4 Natural Ways To Avoid Dry Skin This Winter

For many folks, Winter time is the time when their skin gets very dry and cracked. Dry skin is just something most people assume comes along with the cold Winter weather. Well, there are ways you can combat dry Winter skin and prevent cracks and itchy skin.

1. Drink Water: I know, I know. Everyone says, drink more water and if you're like me, you don't like water. I force myself to drink it because, if you're dehydrated on the inside, your skin will be dehydrated on the outside. No, coffee doesn't count and neither does wine...you need H2O. It is said that we should drink half our body weight in ounces everyday but, I find this varies from person to person. If you lips are dry and cracking, that's a sign of dehydration. Also, the color of your urine should never be bright yellow or orange or have a strong odor. Dry lips, urine color, dry skin, and dry mouth are all signs of dehydration.

2. Moisturizing Soaps/Cleansers: A moisturizing cleaner or soap is the foundation to moisturized skin. Use a soap or cleanser that contains shea butter, mango butter, olive oil and other skin loving oils to keep your skin from feeling stripped and dry. Give handmade soaps [click link] a try!

3. Using Lotion: If you're a lotion person like I am and prefer lotions and creams to butters for all year use, try applying lotion to damp skin as soon as you step out of the shower. Doing this helps trap in the moisture from the water and to keep your skin soft and moisturized. Also, when wearing lotion I find that I need to wear socks to bed to keep my heels from becoming dry. Keep a small bottle or jar of lotion in your purse, lotion usually needs to be reapplied throughout the day since it soaks into the skin quicker than butters. If you don't have much success with store bought lotions, try handmade lotion.

4. Pull Out The Oils/Butters: If you live in a humid place like I do, using butters throughout the Summer months can feel a bit heavy, well Winter time is the perfect time to pull the butters out. Not, the butters in your fridge, I'm talking about Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Coconut Oil and whipped butters.There are lots and lots AND LOTS of butters and oils for you to choose from and try. You can mix and whip up your own body butter or you can purchase a jar online. Butters and oils are natural sealants, they seal in moisture and help protect your skin against harsh dry Winter weather.

Do you have any tricks you use to keep your skin looking and feeling great this Winter?  Please share them in the comment section!

DIY Moisturizing Deep Conditioner Recipe With Honey For Natural hair

Earlier this month I went on a week long trip to Texas. Is there a place in America drier than Texas?! I was very busy on my trip and had no time to pamper my hair and as a result, I came home with dry, parched hair in need of some serious TLC. For the past 4-5 years, I've always relied on 3 natural ingredients to get my hair back into shape and they have never let me down!

Here's my DIY Deep Conditioner Recipe:
1 Tablespoon of Honey (I used African Wild Honey the last few times and love it!)
1 Tablespoon of Molasses (I Use BlackStrap Molasses)
1 Tablespoon of Wheatgerm Oil (Wheatgerm Oil)
1/4 Cup Detangling Conditioner (Lia Naturals Detangling Conditioner)

• Mix together thoroughly. 
• Apply to hair in sections.
• Place a shower cap over hair and let sit for 20 minutes to a few hours. (I recently had to leave it in for over 6 hours on a busy day and my hair was fine and felt awesome)

*I've added 2 tablespoons of bentonite clay a few times as well to help cleanse and revive my curls. Works wonderfully! 

Benefits of Honey for hair: 

Honey is a humectant. A humectant draws out moisture from the air. Honey takes that moisture and brings it right into your dry strands.

Benefits of Molasses for hair:
Molasses contains sulphur. Sulphur is one of the building blocks for healthy hair. Molasses is also great at strengthening weak damaged hair.

Benefits of WheatGerm Oil for hair: 

Wheatgerm oil is an emollient. this means it is able to soften and coat the hair shaft to prevent split ends and fight against breakage. It is also rich in Vitamin E, which makes it a highly moisturizing hair oil.

Easy simple recipe, right? I didn't make you mash up an avocado or rinse out strands of banana, I wouldn't do you that way! These are all ingredients you should already have in your cabinet for your skin health as well as internal health. The benefits of these oils when taken internally are really never ending! 

Try the recipe and tell me what you think in the comments below!

