Leap Day!

Hi guys! Happy leap day! I guess that's what you say on this special day right? I have no idea. All I know is today has been awesome already! Woke up to beautiful weather, sweet pups, my cute, handsome husband, and a crazy positive, determined attitude! This year has been great so far. Been keeping really busy traveling for Skincare and makeup brands, been traveling a lot! Basically 4 weeks straight of travel, and then I had a little break traveling last week but worked in Nashville for beauty events all last week and this week I finish off my travel marathon going to Birmingham for a couple days, and then I'm off from travel for the rest of the month!!!!! Wooooooo!!! I will say, I have been so grateful for all my travel and experiences I get with this job.

What's funny is, all I have done the past few years is complain about it. I love what I do, I just hate to travel so much. But I figured out my problem. It's not the travel, it's that I push myself too far and never give myself any time to breathe. I work a part time job in Nashville while I'm not traveling and then take days off from the part time job to travel for my "real" job and then I end up having no days off, exhausted, and burned out. So, after realizing that I constantly am working and I'm not taking advantage of these awesome opportunities I receive, I decided no filler jobs! I need free time to myself! I need to devote time to myself doing what I love and what recharges me, like yoga, hikes, hanging out with girlfriends, sweating it out whether it be cardio dance, Pound fitness, or biking, drawing, brainstorming ideas, creating whether it be painting, making something or creating something with Corey, and just hanging out with my family. I fill my schedule so tight I don't even have free time to study up on my beauty brands I work for and then I feel I'm uninspired and I don't feel 100% confident in what I'm doing.

I was not going to do that this year. My #1 goal this year was to stop working so much!! Now I devote all my time to my brands I represent and I help out a couple friends at their shops that they own. It still gives me time for me, and I love working at both these places. It's one day a week and it gives me stability to stay calm about my schedule but it still doesn't overwhelm me. I am so thankful for the grounding of these one day a week jobs, but I also am so grateful for the freedom of my real job. I get to basically choose my schedule and I don't have to work all the time. It can get a little scary and I have my moments of freaking out, but the truth is, it works. This job provides everything I need and I have to stop telling myself I need to do more. I don't have to work 5 days a week and have that stable 9-5 shift to "have a job." I do have a job! It's not what most people do, but it works for me and I'm so grateful for that. It always provides and I'm always staying busy which is good.

Now I actually have time to do what I want. This year was the year for that. I had this feeling last year that 2016 was going to be awesome and so far it's been great. My husband was off for the winter which was so great. For 2015 being so busy, I felt like we really didn't get to see much of each other and we really got to hang out and spend quality time together while he was off. I traveled quite a bit & he came along too!! We had a great time and I really enjoyed having him along for the ride! We got to go to towns we had never even heard of and got to see some awesome sites. We took advantage of the journey and stopped and checked out anything & everything that caught our attention while on the way to our destination.




state park we checked out along our way to Jackson, Mississippi

I think these trips with my husband really reflect how I want to live my life. Take advantage of all the opportunities given. Just like my job. I never really grasped how luck I was to be able to go to all these different cities and get to check out the yummy food, sites, and people. I would just show up & do facials or makeup & go. Having Corey with me really got me to stop & smell the roses. Enjoy all the beautiful sites & sounds of the trip and not just focus on point A to Z. Stop and check out every freakin letter as you go along!




state park stop along the way

I think Corey even enjoyed taking advantage of the opportunity he was given. He loves Civil War history so he went to battlefields while i worked. he checked out historic buildings and homes, all by himself! He said he did numerous tours with just himself and the tour guide. Sometimes it's nice to just be by yourself and have these moments alone. (It's the only child in me, I can't help it!) I studied the sites to go see, asked locals about the best places to eat and man, we had a good time!

I mean how often are we going to go to Little Rock, Arkansas? I mean, honestly? It's not on my top vacation destinations. But now going there, we will definitely go back. We had the best fried catfish there and the best cheese dip! I am not kidding! Dizzy Gypsy has the best cheese dip! I will never be the same. I need that cheese dip on a weekly basis! There is tons of hiking and beautiful sites that Arkansas still has to offer. We got to knock off a lot on our sites list for Arkansas, took back roads and more scenic routes. But now we know, it's an easy trip to get there and we can do an easy weekend hiking trip.


