Lifestyle Update | Bear & Diesel

My last update about Bear & Diesel seems like a long time ago! I posted Living With Two Dogs about mid December...so much has happened since then. 

Bear and Diesel both went in for surgery two days after Christmas - they are now spayed and neutered...Merry Christmas! It was a tough time healing for both dogs. We had to keep them quite and of course they both just wanted to run around and play. We also couldn't walk them for about 2 weeks which they are didn't like. Both dogs healed up nicely and they are back to their old rambunctious ways.

Diesel has grown SOOOO much since my last update. I keep looking back at old pictures and miss those times we had with her were she was so tiny. She's now 10 months and about 50lbs. She's still shorter than Bear and I'm not sure how much more she's going to grow but she'll definitely fill out more - she's still very skinny.  

Bear has also surprised us and did another growth spurt after getting neutered. He's now close to 80lbs and I noticed that he's taller than our coffee table!

Both dogs are still in training, they are doing really well at loose leash walking together but of course some days they are more cooperative than others. We've had a little bit of off leash training with them and they have done amazing! I'm a little nervous to take them back to the off leash...Bear has become very overprotective of Diesel...so our training was just done in a big open field. 

Diesel attended some puppy social classes. We found that because she didn't get to go to the off leash much like Bear did when he was younger she wasn't very well socialized around dogs. We did puppy social for about 3 months straight and she is much better around dogs. We frequent pet stores with both of them so they can be around other dogs on leash - also we find pet stores a great place to do some training with some distractions. 

We are really looking forward to having an awesome summer with these two - last year we couldn't enjoy our summer because of Bear's leg injury. If you don't know what I'm referring to you can check out Bear's 1 Year Update where I talk about his accident and was diagnosed with chronic lameness.

I want to hear from all you dog lovers out there - what is your most favorite thing to do during the summer with your fur babies?  

June 2017 Favorites

My summers are all about quick, sweat proof makeup and hair. I like to enjoy as much of my summer outside as possible so I typically will do very minimal makeup in the warmer weather.

Smashbox Step-By-Step Contour Stick - I have rediscovered and fallen in love with the Contour & Highlight color from this trio. I find the cream formula to be very natural and easy to blend with a beauty blender. It's very quick to apply and gives you some dimension to your face.

Drybar Triple Sec - Textured quick hair has been my thing for the past month. Triple sec is still my favorite texture spray, I love to spray this in when I have either waves or curls in my hair.

It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream - I have heard people rave about this for so long but could never get my hands on it. Finally Ulta is now shipping to Canada so I was able to give this a shot. The color is a little light but this is a great CC Cream, by far my favorite I've tried so far. It is on the expensive side but I love the coverage it gives my skin and it's SPF 50+ which is great in the summer.

L'Oreal Brow Stylist Plumper - This is a similar product to the Benefit Gimmi Brow but a lot of more affordable. I feel like I was constantly running out of my Benefit product and it was costing a lot to do my brows everyday. This is a great drugstore dupe! The color is very similar to my brows and it helps them stay in place all day. Even when I'm doing minimal makeup I always make sure my brows are done....it just helps to frame your face and makes you look a little more put together.

Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo - I've talked about this before and I'm back using it again. This is my favorite dry shampoo by far. It leaves your hair feeling refreshed and clean. I use the light tones and it doesn't leave a white cast in my hair which is always a plus. Best dry shampoo! They also have a darker formula if you have darker hair.

What were your favorite products of June? Leave them in the comments below.

Where Are They Now? May 2015 Favorites

As much as I love reading other blogs, I also like watching many YouTubers. One of my favorites to watch is MsGoldGirl who I have watched do many videos on "Where are they now?". She goes back to find out what her old favorites use to be and shares if she is still using those favorites today. I always wonder when watching YouTubers post their favorites if they are sharing something that is simply a fling for the month or a holy grail product. 

I looked back on my blog and the oldest post I have way May 2015 . I usually try to limit my favorite posts to about 5 products so here are my top 5 products I was using in May 2015 and here is what I am using now. 

Nume Signature hair dryer was replaced with the BaByliss Pro Rapido. I found the Nume to be very hot and dried my hair out. It was also very heavy and my hair always takes forever to dry. The BaByliss was made in Italy and was a collaboration with Ferrari. It takes very little time to dry my hair now and I find that this doesn't dry my hair out at all. It is much lighter and easier to work with. The only downside is the price tag. It is pretty expensive but I did find mine through an Air Miles deal....so keep your eyes peeled for deals. 