6 Things Homeschooling Has Taught Me About Business

Back in August I started homeschooling my 5 year old. I have always taught her but, never on a strict schedule. (I felt like I needed to say that because, you know as moms we always have to over explain things...just wanted y'all to know she has always been learning.) So, her doing schoolwork was nothing "new", So why was this so hard? Seriously, one day I just told her we had to finish another day because, I was mentally exhausted.

My brain was like this: 

Really though, why was this so HARD for me? It was hard for me because I was playing the comparison game. I was looking at everyone I knew and it felt like I was just not as great at homeschooling as they were. As with all things in motherhood and life in general, no one tells you the bad. Everyone wants to only tell you how awesome it is and how great they're doing. Fair enough. Maybe they don't have bad days. I don't know. Unicorns are real to some people.

Here's the thing; once I buckled down, got over myself and looked at how I could scratch that,  had to make this work for us. Things got better. I was trying to fit a square into a circle, like I've done so many times in business. I had to see what our formula was. Obviously, it was different that everyone else.

My daughter is a smart girl so the problem was me, not her. Same with business, the problem is ME not the business. Replace business with marriage, or school, whatever works for you.

My girl doing her schoolwork, hanging off the bed and wearing those hot pajamas.
 It was literally 90 degree that day. Whatever works. 

Here's where I went wrong in business and homeschooling:

1. Comparison: I had to learn (thought I learned this already -_-) that it doesn't matter where anyone else is or what they are doing. I have to deal with me and where I'm at now. Deal with today. We don't know what others are doing behind closed doors, we don't  know their struggles.

2. Consistency: If it works, keep at it. Don't switch or try something different. Do the same thing everyday. This is how you see progress. That's it. You can do the same thing in a different way but, keep doing the SAME thing. I have ADD or something because, I will know what works and still go off and try something else. I'm a glutton for punishment really I am.

3. Calm Down: Okay, you had a bad day, month, year. So what?! So does everyone else. It's not the end of the world. It feels like it though. Breathe and go on. You can do it. I'm doing it.

4. My Formula: If you can only do 2 hours, do 2 hours everyday. If you need to focus on one thing a day, do that. Do what you have to do (Consistently) to get what you need to get done.

5. Goals: You always need a goal. Even if it seems like a small goal, that's okay. If it's sending 10 emails a day, you're ahead of whoever doesn't send any. You have a plan. That's something!

And above all else!

6. Focus! I'm not a part of a million homeschooling groups. I can't be. I have no interest in what 100 other moms are doing anymore. If I need a specific tip, I'll look it up. For me, when I get too involved with others, I start scrutinizing what I do and forgetting what works for me. Then I'm back to square one; looking crazy. I've had to downsize my email inbox, I was following too many marketers and all of them were telling me different things to do at once. I needed to focus on one thing at a time. I had too many things left undone, nothing completed.

These things have made homeschooling easier and have also made business easier. We are really our worst enemies. We are harder on ourselves than anyone else. Don't do that anymore. You have the idea to start the project, you've also got it in you to finish the project, whatever it is.

It's October and I'm still homeschooling my girl! I've surprised myself. I haven't given up AND she is actually learning and growing!

Humble brag: She is in 1st grade books, she passed Kindergarten long ago. She is blowing her worksheets out the water. I didn't doubt her and it made all the difference. I had to stop doubting myself.

How To: Simple Steps For Taking Care Of Naturally Curly, Coily, Kinky Hair

I've had "natural hair" (hair that is naturally kinky, coily, curly and perm/relaxer FREE) for about 5 years now. I've never really found my hair hard to maintain, I found what worked for me and stuck to it. Consistency is key when you're trying to grow your hair long or just keep it on your head and moisturized. I'm a simple person who at times can even be considered lazy, so I like to keep things simple. As simple as possible for a mom of 3 with a 5 year old who has hair down to her behind.

So here are the basics. This is the starting point, you can grow from here.

CLEANSE- Shampoo. You need to use shampoo. It doesn't matter how often you use it but, the bare minimum needs to be once a month. Think of washing your hair as starting over, a clean slate, allowing your hair to breathe and reabsorb nutrients. Like washing your body.

Matter of fact, taking care of your hair is VERY similar to taking care of your skin. Minus washing your hair once a month, you need to wash your body everyday but, I'm sure you know that.

What to look for: Sulfate free? Sulfates are detergents that do their job too well and can over cleanse your hair, resulting in dry hair and an itchy scalp. Unless you've used heavy products and have massive buildup, use shampoos without them.

