Favorites April and May 2014

A few favorites from the last couple months. Theres quite a few things I've been loving that I've picked up lately. I haven't had a chance to get a whole haul at once because Mike and I are saving for a house and have a new baby to pay for, but these are just some things I've been enjoying lately.

Bio-Oil; Bio-Oil Website

I didn't actually buy this, I had been planning to use this on the stretch marks that have made their way onto my hips from pregnancy, but hadn't gotten around to picking any up. My mother-in-law who is going to school to be a nurse practitioner picked this up for me at a conference. It hasn't faded my stretch marks yet but I've only been using it for about a week. I'm excited to see how this works.  

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief; Sephora Clinique Mositure Surge

I started using the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + when I got pregnant and my skin really dried out. I love that lotion but this gel formula from Clinique is amazing if your skin needs some intense moisture or to simply use as a night cream like I have been using. I love it and will continue to use religiously.

Dove Oxygen Moisture Leave In Foam; for fine flat hair, delicately moisturizes and gives light hold; 

Dove Website

I've been anxious to try the new Dove line for some time now, but I've got a ton of haircare products from when I worked at the salon. While I was at the drugstore not to long ago picking up some new Dove shampoo all their styling products were on sale so I grabbed this one. It's been pretty good, very light weight, gives good volume and doesn't make my hair feel dirty like some heavy styling products do. So far so good, I haven't been using for too long but I like it enough to buy again. 

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder 01 Light Matte; Honey Bronzing Powder

I've been on a hunt for a nice bronzer that isn't too muddy or orangey for my fair skin. This bronzer from the Body Shop has been perfect for me. It gives me enough of a bronzy glow without making it look obviously fake and over dramatic. It's great lightly swept under my cheek bones and on my neck or built up for some serious contouring. This is going to be my go to bronzer for a while.

Maybelline Master Hi-Light 10 Nude; Maybelline Website

These fancy little hi-light blushes from Maybelline have been all the rage in the beauty blogging world lately, and for good reason! This blush/hi-light/bronzer is fantastic. It has a great little shimmer that isn't too shimmery or glittery just gives that perfect glow. Much like The Body Shop bronzer. I don't like to build this up too much because my skin is so crazy pale, but this gives me a nice healthy glow.

 

Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara 57; Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara

I picked this up at Winners, I know what a score! It was only like $20, I love Winners. I will ambit now I've never owned any Chanel makeup, I know I know I'm a disgrace to the beauty community. But there are no Chanel counters in my city and I'm very rarely in Toronto...without my husband...and I can very rarely justify spending a lot of money on  makeup to him, as I'm sure is the case for many wives. Anyways, I actually didn't know this mascara was blue until I opened the package when I got home but I LOVE it. I've never really ventured beyond black for my mascara but this is amazing if you're wanting an extra pop of color while doing a neutral eye. Its very subtle and you can only really tell it's blue in certain lighting. The formulation is beautiful and not clumpy at all. So I now know why people love Chanel makeup so much...I wish there was a counter closer to me, or that they would ship to Canada!

Essie Nailpolish in Cute as a Button (left) and Go Ginza (right); Essie

I'm a nail polish snob, I only like using Essie nail polish right now. So these are the colors I'm loving for spring and summer. Goes on beautifully in two coats and lasts about a week without chipping too much. 

Milani Baked Blush 01 Dolce Pink; Milani Blush

This is the first Milani product I've tried. I like it but it's very, very pigmented. You just need the tiniest bit on your brush to give you a beautiful pink cheek. It will definitely last me a long time.

 

The Body Shop Vitamin E Body Butter and Eye Cream; Vitamin E Products

I had been looking for something to help with my stretch marks and dry skin after having Everly. I first picked up the body butter and I was in heaven. So smooth, so moisturizing! Not crazy about the smell but it's not too strong or over powering which is good. A few weeks later I picked up the eye cream. I've never really had a problem with my eyes and never really used an eye cream before, but after being a new mom and not getting much sleep I noticed those dreaded dark circles and so here we are. I'm loving the eye cream, a little goes a long way.

The Body Shop Honeymania Body Butter; Honeymania

I got this in a tote bag full of goodies for mother's day. I bought one of the bags with my purchase, and split up the contents for my mom and mother in law to go with their mother's day gifts and kept this lovely little treasure for myself. Smells amazing and feels great. I'm definitely a Body Shop lover now!

Honest Company Diaper Bundle; Honest Diaper Bundle

I did it, I jumped on the Honest bandwagon and I'm loving every second of it. After the first month with Everly and spending way too much money on boxes of Pampers diapers and wipes I decided to do a little research. I had been originally interested in the Honest diaper bundle and their company/products and the whole eco friendly thing, but I didn't want to be paying too much money for shipping/handling and the exchange rate. But it turns out that the Honest monthly bundle is cheaper than buying Pampers in store! And boy was I happy to hear that! I love the selection of diapers - my favorite are the ones with the large purple flowery things (far left). And the wipes are great! Not too wet and the quilted texture is great for that extra clean up for the dreaded blowouts....

