My Beauty Flops

We all love a good beauty product, don't we?

What about the bad ones? The ones that don't really work for you, or just plain suck?

I've been told by many that they really enjoy my beauty product recommendations. I had an idea recently... I wondered if people would be interested in hearing about what products I don't care for. A few of my pals on twitter said they would definitely be interested in reading about that. I'm sure a lot of these products are great for some people. If I've listed something here that you are absolutely in love with, then great! I'm so glad it works for you! It just doesn't work for me.

As a side note, my skin is late twenties, combination/oily. I never have dry skin, unless I do a peel or use my Retin-A. I do tend to break out, although my skin isn't super sensitive. My skin tone shade is NW20 in MAC (for color reference), so I am on the fair side with cool undertones. My hair is naturally an ashy light brown, which is highlighted. My hair is pretty fine (let's not forget the lovely postpartum hair loss I'm experiencing right now), but I have a lot of it. It is pretty manageable, and will hold curl/straighten fairly easily. I have gray-blue eyes. Perhaps that info about me will help you understand my perspective.

So let's take a look at my not-so-favorite products. I will say it again: if it works for you, great! I am not intentionally insulting your holy grail beauty products just to make you mad. They just don't tickle my pickle.

Most ELF Items
Okay, I really tried to get on the ELF train. So many of you guys sing ELF's praises to the mountaintops and think it's the best brand ever. I must be the only person on the planet that really doesn't care for it. I honestly cannot find anything but one item I do like of ELF's. That item is their cream liner (I talked about it in this post), and I really think it is up there with MAC Fluidline. I am a huge gel eyeliner lover, as evidenced by this post. So, I guess if I find one really good thing that is comparable to MAC, then I have done semi decent. I tell you, though, I have tried and even returned so many of their items. The tinted moisturizer was orange sunscreen and smelled like chemicals, the eyeliner pencil sweated into the inner corners of my eyes, the liquid eyeliner pen dried out in two applications, the brushes are absolute crap and shed everywhere, the brow gel flaked and it looked like I had eyebrow dandruff, and the bronzer made me look like a glowy vampire without any bronze! You get what you pay for with this brand. You might think to yourself "AH MAH GAHD, it's only $1!" And I get it - it IS alluring. Especially when you're at Target and it's a rule of thumb to buy at least $20 more of items that you went in there for. But if you keep spending that over and over, you are wasting your money on a brand that doesn't deliver. I might upset a lot with my ELF dissing, but so be it. I tried, people. I TRIED. I'm glad it at least works for you. Perhaps their items are better from ordering online? I have no idea. If someone would like to send me items to review, I'd be happy to... it's just too much of a gamble for me!

Benefit "They're Real!" Mascara
This is another item that was getting a lot of buzz lately. I was so excited to try it because I am such a mascara junkie. I am always buying new mascara in search of my HG (holy grail). In my experience, my favorite mascaras come from the drug store, because I feel that they deliver the same, if not better, results than some high end brands. Besides, mascara is something that you should replace often and you might as well buy drugstore. Anyway, this mascara was a BIG FAT FAIL on me. No matter what I did, it clumped beyond belief. It looked like I had three clumpy eyelashes that looked like spider legs once I was finished mutilating my eyes. I thought, okay, then this needs a little drying out before it will work better. I sometimes let mascaras sit in my drawer for a few weeks before using so they can "dry out". Tried again. Same results. The applicator actually HURTS while going on, too. How in the world does a mascara wand hurt? Well, this actually does. Why the heck did I spend THIS MUCH on a crappy mascara? At least I used my 20% off Ulta coupon on it. I am going to stick to my new favorite - L'Oreal False Fiber Lashes Waterproof (talked about in this post).