Diorskin Star Foundation was replaced with Dior Forever. I did love the Star foundation but I found the color didn't match me perfectly and it would slide around on my face if I didn't set it was a lot of powder - which I try to stay away from with my dry skin. I started to explore other foundations by Dior and fell in love with the Forever. I find you don't need to set it as much and the color suits my skin ton almost perfectly. 

Fresh Lotus Face Cream & Freash Seaberry Skin Booster was replaced with Clinique Moisture Surge Intense & The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid. Unlike the Fresh face cream and oil I was mixing together I have been layering the Hyaluronic Acid & Clinique face cream. I find the Fresh products didn't give me enough hydration, I have extremely dry skin. With The Ordinary and Clinique products my skin feels hydrated and velvety smooth. 

21 Day Fix EXTREME - This is the only favorite that I still use today. I jump around between different Beachbody programs but I have a special love in my heart for the 21 Day Fix & 21 Day Fix Extreme programs. Back in 2015 I was using these programs to get in shape for my wedding. I was concerned with my wedding dress that my arms would be showing a lot so I wanted to tone them up. Now I'm using the program as cross training to get ready for worlds - which is in 94 days and counting! I'm not following the training program as usual. Basically on my cross training days I will only use lower fix, upper fix and abs. My aim on cross training days is to strength those areas for training rather than trying to tone or loose weight.

Let me know if you enjoyed hearing about my old favorites in the comments below. Have you tried any of these products?

April 2017 Favorites

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 - I got my very first Ordinary order in the month of April and so far I have loved every single product I've ordered from them. I've been using the Hyaluronic Acid in the morning before I put on my moisturizer and my dry skin definitely has been feeling more hydrated. 

Tarte Frxxxtion Stick - This I've also been using in the mornings before I was my face. This is a facial cleanings stick that also exfoliates your face. I love the packaging, you rub the stick on your face instead of using your hands which I love. 

Benefit Hello Flawless - I decided to try a new powder this month and I picked this one up by Benefit. It took my three different tries to get my color just right but once I did I fell in love with this powder. It's not too heavy on the skin and has a very natural finish. 

Dior Forever Foundation - I decided to pick this up after hearing Jaclyn Hill rave about this foundation in several videos. I have very similar skin to hers - dry - most of her skincare and foundations recommendations work perfectly for me. I finally used up the last of my Becca foundation and instead of repurchasing it I pick this up instead. It is very natural and has great coverage. A big plus for me is this foundation do not move on my face! I don't typically set my foundations with a lot of powder as I am on the dry side so I need a foundation that doesn't need to be set in order to stay in place. Highly recommend giving this a try for dry skin. 

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG - The Ordinary defiantly has some interesting names for their products but don't let that scare you away from trying any. This is the eye product I've been using day and night. It is defiantly the most affordable eye product I have every used but it has a different formula. This is an oil that comes in a dropper. I use one drop for each eye and honestly my under eye area has never looked better. This has decreased my fine lines and brightened up my under eye. Most eye creams I've purchased in the past have ran be about $65, this one cost me $6.70!

The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil - This is a very similar to the Josie Maran Argan Oil. I've tried this out on both my skin and my hair and I love it. It gives me the same restuls as the Josie Maran oil but the price tag is a HUGE difference. 50ml of the Josie Maran will cost $60 compared to 30ml of The Ordinary is $6.80.

The Ordinary defiantly dominated most of my new loves this month....I should also mention that all you have to do is spend over $25 with The Ordinary and your shipping is free! I definitely plan on ordering way more products from this company and doing their own dedicated blog post. If you've tried any products from The Ordinary please feel free to leave your recommendations below. Make sure you are subscribed so you can keep up to date with all my new blog posts. 

What I've Learned From Being A Victim Of Crime | Lifestyle Update

It has been so incredible hard to sit down and put into words what happen to me & my family in December. If you saw my Fitness Update post from February, you would have seen that I mentioned I was the victim of crime.

I don't want to share too much detail as I am pressing several criminal charges against the person whom attacked my home...twice...but I do want to share some of my experience as I felt very alone and like there was no one around to help me during this time. Perhaps sharing what I've gone through could help someone who has been the victim of crime recently or help someones home security so they do not become a victim of crime.

