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Perfect Balance 26 Jun 2020 6:41 AM (5 years ago)


Wouldn't it be great if you could just be given the perfect balance of fitness and health for your body type that would make you feel and look your best? I think this is the goal for most people when they start on their own health journey.  For me, my fitness and health journey started really young, you can read more about it here



In the last year I have been trying new things that I haven't tried before and I am learning more and more about what works and what doesn't.  I wish it was as easy as calories in calories out, but for some reason it just isn't.

Since Aug/Sept.  I have been lifting weights and intermittent fasting.  It has worked really well, but starting this year and through quarantine I have not stuck to my diet as well as I could have and I have noticed that I have started to bulk up more than I like with the heavier weights I was moving up to.

I am learning that my body type builds muscle very easily and I have to be careful about not lifting too heavy if I don't want to bulk up.  So, I started a new regime last month and I am already happier with how its working for me.

I started looking into things I could do that wouldn't bulk my muscles.  Disclaimer***There are a few different main body types and not all of them bulk up easily like mine, so don't think that you can't life heavy because I have a lot of friends that do and they love it and don't get bulky. I wish I could keep lifting heavy because I love it, but I hate getting bulky and my clothes not fitting- just my own personal preference***

I discovered Rachael Attard and she had the EXACT same weight lifting experience as I did!  I could have written her experience myself.  Go check out her free information and videos (if you are bulking up and not getting the results you want from weight lifting) because she has a lot of great stuff, and I will share my new regime once I figure out what works for me.

Combining Rachael Attard/s exercises along with some yoga I am slowly figuring out what works best for my body type and to be in the kind of shape I prefer to be in.



Perfect Balance activewear has been really great for beginning to learn yoga.  Their leggings have rubberized landmarks to show you how to properly align yourself and also keep you in place so you don't slip- which is so helpful! If you are wanting to get into yoga- they are a great brand to start out with.


Their clothing is also really flattering and modest- not see-through and the sports bra has a higher neckline. I love that they allow me to move any way I need with no adjustments needed!

I am excited to continue to work on balancing my health and fitness and sharing with you the things I find that work best!



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Bright & Beautiful Studios Befores and Afters! 26 Feb 2020 4:58 PM (5 years ago)


Many of you know about the office we renovated last year, but I haven't shared the before and after photos or shared the whole story yet!  About a year ago we started renovating my father-in-laws old dental office in Orem, UT.  I had been itching to do a renovation and when the opportunity arose it just felt right.  We basically gutted it down to the walls and even took out a couple of those.


We had to get some plumbing done and got our floors done by someone else too- let me know if you need either because both guys are AWESOME and we are thrilled with all the work they did for us.  Other than that we were able to do the rest ourselves with the help of some of our wonderful friends- you know who you are!

It was a crazy amount of work that we somehow squeezed into limited weekends and for me some of it during the day, still trying to juggle my part time photography stuff and the kids.  The whole summer was spent in the office, and my kids were definitely glad when we took a much-needed vacation to the Northwest for a couple weeks.  They have been SUCH troopers through the whole thing and we are taking them to Florida in a month for all their patience haha!

The office was in good condition, very well taken care of since its build date in the early 80's.  It just needed a little makeover.  The outside has not been touched, but we hope to be able to paint it and update it a little soon.  These are our future plans:





First the waiting room:




In every room we painted the walls a bright white and took out the floors.  We also took out all the fluorescent lighting and had to scrape off a lot of popcorn ceiling under all of that and patch a lot of the walls and ceilings.  We also took out a door or two and put in a couple little walls in those places.



We added a faux shiplap wall treatment on many of the walls in the studio. I love how much character and interest they give it.


We tore out SO MANY shelves and cabinets.  This wall with the sign used to have a big shelf built into it.


The name came from a poem my grandpa wrote a year before he passed away.  He wrote something about each of his grandkids and when he wrote about me he called me "so gosh darn bright and beautiful" and that compliment meant so much and will stay with me forever. :)

You can see the shelves and the swinging doors behind the front desk here:




One day I had a thought pop in my head to paint the window black.  So I played with the idea on my phone and decided I loved it!





Behind the swinging doors was the back room along with a closet for developing dental x-rays (dark room). We tore that out along with tons of cabinets.  The room is now an open and bright break room.



Before:

After:

We painted the counters and cabinets with Giani counter top paint and I will be posting more about that soon.  Highly highly recommend their products!


The fridge is where the closet/dark room used to be



This room used to house a panoramic x-ray machine.  We kept the shelves in it and turned it into a fun kids room.  I loved painting the wall murals and added wallsneedlove cacti decal.


Globes came from my mom's globe collection.  She used to have about 40!




This is the coziest, warmest spot in the studio-especially when the sun is shining!

 There were 4 bathrooms that we updated but I only have one example for now-sorry!  You can look on my instagram page to see another @jessicahillsdesign

Before:


After:


Hallways:





You can't see it very well, but we also took down the swinging doors to the mixing rooms and cut them straight to make them more modern, then painted them a glossy black.  I love how they turned out!




Before:

After:





Before:

After:

Before:

After:



Room #1:
Before:


After:

Letters from Woodland Manufacturing 
They were so amazing to work with!  Highly recommend!


Room #2
Before:

After:



Mixing Room #1
Before:

After:



Room #3
Before:

After:

Before:

After:


Room #4:





Combined Rooms:

We took out a half wall between these two rooms to make it more open.  Originally we were going to use this room for 4 hair stations, but after all was said and done we decided to rent it out to JP Lash Studio and I love the way it turned out!

Before:

Progress:







More progress:





After: (it looks even nicer currently though- need new photos!)




I have loved seeing all the personal touches the girls add to their rooms:


It has also been a blast to rent out the back room (photo studio) and to see how creative everyone is that uses it!





The whole process was such a roller coaster!  I really loved doing it so much even with the stress and uncertainty involved.  I have loved working with the girls that rent and it has been a pleasure to get to know so many of them!  We still have some spaces that are open if you know anyone that would like to rent!  We currently rent to cosmetologists, estheticians, teeth whiteners, etc!

