My First Birchbox

 

So I finally jumped on the Birchbox bandwagon. I've contemplated it here and there but never signed up.  I recently joined Ipsy and have now received my third bag. I'm enjoying it, but that piqued my interest with Birchbox more. 

I've seen some people review their Birchboxes on YouTube and so I just finally caved and signed up. 

If you're unfamiliar with Ipsy and Birchbox, they're both monthly subscriptions. You get 5 products in each. They both cost $10/month. And they're beauty related. Which I'm a sucker for. 

So, since getting my first Birchbox in the mail last week, I decided I would share what I got with you. Maybe this will spark some interest! I know...you're welcome! ;)

This is what it looked like when I opened it! I was so excited, I grabbed my camera and ran out the back door and opened it all up there so I could snap pictures right away.

I like that you get a card that gives descriptions and full-size prices on each item in the box. I also got a coupon from Ann Taylor to get either 20% off one Ann Taylor item, or 30% off two or more items. 

Ok, lets dig in! 

 Top, left corner: (I'm going to type descriptions straight from the card) 

Fresh Feet Wipes by Jasmine Seven. These are alcohol-free towelettes that cleanse and soften with vitamin E, peppermint, and aloe. Refresh your feet after running around town or in between shoe changes. Also great for hands.

Full-size is 3 packs of 10 wipes for $9.95

Top, right corner:

Secret Lip Affair by Secret Agent Beauty In the shade: Foreign Intelligence Flirt . This is a really pretty color and not at all as intense in color as it may look. Its infused with vitamin E, to help with dryness. This is great alone, or over a lipstick for extra color/shine. It feels slightly tingly on the lips.

Full-size is $16

Here's a swatch:

Secret Lip Affair: Foreign Intelligence Flirt

Middle: 

Premium BB Cream SPF 45+ by Dr. Jart+. Ok, I was really excited about seeing this in my box! I have a friend that had bought one of the BB creams from this brand and said she was loving it. I used it on some models I was doing makeup on for a photoshoot. It was like a one-shade suits all and worked great on all of their skins. I've been deliberating on buying this for myself, but kept holding back. This BB cream is a multitasker. It evens out skin tone, has antiaging benefits, and gives broad spectrum protection. 

When I wear this, I don't use a foundation over it. This is enough!

Full-size is $39 (Sephora carries this)

Bottom, center:

Thermal Spring Water by Avene. (Typing straight off card for this one) Sourced from French mineral springs, this refreshing mist can be used to nourish all skin types. Hold 6-8 inches away from face, then spritz lightly. Use throughout day.

You can use this after a workout to help cool you down, or just when you need a little bit of refreshing. 

Honestly? I'll never purchase this. Regular water can do that. But its nice having this sample to use. 

Full-size is $9-$12

Bottom, right corner:

Lifestyle Extra (The only non-beauty item in the box)

Glee Gum (sugar free). All natural with no artificial ingredients.

Full-size is 11.95 for a 12-pack.

So there is my first Birchbox! I'm excited about seeing the monthly products I get. Plus, I'm guaranteed a package a month, which makes life a little more exciting!

Do you have a favorite monthly subscription? Let me know!

Blog Remodeling

Hey guys! 

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

I have several blog posts that are "in the works", so to speak, so I haven't gotten one out in several days. But I wanted to tell you a little exciting news!

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, I'm working on some remodeling on my blog!

It started with a search on Etsy to find a blog signature, which you will see on the bottom of this post. I found a really awesome shop, and the shop owner, Ashley, did exactly what I was picturing!

 I loved it so much, that I started browsing thru her shop more. I found a template I absolutely fell in love with. I  asked for a little tweaking, and so, with her help, we are working to competely re-vamp the look of my blog! I can' wait to see what she does! 

I'm going to link her shop, in case any other bloggers are out there and are looking to spruce things up! 

Her name is Ashley, and her shop is called Dinosaur Stew. 

I hope to have another post for you guys really soon! 

My Nighttime Skin Care Routine

Skin Care Regimen

Good Skin Care starts with Good Products

I am almost always on the prowl for new and better skin care products. I look for products that help with anti-aging (as most of us women do) but without a lot of extra ingredients that we really don't need. 

Sometimes its trial and error and sometimes you hit a gold mine. 

I feel like I've found my gold mine in the products I'm currently using. 

