Completely Natural Bronzer!!

For the past year and a half or so I have rid myself, my house, my family of as many unhealthy products as possible.

Read Here for more about how I did just that. (Still a work in progress).... 

So I truly only have a few products that I am currently using that have some questionable ingredients in them. One of those is my e.l.f. Bronzer and Blush  that I LOVE!!!!! Not only is it super affordable it is hands down the best color of any bronzer out there.  

So I started researching a few different natural bronzers out there....and I just kept thinking surely there's a better way...one that I can even "make" perhaps....

I ran across a few recipes on Pinterest and on a few blogs....

So this morning after I showered I thought....I'm gonna make my own bronzer.

Of course little one was pumped to help out! 

I went to my kitchen yes the kitchen...and sprinkled...(all organic of course)

Simply Organic Cinnamon

Simply Organic Nutmeg

Organic Cocoa Powder

We then used a Mortar and Pestle to smooth out the texture of the ingredients....she loved this part!

We then put our concoction into one of these Empty containers . 

I whipped out my Large Powder Brush  dusted it across my forehead...temples...chin...and cheeks...

Viola! 

What do you think??

I think it's awesome!! Plus I smelled yummy all day!! 

Can't get more natural than that! Xoxo

  

Easy Simple Skin Care Routine...

For all of you low maintenance peeps out there...three steps like old school ways...but with modern products that actually do something!

Here's a simple routine for you...to keep your skin fresh, clean, and healthy.

Cleanse AM

Neutrogena Naturals - I love this natural cleanser. Great for makeup removal and leaves skin with zero residue! Excellent for all skin types. 

AM toner

Perricone MD Firming Facial Toner - I have been using this toner for years. It is fabulous for those of us looking for a toner to help with hyperpigmentation, acne, sun damage, pore size, and fine lines. The best out there! Love! 

AM SPF 

Eltamd UV Clear SPF 46 - Holy Grail of SPF! Works wonderfully for all skin types and will NOT cause acne or blackheads! Great for oily and dry skins! Yep both!! The best ever! I've been using for about 4 years now ...as does my husband and everyone I tell about it! 

Cleanse PM

Neutrogena Naturals - Cleanse twice for those of you who wear makeup. 

PM toner

Perricone MD Firming Facial Toner - use on cotton ball post cleansing. Do not rinse! 

Treatment
Skinceuticals Retinol - tried and true! Nothing works better against wrinkles, fine lines, blemishes...nothing like retinol! It's a skin changer!!! 

Un retouched natural light photo....minimal makeup....42 years old! 

Thank you for reading my blog and for making purchase to help support my homeschool and my small business! Much appreciated! 

Wavy beachy hair...what I use

Here's my newest arsenal plus Rogaine . 

ReadHere about my hair loss struggles and how I fixed it. 

After using Olaplex  read Here about my love of it. 

After towel drying my hair...I use my Rogaine on the front section of my hair. (Rogaine is a life time commitment 2x a day everyday....And yes it totally works!) 

Then I spray all over with the Marrakesh  ...for my very long hair I spray probably 8-10 sprays....not much at all on the roots. All of the   Marrakesh products are natural and amazing!! 

Then I spray the Mermaid spray from ear length down maybe 5 sprays. It smells amazing! Like coconut vanilla yummieness! And has all natural ingredients. Check out all of their products...Here.

Then the secret to beachy waves is this Bumble and Bumble Surf spray new version!  I spray it 

on the bottom 6-7 inches of my hair.....it is for fine hair types like mine....I use the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray original on occasion... But just on the bottom 2-3 inches. I would recommend the original to those of you with thicker (jealous) hair! 

Both Bumble sprays work wonders to create beachy waves! Infused with sea salts...they help to create naturally soft wavy hair! Swoooon! 