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Secrets to My Six Pack for a New Year & New You! 1 Jan 2020 5:00 AM (5 years ago)


If you would have told me at 16 that I would be in better shape when I was 35 I would have laughed in your face.  I was body-obsessed, eating 800 calories a day with an unhealthy relationship with myself, food, and probably others too.  I was shy, lacked confidence, and I am sure I had some major social anxiety I was just pushing down inside.




Fast forward 17 years and I have learned a lot about myself, my purpose, the amazing things my body can do, and that if I accept and love myself I can accept and love others more easily.



These things, along with a few eating and lifestyle changes has given me a healthier and able body, better relationships, more energy to do good in the world, and more time to spend with MUCH more worthwhile causes than working out my body and obsessing over food choices.  Here are my top 5 health hacks:


1. Intermittent Fasting:

If you haven't looked into intermittent fasting you should!  It is the best thing I have ever done for my health and my relationship with food.  The basics of it are not eating during a certain window of time (fasting 16 hours and eating 8 hours) so your stomach/digestive tract has time to cycle through the food and heal itself.  Then, during the eating window I basically try to eat as healthy as I can but I allow myself to eat whatever my body is craving.



2. Sleep:

I cannot stress how much sleep affects my health!  When I want to feel my best, perform my best, eat the healthiest, and get the best workout I HAVE to get enough sleep.  Obviously this isn't going to happen every single night, and on the days I don't get good sleep I try really hard to get a 20 minute cat nap mid-day.



3. Target strength training

This is the thing that has changed my fitness journey more than anything else.  I have ALWAYS been a cardio girl.  I LOVE cardio and I love to just run and think.  However, when I am running a lot I am also eating a LOT and I usually end up gaining weight.  Strength training has given me more muscle, I have been really really healthy this year, and I am at my goal weight because it doesn't make me really hungry all the time.  Plus. I don't get sweaty so I don't have to plan it around my schedule and shower time. I can do it mid-day and it only takes me an hour or less.



4. Mindful Eating. (80/20)

One thing I do try to do is eat as healthy as I can, but I still let myself have the unhealthy foods and treats I love.  80% healthy and 20% "fun" food are good proportions to start with :). While I was in Cancun I did intermittent fasting and ate out every single night and I didn't gain any weight!  It was awesome.  I didn't totally splurge, but I enjoyed every bite of food I ate and every chip dipped in guacamole!

5. Lots of fluids

While I do intermittent fast, I also drink a LOT of water/no calorie drinks.  I do "dirty" intermittent fasting and I drink any 0 calorie drinks I want during the fasting window.  This helps me get a lot of fluids during the day and I think this helps my digestion and also feel less hungry.  Some of my favorite are the Ideal shape drinks (SO many good ones!) and the Great Value or Crystal Light 0 calorie drinks for a budget-friendly option.

I hope that some of these ideas help some of you- they have been life-changing and I can't tell enough of my friends about it because it just gives me so much more freedom, health, and time to do better things in my life than worry so much about my health and fitness.  Here's to a new year of health and happiness!

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Woodland Manufacturing for Business Lettering 5 Oct 2019 3:24 PM (6 years ago)




I am so excited to start sharing all of the DIY projects I got to do in the studio this next month!  I am going to start with Woodland Manufacturing because it was the EASIEST DIY EVER!



Step One:  Order the letters you want on Woodland Manufacturing.  Their website is so easy to use and makes it simple. Go check it out: https://www.woodlandmanufacturing.com/unpainted-wood-letters-mdf.html



Step Two:  Stick the gorilla tape on the back of each letter and put-on the wall in desired location.


Step Three:  Admire your "project" if it can even be called that.  It was so easy!







These letters really do make the rooms!



As you can see they look good in all different lighting and at different times of the day.





Seriously, lettering can make SUCH an impact on a room, cost you less than most projects, and takes you just minutes.  Take a look at their website for other ideas too.

https://www.woodlandmanufacturing.com

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Stylish Harry Potter Bedroom 30 Sep 2019 5:04 PM (6 years ago)

It has been so long since I have been posting to this blog.  I have been busy renovating a studio and I am so excited to have a chance the next few months to share all about that. For today, I thought I might share Allie's bedroom we did in April.

I posted about this on Instagram, but I haven't posted on my blog yet and I thought I better share on here where everything was from.  


 
I got the tapestry from Amazon.  Here is one similar



Letterboard was from Walmart, but Target has some really great ones at great prices.


Birdcage was from Michaels...owl was from Hobby Lobby, but here is a stuffed one on Amazon



Mosquito net was from Ikea


Printables I found online...here are most of them:
http://saltywillows.com/index.php/2018/08/01/free-set-of-harry-potter-printables/



Candle holders were from DI and the candles are from our Halloween decor and random places.


Pillows are from Walmart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and Ikea.  Other candle holder is also from DI (like a Goodwill)



More printables can be found here





Picture of Allie taken at Universal Studios Hollywood :)




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Fave Things Friday 5 Apr 2019 5:30 AM (6 years ago)

I haven't done one of these posts in a while!  I have so many new favorite things that I want to share with you all!

1. Ana Luisa Earrings

These circle gold studs are so cute and versatile!  They have lots of other really beautiful, classic and quality pieces at affordable prices too.  Go check them out here.


2. Crumbl and Chip cookies

I will just leave this image here to do the explaining on this one.


3. Shape 360x (and everything else from Embee Deals)

This stuff tastes so good, especially with almond milk, has great nutritional value (including only about 100 calories) and it includes slendesta which helps suppress your appetite.  Need I say more?  It is half off at Embee Deals and they have so many other great things in their shop.


4. Rollup

My emails drive me crazy!  What a waste of time trying to go through the junk every day.  Rollup helps- check it out if you don't already use it.


5. Marie Kondo


With Spring cleaning under way, I have been trying to use Marie's way of thinking while decluttering and getting rid of stuff.  You can watch her show on Netflix. I am excited to use a lot of my extra house stuff at the office since it is too cute to get rid of.  I will share more about that in a later post!


6. Crock Pot Multi Cooker (AKA Instapot)


I am a huge crock pot user, and now that I have figured out the insta-pot I may even love that more!  It is the easiest to clean, takes less time than other cooking, and you can do so many things in it in less time!  I got the crock-pot multi cooker because it was half the price of an insta pot and does the same thing.