Our attacker came to our home twice, I'm still not clear on what they were hoping to accomplish, before I was able to have them arrested....and even then it was a very long month before things were somewhat resolved. Unfortunately because the first attack was on a Friday night and then the next attack was on Sunday night I couldn't do a lot over the weekend. Monday was really the first day I could run around and ask questions and beg people to help me. I am very sad to say that the person whom damaged our property and threatened us is a family member of my husbands.

By the time Tuesday rolled around I was heading downtown to court to get a warrent for the persons arrest....which was granted but unfortunately our attacker ran and was able to outrun the RCMP. As he was not a high priority person of interest I was told I would have to wait until he resurfaces in order for the arrest to be executed. This took 24 days.

I lived for the next 24 days in compete panic and fear of my families safety. We were completely unaware of if this person was going to return to our home, if more damage was going to be caused to our property,ect. I didn't feel safe leaving the house period. I wasn't even leaving my home to walk my dog and I never wanted to be left alone for any reason. Basically this meant that if my husband needed to go out I would be calling up a friend or family member to come and sit with me.

On the 24th day when this person resurfaced I was told that my warrant had expired...which was in the fine print of my paperwork which I should have read more carefully and I would have to go back to court to obtain another one. I returned to court and my warrant was executed that day....THANK GOODNESS! Finally a feeling of relief.

I know that this is all far from being over but at least we have taken a step in the right direction to keep our family safe.

I am so thankful to say that even though we had several thousand of dollars in damages done to our property my husband & I were very lucky unharmed. We did receive verbal death threats and my husband was physically threaten with a weapon but thankful some ice on the driveway saved his life. Basically when his attacker lunged at him with a hammer he fell to the ground and allowed my husband a few seconds to get out of harms way.

Being a victim of crime can really put your life into prospective. This experience has put some several things into perspective and has shown my family that we are NOT prepared with our home security.

I used to be one of those people who thought....this would NEVER happen to me. We didn't have any sort of surveillance or security system in place - but now we do. I think this is so important now, even though you don't think you need it it's not a bad idea to be prepared. You don't necessarily need to bring in a home security company and spend a lot of monthly fees. Honestly figure out what's important to you and find a self monitoring system. It's a lot cheaper and it just gives you that piece of mind.

Be careful who you trust with information. Unfortunately our attacker (being a family member of my husband) knows a lot about our home. We trusted him with privileged information and he even knew our daily schedule. Be cautious with whom you give out information to.

Have an emergency family plan. The first thing that I did when I figured out that someone was breaking into our home was panic! I knew that we had weapons in our home to defend myself but I couldn't find them and I even struggled unlocking my phone and calling 9-1-1 during the incident. Having a emergency family plan and knowing where everything was and what I should do could save your life. Even if this wasn't a family member but someone just breaking into my home the police suggested that the better thing to do would have been to flee my house with my animals. Knowing the safest way to flee your home, how to defend yourself against an intruder and a family meeting place are all important things that I never sat down and planned out with my family before.

Product Empties February 2017

TreSemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray - I am a stickler when it comes to heat protection sprays. My hair is color treated and very brittle so I always make sure to use a heat spray when using hot tools. This is a great drugstore option, it left my hair feel soft and smooth. I wont be repurchasing another one at this time as I probably have five other open bottles of different types of heat spray on to go at the moment but it is defiantly on my repurchase list for the future.

Ion Weekly Blonde-Boosting Treatment - This is an unnecessary product. I thought this would act like a toner to help with my blonde hair in between color treatments but to be honest it did nothing. I couldn't tell a difference in my hair when I was using it, just get yourself a good purple shampoo and skip this.

Sephora Instant Nail Polish Remover For Glitter - This stuff is amazing. Its a fast way to remove nail polish and it gets EVERYTHING off! Even polish that is darker and hard to remove, this will get it off no problem. It lasted a really long time and is very inexpensive. I've already repurchased another one.

GHD Heat Protect Spray - Another heat protector, this one smells amazing! But honestly it was very expensive and works just as good as cheaper heat sprays you can get at the drugstore so I wouldn't repurchase this again.

Prada Candy - This is my new signature scent! Highly recommend going into a store and trying it first, also I would get a sample to take home. In the store this has a different smell and I liked it more once I got home and had worn the scent for a few hours. It's very sweet and the smell lasts a long time.

