What's Up February!

Linking up with Mel, Shay & Sheaffer for...

What We're Eating This Week...

Mic and I decided this week was a good one to start our 10 Day Cleanse. 

So that means we are eating CLEAN!

What I'm Reminiscing About...

Seeing silly pictures of this little guy pop up on Facebook!

How was this just 4 years ago?

What I'm Loving...

I understand this is overkill at this point, and I am truly sorry.

But I am loving looking at all these house things and picking them out!

Yes, it is completely stressing me out at times but it is still so much fun!

I am so grateful I get to be doing this :)

What We've Been Up To...

Trying to finalize home plans, materials, appliances, etc.

Visiting with friends before they move out of state,

and hosting a wine tasting at my house!

What I'm Dreading...

Nothing at the moment :)

What I'm Working On...

Too much! lol!

I am currently finishing up this post,

messaging with a friend on FB since I didn't get to say goodbye :(

and trying to get some "real" work done :/

What I'm Excited About...

We are one month closer to our home remodel!!!!

But OH MY GOODNESS is it stressful!

Any tips on how to get through it all are greatly appreciated!

What I'm Watching/Reading...

Still trying to catch up on This Is Us,

I watched a little bit of the Olympics but not nearly as much as I thought :(,

tons of basketball videos on YouTube with X,

and Mic and I are slowly getting through season 7 of Games of Thrones.

I try to read, but don't have a whole lot of time for it :/

I am keeping up with my Jesus Always book every day,

and I am trying to keep up with my 100 days to Brave book.

What I'm Listening To...

A little of this and a little of that.
Does anyone remember this one?

I just love the Bobby Bones Show in the morning!
He brought Heath Sanders on the show last week after hearing this...

SO GOOD!

And Hanson was recently on there too!

What I'm Wearing...

For a brief moment this month the weather was SO nice so I pulled out my new Vince Camuto dupes from Target!

Yes, I need a pedicure!

I have also been trying to wear more of my closet recently, so I threw on a top and blazer I got from Stitch Fix a couple of years ago.

Other than that I am still rockin' jeans, boots, sweaters/sweatshirts and graphic tees when I am not at work.

 #firstflatlay

#wannabefashionblogger

What I'm Doing This Weekend...

X has another basketball game on Friday night,

and then he has a birthday party at the trampoline park that I am taking him to.

#momlife #alwaysachaffuer

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month...

One of my favorite holidays of the year...St. Patrick's Day!!!!

and March Madness for college basketball #tomboy

What Else Is New...

X has recently taken an interest in golf and playing the guitar, so I am currently looking into signing him up for lessons both :)

And there is this...

Bonus Question: 

What's your family's favorite Spring Break destination?

We don't go anywhere for Spring Break because Mic and I have to work.

When I was a kid we went to Myrtle Beach a couple times over Spring Break, but once I got into to high school that stopped because of softball season.

The coach made it clear at tryouts that if you went away for Spring Break, that you wouldn't be on the team anymore.

My dad was an assistant coach for my high school teams (after I graduated he became the head coach for a bit), so I knew we weren't going anywhere.

Back to the question at hand....I would have to say Myrtle Beach is still pretty high on the list.

It just has so much to offer for all ages!

Favorite Beauty Products 2018

Let me start off by saying I am by no means a beauty expert.

Heck, some days my hair is thrown up in a bun 3 seconds after I styled it because it looks pathetic.

Make-up is another thing I just can't seem to master.

But that is life right?

And regardless of the fact that I am not a pro at doing my hair or make-up, I do have some products that I love using.

And they do work.

I just need to get better at using them ;)

Some of these items I have been using for a few years and others I just starting using over the last month or so.

But I like them, scratch that, love them enough that I want to share them with you!

Hair Products & Tools

When I was younger I used hairspray all the time! Remember those big bangs of the 80's and early 90's everyone had? They sure didn't stay that way without lots of hairspray!
But when the big bangs faded, my use of hairspray went with them.
I typically would pick up one of the cheapest options at the store just to have some on hand when I wanted to use it.
But then Mel at Ella Brooks Blog talked about using Big & Sexy Spray & Play Hairspray and I absolutely love her hair!
So I picked some up at Walmart a couple months ago and the rest is history.
It works SO GOOD!
I can literally tousle my hair at the roots a little bit and then spray and it adds volume and keeps my hair looking the way I styled it!

