Tag Archives | Fashion

Skin Care Junkie | Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil

April 24, 2018 in Lifestyle

In my last Skin Care Junkie post I shared my Daily Beauty Routine. In the pictures you may have seen this golden product, but I thought it deserved it’s own post. Enter – The St. Tropez Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil. This product is genuinely amazing, and swiftly became of my favorites.

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Application:

When I stumbled on the St. Tropez Self Tan Luxe Facial oil, I was looking for a quick alternative to a self tanning mousse that takes an hour, or more, to develop. With this facial oil, all you do is add a few drops to your skin on top of your moisturizer and voila! Instant healthy, bronzed glow.

Immediate Results:

The first time I used this I was amazed by the results. It was practically instantaneous and immediately gave me a healthy, fresh face. Sometimes tanners can be drying, even giving your skin the appearance of streaks or peeling skin. But this facial oil brings out the best in your skin, leaving a hydrated, glowing face.

Thoughts:

There isn’t a heavy smell like with a standard tanning product, the oil visibly hydrates the skin, and there’s no risk of putting on too much. If you think you added too much color, just wash your face and start over.

This facial oil falls somewhere between skin care and make-up, and is going to be a staple for me going forward. It

Have YOU tried a self-tan facial oil?

Are you a big fan of skin care and beauty products? Check out some of my other Skin Care Junkie posts: Alaska Glacial Mud Mask, Sibu Sea Berry Seed Oil, Musely Hydrogel Eye Mask, Raw Beauty & Coconut Oil, Natural Beauty & Hair Products, Mix Rx Apothecary Collection, Balanced Guru Facial Toner, FRE Skin Care, HerStyler Hair Styling Products, Favorite Anti-Aging Products, Travel Beauty, Current Beauty Must Haves & Daily Beauty Routine.

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Calming Night Routine

April 20, 2018 in Lifestyle

After sharing my tips and suggestion for waking up early, I thought an updated nighttime routine post was in order. It’s hard to wake up early unless you get enough sleep, which means going to bed early. This is my calming night routine that helps get me ready for bed so that I get a good night sleep.

Wind Down: I have an alarm that goes off at 8pm. Whatever we’re doing, we stop and start to prepare for bed. The TV goes off, the laptop gets closed, the phone goes down.

By setting this specific time to begin our winding down, we avoid the trap of “just one more episode” or “as soon as I finish this last thing.” Those excuses can go on forever, so put yourself in a position to not be able to make excuses.

Yours doesn’t have to be 8pm, I know that’s early for a lot of people, but it gives us time to go through our nightly rituals.

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{Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser + VanityPlanet Cleanse, Exfoliate & Massage Ultimate Skin Spa System}

Lights: Right at 8pm, when all the electronics go off, I also start to dim and turn off lights. When you body receives light, it thinks “daytime!” because for a millennia, we didn’t have lamps and TVs, and light meant the sun was out which meant you were supposed to be awake. {If you’re interested in learning more about this phenomenon, you should read Lights Out}

So start to get your body ready by dimming lights and if you use your phone or a notebook to read, download a red screen app like Twilight that can help filter out the light.

Rituals: My nighttime skin care routine is very calming and just by starting it, I begin to feel relaxed. The movements of applying the products are connected to my nighttime routine, so my body starts to loosen up immediately. I’ve especially found that I LOVE using my VanityPlanet Cleanse, Exfoliate & Massage Ultimate Skin Spa System with a gentle cleanser like Caudalie’s Instant Foaming Cleanser,it is a perfect, relaxing little ritual.

The smells of your skin care products can be very relaxing as well as the movements of applying them, or you can set up an essential oil diffuser and try lavender or a sleepy time formula.

Relax: Calming myself down each night is two-fold, I need to relax my body and turn off my brain.

  • For my body I like Epsom salt bathes, stretching, and taking a magnesium supplement like Natural Calm.
  • For my mind, it’s all about meditation. There’s really no substitute. You can more about that here if you’re interested.

Do YOU have a calming nighttime routine?

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Celebrating Earth Day with FRÉ Skin Care

April 19, 2018 in Fashion

Living an eco-friendly lifestyle is something that I think about on a daily basis. Do I really need to buy more things? Am I buying the right things? Am I disposing of things in the best way possible? And this furious internal dialogue always reaches a fever pitch when Earth Day rolls around each year.

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And I am grateful that in one aspect of my life, I don’t have to wonder. FRE Skin Care offers amazing products, yes, but they also offer you a way to do you part for the environment.

Whenever a 123FRE set is sold, the company plants an Argan Tree of Life in Morocco to help fight deforestation.

To celebrate Earth Day, they’re joining forces with Arbor Day Foundation and will be planting a tree in America as well as Morocco. They’re offering a generous 25% off discount on their 123FRE sets for the next 48 hours.