My shampoo recommendations:
Shampoo Bars
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat

CONDITION- After your shampoo, next up is to apply a rinse out conditioner. You don't have to use the conditioner that comes with your shampoo, you can use any rinse out conditioner you want. I wouldn't advise you making this yourself, I suggest you purchase a great rinse out conditioner.

What to look for: Silicone free? Silicones make your hair feel nice and silky. The problem? Silicones coat the hair shaft and prevent moisture from getting in. They also have to washed out with sulfate shampoos. Using silicones creates a cycle of dry hair that looks nice but, it constantly breaking. It's an illusion.

What exactly is a silicone? Silicones are ingredients that end in -cone, such as: Trimethylsilylamodimethicone, Amodimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclomethicone, just to name a few. Those look scary don't they? They have their place in hair care, just not in our weekly wash routines.

What conditioners do I recommend?

Lia Naturals Detangling Conditioner (pH balanced!)

Giovanni (as you can see I love Giovanni products! They worked for me and I stuck with them, consistency is key.)

MOISTURIZE:  Moisturize with what? A leave-in conditioner. This step is important, don't skip it. First, we have to define what moisture is and what ingredients moisturize. Well, there are really only 2 true moisturizers; water and aloe vera juice. These 2, either 1 or the other or BOTH need to be the first ingredients in your leave-in conditioner. 

Leave-in conditioners are a very personal choice, no really, some folks will cut you behind their leave-in conditioner of choice. Just joking but, it is serious business. You have A LOT of options and sometimes it can seem overwhelming (I know you're probably already overwhelmed, sorry about that).

In this area you're really going to have to see what your hair likes. A simple spray of aloe vera juice & water, could be enough for your hair or you may need something more.

What Leave- Ins do I recommend?

• Make your own, here is my recipe for the one I use on my hair: Leave-in conditioner recipe.
• Koils By Nature: I am warning you, this stuff is awesome. 

There are literally 100s to choose from online, so make sure you read reviews and see which ones would work with your hair. If something works then stick with it.

SEAL: Last step! Seal all that moisture in! This step is somewhat optional depending on how often you wash your hair. If you plan on going days before you moisturize your hair again, you need to seal in the moisture to help lock it into your hair or else, your hair will be dry again in no time at all!

What are sealants? Sealants are butters and oils that do not moisturize your hair. They do nourish your hair but, they do not penetrate the hair shaft. They coat the hair and make a barrier between your hair and the elements. Sealants are really a MUST HAVE during winter.

Some great sealants are:
Shea Butter
Mango Butter
Whipped Butters- Lia Naturals Coconut Mango Butter
Coconut Oil- Can actually penetrate the hair shaft!
Argan Oil- LOVE!
Avocado Oil- Can actually penetrate the hair shaft!
and lots more!

You don't have to be heavy handed with sealants, just apply a light coating to your hair right after you apply your leave-in and you're all done.

Okay, so that wasn't so bad was it? Shampoo, Condition, Moisturize and Seal! Again, these are just the basics, there are other elements such as detangling, deep conditioning, pre-pooing (which I don't do), and more. You can do the bare minimum like me or indulge in a 3 hour hair session. The world is your oyster, really.

Why Compliments Used To Make Me Uneasy

I'm a young mom, young wife and a business owner. Whenever people meet me and hear about my business or the amount of kids I have OR that I'm a SAHM (stay at home mom) they of course think I'm totally awesome because of my age and flood me with compliments. These compliments have always made me super uncomfortable when they are coming from people who rarely compliment themselves.

I couldn't figure out why they made me so uneasy until recently and it's because, I don't like being put on a pedestal. I don't like people thinking my life is so easy and awesome. I know there are people who love compliments and thrive off of them, I'm not one of those people.

Social media makes everyone seem so perfect, especially if you own a business and even when you don't intend for it to. People project. They project all that they want to be on you and that's very dangerous.