We stopped in Memphis on our way to Little Rock and just checked out some of the sites. We swung by Sun Studios which we wanted to just check out and we ended up taking the tour, and it changed our life! I love Elvis, sure, why not? But the main man that I love is good of Johnny Cash. To know he sang and recorded there just moved me and Corey to our core. It's a major historic site we are so glad we checked out.


the same microphone all the greats used while recording at Sun in the same spot & studio at Sun Records

Arkansas is so flat! It's so beautiful! There's tons of open lands and trees and it's not covered in buildings and house after house. It's kind of nice to go somewhere and realize there is still untouched land that hasn't been taken over by us humans. Corey even received a little inspiration while doing touristy things while I worked. He got the check out the numerous museums they had in Little Rock and he's actually branched out to even more types of woodworking that I will share soon!


the mighty Mississippi on a cloudy drive

Mississippi is gorgeous! I love it! The people are sweet & caring, the sites are so pretty. We rode on the Natchez Trace to get to certain towns and it was just beautiful. It's so nice to just see land every once in a while. All the little towns we stayed in were beautiful & sweet. Even the bigger towns in Mississippi were still delightful and not so crazy like a big city. There was very little to no traffic which is just amazing! It's nice to almost "unplug" from what Nashville is turning in to. I love this city that I was born in but man, it's getting big and it's a little bit of an adjustment. So leaving this city to go to small towns I never would have thought about visiting was so refreshing. That is the best way to describe my last month & a half-refreshing & recharging.


on the Natchez Trace



view from the Natchez Trace


Natchez Trace


every couple of miles the view of the Natchez Trace was slightly different from the last mile, it was beautiful

While in Jackson, Mississippi we decided to really take advantage of the trip and stay at the most adorable bed & breakfast on our way home to Nashville. Once again, Corey is a huge Civil War history guy so we stayed in Corinth, Mississippi. Like I said, we went places we had never even heard of. This was one of them! But, it was the most beautiful towns! Literally everyone knew each other! You could walk around the entire town and we stayed right in the "downtown" of Corinth. It was so sweet! You just walked around the town and saw the locals walking from their house to go get dinner at the local restaurant down the road. It was just so different and refreshing. I was so inspired being "unplugged" from our normal routine.


sweet church in Corinth while walking around the town

Some of the best memories of my life will be from these trips. Hanging out with Corey in new towns, trying to figure out where we are going. Taking a risk on local restaurants and meeting new people. Checking out sites off the interstate and going through some major back roads! Listening to music in the car and just talking the whole way. Chilling out in our hotel room reading in bed, we never do that! Walking through downtown Little Rock and checking out new restaurants & bars. Leaving your room late at night to go try the "best cheese dip" at the restaurant 2 blocks from your hotel. Yes, we did get dressed and go back out to eat cheese dip at 9:30 at night. It was the best cheese dip and you'll constantly hear about it from now on! These memories are just so warming to me and I'm so thankful.


our view from our hotel in Little Rock. The Arkansas River was decked out for Valentine's Day

I think these trips have set the precedent for the rest of the year. I need to stop and smell the roses. Really need to be mindful of all the opportunities I am given. Take advantage of everything I have, from my job, to my friends, my awesome husband, my body & utilize it to its fullest, this life! I need to enjoy the free times in between work trips. Take this time to do stuff around the house, hang out with friends, take time for me!! Just like leap day, it's an extra day to just take life by the horns and love the hell out of it!!


some random stop in TN along the way to Little Rock
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Hey 2016!

Hey guys! Happy new year! I hope 2016 has started off great! Honestly, mine has! I had a very good feeling about 2016 in my previous post and it has not disappointed! I have made a list of goals, not resolutions. They're pretty similar to last years goals, I'm just perfecting and diving deeper into these goals. It's like I'm fine-tuning my life.