Sephora Instant Moisturizer - If you are looking for some affordable skincare I've had a lot of luck with the Sephora brand. This is almost drugstore price but honestly I don't like any skincare products that I've tried at the drugstore. This was a great moisturizer for dry skin, it sits very well under makeup and I highly recommend trying this out.

Shiseido WrinkleResist 24 Eye Cream - This is my go to eye cream, I think I've gone through about three pots. I have very dark circles with very fine lines under my eyes. This helps cover and hydrate my under eye area. It preps it for makeup and I think it has improved my under eye area.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo - This used to be my go to dry shampoo but now I've found another that I love even better. This will leave a bit of a white cast in your hair so if you have dark roots like me you do have to be careful. This will leave your hair feeling clean and refreshed.

Josie Maran Whipped Mud Mask - These are amazing and if you haven't tried them yet you NEED to try them. My favorite scents are the Vanilla Apricot and Cucumber Aloe....but lets face it all the scents are amazing! These will leave your skin feeling hydrated and refreshed. I love to use these with an eye mask on a relaxing pamper night.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir - A staple for anyone with dry skin. This face mist is amazing and just gives you a refreshed feeling to dry skin. I will use this several different ways and it is always a must have in my makeup collection.

Our Puppy's 5 Month Update | Ms Pam Blam Life Update

Our puppy, Bear, is now 5 months old....WOW! When did that happen? It feels like we just got this little guy. Bear came into our family at the end of August, you can check out my post Our Family is Growing  for some cute puppy pictures of when we first brought little Bear home.

Bear has been a wonderful addition to our family...we've had our ups and downs with training but all and all my husband and I are very happy to have this little guy as a part of our family.

Bear did give us a little scare at the end of September when he decided to eat some mouse poison. I had to rush him to the emergency vet where they had him throw up so he his stomach wouldn't breakdown and absorb any of the poison. It really didn't even seem to phase Bear at all...he was back to his mischievous ways within hours of being home. 

Bear and our 5 year old cat, Max, have been getting alone OK. It really depends on the day and Max's mood.

We've been training Bear to have some self control when around Max and we are teaching him it is NOT ok to chase Max around the house or eat his food. Bear is doing much better than he was when we first brought him home.

Bear went on his first road trip in the middle of October - 12 hours in the car with a 15 week old puppy! My husband and I were a little nervous bringing him for such a long trip but we didn't want to leave him at home with a puppy sitter so we risked it...turns out Bear is a great travel companion and he does great in the car.

Bear got fully vaccinated at 16 weeks which was near the end of October. Once he was vaccinated we started taking him everywhere to get him used to different environments ,people, animals, ect.

Bear has been to several different pet stores which he loves because we always run into people who gush over him and give him treats. He have also meet other dogs and animals at the pet store...Bear always loves saying hello to everyone. Bear has been for a few trail walks which again be loves because we run into wild life and other people...who again always stop to pet and gush over him.

But Bear's favorite outing is probably to the dog park. We starting taking Bear to the dog park when he turned 4 months old -he LOVES it there. I know that taking your dog to the dog park can be a little controversial...I will admit my first dog was repeatedly attacked by dogs as early as 6 months at the dog park by aggressive dogs which made her have behavior issues for the rest of her life.

However, I found a park that is an extension of our local Humane Society. You must be a member in order to bring your dog to the park and it is advertised as being a fun and safe way to socialize your dog. The whole park is fenced in so we can let Bear off the leash (even though we don't trust his recall 100% there is no way for him to run away). They have a zero tolerance for aggressive dogs so you know when you go there that all the dogs in the park are friendly and they aren't going attack your dog.

Honestly it is a great place for Bear not only to go and have fun and socialize with other dogs but I also like to train while we are at the park. There are a ton of distractions so it's great to test how well your dog actually listens to you. We practice loose leash walking, recall, leave it and stay.

Bear officially turned 5 months old on November 26th - it's amazing how much this little guy has grown! When we got him at 8 weeks he was about 8lbs....at 5 months he is now 37lbs! We have no idea how big he's going to be when he's full grown but we have loved to watch him grow. 

I hope you've enjoyed our adorable puppy pictures - follow me on Snapchat [mspamblam] if you want to see more of my day with Max&Bear. 

