The Laine Blogger Award

I REALLY like this award! Thank you Keena for awarding me. I'm not a major beauty type of blogger but I am obsessed with everything beauty related. Love you Keena!!!

So here are the deets...because you know, all of these awards come with deets. Which I don't mind at all because I sooooo like talking about myself ;-) heehee And I love introducing you to my fave blogs...

1. Tag the blogger who awarded you...CHECK (hey Keena...Hey girl, HEY!)

2. Answer the 5 beauty questions...SEE BELOW - (questions are bold and in caps)

3. Award 5 other bloggers. Pay it forward...SEE BELOW ANSWERED BEAUTY QUESTIONS

Alright, now shall we begin...

1. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT BEAUTY OBSESSION?

Lately I have been on a quest for any and all amazing lip products. Lip balms, lip scrubs, lip glosses, lip stains and pinky nude lip shades. I don't wear a lot of make up day to day but there is ALWAYS something on my lips.

2. WHAT IS ONE BEAUTY ITEM YOU WISHED YOU OWNED?

It would be a Clarisonic. If you've been following me for awhile, you know I LOVE face stuffs. I would love to get this for my birthday...which is in April if anyone is interested ;-) the 27th to be exact.

3. WHAT KIND OF POSTS ARE YOUR FAVORITE POSTS TO WRITE AND READ?

Write: Anything fitness related, weekend recaps, and locker room talks :-)

Read: Favorite beauty products, anything fitness related, and organization

4. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A BLOGGER?

Honestly, I just wanted to do it. I started reading blogs and thought, how fun. So I created my blog. No glitz, no glam.

5. WHAT COLOR NAIL POLISH ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?

Nothing currently, but did plan to paint my nails a very bold color after I take a shower today. (Come back later for a NOTW post)

Now for the loveys...

1. Andrea @ Glam Hungry Mom

2. Stephanie @ Love Always xoxo, Steph

3. Jess @ Frikken Duckie

4. Faith @ Life. Love & Marriage

5. Khristine @ Beauty and the Brute

Well that be it folks :-) But one last thing...Don't forget to enter the iPad mini giveaway that I am a part of. (Giveaway ends March 15th...there are a ton of ways to enter)

Must Have: All Time Fave Nail Polish

There are a TON of nail polish colors out there. And every season, they come out with new colors...it's hard to keep up sometimes. They have collections for movies, for people, even Miss Piggy had a collection. I don't get to go and get my nails done as often as I used to, so I LOVE polishing my own nails. It's my go to girly thing. It makes me smile and all my guys notice when I paint my nails.
I like to experiment with different colors...brights, darks, sparkles, crackle...you name it, I love it. I, probably like most girls, have quite an extensive collection of nail polish colors. But there is one color that is my absolute FAVE. It makes me swoon. It takes me to warm, sunny, white sand beaches...YES...it IS THAT SERIOUS :-)

I'm talking about OPIs Cajun Shrimp! This is my GO TO color...no matter the season! It's fun and bright and keeps me thinking of summer time all year long :-)

*this was last year: acrylic nails with cajun shrimp gel polish*

Here is just the regular nail polish color:

*image credit*

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! LOL. I have 2 bottles of this in my collection. And you know what...I think I'm going to take off the polish I have now and put on some Cajun Shrimp LOL.

Do you have a favorite, go to nail polish color? Let me know what it is...if its not in my collection, I'll be sure to snag one up and try it out.

Must Have Face Products

I LOVE face stuff. :-) LOVE! I like to try different cleansers and other face stuff but everything below is my all time FAVE stuff.

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TOP: L-R:
Mary Kay TimeWise Microdermabrasion - I use this probably every 3 days. It's SUPER gentle and gets rid of the grime on my face that normal every day cleansing and toning can miss. I feel like it has evened out my skin as well. And I think that old acne scars are appearing lighter and lighter too. My skin feels UH-MAY-ZING literally right after. I only use this at night.
Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Creme - AWESOME! I have pretty sensitive, combo skin thats prone to breakouts and this is just awesome. My face feels so clean and refreshed after washing. I used to only use this in the mornings (St. Ives Apricot Scrub at night) but have started using it both day and night. I have one on the bathroom counter and keep another in the shower.
Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer - I started using this last summer and I have to say, it keeps my skin moisturized without being oily. It has helped so much in keeping my skin from breaking out.

