Hooked on Friday: Fall Make-up and Skincare

Welcome to Hooked on Friday's where today I'm going to talk about a few of my make-up and skincare favorites.  You can jump in as well.  Just head on over to Hooked on Houses and tell us all about what you're hooked on, too!

It never fails with the cool Fall weather coming in bringing change, so too, my daily skincare regimine has to change as well.  My skin, during the Summer, is extremely oily so I use one of those "squeaky clean" cleansers and no moisturizer at all.  I don't have to.  But no sooner then the temperature drops, my skin turns to a flaky mess.

There have been few years that I have actually made it through a Fall/Winter season where I found a combo that work well together, short of the Mary Kay TimeWise line I used years ago.  I love that stuff, but again, my skin is fickle and I can only use it a few months at a time before it revolts.  It's the strangest thing.

So most years I try TONS of products, some of which are ok, some that I'll never touch again and rarely ones that I catalog and become a hibitual user of.  It just so happens when I do get used to (and grow to love) a particular product, the maker ends up discontinuing it!  HA!  It's all a conspiracy!  But hopefully that won't be the case with these next few products.

By the way, I am in no way being reimbursed for endorsing this list of products.  It's just my personal opinion.  I feel being a woman automatically enters you into a sisterhood of when you find something uber-girly that you think just might be the holy grail of cosmetics, then you share it.  That's just how it works and that's the purpose of my post.  That's all.

So with that I'll start with the skincare.  I have found two products that I have come to adore.  They work with my quirky skin.  I hope if you try them they work for you, too.  Both are farely new, which is why I decided to try them.  And both are also extrememly affordable!  No "La Mer" $100 skin cream here!

(no offense to to those who use the La Mer line, but I try to focus on frugality on this blog as well)

My skin care arsenal:

First I cleanse with Olay Dual Action cleanser + pore scrub.  Or liquid gold as I like to call it.  I have huge pores and this stuff shrinks them down in one use.  I'm not kidding.  My skin immediately felt like a baby's bum with smaller pores the first time I used it.  And now after using it for some time, I must say, I think my skin feels amazing and looks pretty good too.  I particularly like the dual action part of it.  You're getting a cleaner and an exfoliate all in one.  And it really cleans.  Some people like toners after cleansing, but I think this stuff thoroughly cleans your skin and leaves it feeling soft (not greasy~ I hate that), but not taute either.

So on to the next product:

 

 

I put Eucerin Anti-Wrinkle Q-10 Face Lotion on after I wash my face.

Like I mentioned, I only use moisturizer in the Fall/Winter.  And most of the time I only use it once a day.  My skin can still get oily at times so I mostly use this during the day since it has SPF in it. Another reason why I don't use it at night is I want my skin to breathe.  Again, with the big pore issue comes blackheads, which means I get yucky build-up on my face, so I'd rather not sleep in that.  Once a day is sufficient for me. This too, is not greasy, like some face creams.  Well, it's not even a cream, it's a lotion and it is very light.  I'm of the age where I need to pay to fine lines and I think this is a procuct that is particularly attentive to that issue for those of us that need to start thinking about how to care for our aging skin.  Now if you're 20 and reading this, bless your heart, you don't need anything "Anti-Wrinkle", but feel free to use this if you'd like.

And that's it in terms of skincare!  Now, I do have a few cosmetic staples I want to share as well.  These are things no woman should ever go without!  Even if you do nothing else in terms of make-up, these three things will make you feel like a beauty queen!

Mascara~ Eye Shadow/ Liner~ Lip Gloss

Here are my favorites (again, all quite affordable):

Maybelline Colossal Lash is the greatest stuff since sliced bread and I'm picky about my mascaras.  Two words: BIG BRUSH!  This brush makes your lashes look AMAZING!!

Now DuWop's Amber Eyes Trio w/ brush is a little more of a splurge coming in at $22 a pop on QVC, but it is the only eye make-up you will ever need.  It works with any eye color, even making your eyes POP!  And you can use just one color for those lazy days or use both shadows plus the liner for a more glamourous look.  It's well worth the investment.

