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Monday, February 24, 2014

Mommy Mondays - Mocktails

In case you didn't know I am currently 31 weeks pregnant. However, last week at work was rather exasperating. I am training a new girl and the process is going slower than expected. I was also a little hormonal and moody but that's normal for a pregnant lady :)

While I was sitting at my desk I got a strong craving for a cocktail. But, the baby is underage so I settled for a mocktail. Going to the grocery store, I grabbed things that looked interesting and below is the mocktail that satisfied my fruity cocktail craving.


I found Cucumber dry soda and mixed that with equal parts of Dragon Fruit Mango juice. But that was a tad sweet so I added another part Cranberry juice and a quarter of a lime. It gave me the tartness or bitterness that I like in cocktails.


What mocktails or cocktails have you been loving lately?

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Empties!

I'm not sure about you but I love reading or watching empties.

I think it is great to hear what someone thoughts after using the entire product. However, it is important to remember that my tastes will not match everyone elses. Also, my skin type is combination, sensitive, and a pain in the butt.

The first are bath and or body products. First is the St. Ives Intensive healing body lotion with cranberry seed oil and grapeseed oil. I really enjoyed this product. I have been trying to moisturize my whole body and this was great at keeping my skin soft during this dry winter. Mainly I used it on my arms and legs, but I never got dry joints!
St. Ives Purifying Sea Salt body wash was good. It is an exfoliating body wash which I enjoyed but the bottle was so large. I got tired of it because it lasted too long. Maybe one day I'll repurchase it but for now I need something new. 
BioInfusion Keratin Smoothing Conditioner was something I picked up at Walgreens because it was on sale for half off. Once I found out I was pregnant, I tried to use more natural products especially during the first trimester. However, it was very disappointing. My hair was so dry from it and incredibly staticy. I don't recommend it. 
 I bought the Aveeno Positively Nourishing Comforting Whipped Souffle to moisturize my belly, buttocks, breasts, and thighs. I wanted a more natural lotion with shea and cocoa to help with stretch marks. I enjoyed it and currently do not have any stretch marks, however I had other body butters I used once this became empty. 
Lastly, Bath and Body Works Body Butter in the scent, Be Enchanted. I really enjoyed the texture and smell of this lotion. It was a Black Friday purchase and felt like that was a good way to buy it. I might repurchase it if there is another very good sale and once I run out of other lotions. 


Skin care and make up is going to be much more subjective. 
First up: Lerosett. I love this mask and am already halfway though another. It is a staple in my bathroom. Feel free to read more about it in my post about Face Masks.
Next is the Vanedo Beauty Friends face sheet mask in Aloe. I have a love hate relationships with sheet masks. The idea behind them is so neat but I don't feel like they do much for me. It was moisturizing but I didn't see it soothing or calming my face. Also, it is hard to tell if sheet masks work or not because they are a one time use. In case you were wondering, I bought this at a local Korean market and put it in my stocking for Christmas. 
The e.l.f eyelid primer is a great drugstore primer. I have extremely oily eyelids and crease as soon as eyeshadow goes on. This usually helps my eye makeup last at least 6 hours. Also, I really like that it is a skin tone shade s because it covers up my veins and gives me a blank canvas. For $1, you can't beat this product. My only complaint is that I screwed the lid on too hard and the packaging cracked, so the product dried up quickly. However, I have already repurchased. 
The Revlon Photoready concealer works really well at hiding redness and blemishes but I went through it very quickly. I bought a second one, which is almost gone, but probably won't purchase a third just to try out another.
The Neutrogena Oil Free moisturizer was fine. It did its job and I didn't break out but nothing impressive. I did not repurchase because I had another moisturizer to use.

What products have you used up or do you recommend??


Kristen

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Favorite Face Masks

Face masks are my favorite relaxation activity. After a long day all I need is a warm bath and a good face mask.

My skin is sensitive and combination. I have struggled with acne off and on at different severity levels but found that when I use these masks consistently, my skin tends to be a bit better.

Lerosett ($30-40, you can also buy it on Amazon)

This is my holy grail mask. I always have it on hand and try to use it at least once a week depending on my skin. However, you can use it up to twice a day depending on the acne severity. I used this twice a day for 3 weeks leading up to my wedding and my skin was completely clear. You can also use it as a spot treatment or just on the trouble areas. When I take this off, I either take a warm washcloth and let it sit on my face to loosen the mask or use my Clarisonic.





Alba Botanica Pore Perfecting Papaya Enzyme   ($10-15)

Enzyme masks are great "pre-masks". I like to use this before a hydrating or mild treatment mask. It helps deep clean pores and removes the dead skin cells. This only takes 5 minutes so it is a great freshen up if used by itself.

Yes to Tomatoes Clearing Facial Mask ($15)

Once in a while I like to change up my treatment masks so instead of using Lerosett I will use this one but only once every two weeks. It is great at clearing my skin and reducing the redness.

Origins Drink Up 10 Minute Mask ($20-25)

Because I have combination skin, once in a while my skin needs a good drink of hydration. I like using this one after an enzyme mask or exfoliation treatment. This allows the fresh skin to be hydrated instead of trying to bring dead cells back to life.

I have linked all of these on my Luvocracy page for your convenience!




What face masks do you love and why??


Sunday, February 2, 2014

Sunday Social

Sunday Social
On a snowy cold Sunday, I thought a nice way to get out without having to actually get out is to participate in Sunday Social. I read this once on MalSmiles and thought it was such a neat link up idea.

1. 4 Favorite bands you loved in high school 
Let me preface this by saying I graduated 5 years ago..
 OneRepublic (All time favorite!), Dispatch, The Fray, and probably Haste the Day (yep I have a wide taste in music)
2. 4 go to meals you’d love to learn to cook or can cook really well
I can cook chicken pot pie and chicken lettuce wraps super well. But I want to learn how to make more Mediterranean food like gyro sandwiches from scratch. That counts as four right.
3. 4 necessities to your daily life
Laptop, foundation, shower, and my contacts.
4. 4 makeup necessities you must have if you could only have 4 on
Foundation, concealer, blush, and mascara
5. 4 favorite apps on your phone or iPad
Hmmmm....
My most used would be the Google search bar, Super Sudoku, Instagram, and text messaging (does that count as an app. I'm going to count it)

What will you do on this Sunday? I plan to finish my paper for school, do laundry and then watch the Superbowl. By watch the Superbowl I mean eat the snacks and play on my phone.

Goals for this week? Mine is to sweep my hardwood floors twice and clean them with my wet Swiffer pads. Snow plus two doggies make for a very dirty floor!

Kristen

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Introduction

I thought the best way to start this blog is to give an introduction to it.

My thought for this blog to be a place where I keep track of my attempt to be a better woman, wife, and mother (when baby is born). To do this, I figured I could share goals, struggles, highlights, discuss books, health and exercise, food, and beauty items. I want this to be a safe place for us to come together, encourage and support each other.

Yes, this may be a lifestyle type blog but it is to encourage me to have a life where I don't get complacent and am constantly striving for improvement.

And since I love pictures on blogs. I thought I would share one of my two wild monsters enjoying our recent weather. Enjoy!