7. Purple Blue Hair


I've been having a little too much fun changing up my hair.  I needed some color this gray winter and the current is a silvery blue.  I think I will go back to pink this summer.


8. Podcasts


I've been riding the podcast train for a few years now, but my current faves are Better Than Happy and Rise. 


9. Current Reads:




10. Butter Keeper



I have been wanting one of these for like a year!  I finally caved (since I hate spending money on kitchen stuff) because Target had the most perfect one and it was only $13.


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Harry Potter Games Giveaway! 7 Dec 2018 1:58 PM (6 years ago)

If you read my last post about our very Harry Potter Christmas this year, you saw the cool games I am giving my kids this year for Christmas and all the other Harry Potter stuff they are getting.  Well, this week you have the chance to win these games yourself!  Just use the rafflecopter below to enter!







a Rafflecopter giveaway

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A Very Harry Potter Christmas 4 Dec 2018 11:51 AM (6 years ago)

Anyone else's kids obsessed with Harry Potter right now?  I am so excited it has gotten my kids to read and to bond over something.  My husband and I are not really big fans, but I will highly encourage anything that my kids can bond over haha!

Here are my top ten gift ideas for a very Harry Potter Christmas:

1. Harry Potter Magical Beasts Game

My kids are loving playing games as a family so I made sure that some of the gifts this year included some of those.  You can find this one here.



2. Harry Potter Tri Wizard Maze



I am really excited to try this game too.  They both look like so much fun for the whole family.


3. Make some butter beer!



Why not make your kids some butter beer for a fun addition to Christmas dinner?  Fun and inexpensive!  Here is a recipe.


4.  Movie Set



I actually bought the entire movie set this year since the kids have been loving watching them together- and now Trey and I can give it a shot too and have some good family time.  Plus. then we will have an idea of what Allie is talking about when she gives us her 30 minute stories about the books!

5. Book Set



I haven't purchased this yet...I am not sure Allie would read the whole series again so soon.  I will probably buy it in a couple years when Macsen wants to read them and Allie can read them again.

6. Makeup Brush Set with Necklace


I got this makeup brush set for Allie and she is going to love it!


7. Quidditch Ball Drone

The boys are getting some cheap drones this year so I thought Allie better get one too- how cool is this one?!

8. Clothing



If I hadn't just spent like $500 on kids clothes this last year I would be buying up all the Harry Potter clothes for the kids I could.  I just can't justify it haha!

9. Puzzles



My kids love doing puzzles during the lazy holiday vacation days.  These will be perfect to have out during Christmas Break.

10. Harry Potter World




This year for Christmas my kids are being extremely spoiled and their big Christmas present is a trip to Universal Studios in Hollywood.  This will be our big family trip for the year and I am so excited to see their faces when they find out we are going and when we actually go!

Ok, now no one spoil these surprises for my kids if I see you in real life! Hope this helps if you are looking for some Harry Potter gifts!

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Mrs. Meyers Deal! 11 Sep 2018 2:06 PM (7 years ago)

I haven't posted any deals lately, but I HAD to share this one because my box just came in the mail today and I am really excited about all the cleaning products I was able to get for just $20!

Go to this link and spend $20 to get a whole Mrs. Meyer's gift set!




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Entertaining Kids in the Summer 7 Jun 2018 5:00 AM (7 years ago)

Now that my kids are 10,6, and 4, we have a few summers under our belt and I feel like I have learned a few things and figured out what works best for our summer and keeping the kids (generally) happy.  First of all, we always do our outings for the day in the mornings.  It isn't 100 degrees yet, the kids are all energized and ready to go, and there are less people in all the public places (can you tell I don't like crowds?)  Then, after a couple or few hours (or even an entire day) we come home and have time to relax in the air conditioned house for a while (quite time/tv time/resting time) and still an hour or so to do chores, clean up the house, and make dinner.  This schedule works out so great for us!

Here are some of the things my kids are loving this summer:


1. The reservoir/lake/beach:


This obviously depends on where you live, but you would be surprised what lies around you if you really look!  My kids love to hang out around water, play in the sand and swim a little, and I love to lay on any beach and relax!


2. Splash pads/parks:


Last year we drove around our town one Spring day to check out all the parks and decide which were our favorites.  You can also do a park a day and spend an hour or two.  Make sure you bring snacks and water!  Or even a picnic or pizza!

3. State/county Fun Pass


Our state has a pass that gets you into all sorts of fun places.  We haven't done it yet, mostly because of the avoiding crowds thing, but a TON of my friends get them every year and love it.

4. Library


My kids love the library.  Not only is it good for books, but movies and CDs to listen to in the car!  Plus, they always have summer programs that get the kids reading more.

5. Rockets


We got these Stomp Rockets to review and my boys are OBSESSED.  They play with them almost every day and their friends all come to join in the fun.  They have spent HOURS playing with these and we have only had them a week or two.

6. Frisbees/footballs in the park
self-explanatory.  I use this time to get a workout in too.

7. A hike a week


We haven't started this yet, but my friend and I are going to get together with the kids and do one hike every week.  So excited about it!

8. Running errands & a treat



Anytime I need to take the kids to run errands I get them a treat afterwards if they are good.  It is a 50/50 chance it works out well haha!

9. The pool-self explanatory :)

10. Free Museums


In Utah we have a free admission museum the kids love in Provo.  I know that a lot of museums are free or pretty low admission and are worth the money for an hour or entertainment and a little education!

11.  Movie Passes


This summer our movie theater did a discounted movie pass for older kids movies.  Totally worth it for the theater experience at the price of renting a movie!!

I hope this gives some of you some ideas.  I think the idea is that if you are having fun with your kids, you are all going to enjoy your time more together in the summer- so get out and have fun!

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Parisian Girl's Room Design 9 Apr 2018 8:44 AM (7 years ago)


Well, I have some exciting news about something I have been working on!  I am starting up a new business where I will be helping people design, decorate, renovate, and organize their homes!  It is still in the works and I have a LOT to figure out before I am all set to go, but for my first project I am helping a friend in her little girl's room.  She already had a ton of the decor and even the paint.  She is doing a Parisian theme so here are my ideas for her room:





I really love the idea of silk curtains that drape as pretty as these:


An antique tiffany chandelier like this one would be a huge statement piece in the room, but the chandelier she has in the room reminds me a little of this second one and will actually work really well.  

 image sources can be found here

 I will be sharing a before and after once the room is complete!  Can't wait to show you!

