Mom Confessions

Happy Thursday,  it is time for a new installment of Mom confessions.

- Today is Sterling's 7th Birthday.  I am not kidding when I say I feel like the last 7 years went by in the blink of eye.  It scares me to think how fast the next 7 years will go by and then I will have a 14 year old.  I still vividly remember checking into the hospital, laboring for 32 hours and becoming a mom for the first time.  I was terrified but then when I held him for the first time I knew this was my purpose, to be a mom.  Sterling provides me with so much unconditional love and has taught me the same.  I thank God everyday for him.   Happy 7th to my sweet boy!

- A few weeks ago Sterling called me to our back door and goes look out on the porch mom.  He said do you see that animal? Sterling pranks me often so I was totally expecting a joke.  It took me a minute to focus in and see he was pointing to a rat or very large mouse that was chilling on our play kitchen set on the porch.  The next day I saw two large mice- now I am now officially freaking out.  I called my next door neighbor who helped me set up traps and rat poison.  I was too scared to even set foot on the porch for a week.   I later found out Sterling and his friends had been making potions with water and my spices and that was attracting the mice- yikes! 

- Potty training sucks.  I should have known Sterling was so easy and Frances has been difficult.  She is pretty good about going tee tee in the potty but freaks about pooping.  She will bring me a diaper when she needs to poop and ask me to put it on her, then she will walk away and go poop.   If I ask her to poop in the potty she screams and runs away and hides. 

- Sterling recently had some allergy testing done and we found out he was basically allergic to everything.  His allergy doctor said allergy shots were really the best option for him since he had such an extreme reaction to so many external things.  I took him in last week for his first shot.  He basically turned into the exorcist.  The first nurse came in and tried to give him the shot and he was screaming and flipping out so badly they called in a second nurse to help hold him down.  He then starts hitting and kicking and no one is able to pin him down because he is so erratic.  Then the head doctor walks in and tells me he will not be receiving allergy shots because he is too immature and a threat to her staff.  At this point I am crying because no one wants to see their child acting like Sterling did.  We left but he still really needs shots- anyone have advice for getting kids to calm down for shots? Bribery does not work:)

- Frances screams every time I brush her hair.  Like even if I barely touch her hair or just put a bow in she screams as loud as she can and says I am hurting her. She acts like I am torturing her in the worst way possible.  I dread doing her hair in the morning and many times after I do it she rips out the pony tail or bow.  Is this normal and do kids grow out of this????

- Frances keeps telling everyone she is going to have a baby  and that baby Jesus is in her tummy.  I think playing Mary in the school Christmas play got into her head- haha.  Last night she told me I was gonna be a grandma soon:)

- Sterling's made this Valentine's card for me.  I love that I look like Britney Spears.  He said he put me in workout clothes because I am always in workout clothes.  If only my workout clothes looked like that and I looked that good in them:)

- My kids love lunchables and Spongebob.  It makes me think at some point I have majorly failed as a mom.

- I am fully addicted to Parenthood.  I feel like I am a Braverman at heart.  I also now want to have two boys and two girls so I can mimic their family life.  The best show ever.  Craig T Nelson reminds me so much of my dad in so many ways.  

- Yesterday I took Sterling and his best friend to see the new Batman movie as a birthday treat.   It was dark and I was so tired and I immediately fell asleep and slept through half of the the movie.  Not gonna lie it was nice to take a nap during the day. 

- Speaking of legos, I throw them away all the time.  If I step on one and find them loose on the ground they are trash.  We have way too many legos. 

- Frances only wants to wear pink.  If I bring her an outfit that is not pink she starts crying and saying it needs to be pink.  Who knew the dressing struggle would start this young.

- As soon as I clean the den and pick up all the toys everywhere it never fails Frances will decide the one toy she needs to sleep with is buried at the bottom of the toy bin.  She then dumps all the toys out to get to that single toy.

- I recently found out when I was asking Sterling to clean his room he was throwing everything in his dirty clothes hamper- clean clothes and all just so the floor looked clean.  I was like this is not gonna fly.  Not sure why it is so hard for him to put his clothes away but the struggle is real.  He also never closes his dresser drawers and that drives me nuts!

