September 2018 Empties

Hey guys! Catching up on my empties posts, so here is everything I used up in September. 

Bonapiel Beauty & Youth Serum - It smelled a bit too strong for my liking, but made my skin feel nice.Would not repurchase.

The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner - You all know my love for this toner, and I only have a couple left. I will not be repurchasing, unfortunately. This is just too plain considering the price. 

2 Cane + Austin Miracle Pad - This was super intense, but it was effective in making my skin soft and glowy. Maybe would repurchase. 

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion - This was very light, yet really hydrating. I tend to like Aveeno products, but likely won't repurchase. 

Bath & Body Works Black Cherry Merlot Hand Soap - Love this scent, but you all know I'm using up my stash and moving along to something a bit better quality. Will not repurchase. 

Maple Holistics Tea Tree Shampoo - I surprisingly liked this! It made my scalp feel nice, but I did need extra conditioner as it dried my hair out a bit. Will not repurchase. 

Dove Men Clean Comfort Antiperspirant - I actually used this since my husband didn't like spray deodorants. It smelled a bit overpowering but did its job. Will not repurchase. 

Young Living Super B - I LOVE this b complex vitamin! I've actually used up more than this but forget to save the bottles. I'm slowly moving towards using all Young Living products in general, and have switched over all supplements completely. Will definitely repurchase!

Triple Paste - For my daughter's tushy. This was great stuff. It's got no scent, and takes away rashes quickly. I've found a Young Living product I like better, so I will not repurchase this. 

Crest Pro Health Advanced toothpaste - I did not like this at all. The scrubbing bits in it didn't help my teeth feel cleaner and the taste didn't last either. Will not repurchase. 

Products used up: 11

Total for the year: 124 

Next post will be October's empties, and I'm so, so close to hitting my goal! I'm tempted to up my goal a bit to 165 products used, but if I don't hit that goal, it's not a huge deal. It feels good regardless getting rid of all these products and making room for better quality products :)

July 2018 Empties

I know I'm super behind on the blog, and I realized I forgot to share the products I used up in July. Oops! There aren't many, so this will be a quick post. August so far is going so much better with using stuff up, and I'll try to get that post up asap. 

This is sort of a mish-mash of products. I finally used up another can of Batiste Dry Shampoo in the Sassy & Daring Wild scent. I didn't mind this scent too much, but it was slightly overpowering. I honestly don't use as much dry shampoo as I used to because I don't leave the house much, so I don't mind if my hair's a bit dirty. 

I used to love the Bath & Body Works hand soaps, but now I just want them all gone! I did enjoy the Boardwalk Vanilla Cone scent, and I have only 3 unopened bottles left to use, then I'll be making my own hand soap with my Young Living essential oils. 

I really liked the DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew. It felt awesome on my skin and left it feeling soft and smooth. I probably won't repurchase as I'm making the slow switch to Young Living skincare products. 

I've always hated EOS lip balms, and still do, ha! This one was alright, but I don't remember the scent. I know it had coconut mik in it, so maybe it was a strawberry coconut. Either way, I'll never buy EOS lip balms ever again. 

My last of the Philosophy hand creams are finished! I LOVE the Fresh Cream scent, and am tempted to buy more, but likely won't. 

Lastly, is my daughter Olivia's products. As I've been learning more about body products, especially for babies, I'm just wanting to get rid of everything I have for her. I did use up the Head-to-Toe Wash, but am throwing out about half a bottle full of the Baby Lotion. I also used up a sample size of the Dr. Smith's Diaper Rash Ointment. I don't think it did much honestly, and have found a much better and safer option through Young Living for her. 

Products used up: 8
Total for the year: 102

I'm finally over the 100 mark! I have a feeling I may actually be able to surpass my goal of using up 150 products, and that makes me feel so amazing! I've been on this journey of decluttering and switching over to a more healthy wellness lifestyle, hence all the mentions of Young Living. Let me know if you would like to learn more about Young Living! You can email me at skinstuffbykaty@yahoo.com

What products have you used up recently? 

July Young Living Essential Rewards

I've had my ER (Essential Rewards) order now for almost a week, and am so excited to share with you all what I got this month!

I'm so excited for this month because I finally was able to purchase the Ningxia Red ER kit. It comes with 4 bottles of Ningxia Red, plus a box of 30, 2 ounce packs for $187. It's by far the most cost efficient way to buy Ningxia Red. If you don't know what Ningxia Red is, it's basically Young Living's anti-oxidant drink. All you need to drink is 2-4 ounces daily (I drink just 2 ounces, and my daughter drinks 1 ounce) to get your daily dose of amazing health benefits. I also got the Super B supplement to help me with my energy levels, because I so need it with my almost 2 year old daughter. 