And lastly,

 There is this stuff~ Badger Certified Organic Lip Balm.  I don't wear a lot of lipstick; mainly only for special occassions.  But I would be lost without this here "chapstick".  It's really glossy and silky.  And it comes in awesome flavors.  My personal favorite is the Ginger/Lemon!  This, I think, is a must have for wintery chapped lips!

And that's it!!  I hope You've enjoyed my suggestions!  Maybe I've included something that will help you amp up your own regimine!

Happy Friday, Happy Fall and may the Make-up force be with you! 

Hooked on: Playing in the Kitchen

I know what you are probably thinking....

The title is Playing in the Kitchen, so surely she meant "cooking" in the kitchen.

And I do...I love to cook in my kitchen. I consider my cooking a sort or play time for me, too. But that's not what this post is about.

I literally love to PLAY in my kitchen with my little girl.

It's the strangest thing, but for some reason we have fallen into a routine of just popping a squat down in our kitchen floor and playing, reading books, cuddling, and singing songs. It's the place where Emma and I do some of our real bonding.

Real quick, for all you type A's reading, the floor is clean and everything is babyproofed.

I guess it's because there isn't any distraction here. I mean, besides the new Fridge Phonics toy, there isn't a TV, or masses of stuffed animals and such. It's just us and our imaginations.

I'll have to say, I have come to cherish this time, too. The older my girl gets, the more I fall in love with her and to be apart of her growing and developing into a beautiful girl...it's the most amazing blessing I could ever ask to be witness to. So now that she's at that fun age where she "plays back" with me, our kitchen floor time is oh so special to me. All the more so because I know one day we'll be past this stage and on to another. Nothing lasts forever. But for now, it's the highlight of my days.

Like today, just to give you an example...first we did our ABC's with the fridge magnets (while she's in my lap, which I love) and then we played "Mommy's Gonna Get You" where I creep up to her and then tickle the snot out of her and then she bunched up her lovie and we just rested cuddled up together leaning against the cabinets.

Again, this is a weird place for sure to just play, but it works for us. Some people do family rooms, some do dens and lucky kids even have playrooms, but we like our kitchen.

It makes me think back to when my Nannie was living (before Alzheimer's took her mind) and Momma and her would sit in the kitchen and talk for hours. As a kid it irked me to no end because I wasn't allowed in there and watching the news with Papa was soooooo boring. Same with any family gathering...all the adults always end up in the kitchen yakking away. Me and Momma do it now, too. And just recently my best friend visited and where did we stay the whole time she was here?

In my kitchen.

A muti-use facility that includes not only incredible culinary creations, but is also a place of refuge, solace and FUN!

It's my thing...a family thing too, I guess. And I love that I'm getting to share it with Emma now. One day we won't be playing Fridge Phonics, but she'll be helping me cook and eventually shooing her own children out so we can have our heart to hearts.

Focusing on these memories in the making makes me feel lucky and even proud. Looking ahead, it simply makes me happy.

To see what other bloggers are hooked on, visit Julia at Hooked on Fridays and tell 'em Kelli sent ya!

Hooked on Friday's: Homemade Laundry Detergent

For today's Hooked on Friday's I'm hooked on Homemade Laundry detergent!!

Thanks to my creative homesteading friend Amber over at Classicly Amber for providing the recipe and instructions for making this stuff! Check out her post (and all her Lovin' Laundry posts) for ingredients and how-to here!

I must admit, I was a bit skeptical, but after having done about eight loads now using the homemade detergent, I know I'm hooked!

Having set that, there are a couple things I will do differently in making it next time.

I used store bought goat's milk soap, which has a light scent. That's ok, it's nothing overwhelming like your regular store bought detergents, but for my next batch I'll get a two pound loaf of handmade (and unscented) goat's milk soap from Etsy. Here's a link for a base soap batch, though not goat's milk- click here.

I did grate my own soap- it was the most time consuming part, but not bad! Actually, it kind of relieved a little stress!!

This is not a difficult process at all and considering the amount of money it saves, it's worth the tiny bit of elbow grease involved! Not to mention, once your laundry is done, it'll smell the freshest and feel the softest then it ever has before (with no fabric softener or dryer sheets to boot)! I highly encourage you to give this a try!