If you saw my previous post, I talked about using a makeup remover prior to cleansing. That gets us on the right track to getting clean, healthy looking skin. 

After I use my eye makeup remover and the Bioderma to the rest of my face, I move on to a skin care line that I've been trying out and using for months. 

The Michael Todd True Organics line has some amazingly good products. After watching a few YouTube videos about it, I decided to give it a go. All of the products are organic/vegan so you know you're putting good quality products on your skin. What's cool is once you place an order, you become a valued customer and receive a 20% discount on anything else you purchase for a year! 

Something else I like is the website makes it so easy to find the products best suited for your skin type. Everything is categorized based on skin type/needs, so you don't have to "hunt" through the products to make sure they're suitable for you. 

What I do

So after my makeup is removed, I start next with my cleanser. This is my newest purchase from Michael Todd and I am loving it! Its the Honey & Oat Deep Pore Cleanser. I love that I've found a deep pore cleanser for my dry skin. Every other deep pore I've used has been too drying on my skin. And most that I've seen are more designed for acne prone/oily skin. 

Next, I use the Tropical Fruit scrub which is an enzyme exfoliant. It smells just like you'd think, with papaya and pineapple. And its gentle enough that I use it almost daily. 

For my cleanser and exfoliant, I've begun using my Sonic Skincare System. I used it for a while, months ago, and stopped, but I've started using it again and really like it. It really helps to deeply clean your skin. It compares to the Clarisonic, but less costly. 

About once to twice a week, I use the Pearl and Silk mask. You apply to a clean face and leave on for about 10 minutes. Just as the name suggests, the product is a pearly and creamy and it leave my face feeling silky and soft. Its wonderful!

When I get out of the tub or shower, I follow up with the Blue Green Algae Toner. The amazing thing about this toner is that its an antibacterial and an anti-inflammatory formula. I'll be honest, out of all the steps in skin care, toning has been the one I've skipped too many times. However, since using this toner, I haven't skipped this step nearly as much as I used to. I absolutely love this toner! 

I linked the site so you can read all the amazing things the toner does. As with all the other products highlighted. I encourage reading up on these products to find which ones best suit you. 

Lastly, moisturizer. There's an eye cream, Intensive Organic Eye Cream, which is a multi-action treatment for your eyes. It helps with fine lines and wrinkles, reducing dark circles, and helping eliminate puffiness. Then I use the Citrus Cream Moisturizer that contans DMAE and Hyaluronic Acid.  In the morning, my skin still feels moisturized and smooth. 

If you haven't tried out any of the Michael Todd products, I highly recommend them. I don't foresee me changing up my skin care routine any time soon. These are, like I said, my gold mine! 

What are your favorite skincare products? 

XOXO

Laura

Makeup Removers

 We All Want Healthy, Clean Skin

Right, ladies? Clean, clear, healthy skin is something we desire. 

And its a good one thing at that. 

We should be proactive about the health of our bodies; skin included, since its our largest organ. 

To me, healthy skin starts with clean skin. 

Most of us women wear makeup daily, for the most part. Have you neglected to remove your makeup at night before going to bed? I'll admit it. I've done it. Many times. 

Someone once told me that your skin ages 7 days for every night that you don't remove your makeup. Say what?! So, if you skip removing your makeup once a week, you've aged your skin by 28 days! That's crazy. 

I found this article on an experiment a woman did with sleeping in her makeup for a month. YIKES!

Alot of us, myself included, skip the actual removing of makeup and go straight to facial cleanser. Doing this, however, doesn't fully clean your skin. When you cleanse before taking your makeup off first, its only 'skimming' the surface, so to speak. But when you use a makeup remover first, when you cleanse your skin, the product will be able to go straight to your pores and absorb better into the skin to do its job. 

Make any sense? 

I have 2 products I use daily and are by far my absolute favorite when it comes to taking my makeup off. 

Bioderma Sensibio H2O, Mary Kay Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover

Firstly, I use the Mary Kay Oil Free Eye Makeup remover first. I love that this works well, and gently too. I don't feel like I have to "scrub" at my eyes to my eye makeup off. I wear waterproof mascara almost all the time and this takes it off with no problem. 

Sephora also makes a really good one as well.  

I found the Bioderma off of Amazon and I love it! Its super gentle and fragrance free, which makes it excellent for sensitive skin. Its a rinse free formula. I just douse a cotton round and sweep it over my face. I usually use 2 cotton rounds total. Its a little pricey, but lasts me a long time, so I can justify the cost. It runs around $30 for a 500ml bottle.

