tips you can share that would keep me motivated. I think a real key to staying focused is to keep trying new things to keep it exciting!

Beauty Wise Wednesday, On Thursday: My First Beauty Hau!l!

I didn't really have anything to blog about yesterday since I hadn't gotten my Ipsy bag yet so I thought I'd wait till today to blog since I knew I was going to go shopping. I actually got a lot more than I thought I was going to get but didn't spend too much!

Boots expert sensitive light moisturizing lotion: Picked this up at Target and I'm excited to try it. It was recommended by Hannah over at The "krustee" BLOG

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails hardener: This is something I have been using for years. I feel like it really works and it's so inexpensive!

Maybelline The Mega Plush waterproof mascara in brownish black: I picked up waterproof because I feel like I am constantly getting raccoon eyes from regular mascara. I just LOVE the wand in this variety.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 in Creamy Natural: I just finished up this stuff today so I had to run out and buy some more. I want to try a new foundation but I didn't want to not have this just in case I didn't like the new stuff.



e.l.f. Flawless Eyeshadow palette in Happy Hour: I wanted to try out to e.l.f. stuff cause I have heard lots of good things about it and once again so inexpensive!

e.l.f. Tone Correcting Powder: I have always wanted to try something like this and at $3 I figured why not.



e.l.f. Lip Stain in Pink Petal: I'm not huge on lip things cause I always forget to put them on but I like the concept of a lip stain. I'm pretty sure one of my friends has this lip stain and likes it.

e.l.f. Powder Brush: I've been using an old cheap blush brush to put on my powder each day so I thought I'd pick this up.

 

Mommy Monday: Adventures at the Children's Museum

Sloane turned 6 months old last week and to celebrate we thought it would be a fun idea to check out one of the many children's museums we have in our area. As it turned out I needed to stop by my work in Bellevue that day so we decided to check out Kids Quest children's museum in Bellevue located in the Facoria mall. It's also a check mark to one of the items on my summer wish list!!

I had originally heard about this children's museum from a Seattle magazine saying this was a highly rated children's museum. I was especially eager to check out the area that was designed for children under 3 years old.

We arrived a bit before 10am and learned that members are able to go in a half hour early but general public weren't allowed in until 10am. A membership cost's $99. We decided to kill time around target until it opened.

(Sloane checking out this things in the play house)

 

(Making friends where ever she goes)

At 10am we paid at the front desk, $9 per person, Sloane is free until she is a year old. We made a bee line to "the back yard" which is the area designed for children under 3 years old. Sloane of course took a little bit of time to grasp the whole area but once she warmed up she was crawling all over the place. It's a fun area that has little play houses, fish tanks, a big train track set, tree's to play in, puppet show area, play tables, a big open play area with block and other toys plus a lot more!


We started our playing in the play houses where they had fun sensory play things that Sloane could touch and explore. She even made friends with a 9 month old baby in one of the play houses. We made our way around the rest of the back yard and finally landed in the big open area where Sloane could crawl around. She liked this area the best cause she has tons of freedom and she could watch all the older kids. Our only struggle was trying to get her to not put everything in her mouth.


Once done with the backyard we decided to check out the rest of the museum. Next stop, the water play area. We knew Sloane would love this too cause she just loves splashing. She just loved the running river and was splashing up a storm. We did have to hold her which made it a bit difficult for her to reach the water well so that is something she will enjoy more when she is older. The rest of the museum was a bit too old for her but Mat and I had a blast finding out our height, playing with the scarf wind tunnel, and trying to make a target with a big air drum.

Overall I think the museum was a blast and I think it would just get better as Sloane got older. They offered a story time but we didn't stay for that. I liked that it was small so not too overwhelming but still offered a lot of fun things. One thing we didn't notice when we first came in were the lockers, which would have been nice to use, they are located in the back on the museum. I don't think we will be getting a membership to this museum but I think we will defiantly be back. We will scope out the other two children's museum and see which we want to get a membership to!

May is for Mom's: An interview with my mom.

It is time again for the May is for Mom's blog link up over at Not You Average Crazy! If you don't know, this is a mommy blogger link up. The first three Sundays in May we answer a few questions about mom's. This week is an interview with my mom. If you know my mom you know she is a bit emotional so her answers are a little held back but just so you know she called me after the interview crying because of all the memories the interview brought up.

 

An Interview With My Mother

1. How did you feel the moment you found out you were pregnant with me?

Mom: *Laugh* "oh my gosh", kind of, then "oh yeah!" She couldn't get pregnant for a while so once she did she was excited and shocked. "Elated"

 

2. Was I a wonderful surprise or carefully planned?

Mom: wonderful surprise

3. What was the most challenging time in my childhood? Why?

Mom: when I was going through the divorce and I was trying to get custody of you and your brother. You weren't a challenge ever.

 

4. Did you worry more about me as a child or now that I am an adult?

Mom: I would say I worried more as a child just because you were a child but now you are an adult and you are just great.

5. What is one thing that you thought was deeply important when I was a baby that you now realize did not matter at all?

Mom: tough question... I don't have answer for that... After rewording the question she said that she worried about teaching me how to spell but now in this day in age she doesn't see as too much as a problem for me even though I still don't spell well.

~As a reverse to that question she never thought to instill religion in me and not thinking it would be needed and now that I am grown and I don't believe in God she wishes she would have been able to instill a belief in God in me.

