Favorite Friday: Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Cleansing Wipes

So, lately I contemplate going to bed at 8:00 every night. Mommyhood will do this to you. There are nights when washing my face and doing my whole skin routine sounds equivalent to hiking Mount Everest. Some nights, more than I like to admit, I am just too drained for the whole shebang. Luckily, I found my new favorite thing this Friday:

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Cleansing Wipes For Acne Prone Skin

These are a new product from Neutrogena. If you’ve ever tried the Neutrogena Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes, these are very similar, but for acne prone skin. I love the Neutrogena Grapefruit Facial Soap. This is just a quicker version of the face wash.  I am prone to breakouts, so these are perfect for me because they contain salicylic acid. Most of the facial wipes out there are formulated for people with no specific skin issues. I love that these target those who suffer with breakouts. They noticeably smell of citrus, which I think smells very refreshing. I keep these on my nightstand for the nights where I just can’t stomach spending 10 minutes prepping my face for bed.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! If you haven’t voted for me yet on The Indy A-List for Best Make-up, you can still vote for me here. I would greatly appreciate your vote. Voting ends tonight! Thank you SO much to all of you who’ve voted. You’re all wonderful!

Have you tried these new wipes from Neutrogena? What’s your favorite makeup wipe?

Calling Out To My Fab Followers

Happy Friday, everyone! This Friday, I’m asking for help from you. I write this blog because I have a passion for beauty and makeup, also in hopes that I can help you out by answering your questions along the way. I hope my articles have helped to further your knowledge about makeup and that you have gained something by reading them. I greatly appreciate each and every single one of you.

Here is where I need your help. Here in Indianapolis, we have something called the Indy A-List. This is where you can vote for the best of the BEST in the city. This year is my first year being nominated in the category for Best Make-up and I’m so excited! I would greatly appreciate your vote in this category. Voting is very simple. It only requires you entering your name and email address. The link to vote for me is located here. This contest ends very soon, so I need your help. I’m currently in 7th place out of 26, which is great, but not good enough! Every vote counts and makes a huge difference. Even if only 5 of you vote, I will be so grateful.

Thanks for listening to my spiel! I hope everyone has a fabulous, fun weekend!

xo,

My Weekend in Instagrams: Indiana State Fair Edition

This weekend was very low-key and rather uneventful. I did wedding makeup on Saturday, which I forgot to take pictures of. Sunday, we went to the Indiana State Fair. The girls loved the county fair so much that we just couldn’t resist taking them again! Here are some of the photos I captured:

Unfortunately, elephant ears aren’t nearly as good as I remembered when I was a kid. We came to the conclusion that anything fried and slathered in sugar must have been much more exciting at age 8.

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Maybe we should have just went with the Red Velvet Funnel Cake with Cream Cheese?

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Deep fried everything. Are you trying to kill us here?

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One of my favorites as a little girl. I’m sure my daughters will love it too. There is just something about girls & carousels.

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Strawberry Lemonade Shake-up. This was amazing.

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It’s not a fair without livestock.

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We tried relentlessly to win the girls a stuffed animal, but to no avail. I mean we all know those things are rigged, right? Well, that’s what we told ourselves.

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This face means it’s time to go.

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Until next year…

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How was your weekend? Do you enjoy going to your State Fair?

 

 

My Weekend in Instagrams

Shoulder rides on Grandpa. Love this.

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My Dad made this yummy orange creamsicle cake. If you’ve seen my Dad’s cake creations before, you would understand why he’s the cake boss.

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Finally sporting all of my bracelets from Mexico. Ever tried to tie a friendship bracelet without a friend? I do not suggest. They’re named that for a reason.

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A little preview of a trial run I did this weekend. SO gorgeous! Can’t wait for this wedding!

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Someone got a hold of some chocolate chips and got caught red-handed. Who could get mad at a face like that?!

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Dinner on the marina at Bella Vita. One of my favorite dinner spots in the summertime.

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Lots of smooches (and remnants of mommy’s lipstick) <3

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What did you do this weekend?

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Favorite Friday: MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter in Bright Forecast

Dark circles are something that have haunted me for years. Last Friday I told you about my favorite new eye cream to help combat dark circles. This week I’m going to show you one of my favorite products I use to help conceal and brighten under my eyes. Here is my favorite thing this Friday:

MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter

This product has a very peachy undertone to it, so it helps to neutralize the dark, bluish tint we get with dark circles. Sometimes people suggest using a yellow concealer, topped with a flesh-toned concealer, to diminish the dark appearance. I’ve found that this can actually make you look gray or green. Yucky. The peach color actually works wonderfully to overcome this common problem. I do not necessarily suggest this color, Bright Forecast, for everyone. This product comes in 3 different shades. Based upon your skin tone there might be another color that works best for you. I am moderately fair with pink undertones, so this is perfect for me.