It all made sense when I read a quote by Maya Angelou:

"Maya Angelou: Well, let me speak of the few negatives first. The larger my name becomes, the more I am a target, yes. People sometimes put people on pedestals so they can see them more clearly so they can knock them off. There is that in the human psyche. Sometimes people are at your feet, and as the winds of fortune change, they'll be at your throat. I understand that. What I do is I follow the advice of the West African philosopher, which is, "Don't pick them up, don't lay them down." That is, when someone says, "You're the greatest, you're the absolute, you're a genius," you say, "Thank you so much, thank you, bye-bye, bye-bye." Because if I pick them up, you see, I got to then believe when they say, "You're nothing, you're a charlatan, you're a..." 

Taken from: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/136533

Now I've learned to thank people for their compliments but, to leave it right there. I don't want folks expectations put on me. It's exactly what Ms. Angelou said: " People sometimes put people on pedestals so they can see them more clearly so they can knock them off. There is that in the human psyche. Sometimes people are at your feet, and as the winds of fortune change, they'll be at your throat. I understand that." This is why I am weary of over zealous compliments. I've had personal experience with this and it hurts, a lot. People will put you in a race that you didn't ask to be in and run against you. This makes the friendship a competition that you won't even know about until the friendship is over.

I'm not the perfect parent or business owner. I'm not some unicorn that poops rainbows. What folks think of me has become none of my business, great or bad. I do pay attention to what folks say about themselves and this determines whether or not I'll take their compliment to heart.

Again Maya Angelou explains this perfectly:

“I don't trust people who don't love themselves and tell me, 'I love you.' ... There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.”
― Maya Angelou
Being a mom is hard enough without having to live up to what someone else thinks of me. This takes away loads of stress and just lets me be me. Whenever someone lays the compliments extra thick on me all while talking badly about themselves, I tell them the truth and let them know that I'm not perfect. I'm just me and I am not doing anything they can't do. I leave all the compliments there for them to pick up and apply to themselves.

Don't ever lift anyone up more than you lift up yourself. The same flaws you have, someone else has. Remember that...

What is my passion? Why do I make soap?

Everyone is in the business of  "Helping You Find Your Passion" but, what does that even mean? For many years it meant nothing. I wasn't passionate about anything. I had things that were personal to me of course but, nothing that woke me up in the morning. To be honest, nothing really wakes me up in the morning, I love sleep. If I didn't have children who need breakfast, I would lay in bed until 10 o clock every morning staring at the ceiling. I disgress... I figured I didn't have a passion.

Since becoming a mother for the 3rd time, I've realized my passion and it surely isn't soapmaking or soap. Don't get me wrong, I love making soap but, I can't talk about it ALL DAY. I realized how much I don't want to talk about soap all day when I was a part of several soapmaking groups on Facebook and had to leave them all. When you think to yourself "If one more person asks about colorants and how to get a soap to trace ONE MORE TIME!!!!" yeah, soap is not your passion. (Just being honest, I'm not cut out for that kind of redundancy.) I have no desire to go to soap conferences (some of that is the introvert in me, I will admit that). I love my soap friends though!

So what's the point of this post? What am I blabbing on and on about?! I swear I have a point.

My passion is helping women, specifically mothers. The avenue I use to help mothers is soap. I'm passionate about encouraging and uplifting moms. We don't hear enough how awesome we are, we aren't encouraged enough to go take a break and relax. Every parenting magazine is full of articles on how we're doing it all wrong and need to get with some new parenting style. No. Many of us are doing it right. We're trying. Every single day, we get up and try again to be great at this mom job. I don't mind getting paid in cuddles and kisses though. (Sidenote: My youngest is about to be 1 and I have all the feels. I want her to stay my little baby.)

Soap is the avenue I use to reach moms. Pretty soap. Wonderful smelling soap. 

For many us, we're only alone in the bathroom. Specifically, in the shower. We aren't even alone to pee. Just to shower. Even if you manage to keep them out, they stand at the door with ALL THE QUESTIONS AND EMERGENCIES. Even my husband's life falls apart when I go to the bathroom.

Our showers are sacred. We need to have the BEST SHOWERS EVER. So, bring all the wonderful smells, beautiful colors and luscious softness that is bubbles. This is why I make soap. I love what soap becomes. I love the naturalness and the skin softening because, my 2 yr old makes it his life's mission to dump out all the lotion everywhere. I need soft skin that doesn't NEED lotion right out of the bath. Our showers need to work miracles. We need our shower to calm us, help us figure out life, give us soft skin, encourage us, get rid of the tired and just make us feel better. My soap does ALL THAT and that's why I make it. Not just make it but, make it the way I do. Every single batch, every single scent has a purpose.