This quick blog is a broad overview of one of my goals. I really have been working, slowly but surely, at making my life non-toxic. In more ways than one, haha. My main focus was lifestyle. I don't want toxic beauty products, being Skincare and makeup. I am slowly moving from non-toxic household cleaners and all that kind of stuff. I did really well at getting rid of any type of medicinal toxins last year, like aspirin and stuff like that. Basically essential oils knocked that out quick & easy! Add a little herbs, tinctures, & teas and I feel like I'm really on the right track there! But now that I've written this "detoxing my life" it's kind of funny because not only am I detoxing products, I'm detoxing negative of all kinds. Whether it's a tv show, a website (people.com has GOT to go in my life, I get irritated reading about dumb celebrities but I can't stop!!), or as sad as it may seem, people. If someone or something is bringing you down, let it go! I can't have things around me that don't make the best version of me & that's that!

Now I'm really focusing on products. Whether it's beauty products or cleaning/household products, I'm ready to detox these items! My Skincare routine really got kick-started with essential oils as well last year so that one is moving on well. I've found makeup to be harder. I'm still working and trying out products to see what I like and what works. I'll keep you updated on things I'm trying and product reviews as I am fast & furiously ready to detox my makeup bag!

But first I'm just going to show you a few new staples I have in my non-toxic beauty routine! Here are a few of my new favorite gems I have found on this journey.




As you might know, I make a lot of my own Skincare. I make my own eye cream, face moisturizer, scrubs, toner, serums, masks & body butters but I'm always up to try new products as well. Me making a lot of my Skincare has really helped me transition into non-toxic products. If you don't want to make your own, contact me! I'll make them for you! I love doing it! So, i didn't picture my own stuff besides my lemon-peppermint sugar scrub at the bottom right corner. But I'm going to do a brief overview of these products and then write a separate blog on some of the key items up there!

Top items-alba scrub, honest SPF.
Middle row-Swanson biotin shampoo, everyone lotion for hands, face & body, perio brite mouth wash, dr. Bronners coconut oil, Swanson biotin conditioner.
Bottom row-dr. Bronners 18-in-1 wash, everyday coconut face wash, Josie maran milk Argan oil, Josie maran Argan oil, Josie maran Argan cream oil, doterra on guard toothpaste, my own sugar scrub.

I'll break these down into hair, face, body & so forth and highlight each item in the next few blogs! But I just wanted to highlight a few of these items overall first! Next we will dig deep! The only items I'm not 100% sold on is the Swanson biotin shampoo & conditioner. I'm sure it's great for some hair, just not mine haha. I'll discuss more in the blogs to come!

But the last thing I want to share has been the most essential & helpful item in my journey to detox my beauty items. Yes, Instagram and following some of my favorite organic beauty gurus has helped but the easiest, quickest way to figure out how toxic your products are, is this-




Think Dirty app! It's amazing!! It's easy & a great way to see if the products you use are harmful. Super easy while you're at the store trying to judge something just on ingredients alone. Because these tricky cosmetics people change names, make up new names & just freakin confuse you when it comes to toxic ingredients! This app will show you overall toxicity, if it has developmental & reproductive toxicity, & allergy and immunotoxicities.




Plus, you can save all the items you use to your "bathroom shelf" and it'll add up the total of all the products you use and give you an overall rating of the products you use! This is a snapshot of what I have on my bathroom shelf, I have an overall rating of 3 which I'm super happy with! But this isn't all my makeup yet. Right now it's my blush, eye shadow, bronzer & tinted moisturizer and then all the other beauty products I use currently. Still on the hunt for some more beauty items and I'll be here to report back to y'all so you guys don't have to spend all your money and risk your skin on products that don't work so well!

Here's to a clean & beautiful 2016!!

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New Year

I know that you can recreate your own life & path at any moment. You don't need a new day, a new week, a new month, or a new year to start fresh & that's great. I love that! But, there's something about New Years. Something about saying "goodbye" to another year and really starting fresh!

Me and Corey were driving to Indy to see my family last week for Christmas and I just could not get these blog thoughts out of my mind. So I decided to go ahead and get this out. It literally flowed right out of me and here it is-

This year has seriously come & gone so fast. As I'm driving to Indiana to go see my sweet family for Christmas I keep having these same thoughts go around & around in my head & I felt compelled to jot them down while they're still fresh, looping in my mind.