Happy Thursday!  I would love to hear any of your mom confessions to make me feel like less of a weirdo:)

Behind Closed Doors.

With the start of the New Year I wanted to share something very personal.  2016 was a year filled with many blessings but it has also been a difficult year.  You never know the battles that people are dealing with and this is something I have been dealing with both privately and with my close friends and family.  I have sat down to write this post several times but decided I ultimately wanted to get through the holidays with as much normalcy as possible.  I also just wasn't ready to share this publicly. 

I know many of you have emailed me and left comments asking about Matt.  The truth is we separated several months ago as I am sure many of you suspected.   This is not something that we took lightly or that was a rash decision. We tried and fought for our marriage especially for the sake of the kids but at the end of the day neither of us were happy.  Sometimes you can love someone but you just aren't a good fit.   Matt and I still remain close and dedicated to being the best parents possible for Sterling and Frances Moon.  We want this transition to be as smooth as possible.

As many of you know a separation is so difficult.   My heart goes out to any of you who have gone through such a difficult time.  I trust God in all aspects of my life and trust in His plan for me during this new chapter.  

 I am happy for the New Year and a fresh start.   I am also thankful for all the love and support you guys give me.  Thank you for being there for me and your devotion for my blog and respect for my family during this difficult time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Today I wanted to answer some frequent questions I get asked.  I get many questions via email, on instagram and my blog and I am bad sometimes about responding.  So many of the questions are the same so I thought I would answer them here.  If you guys like this kind of a post I am open to do more q&a posts in the future and y'all can email me questions!  

Has the rash on your ring finger gone away and what helped it?  

This is one of the most frequent questions I get!  It is crazy so many of y'all have this same problem too.  My rash is better but it is not gone.  I have left my rings off for almost a month now and I have been using hydrocortisone.  It is definitely better but not gone.  At first it was bright red,  the skin was peeling and it hurt so bad.  It almost felt as it was burned.  Now it is just slightly red,  but it gets re-irritated every time I put my rings on.  I tried to wear my rings last night and as soon as I put them on the skin just felt tight and hurt even though it doesn't look as bad as it previously did.  I am actually going to see my dermatologist next week to let her look at it and hopefully get a prescription cream to clear it up.  I can't believe it has lasted this long.  

Some of you wanted to know what others recommended so here are some of the tips I received

- use aloe vera

- leave rings off and use hydrocortisone 3x a day

- soak rings in a windex/hydrogen peroxide mixture and clean well with a toothbrush

- have my rings re-dipped

- Magic Egyptian cream

- do not use foam hand wash or blue dawn apparently they both irritate skin

How is my diet going?

I plan to run a full post on this soon but I am trying to take pictures so I can show you guys a 3 day diet of what I eat,  so stay tuned.  I would not call what I am doing a diet because I HATE diets.  I have a hard time sticking to anything regimented and lets be honest I love food and I also like my wine too.  What I try to do is make small changes during the week and on the weekends I honestly eat what I want.  During the week I try to avoid processed foods and carbs- this doesn't happen everyday but I just try to be mindful about it. I am trying to eat more meat and protein because that was part of my problem before.  The meat and protein help fill me up.  Before when I wasn't eating much meat I was eating lots of bread, cheese, and pasta and I was still hungry and gaining weight.    I also am really trying not to snack on the kid's dinners.  That was a big problem for me, I was eating their dinner leftovers and then my own dinner an hour or two later.  I have started trying to just go ahead and eat early with them.   I usually go to bed hungry because I eat around 6 now but it has helped me cut out that snacking.  It has been 2 months and so far I have lost 6 lbs and I have 6-8 more lbs I would ideally like to lose.   It is a slow process for sure but I am not feeling too deprived which is good.  

What types of workouts do I do?  