Garnier BB Cream
BB Creams really have been getting a lot of attention lately. I have been on the BB train for about a year now, and I've got to say, I don't overall understand the hype behind them. I don't see any significant improvement in my face after using them. They're just another cool foundation/tinted moisturizer in my opinion. I have the Dr. Jart one from Sephora and it is a great product, with awesome coverage. Just no skin miracles happened. This Garnier BB Cream is absolute crap. It makes my face become an oil slick, breaks me out, and has absolutely no coverage. Reminded me of that god awful ELF tinted moisturizer that matched my skin just a little better. It is chocked full of chemicals, yet they package the damn thing to look like it's SO GOOD for your skin. I don't understand it whatsoever. NEWS FLASH, PEOPLE. When there are chemical sunscreens in your face products, it is not good for you. You need titanium dioxide or zinc oxide in a sunscreen. Those are natural sunscreens! None of this oxybenzoateblahblah stuff. I wish I had read the label in full before buying this. Don't even waste your time on it!

Dr. Perricone No Foundation Foundation
I am trying to figure out what exactly this is supposed to do. It's like a nice face product but with added skin benefits and tinted to give coverage. So it's like a BB Cream, but not. This one, thankfully, has natural sunscreens. I wish it would have worked out better on my skin, because it makes me an oil slick and goes on very streaky, despite the ways I have applied it. Luckily I received this as a deluxe sample from Sephora (I spend way too much money there and I am always getting deluxe samples or sample sets) and didn't pay for it.

DiorShow Waterproof Mascara
Yet another one of those high end mascara traps I fell into. Yes, it's a good mascara. No, I will never pay that much for it ever again. I used my 20% off coupon from Sephora to purchase it, so at least I had that going for me. It dried out in less than a month and flaked off. Lesson learned. Stick to the drug store.

L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray
This seems to be the creme de la creme of hairsprays. Everyone loves this, and it is a cult favorite. I guess I am, yet again, the only person that doesn't care for this. First of all, it smells like old ladies. Second of all, it was pretty terrible at taming my fly aways. I don't even know that it held my style. It is also really expensive for drugstore hairspray. I like a hairspray that is super duper extra hold and UNSCENTED. I like to spray it on the top of my head to tame fly aways, and then on my style. I've had good luck with the Dove Unscented. But if you like a hairspray that is touchable and smells like the inside of a crazy old lady's house, this will probably work for you.

The Philosophy Brand
I might get a little preachy here talking about Philosophy, so pardon this in advance. I have the same beef with Philosophy as I do the Garnier BB Cream. It's branded and marketed to look like it's this super simple brand with natural ingredients. Okay, so read any product label of theirs and you will see the myriad of chemicals. Not to mention, the Purity Made Simple cleanser didn't take off my makeup, and Hope in a Jar made me an oil slick and broke me out. Let's not forget the chemical sunscreens in their moisturizers! Have you figured out by now that I am a huge advocate for natural sunscreens?

Benefit Posie Tint
This is such a fantastic idea. The color on this tint is beautiful. I just wish it worked on me. I think it would work pretty brilliantly on naked skin without any makeup on it. Because, when it is applied over foundation or makeup of any kind, it really cakes up your makeup and doesn't blend. Rather sad. It also looked pretty awful on my lips. Luckily, I received this in a deluxe sample size from Sephora.

Urban Decay's Sidecar Shadow (in Naked Palette)
Upon first glance of this shadow, it is a beautiful neutral taupe with a creamy pigmentation and goes on fairly easily. However, it turns you into a glowy glittery disco ball because about half of the shadow ends up on your face. There is so much glitter fallout from this shadow, I just stopped trying to use it. No matter what primers I used or even applying eye makeup before face makeup (I actually do that - do my eyes before my face) will prevent the glitter explosion. It's so sad, because it could be so beautiful!

Jergen's Daily Glow Lotion
This stuff just plain ranks. I can't handle the smell of self tanner, and the idea with this is to actually keep it on your skin for a while. I prefer to do my own spray tan, let it sit overnight, and rinse it off in the morning. See this post for reference.

Physician's Formula Summer Eclipse Bronzer
This is yet another bronzer that just made me look like a sparkly vampire without much color payoff. I should learn from my mistakes and just stick to matte bronzers with rich color. I can control the amount applied and do fantastic contouring.