I used to be one of the people who washed their hair every single day because that is what you do right?!?! 
When we moved to our current home a little over 2 years ago I noticed that the well water we have was not good for my hair.
I quickly starting trying all the dry shampoos out there so I didn't have to subject my hair to our water.
(FYI: Well water can turn your hair, or at least my hair a rusty tone. Exactly what I don't want!)
So I really liked the Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo for dark tones, but it isn't the cheapest thing in the world.
So when I ran out of it I decided to give Batiste Dry Shampoo Divine Dark a try, and I am so glad I did!
I love it!!!
I have been able to go 3 and sometimes even 4 days without washing my hair it works that well!
I even use it to help cover my roots when I waiting for my next hair appointment.
But I also use it to add texture to my hair.
It is great!
And at under $7 a bottle you can't beat it!

My stylist has used Moroccanoil Root Boost on me for years, but I never actually purchased it to use at home until recently when it came in the shampoo & conditioner gift set I picked up around Christmas.
Again, not sure why I never picked it up until now!

Honorable Mention goes out to the Moroccanoil Volume Shampoo and Conditioner.
They smell so good and work really well!

I mentioned this Conair Infiniti Pro Hair Dryer before, but it has to be mentioned again because it really is a favorite!
I have always picked up cheap hair dryers because it is something I never really cared too much about.
But for having fine hair, I have a lot of it.
And it takes forever to dry!
With this hair dryer I went from 25+ minutes to under 10 minutes to dry my hair!
And the best part is it is only $30!!!
If you are looking for a new hair dryer that won't break the bank I highly recommend this one.

I "invested" in a Hot Tools curling iron and straightener a couple of years ago and truly love how well they work.
While they aren't super expensive, they aren't $10 either :/

I decided I wanted to get the Hot Tools 1 1/4in. curling iron so I could add more waves than curls to my hair and this is just as great as the 1 inch iron I have.
Hot Tools never disappointments me :)

Skin & Make-up Products

A few years ago now I decided to take the plunge and give the Rodan & Fields Eye Cream and a few of the other R&F products a try.
I instantly fell in love with the eye cream!
I don't typically have dark circles, but I do have some dryness from time to time and sqwink lines :(
This stuff works really well for me!
I actually tried a couple other brands when I ran out of this, and immediately went back to it because the others just didn't work for me.
Technically, I can sell the R&F products but I don't promote it.
So if you are interested in anything R&F has to offer you can shoot me an email at leota6@gmail.com.

I have used Bare Minerals products for almost 20 years!
My skin is super sensitive, and the Bare Minerals products have always worked really well.
I have used to powder foundation, concealer, and such for years but then noticed my skin was changing.
As it became drier, I couldn't use a powder foundation anymore.

So I picked up the Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Cream in a gift set and it was the perfect amount of coverage for me.
And it still feels super lightweight like the powders.

I was gifted this Mario Badescu Facial Spray at my Favorite Things Party.
I use it almost every day over my makeup.
I spray it a few times when I am done and it just adds a bit of a dewy finish to my skin.
I have used it to refresh my makeup later in the day as well when I don't have time to redo everything and it works well for that too!

Another R&F product that has been life changing for me is Lash Boost.
My lashes used to be so long, but as I have gotten older they just starting looking like stubs.
I starting using this last year and quickly saw a difference.
My lashes are slightly fuller, but the biggest difference I noticed was the length!
They are so long now!!!
I get compliments all the time :)

Years ago I used the Bare Minerals sunless tanning lotion and it was just the bees knees!
Unfortunately, they changed the formula awhile back and it has never worked the same for me :(
But thankfully I found L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self Tanning Lotion awhile ago and have used it ever since.
I have tried sprays, but they never seem to get everything and always leave me splotchy.
This stuff gives me an instant glow and doesn't smell bad either!
How do I apply it you ask???

With this super duper cheap Sunless Tanning Mitt I picked up at Walmart!

It helps me get those hard to reach places (like my back) and my hands don't get stained in the process.

I use the lotion on my face as well, so when I am done applying it all over my body I just lightly swipe the mitt over my entire face.

What are your current beauty favorites?

Are you loyal to certain brands and products or do you play the field?

Any products I should try out?