Before I blow dry I use My Amazing Blow Dry Secret ...this helps to not only protect my hair when I blow dry but it speeds up the drying process...for me about 2-3 minutes....typically it takes me about 5 minutes total to dry so this is a huge help! Yay! I discovered this product just about a month ago and I am thrilled that I did! Totally works! I also have Leave in conditioner by the same company...I 

use it some in place of the Marrakesh. 

After blow drying I will curl my hair away from my face...only the bottom half...leaving the ends out of the curling iron...

Then as a hair spray to hold the curl but not make it 80s style crunchy and helmety I use the Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil...I actually love this hair spray...not only is it Sulfate free (very hard to find in a hair spray)... But also makes my hair stay without being a hard and dry..

And lastly...if there is any humidity at all....I spray all over with the Anti humidity spray....holy grail. It is the absolute best product for those of us that live anywhere there is the horrible humidity! Until I found this spray...I would leave with decent hair...walk out the door and have the frizziest poufy mess ever! Ummm basically my whole life......so this is a heavenly product for me! 

Yes yes yes I know...it sounds like a lot....but honestly it's just a few spray with different products...but these are the absolute best of the best products to achieve natural looking beachy 

waves.

It only takes me from start to finish about 10-12 minutes total. 

This was a really good hair day because for some odd reason we had no humidity!

This was after using a curling iron.

(Mini in the back eating:)) 

Natural waves here no curling iron used. Air dry only.

(Crazy mini photo bomber)

How I protect my child from the sun...

We never leave the house without a full arsenal of natural SPF. I protect her as much if not more than I protect myself. And you all know I'm a vampire who loves a faux tan only!

I love  Colorescience Powder for her face and for touch ups thru out the day.  Especially if I don't want her to be greasy.  It's super easy to use. An she doesn't mind wearing it...or me applying it. 

This hat Sunday Afternoons Kids Play Hat has been a lifesaver! 

I love all of the Sunday afternoon hats. In fact I wear this one...Sunday Afternoons Cowboy hat. 

These are my go to products for her!! 

Colorescience Powder

Sunday Afternoons Kids Play Hat

Sunday Afternoons Kids Play Hat Youth Royal

Yes To Cucumbers Natural Sunscreen SPF 30 Lotion, 3 Ounce

Babyganics SPF
Babyganics Mineral-Based Baby Sunscreen Spray, SPF 30, 6oz Spray Bottle

Kiss My Face SPF

Solar Sense Clear Zinc SPF 50 Carded Stick, 0.45 Ounces Unit

Babyganics Pure Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50, 0.47-Ounce (Pack of 2), Packaging May Vary

I also reapply every hour. Including her scalp. I know it's Derm recommended to reapply every two hours but I don't wait this long.

Crows feet...wrinkles around eyes be gone!!

These are such easy and super cheap ways to not have crows feet aka wrinkles around your eyes!!

Many many years ago...my first aesthetician that worked on my horrible acne once told me..(while I was complaining about the creapiness around my eyes...that didn't actually exist) that many of her contact lense wearing clients age more quickly in the eye area because of the tugging and pulling while putting in and removing their contacts. Basically the tugging and pulling up and/or down of the lid twice a day.

Hmmmmm.....

Makes sense!

This is similar to the reason that people have the "11" in between their eye brows...repetitive movement from squinting. That's why I wear Ray-Ban Wayfarer every time I step foot outside! So I never have to squint.

And forehead wrinkles...from raising their brows.

So from that day forward I have been super gentle and extremely careful when I remove and put in my contacts. 

I try to also never rub my eyes.

Annndddd I never pull or tug on my eyelids when applying eye liner or eye shadows.

So I have also taken this a step further for most of my adult life...

How I remove my eye makeup.

I NEVER use a cotton pad to remove my eye makeup. 

I simple use my facial cleanser....Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing or Simple Foaming CleanserNon paraben safe cleanser that is! 

Yep cleanser only... that removes makeup...

