Great website and a Great Christmas Gift Idea

Hi Friends!

I haven't blogged because I've actually been really busy doing photoshoots and then editing! Wow!! Most of those jobs are wrapping up so some nice picture collages will be headed this way soon but for now I wanted to share a new website:

www.birchbox.com




This is a really fun website. They carry skincare, haircare, makeup and other cosmetics from great brands you find at Sephora and other departments stores. They have wonderful resources like a blog, video tutorials, product reviews and featured new products.

The best part of Birchbox is when you "join" for $10 a month you are shipped a box of fairly good sized samples from their vendors every month. Also, when you shop with birchbox as a member, you aren't charged for shipping. If you are into cosmetics and trying to new brands this is a great way to get exposed to new things. If you have a friend or family member who loves cosmetics and you don't know what to get them you can gift a membership!

I think I may ask for this for my birthday seeing as my Christmas list on Amazon is getting too large but this is a great resource, fun gift and helpful resource. Check out the website tonight on your laptop as you watch tv!

~Linds

Official Review of the Wave and more...

Alright!

This is my official review of the Neutrogena Wave.





I've used this little thing consistently for about 2 weeks now. I started using it in the morning and at night but after about 4 days my skin was too dry so I shifted to 1 time a day, in the evening.

My conclusion is this is a good product.

My skin was consistently cleaner after I used the Wave as opposed to my regular washing with soap and my hands. My breakouts near my chin were reduced a little bit - I wouldn't say it was a dramatic shift for my acne but I noticed a reduction in blackheads and shrinkage in some of the pores on my cheeks. The Wave does offer a subtle exfoliation and I would guess using an actual exfoliating soap would only add to that.

So, if you are looking for a cleaner clean this product is pretty good. I would recommend it. The only draw back is of course buying the cleaning pads after you've run out but they are easily purchased at the grocery store.

Coming up in just a few days I will be reviewing a whole line of new skin care products being offered at Target. The brand is called "Boots" and you won't want to miss it!

~Linds

Fit Me Makeup and "Wave" product reviews

So, I have been trying a few new products and feeling that I am an advocate for the average woman, disciphering cosmetics in the CVS or Target isle...I wanted to share my findings.

I have been trying the "Fit Me" makeup from Maybelline and I just bought the "Wave" face scrubber from Neutrogena.

Let's start with the makeup first.




Fit Me's add campaign starts with a pouty model saying "Don't control me, fit me." Ugh, Maybelline, you missed your market there - normal women do not identify with pouty-lipped, skinny models demanding the world bend another thing to them. On the other hand - you hit your market get with your price point (usually always around $6 a bottle).

I've used this product in the past (from spring to early summer of this year) and recently purchased it again and here are my conclusions:

Fit me is a great medium to medium-light coverage foundation for people who have dry to normal skin and don't deal with a lot of serious acne who enjoy a fresh "dewy" look.

To break down those words here's some explanation:

Medium, medium-light coverage - covers the skin to give a consistent look but not strong enough to cover scars or blemishes.

dry to normal skin - if your skin is dry or just little oily by the end of the day this will feel nice on your skin - not cakey, overwhelming or stiff. If you have oily skin, this will not aid your oily-ness and you will find this makeup sliding off your skin by the end of the day as you glisten in the florescent light of your cubicle (or the lamplight of your house or wherever you find yourself at about 4:00pm).

Fresh, "dewy" look - this is a term that describes a face finish that has a slight sheen to it. It's very popular right now as seen by the influx of "illuminators" on the market that give a false "sheen" to the skin. The idea is a more natural look that is not powdery. Here's a reference:



I personally like the dewy look because I have a past of covering acne with think makeup to cover my issues and although a lot of that acne has subsided, I long for the type of skin I feel confident barely covering and going out with. But it really is just a preference thing.

So, I hope that is helpful. My skin is a little oily, acne prone and acne scarred so I need a fuller coverage heavier makeup. It is a nice feeling product though and again if you have fairly nice skin and like the dewy look, this is a great option.

Secondly, the Wave...





I'll keep this short because I just got it yesterday. I will say, so far, so good.

I thought it was a gimmick and that I'd been duped...but to my surprise this little thing did clean my skin better than my normal soap and exfoliater pad did. So, I will give it a try, 2x daily for 2 weeks and then give a full run down but for $9 at the grocery store, this little sucker seems to be doing good!

Stay tuned for more details!

~Linds

Ruth Pauley Maternity

Now that we are not dying in the hot, drought-wrought summer - it's time for photography!

I had a wonderful maternity session last weekend with friends Josh and Ruth Pauley. They are cuter than words! Their love story is a classic, boy is in love with girl, girl thinks they're really good friends, boy still loves girl for 5 years, finally girl realizes she loves boy, and then they get married kind of situation.

They are super sweet people who are tender, loving, joyful and fun! I can't wait to meet their sweet daughter later this month!












It was great to see them, they will be amazing parents!

It's been too long AND DIY Masks!

Wow!! It's been WAY too long!

To my followers I am so sorry. The last 6 months has included my job change, my husband's job change, a pregnancy, a loss of pregnancy, an adoption application, a vacation, a failed detox attempt and a committment to serious gym time.

Hopefully I can begin to blog more consistently about photography, beauty and other fun things!

Today I want to share the treasure of home face masks. The issue came up because of our trip to Colorado. While in Colorado, my skin got a little dry, leathery feeling and therefore broke out more (I have weird skin).