The essential oils I got were Rosemary, Elemi, Kidscents SleepyIze, and Valerian. Both the SleepyIze and Valerian are going to be used to hopefully help with sleeping better. I got Rosemary because I wanted to make this hair spray for my daughter called Mermaid Spray, to help her hair grow in faster and thicker. I've heard that Elemi is very similar to Frankincense, and I'm almost out of Frank because I use it so much. It's just so expensive, and Elemi costs much less, so I figured I'd give it a try!

Everything else pictured was FREE! Seriously, because I made a 300pv (basically $300) purchase, I got 4 oils and a spray all for free. LavaDerm is a great spray for if you get a little too crispy being out in the sun, or just need to cool down. The 4 oils are Lavender Vitality, Valor, Geranium, and Aroma Life. Lavender Vitality I hear is amazing mixed into lemonade. I cannot live without Valor! It's the oil that helps give me courage and feel more positive, so I'm glad it was a freebie this month. Geranium is good for the skin, and Aroma Life has a few different uses. It's said to be good for circulation, muscle tension, and skin and hair support. 

The other oil pictured in front of the little blue bag is called Loyalty. Now this is an oil you're not supposed to receive until you've been on ER for 12 consecutive months. I've only been on for 3 months. I did contact customer service and to make a long story short, I get to keep it since it was their mistake!

That is everything I got this month! Guys, I cannot explain to you how much Young Living has changed our lives. These oils help us sleep, calm me down, and keep me sane (well, as sane as I can be taking care of a special needs child!). And oils are just the tip of the iceberg! They have SO many wellness products, and we have slowly been changing over to all things Young Living. If you have any questions for me at all about these or other products Young Living has, feel free to email me at skinstuffbykaty@yahoo.com. If you've been wanting to sign up with YL and would like to make the jump in getting your Premium Starter Kit, you can sign up here! Shoot me an email after so I can add you to our education groups on Facebook, if you have FB, and send you a little welcome package. I cannot wait to have you start your oily journey :)

June Young Living Essential Rewards

Since starting with Young Living, I've absolutely LOVED everything I've tried. I placed my Essential Rewards (ER) order for June, and wanted to share with you all what I got this month.

I decided to get allllll the oils this month! Young Living is mostly known for their essential oils, though they do have other amazing wellness products. I wanted all oils so I can get a feel for what I like. 

- Vitality Oils: Lime, Peppermint, Ginger, and Digize

- KidScents oils: TummyGize, SleepyIze, SniffleEase. These oils are fabulous for kids! They're already pre-diluted for kids aged 2+, so I dilute just a little more since Olivia is just 20 months old

- Christmas Spirit, Awaken, Purification, and Valor

- White Angelica, Peace & Calming II, and Gentle Baby

- Sacred Mountain, Stress Away, Cedarwood, Abundance, and Thieves

All the oils to the right were free! Yes, FREE! They are the promo oils this month for spending a certain amount, and are worth over $200. 

- Orange Vitality, M-Grain, Citronella, Cypress, Lemongrass, Lavender, and Roman Chamomile

I think my all-time favorite oil (so far, at least) is Stress Away. It has vanilla and other oils to help promote relaxation, which then helps me to sleep a little better. This oil was my "a-ha" oil! I made my daughter Olivia a sleep roller with SleepyIze, Cedarwood, and Valor, and she sleeps like a rock, it's pretty incredible!  

If anyone has questions or comments about Young Living products, please feel free to leave a comment below, or email me at skinstuffbykaty@yahoo.com with the subject line Young Living. If you've been interested in oils for a while, but haven't made the leap yet, you can sign up as a member here to get your Premium Starter Kit for just $160! It's an over $300 value for an insane price. I would absolutely love having you on my team, so definitely shoot me an email if you sign up! I cannot wait to get you started on your oily journey!

May 2018 Empties

May was kind of a rough month in using up products, but I still have a few to share with you all! 

I really only used up some skincare and body care in May. I used up The Body Shop Body Butter Duo in Vanilla, and I thought it was pretty nice! One side was thicker for extra dry skin, and the other side was for basic hydration. I have another one or two as backups. 

I ended up decluttering the O'Keefe's Working Hands because it's all dried out and unusable. I liked it when I was able to use it, but it did leave a bit of a film on my hands that kinda bothered me. 

I have one sheet mask from BioRepublic in Aloe Rescue. This felt nice and cooling on my skin when I was dealing with some dryness and irritation. I'm a big fan of sheet masks recently, but need to find more time to use them more consistently. 

The second to last of my Philosophy hand cream tubes has been used up. The Homemade Honey Buns scent was to die for, and I wish I had another one. My last tube should be used up by the end of June, so you should see that in June's empties post!

The Azure Naturals Ultimate Vitamin C Moisturizer was just alright. I liked it at first, but towards the end I realized it just wasn't for my skin. It didn't sink in very well and just sat on top, making my face feel more greasy. 

The last product I used up is an EOS lip balm in the Strawberry scent. These take forever for me to use up, and in all honesty, I don't really like them all that much. They're not the most hydrating and I'm just glad it's gone. 