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Boys Room Updates 2 Apr 2018 5:00 AM (7 years ago)

Well, after having an awesome Patriotic room, the boys were getting a little tired of the same things on their walls because they kept pulling down all the decals, curtains and flag- literally all 3 were on the ground at the same point of time after being pulled down numerous times before and I decided it was time for a change.  



I knew I wanted to do something with airplanes so I was SUPER excited when I found these decals on Amazon.RoomMates RMK1197SCS Vintage Planes Peel & Stick Wall Decals, 22 Count

  

They were so cheap too!  I also bought a cool antique map poster, but then my sister made these awesome bison canvases and immediately I switched it out.  I seriously LOVE this canvas more and more!  You can see her Etsy Shop here if you want to grab yourself something ;)


I wanted to do some striped curtains, but instead to add some color I bought some pillows at Ikea because- HELLO they are awesome and my boys are obsessed with bugs.  I also got a couple of their map pillows- mainly because they were $4 each and I couldn't pass that up!


The other accessories I already had and the other change I made that I am SOOO happy about was taking a big king-sized alternative down comforter and cutting and sewing it right in half! One for Allie's bed and one for Macsen's bed.  I LOVE that they fit a twin PERFECTLY and their beds are SO much easier to make!  No more annoying and difficult tucking!!


The boys love their "new" room and play in it all the time :)

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Finishing the Basement 21 Feb 2018 2:26 PM (7 years ago)


Wow it has been so long since I've posted!  I have a good excuse though!  We finished our basement!  I wish I was better at posting real time on here to share, but I just am not.  Can't change that about me haha!  And, I am writing this quickly and I am not double checking it so I am sure there will be spelling and grammar mistakes but I don't care! ;) 

So, here is an update and summary of finishing the basement for you:

April 2017


1. We first framed and hired a plumber to do the rough in for the plumbing.  He helped me convince Trey to make the bathroom (my own design baby of the basement) a 2-room, 2-sink bathroom with the shower and toilet separate from the vanity so that our 3 kids could all be using it to get ready in the mornings.  It is pretty small and we have some door issues, but it is a good start and my plan is to eventually do a pocket door and a barn door on the hallway doorway.  

The eternal debate on whether or not to remove this part of the wall and the door.  It lasted a few months and we finally did it before drywall.


2. We hired out a guy to do the HVAC because we have no idea what we are doing when it comes to that and he didn't charge very much.  


3. Trey did all the electrical himself.  He used to wire houses in between high school and college and he is REALLY good at it.  He did an excellent job and did it really fast too.

September 2017

4. We hired out the drywall because it was only a couple thousand for the labor and we knew they would do it 10x faster than we could and also make it look 10x better haha!

October 2017

5. So we had the drywall all done in September and ordered the doors the week after it was done.  The doors ended up taking over 3 months to get to Home Depot so after we did most of the trim the basement just sat untouched for 3 months!  It was driving us crazy!  We had to keep calling the door company and Home Depot and going into Home Depot and it was just so frustrating because no one could help us get them sooner.  We got the doorknobs to match the chrome ones upstairs and also the hardware on the doors we got in chrome. 

6. When the doors finally came in January we were able to hang them and do all the rest of the trim.  

January 2018

7. We caulked all the trim- this took about 2 weeks




8.  We took all the doors down to paint and taped off everything for paint

9. We painted the whole basement and doors and trim a bright white in Satin paint with a sprayer to get it done fast.  I went through 26 gallons of paint in 2 days and was so sore afterwards! haha!


10. I have to mention that in between each step we had to clean and vacuum the basement.  After the paint I had to use the shopvac on every square inch of the basement to get all the dried paint dust off.  It took hours. Pretty much every time we cleaned it would take a couple/few hours.


11. Finally we were able to get the floors in and Trey put up all the lights and electrical finishes.  He did it all in 2 nights!  He is so fast!  We got our flooring from Ward's Discount Carpets and I could not be happier with that company and our floors.  They are really awesome if you need flooring and live in Utah!

 February 2018- Passed Inspection!

Here are the kid's finished rooms!  We are still waiting on the plumber to finish the bathroom and I am getting all the rooms put together and decorated and will share updates as I do them! :)  

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House Tour: Christmas 20 Dec 2017 3:41 PM (7 years ago)


Well, I didn't do a ton of decorating this year, but I thought I would share what I did have.  All of our Christmas stuff was buried in the garage still (the basement would have been finished in October if our doors would have come in on time) so I didn't pull out everything. 

















Don't mind the poor quality of some of these images from my phone haha!  Next year I will do better I promise ;)  I tried to keep it simple because Trey and I can't stand a lot of clutter.  I plan on scouring Pinterest next Fall for some ideas on how to fill in some spots and add a little more festivity next year :)

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Favorite Things Friday 17 Nov 2017 5:00 AM (7 years ago)


I figured I should post at least once this month haha!  We have had such a great Fall and we are excited as the holidays roll in to see lots of family and hopefully finish our basement.

I have spent a LOT of money this last month, which is never a good thing, BUT I do have a lot of favorite things to share with you.


1. Senegence Products

Once again this is making my favorite things list.  The eye cream is AMAZING.  Seriously, so much better than anything else I have ever tried and my eyes look younger than they have the last 3 years!  The Shadowsense is also another favorite product of theirs that I use daily.  I use Smoked Topaz for eye-shadow, Onyx for eyeliner, snow for highlighter, mocha java for contouring, and candlelight for corrections.






2. Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy line

I just discovered the "Comfort" and "Relax" scents from this line and I am OBSESSED.  I use both in my wallflowers in my bedroom/bathroom and then I prefer the comfort lotions and creams.  I am pretty picky and don't always like Bath and Body works, but these two, along with the "At the Beach" scents are to die for!





3. Flameless Candles with Timers

Ummm, why has no one ever told me about the magic of flameless candles???  I bought a few on clearance this last month for Halloween decor and all I had to do was add a couple batteries and turn on the timer switch.  Now I have the feel and look of candles going every single night at the perfect time and they turn off before bed.  I absolutely LOVE the mood they set in our home!  I am planning on buying more when I see them on sale.  I want at least 5 in my bedroom and a few more out in the living room.  I would even love to have them in every bathroom in the house!



