Motivational Monday

Mondays are rough on everyone and I think it's best if we all start our weeks with a good inspirational quote or two. I find that if I read these and really try to apply them to my life I am much happier. So I hope to inspire you all on this Monday!

xx

e

Dreams

dream

   [dreem]  Show IPA noun, verb, dreamed ordreamt, dream·ing, adjective

noun

1.

a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passingthrough the mind during sleep.

2.

the sleeping state in which this occurs.

3.

an object seen in a dream.

4.

an involuntary vision occurring to a person when awake.

5.

a vision voluntarily indulged in while awake; daydream; reverie.

I am most interested in 3-5. Dreams. How many of you are truly following your dreams? Probably not that many.

This post was going to be about something totally different but a recent conversation with a new friend re-inspired me to keep dreaming, and never forget my true dreams. Our lives are meant to dream and to live out our dreams each and every day. If you're not, then you must re examine your life! One of my biggest dreams is to travel the world. I have been fortunate enough to have traveled many, many places thus far, but for me, to keep traveling is to keep dreaming. Never ever forget your dreams and never let anyone tell you that you cannot achieve them!

xx

e

5-Minute Face: RMS Beauty

1. Start with your RMS Un-Cover Up and apply with (clean!) fingertips to face.

2. Use a super fluffy brush and dip into your favorite bronzer.

3. Use the tip of the brush and apply in the hollows of your cheeks and blend well upwards toward your temples.

4. Use the same fluffy brush and dip into your favorite blush..Tap off excess!

5. Apply to apples of cheeks. Smile!!

6. Tap on RMS Beauty Living Luminizer to cheekbones for the perfect highlight.

7. Add a little lippy, and you're done!

Un-Cover Up // Luminizer // setting powder(opt.)//bronzer//mascara//blush//lippy//fluffy brush

xx

e

Bake-a-thon

As much as I love fashion and beauty, I also love food. Baking in particular, maybe its because growing up my mom was always baking up a storm! Same with my grandmother. The wonderful smells from the kitchen would seep into the whole house just tempting my palate. Every so often I will get into this phase and bake, bake, bake. And it happened when I found this recipe on this blog. I wanted to bake everything I saw! I even made a folder under my tabs called 'Must Bake!'. So needless to say I made the B'day Cake Batter Bars then the cookies seen below. The frosting in between is the recipe for Sprinkles buttercream icing....yum
Happy Saturday!

The Trip

I went on an overnight business trip Tuesday to the beautiful St. Simons Island! I will fill you in on details later, but here are some shots I managed to take on the less than 24 hr trip.

{ My airplane outfit..details on my Instagram }

{ New international terminal at ATL airport! }

{ baby Varsity at the airport }

{ St. Simons Sweets all homemade yum }

{ Our flight back was delayed..good thing I had my Sept issue }

{ one dozen hot Krispy Kremes }

xx

e

Tutorial: Tarte Maracuja Blush and Glow

Today I am going to show you how I apply my Tarte blush and glow! This product is the best if you are traveling or are in a rush in the morning! In the photos I have already applied my foundation, setting powder, and some light bronzer. Get the Blush and Glow HERE! Use this code "FFAUG" through August 6th, 2012 to get 30% all Tarte products for the Friends and Family sale!!


Here is my step by step tutorial for this product:

1. Start by applying the cheek tint directly to the apples of your cheeks

2. Use your ring finger to blend the cheek color

3. A little blurry, but dot the luminizer on top of your cheek bones, then blend

4. And there you have it! Add some mascara and you're done

Hope you all enjoyed this!

xx

e

Skincare Fave: Indie Lee

I am very, very picky about what I put on my skin. I know that everything that goes on our skin gets absorbed into our bloodstream (think about all those chemicals and cancer causing ingredients in your favorite brands like MAC, MUFE, Dior, Chanel etc!). That's why I am so anal about natural cosmetics and natural skin care! It's just about being informed.

Here's where Indie Lee comes in. I read this amazing article almost a year ago and I just had to see what she is about as well as what her brand is about. Here is a snippet of her story from her website:

"I’m Indie lee. On Earth Day 2009, I was given a new life — I awoke from brain surgery to discover that a potentially fatal tumor had been successfully removed. Having learned that environmental toxins may have been the culprit, I began devoting myself to making all natural beauty products from the finest ingredients across the globe. Remember, what you put on your body is just as important as what you put in it. We also need to nurture our soul to let our inner beauty shine through. Life should be lived to its fullest, one moment at a time."


I was inspired by her strength and eagerness to create such an amazing line. I have spoken back and forth with her quite a few times on Twitter and she is truly an inspiration! Now this is a skin care company I would love to work for.


The Products

I purchased each of these on Hautelook about 6 months ago! And I still have a ton in each of them. I am so pleased by the quality and delicious smells!

The Cleanser

I LOVE this cleanser so much! I use it only at night on days I wear makeup to remove the makeup before my other cleanser. Usually, I recommend a creamy cleanser to remove makeup, but this one does it better than other creamy ones I've tried! Now I've used this for many months now and it is still almost half full!

If you have normal/dry skin types you could just use this morning and night, but since I have combo/acne prone I use a different cleanser with salicylic or tea tree in it.

Let's talk about the scent! Oh my it is delicious! The first time I used it I was stunned at how amazing it smelled, like fresh, ripe strawberries! It didn't smell artificial at all, and I hate when products go overboard on nasty artificial ingredients. I will definitely repurchase this when I run out because I love it so much!

Shop all Indie Lee Cleansers HERE!

Ingredients: 

100% Natural: Purified Water, Decyl Glucoside, Disodium, Coco- Glucoside Citrate, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Xanthan Gum, Strawberry Oil, Lycopene, Phenoxythenol*, Ethylhexyglycerin * *Derived from natural sources

The Eye Balm

The eye balm is another amazing product I purchased. You can't really beat an eye product with just 4 ingredients! I only use this product at night, I just find that it tends to take a little while to sink in and sometimes I just don't have the time to wait that long in the a.m.! I love the first ingredient Calendula Oil because it is very healing and has an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It soothes dry skin and calms redness. But I also love the scent!! Anyone who knows me knows my favorite scent in the whole world is lavender! This product has definitely helped with under eye circles and puffiness when I wake up.

I apply this product with my ring finger only. I always make sure to wash my hand before touching any potted products like this and before touching my face period. I just swirl my finger around and glide under and around my eyes!

Find the Eye Balm HERE!

It really is a balm!

When warmed up on fingertips it instantly melts!

Ingredients:

100 % Natural: Calendula Oil, Beeswax, Magnifera Indica (mango) Seed Butter and Lavandula Angustifolia (lavender) Oil

Shop all Indie Lee Balms HERE!

All in all, I highly recommend these products. I can't wait to purchase more from Indie!

It always makes me feel better when I purchase product from a small business or a wonderful person such as Indie, rather than some huge "popular" brand that tests on animals in some crazy country (ahem, Estee Lauder, Mary Kay & Avon I'm talking to you!!!).

xx

e