Products used up: 6
Total for the year: 74

I definitely didn't use up as much as I wanted to, but I'm glad I used up at least a few products. So far, June is going much better and I'm more motivated in using up everything I have. 

What have you used up recently?

Young Living Premium Starter Kit + May ER

Young Living is a company I had known about for years. I had a friend talk to me a few months ago about their oils and while I was interested, I wasn't truly ready to get a kit then. Fast forward a few months to around the end of May, I was finally ready! I had gotten to a point where I wanted a different lifestyle for myself, as well as my family. I ended up getting the Premium Starter Kit with the Desert Mist diffuser that retails for $160. I also signed up for their monthly wellness box called ER, or Essential Rewards. I'm going to share my thoughts on the starter kit and share what was in my May ER. 

Like I mentioned above, the Premium Starter Kit starts at $160. There are others that are more expensive, and there's also a basic starter kit that costs $45, but you don't get all the essential oils or a diffuser. I wanted to have a good array of oils to try, plus all the little extras, so I sprung for the premium kit. 

The kit also came with a product guide for 2018, as well as a catalog that's more for the holiday season.

The box everything comes in is absolutely gorgeous, and has a picture of lavender fields. Lavender is one of my favorite scents, so I was glad to see it included in the kit! 

Oils in the kit:

Lemon Vitality
Copaiba Vitality
Digize Vitality
Thieves Vitality
Peppermint Vitality

Panaway
Raven
Citrus Fresh
Frankincense
Lavender

Stress Away

I was so intrigued by the vitality oils because they are considered to generally be safe for consumption. I've been adding a drop of Lemon Vitality in an 8 ounce glass of water first thing in the morning. It's so refreshing and helps with detoxing. 

I've also been using Lavender and Frankincense on my daughter at bedtime to help her sleep, and it's seriously been a miracle duo! She's been sleeping like a champ!

It also came with two packets of Ningxia Red, which is their whole-body supplement drink. It contains wolfberry, which is said to have incredible health benefits. I've already drank one, and it surprisingly gave me some energy during a midday slump I was feeling. Young Living is pretty well known for their Thieves line of products. The kit contains a 1 ounce sample packet of their household cleaner. You can mix this with water in a spray bottle and have an all-purpose cleaner to use on a multitude of surfaces. It's been said to replace many different household cleaners, which will save money in the long run. The kit also comes with 10 tiny bottles you can make samples with to give to friends and family if you wish. 

This is the Desert Mist diffuser. I chose this one due to the fact that you can diffuse for up to 10 hours. There are a few different settings to have it run for a few hours, slightly longer than that, then up to 10. I love that because I can use it in the living room in the morning to help feel refreshed and awake, in the afternoon to help keep me on task, and I can use it at night while I'm sleeping to help me fall and stay asleep. There are also light settings to change the color while diffusing, which is really nice as well. 

These are the products I chose for my May ER (essential rewards) order:

Thieves Dentarome Plus toothpaste
Seedling Diaper Rash Cream
4 Vitality Oils: Orange, Lemon, Thieves and Citrus Fresh

I have yet to try the toothpaste and diaper rash cream. I'm a bit nervous to try the toothpaste due to my ultra sensitive teeth, and I have a different diaper rash cream I'm almost finished with before I open the Seedlings one. I picked vitality oils because they're not as expensive and it helped me to get to the 50PV I needed to place my order. I already received my June ER order in the mail and will share that sometime next week.

I've been using my kit daily, multiple times a day. I've loved it so much, that I've decided to become a distributor for Young Living! I've learned so much about all the different products, have so many amazing support people on my team, and have just fallen in love with the brand. I absolutely cannot wait to start this journey, and if anyone has any questions for me or would like to join my team, feel free to sign up here or shoot me an email at skinstuffbykaty@yahoo.com. You can also leave a comment below if you wish. I can't wait to get started!

Are you already part of Young Living? What do you like about it most?

May 2018 Boxycharm

I know this post is super late, but I wanted to share what I received in May's Boxycharm. I'm sad to say this is my last box with Boxycharm. I think they're an incredible value for only $21 a month, and you receive some amazing products, but I have such a large collection already so I realized I truly did not need a subscription service anymore. 

The theme for May was Boxy Bash. The first product I received was the Pur Sculptor Highlight & Contour palette. I'm not usually one to highlight and contour, plus the contour shades are far too dark for my fair complexion. I'd probably use this palette as eyeshadow instead. One cool thing is this palette smells like chocolate. This palette retails for $30.

I got four brushes from the brand Aesthetica. A 3 Piece Eye trio and a P12 Face Brush. I don't care for the eye brushes aside from the spoolie. I use those quite frequently. The P12 brush seems nice for blush or bronzer. The trio retails for $45 and the face brush retails for $27.