Palmer's Products Review

In the month of February I pulled out these products that Palmer's sent be a few months ago. If you've been following me on my social media accounts you will know that I've been pretty sick for the past month. During that month my entire skincare routine went completely out of the window. I was looking through my closet to find something that would help hydrate my dry skin. 

When I'm sick I love to take baths. I pulled out the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Moisturizing Body Oil to add a little moisture while I was in the bath. This stuff is great! I would add it into my bath along with a bubble bath. The oil didn't have a smell which was great because the bubble bath did. I don't like when there are competing scents. I instantly felt moisturized when I stepped out of the bath, I didn't even add anything extra to my skin. I noticed that because I was dehydrated from being sick my skin got a little itchy. After taking a bath with this oil I had instant relief! You can also apply this body oil directly to your skin as a moisturizer after a shower or bath.

The 24 Moisturizing Lotion was pretty good. I couldn't actually find a lot of information online about this lotion but it was really rich and creamy. My skin did feel moisturized after using it but I actually preferred the oil products more than the lotion.

Finally Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Smoothing Oil For Dry, Itchy Skin...probably out of the three this was my favorite. I really wasn't sure what to do with this oil at first. Then I read that you can use oil after your shower for instantly smooth skin. After I'm finished shower I turn off the water but stay in the shower. I spray this all over and then pat dry with a towel. WOW! What a difference. I don't think I will ever go back to using lotion. I love that I don't have that sticky lotion feeling and I'm instantly dry with smooth skin. I can get dressed right away without having to let lotion sit and sink into my skin. 

You can check out these products and more at the Palmer's website. 

Have you tried any of Palmer's products? What did you think?

Product Empties January 2016 | Products I've Used Up | Ms Pam Blam

I'm getting rid of my beauty trash! Over the past few months I have been moving in my new house and getting settled in. I've put myself on a banned from buying any more beauty products until I use up what I have...I felt that while I was packing I had too much stuff!

Here is what I will be tossing away:

It's a 10 Miracle Leave in Plus Keratin - this is a must have for me. I've found that my hair doesn't like a lot of product in it...the less the better. This is one of the products I use when I get out of the shower...and on my lazy days I will just spray this in and go. It leaves my hair very soft and tangle free! This is on the pricey side especially for being a drugstore purchase (I get mine at Wal Mart) but it's really worth the money.

Caudalie Moisturizing Toner - best toner I've tried so far! I've already repurchased this...and my new one came with a pump which is way better than this packaging. I find the pump lets me control how much product I'm using so hopefully it will last longer. It leaves my skin feeling moisturized and hydrated (which is great for my dry skin)

Caudalie Beauty Elixir - another Caudalie product and another love of mine. I use this product mainly in the summer time to refresh my makeup when it's hot outside. I have repurchased it but it's not currently in my everyday makeup...but I will be pulling it out again in the summertime

Fresh Sugar Nourishing Lip Balm Advanced Therapy - this is a very expensive lip balm! It did work really well but because of the high price tag I'm experimenting with cheaper options and I don't think I will be repurchasing

Ponds Cold Cream Cleanser - technically this isn't an empty or product I've used up but I'm throwing it away anyway. Please don't buy this it's AWFUL! First off the smell is very perfumery and smells like old lady. It was really thick and hard to rub onto my face to remove my makeup. There are so many better cleansers out there I would take a pass on this one.

Dermablend Long Wear Makeup Remover - this stuff was great but hard to get my hands on. This really did remove all of my makeup - even waterproof. The only downside is I couldn't find this anywhere so I bought it on Amazon for A LOT. I haven't repurchased because I don't want to spend that kind of money again but if you can find it locally then I would pick it up.

Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover - this is okay if you've on a budget. It's better than any drugstore eye makeup remover I've tried but I found I did have to rub a lot to get everything off. I don't particularly like to rub my eyes too much as they are very sensitive. I won't be repurchasing accuse I found a different eye makeup remover that I'm loving much better. 

Ardel Accent 301 - not much to say about these lashes...THEY ARE THE BEST! I've wore them to much, there were my go to lashes for my wedding day. They are just half lashes so very easy to apply and look pretty natural if applied correctly.

LashGrip Glue - this is great glue. It sticks and holds in place all day - I prefer this over the Duo glue.

