I have been a self taught makeup artist and beauty connoisseur for as long as I can remember (for context… worked as a freelance artist for at least 5 years and been wearing makeup myself since I was probably 14. I’m 38 now). I’ve tried so many drugstore and high end and luxury beauty products. I’ve used them on clients and myself. With all of…
With my first child, I was like many parents in wanting to try any and everything on the market. After all, it took me over three years to have my baby girl (IVF mom here!) so I wanted to experience all there was in baby toy land. Additionally, my first struggled with tummy time and a bit of gross motor delay, so I really went…
If you follow me on social media, you’ll know my almost decade long journey with infertility is officially OVER. I am a two-time IVF success story with two beautiful little girls. Although the IVF story was a long and hard road, my second baby was a little easier than the first and happy to share my successful VBAC birth story today. Plus… some must have…
A question I get often is about my thoughts on clean beauty brand, Merit Beauty. They’ve continued to expand their product line since launch and win the hearts of many for their minimalist and curated collection of products. Whenever someone asks me about my favorite makeup from Merit Beauty, I always tell them to try my top three (or four?) favorites: the bronzer, the blush…
I sit here writing this post quickly at over 39 weeks pregnant at almost 9pm with my second baby. Usually I’m in bed by 7:30pm but I guess we can call this “nesting” blogging. I had a really rough time postpartum with my first baby physically (had an unplanned C section that resulted in a stubborn 4 month long staph infection), and as someone with…
When I found out I was having another baby girl and I had to start creating a nursery, I honestly blanked on any designs or styles I gravitated towards. I guess part of it was my mind was so consumed with GETTING PREGNANT (IVF mom x2 here), that the ‘fun’ stuff got put on the back burner. Even so, I was so specific and knew…
Pregnancy safe skincare routines are all over the internet, but my routine will be focusing on those of us over 35 who prefer sticking to more clean beauty. Pregnancy hormones can make your skin crazy, especially in those early weeks, so for many of us, managing our skin during pregnancy is really hard because we’re also limited by what ingredients we can use (or feel…
I’m a natural light brown brunette (level 6-7 with a neutral undertone) and have been lightened blonde for over 20 years. I get a lot of questions about haircare in my Instagram DMs, but it’s been a long time since I shared what I use here on the blog. I have a popular post on how I keep my hair ashy blonde (here), but it’s…
Before I was into clean beauty, I used to work as a freelance pro makeup artist for Estee Lauder and it was SO fun. I did this job in Houston, NYC and Philadelphia and I learned so much about the product lines and really enjoyed the company and people I got to work with. However, once I dug deep into clean beauty, many of my…
I can’t even tell you how many blog posts I’ve written about the biannual Sephora sale. It’s crazy. But every time, there’s new favorites I add to my list to recommend. Some recurring all time favorites… but honestly? This time I think it’s ALL new stuff. Except maybe one makeup brush. So I’m excited to share my Sephora sale recommendations 2023 for the sale that…
Hi! At the time of this post, I am 28 weeks, 5 days… so I just finished up the second trimester. For most, the second trimester is the ‘easiest’ in the way that you aren’t AS nervous anymore, you’re not feeling AS sick, and you tend to get a bit more energy back. But for others, new symptoms crop up. Today, I want to share…
This is a blog post I should have written long ago, but like many, we feel like maybe someone else is doing it better. However, as someone with an autoimmune disease and that has deeply struggled with infertility for almost ten years of my life and marriage, I’ve been through the ringer learning about and identifying ways to reduce toxins in my life to help…