I also received a Beauty Creations Liquid Lip Gloss in the shade Kiss Me. It's a really pretty rosy, red color that will likely be nice for Fall weather. This retails for $10.

I'm not a big fan of gel eyeliners, or eyeliner in general, but the Pretty Vulgar The Ink Gel Eyeliner in 01 Black List seems nice. I'll give it a try, but I'm not sure if it will stay in my collection. This liner retails for $24.

The last product is from Cover FX, and it's their Blurring Primer. I tend to like primers like this because of my large pores. Cover FX is a good brand too, so I look forward to trying this at some point. It retails for $38.

The total value of this box is $174. That's not bad at all, though I feel the brushes are far too expensive for the quality. Like I said above, this will be my last box for the foreseeable future. I enjoyed the box the few months I was subscribed, and may go back to it in the future. 

If you're subscribed to Boxycharm, what did you get in your box?

April 2018 Empties

I took another break from the blog due to family things and lots of doctor appointments for my daughter, but I'm back! I can't say how many times I'll be posting this month, but I realized I didn't get to share my used up products from April, and May's empties will be up in a couple-ish weeks. 

I'll start off with some skincare products. I finally finished off the last 3 packets of the Dickinson's Oil Controlling Towelettes, and I'm glad to be moving onto something different.

I have one sheet mask from a brand called Dermal called Bird's Nest. I got a huge lot of these off of Amazon for a really good price, due to a lot of awesome reviews I saw from a group on Facebook. I really enjoyed this and have to start taking better care of my skin again, because I'm majorly slacking. 

I used up a deluxe sample of the Origins GinZing Refreshing Face Mask. It's just a clear, gel type mask that dried down on the skin, and left it a bit more hydrated. It's nothing special honestly, but it felt good on the skin. 

I had been working on the NeoStrata Foaming Glycolic Wash for a really long time and I'm happy now that it's used up. It made my skin feel soft, but it dried it out during the colder months. I should've saved it for Summer, but wanted it done. 

This is the last of the products. I used up 2 Bath & Body Works products: a Spiced Apple Toddy candle and a Coconut Lime Verbena Deep Cleansing hand soap. Absolutely loved the candle, as well as the hand soap, but I'm slowly using up and not repurchasing anything from B&BW. I feel like their stuff is really expensive, and I'm working towards using better household products. 

I've been trying to use up the Arvazallia Color Care shampoo for a really long time as well. I don't wash my hair often, maybe twice a week or so. Now that this is used up, I don't really care for it. My hair didn't really feel clean, but it felt softer. I just used up the conditioner a couple days ago, so that will be in June empties. 

I used up a Little Remedies Saline Spray that was my daughter's. I use these sprays to help clean out her nose when she gets stuffed up. I like this but found a less expensive option on Amazon. 

I used up another Philosophy hand cream in the Raspberries and Cream scent. These hand creams are nice, but they don't do much when my hands are super dry from constant hand washing. 

Products used up: 11
Total for the year: 68 

I didn't do too bad. I was hoping to use up closer to 80 products at this point, but as long as I can really start taking care of my skin and trying to do my makeup more, I should have better success. I know my goal was to use up 150 products this year, and I'm still hopeful I can hit that goal. 

April 2018 Boxycharm

I received my first ever Boxycharm last month, and I just got April's box in the mail yesterday. Here's all the exciting products I got this month!

This month's theme is called Eye Candy. There are different variations to the boxes, and I'm happy to report I got everything I wanted! 

They were giving everyone a Colourpop eye shadow palette, and I received the Element of Surprise. This is the main one I had my eye on, and was hopeful I'd get it. I cannot wait to play with this baby. I've only tried Colourpop's Super Shock shadows, but not their pressed formula, and I've heard mostly good things. This palette retails for $16. 

When I saw a sneak peek of this month's box, an either/or product was a MAC Liptensity Lipstick or a Tarte liquid highlighter. I don't care for highlighters in general, so I was incredibly happy to see the MAC lipstick. I received the shade Burnt Violet, which is very pretty, but looks a bit dark for my liking. I definitely am going to try this out, but it may be one I only use in the Fall/Winter. This lipstick retails for $21.

I received brushes last month, and got some more this month. I received the SL Miss Glam Eyeshadow Brush and Eye Beauty Blender brush. I'm not sure if I'll like the eyeshadow brush, but the blending brush feels so soft and seems like it will blend shadows nicely. This duo retails for $38.50. 

You all know my love for face masks, and we all got the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner Pore Purifying Mask. I absolutely adore Dr. Brandt skincare, but it is pretty expensive. I'm not sure if the tube I got is a full size product (it comes with 1 ounce), but the card says it retails for $47, yet Sephora says $42. 

The last product I got was the The Browgal Instatint Tinted Brow Gel in the shade Light Hair 03, which is the perfect shade for me. I don't know much about this brand, and I usually don't do much with my brows, but I'm curious about this product so I'll give it a try. This retails for $22. 