4. Ikea Full-length mirror on hinges

I just bought and installed this in my closet last Friday.  It was SUPER easy and now I can store all my neckalces and dangling earrings behind it and see my whole outfit (I can't remember the last time I have had a full-length mirror haha!)  I will post some pictures of my setup soon.



5. Step & Stride Little Boys shoes

One thing I LOVE about Fall is dressing my boys in flannel and vests.  UGH so cute.  Well, these awesome boys shoes just made Macsen's Fall outfit even more perfect and they are so functional, warm and comfortable for him too!  I am debating on buying Jensen a pair too, except that he has a ton of shoes right now.  I think I will buy them a size big haha!





Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving week and recognize all of your blessings!

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Favorite Fall Porches 1 Sep 2017 5:00 AM (8 years ago)



Fall is the best time of year in Utah!  I always get so excited when I start seeing the leaves change and love to add a touch of Fall to my house.  My previous Fall/Halloween porch looked like this:





I have always kept it pretty simple and either use flowers that are mid-late summer bloomers or add some mums to my planters (my favorite Fall flower)  Pumpkins add so much too. 

I am excited to add some Fall touches to my new porch, but really excited to get the yard in and plant lots of mums in the flower beds that will come back every year.

Here are some of my favorite Fall porches:




















Image sources can be found here


If those images don't get you excited for Fall I don't know what will!  Hopefully they give you some ideas for your own porch! :)

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Master Bedroom Reveal (For Now) 29 Aug 2017 12:52 PM (8 years ago)

Well, there are still quite a few things I plan on doing in here- mostly adding the bedside lamps to the wall and then decorating those tables and tying it all together.  But, for now I thought I would share what I have done.






Side tables are from Target, along with the bedframe and headboard.  Pillows are from Ikea and Amazon link here.  


Artwork from Jessica Hills Photography.  I found this cool root out in our backyard and other accessories from Costco, Ross, Home Goods, and thrifted.



Barn door is from Lowes and my TV stand is from Joss and Main.  Curtains and rods from Ikea and bamboo shades are from JCPenny.


I am planning on buying some gold/black/nickel/chrome lights for the bedside tables but I am still playing with ideas and looking at lots of options.  I know I need to tie everything in here together a little better since I have multiple metals and different wood tones.  Still not sure what I want to do though.



I tried to bring in some of the lighter wood tones and mix in some of the darker ones too.  I think I will be white washing the bamboo shades in a couple years and mixing things up a little bit.  


Lights are from Home Depot but are out of stock.  We mixed some chrome with polished nickel in here and I think it looks ok- maybe in the future I'll change some of it out.


The counter-top is a speckled white quartz.  It is the same in the kitchen too.  I love it and I love that I can see if my counter is clean or dirty.




My shower is my favorite part of the bathroom.  We did large glossy white tile and a hexagon marble in the cutouts and the floor that I am obsessed with!




I've never had a nice bathtub before and feel really spoiled with this nice, big garden tub.


LOVE my square under-mounted sinks!  I am doing the same downstairs.  So easy to clean and bigger than the round ones.


I can never fold my towels right and make them look good on a towel rod, so I decided to use a towel hanger instead and I bought our towels at Ikea since they have the hanger already attached to them.



The closet is a great size for me and Trey.  We don't have a ton of clothes and I hang all my pants and blouses then the rest I like to fold.  I also don't have a ton of nice shoes, so most of them stay in the mudroom baskets.  


Let me know if you are looking for any other sources!  Thanks!

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Favorite Things Friday: Window Treatments 25 Aug 2017 11:19 AM (8 years ago)


Building a house had been a little bit stressful and caused some disagreements with me and Trey.  The funny thing is the house decision we disagreed and argued the MOST about was window treatments!  Isn't that so weird?!  So, I thought I would share what we have ended up choosing and loving and hating, etc.

When we chose our builders, one thing we LOVED was that they did amazing finish work and LOTS of big windows.  Those two things sold us.  The number one thing we did NOT want to do with window treatments was hide our windows or their casings.  We played with so many ideas.  One I love is to do sheer window panels and then curtains too.  I think I may do that in the office and bedrooms downstairs.  We also talked a lot about just regular white vinyl blinds in a faux wood.  Plantation shutters are so beautiful and nice, but I didn't want anything permanent on the windows.




 I knew I wanted curtains and rods for sure.  I love the color, texture, softness that curtains bring to a room and so I decided I would hang them outside of the casings to frame them.  I also wanted rods to add more black metals to tie in with my black lighting (which I chose in the beginning to balance my black fireplace and TV on one side of the room)

I used Ikea's rods and curtains to start (already had the curtains.)  I like them, I don't LOVE them, and I will probably switch them out in a couple years when I figure out what I really want.  For now they are great though!


We ended up choosing bamboo shades (got them for a steal at JC Penny) for a million different reasons.  I still am not sure if I LOVE them, but I like them a lot and how they look and function.  I think in a few years I might whitewash them and do a little house redecorating to be more open and airy and "beachy" feeling.  For now I like that they are a little bit of a contrast and add some great wood tones and texture.  They tie in our new shelves and fireplace, along with the kitchen table and stools.  




I did the same bamboo in the whole house and the same curtains in my master bedroom.  However, I just switched them out with some I got at Target and I LOVE them.  They are these Seymour room darkening ones and they come in extra wide too.  I got the Stone color.  They hang really nicely, are really lightweight and glide easily on the rod. They are not blackout, but they do a great job darkening the room.

This is where we are so far with the windows.  I am planning on doing blackout shades in the basement theater/playroom.  I will for sure share them when I have those up!

Hopefully this helps some of you figure out what you want to do on your windows!

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9 Summer Faves 21 Aug 2017 9:29 AM (8 years ago)

I have been thinking I needed to share some new finds and some old ones that I still love for the summer.  We have been spending the summer outside every single day at the lake and pool, so a lot of these things have come in handy.




