Five

5 Things I Want to Share:

1.  Last week due to my overall abandonment of my laundry I decided to try on some pants that I hadn't for a while on a whim.  I had no idea they would fit.  Get this - I have been a size 9 or 11 for at least four years now.  Sometimes an 8.  These were a SIZE SIX! Woohoo!! Score! (and they were work pants - and that in itself should be an extra excitement because they are higher waisted and tighter on the bum so more of a challenge).

2. I had my makeup and hair trials and they went great.  I switched the people I'm working with last minute due to some disagreements and snarki-ness on their part, and I'm glad I did.  The two girls I have now are fantastic and I know they will help us look beautiful on the big day!

3. Speaking of the big day, 53 days to go.  Oh. My. God.  I just showed Dan the calendar - we are almost done February...then we have the month of March, and then just about two weeks.  That's it.  It's so close!

4. I have such mixed feelings about paying for this wedding.  I have always been very independent financially and have paid for everything of my own since I was in highschool (but didn't start paying rent until after college).  So to say that we are paying for it all ourselves is exciting to me because I feel a great deal of pride knowing that we are doing it on our own.  I also want to whine every time I see the Google Doc I have made with every expense that we have put towards this wedding (literally - EVERY expense down to the last penny).  When all is said and done, I'm so happy that 1) We are only getting married once because it's not cheap! lol and 2) We are doing it together. 

5. The smartest thing we could have ever done is Honeyfund!  The bridal shower gifts helped pay a HUGE chunk of our honeymoon already! That combined with a generous gift from our awesome brother in law/sister and law and a gift from my grandmother we have made serious headway with our honeymoon balance.  It's great! On the days that I am overwhelmed about what we still have to do or anxious about who is judging how we are doing our wedding (I try as hard as I can to not care, but easier said than done), I just picture us on the beaches of St. Thomas and St. John! I am sooooo excited for our first vacation as Mr. and Mrs.! 

I hope all of you have been staying warm and dry with this insane weather!

Favorite Beauty Tips

My favorite beauty tips:

*If you use acne medication like I do, or just have dry skin, I’m sure you’re familiar with having your skin on your face get flaky.  Although the initial response is to just scratch of the little pieces of skin, I’ve found a better way! I read this somewhere and now do it all the time.  So you put a little bit of lotion (non-scented) on a washcloth and then use that to scrub gently on the part of your face that is flaky.  It takes off the pieces of skin that are flaking off, and puts moisture back into the skin at the same time! Because you’re basically exfoliating, it might be a little pink right after but it usually goes away within five minutes.

*I have really oily skin so I love using those oil-blotting sheets. But if you don’t have any nearby, the brown napkins that Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts have work just as well! They blot away oil from your face without ruining your makeup! It’s easy! And you didn’t pay for them. Score!

*Always use eyeshadow primer! It makes a huge difference! Your eyeshadow lasts longer, it doesn’t crease, and the color looks way better.  When I first tried this, I used the too faced version but found that my eye lids were still oily.  Now I use the Urban Decay one (it’s called eyeshadow primer potion) and I absolutely love it.  I use it even when I don’t wear eyeshadow because it helps soak up any oil on my eyes so well, which helps keep eye liner smudging down to a minimum.

*Wash or clean your makeup brushes.  I know this might sound silly, but think about it…if you’re using those brushes to put makeup on skin with acne, bacteria, oil, and dirt on it, than you’re basically re-applying all of that onto your skin the next time you use them.  Since I’ve started cleaning my brushes, I’ve noticed a difference in the amount of acne I have.  I also notice a difference in how well the brush picks up powders.  I use a brush spray from Sephora that works really well.  I don’t do it every day, but maybe once every two weeks or so.  It’s really

easy and completely worth it.

*Drink a ton of water! The weeks that I’m really good with drinking water all day are the times when my skin looks the best!  Also changing the pillow cases often helps too.

*If you have hair that gets tangled a lot, try using Itsa10 with keratin.  This stuff works wonders! It makes your hair super soft, de-tangled, and less frizzy! I use it almost every day.

*If you ever run out of shaving cream and need something to shave with try using aloe vera gel (the kind that you use for sunburns) or conditioner.  They work just as well and leave your skin soft.  Just make sure you don’t shave right away.  Let the steam open up your pores a little bit first before shaving.  That will help prevent razor burn.

 What are your favorite beauty tips and tricks?