Ardel Natural Demi Wispies - Sorry about the picture...I didn't realize the flash covered up the lash name - but these are the demi wispies. I find the wispies a little too long so I prefer the demi ones. These are great natural looking lashes. They look like my lashes only longer and fuller.

L'oreal Colour Riche Nails - I'm not big on fake nails but after our move I just can't get my nails to grow out - too much handling boxes and moving furniture around. These nails don't stick at all so I would suggest getting some nail glue to stick them on. They only lasted for about 3 days, after that I felt they were just in the way and I ripped them off. I probably will only keep these for special occasions.

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray - I don't know why I didn't include this into my 2015 favorites because it SHOULD HAVE BEEN! I use this everyday. It's the best makeup setting spray I have ever used.

Rapid Lash Eyelash Enhancing Serum - I was really disappointed with this serum. I've used a lot of other lash serums in the past and this one didn't seem to do anything. I wont be repurchasing. 

Did you make it to the end!?!?! Way to go! That seemed like a long list. I love finishing up products - it gives me an odd sense of accomplishment when you complete go through a product. 

If you've tried any of these products I would love to know in the comments below what your thoughts were...please share!

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Current Skin Care Routine

 Welcome back to my blog!!!

Today I'll be sharing my current skincare routine. Normally these products are scattered all over my house and I had to round them all up to get pictures....I learned today that I use A LOT of skin care products. But I must say my skin is in AMAZING condition.

I have extremely dry skin all year round. If you also have dry skin I would recommend checking some of these out.

Here we go - lets walk through what I do everyday for my skin care routine.

 First off in the morning I wash my face. I use the Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam. This is a great cleanser, it gets my skin clean without drying it out. I follow up with the Caudalie Moisturizing Toner. 

 Then I move onto moisturizing. Right now I'm using the Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Eye Cream. There is nothing special about this cream and honestly I'm just trying to use up the rest so I can move onto something different. I don't find this does anything and it's not really that moisturizing if you have dry skin. Next I mix the Sephora Instant Moisturizer & Cover Fx Custom Infusion drops - hydration. This is an amazing combination! My skin LOVES oil so much, this hydrates my skin really well. I let it sit and soak in for about 10min before I start putting on any makeup....especially because I'm using oil I want to make sure it's absorbed before I start my foundation routine. 

I was really shocked at how much I loved the Sephora product - normally I stick to well known name brands. This is probably one of the more affordable products I use in my skincare routine so I will defiantly be keeping it in the mix. 

 At the end of the day I take off all my makeup and then cleanse my skin. I use the same products as the morning expect I use the Shisedo cleaner with my clarisonic for an extra clean to make sure all my makeup is off my face.

Then I use a VERY expensive product - I really didn't want to like this product because it was so expensive but it has been amazing for my skin. It's the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil. My skin really loves this stuff....again it's another oil and my skin really loves oil. I let this sit for about 10min before putting my Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Cream along with the Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Intensive Eye Contour Cream and that's it!!

These are just some extra products, I defiantly don't use these everyday only 2-3 times a week. Let's face it most of use are busy and just don't always have time for extra treatments. But when I do this is what I use, first off is the Caudalie Moisturizing Mask. I wish I could use this everyday because my skin LOVES it. This puts a lot of moisture back into my skin, now that we're going into the winter season I'll probably use this 3 times a week. Another mask I have is the Sephora Mud Mask Purifying & Mattifying - this is a great & affordable mask. I only use this for blemishes, it really clears anything up instantly! Last I have the Caudalie Deep Cleansing Exfoliator, this is something I use in the shower whenever I was to give my face a quick scrub. It's not too harsh of an exfoliator but it gets the job done!

The great thing about all these products is even though most of them are very pricey they have all lasted me a long time & they all work amazing for my skin. So in my opinion I think it's worth the price point!

Let me know if you've used any of these products in the comments below. I would love to hear what you thought about them. 

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you have a fantastic week ahead! 

 

Blogtober FAIL | Where have I been?

Well I can officially say that my first attempt of Blogtober was a big fat FAIL!

I had the best intentions...I had a schedule of every post I wanted to do for the full 31 days...I had determination....I had drive...but my world got turned upside down and I fell off track on day 11.

So what have I been doing??

Well in the middle of October I attended a 3 day course to become a Beachbody fitness instructor. I walked away with 3 fitness certifications to teach group fitness for Insanity LIVE, CIZE LIVE and Piyo!! It was an extremely proud moment for me.