This Summer I was just doing barre class about 4 times a week.  The class I take is called Extreme Barre so it is harder than regular barre.  They often incorporate cardio and I leave the class exhausted and sweaty.  Now that school has started back it is harder for me to get to all the barre classes, so I try and do it twice a week then I have started a new class called Red Zone that I do once a week.  It is a cardio boot camp where the goal is to keep your heart in the red zone (similar to Orange Theory).  It burns mad calories last class we averaged burning 700 calories.  So currently I do barre twice a week and Red Zone once a week.  I want to add at least one more class to get 4 workouts in.  I am also about to start training on the side with my barre instructor to try and tone up.  Once I do I will share what we do and what works.  

Several of you asked if I am still running and I am not.  The last time I ran this Summer I really hurt my back and now I am scared to run again and mess it up.  I have really enjoyed doing more classes though.  I feel like I push myself more when I working out with others plus I have made some new gym friends too!

When I do a blog sale and clean out my closet how do I decide what items to keep or get rid of?

I try to clean out my closet quarterly that way it never really gets too out of hand.  As a blogger and someone who loves to shop I always have more clothes than I need or really wear.  Each season I try and clean out so then I can add a few new pieces for that season.   First I usually let my mom and sister look and see if they want anything.  Then I go through and if the item has not been worn in that past year it has to go.  That means I don't love it and it clearly is not something I am going to pull out to wear.  I will say most of my cheaper items from Forever 21, Loft or Banana Republic usually get cleaned out.  I like them for a season or two but they are not closet staples.   My more expensive pieces I just tend to like more and want to wear them more maybe because subconsciously I know I spent more money on them.  If there is something I really love but don't wear and it has special meaning to me I save that for Frances Moon. For example I have saved my Missoni dress I wore at our Rehearsal dinner for her and the dress I was wearing when I got engaged.   What my mom and sister don't want I usually sell on my blog.  Currently I am saving that money from my last blog sale to buy a new purse.  The off brand items and items that I don't sell I donate to Goodwill.

How do I organize my closet?  

Since we live in a smaller ranch home we have small closets.  I have taken over 3 of the closets in the house- haha.  I have a hall closet that is meant to be for coats where I store all my dresses, tall boots and clutches.  Then in our bedroom I share that closet with Matt and I keep my blouses and long maxi dresses in there.  In Frances Moon's room I share her closet and keep my jackets in there.  

I organize my blouses by sleeve type | sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve and then tees and sweaters.  Then I group all those categories by color.    I also group my dresses by style.  I group all my church dresses together, then Summer sleeveless dresses, long sleeve and formal/dressy dresses- which honestly I have no wear to wear these days.  

I recently found two large acrylic cases at TJMaxx that I store all my jewelry in.  I love being able to see it all and easily access it!

Two must haves for my closet are these velvet hangers and this steamer.  Since my clothes are packed in small closets they get wrinkled and I use this steamer almost everyday!  It is hand held, heats up fast and works so well.  I never use an iron anymore.

The steamer is currently 50% off too!

These velvet coat hangers are the best too.  I personally just like how they look and they don't take up much space.

Will I ever sell Frances Moon clothes?

The short answer is no.  My sister in law has a baby girl one year younger than Frances so I pass everything down to her.  Then when she gives it back I save the items in case my sister or other sister in law has a girl one day.

How often do I cook dinner?

I usually cook dinner 3 nights a week.  The other nights we eat leftovers and then on the weekends we usually order food or go out to dinner.

What do the kids do while I cook dinner?

I usually always start dinner while Frances naps.  I pick her up from school at 1 and immediately take her home to nap.  Sterling is still in school so while she naps I do prep work for dinner.  If it is an easy one dish meal like Tomato Pie or enchiladas I try to assemble the whole thing so all I have to do is bake it that night.  If it is something that requires more effort I finish it around 5.  I let the kids play in the den or if they have already had a bath and Sterling has finished his homework they are allowed to watch TV.  I usually do baths super early like 5 and then I can finish dinner by about 6 while the kids watch a show.  I try to save tv time for when I need to get something done.  They are not allowed to watch it during the day but at night or if I need to get ready in the morning I turn it on.  Sometimes they also like to sit at the dining room table and color while I cook.  