While you're at it, head on over to Hooked on Houses to see what everyone eles is hooked on today as well!

Hooked on (and Fashionable) Fridays: Aprons

CONTEST HAS ENDED!! CONGRATULATIONS TO MRS. PETRIE OF CASA PETRIE ON WINNING THE HANDMADE APRON!!

It's Hooked on Fridays and I'm hooked on APRONS!! So much so, I recently started making them!! See that one up there? It's an original design of mine!!

You know, aprons have been around for a pretty long time, but they are now making a huge comeback! Back in the day I don't know that they weren't just for looks, but nowadays you want something that isn't just pretty, but FUNCTIONAL, too!!

That's why I opened an Etsy Shop and can now offer you those FUNCTIONAL and pretty aprons!! Today is my Grand Opening! Check it out here!

In celebration of all of this, I'm offering not only free shipping through Sunday, June 14th when you purchase something from my store, but also, leave a comment to this post and register yourself to win the Apron pictured above!! No purchase necessary and the winner will be drawn at random and annouced Sunday!!

In your comment, tell me why you love aprons!

In the mean time, visit Hooked on Houses and Fifi's Fashionable Friday to see what everyone else is lovin' on this fantabulous Friday!!

Hooked on: Love

Call me sappy if you want! I'm hooked on Love! Maybe it's that Spring is upon us, but I just want to hug everything in sight!

It's Hooked on Friday time and Love is in the air! Swoon on over to Hooked on Houses to tell us what you're hooked on, too!

No, really- this time of year with the budding flowers, the crisp breezes and overall renewal from a sleepy winter, how can you not feel it! ?!

I love my husband with a new heart. I love my daughter with an excitement for what this next year of her life is going to bring her.

I love that Summer is right around the corner.

I love all the bright colors springing up before our eyes.

I love the chirp-chirp of the birds.

I love my family and friends to the point of dizziness.

Ahhhh, it's overwhelming all this love. But you know what?

None of my love compares to the love Jesus showed for us by dying on the cross for our sins. On this Good Friday- Love is abound! Because our God loved us so much, He came as a man to be persecuted among His people and then He willingly submitted to the most painful physical death, all while bearing the weight of the world's sin, then He rose from the grave to ascend into Heaven, leaving us with the promise that we might one day have eternal life with Him should we except this gift of......

Love.

Happy Easter weekend to you all. I pray you are blessed and overcome with the love of Christ.

Hooked on: Tuna

It's Friday and that means the Hooked on Fridays party over at Hooked on Houses. In honor of spring and my weight loss goals, I'm totally hooked on Tuna!!

This is seriously like the perfect food when it comes to calorie intake, protein intake and overall hunger satisfaction. Not to mention, there's like a 101 ways to fix this stuff! My personal favorite happens to be tuna salad because it's quick and easy.

You know, it's hard keeping a food diary and watching how many calories to take in. Not to mention, it's only a couple of months until bikini season. With all the stress that goes along with dieting, you're sure to pack on a few cortisol related pounds. So I set out to find a simple, stress free approach to insure I stay on track to wearing that hot little number I got a few years ago for my honeymoon. Currently only one butt cheek fits in it, so we've got some work to do!

Now of course, exercise is a huge factor in all of this, and I hate to exert myself too awful much. Therefore, in addition to my tuna filled diet, I'll be working out to the tune of Bob Harper from Biggest Loser with his weightloss yoga DVD!

But back to what I'm hooked on...for dozens of awesome recipes check out the Starkist website! If I eat tuna salad only once a day, that guarantees a delicious, healthy and filling meal all for about 160 calories a pop!

My simple Tuna Salad Recipe

1 can Tuna

2 tsp light mayo or light ranch dressing

1 tsp sweet pickle relish

Stir it all together and Viola!!

I'd love to hear what your weightloss goals are and how you plan on acheiving them so drop me a comment and let's share!! And while you're at it, swim on over to Hooked on Houses and let them know what you're hooked on as well!!