Honorable Mention: Any Makeup Remover
I don't invest in any sort of makeup remover. I use straight up extra virgin olive oil. See this post for reference. I do keep a bottle of olive oil in the shower (now that's a sight to see) because I shower at night and this seriously is the best makeup remover I've EVER used! All natural, and good for your skin. I will say, though, I got some cleansing wipes from Yes to Cucumbers for when I was in the hospital having my baby, and I really enjoyed those. It's not like I could lug my bottle of olive oil with me to the hospital.

What about you? What beauty products are you not a fan of? 
Let's get this beauty bashing party started!

Feeling a Bit Uninspired

Yes, the most attractive picture of me.

I gotta admit, I've been feeling uninspired on the blog front lately. I think a lot of it has to do with being a mom and all I want to talk about is Kennedy. I realize that gets redundant. I also spend most of my time with her when I am home. That leaves little time for blogging.

I also realize that I make empty promises. I made a Q&A video that was pretty epic but wouldn't load into my iMovie so I couldn't edit it. So much for HD video files. I apologize for never answering your questions. MY BAD.

Summer is soon! We're talking less than two weeks left. Summer = time to blog. I want to take a little break to find some inspiration.

I know inspiration and time are within arm's reach. I just gotta find them and I'll seriously BRB.

Forgive me?

What would you like to read more about? 
I'm putting together a list of inspiration. So my comeback will be fierce.

BRB.

5 Months

Today Miss Kennedy is 5 months old! Can you believe it?

Kennedy Lately:

• This past month, Kennedy definitely had some trouble getting to sleep. We fought and fought with her to go down, tried starting her on solids (and then took her off them), and much more. However, this past week, she has been like a new child, going down in her crib without a fight and sleeping through the night! I'm so proud of her.
• She is awesome at grabbing objects, swatting objects, and trying to put everything in her mouth.
• Kennedy "talks" even more and has an opinion on just about everything. Her laugh isn't really a belly laugh, but sort of a chuckle, or sometimes a squeal.
• In fact, she's discovered the range and volume of her voice, and she loves to scream and squeal. It's funny but sometimes she can do this in public places were screaming isn't acceptable. Haha.
• We have done one physical therapy session and her torticollis is very mild (thank goodness!). We go back next week for a follow up. I will say that Kennedy's range of motion on her left side is way better after doing the exercises and she has been getting a lot of tummy time each day.
• Kennedy loves her weekly schedule. She is awesome during the day away from me, and it has gotten a lot easier to leave her (although it is still hard and I'd rather be with her). 
• She loves to "stand" when you're holding her and stomps her feet like she's going to run, or do a jig. 
• She wants to sit a lot more, too, and she is very close to sitting on her own. 
• Kennedy can roll from back to front and front to back. She is amazing.
• She is wearing 6 month clothes, and they fit her pretty well. She can still squeeze into some of her 3 month clothes. I've noticed she takes after me - clothes are loose in the waist but tight in the butt and thighs. Ha... story of my life.
• I love my little girl's personality and I still can't believe it's possible to love her as much as I do.

This was too cute not to share. Little diva was getting tired of this photoshoot.

How She's Grown:

One Year Ago, Last May 13

One year ago, last Friday the 13th of May, we were greeted with this image.

And a heartbeat.

Three days prior I had no idea I was pregnant, and all of a sudden there she was, moving around on the screen with a glorious heartbeat pounding out a strong rhythm.

I think it's so beautiful how my first Mother's Day with my baby out-of-uetero is exactly one year later. I also happen to think any Friday the 13th is a happy day because it reminds me of this day.

What a blessed day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the beautiful, strong moms out there. 

Insta-Food {volume 1}

I've been posting a lot of my dinners on instagram lately and have been getting some positive feedback and people asking for recipes. So I figured I would start posting the recipes on my blog! How fun is that? If you'd like to participate with me, leave me a comment directing me to your blog post! You can post about whatever food you are putting on instagram, whether or not you include recipes.

