Monday, March 31, 2014

My Week In Pictures

Good afternoon and happy Monday! Sadly, it is no longer the weekend and we are entering into a brand new week. Last week had its ups and downs, but overall, I survived! I wanted to share parts of my week with not only words, but also pictures. We all know that many times pictures capture certain emotions that words lack.

Iron Infusion
The week started off a little scary because I had an iron infusion scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. I had recently been told I had exceptionally low iron levels and that I was also anemic. They suggested I get an iron infusion right away. I worked half a day that day trying to pretend like what was to come wasn't a big deal. For those of you who don't know, I am TERRIFIED of needles. Because I have had hypothyroidism for 14 years, I have had my blood drawn triple the amount of times as most of you, yet I still just hate needles. That fear coupled with the fact that I had been informed of all sorts of reactions I could possibly have during the procedure made me very anxious of this whole iron infusion process. I was blown away by the amount of phone calls, texts, messages, prayers, love, and encouragement I got that day. I also had 3 visitors during my 5 hours at the hospital. The nurses told me I was popular :) I was so appreciative of everyone's support and I truly believe the prayers made a difference because the procedure was flawless. Other than the fact that it took a while for it to get started, there were absolutely no complications during the procedure. I had no negative reactions and felt completely normal when I left. I consider myself lucky being that one of the side effects is anaphylactic shock. All that to say, everything went just fine and I'm very thankful! 



 (My husband had class all day and a paper to turn in, so I wasn't expecting him to be able to make it to my iron infusion. He surprised me and showed up despite of all his obligations. I was a happy camper when I saw his face!)


 
Relaxing Saturday
Saturday was very relaxing and we actually got to sleep in! Those who have a 9-5 type job know the joy of not setting your alarm clock on Saturday morning. Nothing quite captures the extent of relaxation that was going on in the Gale house like this photo below. We also had lunch with my mom, did our taxes, went to see the movie Noah with our youth group, finished A LOT of laundry and watched Tangled on Saturday. It was a good day. Truth be told, Saturdays just might be my favorite day of the week.



Homeowners
Last week was also filled with the new homeowner joy of getting things organized, spring cleaning if you will.  I was very motivated when we first moved in, but during the busyness of life, I lost track of all the things I needed to get done around the house. Josh and I spent about 2 hours last week just cleaning, hanging things up, putting up our new bird feeders outside, decorating and like I said, just getting things organized. We had music playing throughout the house and it was actually kind of fun. I tackled a ridiculous amount of dirty laundry over the weekend and felt like Superwoman by the time I had washed, folded, and put everything away! The accomplishment will be short lived, but I'll enjoy the "clean" feeling while it lasts. I also bought a really cute Easter wreath from Kroger, of all places. I'm trying to get my house in the Spring (cleaning) and Easter spirit! :)

 
Chef Brittany
Not sure if any of you remember, but my goal for 2014 was to learn to cook. I am proud to report that after 3 months, I have definitely improved! I am continually making new things and actually cooking as opposed to microwaving all my meals. I have one happy husband, that's for sure! This week I made a few different things including Hobo's, gluten-free brownies and crockpot buffalo chicken. They were all a success and I figured I would include the recipe for crockpot buffalo chicken since it turned out so well.
 
 
 
I think that about wraps it up for this week! Although life has its challenges, I find that when I review my week the good outweighs the bad (every time). I feel like I'm in a really good place right now in my life and I'm just so thankful for all the awesome support I have around me. Until next time!
 


Monday, March 24, 2014

My Favorite Beauty Products

 
 
Hello Blogosphere!
 
It's been a while! I took a hiatus from writing for about a month, mostly because I didn't have any brilliant revelations of things to write about. But I'm back and doing something slightly different with this particular post. If you are a women in your 20's, then you have probably noticed the rising popularity of reviews of various makeup products on different blogs and YouTube channels. If you are like me, then you may even follow some of them to check out the latest makeup products and decide if you need any of these products for yourself. Well following that trend, I decided to do my own version of My Favorite Beauty Products/What's In My Makeup Bag. This post isn't coming from some beauty queen who is super into high-end makeup. I am your average girl looking for the best deal on quality beauty products. I'm going to share with you a few of my favorite things, products that are of true quality and yet are affordable for the everyday woman. If you are like me, then you probably have a few makeup staples that you have used for years, but I encourage you to also try new products once in a while. You might be surprised at how much you like them! Here are some of my favorites:
 
 
 

 
 
This is my favorite blush. It's called Precious Posy by Clinique. It retails for $21 which is on the expensive side, but it never runs out! I've had this stuff for 1.5 years and barely put a dent in it. It's a beautiful light pink color with a gold tint, perfect for light skin tones like mine. It also comes with a great little brush and pretty packaging. The effect is nothing dramatic, but this blush does a wonderful job of lighting up your completion. Again, this is a beautiful pigment and a long lasting buy. 