1. Shadow Sense

I have been loving this stuff for summer makeup since it seems like my makeup in the summer just never lasts.  I use the Smoked Topaz for all my contouring and eye shadow, along with adding more darkness to my eyebrows, and then I use the Onyx for eyeliner and it stays on better than any other eyeliner I've used.  Definitely not all day, but pretty close.  I only use three little dots of makeup for my whole face.  It's pretty amazing really.  They will probably last me all year if not more.  The Senegence eye cream has also been a game-changer for my eyes.  I used to use oil of Olay and the Senegence works SO MUCH better!


If you want to order yourself some, check out my friend's facebook page and send her a PM for some info and pricing.  She is great and will get you exactly what you need!


2. Real Cream of Coconut

This is the key to making those dirty soda drinks everyone loves so much.  Just add to Dr. Pepper or Coke with ice and you'll save yourself a couple bucks every time!  I got mine at the local Smith's next to the drink mixers, but you can purchase online too.



3. One Tribe Kimono


One Tribe sells Boho fashion apparel and their womens kimonos are my favorite for beach and pool coverup.  They are nice and light and this white one I got matches almost everything.


4. Marco Polo App


This app is so fun!  I have about 5 friends that use it and it is my favorite way to talk to them!  You know your friends that you want to talk to more, but you hate trying to get a hold of them on the phone or facetime?  This is way better than facebook, insta, or texting them and you just need to try it to get what I mean!!


5. Faux Birks

Once again, these shoe favorites make my all time summer favorites list because they are just that good.  I wear them almost every day and have about 4 colors...one just died :(  I am still on the lookout for another pair of faux snakeskin ones like these ones I used to have, so tell me where I can find those!!



6. Platypus Hydration Backpack


I talked about this backpack last year too and I love it so much still.  Still my favorite accessory in the summer when we are out and about and having little adventures and spending all our time outside.  My dad even got one on Amazon after seeing mine and how awesome it is. Read more about it here



7.  Favorite Sunscreen

Last year I could tell I did a lot of damage to my facial skin after the summer was over.  I knew I needed to be better about applying sunscreen this summer and I have made sure to put sunscreen on everyday.  For a while I was using CeraVe, but I was able to sample a new suncreen called Maelove and I LOVE the way it feels on my face and protects my skin.  It is also a primer and keeps my makeup looking so much better than previous sunscreens.  Maelove has these qualities:


  I am REALLY happy with my skin products right now- you can read about them more here.

8. Microblading

My sister did a touch up to my microblading on my eyebrows from doing them last Spring and I had her do them even darker.  I LOVE having dark eyebrows right now and I will be getting them touched up again in a couple weeks.  She is currently doing them in Utah, but may be doing them in the Northwest pretty soon.  Here is her facebook profile if you want to message her and get an appointment or more details.  She has a couple spots for THIS WEEKEND in Orem, UT if you are local.


I loved having these Dickinson's facial cleansing cloths to wash my face after getting them done.  You aren't supposed to get your eyebrows wet for a few days after you get them done so these cloths were a lifesaver!  I also really like having them for camping and other trips, along with the de-puffer eye gel.




9. Apple Watch 

I just got an apple watch after wanting one for a couple years and I LOVE it!  It helps me stay off my phone more and stay on top of things.  I will set reminders for myself, watch how active I am in the day, see if I am getting a call or a text, and it's just easier than trying to have my phone by my side all day.  I also got a few different bands and it is fun to have as an accessory.  As you can see, the gold band is my fave :)  I'll post a link to it.






Gold Magnetic watch band






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Living Room Additions 22 May 2017 3:44 PM (8 years ago)


We got our shelves in!  My friend designs and builds the most beautiful shelves and she asked me to collaborate with her to get her industrial farmhouse shelves on her site.  Her business is called Farmhouse Block Design and you HAVE to go check it out!  Look at how awesome these are:




Here are the shelves bare- almost too pretty to put things on!  The wood grain looks amazing and the color matches the rest of our wood tones really well!  The hardware is SO cool and makes them so much more interesting and just POP!


You can also go check out her facebook page here if you want.  As you can see I've been mixing things up and moving stuff around on the shelves...we have a different arrangement right now as I post this too haha!  Indecisive...




I got to meet the artist that painted this Christ picture.  It is from Yong Sung Kim and he does the most amazing Christ paintings!  Here is his site if you want to take a look.  This was my favorite painting and he even signed it for me in gold marker (bottom left)  I was so excited about it!




The painting below is a Jamie Clark original and it is a landscape of where we live!  I am obsessed!  She is so amazing!  Here is her shop if you want to take a look and here is her website.  You can also check her out on Facebook and she has a blog too!


These beautiful Olive Tree Branches are from http://www.commercialsilk.com/ and I am in love!  They are the perfect color green and look so good in so many rooms in my house.  I may even split them up since they are so big and add them to a couple spots instead of just one. 


I only have one complaint with http://www.commercialsilk.com/ and it is that the website is really hard to navigate.  The search doesn't work that well and their site takes a long time to load, but their faux plants are amazing so I guess it is worth it ;)  





Let me know if you want any other product info!  :)  

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New House: Kitchen and Entry 28 Apr 2017 2:23 PM (8 years ago)

Okay, so my house was clean for a minute and I grabbed my camera and got a few shots- HOWEVER, I have already moved some things around and my table is in now, and I have a few things I am changing...haha!  So take them for what they are ;)




Definitely need to give my porch some TLC - waiting for the weather to get nice!
Rug from Target


Morovian Star Light from Joss and Main
Wall color: Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
Trim color: Sherwin Williams High Contrast White 


I LOVE the work the finish carpenter did in the house.  He even added this picture shelf for me with no extra charge!  The craftsman trim is so fun and makes the house a little more masculine.  I was trying to combine a feminine classic look with some masculine touches and added some black finishes to contrast all the white and light walls and floors.  The gray island and fireplace does this too.  More of the fireplace when I can design the living room :)


Island color: Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray

Originally, my kitchen was designed to be gray bottom cabinets and a white island with white upper cabinets.  During the process, our cabinet people mixed them up and refused to fix it so we kept it how it is.  I don't hate it, but am still a little bummed it looks much different than I wanted it to.  Still love my kitchen and the cabinets though!