There's a few formulations of it too. But this one was the one that stood out the most to me and has done an amazing job.

(I would link the Bioderma but at the time of this post, the Amazon site is temporarily not working. But you can google it and find it on other sites as well.)

And then I can move on with the rest of my nighttime routine. I have noticed such a change in my skin since I started making a point to actually taking my makeup off before cleansing. 

I hope you check these products out if you're looking for a good makeup remover. 

I have another post coming soon on the products I've been using at night. (Maybe today!)

XOXO 

Laura

Worship School: A Dream Come True. Part 2

Pinch Me, I Must Be Dreaming!

My BSW necessities, and extras.

It was time, and it still hadn't fully hit me. I was going to Bethel! I was going to see Jen Johnson, Steffany Frizzel-Gretzinger, Jesus Culture, Jeremy Riddle, Paul Baloche, Martin Smith, Amanda Cook, and so many more amazing worship leaders! All in one place!

The thought alone was surreal. I couldn't wait to get there. I was excited, nervous, and more than a little bit intimidated. 

Upon landing at the San Francisco International airport, I made my way to the gate for my connecting flight into Redding. I quickly was able to spot out other students by the number of guitar cases. Plus, the connecting flight was a smaller plane and pretty much everyone on that plane was going to BSW (Bethel School of Worship). It was amazing at how quick we started to make connections. We all had the same emotions running rampant! 

Friends Forever

As we got ready to head out to Redding, I quickly texted the girls who I'd be living with for the next two weeks to let them know I would be there in less than an hour. There was seven of us, as I stated in Worship School: A Dream Come True. Part 1. I was the last of our house to arrive. I hadn't met any of them, but we were already connected. We'd been talking through Facebook for the past four months. 

I could write an entire post on my awesome housemates. We formed lifelong friendships that will last from here to eternity! We are still texting, touching base with each other. We plan to meet up once a year, taking turns visiting our home towns/states/countries. I can't wait to see them all again! I seriously love these ladies! They are all beautiful and are so full of the Lord. I'm bless to have them in my life!

On our last night together, we spent several hours praying and prophesying over each other. It was amazing. These girls will always be in my heart! 

From L to R: Top row: Therosia, Nicole, Tanisha Bottom Row: Irene, Leonie, Sonja, me

A Little Star-Struck

 One exciting thing, for me anyways, was the first night I was there, we went to Bethel's Sunday night service and I saw Jenn Johnson. I noticed that two of my housemates were talking to her so I just HAD to go! I slid up next to them. Literally. And she totally caught me. We laughed and I thought, "Well, at least I made an impression!" And of course, I had to have a picture with her.

Me and Jenn! Not the best picture of myself, but I'm with Jenn so who cares, right?!

I also got the privilege of sitting in several classes taught by the incredible Amanda (Falk) Cook. She is the one who wrote the song "Closer" sung by Steffany Gretzinger. And also "I Will Exalt". She's extremely talented and I got to sit and listen to her as she spoke about her personal process of becoming the songwriter/singer she is. She sang and prayed over us each class and it just got better and better.

Me and Amanda Cook!

 School Is In Session

There's absolutely no way I could write about my entire experience while at BSW. There's just too much that went on. I took an empty spiral and came home with it just about completely full of notes if that gives you any indication! We were in classes from 10am to 9:30pm daily. 

We started out each day with worship. Ah-maaay-zing worship! So intense at times. So free. No holding back. Completely lost in God's presence. 

The classes I took were nothing short of life-changing. I loved every moment of it. God was there with us. He spoke things over me. I'm going to be writing a blog post talking more in detail about a couple of things that the Lord revealed to me. 

Each class was more and more amazing. I couldn't get enough, I tried to soak up every single second of it, yet at times, I didn't feel like my brain could hold on to any more knowledge or revelation! Ha! How awesome is that?! 

Everyone there, Bethel staff and teachers, all made us feel like we were family. And made us feel genuinely loved by them. Which made us feel more connected with them. I definitely left a big piece of me there when I left. 

Bethel School of Worship changed my life. God changed me. And I can't wait to see where He leads me. I don't regret for one second going there. Would I go back? Um. Yes! In a heart beat! 