As the year in review, wow. All I can say is time really does fly by. I feel like this year passed right before my eyes but it's also felt like a lifetime. This year has kicked my ass. This year wore me out, made me stressed, made me sad, made me question so much. This year also made me appreciate life, appreciate friends, appreciate family, made me laugh so much. I end this year exhausted, excited, confused & hopeful. Our family lost a few members this year, I've been personally challenged & challenged in my path, But this year has also given me the most heartfelt hugs I've ever received in my life.




This year felt like it was an entire year of tests & transitions. I've questioned my path & my calling more than ever this year all while feeling the most confident about my work and I have never been so proud of what I've done. If this year had a theme it would be "all or nothing." This year truly has been all or nothing, so opposite, so all over the gamut of life and emotions kind of year. If this year had a horoscope sign it would be Gemini.

I've grown in aspects of my life that I've really, really wanted to work on and I'm so happy to continue growing. Overall me and Corey were discussing on this road trip this year in review and we both have decided that yes, this year kicked our ass, but in a good way. We both have worked our butts off and taken huge risks in our careers, and we are exhausted and tired but we also have this underlying feeling that something really, really good is on the horizon.


All this work will pay off and it will be so amazing! I love fresh starts. I'm always excited to start a new year, have a fresh start. But I can say that this coming year, of all the 30 new years I've been blessed with, I am the most excited to start this one. I don't know what's to come at all, but I feel like it's going to be so, so sweet!


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Magical Tonic

Hi all! Merry Christmas! It's that time of year when all those Magical Christmas warm & fuzzies show up. But actually this year the warm & fuzzies are brought to you by the warm weather! I've had a hard time grasping that it's already December! With the true fact that time really does fly by & the fact that it's been 70 degrees here in mid December, I'm having a hard time realizing Christmas is just around the corner! It's next week!! (Whaaa????)







Besides our awesome Christmas tree from our local garden center, shout out to JVI Secret Gardens! And a few gifts I have purchased nothing has made me truly feel like it's Christmas season until I whipped up this magical little health tonic this morning.







It's Called Golden Milk. It already sounds pretty amazing and magical with the
name alone. It's quite simple and the health benefits are pretty awesome!

Here's the deal: Golden Milk is an Ayurvedic recipe that is made up of any form of non-dairy, non-soy milk. I used almond milk today, but I would definitely try out some coconut milk too. It also has a blend of turmeric, ginger, coconut oil, black pepper, cinnamon & other little goodies. I'll post my version of the recipe at the end of the post!






History: Turmeric started in India where it's been used for thousands of years. It has been used in cooking, health, beauty & it's active ingredient is curcumin. When you combine curcumin with black pepper all health benefits of each individual ingredient enhance even more to make the tonic magical.

Benefits: This tonic is an antiseptic and it helps with pain relief. It also detoxifies the liver and purifies your blood. It is also anti-inflammatory so it will help with joint pain and arthritis, as well as giving your body a huge immunity boost and antioxidants. And to top it off, this tonic works for many different skin problems.

Here is my recipe I blended from a few I found online:

Golden Milk Tonic-
1 cup Almond or Coconut Milk
1/2 t turmeric powder
1/2 t ginger powder
A couple dashes of black pepper
Generous splash of vanilla extract
1/2 T agave or honey or maple syrup
1/2 t coconut oil
Dash of cinnamon

Heat up non-dairy, non-soy milk on stovetop. You don't want it to boil (but almost get it there) just put it on medium heat and then add in turmeric, ginger, black pepper, vanilla, and your choice of sweetener (honey, agave, maple syrup) I used agave because that's what I have around right now. Whisk it and get it nice and hot and all blended. While that's heating up I add my coconut oil in my coffee mug and then pour the golden milk mixture on top of your dollop of coconut oil. I stir it in the mug and add a dash of cinnamon. Drink & enjoy all while knowing you are nourishing your body with antioxidants and tons of health and beauty benefits!

*very small reports of turmeric allergies. If you haven't tried turmeric, start with a very small dose and make sure you observe your body's reaction



www.healthyandnaturalworld.com



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Drink to beauty!

Ok so I'm going to do a little segment called "drink to beauty." It's going to go over all the latest health & beauty "it" drinks that I love. There are a bunch out there but I will go over my tried & true favorites with you.