So, as we drove further into the humidity, back to Houston I thought "I really need to do a face treatment of some kind - something that really cleans and something that adds moisture." Sadly, the only mask I had was a mineral mask from the dead sea. Now while the mineral mask can be incredible, it wasn't what I needed. I also did not want to go to the store so I thought...I can do this myself.

What I came up with was a honey (natural cleanser and has antioxidants), mayo (oils and proteins) and cinnamon (antioxidant). I mixed it all up, spread it on my face and waited. Now, I think I had too much cinnamon in there because it burned just a little but after about 15 minutes, I rinsed it off and my skin did feel better.

So, try this in the next 2 weeks. Google "DIY face mask" and find one that meets your needs - dry skin, acne prone skin, oily skin, dirty skin, etc. And have fun! Do it with friends! You can have a face mask party and set up ingredients like a salad bar and have people make their own masks. Ingredients are cheap and easy to find, some common ingredients to DIY masks are:

Mayonaise (NOT Miracle Whip, not enough oils)
Avocados
Cucumbers
Honey
Milk
Cinnamon
Oatmeal
Yogurt
Olive Oil
Tea Tree Oil

Just to name a few. This is an inexpensive, fun way to do face treatments and if using all natural ingredients is a priority for you then this is perfect!

I am going to keep trying new mask treatments and I will keep you updated. So far the mayo, honey, cinnamon was good - just go a litte easy on the cinnamon. Post a good face mask recipe if you find one! Here are links to two good ones that I found!

Oatmeal and Yogurt mask for all skin types:
http://beauty.about.com/od/skinflaws/a/facemasks.htm

And just in time for fall, a pumpkin mask for all skin types, and can help with acne:
http://beauty.about.com/od/homemadefacemask1/r/Rejuvenating-Pumpkin-Mask-For-All-Skin-Types.htm

First Week of the Detox

So, my review of the first week of Detox.

To review, in the first week I progressively took out caffeine, white sugar, and white flower while adding 3 liters of water a day.

So here's my bad, ugly and good (want to end on a positive note)

Bad:

I had small headaches the first 2 days but that could have just as easily been allergies or PMS (so maybe not really a bad)

Planning was a little difficult because sometimes I didn't plan meals or snacks well and I was just out of food or I "went off the reservation" which negates the whole purpose anyway

Ugly:

Realizing there are lots of foods and beverages that I crave emotionally to feel better, feel comforted, to have something fun to do, etc. I should not have a "relationship" with food where it makes me have feelings of longing, dreaming, anger and such...the detox is helping me see food is a means of giving me energy so I can live.

Lots of trips to the bathroom because of all that water so didn't get a lot of work done :)

I did "go off the reservation" (just for clarification this will be the phrase I'll keep using for when I go off the detox plan) with a buffalo burger with some fries one night and pizza another and I will say my stomach and intestines hurt instantly. The after effects were not so pretty either so - motivation to not eat those things!

Good:

The discipline it took to get caffeine, refined sugar and white starches out of my diet has encouraged me to have self discipline in my diet as a whole, in my workout routine and even in my business so I am grateful for the transformation in my character hopefullly

The breakdown of my emotional relationship with food (seeing food just as an energy source, not a source of happiness)

Realizing that things like burgers, fries and pizza really are bad for me because they actually give me pain!

That's all I have for now. This week marks the first week of the total detox and here are my perameters:

1. No caffeine, white/refined sugars, white starches
2. No gluten (wheat, barley, oat products)
3. No dairy (I will do eggs though)
4. Lean/ light proteins (fish and chicken, I am going to do no red meats, that isn't a must on a detox but I am doing for me because I have a suspicion that my body doesn't process red meat well and I want to test my theory)
5. Lots of water (3L a day)
6. Paleo Cleans powder - this is a product I got from Coach Kelly that aids the body in getting rid of toxins and other bad things.

I'm hoping to experience some good things from this detox. One of the things I am most looking forward to is when this is all over (NO, I don't just want it to be over) I want to really slowly integrate foods in to see how my body reacts. If I react badly to adding gluten, dairy or caffeine again then I want to get those things out of my diet. It's like a mini food allergy testing.

I've heard a lot of people who drink a lot of water say it energizes them so I hope that happens. I hope my skin looks great (I have a skin obsession) and I'd really like to see my skin clear up and look fresh and new! A little weight loss would be awesome but I don't want to expect it. And lastly, I want to learn more about my body, foods that are good for it and how to creatively make those foods and get myself off of over processed, super modified, sodium and sugar infused food.

Good luck to any of you who are doing the same thing or thinking about it! Let's breakup with our food and just be friends and look for happiness somewhere eternal...

~Lindsay

remember you can go to http://kellycouch.wordpress.com for more detox info!

28 Day Detox

Maybe I am a glutton for punishment and maybe I am over estimating my ability to have self discipline but I am embarking on a 28 day detox.

I will be coached through the process by my good friend Kelly Couch (Kelly Coach...ha ha) who is extremely smart, funny, honest and qualified. (Visit her blog at http://kellycouch.wordpress.com/ to get details of how you can eat healthy, live healty and detox yourself!)

I'll be blogging the journey as I go day by day marking the good, the bad and the down right ugly.

Today's challenge: no caffeine and 3 liters of water. So far so good (it's only 9:30am but hey by now I've already started my Coke Zero). I've got my nalgene bottle, I need to drink 3 and a half of these today...and the bathroom is on the floor below me (that should be fun, I'll get a stair workout today too!)

Alright everyone, here we go. Feel free to ask questions or give encouragement. If you aks questions though I have a feeling I will just defer to Kelly.

Much love everyone!

~Lindsay