Lazy Dressing

Tuesday, November 18, 2014 | Posted by Ashleigh | Edit Post

I am cold. And bored. The white death is upon us. What is a girl to do? I have been stuck inside since Sunday, now it's Tuesday. The roads are fine now. I want to go out and go shopping! But I have a dilemma...I don't want to get dressed. Solution? I didn't.

Okay, I did, but it's an illusion. 

I just threw my eShakti trench over the pajama top and jeans I was already wearing, added a necklace and wedge booties that were right in front of my nose, and carried the same bag I've been carrying all week, Viola, I am dressed in 2 minutes, I look sane and not like I'm in pajamas in winter lol.

 If you're wondering, I was already made up, my ipsy bag came in the mail and I let my 8 year old, London, do my makeup. She's pretty good, isn't she?  :) We learn from youtube videos. I did the lips with the JCat Beauty lip tar wannabe that came in my bag. I don't know if I like it, but I like the color.

Trench Coat: c/o eShakti (old)

Top: Pajamas, gift from one of the guests at the hotel.

Jeans: Merona Boyfriend Jeans from Target

Wedge Heel Booties: FREE from K MArt

Necklace: Purple Peridot

Bag: Michael Kors

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My New, All-Natural, Organic Skin Care Routine!

Monday, November 10, 2014 | Posted by Ashleigh | Edit Post

I am a beauty addict. When it comes to new beauty trends, I am the first one to try them. Like when Shailene Woodley mentioned eating clay to help balance and detoxify her body, I jumped right on that. Oil-pulling (swilling coconut oil around your mouth for 20 minutes a day) I STILL do that. (Though admittedly it's just routine now. It makes my mouth feel cleaner but the whitening benefits have plateaued.)

There was actually a point last year that I tried coconut oil for everything. Hair moisturizer, facial moisturizer, teeth whitener, natural deodorant, all that. However, my skin doesn't like coconut oil. It gave me little, underneath-the-skin white bumps. I've still not gotten rid of some of them near my mouth :( So I started looking into other natural beauty solutions online and there are tons!

Here's what I've been doing lately:

Cleansing: 

I use rose hip seed oil to oil-cleanse my face. You simply swipe the oil all over your face and let it set for a minute. Then you go back and completely wipe it off with a cotton pad or soft cloth. It pulls out debris, dirt, makeup, black heads. It may seem odd do use oil to cleanse, but it's GOOD oil. It has properties such as vitamin C and lycopen, which rejuvenate skin. (the first time I did this was after I washed my face with my regular cleanser and it got off SO much makeup! After I had already washed my face!)

Scrubbing:

I use a basic honey and sugar scrub to slough off all my dead skin cells. Be sure to get all-natural, certified organic honey! just mix it together to form a paste and rub in small circles on the face, lips, and neck to brighten, tone, and get rid of your dead skin cells! DO NOT DO THIS ON YOUR EYE AREA.

Toning:

I use Moroccan rose water as a toner. I pour it on a cotton pad and give my face and neck a thorough wipe-down, focusing on where I get the oiliest, really saturating my face. Afterwards I pat it dry.

Rose water can benefit all skin types. It soothes and cools, balances and dries oily skin, rejuvenates, softens, revitalizes and adds a lovely, natural glow. Rose water also has a myriad of vitamins and antioxidants, so it helps nourish and it is a natural antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and has anti-bacterial properties. And you only need a bit to saturate your face! 

Moisturizing:

It took a bit for me to find an all-natural oil that didn't irritate my skin, like the coconut oil (which I still love and use, just not on my face!) I ended up with trying a sweet almond oil and avocado oil, and I like them both so much, now I mix them together. I just apply them like a regular moisturizer all over with my finger tips to my face, lips, eye lids, under eye area, and neck. Both are infused with lots of vitamins (a, b, c, d, e, and k) and really nourish my skin. I find, after applying my makeup that I don;t even need foundation anymore, and when I wear it over these two oils it gives my foundation a wonderful luminescence!  An added benefit? Sweet almond oil smells AMAZING! I get asked all the time what I'm wearing and I'm like...Um you're smelling the oil I use to moisturize my face.

Night

After I cleanse and tone, I just slather on liquid form vitamin E on my face. It's great for your skin! However, it is sticky and thiiiiiiiick. Thicker in consistency than honey. Pull ALL your hair back if you do this, you do not want to have to wash that out! And sleep on your back or your pillow will get all the benefits of this nutrient and not your skin. This is messy and annoying so I actually only do it every couple of days.

Tips:

If you are interested in trying to go all natural with your skin care regimen I have a few suggestions. 

1. Do a test patch! Just because it's all-natural and organic, doesn't mean YOUR face will like it! Avoid a bad reaction all over your face and do a small test patch on your jaw where your hair can hide it if your skin doesn't like it.

2. Unless otherwise stated, store your items in a dry, room temp space away from sunlight. They will keep longer this way.

3. Purchase a bunch of spay bottles. Or use a scoop or pour your things into a small container when you're preparing to use them. This way, you aren't contaminating your products with your dirty hands.

4. Drink lots of water. Hydrated skin is happy skin, and good skin begins with what you're putting into your body!

I bought most of these items at the grocery store, but if your grocery store doesn't carry them, try amazon.

That's what I've been doing to attain a glowing, mostly blemish-free complexion lately! What do you think? Will you give it a go?
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A Million Things

Wednesday, November 05, 2014 | Posted by Ashleigh | Edit Post

You know, life can get in the way of things you love. Like blogging, I have a new job, plus I'm part time at my old job, two kids, a Hubby, two dogs, two cats. Too much family to numerate. A house to pack up and move (yay!) There are a million reasons not to blog, namely that my DSLR was stolen. 

But now I have two new reason to blog. I have a new camera that my 8 year old can even use on days without a photographer, and my blog was selected for our local news program WCPO's The Grid Blogger Network as a featured blog. A requirement? I have to be actively blogging. Glad to be back folks!

Onto the outfit, I am pretty much living in plaid flannel. With jeans tucked into boots, over leggings with wedge booties, open over thin sweaters. It's warm, it's on trend, and there is an abundance of it in my closet, in stores, and better yet, in thrift stores. 

I've also been considering adding a beauty element to this blog. My most liked IG photos by far are my makeup #motd posts, and I feel like I am getting quite good at doing makeup. I recently learned to curl my hair (I know, I'm almost 30. About damn  time.) 

I've also been experimenting with natural beauty and skin care. I've been toning my face with rose water, oil cleansing with coconut oil, and moisturizing with sweet almond and avocado oils. My face smells amazing! It did react a bit to the new regimen but it's under control now and I must say the texture is great and my break outs are minimal. Anyone interested in that kind of thing?

Flannel: Gap Outler, last year

Orange Sweater: Loft, thrifted at Goodwill

Jeans: Target

Boots: Kmart and they were FREE and if you ask I will tell you how I got 2 pairs of boots free, because it's brilliant.

KY state initial necklace: Etsy

Bag: Michael Kors, swapped.

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