BOTTOM: L-R:
Queen Helene Original Mint Julep Mask - LOVE LOVE LOVE this as a whole face mask or spot treatment. It sucks all the yuck out of my face and keeps my pores nice and small. I do a complete face mask once a week (usually a Thursday). Whenever I get one or two of those nasty hormonal breakouts, I dab a bit on the spots. (And yes, I do sometimes fall asleep with it still on my face). When I wake up in the morning, that volcano that was about to explode is noticeably smaller and not red anymore.
Mary Kay Blemish Control Toner - I only just started using this, but let me tell you, I already think its the bomb. LOL. After I wash my face (both day and night) I put a bit on a cotton ball and swipe, swipe, swipe. It picks up extra grime that the cleanser doesn't. It contains salicylic acid to help with breakouts....and OMG it helps to bring them to the surface quicker and aids in getting rid of them quicker too. My hormonal breakout at the beginning of the month was not as bad as it normally is, and I totally believe its this toner. It doesn't burn at all. The smell is kinda strong but whatev...it does its job.
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion - Now this stuff...I got it in a sample pack, and ordered it even before all the sample product was gone. This is not for those cystic, hormonal breakouts. This is more for those tiny sweat breakout/bumps. I workout a lot and noticed that my forehead, around my nose and sometimes on my chin, I got these little "oil" bumps. (I guess maybe whiteheads? IDK) Anyways...I would wash my face like normal and do all the normal stuff and it would go away, but then it would come back. Like not worse or anything. So I tried this on those bumps, and never had them again. It dries up the oil and the bumps just disappear. I only use this at night before I go to bed.

What are your must have face products? Anything you swear by? Let me know in the comments and I'll check it out too.

D.I.M. - Coffee face scrub

*originally posted on 10/16/12 on Workin It (my other blog that I have decided to longer post on)*

(D.I.M. = Do It Myself)*

I've been drinking a lot more coffee these days. Big Daddy always takes coffee to work so he doesn't have to stop and spend the money and of course we all know that work coffee sucks.
Anyway...So yes we drink a lot of coffee now. Throwing out the used coffee grounds seemed like such a waste so I googled what to do with used coffee grounds. Found some great ideas! Then I came across making a face mask and face scrub using the coffee grounds! Boom! Score!!!


So here's the lowdown on coffee when used on your skin:

Coffee grounds still have caffeine in them, and what wakes you up in the morning will also wake up your face. Coffee grounds will give your skin a blast of caffeine to improve circulation of the skin and help promote healthier new skin at the same time. 

*source*

For starters, coffee that are grind into fine particles actually remove dead tissues and cells that our bodies need to shed. You cannot keep all that dirt hanging on to your face forever. Coffee may be a good source of anti-oxidants, which will help keep cancer at bay, but it is also antibacterial. This antibacterial property should be useful to stop unwanted growth of other harmful microorganisms. Pores should feel tight and the face, clean by the time you finish.

*source*

This is the "recipe" that I used for the scrub..the simplest of all the ones that I found:

2 tablespoons of coffee grounds

1 tablespoon of olive oil

bowl or container

1. Mix together grounds and oil in container. It will kinda look like mud. 

2. Apply to face and gently scrub using a circular motion. 

3. Completely rinse with water and pat dry.

This is the dry grounds 

And of course, on the face

I actually wanted more of a thicker scrub so I measured out my used, still wet coffee grinds and set them in a bowl to dry out a bit. When I figured it was pretty dry throughout, I then aded the olive oil. Do it however you want. 

I have combo skin that is acne prone and this scrub didn't make my skin feel oily at all. I did have a breakout on my chin, so we'll see exactly how the scrub affected it. Right now it looks good and no longer red. My skin feels tighter too. I waited about 10 minutes before I followed up with my moisturizer. 

If you have oily skin or are hesitant to use olive oil, replace the oil with honey. Same ratio 2:1, or even 3:1. (2 tbsp of grounds was just perfect for me). The honey will definitely make this scrub a lot thicker. Also, I would only do this scrub like 1-2 times a week. I separated my 1 batch into 2 separate batches. I just made mine in a glass container that had a lid so I could cover and store until maybe Saturday. I don't think this will keep for a long time so I don't recommend making a bunch and just letting it sit for a couple weeks. I'm going to keep my container in the fridge until I use it.

I'll be posting a killer coffee face mask recipe in a couple days too so stay tuned :-)

Nail Polish Swap + video

Earlier this month I participated in Spread the Polish Swap hosted by Carly at Lipgloss and Crayons and Rachel at Lala Lists. This was my first beauty swap to participate in and I really love it. I was paired up with another person and we were to send 2 polishes to each other. Before being paired up, we stated what kind of polishes we liked. I said I liked fun colors. I was paired up with Kristina who said she loved bright colors. I wish I took a picture of what I sent to her...1) bright purple 2) bright pink, but not hot pink and 3) a coraly orange. Kristina I hope you loved them!!!
I got my package from her this week and I am too happy :-)

How cute are those Disney stamps?!!

I decided to do an "unboxing" video cuz y'all know I'm kinda addicted to vlogging right now...

Don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more goodness :-)

"Frenzy" by Sinful Colors and "Gunmetal" by Sally Hansen

Thanks again Kristina!! I am going to do my nails right now :-)

Lip Service

Lip service by mommybeautiful featuring a lip treatment

Bobbi brown cosmetic
bergdorfgoodman.com

Lip treatment
amazon.com

Burt s Bees lip treatment
drugstore.com

SkinCare beauty product
bigelowchemists.com

Eos lip treatment
target.com

Beauty product
lushusa.com

Beauty product
allure.com

Just a few of my year long favorite lip products that keep my lips ready for some action! Get your lips ready for some kissing action too! It's mistletoe hanging season, so get your lips kissable for that magical moment ;-)