LET'S TALK ABOUT HAIR

Alright, let's talk about hair. When you're eight+ months pregnant and you live in the most frigid place in the continental United States, there's not much you can do about your wardrobe. I make an attempt to look decent for church and social events, but otherwise I pretty much live in Thane's retired Army PT sweats from the 90s, elastic ankle bands and all. 

But, on the bright side, it's been a great few months for hair! I don't know whether to thank my hair straightener, the dry North Country weather, or hair-altering pregnancy hormones, but it's nice to take an occasional break from the curls.

Also, I had it cut last week. It was one of the things on my my pre-baby checklist, which is almost all checked off, thank goodness. My friend Rebecca cuts hair from her home and it's such a blessing because she not only does great work but she let's me bring my kids! Part of me wants to be really adventurous and cut it short or dye it, but I'm pretty much a huge, indecisive wimp when it comes to doing anything fun or risky. I've never even had highlights. I really admire those of you who aren't afraid to try new things. 

Speaking of which, what about you guys? Done anything new with your hair lately?

And of course this little guy had to make at least one appearance;

Have a great day!

WHAT'S IN MY MAKEUP BAG

Let's talk about makeup!

It probably has a lot to do with being a busy mom, but my makeup routine has gotten pretty darn simple over the past couple of years. There are definitely days when I don't put any on at all, but I try not to make a habit out of that because I feel SO much better when I do. Maybe because it's the fastest, simplest way to be at least a little bit put-together while the fast-approaching-third-trimester-belly and frigid winter has me wearing bulky layers and sweats most days. And on another note, I finally started investing in some higher quality products a few years back. Gone are those days of wondering down the Walmart makeup aisle trying to figure out which shade of foundation to buy, only to have it be the wrong one and find myself right back at the store spending twice as much and still not getting a great product. I'm certainly no beauty expert, but I've learned that when it comes to things like foundation, concealer, lipstick, and even eyeliner, spending a little more results in products that work so much better and last so much longer. It's absolutely worth it to walk into a nice cosmetics department and have a professional match your color. Then you know exactly what you need and can stick with it over the years.

Anyway, for around the house, running errands, play dates, etc, I like these four products:

EVERYDAY WEAR

1. Lancome's Effacernes Waterproof Under-Eye Concealor. If there's only one thing I put on, it's this! It's so good at brightening up my eyes and it also covers other spots that have gotten darker from pregnancy.

2. Bonnie Bell's Glimmer Bronze Highlighting Dust. I don't use blush, but this is great for getting a hint of that sun kissed look no matter what time of the year it is. And at under $5 it's super affordable, I usually find it at Target.

3. Target brand Kabuki brush. For the bronzer.

4. Urban Decay's Glide On Eye Pencil in "Oil Slick". 

Then, for church or fun events or on days I'm feeling a little fancier {haha}, I put these on as well:

SPECIAL OCCASION

5. Urban Decay's Eyeshadow, Asphyxia. Nothing beats purple eyeshadow. Not in my book, anyway.

6. Eyeshadow brush.

7. Lancome's Definiciles Mascara. This is my favorite, but I'll admit that I haven't been back to the store to get more since I ran out last. So in the meantime, I've been using a basic Cover Girl variety. Here's a neat tip that a good friend of mine in the cosmetics business told me- some makeup is worth splurging on, and some isn't- like mascara. The cheap stuff can be just as good as the expensive stuff!

8. Lancome's Color Design Lipstick in "Wine Party". This isn't included above because it's much more rare that I wear it, but every once in a while I love a little lipstick!

Best of all, all of this fits into one small cosmetics bag that I can very easily carry from house to diaper bag to car. I do a lot of in-the-car-makeup-application {yep, that's me trying to hide behind the rear-view mirror while applying mascara and looking totally awkward in the church parking lot}. So it's really convenient to have everything I need in one tiny bag.

So what about you guys? I love swapping notes on beauty products, be sure to leave a comment with your personal favorites!

P.S. It wasn't really on purpose, but a simple makeup routine fits right into my goal to simplify everything for 2015, so amen to that!

BANGS!