I'm also going to try and blog more...haha I know. I pretty much open every blog with that statement. But, I'm going to start writing smaller blogs that focus on one item or subject. I'll try and do this about once a week and that will cut down on as much writing & research for me & less reading for you! I tend to really drag out a blog and write about millions of subjects because I just love health & beauty & I digress. So, I'm sticking to one subject a blog now! Unless!! Yes, unless I just need to decompress about life and then you can either just skip over or buckle up & hang on for the ride!

I'm also going to update you on some of the things I'm loving and thankful for at the moment before I dive into the subject at hand-

Today's loves are:
My view & this weather on my walk/run today



I'm thankful I'm able to run. I'm thankful for this amazing weather. I'm thankful I can get out and do this sort of thing in my neighborhood. getting out and being in nature is amazing and it changes my entire day & attitude.

Taylor swift's "wildest dream"


Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not ashamed! This sucker has been on repeat!! I actually only bought her whole cd because of Ryan Adams covering 1989. But I'm glad I bought it. This song, you guys. Oh man. This girl gets it! It took me back to a young age where i was realizing there are certain people (boys) in your life that you know you won't be with forever but you're just too far gone & you just hope that they'll remember you in the best light & have the best memories of you. Taylor, you're freakin awesome! She even got to 30 year old me and it takes me back. Literally to that same feeling of being 16 and just facing the facts of knowing you won't be together forever but you also can't let go, but also don't want them to ever forget you. Damn it Taylor! Thankful for memories. Thankful for growth. Thankful for learning lessons & thankful for things going wrong then, to have so many things go so right, now.

Also thankful for, keeping to the Taylor trend, Ryan Adams remaking 1989



I love it guys! Totally different sound and it's awesome! Get both!! I love Ryan Adams and he really can do no wrong. 1989 is great no matter if it's Taylor or Ryan singing it and it's pretty cool to hear their different takes of each song.

I'm also thankful for this adorable little mug I got at target!


Do I need another coffee mug? Heck no! But how can I pass up this!!?!? It's adorable!! Add it to my collection! Thankful for a beautiful summer. Thankful for the promise of fall! It's going to be a beautiful one this year! I can just feel it!

Ok! Now to the subject at hand. Drinking your way to feeling good & looking good! The first drink I will focus on is coconut water. Coconut water comes from young, green coconuts. In Sanskrit coconut is called "Kalpa vriksha" which means "tree which gives all that is necessary for living." I mean do I even need to give you more reasons to believe coconut water is good for you? If you need more convincing, read on & here you go!


Coconut water is my Everest. I hate coconut water!! But I also really want to love coconut water. I appreciate it and i am completely impressed by the benefits. But i just can't drink it. I have found a new version that I can handle though. It's VitaCoco coconut water with lemonade.




Yes, it has added juice to it. No, i do not care right now. I'm trying to transition here from a great hatred of the taste to a mild tolerance of the stuff so I can drink it daily. So I'll get to the pure coconut water eventually. I just can't do it right now, and a juice mix will have to do while I adjust!

Here's the breakdown about coconut water-
Super hydrating!-of course we all know hydration=beautiful skin. So this little drink here will get you there! I truly believe coconut water is a huge key to looking & feeling beautiful. Of course it's important to drink good ole regular water too. but coconut water obviously comes from coconuts and A huge portion of hydrating our skin has to come from the water of fruits and veggies. And this little drink here will do it for you!

Great substitute for sugary drinks because coconut water is a low calorie drink. It also helps you reach your weight loss goals because it is so detoxifying. Since it does remove toxins from the body not only does it help with weight, it also helps give your skin this beautiful glow because the toxins have left the building! Know what else it gets rid of? Cellulite. Yep. Enough said, give me a glass of this stuff!

Coconut water also has tons of vitamins & minerals ideal for human health-
Potassium-(1 serving=13% daily value)vital for brain & nervous system function. Reduces stress, fatigue, and helps maintain muscle relaxation
Magnesium-(1 serving=14% daily value)very important component of our diet. Low magnesium levels can lead to low energy, or serious health issues like asthma, diabetes, osteoporosis & only 32% of people consume enough magnesium daily.
Copper-(1serving=11% daily value)essential mineral for health that helps with organs & your metabolism.
Antioxidants-help prevent damage to our bodies caused by free radicals.
Cytokinins-science has found that cytokinins slow down development of cancerous calls & also slows down the aging process.

