Favorite Discoveries of 2017 Part 1

I love discovering really good new products.  I further love when I find myself continuously reaching for them over and over again.  Today I thought I'd share the first of a 4 part series that I'll be posting over the course of the next couple weeks.  I'll be highlighting some of my favorite, and most used new discoveries from last year that I'll continue to use and repurchase throughout 2018.  I'll be breaking down the series by category; household, beauty, personal, and baby/toddler with today's post being dedicated to beauty related products.





Beauty



Korres Rose Brightening Oil  - I love this oil! I normally apply it at night, unless my face feels extra dry in which case I'll use it during the day before applying my moisturizer.  It's also great for when you're traveling and your skin is feeling a little parched - instant glowing, luminous skin.  The little rose petals that float in the bottle are an added luxurious touch.


Korres Rose Night Cream - I loved the brightening oil so much that I gave the "sleeping facial" a try. It's equally as great as the oil.  Read all the positive reviews on it here.


Kiehl's Calendula Face Wash - I first tried a sample of this when we were on vacation in Mexico last year.  Upon returning, I instantly purchased the full size version and haven't looked back.  I'm typically pretty picky with my face washes.  I like a good cleanser to be foaming, non drying but still able to remove waterproof mascara, and not sting my eyes.  This one checks all the boxes and is the hands down the best cleanser on the market.  I own the mega 17oz bottle and it has lasted forever!


Living Proof Shampoo, Conditioner, and Dry Shampoo -  I've been using this hair care line since last summer and it's so good!  I've noticed a dramatic difference in the appearance of my hair since I started using it.  I've tried sooooo many professional products on the market, and this is the best in my opinion.  The dry shampoo from the line is basically a mama's bff!


Travel sets of eye shadow - I used to weigh down my travel sized  cosmetics bags with multiple small eye shadow palettes, or I would pack full size versions that simply took up too much room.  At some point last year I discovered the two best travel sized palettes.  This one by Smashbox features 8 universally flattering matte shades, and this one from Urban Decay is equally as great.  They're both matte palettes only (no shimmer), but are so great for basics and they take up zero room in your makeup bag since they're so compact.


Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Gloss - This extremely flattering shade (in tawny pink) is the prettiest nude pink lip gloss.  I find myself consistently reaching for this over all my other lip glosses as I'm walking out the door, and I constantly get asked what I'm wearing when I have it on.   


The Seaweed Bath Co. Firming Detox Cream - I'm not really a believer in "firming creams" being a total fix for cellulite (only a clean diet and strength training has been a fix all for me), but this cream is extremely moisturizing, and I do feel a slight tingling when I apply it, so I know that the ingredients are doing their job.  The cream is thick, applies nicely, smells great (I prefer the awaken scent), is non greasy, and absorbs really quickly.  I love that the combo of pure essential ingredients are all natural and detoxifying.  I've also heard great things about the body scrub from this line, and I want to try that next!

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Have you tried any of these products?  Feel free to leave any feedback + comments below.  Thanks for reading! xx

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Easy Homemade Playdough Recipe

Playdough is a huge hit in our house.  My husband dubbed 2017 as the "year of playdough" as Isla will play with it multiple times throughout the day.  Last month, her little hands started to get so dry that they began to peel and I just had a hunch that the store bought playdough was the main culprit.  When I was offered up the recipe a few weeks back for a quick homemade playdough from one of the kids club teachers at Blackberry Farm, I eagerly jotted it down and we've been making it about once per week since we returned home.  It doesn't get any easier than this! It takes about 10 total minutes to make this totally all natural playdough, and Isla loves to pick out the color and help me stir all the ingredients together.  The coconut oil is moisturizing and great for little hands, and the cream of tartar in the recipe will help preserve the dough for a solid 4 months!  An added bonus is that the dough tastes so salty she won't put this in her mouth, as opposed to the store bought version ;)

I know that playdough isn't the usual type of recipe I normally post over here, but it's just so easy that I had to share with any other mama's who have tots equally as obsessed with 'the dough' as mine.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/4 cup salt
1 tsp. coconut oil
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. maple flavoring***
Food coloring


*** I buy the maple flavoring from Whole Foods, next to the vanilla extracts.  Isla loves this as it makes her playdough smell like syrup!  You can also pick up the exact version I use here.  Alternatively, you could also use 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie extract, or experiment with essential oils like lavender or peppermint. ***


Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl. Transfer to a large saucepan, and heat on the stove on medium heat until solid.

Transfer to a cutting board until cool enough to handle.

Enjoy!

Signs Of Spring

Spring embodies the return of cheerful color and light.  With just a couple months to go until the official start of the new season, I'm working on freshening up Isla's wardrobe with bright and breezy pieces that celebrate the exuberance of spring.

One // Two // Three // Four // Five // Six // Seven // Eight

Numbers 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8 are already on their way to our home 😏 Dressing little girls is so much fun!  Have a great week! xx SaveSave
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