Total retail of the box is $139.50, which is incredible to me. I don't know how Boxycharm does it, but I'm more than impressed and already can't wait for May's box!

If you're subscribed to Boxycharm already, what did you receive this month? If you're interested in signing up, I'd love it if you used my referral code here!

Review: Green Goo Foaming Hand Soap, Healing Bar & Castile Soap

 *Products sent for review purposes*

Natural products are not typically something I use on a regular basis, so when I got the chance to try out a few items from Green Goo, I was intrigued. I got to try a Foaming Hand Soap, Healing Bar and Castile Soap. 

The hand soap is said to "envelope your hands in a cloud of rich nourishing foam that enchants your senses while washing away bacteria and dirt, restoring your hands to feeling luxuriously clean." The healing bar "ensures a creamy, extra gentle, and long lasting bar that is guaranteed to brighten your spirits." Most of their soaps are also gluten free, with the exception of some that include oats and bran. Their castile soap "can be used as dish soap, laundry detergent, stain remover, all-purpose cleaner, shower soap, bubble bath, and even pet shampoo." You can find their products on their website here. 

Out of the three products I tried, I love their hand soap the most. I received the Lemongrass Zinger scent, and love it for use in the kitchen. It's very invigorating and I get compliments from visitors when they use it. It cleans my hands and also rinses off well. The scent hangs around a little, but it's not overpowering. I'm not the biggest fan of bar soaps, but I like using the Lavender & Comfrey soap at night when I'm super tired and really need to get some good sleep. Lavender always helps me relax when I need it. I'm always amazed at how castile soap has so many uses, and I like using the lavender scent I received as a makeup brush cleaner. It gets my brushes squeaky clean, and leaves a nice calming scent, but doesn't irritate my skin when the brushes are used. 

Their prices are a little high, but typical for natural products. The hand soaps are around $9, bar soaps are around $8, and castile soaps start around $5 and go up depending on the size you get. 

Have you tried anything from Green Goo before?

Review: HASK Monoi Coconut Dry Shampoo

 *Product sent for review thanks to BrandBacker*

As a mom to an almost 11 month old, dry shampoo is pretty prevalent in my life. Showers sometimes need to be skipped, but I still want my hair to look somewhat decent and not oily. I was given the chance to try out the HASK Coconut Dry Shampoo, and I've been pretty impressed with it!

Here is some info on the HASK Coconut Dry Shampoo:

Infused with a tropical coconut scent
Long-lasting Oil Absorption
Removing excess oil is now easier than lather, rinse and repeat. Skip a wash or extend the life of your style with this lightweight, coconut infused formula that will leave your second day hair even fresher than the first. Ultra-fine rice starch acts quickly to soak up oil, sweat and odor leaving hair bouncy, vibrant and clean. The tropical escape your hair has been waiting for!

You can find HASK dry shampoos at Ulta Beauty for $7.99 each. 

You all know I love anything that smells like coconut, and this particular dry shampoo smells incredible! It also makes my hair feel nice and fresh, even if I skipped a couple days of washing. It doesn't leave white streaks in my hair and makes it feel less fine as well. The can it comes in is huge and will likely last me a long while, which will be great for me in the Winter while I'm missing the warm weather of Summer. 

I feel like this is a great dry shampoo, the price is right, and definitely something I would consider purchasing myself!

What dry shampoo do you like to use?

Review: Number 4 High Performance Hair Care Sugar Texturizing Spray

*Product sent for review. All opinions are my own, as always*

Salt sprays for your hair are all the rage, but a sugar spray? I had honestly never heard of them before, until I was given the chance to try the Sugar Texturizing Spray from the brand Number 4. 

Here is some info on the product from their website:  

Sugar Texturizing Spray denounces salt while heralding sugar in a declaration of sweet love for hair texture that is perfectly undone. Transform limp, lackluster strands into loose, touchably soft, “beach inspired” waves with a nourishing blend of sugar and flexible styling aids. Sugar Texturizing Spray aids in style defense against humidity to help build a long-lasting relationship with texture that’s more than just a summer fling. 

Sugar Texturizing Spray achieves hair texture through simple sugar cane molecules and flexible styling aids producing a lattice of soft structure and haphazard patterns of loose, shiny waves. Flex net resins help keep glossy texture intact despite unfavorable conditions of heat and humidity, while anti-static properties provide extra nourishment.

Directions say to lightly spray on damp or dry hair and style as desired. Then you can air dry or blow dry with a diffuser. 

Now, like I said above, I had never heard of a sugar texturizing spray. Any salt sprays I would use ended up drying out my hair so bad, that I had to use a crazy amount of conditioner just to make my hair feel good again. Therefore, I would never use salt sprays, because I like soft hair that's manageable and easy to work with.  