Good facts huh? Another great thing about coconut water is the electrolyte factor. Coconut water has been used in IV's for emergencies due to the high amount of electrolytes & coconut water is sterile because it's directly from inside the coconut itself. So basically, Coconut water lowers blood pressure, helps with weight loss, boosts energy, lowers cholesterol, reduces cellulite, and relaxes muscle tension. Do we need any more convincing on this stuff? I don't think so! Now to just transition to 100% pure, plain coconut water. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

If you're ready to take the plunge, I've read numerous articles that say is the absolute best to try-



Right now, I'm really digging the VitaCoco lemonade one. I love lemonade and the flavor is great! It has enough lemonade flavor to keep me happy but it still has a nice hint of coconut water taste so I think it will help me transition into plain coconut water.
I actually add plain coconut water to anything I can right now. I currently add it to smoothies, juices, and this little almond milk/matcha blend (I'll write about this drink in this little segment soon!) and it's great to add into whatever you think you can add it to! The more coconut water the better, in my opinion! Woo hoo! Now to get addicted to this amazing nectar from the gods.




Www.bodyandsoul.com
Www.draxe.com
Www.mindbodygreen.com
Www.livestrong.com

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Skin Jumpstart!

I just got back from vacation and man, was it a good one! I really took advantage of just relaxing & appreciating every single awesome moment on the beach relaxing; Soaking up the sun, sand, & salt water. Apparently so did my skin! It has been so congested since coming home!

Every time I come back from vacation or out of town in general, my skin really struggles. With piling on the sunscreen, wearing hats constantly, being sweaty, getting out in the ocean, and drinking a few (hundred) beach side cocktails-my skin is struggling right now! I can just tell it's clogged and dehydrated!

This is going to be a quick rundown of my post travel (especially beach) ritual. Something about the sunscreen really clogs my pores so this regimen is a little heavy duty in the pore cleansing department. Here it goes-




I got this little beauty in my Birchbox, lord, I don't know how many years ago. I subscribed to Birchbox and loved it. But honestly, I do not need any more samples of Skincare coming into this house ever!! So they all just sit in a bag and well, sit. I pretty much stick to my own special Skincare regimen of my homemade goodies that i concoct in my kitchen and that's about it. But this little guy caught my eye and it has changed my world!!

I really am into natural products and that's what has steered me away from lots of product testing lately. But this little gem is 70% organic, made in the USA, & vegan! Like I said, I've really been into all natural ingredients and I LOVE activated charcoal (I'll write a whole blog about this ingredient later) and that's one of the active ingredients in this scrub. I also love that the exfoliation agent in this scrub is all natural jojoba wax beads. It also contains tea tree oil to disinfect!

Active charcoal pulls out impurities and toxins in the skin. Activated charcoal also saved me when I got shrimp food poisoning at the ladder of our vacation when I took it internally as a vitamin. Y'all, shellfish food poisoning is no joke, 6 days of sickness and today is my first day of eating real food! Woo wee. No need for that post-vacay cleanse I was talking about. Anywho, I stray. Back to activated charcoal, It's such an awesome little ingredient that packs a big punch. Its very absorbent and basically "detoxes" the skin. This ingredient is perfect for skin. It will cling right to those deeply clogged pores and really deep clean, but in a gentle manner.

Jojoba wax beads and spherical beads that aren't too gritty and harsh on the skin. So you don't have to worry about broken capillaries or more damage in the long run just from exfoliating your skin!

This scrub will smooth your skin, brighten, & deep clean all in one! Great for all skin types as well!




Me with the Jojoba Charcoal scrub on as a mask & me after with no makeup, just fresh faced!

Another tip-clean skin with a good ole regular cleanser (I love gel cleansers) then put this scrub on your skin and leave it on for 10 minutes. Then, add a little water to the hands and scrub your face & rinse off! Voila! Really beautiful, clean, glowy skin!