I cut my bangs! Bangs can be so finicky. Sometimes they come out great, and sometimes they don't. I had a hairdresser do them a few months back, but they were so thin that I could barely pull them down without tons of long strands coming with them. And I feel like I need them to mask my not-so-dainty forehead. So, after months of meaning to do it, I'm glad I finally got around to it! It's always a little nerve wracking to cut them myself- and they probably aren't perfect- but it's not my first attempt and I've even done my own layers a few times {thanks to girls on YouTube who make it look so easy}. Plus, curly hair is very forgiving so the small mistakes I undoubtedly make aren't too obvious. And, let's face it, it's rare that I get the chance to go to a hairdresser with two little ones in tow. So, cheers for DIY hair cutting!

How about you? Ever attempted your own hair cut?

P.S. For those of you in the Fort Benning/Columbus Georgia area, I have to mention Whitney Mvondo and Carla Overby- my two all-time favorite hair cutters! 

P.S.S. Still loving my organic curl shampoo...

MY CURLY HAIR ROUTINE

I didn't get far into this latest first trimester without noticing that my hair was in a definite funk. I always had natural curls that were fairly easy to manage, and then all of a sudden they weren't. I'm talking stringy, frizzy, dry, bad hair. I'd always gotten away with using cheapo hair products like Pantene and then whatever equally cheap mousse or gel I liked at the time. But- at least for this pregnancy- those days are gone! So, in search of a remedy, I came across these:

Shea Moisture Curl Control Shampoo and Restorative Conditioner. I really had NO clue what to try, and I've always been timid about splurging on expensive products without any guarantee that they'll work. But when I stumbled upon this post by a fellow curly-haired gal, I decided to try something similar to what she used. I found these particular items in the ethnic hair care aisle at Target {on sale, always a plus!}, and to my great satisfaction they are the best hair products I've ever used. They are totally organic and free of all kinds of curl-stifling chemicals like sulfates and paraffin. Thanks {once again} to my curly-haired friend, now I know this! The biggest noticeable difference with these products vs. the sulfate-infused brands {other than the enhanced curls}, is the feel and texture. My hair feels a lot more moisturized on a daily basis, almost oily, but not in a bad way. 

So, for the routine: I use the Shea line every day, and every few days I do a quick wash with a basic shampoo to get the built-up mousse and hairspray out, followed by a second wash with the Shea shampoo. When I get out of the shower I wrap my hair up in a towel for a minute or less {t-shirts are supposed to work better for curls but I've yet to try this}. Then I turn my head upside down and gently work a small amount of watered down mousse into it, careful not to do too much "scrunching". Currently I'm using got2b's Kinky Curling Mousse. Then I let it air dry, and I'm done! 

I will say that I'm still getting used to the non-shampoo feel of the Shea shampoo. It doesn't lather and foam like what I've been used to using all of my life, it's more like a moisturizer. And the more natural curls I get with it are prone to a tad bit of frizz on certain days, so I'm currently looking around for some sort of spray-in de-frizzer that I can use on occasion. Any recommendations?

I've only been using this organic line for about a week now, but I'll never go back. After being so personally clueless about what works best for curls {at least my curls} for 28 years, I hope this can be of help to some of you!

If you're a fellow curly-haired creature, what are your favorite products???

P.S. I found these Shea products at Target a week ago for $9.99 for the first bottle and then 50% off the next bottle of equal or lesser value. So, about $15 total. Some of Amazon's prices are really high, so it's definitely worth checking out Target or shopping around for a good deal.

ORGANIC STRETCH MARK REPELLENT

At 18 weeks pregnant I finally picked up another container of Spectrum's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. You can buy this at your local grocery store in the cooking-oil aisle. I used an entire jar during my first pregnancy based on the recommendation of my mother-in-law. The results? Not one single stretch mark! {Sound the chorus: haaaaaallelujah!} The best thing about it is that it's totally, 100% organic- so organic that it's edible! And it smells heavenly, just like coconut flakes. I rub it on once at night before bed, once I have an old t-shirt on that I don't worry about staining with oil. My fingers are crossed that this will do the trick once again... I'll wish good luck to all of us expectant mammas. Do any of you know any other good products or tricks?

One more thing- this is also a great product to try on your child's dry skin...again, it's 100% organic and healthy with no unnatural chemicals to worry about.

P.S. Not getting stretch marks is not a genetic thing that runs in my family {like I hear it is in some}.