I love the creative side of soapmaking. Thinking about what colors look best together, what scents match what colors, how do certain scents make me feel and how I want those scents to make other women feel. Will the scents relax you? What does smelling that soap do to help you feel better?

These are the things that keep me soaping. Making something I love and using it to help other moms feel better. Helping myself feel better. Soap doesn't talk or whine either so that's a plus.

What's your passion? Why do you do what you do? No corny answers okay? If you love it, why do you love it? Let me know.

Perfectly Imperfect What That Means To Me

I have seen the quote "Perfectly Imperfect" everywhere for years and I've always disagreed with it. I still disagree with the meaning most people attach to it. When most people use the quote or term, it is to say "Accept me for all my flaws because I'm not changing." I think we should always be growing and always striving to be better people so of course, I didn't agree.  Well, today I actually found myself giving a new meaning to the term "Perfectly Imperfect".

I'm a perfectionist to a fault. I have an idea of the perfect woman, business woman, mom, and wife. And for years I've felt likeI need to become this perfect woman who doesn't even exist, she isn't real; I made her up. She can't be real because, all of us have imperfections and bad days.

As a mom, I swear some days I think I'm damaging my children. Why can't I be the patient, loving, early rising mom who has a super clean house? That mom does not exist! (If she does, I don't want to meet her, ever.)

All moms lose their patience, all moms break down and all moms think we're doing it totally wrong. The secret though? It's that we keep going. We wake up the next day and try again to have patience, to practice yelling a little less, to give more hugs and try not to put ourselves in time out. We keep the goal in sight to be the best mom ever.

Being a business owner has challenged me in so many ways. I have never had to walk through so many brick walls before in my life.

Show an ad to 1000 people and get 1 sale!? I have got to be the ONLY business owner who does this. I am the only one having a slow Month week. Who doesn't know how to write an ad? Seriously, I'm the only one. I should be matching my husbands salary by now! 

Yes, I tell myself those crazy things. Truth is, I'm never the only one. Every other small home based business has been through or is going through what I'm going through at any given moment.

No one is perfect or has a perfect little life. And that is okay. A-OK.

The key. The key is to keep setting goals, keep sending emails, keep posting pictures, keep telling my story, keep going in the direction of my goals and I will get there. It doesn't have to be prefect, it just needs to get done. Done gets you closer to achieving your goals.

There is no perfect time to do something later, the prefect time is now. I know we hear that all the time and it's because it is true. There is always something we can be doing to get closer to our goals. Don't use not being perfect as an excuse to not go after what you want. Just take the hot mess that you are and do it anyway. Well, that's what I tell myself... I assume it's working because my children are all alive, I'm still married and I still have a business. Oh and my sanity, I still have that too.

This is what being Perfectly Imperfect means to me.

Do you ever feel too imperfect to do something? What do you do?

Making Yourself A Priority

One of the main things mothers face is making time to for themselves and, how to make themselves a priority. I've struggled with this for years and still do at times. I wanted to be that great mom that put her children before all else and could brag and say I gave them more than I gave myself. I tried that for a little while and it sucks.

I was looking a mess because I'd spent my money on my children (stuff they didn't need) and 1. No one found it honorable. No holy round of applause was heard at the cash register. 2. My children (you can put spouse here if it fits) still managed to ask me for something else .03 seconds later. (Children will suck you dry of every single drop of sanity, if you let them. Family & friends will too!) Basically, I got screwed over by MYSELF.

If you're the mom that says "Oh I hardly ever shop or myself." Stop doing that.

• Oh the guilt. I learned (still learning) that you have to put yourself first and STOP feeling guilty about it. Why is it some evil thing for moms to feel great about themselves? Moms are weird. 

I had a friend, who whenever I would talk about shopping for clothes, shoes, polish, whatever, the first thing out of her mouth would be "Oh, I want such and such but, I'd rather spend on the children." Are we seriously having this discussion over $2 nail polish? Us women, we're crazy.

• It's about balance. You need to take time for yourself and not worry about ANYONE else. 

Want to exercise? Don't say you don't have time, make the time. Tell somebody NO. I can't do this for you because I is important. I is special. 