This brand has really, really impressed me! The price point is great too! This little scrub is only $19!! It'll last you a long time too because I would only use this when your skin feels congested or once every other week or so for maintenance! At most, use it once a week! I can't wait to try more Michael Todd products!

Seriously, it's that Simple! Wash face, use the magic scrub by Michael Todd, I use a toner afterwards (my own blend, if you want to buy some let me know!), then I use an essential oil blend serum I made, followed with eye cream and face cream, all made by me!


Go to www.michaeltoddusa.com to check out the whole line!

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It's Getting Real

So I'm turning 30 in August of this year. I'm not scared, I'm actually more determined than ever to reach the goals that I want for myself. I have always has this idea in my head of how I've wanted my life to be. Ever since I was a little girl I have had an idea in my head of what I wanted in life and how I wanted to live it. Now over the years my ideas have changed a little bit here and there but overall the idea was this-live a life doing something I love in the creative field. Now what my job would be has changed over the years, i wanted to be a fashion designer, a wedding planner, a makeup artist, a wedding dress designer, an artist. It's all been in the same field, it just took a few years to figure out what direction that it would turn out to be. I at least ended up being one of those things! No matter what my idea of my future would be at whatever age I was, it was always this-live a life doing what I loved creatively, be outside and be one of those nature-loving, zen creatures who hike and do yoga poses on mountain tops, who wear yoga & workout clothing while out on the go because they just got back from a great workout, ate right & cooked really well, had a really cool & funky house with plants and a garden and big backyard with dogs running around, truly happy, did random weird jobs here and there. I never envisioned myself as a teacher, doctor, working in an office of some type. It just never happened. I feel like in my mind my whole life I've known my normal wasn't going to be most people's normal, and that's ok. I envisioned myself with kids some time in my life, but probably a few years down the road. Anyways, my long, rambling point is-I'm turning 30 and I feel like I need to get my sh*t together!












So far everything is just flowing right into place. But once you reach a pivotal age like 30, it makes you reflect and assess how your life is and where you are going.

I am coming to an age where it's like there's no turning back now. You're in your 30's and you better have it together because things are changing with you, in your life & in your body and it's going to only get harder and harder to correct any changes you want. I know 30's the new 20, yeah, whatever. I don't want to relive my 20's. I want to perfect the life I want and to really be this person I've always wanted to be and I feel like 30 is the goal! It's the major life point where I can look back at all I've done and say, "ok, you've done well!" Or say, "oh gosh, what in the world have you done the past 30 years!"












So far looking back at my almost 30 years on this earth, I feel good. I have a wonderful husband who goes on hikes with me and we have 3 awesome dogs who run and play in our great, big backyard with our garden and beautiful plants that we are adding more & more to. I do yoga & love to workout, I have to have it in my life. I'm happy about that. I like that I need it in my life to be happy and feel balanced. I have to eat right and cook well. I really have to. I've taken things out of my life, like eating well & working out and it just doesn't work for me. The later half of last year threw me for a loop and really knocked me down. I let go of a lot of things that I love and I know I need. Mainly it was cooking clean, healthy, whole, foods and working out. I just kind of stopped and chilled for a bit. I kinda needed it and it worked. After a few months I felt refreshed and renewed and all was well. Well, except I had really lived an indulgent life and I had definitely gained some weight.

By July of last year I was actually liking the progress I was seeing. This was a first in a long, long time where I was actually proud & happy of myself and my lifestyle. Then fast forward to a few months later and boom-here I am a little softer than a few months before and really out of shape. And that's ok. I needed to sit back and relax for a while. But now August is creeping up and I'm back on track! All I can say about that is this, life throws a few bumps in the road and all you can do is buckle up, hold on & then get back on track to really listening to you. If you have to change routes, so be it. If you have to pull over and take a break, do it. Whatever your body needs, listen to it & do it.

So my goals for 30 have been floating around in my head for a while. I want to really have my healthy lifestyle down and cook healthy foods and eat clean. I want to have a great fitness routine down, I want to practice yoga daily. I want to run around on the beach in a bikini and look freakin awesome. But really, what it all boils down to is-I want to love myself.