 
 
Next is the Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation Brush. This was a $17 purchase from Mary Kay. I bought this brush FOUR years ago and it is still going strong. Again, it is on the expensive side for a makeup brush, but the quality is great and it is so durable. This thing has gone everywhere with me for years and looks no different than when I first purchased it. I use it to apply my Mineral Powder Foundation and it also works as a great blush brush.


 
 


To go along with the brush is the Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation Ivory 1. This retails for $18, but again it is very long lasting. I can make this stuff last anywhere between 4-6 months. Before I tried this, I had never used any type of powder foundation. I didn't believe it would provide enough coverage for my skin which tends to break out and have uneven red spots. But this stuff did the trick! It is so light on your skin which I believe actually helps your skin stay clearer than when you use a liquid foundation. It provides great coverage and covers blemishes/evens my skin tone. I have always been impressed by this product and would highly recommend it if you are interested in trying a power foundation.

 
 

This little guy is one of those makeup staples I talked about. I have used this product for years and originally bought it because I always saw my mom use it as a little girl. It's Maybelline's Shine Free Oil Control Pressed Powder. This shine free powder comes in a small compact with a mirror, as well as, an application pad and is easy to take with you on the go. I use this as a setting powder for my makeup and also throughout the day. My face tends to get shiny mid-day and a small touch of this stuff is all I need to take away that shine. This product lasts for about 6 months and it's only $5.59!
 
 

This next product looks a little rough, but only because I have had it for almost a year and I have barely made it through the bottle. Cover Girl's Smoothers All-Day Hydrating Makeup is what I use to cover blemishes. It's a liquid makeup that applies full, smooth coverage on any spots you are trying to cover. A little bit goes a long way and because of that I can have this product for over a year without having to purchase a new one. It doesn't leave that ugly orange stain on your skin but instead covers and blends nicely. It's only $6.99.
 
 
 

I recently purchased Revlon's Just Bitten Lip Stain for $5.99 to give it a try. I had heard good reviews on this product and I needed a new lip color. This product does exactly as it claims. It is a lip stain through and through and is different from a lipstick in that it will "stain" your lips for the day with only one application, so you better make sure you like the color! You can apply lip gloss or balm on top of it for a shinier look or leave it as a stain for a more matte look. It works well and needs little "fixing" during the day, even after meals. If you are looking for a low maintenance lip color and going throughout your day without having to reapply, this is your product!

 

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara Very Black is my go-to mascara. I have tried many other mascaras over the years and I always come back to this one. Again, I watched my mom use this mascara for years growing up and decided to give it a try as my first mascara purchase (funny how that works). It is a simple black mascara that retails for $5.19. I have blonde eye lashes, so I prefer a darker mascara to cover my blonde lashes. This stuff is very dark and I love it! It doesn't have one of those big, fancy applicators to increase volume, it just naturally does that. I would recommend this to anyone and I am confident you would love it.

 


This is Mary Kay's TimeWise Age-Fighting Moisturizer (normal/dry). My skin is naturally very dry and needs constant moisturization. I use this in the mornings before I put on my makeup and at night before I go to sleep. It is on the expensive side and retails for $24. While it does last a good 3-4 months, I wouldn't be opposed to trying another cheaper version in the future. But like I said, it does keep my skin feeling soft and moisturized. It also provides an "anti-aging" feature which can't hurt!

 

Lastly, I have Victoria's Secret Dream Angels Kiss perfume. This is a mini bottle and retails for $10, but I actually got it for free with a coupon. The packaging is pretty and who doesn't love Victoria's Secret perfumes? This is a really nice perfume, but because it is in a mini bottle it is very affordable. The mini bottle lasts though! I bought this bottle in September and have only used half after about 6 months. The packaging is plastic which makes it easy to keep in your purse or makeup bag without having to worry about it spilling everywhere. This is a "fancy" perfume for a great price.

So there you have it: my favorite beauty products. Those were only the things I stumbled upon in my makeup bag. There's more where that came from, if you are interested! Let me know your thoughts on this blog and I would be glad to do more in the future! I am no where near a makeup/beauty guru and you can tell my favorites are all over the board: different prices, different brands, and different styles. But like I said, I am an average 20 something and I have found these products worthy of my recommendation. Hope you enjoyed!