Anyway, I won a giveaway from Meghan for a 3 month subscription to Emeals. I have been wanting to try it for a while now! I think we are going to continue our subscription once the three months are up, too. Emeals, basically, is a meal planning service that not only gives you endless options for recipes, but a weekly shopping list. My husband and I are doing a low fat plan and it's really taken the fuss out of figuring out what to eat for dinner. We have also saved quite a bit of money not eating out! A few of these meals were from Emeals, but a lot of times I adapt them (especially to reduce sodium) and add in other things I have in the kitchen. My only complaint with Emeals is the high sodium in some of the recipes, and some recipes aren't as "clean" as I would like. But if I see that, I usually change it or scratch that recipe from the weekly menu. But, all in all, I've enjoyed trying new things while still staying healthy.

So, let's get to it.

Salmon & Pineapple Skewers

Ingredients:

- Marinade: 1/4 c. light soy sauce, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp ground ginger)

- 1/2 lb. salmon, cut into cubes

- 1/2 lb. pineapple, cubed

- 1 small red onion, cut into chunks

- 1 can black beans, rinsed

- 1 Roma tomato

- 1/2 lime

- 1 cup quinoa

Preparation:

- Set 1 cup of quinoa to cook per package instructions. 

- Combine marinade in a zip top bag. Add salmon and  refrigerate at least 1-2 hrs. Once ready, alternate pieces of  salmon, pineapple and red onion on skewers. Place under the broiler and cook 2-4 min, rotate and cook 2-4 min more.

- Microwave black beans 2 minutes. Add in chopped onion (leftover from skewers), tomato, and lime juice.

Chicken & Rice Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
¼ c finely chopped celery
½ of 10 oz can RF cream of mushroom soup
½ c chicken broth
1 T instant onion soup mix
½ rotisserie chicken, shredded*
1½ c hot cooked rice (1 t lemon pepper)
2 large green bell peppers, halved lengthwise &
seeded (FF spray, aluminum foil)
¾ c shredded 2% cheddar cheese

Preparation:
- In a large sprayed skillet, cook celery until tender. Add soup,  broth and soup mix and heat until bubbly over med high. Stir in chicken and rice. Spoon mixture into pepper halves; sprinkle with lemon pepper. Place in sprayed 13 x 9” baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 40 min at 350°. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and re-cover until melted.
- I cut up some foccacia  and toasted it with a little bit of smart balance and garlic powder and microwaved some fresh green beans in a steamer bag.



Happy Friday! What food are you posting to Instagram?

On Starting Solids (Take One)

I have been wanting to hold Kennedy off on starting solids until she was 6 months old. Breastfeeding is going amazingly well, and I hoped not to interrupt a good thing.

However, ever since 3 and a half months old her sleep has gotten a little more interrupted. Kennedy has been a great sleeper since birth. In fact, I had to wake her to feed since she was jaundiced and we needed to get it out of her system. Yeah yeah, you can all hate me. I had that newborn who was perfect.

Lately, however, I've noticed her sleep has become more adult-like, which is pretty much by the book. Infants at this age have a bit more trouble falling back asleep unassisted. She wants to wake up and nurse.

She started showing many of the signs of a baby who might need to start solids. Her pediatrician recommended a small amount of rice cereal mixed with lots of breastmilk to see if that will help her be less hungry through the night. She said it's not pressing, so just when I can't handle her night wakings anymore.

So, we tried it. I can't say that it helped her sleep more, but I'm not even sure if she ingested much. Meh. We gave her a good week or two and decided it wasn't really helping her sleep. In fact, she had more trouble getting to sleep. She does alright once she's asleep, waking once.

I about pulled my hair out reading all of my baby sleeping books and thinking I was doing something wrong. Greg and I made the decision to try again at 6 months because there's no reason to give her something on the premise that it will "help her sleep" when it actually doesn't. We haven't given her any solids for three days and she doesn't miss it. She wasn't ready, and that's okay.