What are my favorite Roses? 

My five favorites are : AIX, Moulin De Gassac Guilhem, Houchart, Miraval, and Whispering Angel.

Locals I buy my rose at Bottles and the wine shop down near Ashley Marina. 

Is Frances potty trained and how is the big girl bed going? 

Frances Moon is not potty trained and shows zero interest in it.  It honestly scares me a bit because I feel like she is gonna be really difficult to potty train.  The only interest she shows is wanting to wear big girl panties over her diapers.  With Sterling I just waited until he was ready.  I saw friends try and push their kids too early and what a battle that was so I just waited.  A few weeks after he turned 3 he just did it one day and never stopped.  No joke he has never wet the bed once nor did he ever wear pull-ups,  he was just so easy.  That's why I fear Frances will be so hard.  Sterling is also like a camel and just doesn't pee often and Frances Moon pees all the time.  If you have any potty training tips send them my way! 

The big girl bed on the other hand has gone great.  She loves her bed and is so proud of her room.  Every time anyone comes over she immediately takes them to see her big girl bed.  We are finally assembling her headboard this weekend!  She never gets out of bed in the middle of the night and most mornings she calls for me to get her out.   She loves having the space.  

How do I stay organized?  

We have a set schedule most days.  I need to do another Day in Our Life Post, I will work on that and share our day to day schedule.  The main way I stay organized is with my planner.  I am old fashioned and love to write things down.  I am a huge list maker.  I write a to-do list every single day.  This year I switched to the Emily Ley Simplified Planner and I have really love it.   The 2017 one was just released and I already have mine!   I like the layout of her planner because I can write my appointments and to-do list for that day on the same page.  It also has a monthly overview that I love.  It really helps me stay organized.  I also love May Designs notebooks.  I keep a few around for grocery lists and I just got a new one I use for keeping track of expenses.

Have a great weekend!  

Parenting The Heavy Stuff

Parenting.  Nobody warns you how hard it truly is.  You go into it blindly because people don't tell you that kind of stuff, kind of like nobody tells you hard it is to truly get your body back after a baby.  You get pregnant and have this sweet innocent little baby.  You worry if they are eating enough and meeting milestones and you are tired but life is good.  Then they start moving and talking and all hell breaks loose.  

If you really sit and think about the enormity of raising a child it will stress you out.  

As both Sterling and Frances get older it has started to hit me even harder.  I am fighting constant battles with both of them and it is hard to know the right thing to do.   I want to raise them to be good kids but man it is hard.  I wake up every morning and think today is the day I am gonna be the best mom ever.  I won't lose my temper, we will play and do fun stuff, I will savor every little moment and it will be glorious.  Then the kids wake up and Frances immediately starts crying,  whether I gave her the wrong cereal or forgot one of her animals from bed she is easily offended and upset in the morning.  Then Sterling has a melt down over what to wear to school.  Then we are running late because he refuses to get dressed because his favorite shorts and apparently the only ones he wants to wear are in the washing machine.  Then they both start fighting and I lose it.  My perfect day is shattered all before 7:05am. 

I know I will miss these mornings, I truly know that but sometimes being in the actual moment it is hard.  I constantly teeter between wanting to savor the moment and not wish time away to counting down the hours til bedtime.   Then I lay in bed at night and rethink the whole day and question what I could have done better as mom that day.  I beat myself up a lot questioning what I could have done differently that day.

We went to Sterling's school yesterday to watch him run a fun run and as I watched all the first graders line up, I got teary eyed.  They are all so sweet and innocent and I just wanted to freeze time.   Sterling was smiling and waving at us and he was so proud and happy we were there at his school.  We are still cool for the moment.  I try to volunteer and eat lunch with him as much as I can because I know soon there will come a day when he will say Mom leave me alone and not really want me around.   I dread that day.  