This couch is temporarily here while we finish the basement.  We will be redesigning the living room once the basement is finished.  I have also added bamboo roman shades and I LOVE them.  Can't wait to show you how the room looks with them in.

Chandelier and pendants from Home Depot here and here and light bulbs are Edison style
Horse Artwork from Hobby Lobby
Rug in dining area from Rugs USA


The lighting was the hardest thing to get right in the house.  Not only do we have vaulted ceilings to work with, but we had these two sets of lights that needed to go well since they are close together.  I also wanted the chandelier to make a statement and Trey wanted Edison bulbs somewhere in the house.  I chose the chandelier then spent a month looking for the perfect pendants to go with it.  I wasn't even sure with these ones when they came in the mail, but I wanted to add a little gold/brass and these turned out even better than I had thought they would, especially with the color of the Edison bulb.



Orchid is real and from Smith's
Baskets mostly from Home Goods




Target vase, succulent from Hobby Lobby
Thermometer is an antique
Cutting board from Ikea


Recipe box from Rifle Paper Co.
Cement utensil holder from Home Goods
Porcelain bunnies are antiques


I put glass cabinets on the far right side and above the fridge for a few different reasons: they are harder to reach and I knew that I wanted to only put pretty dishes that I didn't use as much here.  Also, the space of the oven and vent hood is pretty light and I thought that it would make the ends of my kitchen look heavy to have all that glass right around the oven and then solid cabinets on both ends.  I also like that it is a little different than where most kitchens have them- different is fun! haha!


Suculent: Marshalls
Cement candle: Target



My oven is the best part of my kitchen!  I never knew I could enjoy cooking! haha!  It cooks so evenly both inside and on the burners and its not so bad to look at either! ;)  The vent hood was a pain...with vaulted ceilings just do a custom wood vent hood and save yourself the headache.  But, I really like the look of how it turned out.


I splurged on my kitchen hardware.  I got polished nickel knobs and handles because they were the only ones I really got excited about- and if you have seen our old kitchen you know how much I love my kitchen hardware.  Seriously though, it makes SUCH a difference in the look of your kitchen!


Rug from Target here I think the runner is sold out though...


Farmhouse lights from Lowes
As you can see, I went with chrome doorknobs inside the house.  I LOVE them...but now that I am decorating I think that I would have loved the oil-rubbed bronze ones just as much.  I was really torn between the two!


Barstools are from my cousin and I can't remember where they are from.
Our counter tops are quartz and a flecked white color.  We also have an extra thick edge on them- I totally love that!  My corbels were made for Alder cabinets but I put in a special request to have them with my shaker-style because I loved that they added a little more traditional look.  I love mixing traditional and modern elements along with different styles in the house- no rules here! ;)


Comment if you want to know any other product info :)

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House Update: What We Love About Our Lot and Location 6 Apr 2017 7:40 AM (8 years ago)


Well, we have been in the house for a couple weeks now and I am SO HAPPY to have a house again.  We are SO not city people and SO not renting people...we love our space, we love having ownership of our own dwelling, we love having a yard, and we love being away from everything.  I thought I would share the things we love about our neighborhood and area because I know a LOT of people looking for lots to build on right now.





1. Commute

We chose somewhere with a decent commute but still away from the city.  Since this blog is public I won't be sharing any details on the city or area we live, but I will say that we are about 30-40 minutes from Salt Lake City.  This is even on busy traffic days for Trey.  When we were living in South Salt Lake it would take him 20-25 minutes to get home because of how many lights he had to sit through and how much traffic there was, so it really only adds 15-20 minutes to his commute from living really close to work and we LOVE being away from all the noise and all the other things we hate about the city...I could list probably 15 things but won't haha!  I would suggest if you are looking for a lot, to drive out to different locations to really get a good idea- and make sure it is during the time you would normally be driving.



2. Privacy

This was the trickiest part of finding a lot.  If you don't have a ton of money to buy up a few acres to get some privacy (which is already pretty hard to find) most of the lots you look at will be looking into other houses.  The only way we found the lot we did was through our builder (who is also a realtor) Realtors like HER Realtors, (a major Realtor located in Ohio for those of you in that area) and many others, usually have the most resources to get you to the area and type of lot you are looking for.  That being said, we did not use a realtor, but we got lucky that our builder, being a realtor, found us the exact lot we were looking for.  Our backyard backs up to a hillside that is sectioned off and each part is privately owned- so hopefully that means we won't ever have backyard neighbors...knock on wood.  Also, it was hard to find bigger lots in our price range- we got SO lucky finding a lot as big as ours and at the price we did.  We totally owe that to our builder/realtor.


3. Smaller neighborhood

Our neighbordhood (all new builds but 2) is made up of about 40 houses.  I love that it is big enough that the kids can make friends and bounce around from house to house, but small enough that there isn't much traffic driving around at all.  We live on a road that ends by a cul-de-sac and there will probably only be a handful of cars driving by our house every day- maybe even less.


4. No HOA

This one was SO HARD to find!  Every new development and many of the older ones have HOA's that cost you money every month and just make rules and tell you what you can/can't do on your own property.  It was nearly impossible to find a neighborhood to build in without an HOA so we got really excited when we found this one.  Some people don't care about or even prefer to have an HOA so it is personal preference and more about control and ownership to us than money haha!


5. Shopping

Obviously with 3 kids I make a couple trips a week to the grocery store, so I didn't want to be miles and miles from the closest grocery store.  I have a Smith's only 5 minutes away and a Walmart Super-center 10 minutes away.  We also have a bigger shopping center and movie theater about 15 minutes away and then a mall and Costco about 20 minutes.  This is just right for me!


6. Schools

The kids will be growing up in this house so we wanted them to be in a great school district.  We are really excited about the district we are in and I am OBSESSED with the elementary school they are going to.


7. Parks

We have a nice park right across the street from our neighborhood that the kids can play on when they are little and then a big field they can play in when they are older.  It will be perfect!


8. Camping/Lakes/Canyons

This is one place we could have done better maybe.  We are 40 minutes from a boating lake but about the same distance we have always been from where we love to camp and fish.  You can't have everything right ;)  Future goal: building a cabin we can stay at close to some good fishing/hunting/boating areas :)

I hope this helps those of you looking for lots and some of the aspects to look at and which ones are important to you and which ones aren't.  Thanks for reading!