Worship School: A Dream Come True. Part 1

Bethel Church, Redding, California

Getting There

A Backstory

First thing you need to know about me is that I felt called to be a worship leader for years now. 

Its not something I wanted. 

I remember standing in my shower years ago and praying. I specifically remember saying "God. I don't want to be a worship leader. I'm ok with leading songs here and there, but I don't want to lead." 

In that moment, I'm sure that God chuckled at me. Because He has, in fact called me to lead. He calls us all to something. Its our choice to say "Yes". Somewhere along the way, along this process, I said, "Yes".

And so it began. The desire, the passion began to deepen. Its been a process. A long one. And its still going, but that's not what this post is about. That's a story for another time. 

I visited Christ For The Nations for a campus days with a friend of mine and found myself wanting to attend. I didn't know how though, because I was a single, working mom at the time and going there would require a move away from family and friends. I just didn't know how that would be possible. 

From that moment on, the desire to go to a worship school was birthed. But I just handed it over to God. And trusted that it would happen. In His time. And if it never happened, I was okay with that too.

And The Story Goes On

Years go by. Literally. The desire for school has never left, but as I stated already, I was okay with where I was and knew God had it under control. 

I'm sitting at my table with my good friend, and fellow worship leader, Jackie, and we're talking about worship. About our hearts for worship. What we wanted the Lord to do through us and in us. To lead His people into His Presence. The subject of worship school comes up and we talked about both of our desires to go. I told her that if I could go anywhere, I'd want to go to Bethel in Redding, California. I didn't know if they even had a worship school. I was just in love with the worship that had been coming out of that church. Powerful, anointed. Amazing. 

I want to say it was within that same week, the same friend texted me and said that Bethel had a worship school that was two weeks long. I was surprised..and that was DO-able!  

I looked it up and sure enough, there it was. Coming up in a matter of months. Now, what do I do with this information? I started praying about it. I mentioned it to my husband, whose initial reaction was what I thought it'd be. He wasn't completely on board at first. But said he would pray about it too. While it was do-able, it still would require a huge sacrifice on my part. Leaving three children and a husband for two weeks. Leaving family who would have to help out with watching my children too. 

And so I prayed that God would make a way. He knew how much I wanted to go. I would cry every time I would think about it. I knew that going would change my life forever. 

I asked my friend, Amie, an amazing prayer warrior, to pray about it with me. And it was like she got an answer right away. And it was a "Yes"! My reaction? You guessed it. I cried. 

I only told a few people about it and I was sitting and chatting with my friend Dayna. She had just come home from a missions trip and we were hanging out at my house. She was actually showing me the ropes on the whole blogging thing. 

You can check out Dayna's blog here. 

I told her about BSW (Bethel School of Worship) and she said, point blank, that it seemed I'd already gotten my answer about going and her only question was when I was going to fill out the application. To which I replied, "Um. Now?" 

A Valentine's Day Surprise

My husband and I headed out for a date the day after Valentine's Day. I checked my email and saw an email my pastor had sent, letting me know he had sent off the pastoral recommendation. I also noticed an email from someone from BSW and my heart did a flip flop. 

I had been accepted to BSW! It was starting the end of June, giving me four months to make arrangements. 

My husband was totally behind me, my family supported me, and my friends and my church were backing me. 

Down to the Details

Within a matter of days, I was connected with girls whom I didn't know. In fact, we were scattered all over the world. From Texas to Germany and Norway, the seven of us connected and made housing arrangements. 

There's a woman in my church, Ginger, who owns a salon. She offered to let me host a bake sale to raise money to cover funds for school. I was a wreck that day. The enemy began to attack me, telling me that I didn't have any business going to BSW. I wasn't good enough...blah blah blah. My best friend, Brittany and I went, with lots of baked goods, and not only sold almost everything, but I received donations. An amazing donation that left me speechless. My tuition was covered.

And I was GOING! 

So that gives you the story, the process, of me getting to Bethel School of Worship. In my next post, I'll talk about being there, the people I met, the experiences, encounters, I had there. 

Until then! 

A Little DIY Therapy

Spray Paint is a Girl's Best Friend

I love working on little projects. Especially when they involve spray paint. Its amazing how a coat of spray paint can completely change the look of something. Its one of the easiest ways to give items a makeover!

Just a couple weeks ago, my husband and I took on the much needed task to repaint our living room, dining room, kitchen, and hallway. Our living room was a dark green color and we decided to go with a bluish gray color.  So, naturally, this means major changes have to happen! 

