Changes

12.14.14 ---Take care if your body...it's the only place you have to live--- I've been really focusing these last few weeks on some new things that I've been thinking of for a while. A different lifting routine based off of a program from Maps Anabolic. Full body days instead of splits. Really loving it. I've also been eating a vegetarian type diet & am actually already  loving how it's making me feel. I feel like I already eat quite healthily with mostly whole foods, but I've definitely upped my game this week. My husband has even joined in the last few days after we watched forks over knives last weekend together. Making our 40s feel & look better than we did in our 20s

favorite snacks

It seems I'm in the car a lot lately, taking kids here, picking them up there, running errands. Whatever. Plus, with trying to eat several times a day instead of just at meal times, I need good quality snacks to fill in those holes. I'm still not a master at it yet & I'm figuring out a lot as a I go on, either by trial & error or good suggestions from friends who are in the same boat. If I leave the house, though, I definitely have something with me in my purse or car. 

apple, cashews, quest bar

justin's almond butter

greek yogurt, Kind bar, apple, cold chicken

So, depending on if we're all out together or if I'm on my own, of course, I can grab a yogurt to eat if someone else is driving. Otherwise, I generally stick to fruit like apples or bananans, nuts or seeds {cashews, almonds, pepitas} , protein bars like Kind Bars, Quest Bars or Zone Bars. The Zone bars are the least healthy, not really clean at all, but if you keep it clean otherwise, here & there it's ok to have that every once in a while. Plus, the Strawberry Yogurt ones... so good. Sometimes if I have some cooked chicken pieces in the fridge & it's around lunch when I'm running out I'll bring that too. The Justin's Almond Butter is amazing & you can usually find these packets at the grocery store. They're great for on the go. I always, always bring my big water bottle with me full of ice water. So there's really no excuse to not eat healthy. Be prepared & have good stuff on hand & it becomes second nature. Take time to take care of you.

daily routine | beauty

I'm probably the last person to ask in regards to "beauty". I do love makeup, hair products & am not too shy about changing up my hair frequently. But, I don't like to spend a lot of money on things I won't use. I've found many of my daily go to items through things like Birchbox or, more recently Ipsy. {both are monthly mailings of beauty products}. So, I thought I'd share with you.

So upper left, is me, of course. Fresh makeup. Slept in hair.   I don't wear a lot of makeup, I think I look ridiculous if I do, so I keep it pretty natural. That said, I do NOT have perfect skin. At all. Over the last several months I've found a facial wash I love {DDF Brightening Cleanser}  . I've been blessed with my mom's skin, it seems, lots of hyperpigmentation & this seems to even it somewhat & leaves my skin in an even tone, instead of those spots being dry. On a whim a while back I bought this BioOil at WalMart, thinking I'd try it on my skin where I have scars & stretch marks. I'm not sure why, but a tried it on my face. I loved it & just kept using it. Ok, so basically, over the last 6ish months I've been using it... no breakouts. This is HUGE for me.  Another plus: use it on a sunburn... no peeling {at least in my experience}.

On to makeup. I found this bb cream through my Birchbox.  It's from Boscia. I like BB cream because it's not not heavy, hardly feels like I have it on & it adjusts perfectly to my skin tone. Concealer has always been a tough one for me. It usually seems to thick & ends up making my wrinkles way more apparent than I'd like. Recently I've found this one at Target from Neutrogena. It's called Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector. It has a brush that you twist & the goodness comes out onto it. Not too thick. Not too thin. I like my face to have a matte look & this seems to keep it pretty good for an entire day. I also found this at Target from L'oreal Hyrdra Perfecte Perfecting Loose Powder. This Cheek Stain! Oh my gosh, I received this in my Ipsy this month & have been using it ever since. Perfect for that little rosiness. City Color Cheek Stain - Pink. The eyeshadow was also either in a Birchbox or Ipsy bag. It's Make Bentonite Clay. A great base color that I wear about every day, sometimes I add to it, most days, I don't. The eyeliner is a cheapo from WalMart, not even sure what brand. Can't.Live.Without.My.Eyeliner! lol. The mascara is per-fekt lash perfection gel. I found this through Birchbox as well. I don't even know what it is, but I just love it so much more than anything else I've tried. Usually I finish off with some SoftLips. Sometimes some gloss or lip crayon over it.

Alrighty. Hair. I've had my hair short pixie-ish cut for over a year now & looooove it. It's not for everyone, but I've had several people compliment me & also have told me it suits my personality. Now, I have an older sister that was formerly a cosmetologist, so I constantly changed my hair & played with products growing up.  She's told me I'm partially blessed with good hair {aka it's thin, but with good body}. In the picture above, I took this morning. I had washed & went through to do my hair yesterday, so this is slept in, basically with my fingers fussing around with it, nothing else. My usual routine with it is wash, towel dry, add the salt spray allover. Let air dry partially. Blowdry with fingers {I hate using a brush}. Add some of the surf paste {not very much}, fuss it with my fingers. Spray a little of the Kenra finishing spray all over. done. I found the salt spray & surf paste at WalMart & the Kenra I buy from a friend's hair salon.

So, what's your daily beauty routine? Involved, time consuming? Simple & short? Any great products I should try out? I'd love to hear!