I wanted to be able to feel like I was a great mom and tell everyone about it. Well I was left feeling stupid. Especially, when another mom told me how she takes care of herself. She had balance. She was able to do what she needed for herself and take care of her children and home. How can I be a great mom if I'm tired all the time AND my house was a mess?

I don't have this down to a science yet and sometimes my house still looks a mess. Oh well. I have my sanity. The point is, I see myself as a priority ALONG with my husband and children.

No Excuses. It really is all a bunch of endless excuses. We want take more time for ourselves, we NEED treat ourselves better but, we use every excuse not to. And that friend who is agreeing with you and telling you, you look like a "great mom" in your raggedy t-shirt and holy yoga pants. STOP LISTENING TO HER.

Now when someone asks me "How do you do it? Business, kids, married, etc. etc." I can say, I don't do everything all at once. Someone is always getting the short end of the stick at my house. I just make sure it isn't ALWAYS me, we rotate the short end around and, I've managed to shower & fix my hair everyday. That is an accomplishment. Life is about progress.

How do you keep yourself a priority? How do make sure you're taking care of you?

How I Stay Motivated

When I first started my business (Lia Naturals Bath & Body) I never thought I would need any help staying motivated. All those motivational quotes that say "Your passion will wake you up" and "I do what I love so it doesn't feel like work" are a bunch of bull-stuff that you kick around. Yeah they sound nice and pretty and maybe they are true for some people but, for the rest of us, some days we just don't love any of this. And guess what? That's perfectly normal.

When you turn your hobby into a business, in some ways the fun aspect is lessened. It goes from doing things because you WANT to, to doing things because you HAVE to. Need to get out a custom order in 3 weeks? No pressure. Sales slacking and you need to pay BILLS? No pressure. The worst part is that I'm my own boss so I could actually quit at any time but, I love what I do. Yes, you can love and hate something at the same time. So much emotional confusion because women.

Zig Ziglar is always on time with the quotes. 

Well, how do I stay motivated? Most people make lists and write down all the things they're grateful for but, I don't have the time or attention span for all of that. 3 kids, husband, house to clean, time to waste, I need a quick fix, like coffee when it comes to motivation. We aren't trying to get out of depression, here.

Here's what works for me:

1. Quotes: I love motivational quotes! I even have a board on Pinterest with inspirational quotes. I am not a fan of the passive aggressive quotes. Typing "Motivational Quotes" in the Pinterest search will give you pages and pages of motivation. Save them to look at for the rough days.
2. Stay Around Positive People: On all of my social media, I try to only "Follow" positive people. I don't mind complaining, I complain too. I just need people in my circle who are excited about a new day! Positivity (so this isn't a word? It should be.) is contagious!
3. Make Friends: I hate the term "networking". People who "network" are annoying. Make friends with other business owners. These are the people who will understand your struggle like no one else. Get to know them, let them in. Find someone you admire and send a "Have a great day! I was just thinking about you" Inbox message. Go make friends!
4. Get To Work: Sometimes this is simply what you need to do. Push all of the problems out and do what you need to do. Just keep going. Write the blog post anyway, even if you feel like no one will read it. Do it. If you don't do anything, you won't get anything and then you will sit there wondering why nothing is working...don't do this.

Here are a few business owners I love to Follow for motivation:

Alex Elle
Myleik Teele
Pamela Jenkins
Zig Ziglar (I know he is old school but, he was a very wise man)
Humans Of New York

There are more, lots more people but, these few will get you started! If you're on Social Media, share some inspiration too! You never know who might need it.

Makeup Skincare Routine- Sensitive Skin

I have always had sensitive skin, so when I started trying to wear makeup, most of the foundations that I tried made my face itch and break out. After, I finally found the perfect foundation (that is test in and of itself isn't it!?) I ran smack into another problem; how do I prevent build up and clogged pores? I saw an increase in blackheads, whiteheads and breakouts (which I hardly ever get) with frequent make up use, no bueno.  I have never been a part of #teambreakouts and  I wasn't about to join now. 

I can't use the face washes in most stores due to my skin being super sensitive (that's a blessing in disguise because chemicals and harsh surfectants) so my usual skincare routine of washing my face in the morning or night with charcoal soap needed a few extra steps. Here's what I did, accompanied by some pics of me looks of so glamorous with various goop on my face. Enjoy! 