He was sweet at school but that night as we sat down to do homework the attitude emerged.  When he is mad he is mad.  He frequently tells me I am a bad mom and that he wishes he never had a family.  The kind of stuff that tugs at your heart strings.   You try to brush it off but it hurts your feelings.  You want to say fine get out of time out and give him a hug but you have to stand your ground and that is the hardest part of parenting.  Sometimes it is so much easier to just give in to what they want so they will be quiet.  But in the end that is what will make them troublesome kids so you have to stand your ground no matter how hard it is.  He threw a pencil at my head that night- it did not hurt but it caught me off guard.  I sent him to time out and early bedtime and then went to my room and cried.  I cried because being a parent is hard as shit.   I expected the teenage years to be hard and filled with lots of attitude but not at 6. 

Sterling doesn't like one single team sport.  We have tried soccer, lacrosse, and flag football and he hates them all.  I am talking we get to practice and he screams and cries and refuses to play.   At age 6 it gets to the point where it is embarrassing.  I watch all these other kids excited to get out there and play and think why doesn't my son want to play?  Now I can't entirely blame him as I never liked any sports either so maybe he gets it from me.  How do you know when to give in and let you child quit or keep pushing them to try.  I don't want to raise a quitter but I also don't want to keep forcing him.  It seems innocent enough but these are the choices that will mold him as an adult and that scares me. 

Frances Moon is full on terrible twos.  She is almost violent sometimes.  When she gets angry she lets out an almost primal scream and then she flails herself to the floor.  If Sterling has done something to offend her she gets so mad she claws at him.  Sometimes it seriously scares me and amazes me that this 2 year old has this much emotion and anger.  She makes Sterling cry way more than he makes her cry.  

Frances is impossible to get dressed in the morning.  She runs and hides from me.  Then when I find her she curls up in a ball so it is impossible to get her pajamas off.  If I pick the wrong dress she cries and screams.  The struggle is real every single morning.  Same with changing her diapers, she runs and hides.  I can tell she is gonna be hard to potty train because she will just sit in a dirty diaper and not care one bit. 

A few weeks ago at the gym I picked her up after my barre class and she was in time out.  I asked why and they said she had taken off her princess shoes and hit another child in the head.  They put her in time out and said she could get out if she said she was sorry.  Well Miss Frances Moon is stubborn much like her daddy and she doesn't say sorry so they said she sat in time out almost 45 minutes waiting me for to get done.  We had a long talk about hitting kids and she is no longer allowed to wear princess shoes (they are hard as crap) out of the house.  Now every day when I pick her up from school the first thing she says is " I did not hit anyone today." Like she is so proud of herself for not hitting.  

Every single day I think about 16 years from now when the house will be empty and they off at school and how much I will miss these days.  I know these are single handedly the hardest and the best days of my life.   So today I just needed to vent and take note of this time in my life.  It's exhausting, and it's hard but it's fleeting.  It is much better to have noise and chaos than a quiet house:) 

Happy Friday.  Hope you have a Winner Tonight.

Life Lately + Chicken Broccoli and Brie Quiche Recipe

A few snippets of our life lately.  

The big girl bed is going great for Frances Moon, she loves it!  Her headboard arrived this week and I am hoping to assemble it this weekend.  I am still searching for cute sheets for her bed so for now we are using Sterling's pirate ones which she of course loves:)  

Frances Moon had her first day of school Wednesday.  She loves it and was so excited to go back.

Of course she needed a little lipgloss for the first day:)

Dress (use code shopnow to save 30%) | Unicorn Book bag | Shoes

I have started volunteering one day a week at Sterling's school.  I either take the class to lunch or go listen to the kids read.  Last week I took them to lunch and Sterling was so excited I was there, it made my day.  I try to savor these moments while they still think it's cool for their mom to be around.

I am loving this Rebecca Taylor blouse I bought during the Labor Day sales.  It is now 50% off.  Runs TTS, I am wearing a 4.  It also comes in white.

Blouse | Jeans | Purse | Similar shoes

Yesterday I attended a fun brunch at Candy Shop Vintage to preview her new fall line.  How gorgeous is this table setting?  I loved all the gold and white and vintage glasses.

and all the yummy food!

The rice beads now come in rings, I was really excited about that!   They make great gifts! 

