Skin Care Tip of the Week *Common Face Washing Mistakes*

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Excessive cleansing- Cleansing your skin more than twice a day can strip your skin of its natural oils and can actually cause your skin to produce MORE oil. Even if you are prone to breakouts or or have super oily skin you should still only wash your face morning and night.

Picking a cleanser that smells the best- Cleansers that are full of unnatural or synthetic fragrance can irritate you skin and cause a whole host of problems. Its a good idea to read the back and see where exactly the fragrance comes from.

Not leaving the cleanser on your skin long enough- In order for a cleanser to properly work it needs to be left on the skin for about 30-45 seconds before it is rinsed off.

Washing your face before using your shampoo and conditioner- If you are prone to breakouts around your hair line it is most likely due to the fact that your shampoo or conditioner was not fully rinsed off. In order to help prevent hair line breakouts its always best to wash your face AFTER washing your hair.

Washing your face in cold water- Yes cold water can wake you up but it will not open your pores which is important when washing your face because it allows for proper exfoliation. It is best to wash your face using warm (not hot) water.

So there you have it! A few tips that can give you better results when washing your face.

If you have any questions you can leave them in the comment section and I will be happy to answer

Early Birthday Celebration

Yesterday Ian and I celebrated my 26th birthday. My actual birthday is not until this week...but who likes to party on a weekday? Not that I actually party but I am just sayin.

We had a romantic little wine tasting date just the two of us. Other than it being dragon breathing hot it was pretty much perfect...

Thank God for the misters...ahhhh!

We had these little pastries that were filled with blue cheese and peaches. Delicious!

Tiramisu chocolate cake...I think that's what it was. Mmm!

Did we get one single picture of the two of us together? Nope. But I guess that's what happens when you are actually enjoying each others company..and snapping pictures of the grapes and misters of course :)

DIY Paper Beads

Making your own paper beads is SO easy and you most likely have everything you already need at home. The only thing I had to buy was the Mod Podge. My inspiration for this DIY came after seeing these beads. I knew I wanted to make my own. I did a little googling and came across a ton of how-to sites all with their own little spin on the idea. I found this one to be very helpful.

The awesome part about this project is each bead is totally unique and you can use whatever paper you want.

What you will need:

• Magazine or another source of paper. Nylon magazine ROCKS..its full of colorful pages, which is perfect for this project...and its a great read.
  
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Paint brush
• Mod Podge
• Toothpicks
• Scissors

Using the ruler make long triangles. These will determine how large each bead will be. Mark them with the pencil.

Cut out all the different sized triangles.

Begin tightly rolling your bead onto the toothpick. Roll starting from the wide side of the triangle.

Using the Mod Podge apply a thick coat to seal the bead.

Once you apply the Mod Podge roll the glue around the bead until it is fully coated and sealed. After rolling a few beads without gloves I realized I needed gloves DUH. So add vinyl gloves to your list of things you need.

Lay them flat and let them dry.

All dried and ready to go!


In a few weeks we are going on a little vacation...which entails taking our one year old on a plane. AHHH scary! BUT I have some amazing giveaways coming up while I will be away so stay tuned!

Thrifty Momma Thursday *Buy Sell or Trade*

Before I became a Mom I cared WAY too much about jeans and I would spend hundreds of dollars on them. I would get a little high off of going into a department store and buying a new pair that made my butt look good. Isn't that why you buy jeans?! Well now that I am a Mom and my views on spending have changed, I think spending over $150 on a pair of jeans is STUPID stupid ..no matter how good they make your butt look.

I still love a good pair of Citizens or Paige Denim jeans but now I wont spend more that $30 on them.

I have discovered the amazing world of "Buy Sell or Trade" shops. Let me explain...

They are clothing shops that only buy sell or trade high end clothing..for a GREAT price! You can bring in your old pair of jeans that you just might be a little sick of wearing..or God forbid the dryer shrunk them..I hate when that happens ;) They will either give you cash (cash is good) or store credit towards something else. Genius!! This is the only way I buy new (new to me) jeans now and I love it!

If you have never heard of shops like this before I have listed a few links below and you can see if any are in your area. If the links I listed are not in your area you can do a little Google search for "Buy Sell and Trade Clothing" and you are bound to find one close to where you live.


The Buffalo Exchange

Urban Exchange

Cross Roads Trading

Beacon's Closet



Have any of you ever done this? I am so curious to see who else trades in their jeans for new ones.

Today is the last day to enter THIS giveaway

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

Fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies. Is there anything better than the smell of fresh baked cookies floating around your house? Nope.

My favorite little guy having a blast with the hose.

BBQing and enjoying a perfect summer evening sunset.

A sweet unexpected thank you note from an amazing reader. Made my day.

A much needed girls night out! SO much fun. Non stop laughing and chit chatting reminded me how important a little girl time is.

Pan Seared Honey Citrus Scallops

Ian has working his butt off at work so I decided to make him a celebratory dinner to show him how proud of him I am. Scallops it is!

Scallops fit into the "fancy" category. This was my first time ever cooking scallops. As usual when I opened up the little brown package I started wondering things like... are they still alive like the clams were??! Do they have brains? I still have not figured out it they are still alive or not BUT they do not have brains or a central nervous system. Good to know. I don't like eating brains or central nervous systems.

I made a marinade that consisted of:

• 3 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons of honey
  
• 2 tablespoons of liquid aminos (a natural soy sauce alternative)
• A couple dashes of pepper

I let the scallops marinate in the mixture for a few hours in the fridge. I then pan seared them on the stove until they were cooked all the way through.

Picked some fresh basil from the garden as a "garnish." I know fancy right! ha!

Topped them with basil and Italian bread crumbs. They were delicious!!

Ian is the type of guy who asks our waitress what the best, "biggest portion" meal on the menu is. When he saw these he said, "Aw babe what a great appetizer, what did you make for dinner?" Haha!! Well needless to say I ran off to the grocery store to get more food.

Skin Care Tip of the Week *The many benefits of raw apple cider vinegar*

What you eat and drink not only plays a role in how your organs function but also how your skin looks and feels. As a licensed esthetician I believe in taking a more holistic approach when it comes to your skin and treatments. I tend to stray away from prescription drugs as quick fixes for skin ailments. Prescriptions don't last forever and often have pretty nasty side effects.

I believe there are better more natural remedies that can give you longer lasting results.

Today I am going to share with you a pretty amazing drink often dubbed the "Golden Liquid." I drink about 4 tablespoons mixed with water daily and I can tell a difference if I miss a few days for sure.

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar - The only vinegar that can and should be consumed daily.

Benefits:

• Helps clear acne when taken orally and applied topically. If applied topically you dilute it with water, dab it on a breakout and rinse after 15 minutes. If you have any questions about this or would like me to explain it further you can email me.
  

• Promotes digestion. A blocked digestive tract can lead to all kinds of skin problems. It is also a natural cure for constipation.
  

• Super high in minerals and potassium which can help slow down the aging of your skin.

• Helps reduce sinus infections and sore throats. Whenever we have a cold coming on this is what I have Ian and I overdose on.
  

• Encourages the growth of healthy bacteria within your body.
  

• Can help ease menstrual cramps.

• It has been used for centuries as a natural weight loss remedy.
  

When purchasing apple cider vinegar make sure that its says "Raw" and "Unfiltered." This is very important.

I really encourage everyone to drink at least 2-4 tablespoons mixed with water daily! You can also add a tablespoon of organic honey or stevia if it tastes too bitter for you.