  

                                  

                                       Exfoliating my nose area with the Black Soap Sugar Scrub

• Before applying my make-up I prep my face by exfoliating with Lia Naturals Black Soap Sugar Scrub. It is gentle, yet effective at cleansing away any blackheads and creating a clean slate. 

• To wash off the scrub, I use charcoal soap, just a light wash. I use soap to rinse off the scrub because it is a bit thick and using a wash cloth to wipe it off can be a bit abrasive on my skin.  
• After I pat my face dry, I apply a facial oil by Bobeam Cosmetics. 

• To wash off my make up I use Lia Naturals Charcoal soap. I make sure I wash my makeup off every night. 



Face masks make you look crazy, but they work! 

• 2-3x's a week I make a clay face mask to suck out all the extra gunk and oil (I'm sure there is a more professional way to say that but, you get the point). 

My usual DIY clay face mask recipe is a variation of:

Facial mask Recipe:

• 4-5 Tablespoons Bentonite Clay
  1/4 Teaspoon Charcoal Powder/ Cambrian Blue Clay or Moroccan Red Clay
  2-3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (if your skin is extremely sensitive, use water)
• After I rinse my mask off, I spritz my face with Rosewater. 

I only follow this skincare routine when I've been wearing makeup all week. This prevents my skin from freaking out. I don't have time to do this on a constant basis #aintnobodygottimeforthat and I don't wear makeup everyday. I like to let my skin breathe. Don't want my husband to forget what I REALLY look like...

What's your skincare routine when you wear makeup?

Some Days Makeup Is Needed And That's Okay

I don't know if YouTube is to blame or not but, I swear to you, I've never seen so many women walk around with full face make up in my entire life. And still there is this shame among moms about wearing makeup. There is a need to prove that you're not insecure (we are at times if we're completely honest) and that you aren't covering up bad skin. Oh, how mommy life humbles us.

Growing up, all of the women I knew wore very little makeup, my mother didn't wear any at all. She still doesn't AND that just proves that I wasn't as hard to raise as she claims.

Thankfully, I've never had any skin problems, minimal pimples (less than 10 my whole life), 1 scar (from a curling iron) and have an even skintone. I swear I'm not bragging, okay maybe a little...let me have this moment. So naturally, I've never seen the need for makeup outside of a little eye shadow and mascara.

UNTIL. CHILDREN.

I swear my children sucked all of the soft dewy skin kissed beauty out of me. I should have kept their placentas, maybe it went in there. None of the "Tired mom" talk prepared me for my "no sleep, hungry, 2 toddler, dehydrated" morning face. It was horrid humbling.

This also fostered my love of Target. Because makeup aisle heaven.

There is healing in under eye concealer, it really does hide a multitude of sleepless nights.

I love this concealer by Maybelline! I got mine from WalGreens. 

I beg encourage you, that if you don't feel pretty or polished, do not feel ashamed to get you some make up. I had (you see that had, right?) a friend who said, in her best fellow mommy disdain voice "You don't need makeup, you're wasting your money." Let me be beautiful, okay?! OKAY. Don't allow anyone to make you feel bad for wanting to look like you live among the land of the living. A fresh bare face is nice, when ya know, you actually look "refreshed", which is never, until your children turn 18.

Me with makeup and an awesome photographer. 

Being the plain Jane that I am though, I do have to have balance. I love neutral- barely there makeup looks and still feel like people should look at me and wonder if I'm wearing makeup, not ask me what kind of makeup I have on. I think of makeup like a nice weave, leave people guessing if it's real.

My makeup collection is small and 75% of it comes from Target, WalMart and Drugstores but, it's more than I ever thought I'd be wearing and I'm finally okay with that. No need to prove anything to anyone, I'm just trying to look like I enjoy life. I'd rather not wear all my struggle under my eyes. So during weeks when I feel it's needed I pull out my makeup bag and surprisingly, I really enjoy it.

Do you wear makeup? Full face or just a little?

5 Ways To Simplify Your Life And Get Rid Of Stress!

There is this secret competition among moms to see which mom is the busiest and most stressed. If you're not stressed, you aren't doing it right...  I'm tired of being stressed, tired and just not satisfied with how my life was going! The worst part is, I was doing everything for everyone else and nothing for myself. When you find yourself taking less and less time to take care of your needs, you need to revamp your life.