Bright Forecast color swatch

I use this product under my eyes to help conceal, but it also has many other uses. It’s a highlighter pen, so you can use it anywhere you want to brighten up your face. Common areas would be where we start to see shadowing– around the  nose, forehead, cheeks, etc. If you are familiar with the very popular YSL Touche Eclat, this is actually quite similar, but much less expensive. This product works as an eye primer too. When I’m in a hurry, I use it on my lids before I apply my eyeshadow and it keeps it from creasing. I usually use my finger to apply this product because I feel like it works the product into my skin nicely.

With a multitude of uses, this product can be a great investment. It retails for $23 and you can find it at Nordstrom or your local MAC store. I hope everyone enjoys this product as much as I do. Have a fabulous, safe weekend!

Have you ever used this product? What’s your favorite thing this Friday?

My Weekend in Instagrams

We had friends over and I made balsamic glazed caprese salad skewers for appetizers. So yum and a big hit!

Recipe:

cherry tomatoes

fresh mozzarella marinated in olive oil & spices

fresh basil

Place everything on the skewer. Drizzle with  balsamic glaze (2 tbsp balsamic vinegar & 1 tbsp olive oil). Sprinkle with sea salt & cracked pep.

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A note I received from a very sweet client. This is what makes my day.

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Call me Betty Crocker. Yet another food item from this weekend. Brownie Whoopie Pies with Salted Caramel Frosting. I ate ten one too many of these over the weekend. These are bad news.

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My <3 and I

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We took the girls to their first 4-H Fair. As a former 4-H’er this was right up my alley. The girls seemed to really enjoy themselves! Future 4-H’ers, perhaps?

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What did you do this weekend?

My Weekend in Instagrams

My weekend started off crazy and somewhat stressful. Our internet has been out for one, hence my lack of posts this week. I also had a garage sale, which is never fun. Definitely not fun in 103 degree weather (unflattering pictures of that not included). My weekend ended with quality family time and a visit to see my sweet Grandpa. Here was some of my weekend in photos:

I stocked up on some Indiana produce at the farmers market.

Did a trial run on a pretty bride.

Ha.H

Nothing beats some fried chicken & watermelon.

I had a swim date with my favorite bambinos.

A lot of front porch sittin’.

What did you do this weekend?

My Weekend in Instagrams

It was such a relaxing weekend in this household and I loved every minute of it. Here was my weekend in photos:

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Stuffed peppers: A favorite Summer meal.

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I did wedding makeup in Carmel on this gorgeous group of ladies.

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I made strawberry peach sangria. It was so tasty and extremely simple! Here’s the recipe:

2 bottles white wine ( I used Barefoot Pinot Grigio)

5 cans Fresca (and it has zero calories!)

2 shots of rum or bourbon

your choice of fruit

mix it together in a big jug & let it marinate overnight. Yum, yum, summertime fun!

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I was overly elated that my herb garden is sprouting.

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Sunday Funday with my two favorite gal pals.

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What did you do this weekend?

Favorite Friday: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

I’ve been borderline stalking the Ulta across from my house waiting on them to receive these lip colors. As I previously wrote in a post, Emma Stone actually wore one of these balms at the MTV Movie Awards. I knew it was just a matter of time before all of the good colors sold out. After interrogating the girls at Ulta about why they didn’t have this product in stock, I gave up and went to Target. Somehow, I lucked out and got the last two they had. Here are my favorite products this Friday:

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Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, $8

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These balms are great because they’re long-wearing. I wore one of these to the recent Dave Matthews Concert and it stayed on all night! The glossiness does wear off, but the pigment doesn’t. They are very similar (basically identical) to the Clinique Chubby Stick, but half the cost. I will say that the Chubby Stick is a bit more moisturizing. To solve this problem, I simply applied one coat of lip balm underneath the Revlon Balm Stain to add a little moisture. Problem solved! Here is the Clinique and Revlon side by side:

Fraternal Twins

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I bought two colors, Rendezvous and Sweetheart. Rendezvous is the color Emma Stone recently wore. I bought Sweetheart at the recommendation of my good friend, Caiti. I’m glad I did because this one is my favorite. The pigment in these are incredible and they are perfect for summertime. Both of these colors are so trendy and hot for this season. Here is an idea of what my lips look like wearing each color:

Rendezvous

.Sweetheart

The perfect look to pair this with is my, “How To Wear Makeup Without Looking Like it.” Pop one of these colors on with a minimal makeup look and you’re ready for summertime fun!

Wishing everyone a fabulous, fun weekend!

What do you think of these colors? What’s your favorite thing this Friday?

My Weekend in Instagrams

Thank you to my dear friend, Kendra for this wonderful idea. Here was my weekend in photos:

I had a busy wedding weekend. I did makeup in Fishers on Friday & then traveled to Martinsville on Saturday.

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I made Skinny Chicken Cacciatore from one of my favorite websites, Skinnytaste.

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We went to the Dave Matthews Band Concert. My favorite concert of the Summer.

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<3

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One of my brides from this weekend. She was such a pleasure & delightful to work with. She looked gorgeous too!

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There is nothing like some good ‘ol fashioned country cookin’ from Cracker Barrel.

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How was your weekend?