The kids and I went to Wonder Works last week so Sterling could spend some money he had saved. They have so many cool toys there, I love browsing as much as they do.

Rainbow Dress

Gwyneth Paltrow's stir fry chicken has been on repeat around here lately.  Both the kids love it and I do too.  I found a new recipe for Asian Broccoli and carrots that is really good too.  I always make it with the chicken and the kids gobble it up.

Stir Fry Chicken | Asian Broccoli

A recent OOTD.

White Tee (40% off) | Jeans | Necklace | Purse

Several of you commented on my instastory that you wanted the recipe for the Chicken, Broccoli and Brie Quiche that I made last week.  I made this up and it actually turned out really good!!  Only issue is while the brie cooks it gets a bit oily so just blot the top of the quiche before you serve it.  I am loving quiches lately because they are easy to make and both my kids will actually eat it!

C H I C K E N,  B R O C C O L I + B R I E  Q U I C H E

- 1 pie shell

- 1 rotisserie chicken shredded

- 2 crowns broccoli chopped

- 1/2 white onion diced

- 8 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled

- 4 oz brie diced (about 1/2 a triangle of Brie)

- 4 eggs

- 3/4 cup milk

- 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

Spread pie shell in pie dish.  Heat oven to 350 degrees and cook pie shell 10 minutes.  

Toss broccoli with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

In a bowl combine the shredded chicken, diced onion,  and roasted broccoli.  Then pour this mix into the slightly cooled pie shell.

In another bowl whisk the eggs and milk.  Stir in the cheddar cheese and brie and add salt and pepper.  Pour the egg mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle bacon on top.  Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove foil and let bake another 10 minutes or until eggs have set and cheese is bubbly.  

Another favorite top is now back in stock in all sizes.  I am wearing a small.

Blouse | Jeans on sale

Krispy Kreme doughnuts for the win Sunday after church.  Why are the hot and now doughnuts so good??  They are like eating air! 

I finally tried out Kudu coffee DT.  It is such a cute coffee and craft beer bar.   I am obsessed with iced coconut milk lattes these days.

We are so lucky because our pool stays open til October.  It is still really hot here so we are these most weekends!  My favorite sunglasses are out in this awesome taupe color for Fall.  I love them and they are under $70!

Sunglasses | Bathing Suit also here on sale in select sizes

The most gorgeous clouds.

My girl.  I can't believe she will be 3 in two months!

I love Eckhardt Tolle.  His book A New Earth is really amazing- deep stuff but powerful.

Happy Tuesday!  

14 Beauty Products I Can't Live Without

Today's post is all about Beauty! I wanted to share about my decision to become a Beauty Counter rep and a few Beauty favorites I am obsessed with lately.  

First up, BeautyCounter.  I have been blogging about this line for several years now and it just seemed like a natural step to become a rep.  I love every single BeautyCounter item I have ever tried, so you guys can know that the products I recommend to you will be tried and true favorites.  Over the past two years I have tried to make some small changes to my make-up and beauty routine by incorporating more clean and safe products and that is how BeautyCounter came into my life.  Now don't worry I am not going to be blogging about BeautyCounter all the time nor will it ever be the only product line I use.  That is why today I am sharing a mix of products some from BeautyCounter and some not.   I like to try and use a mix of several different lines and that won't ever change.   I will be sharing when new things come out, new favorites and any awesome deals that BeautyCounter runs.  I feel honored to be part of a company that is so forward thinking.  

Today I wanted to share my top 6 favorite BC Products and 8 other products I use everyday and truly love.

ONE |  Tinted Moisturizer

I replaced my Laura Mercier tinted foundation with this and never looked back.  It provides flawless coverage.   As far as products go, the ones that my skin absorbs the most like lotions and foundations  I try to keep really clean, the other stuff I am not quite as concerned about.  This won the Allure Beauty award last year too so you know I am not the only one loving it.  As far as coloring goes I use shade #2.

