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!

TEN GOALS FOR 2015

Happy New Year!

Who's ready to make some resolutions? I don't take myself too seriously when it comes to this kind of thing. Actually I'm not even sure I've ever made any serious resolutions in the past. But there are definitely some goals I've been thinking about for a while that I want to work towards this year {some I've already started on}. So in the spirit of the New Year and in the fresh start we all love, here they are.

MINIMIZE
This is the big one I talked about in my last post- the goal to donate or throw away as much as possible before our next move and work on living more minimally. I've been doing this for about six months already and it's a lot of work but it's also kind of addicting. So far I've gotten rid of a ton of my clothes, a lot of random unused or outdated home decor, excess toys, old books and magazines, and kitchenware that we didn't truly need.

PICK A NAME FOR BABY BOY NUMBER THREE!

This is obviously more of a must-do than a goal, but have you guys ever been on nameberry.com? It's the best baby name resource I've ever come across. It's more than just lists of names, there are neat articles and it's very interactive. I can get on there and surf through names for literally hours. We're probably going to stick with our bible name theme, but it's getting harder to decide on one we both love. Asher and Silas were pretty easy, those names just came to us. But this time we're really wracking our brains. Ideas?

MASTER ASIAN COOKING AT HOME

Like THIS recipe. I'm always craving this stuff but getting takeout adds up and isn't all that healthy.

WORK ON WRITING WITH ASHER

I'm not really sure when kids are expected to learn how to write, but I keep noticing four year olds that seem to write really well and Asher's almost four.

KEEP BLOGGING
If you've been following for a while, you know I go through "seasons" haha. Seasons where I have the time and energy and blog a lot, and seasons where it's totally silent over here! And that's okay. It's just a hobby and it's nothing to stress over. But all the same, when I am doing it I love it, so it just seems like it would be great to keep it going. I know it'll be super hard with another baby coming this spring and a move soon after that. But even just one post every week or two would be nice.

PRINT MORE PHOTOS
I've seen some beautiful arrangements of art and photos lately and it's inspired me to try to have more of our family pictures displayed. 

KEEP MY AEROBICS ROUTINE GOING
Go ahead and roll your eyes, but we all know this wouldn't be a true list of resolutions if it didn't include the word "exercise", hahaha. But I'm not just adding this cliche resolution to the list for the sake of adding it, I've already gotten a start on this one. Nothing big, just light aerobics two or three times a week. I used to do Insanity a good four or five times a week until this pregnancy started. But as hard as it can be these days, I notice myself feeling so much better when I keep it up!

TEACH THE BIBLE TO MY BOYS
We've started talking about some major bible themes, reading specific verses, and praying more together when we sit down together for breakfast and lunch. Asher's old enough to start understanding some of the broad concepts, so I want to make the most of the time God's given me with him {and the younger boys coming behind him} and be consistent in passing on the teaching that's so graciously been passed to me. Thank you pastors, teachers, and bible scholars!

BE A BLESSING TO MY HUSBAND
Thane is an amazing husband, father, and provider, and I want to make sure he knows how much he means to me! It's so easy to get lost in all the housework and child rearing and have no time or energy left for him once he gets home from work. But I want to be intentional about doing things, even little things- like leaving a sweet note for him in the lunch I pack- to remind him that he's my hero.

SLOW DOWN AND SOAK UP THE WORD
Last but certainly not least, I want to take the time to slow down when I'm spending time in prayer and in the bible. I try to keep up with the daily devotions on She Reads Truth, but I'll admit that there are lots of days when I'm rushing through it. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy it. I just feel like I'm not taking the time to really soak it in. Which reminds me, I just read this great article called How to Study the Bible with five great tips. It was convicting to see that with the convenience of reading the bible via my phone, I've gotten away from some of my own tried and true study techniques.

Okay, I think that's enough to keep me busy! What about you guys? What are your goals for this New Year?

LEARNING THAT LESS IS MORE

How was everyone's Christmas? We're still in the middle of our travels and festivities but so far it's been a good one for us! The best part of all is having Thane with us this year, considering last year he was halfway around the world. Anyway, now that New Years {and the time for resolutions, yay!} is right around the corner, I've been thinking about goals I want to accomplish for 2015. I have a whole handful of ideas, but the main one can pretty much be summed up in one word- simplifying! Especially in regards to our home and what we own. Sometimes I catch myself browsing Pinterest just to see other people's clean, uncluttered houses. Like the living room above, complete with a pristine coffee table arranged with fresh flowers, a lit candle, and nice books. {All the things that can't even be in arms reach in our house, much less on the coffee table haha.} 

These five minute "escapes" into other people's living rooms feel like a vacation, because that's five less minutes that I'm juggling all the stuff in my own house. Of course I know that true perfection doesn't exist anywhere on this earth. But if you're a mom caught in the constant whirlwind of keeping up with your home and family, you probably welcome a little escape as much as I do!

And that's why I've been doing a lot of thinking about what we own, why we own it, and what it all adds or takes away from our lives. As I've mentioned a few times already, it started with our toys, but it encompasses so much more than that; our closets, our wardrobes, our kitchen cabinets, our bathroom storage, our basement, our attic, even my makeup bag.

There is excess stuff literally everywhere. And the bigger our family grows and the busier I get managing our home, the more I realize that most of these things are a bigger burden than they are a blessing. Not that we aren't blessed to have what we do, we are. But I'm starting to understand why Jesus says to “take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” {Luke 12:15} I'll be the first to admit that I like nice things. I like to shop and decorate with the best of them. But when I find myself spending more and more time managing my "stuff", and less time investing in my relationship with God and my family, there's a problem. And it feels like I've been walking that line for a while. 

I want to pursue a simple, intentional life for our family. One that is God and family centered. So, with a spirit of repentance and a determination to change, I'm learning to apply the less-is-more principle to every area of our life. In other words, I'm in serious purge mode. And boy, is it liberating! I've been loading up and donating a steady stream of unused, unneeded items that have done nothing but cluttered up our home. It's a lot of work and it's a long process, {and Thane doesn't exactly appreciate the back of my car being filled with stuff that takes a little longer to get dropped off than he would like, haha}, but little by little I can see our house and our lives getting simpler with each donation-drop we make.

So praise God for that, and with any luck I'll keep it up!