I find the Sugar Texturizing Spray to be an absolutely fantastic alternative to salt sprays! It hasn't made my hair feel any different texture wise once I wash again, and it doesn't make my hair feel crunchy like other texturizing sprays can.

The one thing I'm not a huge fan of is the scent. It has notes of Tonka Beans, Patchouli, and Spanish Moss. If you're a fan of these fragrances, then this will likely be a texturizing spray you'll enjoy. I can be very sensitive to certain scents, and depending on how my allergies are on certain days, I have to skip this. Otherwise, I'm a fan!

You can find the Sugar Texturizing Spray on the Number 4 website, as well as a whole bunch of other products for hair and body. 

What do you think of a sugar texturizing spray versus a salt spray?

Finding the Perfect Car w/ Cars.com

*This is a sponsored post*

Car shopping can be one of the most intimidating things to do. Being equipped with the knowledge and being prepared before going into a dealership, or private sale, is incredibly important, and Cars.com makes the task so much easier!

It's no secret that my husband and I are on a budget lately. We're also in the process of looking for a newer to us vehicle, as the one we have is pretty old. We need something that is family friendly because of Olivia, but at a great price point. Cars.com is incredible because you can input so much different info, from a certain model you're looking for, to the price point you want. The website also has a very handy Videos & Reviews section, which can really be beneficial while doing research!

When you find a vehicle you prefer, it's so important to do tons and tons of research! Look up different models you're interested in. Look up reviews. Determine your budget. With all that information, you go into a dealership feeling confident and ready to (hopefully) take home a new car! 

Another piece of advice that I've learned over the years is to not buy anything our of your comfort zone price-wise. Keep a mental note of the price you want to spend for a certain car, and keep doing your research. 

Eventually, the perfect car will come your way, and you'll have Cars.com to thank for it! 

Are you looking into buying a new car soon?

NEW! Macy's Beauty Box Overview

*Product provided for consideration. Post contains affiliate links*

I was so excited when this showed up on my doorstep, and I have to share it with you guys! Macy's now has their own beauty subscription box, and it seems like something worth checking out.

The Macy's Beauty Box costs $15 a month, you get 5 deluxe samples, plus one bonus product, a cute makeup bag, as well as a $5 gift card towards your next beauty purchase at Macy's, online or in-store!

Products in bag:

- Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser
- Benefit Gimme Brow
- Carolina Herrera Good Girl Eau De Parfum
- Tarte Maracuja Oil
- Smashbox Cover Shot: Golden Hour Eye Shadow Duo
- MAC False Lashes Extreme Black

I've been subscribed to a few different beauty boxes over the years, and this one seems like any other subscription service. I think the price is nice, although I know I won't use the perfume sample. Everything else is up my alley, especially the Purity Cleanser! Each months box is a surprise, and the deluxe samples are chosen by Macy's beauty experts.

If you want to learn more about the Macy's Beauty Box, click here.  

What do you think about the new Macy's Beauty Box?

July 2017 Goals

I completely fell off the face of the Earth in June and the firsts half of July, and I apologize for that! There are times where I feel like social media and blogging take over my life, and I obsess over making everything perfect. Also, with having a daughter who has special needs, I cannot have that in my life. Her well-being is the most important, and so is my mental health. I took a bit of a break to regroup and now I'm back! Since I didn't recap my goals from May, I'll go over those and then let you all know what I would like to accomplish in July. 

GOALS FROM MAY

- Reach 2,000 page views: That didn't happen, yet again. Since I took a decently long break, I wasn't promoting anything either on my social channels, so page views suffered greatly.  

- Have a family day: That sadly still has not happened! My husband works his butt off 50-60 hours a week, so when he has a day off and we have no appointments for Olivia, or any other plans, he just wants to stay home. We did end up going out for lunch one day in June to Olive Garden, and that was Olivia's first restaurant experience! She did well, and was talking up a storm (aka. screeching and giggling). She also enjoyed licking their breadsticks...

- Do a face mask once a week: Nope, didn't happen in May, but I have gotten better doing masks in June and July so far. I need to use up some of my stash before they go bad. 

- Organize Olivia's clothing: Yes and no. I had a good handle on it and it was all sorted out, then it got all disorganized again. I need to still put away all her 0-3 month clothes, and organize her 3-6 month clothes again, which is what she fits in currently (yes, she's still really small, but she was a preemie after all!).

GOALS FOR JULY

- Promote older blog posts on social media at least 3 times a week: Doing that usually helps drive more traffic to my blog, and gets more of my work out there. 

- Try to get more sleep: I know you're probably thinking, "you have a baby, sleep doesn't apply anymore." It actually does! Olivia sleeps decently well, only waking once occasionally. I don't feed her at night anymore, so she tends to just shuffle around and goes back to sleep on her own. However, since she wakes me up when she moves, I tend to stay awake for a while. I also have a bad habit of being on my phone for an hour or so when I get into bed, and that needs to stop. 