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Four Products to Purchase to Make You More Comfortable During Your Pregnancy 24 Mar 2017 7:02 AM (8 years ago)




Like I said in my previous post about baby shower gifts, I feel like EVERYONE I know is pregnant right now!  It is so fun and exciting, but can also be pretty uncomfortable. When you are pregnant, you need to do whatever you can to make yourself feel as comfortable as you possibly can. Many women feel pain in their belly, their legs, and even their feet because of the weight that they gain during their pregnancy. Fortunately, there are products on the market that can make you feel more comfortable during your pregnancy. The guide below walks you through a few popular products to consider investing in to make your pregnancy as painless as it can be.


Compression Socks

When you are pregnant, your feet and ankles may swell. The swelling can be very painful and cause your feet and legs to eventually cramp. In order to minimize the swelling as much as you can, consider wearing compression socks. A great pair of compression socks will compress your legs and feet to give them support and help reduce the swelling. They are available in many different sizes so finding the right ones for your feet should not be too difficult.


Belly Band
As your belly grows, you may feel as though it is pulling down toward the ground. This typically happens later in your pregnancy, after the baby flips. Since your stomach muscles are not as tight as they were before you got pregnant, it can be hard to support the weight of your belly without feeling some pain in your back and lower belly. A belly band is a band that fits around your body and slides under your belly. It provides the additional support that you need to be as comfortable as you can be at all times. The bands are adjustable so that you can make it as tight or as loose as you need it to be to get the support that you need during your entire pregnancy.

Seat Cushion

Hemorrhoids are very common during pregnancy. They can cause you a lot of pain, especially when you sit down. If you start to notice that you are developing hemorrhoids, consider investing in a padded cushion to sit on when you are out and about. Not all seats will be padded and carrying a padded cushion will ensure that you are always able to be as comfortable as you can be when you have to sit for extended periods of time.



Maternity Pants

As your belly grows, it can be difficult to fit into traditional jeans. There are maternity pants available that you can purchase to wear as your belly grows. The pants have a stretchy band in the front of the pants where they fit around the belly. The band allows the pants to stay secure when you walk around, without being so tight that they cause you to feel pain when you are wearing them. Be sure to try on the maternity pants before buying them to ensure that they fit well.

All of these items are very affordable and can make your pregnancy more bearable. There are many pregnant women who are able to experience much less pain during their pregnancy by taking the time to invest in a few products that will make them more comfortable. Being as comfortable as possible will allow you to enjoy your pregnancy as much as you possibly can.

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Baby Shower Gift Guide 9 Mar 2017 2:44 PM (8 years ago)

I feel like everyone I know is pregnant right now!  I can't keep them all straight.  It's so fun to buy baby shower gifts because I feel like you just need anything and everything when having a baby...however, I also think new moms feel overwhelmed by all the stuff they get and aren't sure what they really need.

I am partnering with Baby Cubby today to give you some ideas and help when it comes to preparing for a new baby.  



About the Baby Cubby:
The Baby Cubby is for every parent out there who has ever felt overwhelmed or discouraged about becoming a parent. Our Baby Cubby team is made up of parents who have been there. We know what it’s like and we are passionate about encouraging, inspiring, and reminding parents how amazing they are and how important their role is.  
The way we do this is by finding the highest quality and safest baby gear to provide to parents in a fun shopping experience. We do things like test strollers on our stroller track, price match everyday - even amazon, offer free shipping nationwide at BabyCubby.com and actively engage with parents via social media and our Cubby Community Blog to discuss some of the difficult topics of parenting.
- We always price match, even amazon, so you know you're getting a great deal
- We carry only the highest quality and safest gear so that you can shop confidently (we spend hundreds of hours researching so you don't have to)
- Free Shipping everyday at BabyCubby.com over $49 



I am in love with all the diaper bags they have on their website!  I got this one in tan and I LOVE it!  It is SO big and looks so nice and fits everything I need.  I also love the Britax stroller they sell that is just as beautiful as it is functional.


I also noticed the EZPZ Mats - feeding kids is so messy (even when they are older) and these look so handy!


There were also 2 different feeding time products that I really thought would be so nice to have- the first one is these sippy cup lids that will fit on almost every cup.  I bought myself some of these and they definitely aren't "leak free" but they are pretty good at not leaking and better than the sippy cups I have been using.



The second feeding time product I really wanted to try was these cups that attach to the wall/fridge for the kids.  I think this would be really helpful in our house!


You can see some of my other favorite baby shower gifts here

Happy Spring showers! ;)

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New Year, New Skin 7 Mar 2017 8:58 AM (8 years ago)


We have had some crazy weather here in Utah this last year.  We went from 72 degrees mid November to the 20's in a matter of a week!  Then had a very cold and gross - lots of inversion - December and January.  This did a number on my skin and since my skin has been having issues - acne, dryness and oiliness- I decided to go see my dermatologist about it.  I am so glad I did, because with the new products I am using my skin is 95% more clear and way more balanced!  Here are some things I have changed and some new products I am using:

First of all, I had to get over that feeling of having "squeaky clean" skin.  I was used to really scrubbing and using products made for teenagers that are really deep cleaning and harsh.  Now I use Cetaphil to cleanse and my dermatologist told me to just use my hands to wash for a while- no scrubbing.  



I noticed that I couldn't get off a lot of makeup by doing this, so I was really excited to find out about The Dew Puff.  It is really gentle and just helps get a little more makeup off at night.  I actually use it with Cetaphil, but you can also use it without any cleansers.


Second, I was finally able to find a moisturizer that didn't clog my pores.  Cerave facial lotion- for daytime with SPF 30.  I wear it day and night, but only on places that are dry or need the most sunscreen during the day.  


Third, I use Epidou to combat the acne I would still have.  I am pretty sure this is what is clearing up my skin mostly, but I think once my skin is more balanced I won't need it as much.  I use it mostly at night and sometimes in the morning on trouble spots.


I am still using the anti-aging products I talked about HERE.  I also use Aminocare every once in a while.  I use them mostly in my eye area and other places with fine lines, and on my neck.  I am seeing a lot of improvement!  

Hopefully these will help some of you if you are struggling with bad skin like I do!  Have a great week!



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