So when I am cleansing my skin..after getting my face super wet I add a few pumps of my daily cleanser to my hands...get a nice lather going...then very gently cleanse your skin...including your eye area...using your fingertips extremely gentle removing your eye makeup...then rinse...do this twice if you are wearing nighttime makeup...

If I'm wearing just my daily makeup ...one cleanse over my lids is all I need.
More makeup equals two cleanses.
I actually do three cleanses plus a toner treatment.Obagi Clenziderm  Or 
Perricone MD Firming Toner. 
I do each of these toners 1x per day.

***Two cleanses is all the rage right now and I've been doing it for years! Yay ahead of the game!***

Read about how I wash my face Here.

Your daily cleanser is all you really need to remove your eye makeup. 

If you have a bit of residual liner on after your cleansing...simple take a cotton swab (not a cotton pad or round) ....dipped in eye makeup remover...such as this natural paraben free one Alba Botanica Eye makeup remover and ever so gently remove it....without pulling or tugging. 

I do use an eye cream 3-4x per week....it is super light and it's a cooling gel formula which I adore....non pore clogging .....non milia producing which I love...Eltamd eye gel. You know I love Elta products!

Gentle is the key when it comes to the eyes!!!

Unfiltered photo with natural sunlight...age 41 and 8 months....

Homeschooling mom! 

Going paraben, sulfate, phthlates free...

I have always been an ingredient detective!

I read this amazing comedogenic (acne causing) ingredient book Acne RX wayyyy back in college wayyy before the internet....and it was life changing for me. It truly paved the way to not only clearing my own acneic skin but also as a new career path. In fact, I still research ingredients to this day because of this book. I sort of a research junkie! I'm also this way with food...and working out! 

Recently I started to research the ingredients that honestly I had not really given a second thought too.

Parabens.

Phthalates.

Triclosan.

Quaterium 15.

Triethonolomine (TEA)

Lavender

Tea tree oil

And being that these ingredients can be very harmful .....from cancer causing, to antibiotic resistant, to damaging hormones.....

Sooooo......

I decided to get rid of them all.

Including...soaps, lotions, SPF, makeup, shampoo, conditioners...anything that had the unsafe ingredients!

I started with reading the back of all of my labels on everything that touches me skin.

And....let me also state that I am NOT one care about if something is "natural" or not...because from all of the years of studying ingredients "natural" doesn't necessarily mean better...."natural" doesn't mean it's not going to cause acne!!
Wow it was an undertaking!

Also being aware of ingredients that are acne causing...

And is still a work in progress....
Thankfully most of my products were safe!

Here are some of the new items I have added or replaced in my home.

For so long I have used cetaphil cleanser as my makeup remover...but it has parabens so I switched to
Neutrogena Naturals cleanser andNeutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub.I love this cleanser! It removes makeup so easily. And is reasonable priced. It's a bit hard to find in some stores. THE scrub is super gentle. I use it twice a week. 

I have also used Jergens natural glow forever!! But I was Sooo sad to find out it has some of groady ingredients in it! So I have made the switch to Fake Bake Sport Self-Tanning Lotion. And I have to say I am super pleased with the results. I use it just as I did the Jergens...as a daily moisturizer. 

As much as I love to kill germs...I don't want to make my body antibiotic resistant so I switched to this healthier hand sanitizer Babyganics and Everyone Hand Sanitizer Spray

And for bathing...this soap is my favorite! I tired several before finding this amazing body wash...Everyone Soap .

And if you have tired to find a safe lip gloss...lip balm....lip anything look no farther! I am in love with 

Bite Beauty Bb , Bite Beauty Lush Lip trio, and Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask.

I have horrible dry hands and was sad to find out that my hand lotion has parabens....working hands...but thrilled beyond belief to find Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream Facial Treatment, 4 Ounce....my hands are thanking me! 

 I have a few more products that I am looking for a replacement for but so far...I am loving my new healthier choices!