- Use up more beauty products: Ugh, I've been awful again with taking care of my skin and need to really get into a solid routine and use up products. I've been really slacking with using up products lately and have sad looking empties posts as a result. I'll be starting those again in August since I'll have a bunch of empty products to share!

- Write and post 6 blog posts: I'm not putting a weekly goal or anything since we're already about half way through the month already, but I would like to publish 6 posts during the rest of this month, and looking at my blogging schedule, I just may be able to do it!

That's it for July! I'm so sorry again for the absence. I'm sure all my fellow moms can relate to life getting tough and needing a break!

May 2017 Goals

I had some pretty lofty goals for April, and didn't quite make the mark. May is such a nice month to me weather wise, so I'm going to cut myself some slack and go with the flow this month. Lets recap how I did last month, and talk about what I'd like to do in May. 

Goals from April

- Reach 2,000 pageviews on the blog: Didn't happen! I came in at just under 1,400 for the month, and that's ok. I ended up exhausting myself and didn't promote posts like I should have

- Have some ME time: Yes! I did have a little me time and treated myself to a haircut! I hadn't had a haircut in about 2 years, and it was just time to chop it all off and start fresh. I did also manage to hand off Olivia to her dad a few times so I could shower in peace and not have to rush. 

- Continue writing 2 posts a week: Eh, not so much. I was doing so well from about the middle of March to middle of April. Like I mentioned above, I exhausted myself with taking care of Olivia, making sure the house got cleaned, getting her to doctors appointments, making dinner, etc. Life just got crazy and I fell into a bit of a funk. Luckily, I have some awesome friends who understand what I've been going through, so I feel better and am ready to continue growing my blog back up!

- Organize our house: It's getting there! I was doing really well and managed to donate quite a few trash bags of stuff, as well as throw away stuff we no longer needed or wanted. It seriously feels so good getting rid of junk! I always feel like my head clears and I can focus more when things are put in their right place. Of course, our house still isn't perfect (and probably never will be) and is taken over by baby stuff, but I've made some great progress. 

GOALS FOR MAY

- 2,000 blog pageviews. I'm going to keep this as a goal because it's really so attainable, as long as I put in the effort. 

- Have a family day. Since we brought Olivia home, I've been weird about being around germs and lots of people. We've slowly ventured out into the world, and I would like to go out as a family one day to either a park or flea market. Something with just the 3 of us.

- Do a face mask once a week. This one has been soooo hard! I'm still getting back into a skincare routine, and I've been slacking using face masks. I love how they make my skin feel, and I need to use up what I have in my stash. 

- Organize Olivia's clothing. Ok, this has been a feat since she's been born! We've been incredibly lucky to have people give us so much clothing to last through about her first year of life. She's still small and is about to go into 3 to 6 month clothes. I just have so much to go through and sort, and I'm still trying to figure a way to make it easy on myself when she transitions to the next size.  

These are my goals for the month. I am definitely going to cut myself some slack and if I don't hit something, I'm not going to worry. Taking care of Olivia is my #1 priority, and I'm not taking time away from her, as I'm sure most people would understand. 

Let me know what goals you have for the month!

Review: Hip Baby Wrap Ring Sling

*Product provided for review. All opinions are mine. Post contains affiliate links*

I had the awesome chance to try out the Hip Baby Wrap Ring Sling in Sky. Ever since having Olivia, I wanted a good way to carry her around when out doing errands, or even things around the house. 

Here is a description of the sling from their website:

"Featuring a colorful print and a simple design, our wrap provides an elegant and traditional way to carry little ones. Promotes bonding and physical development as Baby grows. Our soft cotton construction are uniquely hand-woven to provide a bit of give so they mold perfectly to the body and create a very comfortable fit for Baby and Babywearer."

This sling is 100% cotton, machine washable, is also great for nursing on-the-go and for using as a nursing cover. It can be used for babies from 8 pounds, all the way up to 35 pounds. You can find them on their website here for $68, or also on Amazon here for $39.95 or $49.95 depending on the style. 

I adore this ring sling so much, and am tempted to get one in every color! I will say, there is a learning curve to figuring out how to use it properly and safely, so I recommend watching some YouTube videos on how to actually use one, if you've never tried a ring sling before. Now that I've used this a few times, I feel like I can safely carry Olivia around while grocery shopping, or doing some light housework. I even noticed that when she's fighting sleep, I put her in the sling and she's out in 5 minutes. Works like a charm! 

Hip Baby Wrap has so many different colors and styles to choose from! If you have a new baby, or an older one who likes to be held all the time, I highly recommend this sling. This would make an awesome baby shower gift as well for the mom who wants to babywear!

If you have kids, what do you think about this ring sling? Is it something you're interested in?

April 2017 Goals

I haven't done a monthly goals post since November, which I had failed miserably at achieving any. My life was put on the back burner as our daughter was in the NICU, and then going through open heart surgery. I want to get back into doing things for me and setting attainable goals for the month of April. 