At least it made for a funny video! I had Greg do the honors of giving her the first solid food since my boob did the first honors of her liquid diet. My sister and I are cheering her on (I realize we do sound alike).

Gosh, this child's facial expressions are priceless.




My baby is already a drama queen.

Custom Door Hanger Giveaway

How lucky am I to have another giveaway planned for this Monday morning? It's going to definitely help me get through the week. Summer is so close! Eyes on the prize, baby!!

Anyway, I'm happy to bring y'all this giveaway hosted by the lovely Joelle over at Joelle's Journal!

Joelle is a new SAHM who's looking to boost her art site and gain friends and followers as she embarks on raising two kiddos and staying at home! She is super sweet and her kids are so cute. But what can I say? I love babies!!

Joelle is definitely talented and she also has an art blog where she creates some of the most adorable custom plaques, canvas bags, stools and chairs, wood decor, picture frames, and door hangers! Look at this stuff... I'm telling you... it's CA-YUTE! Can I take one of each, please?

Joelle is graciously giving away a custom door hanger! 

You can see some more examples on this page, but you can win something like...

The question is... who doesn't want one of those? See, I told you. CA-YUTE.

So stop staring at the ca-yuteness and enter this giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below.

April Beauty Favorites

Can y'all believe it's already May? This is crazy!!! I will say that I haven't purchased a whole lot of beauty products lately, as I am trying to save some money. And let's face it, I kind of have an overabundance of makeup. It's hard work being this hot. There were a few things purchased, but I also want to focus on some things that I am reaching for more in my makeup routine.

So, let's talk about my favorites in April!

April Beauty Favorites

NYX Smokey Eye Palette

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NYX is such an awesome drugstore brand. I love almost everything I get of theirs. I have had this palette for quite some time now, and I just started using it a lot again. It is such a great palette! You can create everyday smoky looks along with dramatic smoky looks. The best part is this palette was only around $8! I have found it most of the time at Ulta (because they carry a wide array of NYX products). The quality of these shadows is amazing. They are highly pigmented, are pretty creamy, go on easily, and do not flake. Do yourself a favor and get yourself one. If smoky looks aren't your thing, they have a wide selection of other palettes for other looks!

L'Oreal Colour Riche Lip Balm in Caring Coral

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Lip butters seem to be all the rage lately, so I picked up a few for myself. I got the Revlon one and this one (which was actually cheaper). I've got to say, I really like the L'Oreal one more. It is a lot more creamy and moisturizing, while the Revlon one seriously tastes like sunscreen. I especially love this coral color for spring and summer. It's sheer with just the right wash of color.

Macadamia Deep Repair Masque

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This hair masque has gotten a lot of buzz, and I was in the market for a masque. This comes at a pretty steep price of $30, but I used my Ulta 20% off coupon to purchase it. I will say it is very moisturizing and is a wonderful hair masque! I really enjoy using this. I have used it pretty consistently and my hair health is really improving overall. However, I probably won't purchase it without another coupon because I just can't justify spending that much on one hair product. Granted, you get a ton of product for the price. 

Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer

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I got a deluxe sized sample of this (the "to go" size) through using my VIB points and I am adoring this primer. It seriously has lasted forever and all you need is a tiny amount to get the entire face primed. I am not a huge fan of silicone-feeling primers (i.e. Smashbox) because they end up greasing up on me, and this one is just perfect. It doesn't "feel" like other primers on the skin but it sure does a great job at getting my makeup to last all day. I am not one to reapply makeup throughout the day, so this works perfect for me.

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly

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This is another product I've had for a while but I started reaching for a lot again. Paint pots are cream shadows, but they work awesome as eyeshadow bases. The color in this is perfect for evening out the coloration of my eyelids before I apply eyeshadow. I feel this helps my eyeshadow stay just as well as any other primer I've used before, but I have really been loving its color correcting properties. These also last forever and a little goes a long way.

So there you have it!

What have you been reaching for a lot this past month?