Here's how I try to keep my life simple. It helps that I'm an introvert and very relaxed, so at the first sign of stress, I'm already over it and looking for a solution. Being a mom, business owner and wife, things can get really overwhelming really fast.

1. Guilt: Never feel guilty about making yourself a priority. Even if you have to wake up 20 minutes earlier, take time to do something for yourself. You can take a bubble bath, read a book, meditate, exercise or even journal.

2. Keep It Simple: If it is stressing you out, simplify it. I used to stress about the dishes, now I use paper plates during busy weeks, problem solved. Really examine what is stressing you out and find a way to simplify it. Tired or ironing? Throw those clothes in the dryer, the wrinkles will fall out (You're welcome!).

3. Say No!: Learn to say "No.". I have friends who will run themselves ragged trying to help everybody. I handle the people in my house first, if I have time then I help others. You are only one person, stop spreading yourself so thin.

4. Be Positive: Yes the days are long and the work is hard but, if you just think positive, it will help you deal with it. Sometimes, I have to dig deep and say things like "I'm glad I have kids because some women can't." When I have to tell myself that, it's been a ROUGH day. But, it helps because often we need help putting things in perspective. Look at the big picture and keep focused.

5. Don't Think Just Do: I will analyze a situation to death. Well, that does nothing but waste time. If there is work to be done, instead of talking about who is going to do it, either do it yourself or shut up about it.

From the comments: Itiel wrote: "Great tips! I would like to add: You don't have to do it alone. It's great to get children and teens involved with cleaning, sorting, organizing and administrative work. It frees time up for me-time pleasures and they learn life-skills. It's truly a gift for us to understand the needs of women who are wives and moms, to create for their me-time. Great blog posts. Thank you."

I'm not a life coach, this is just what has worked for me. I hope at least one of my tips help you! Let me know in the comments; how do you get rid of stress?

Self Care For Busy Moms- 4 Simple Steps

Being a busy stay at home mom often means that, taking care of yourself becomes less and less of a priority. There is no struggle realer than the "mommy beauty struggle". We know self care is important but, just how can we fit it all in?

P.S. Don't be that mom that tells everyone about your work 100 hrs a week and still manage to stay fly. We don't want to hear it. If you're this person, stop it now.

The saying "death warmed over" describes exactly what I looked like for the first 3  years months after pregnancy. I'm not going to list the endless tasks I had to do daily around the house and how it seemed like I would NEVER get to shower AGAIN! Washing my hair was out of the question. What has time for that?! Makeup? I didn't even know where my makeup bag was, okay? Just know that if this sounds like your life, I understand and I don't judge you at all. I've been there. We all been there but, we can't stay here.

Okay for how do we get out of the new mom fog and get back into the swing of things? How can we be like the rest of civilization and look like we shower everyday? Here's how I did it:

1. Make A List: No, not a to-do list for your house. This list is for you. Write down everything you need want to "fix". Want to get your nails done? Write it down. Hair needs coloring? Get it on paper. Be reasonable and realistic, write down things you can start within the week. Try to keep it around 4-5 things, you don't look that bad. 
2. Budget: How much money can you spend each week on one thing on your beauty list? (Put "Beauty List" in big bold letters at the top of this and stick it to your mirror.) If you can only spend $10 right now, that's okay. That's enough to get your eyebrows done. Start there and save for the more expensive things; do those every 2 weeks or so. Put your $10 aside EVERY week. Hair salon visit cost $35? Start putting money aside for that trip now. 
3. Mutli-task: I know we want to schedule "Mommy Time" and set aside 30 mins. or more as time for just ourselves but, if you can't do that, do what works. Bring your husband and the kids, they can shop, play, walk or wait, not your issue, don't worry about them, go take care of you!
4. Take It Slow: Does your list seem impossible to tackle? Mine did too. Take it one thing at a time. Get your nails done 1 week, hair done the next, start an exercise regimen after that (I never got to this one...one day). Slowly work things into your schedule. Start small, take just 15-30 minutes a week. Don't overwhelm yourself, stress isn't cute! 

Just know you're not alone and you can do it! This is another phase of motherhood and it will only last as long as you let it. Don't feel guilty about taking time for yourself or even spending money on yourself. Instead of buying that box of icecream, put that money aside for your next appointment.

Go make your list!

Do you have any tips on how you got back into a beauty regimen? Share them in the comments!