TWO | Retractable Brush

I do really recommend using the retractable brush with this.  I have mentioned it on here before but trust me it makes a difference.  I originally thought there was no way a brush would make a difference but it does, it makes your foundation look seamless, almost air brushed on.  I am hooked and always use this brush.  

THREE | Kid's Set

I love the kid's set.  You can buy the items individually as well but I find I like having all 3.  

I worry about my kids more than myself so using this line on them was a no brainer.  The set contains body wash, shampoo and conditioner.  It smells really fresh and clean too.

FOUR | Lip Sheer 

 The lip sheer was the first ever Beauty Counter product I bought 2 years ago.  I bought it in the Twig shade and still use it today.  I now have a few other color favorites that include : petal, rose and coral, and scarlet is the perfect shade of red if you need one!  If I had to choose a favorite though it would be rose it is the perfect everyday pink.  I like that these can go on light and almost sheer or you can layer it for a darker lip.

FIVE | Touch Up Concealor

One of my biggest skin problems is my under eye circles.  They are so bad.  I use this layered with Cle De Peau and it works miracles.  I apply this first then follow with the Cle De Peau and it provides killer coverage.  Color wise I use the light shade.  This pen is great for touch-ups too.

SIX| Rejuvinating Eye Cream

I have bad under eye circles and really dry skin, not a great combo.  I love this eye cream because I feel like it helps with both.  I apply this is the morning before I put on my make-up and at night as well.   As far as eye creams go it is not crazy expensive and a little bit goes a long way.

Now onto some other favorite lines I have been using and loving.  

I was introduced to Colleen Rothschild in April at a blog conference I attended and I have been hooked ever since.  Her products make me feel like I am at a spa.  They smell heavenly and work wonders.  They were gracious enough to offer a discount to my readers, use code DBDD20 to take 20% off any order for the next 7 days.

SEVEN | Clarifying Detox Mask

My favorite CR product is the detox mask.  I use it once a week and love, love, love it.  It is a blend of charcoal and French clay which helps detox the skin.  I usually put this on Monday night while I watch the Bachelor and let it sit about 20 minutes.  When you wash it off your skin will feel amazing!!

EIGHT | No 9 Face Oil

I never understood the hype about face oil until I started using it.  Now I swear my skin craves it.  This stuff lasts forever, a little goes a long way.  This oil smells amazing and really helps nourish and hydrate your skin.    I apply this first thing before my moisturizer in the morning.  Your skin will feel silky smooth after you use this.

NINE | Sheer Renewal Cream

I love this cream.  I use it day and night.  It not only smells amazing but it makes my skin feel heavenly.

TEN | Beautyblender Make-up Sponge

I mentioned these during the Anniversary sale when I scooped up the trio.  A make-up artist used them on my skin once and I was amazed at how well they worked.  I use them for my concealer, they really help apply it smoothly and evenly.  Apparently using your fingers can cause wrinkles and these are gentler on your skin.  They easy to clean too with a little soap and water so you can keep reusing them.

ELEVEN | Sugarbear Hair Vitamins

I have been taking these for 3 months now and I swear they have made my hair thicker and fuller.  Even my mom commented last time she was down here that my hair looked fuller.  

TWELVE | Living Proof Dry Shampoo

After I posted my instastory saying I had not washed my hair in 5 days I had some requests to share what I use.  I only wash my hair about 2 times a week now thanks to this dry shampoo.  I have tried several dry shampoos but this one is hands down the best.  I also like that it helps conceal my roots as well. 

THIRTEEN | It's a 10 Leave in Conditioner

This stuff works miracles on tangly hair.  Frances and I both have really fine hair which means after we wash our hair it is always knotted up.   I use this spray every time I wash my hair and every time I wash Frances Moon's hair.  It makes it so easy to brush your hair when it is wet and it smells amazing.

FOURTEEN | RMS Coconut Oil Wipes

I have been using coconut oil for several years to remove my make-up but these wipes are so much easier. They are great for traveling too.  They really get all my make-up off and make my under eye area feel soft and moisturized from the coconut oil.   I cut the wipes in half to make them last longer.  

Any other Beauty favorites I should try????