                                           

The Honest Life by Jessica Alba; The Honest Life

along with my first bundle I purchased Jessica Alba's book. It was a great read, and definitely handy to have around on the coffee table when you need more information on safe products, recipes and just to flip through. I found it very interesting and informative. As a new mom I'm definitely concerned about doing whats best for my baby. I want to use safe products for my baby and this book gives you all the information you need about making informed decisions, and it doesn't make you feel guilty! A great read if you're interested in learning what the Honest company is all about. I will absolutely be purchasing some of her bath and body and cleaning products. 

There you have it, my favorites for the past month or two. I will hopefully start doing this on a more regular basis and starting to set up a youtube channel soon as well!

See you next time!

Slacker

I'm bad, very bad at this whole blogging thing. I admit it, I've been slacking, using the whole "new baby" excuse....okay, okay, but at least I'm here trying to make an effort now right?

Everly is 3 months old and we've settled into somewhat of a routine, she usually goes down for a nap in the afternoon that honestly could last anywhere from 40mins-2 hours (if I'm lucky!).  She's laying in her sleeper next to me (thank God for a baby that can sleep in a noisy room!) and every once and a while I'll notice her little eyes flutter open or she'll squeal and my heart stops a bit. The worst is when I'm in the middle of a mountain of a task, such as folding piles of laundry or washing stacks of dishes, and then I hear the squeaks which inevitably turn into crying which means "I need a diaper change and then you need to feed me!". But I can't complain she's a beautiful, healthy, silly, great baby and I'm honored to be her mother. She's taught me a lot about myself and life in such a short time.

I'm going to give sort of a quick overview of what's been going on in our lives these past 3 months. They have been exhausting, exhilarating, rewarding and the happiest months of my life. Everly was born in February and you can read all about that labour and delivery experience in my previous blog post. The first few weeks of being a new mom were definitely and obviously the hardest. It was like going through culture shock, I kept thinking to myself oh the weekend is coming up I get to sleep in - NOPE, forget about sleep for a few months you've got a baby that needs to be fed, rocked, burped and most importantly loved. One thing motherhood taught me was that I'm incredibly selfish, guilty, I'm a selfish human being and being a mom you've got to throw your problems out the window. The world doesn't revolve around me, it never has, I may have just been blinded to it before. I will admit to wishing and praying for an extra hour of sleeping, grumbling to myself when she woke up while I was in the middle of a deep sleep, maybe secretly (okay not secretly) wishing my husband could lactate for just one day so he could feed her throughout the night and maybe resenting him a little for being able to sleep through all her noises and cries throughout the night.

Week one was hard, as I knew it would be, I desperately wanted to go home from the hospital but Everly's jaundice was on the verge of being bad and it was causing her not to be interested in breastfeeding. I will say I have NO shame anymore, I don't know how many differently people checked my "swelling and stitches", asked if I'd had a bowel movement and touched my boobs. The nurses at Lakeridge hospital are fantastic and helped Mike and I out with a lot. I did think my motherly instincts would kick in more and the crazy change in hormones made me a basket case. We took Everly to our family doctor the day after we were discharged from the hospital, he wasn't concerned about her jaundice but wanted us back the next week to check her weight. She started breastfeeding and started gaining weight! Oh joy! Little did I know next we'd venture into the dreaded Thrush....we've had it going on 11 weeks now....what a pain in the butt that is! We've tried nystatin, two rounds of gentian violet, I've had canesten cream and been prescribed diflucan, I've rubbed coconut oil, baking soda and vinegar on my nipples (TMI?) and yet it's sticking around. I've come to the conclusion we'll have it until I'm done breastfeeding her....it will go away eventually.

Everly started smiling at 5 weeks old and that made EVERYTHING, the sleepless nights, the crying, the blowouts, everything, worth it. Seeing her smiling up at me literally made my heart burst. Okay not literally, that would be bad. Now if we could only get her to start laughing. She has giggled once, just once, for Mike. She's rolled over twice since Mother's Day and is now actually starting to talk to us and grasp at things. She's also started to feel the pressure from her teeth and starting to chew on things and get rosy cheeks. And she's starting to sleep an average of 7 hours a night! HOORAY!

But I digress, I doubt you're interested in every single event in Everly's life...I'm just here to say I've grown more in three months than I ever thought I would. I'm changing every day as Everly has been changing and I can't wait to see what the future has in store.

I promise, pinky promise, that I'll do better. I'll write more I swear. I actually have a post coming up on my current favorites beauty and skincare products. Mike and I have been watching a lot of Shaytards, Sacconejolys and hannahmaggs on youtube and we've decided to start vloging. Just for ourselves and to make sure we get these precious moments caught on film. I think we'll start that when we move into our new house, we can chronicle home rennos, and our growing baby girl!

Thanks for baring with me, expect more from me coming up soon....I know I always say that but I actually mean it this time.

*She says while crossing her fingers*