During October I was notified that our house was FINALLY ready...hurry! My husband & I have been in the process of building our dream home for the past year. It was supposed to be completed in June but was seriously delayed. October we were scrambling to sort things out with the place we were currently renting, packing up and preparing to move! All while I was denied vacation time to do so...what a nightmare!

We are finally settling into our new place. We have bought TONS of furniture and are doing home projects to put personal touches on our new place. It's been so much fun but stressful at the same time.

All and all I know that none of these are valid excusses but sometimes LIFE just gets in the way. I've had to push aside some fun projects (like my blog) in order to focus on other tasks.

BUT NOW I'M BACK!

I have missed my blog SO MUCH! I am very happy to be back at it!

I am going back to my normal schedule of posting every Monday & Friday. Please be sure to follow my blog if you want to be notified when new blog posts go up so you wont miss a post.

Blogtober Day 6 | Jaclyn Hill Fall Favorites Tag

This is a fall tag was created by Jaclyn Hill on YouTube. I've seen a few of these tags done so far and even though no one tagged me I really wanted to incorporate this into one of my Blogtober posts.

Here we go!

Favorite Candle
I did a post last week all about my new fall candles. If I had to just pick one out of that bunch I would say the Leaves candle from Bath & Body Works in my favorite.

Favorite Lip Color
My favorite lip color is nudes - all year round! I don't care on the season. Right now I'm loving Honey Love by Mac

Favorite Drink
Finally I've transitioned to hot drinks and I love to cozy up with some mint tea

Favorite Blush
Definitely has to be Makeup Geek Bliss!

Favorite Clothing Item
Riding boots, leggings and a long cozy sweater! If I want to get really cozy I will throw on a scarf to go with that.

Favorite Fall Movie
I've honestly been sooo busy I probably haven't been out to see a movie since spring time!

Favorite Fall TV Show
I love that all my TV shows are finally coming back on! Right now I'm loving 3: Grey's Anatomy, The Good Wife and Heartland.

Favorite Thanksgiving Food
TURKEY!!!

Favorite Halloween Costume
I'm not really big on celebrating halloween and I rarely dress up. When I do the costume has to be easy to move in and comfortable. I think my favorite costume was last year I went as a bank robber - jeans, stripped shirt, black mask and red lips!

If your reading this blog post then I TAG YOU! Either write and blog post or make a YouTube video and make sure to leave the URL in the comments below so I can read your tag.

Blogtober Day 4| Irresistible Me

I got presented with the opportunity to try Irresistible Me hair extensions and of course I said YES! This was my first time trying out hair extensions and I was very impressed. As soon as I tried these I fell in love with them instantly. 

I choose from their Royal Remy Hair which is sooo soft and looks completely natural. When you place your order you get to customer EVERYTHING. First off you choose your color...the color that I picked was Royal Ash Blonde (#10). Then you pick the length you want the hair extensions. My hair is already pretty long so I was going for more volume look than length, I picked 18 inches as that's about the length of my hair currently. Finally you pick your weight. I choose 200grams which is the most amount you can order...again I was going for volume. 

The 200 grams came with a VERY generous amount of hair. In total I got 10 pieces:

1 pc of 4 clips

2 pcs of 3 clips

5 pcs of 2 clips

2 pcs of 1 clips

The clips are amazing....I was so afraid that they would fall out but they actually sit very secure in your hair. Don't get me wrong it does take some time and practice to get these in and hid them under your hair so they don't peek through but as soon as you get that done you'll love the way they look. 

Left: Before, Right: After

Keep in mind that I wasn't going for length and I will have to take these into a hair dress to even out the length so it blend better with my hair.  From the back there is a slight difference but not too much

 Left: Before, Right: After

The major difference is really shown in the front. Again the length is pretty much the same but I have WAY more volume in the crown...which is exactly what I was going for.

In the before and after pictures I didn't even use all the clip ins. All I have in is:

1 pc of 4 clips

1 pcs of 3 clips

2 pcs of 2 clips

If I really wanted even more volume I could have thrown them all in! Its great because this is so versatile. Depending on the look you are going for your could just throw in a few clip ins for a less volume look or if you want to go all out just put them all in....completely up to you.

Have you tried these extensions? What are your thoughts? Leave them in the comments below, I would love to hear your experience.