 

 

 

Just for a quick update from my blog yesterday, We did the 5k today. It was so much fun and we got just completely covered in paint!!! I was absolutely bursting with pride for my dear friend Kristin over at Cupcakes and Cosmos for doing the 5K! This is her first and we didn't so any training. I know it was a struggle for her but she made it through just fine. I can't wait to see how much she can improve for the next 5k we do!! I know we want to do the Fremont Oktoberfest 5k but I think I might want to find one before then just to keep myself and her motivated.

 

 

 

The Color Run Eve

Well tomorrow is our Color Run 5K. I'm doing it with my best friend Kristin. This will be her first 5K and it will be my first one back after having Sloane. I have to admit that we didn't do very good at preparing for this but luckily it is a fun run where they don't time you and they even allow people with strollers to run. I won't be running with Sloane cause I don't really want to have to worry about getting one of our strollers destroyed with paint.

One thing I have done to prepare is to make sure I'm doing the stretches that my foot Dr gave me. I had plantar fasciitis a while ago and I finally went to a foot Dr. Luckily enough we gave me three stretches that really helped out not only the plantar fasciitis but also the cramps I get in my feet when I run or walk fast.

We tried going to the gym a few times but that didn't really workout cause when it's sunny outside it's really hard to want to go to the gym. Last week we did make it to Green Lake where I had run a 5K previously so I knew the path to make it a 5K. We did that and sis just fine. I think we will pick up the pace for the actual race but at least we know that we won't die at least.

I'm really looking forward to this run. Not only cause it is just going to be super fun getting paint powder tossed on us but also I think it will give me the kick in my ass to actually start working toward getting off the baby weight. I'll admit right now I even gained weight after giving birth because I just couldn't eat enough then breast feeding. Now that Sloane is 100% formula I have actually been able to control my appetite and I have now gone 2 days in a row counting calories (this is sad but exciting because I hadn't been able to do that since Sloane was born)

Today Kristin and I are off to Seattle to pick up our race packets and then we are going to spend the day in Seattle with Sloane just enjoying the awesome sun we have had lately.

Beauty Wise Wednesday: April Ipsy Bag Review

My May Ipsy bag is about to be sent out tomorrow so I knew it was time to give you guys my final thoughts about my April Ipsy bag...

Product #1: Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal w/Argon oil. .85 fl oz. The full size product is $21.95 for 4.2 oz on Ulta.com. I figure that this sample size is a value of  $4.40.
Coupon Code: Save $5
Product description: Nourishing Styling Treatment. It says that it helps speed up blow drying or to reduce frizz.
Review: I love this product! the smell is so lovely; kind of a sweet and spicy vanilla scent. You need to use very little through your hair and it makes your hair so soft. I did try using it by it's self in my curly hair and it didn't really kill much of the frizz but paired with other hair products it holds up well and doesn't make my hair feel greasy. The only down side I'd say is that it's difficult to get the product out of the bottle because you can't squeeze it but I guess that is to prevent you from using too much at one time. I must say I didn't try this out to see if it reduced blow drying time but I'm willing to bet it works.

Product #2: Be a Bombshell Blush in Sweet Cheeks. This is $16 on the Be a Bombshell website.
Coupon Code: 30% off + Free eye shadow
Product Description: It's a light pink shade with a bit of a shimmer.
Review: I really like this color. It seems very bright in the package but it goes on more mellow and it gives you such a sweet pink glow. Upsetting cause the coupon code expired too quickly so I won't able to take advantage of the free eye shadow. Note for the future: take advantage asap.

Product #3: Two Cosmetics Duo Eyeshadow in Heartache. This is currently on sale on the Two Cosmetics website for $5.75.
Coupon Code: 25% off + free lip gloss
Product description: It is two shades of pink. first is a rosy pink that's matte and the other is a light shimmery pink.
Review: These are still a couple of iffy colors for me. I have used them with a variety of base colors and I still feel a bit paranoid that they are making my eyes look tired. I love the concept of sweet, romantic pink eyes so I will continue to experiment with these. Overall I'm happy to have gotten these so I could have the opportunity to play around with pinks.

Product #4: Miss Professional Nail Sation Nail Lacquer in Love at First Byte. This is $5 in the Miss Professional Nails website
Coupon Code: 20% off
Product Description: It's a bit of a salmony pink.
Review: I wore this color twice this month hoping that it would grow on me. I asked nearly everyone what they thought of the color and the rest reaction I got was that it made my fingers look like they are cold. I just wasn't really attached to the color and I probably won't choose to wear it again. It did make a great gift for my mom.

Overall I'm very happy with this months bag. I truly have not real complaint about my ipsy bags so far. I look forward to next months bag, the teasers they've shown on their Facebook page look pretty exciting!

If you are interested in joining Ipsy let me know and I can send you a referral. Of course this is for selfish reasons... I can get a free eye shadow or bracelet with two referrals! If you don't want a referral I still encourage you to sign up. $10 a month is totally worth all the fun products you get to try out.

Sloane is 6 months old today!!!

To Our Darling Daughter

You are officially half a year old today and that means we survived being parents for 6 whole months. Lucky for us being your parents has been nothing but a joy. Looking over the past 6 months it is amazing how things change and how much you have grown.

We remember bringing you home when you barely moved, had a good amount of crying fits, and were pretty much just a ball of jello. You are now so strong and we can't dream of keeping you still. You crawl all over the house these days and even try and crawl over anything that is in your way.

You also have started using language (well baby language) to communicate what you want rather than just crying. It is amazing how happy you are all the time, we must have hundreds of pictures of your beautiful smile.

You have interacted with so many new people this month and you have done absolutely fabulous. You just hold every ones attention in the palm of your hand. I'm sure you will grow up to be quite the social butterfly. We can't wait to see what the next month brings in your growing.

Lot You Lots
Mommy and Daddy