It has taken me a month to write this blog because I have been so busy and what's funny is the first intention of this blog was to hold myself accountable. It was to publicly state that I'm going to be in a bikini on the beach on my 30th birthday looking awesome and since I stated it out loud, it would push me to really do it. But within this month of really thinking, noticing, looking & focusing on health, fitness & wellness my goal has changed. I just want to love myself. I don't have to look awesome in a bikini to do that. I need to accept myself for who I am and make the most out of that. I need to be thankful and appreciative of the body I have and take advantage of that to its utmost ability. I don't need to have washboard abs to look good in a swimsuit and to love myself, and i don't need to meet this unrealistic standard of beauty that's out in the world.

Look around you when you're out in public, watching tv, or on social media even, honestly it's everywhere. Notice how many unrealistic standards of beauty there are out in the world. It's crazy!! There are these 40-something year old mothers of 3 on magazine covers with these amazing abs and these extremely tiny legs and arms. There are all these Kardashians with this crazy amount of contouring going on, tons of makeup, perfect lighting making this stupid pouty lip face, that you would never normally make in public, but it makes your cheekbones look awesome face. It's not real!!!! I'm a makeup artist and I even think makeup is getting out of control. We are contouring and changing the looks of our own features to completely change the look of our face! People are looking crazy scary and unrealistic. Not only is it with the makeup but it's the fitness routines that are unrealistic as well. These celebrities have personal trainers and workout like crazy! I read once how Kate Hudson got her post-baby body back. You know what it was? It was working out 6 hours a day!!! 6 hours!! She was quoted saying she would be crying while running on the treadmill. Umm...guys. This is not normal!!! Gwenyth Paltrow has an awesome body. She does the Tracy Anderson Method. I was like, "ok, cool let's do this." Umm...no. No I can't do this. I don't have 2 hours a day 6 days a week to do her fitness regiment. Who seriously has time to do that? And for me, why would you? Don't you want to spend time with your family or chill outside? We need to start enjoying and appreciating what we have. We can't devote all our time to working out when we are missing out on real life stuff. We can't keep changing things on our face and body to look "beautiful." You ARE beautiful!












Now I'm all for makeup. You have great eyes, play em up! You have awesome lips, throw a beautiful gloss on & go for it. But this whole contouring the nose down and changing the complete look of your face is crazy. Love & accept who you are! You don't need to change a thing!! Once we stop looking at all the outside standards of what's beautiful and popular and you completely let that go, you really start seeing what's important-your health, your life, your family. We have got to stop wasting time hating our bodies!!! I have wasted SO many years of my life hating my body. I hated my body back when I really shouldn't have hated it! I've realized if I keep this certain standard of beauty in my head to reach, I'm going to always hate my body and I'm tired of that. I'm tired of hating my body and wanting something that will never be reached. You know what can be reached? Loving yourself. Make goals that make you happy. Not goals that you think will make you happy. I have decided to stop making number goals. Like, I want to be a size ______ or I want to weigh ______.These goals will not make me happy. You know what goals will make me happy? I will not let the number on the scale or on my pants tag bother me. I'm going to love myself and appreciate one part of me every day. No more bashing myself. Only love and appreciation here.












Start loving yourself and appreciating what you have and who you are. Start complimenting yourself, stop picking yourself apart. When someone compliments you, take the compliment! Give compliments. Until we stop criticizing each other & start uplifting each other as females, none of this is going to get any better. It's time for us all to be on the same team and that team is loving ourselves, loving one another, appreciating our own bodies and what makes us beautiful, appreciating others and reminding one another what makes them beautiful, letting go of worldly views of beauty & those ridiculous standards, accepting your own beauty and reminding yourself daily how blessed, beautiful & lucky you are, and uplifting one another.












Now I'm not saying I'm just throwing all health & wellness out the door and ripping open a bag of Oreos. I'm just saying I'm throwing all negativity and hatred of myself out the door. I know what makes me feel good and what makes me feel beautiful. Working out and eating right just so happen to be two of those things. So I'm going to continue to take care of myself and live the life I want to live. I'm just going to start loving myself, appreciating the body I have, and letting go of all that other garbage that's out there in the media. It's time to stop body shaming ourselves and others! Time for love! #thisis30


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