I had some ceramic pots that I've had in my kitchen that I became unsure with what to do with. I'll insert the picture of them. 

Before

I picked these up years ago in Canton, Tx. Canton is known for First Monday Canton market days. And I love that place! 

After we painted the kitchen, I didn't know if I should sell them or just give them away. And then it came to me: spray paint them! I am pulling out a lot of white accents with the new wall color so I decided on painting them solid white. 

I chose Valspar Paint + Primer in a glossy finish. It coated the pots very well. I found it at Lowes. 

After one coat of paint

After one coat, it was already looking good! I got so excited that I found two vases that I was unsure what to do with also and got to work on those as well.

Before

I bought these at Ikea a few years back and I really like them. But against the new wall color, they didn't go so well anymore. Spray paint to the rescue! 

They are all complete and I'm already looking for my next project to do! Here's the total finished job!

After

After

I'm so pleased with the results! 

What are your current DIY projects? I'd love to know!

Drugstore Makeup

Drugstore Makeup ONLY?

First off, my inspiration for this blog post came from Kate from The Small Things Blog. If you're not following her, you should! She is a beautiful hair stylist and has some awesome and very easy to do hair tutorials, as well as makeup, and daily living posts.

 I'm determined to one day travel to her salon and get her to do my hair! But its going to happen! 

She recently posted a blog post on building a makeup kit from Target. Like a, "What would I do if I lost all my makeup" kind of thing. So I decided to do one as well.

I've lost all my makeup!?

I have to tell you, the diva in me instantly gasped at the thought of losing my makeup bag. My close friends could tell you..my makeup collection is a little excessive. It ranges from drugstore to high end. I know... I have a problem. 

Can you relate? If so, repeat with me. 

Hi, my name is _______ and I'm a makeupholic. 

First step is admitting, right? 

Ok, so we've lost all our makeup. Now what? Well, first things first. I finish having a complete meltdown and then immediately set out to restock and start over! The good thing about drugstore makeup brands is that they've come a long way from when I first started using makeup as a young junior high girl. They've really stepped it up and so I am confident that I could be satisfied with drugstore only makeup.....for a while. Haha! 

Here's what I've come up with.

The cool thing is I actually already have most of this. Make that all, except the eye shadow quad. 

Product Breakdown

Hands down, the best drugstore foundation that I've found so far is the Revlon Colorstay. It has excellent coverage for me and there is a good selection of colors to select from. They also have 2 formulas to choose from.  Normal/Dry and Combination/Oily.

As far as concealers go, the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind is fantastic. I've gone through numerous tubes of this stuff. 

The Physicians Formula Super BB Powder has been a more recent find and I'm really enjoying it. It gives a little extra coverage and is excellent for touch ups during the day. I find that it compares with Benefit Cosmetics 'Hello Flawless!"powder as far as coverage and feel on the skin. Like I said, I'm really liking it and its way cheaper too!

I threw a random eyeshadow quad in there just to show the colors I typically lean towards, which are browns/neutrals. 

For an eyeshadow base, the Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo does really well. You can use alone or as a base. 

I've been really liking the Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in "Coffee Cake". Its the only one I have but I'd like to try out a couple other shades as well. Its more of a cream blush so bear that in mind before applying it. Start with applying a little and build it up, if needed. 

Probably my all time favorite mascara is the L'Oreal Voluminous mascara. No matter how many higher end mascaras I buy and love, this is the one I always come back to at some point. My favorite formula is the Carbon Black. 

For lips, there are so many good ones at the drugstore that it was hard to narrow it down. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters give good color payoff while keeping my lips moisturized. Think tinted lip balm, but better! Like I said, though, its hard to narrow down one brand, one lipstick, but this is a good go-to lippy. 

Lastly, the matter of brushes. I bought the Sonia Kashuk brush kit in the picture strictly for the clutch alone, but found that I actually like the brushes that came with it as well! Bonus! 

Thankfully, though...

Thankfully, though, I haven't lost any of my makeup! My makeup is my life! Well, not really. But, it would be a little devastating if I did. However, the good news is that there are some real winners out there, as I've shown, that would make my life a little easier as I started over. 

If you haven't tried out some of these products, and if you're a makeup junkie like me, then I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with them. 

What are your favorite drugstore makeup picks? 

Until my next post, happy makeup shopping!