They’re challenging eco-minded consumers to help them reach their goal of planting 1,000 Trees of Life for Earth Day in the #Plant1KTrees challenge.

Head over to the website and use my code MCLV and join the revolution!

What will YOU do to support the planet for Earth Day?

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Pampering Yourself & Self Care

April 13, 2018 in Lifestyle

Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, it’s necessary.

One of my favorite sayings is: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” And it’s true. We get so busy trying to conquer our hectic lives that we’re just going through the motions, we don’t stop to think about how we’re feeling, what we need, or how to better ourselves. I’m a huge fan of journaling, sometimes that’s how I actually figure out what I’m feeling. I start my day with a gratitude journal and affirmations, a trick that my mom taught me in college, and it helps me set intentions for the day. It’s also a daily reminder that my needs matter and shouldn’t just be an afterthought.

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Another way that I like to promote self-care, is through a bit of pampering. For me, a bath is where it’s at, but I know that’s not for everyone. Here’s a list of ways that you can give yourself a little love and help renew your mind, outlook, and body.

  • Spa day – Get a facial or a body treatment. Relax, enjoy, and renew.
  • Skin Care – For me skin care is essential, but it’s also a way that I like to pamper myself. I go through a relaxing, rejuvenating routine that smells and feels great. It’s a way to give myself a little love every day.
  • Massage – I live for massages and highly recommend enjoying one for relaxation or for therapy when you’re in a heavy training or racing mode. They are a lifesaver!
  • Shopping – Finding great new activewear is always a favorite pastime of mine {Nordstrom is carrying Sweaty Betty now!} and I never shy away from some quality Real Real browsing time.
  • Workout – Working out is a stress reliever. Even if you’re feeling stressed or tired, it can energize you. Go for a run, head into a class, or go work out your stress on a boxing bag.
  • Bath – Give me Epsom salts, a bath bomb, or bath oils, and light a candle, and I am happy for hours!
  • Sauna/Hot Tub – No distractions, just focus on your breathing and expel those toxins.

Reminder – Taking the time to do any, or all, of these things doesn’t make you a bad mother, or a bad wife, or bad employee, or a bad anything. Sometimes you need to prioritize yourself so that you’re a more understanding, calmer, happier human for the people around you.

Do YOU have a go-to pampering routine?

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Spring Cleaning | Tips & Tricks – Part 1

April 11, 2018 in Lifestyle

I live for Spring Cleaning.

That may seem like a weird statement, but I find it truly cathartic to go through my closets and cupboards and donate things that I’m not using, or put them on Poshmark, or throw away items that can’t be repurposed or mended. Since I’ve been in a minimalist state of mind the past year or so, I’ve been spending time regularly cleaning things out and trying to keep everything as simple as possible. But I find that I’m still excited to dig into everything for a deep cleaning this Spring.

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{This romper is an example of something that I put up on Poshmark after a closet clear out! I had forgotten it was even back there.}

First up, and usually the most challenging, is the closets.

  1. Step one – Check sizes and condition of your clothing and accessories. Here’s where you round-up the items that aren’t being used in your closet. If you’ve never worn something because it’s too big or a pair of shoes never gets used because they pinch or if you broke a belt and keep meaning to have it fixed, pull all those items out and go through them. If it’s something that you truly love and will either find a way to use or have fixed, create a pile. If you’re never going to use it or if it isn’t fixable, decide whether it should be sold, donated, or thrown away.
  2. Step two – Clear out your Fall & Winter clothes to make room for Spring & Summer. For some that means moving things into storage or another closet, for others, it means swapping the back of the closet for the front. Be sure to be gentle with storing certain items – I like to polish boots before they’re returned to their boxes, make sure overcoats are on the appropriate hangers (to avoid those stretched out shoulders), and I put books or other items inside handbags to help them keep their shape.
  3. Step three – Go through everything. Every hanger, box, shelf, and cupboard should be reviewed. Here’s where you find pieces you forgot about, things you’ve never used, items that you forgot to return etc. Now it’s time to pass judgment. If you haven’t used it in a year, it may be time to let it go. If you don’t like the style or the trend has passed, time to let it go. If you can’t remember why you bought it, time to let it go. And so on and so forth.

Note: Be brutal! I used to have a terrible habit of hanging onto things I didn’t use or want, just because I didn’t want to get rid of them. Like holding onto a dress because some day Letting Go of Your Fantasy Self post I might fit into it. Or keeping a pair of heels that I physically couldn’t walk in, because they were beautiful and had a designer label. If you need some help on this front, check out my Letting Go of Your Fantasy Self post.

You can also check out Minimalist Challenge | Closet Cleaning with Poshmark & The Real Real for more suggestions and recommendations to get you cleaning.

Stay tuned for the next post in this Spring Cleaning series – Tackling your kitchen!

Do YOU love Spring Cleaning as much as I do?

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