- Reach 2,000 pageviews on the blog. In March I had just a little over 1,600 pageviews. That's not terrible, but my pageviews definitely took a hit during my time away with my daughter. This month I want to work hard on reaching more people and set a small goal of just 2,000. 

- Have some ME time! I'm my daughter's primary caregiver being a stay at home mom. My husband works crazy hours, typically putting in 50-60 hours in a week. While I totally love being able to stay home with my little girl, there are times where this mama just wants a little time to herself, whether it be to just hide away in the bedroom reading a book, or taking a shower and doing a face mask after. No matter what it is, I want to be sure I'm taking care of me as well. 

- Continue writing 2 posts a week. This was my goal when I started writing here again, and for April, I want to keep it up. Eventually, I'd like to work up to 3 posts, but for now, 2 will have to do. 

- Organize our house. I feel like this is a goal I have every month! Seriously, before Olivia was born, I was doing so well getting things organized and throwing stuff away or donating things we don't need. Then she decided she wanted to meet us 10 weeks early, and all that basically went to hell. It's not her fault by any means, we should've taken more time beforehand to really clean up and have things ready for when she came home. I'm slowly starting to make our house look much better, and we're only a few days into April so far!

What are some of your goals for this month? 

Life Lately

Hello? Is anyone there? *blows cobwebs off the computer* 

Hey guys! It sure has been quite a while! My last post was back in November and it was my goals for the month. It's fairly safe to say I did not accomplish pretty much anything I had set for myself. After my daughter Olivia was born 10 weeks early back in October, things have just been really crazy. 

But, she is now finally home! It's still so weird for me to say that, I thought the day would never come. A little backstory on Olivia these past 5 months...

She was born on October 17th, 2016 but was due on Christmas Eve. She has Down Syndrome and was also born with a heart defect called a Complete AV Canal. That is essentially a big, giant hole right in the center of her heart. With that hole being there, it was mixing the oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood together, making it really hard for her to breathe, so she was on oxygen support for her whole life. Since she was born premature, it made that complication worse. Until we got transferred to one of the best hospitals in the country to repair the defect. She had surgery on March 1st, and then came home on the 9th, with no oxygen or feeding tube! To say that my husband and I were ecstatic that she had done so well, and could come home without wires and tubes, was a massive understatement. 

It was getting to be so hard going back and forth to the hospital every single day, and once we were transferred for surgery, I lived at the hospital since it was quite far from our home. A good friend of mine set up a fund for us, which you can find here, to help us out with bills that were piling up, as well as getting anything we needed for Olivia still. Since I never did have a baby shower, we weren't able to get alot of what we needed. if you're able to give anything at all, it would mean the world to us. Even sharing the page on your social media is incredibly helpful as well!

Now, with all that being said, blogging should hopefully return to normal very soon. I'll still be talking about beauty, but I'll be adding in some lifestyle and baby posts, since my priorities have changed these last few months. I don't have a set schedule yet, but I'm hoping to be publishing at least 2 posts a week for now. I'm so glad to be writing again finally, and I missed all of you terribly!

Here is a recent picture of Olivia! Considering what a peanut she used to be, she looks giant here!

What would you all like to see here on the blog? I have some ideas floating around in my head, but I could always use more inspiration!

November Goals

It's that time again where I share with you the goals I have set for the month. Last month was a whirlwind with our daughter being born 10 weeks early, so it's safe to say that most of the goals I had set went out the window. Lets see how I did anyway!

Goals from October

- Get more baby stuff set up: Ha! Yeah, didn't happen.

- Clean and declutter our home more: ...Nope!

- Take better care of myself: Nah, sadly. Olivia was born October 17th, so between being in the hospital for a week and going back and forth constantly to the NICU, I look like I'm homeless. 

- Post at least 3 times a week: Didn't happen, obviously. I had every intention of being a good blogger, but Miss Olivia surprised us!

Goals for November

- Take better care of myself. Now I know I had this for last month, but this month I really need to do it. I'm sleep deprived, eating a ton of junk food, and shower 2 or 3 times a week at most. I know that's probably gross, but I'm at the hospital pretty much every single day. I get there bright and early and I'm typically not home until late and crash into bed. As much as I hate leaving her there, I need to start really caring for myself. Taking a shower and cooking myself a meal needs to be a priority again. 

- Blog at least once a week. I'm starting to bring my laptop to the hospital with me now, so I can take pictures at home and then write up posts while I visit Olivia. 

- Clean our house. This needs to get done, like yesterday. Since Olivia's been born, our house looks like a tornado hit. I may have to bite the bullet one of these days and not visit so early in the morning just to clean. 

I think I'm going to leave it at these three goals for November. Life has been absolutely insane and I'm trying my best to get into a routine. If you all are interested, I can do an update post on Olivia when she's a month old. Just let me know!

What are some of your goals for this month?