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  • July 01, 2017

    three week review - youth to the people

    These last few weeks, I was able to test out Youth to the People skincare line. First of all, we all know minimal design on glass bottles are obviously the sexiest packaging your eyes have ever laid on. Can you say something like that about skin care packaging? I just did. I've heard countless amazing things about this brand, so I wanted to try it for myself.

    First - let me explain how my skin works before you jump to the review because we are all made different! The first 20 years of my life, my skin was borderline flawless {THANK GOODNESS FOR GOOD GENES Y'ALL} and I nevvver had a specific skin care regimen. Low maintenance is an overstatement when it came to things like taking care of my skin. It was the life. And my siblings are all the same! I did not know how good I had it until I hit age 22. This is the year my skin decided to be a twelve year old boy going through puberty.

    Ugh.

    Now, I'm newly 24 and losing the battle with my mid 20 teen skin problems. Cuz, ya know, adulting is stressful and stress causes hormonal changes and hormonal changes mess with your skin.. y'all know the drill. I don't have acne, but Google taught me that about once or twice a month I've started having a thing called "cystic acne" that reoccurs on my chin area. One or two rogue, deep, beneath-the-surface clogs that are very painful when touched or moved. YAY. And the rest of my face is clear but is dry and can become flakey, but still produces oil. Suuuper not complicated, right? So, I decided to adult and be on the lookout for a great skin regimen and thought I'd start with YTTP - and here's how it's going:

    They sent me "the Set", consisting of a cleanser, face serum and a mask.

    The Cleanser

    I've always used a face cleanser with the rough bursting beads, thick texture and stinging salicylic acid just because I'm ignorant about these things and thought this is what everyone used, to be bluntly honest.. hah. But this! It's like nothing I've ever used. It's so extremely simple and does triple the job of what the drug store bursting beaded cleansers could (try to) do. I use it every morning in the shower. It's scent is so delightful and mild and keeps me feeling fresh all. day. long. It has a rich gel texture, so it's not heavy when I scrub my face in the shower. My favorite thing about it is the ingredients - kale, spinach and green tea. Our bodies truly just need the basics to stay fresh and clear!

    The Serum

    I'm still very new to the "anti aging" serum idea. Like I said, I've been very low maintenance when it came to skin my entire life, so I'm just now learning how important this is to my skin regimen. I apply it right when I get out of the shower while my skin is still damp. This magic stuff seriously does things I didn't even know I needed help with! I don't have a single wrinkle or any sign of damaged skin on my face, all thanks to this serum. The blend of vitamins and gentle texture keeps my skin glowy and young feeling all day long. Or, the cherry on top, if you will.  Definitely keeping this newby as a permanent need in my regimen.

    The Mask

    I won't lie - I was very nervous about this one! Only because any time I've used at-home face masks, my skin freaks out, burns and inevitably pays for the damage the next morning with rogue breakouts. But, like I said, I've heard amazing things... so I gave it a try. One word: BUTTER. It's creamy and soft texture is out of this worllllllld. It's truly the closest to a spa experience you can get - no exaggerations here. I'm an avid spa facial doer, and this is my new replacement. Also, the scent? Takes you STRAIGHT to the spa, girlfriend. It isn't perfumey or falsely nourishing like something out of Bath and Body Works. You can feel the genuine, supergreen packed ingredients literally repairing your skin. Once a week, I would leave this on for about ten minutes and rinse it off with cold water. My favorite thing about the mask is that it doesn't harden and crack as time goes on, it's just as buttery when you remove it as when you apply it. This leaves my skin soft as a baby's bum and smelling divine.. even the Husby commented on my soft face! Also, a little goes a long way - so don't let the little jar deceive you. It'll me last a substantial amount of time!

    Final Verdict

    10/10, easily.

    Like I said, having a skin regimen is extremely new to me and I already see a significant change in my skin just by changing a few simple things I thought I didn't need. Youth to the People use real, honest ingredients in their products and it truly shows and now i'm a believer. I strongly suggest to test them out if you're curious. I firmly believe every pretty penny spent on extremely high quality products is more than worth your money. In the name of health and hygiene, do it for 90 year old you! you'll be the hottest grandma on the block with the finest skin, just because you simply took care in what you're using.

     

    I received these products in exchange for my 100% honest review, and I'm so happy I jumped on the band wagon. I'll be sure to keep y'all posted throughout the year about my skin journey as I age, and other products I genuinely recommend. xo!

  • June 29, 2017

    just a tiny story about me, myself and food

    Earlier this week, Andrew and I were intrigued by the latest and hottest Netflix documentary What the Health , which is a mostly one-sided view on meat and highly processed foods Americans eat every day and how it is deadly affecting our health. Yes, there are dozens of documentaries like this, and yes, a lot of them are biased opinions. This one in particular really caught my attention, so I wrote a status on Facebook the night we watched it:

    "People are always poking fun when they find out I don't eat meat at the dinner table and assume I do it to be apart of the vegetarian/vegan "save the animals" movement - but the true reason is because my body has always rejected it and I would immediately be sick, so I ditched it (almost) all together to just avoid the regret & painful sickness. I'm definitely no extremist when it comes to health, but I do try my best to eat well. Any who, Andrew and I were sucked into watching the newest documentary fad "What the Health" on Netflix - and although much of it could be one-sided, it reassured many of my questions and thoughts on keeping processed meat & dairy out of my diet. I'm sure there's a lot more to learn to gain my own full opinion, but if you feel like being a bit more educated about health, you might as well give it a watch. Main reason behind this post is just because I'm curious to see others opinions on the documentary & this subject. Every one is open to their own opinion, of course. Meat eater or not, it's never a bad thing to educate yourself on what you're putting in your belly :)"
    Now, we all know how dangerous it is to ask Facebook's opinions on things, but I feel like this subject doesn't have to be that extremely controversial to the point where people will start Myspace arguing through the comments, ya know?
    First of all, I am the last human being to ever write my opinions loud and proud through the internet. I normally keep to myself, sometimes share a positive thought and carry on with my day. But a memory came to mind - when I was about six years old, I vividly remember eating a hamburger and immediately {sorry in advance} throwing it up. Immediately! This may be dramatic, but I haven't eaten a burger since that day, no joke. I'm sure it had something to do with being ill prepared. Thankfully, red meat isn't even slightly appealing to me, so I'm fine living life without them.
    Anywho - fast forward 15-ish years. Through dozens of traumatic food poisoning experiences from ill prepared meat, gnarly stomach pains every night, painful bloating 24/7, etc... I decided "why not just be vegetarian?". Cold turkey {pun intended}, no meat or dairy, donezo. And I was fine! Then I met my carnivore boyfriend {now husband} who eventually taught me the importance of health and how my diet severely lacked protein. So ever since then, I eat light meat {like chicken, turkey, fish} about three times a week, give or take. Or just whenever the heck I feel like it. So, I don't claim to be titled as a "vegetarian" or whatever. I just like to know what I'm putting in my body!
    So back to Facebook - I had a lot more direct messages versus comments, so a lot of people weren't able to hear these specific people's voices about the matter - but I got some feedback on both sides of the "animal biproducts" argument. I like to be open minded and hear every side of every opinion. A lot of people were surprised to even find out I even had interest in health and wellness. Which blows my mind, because it's a huge part of my life! Andrew and I exercise every morning, meal prep, count our calories and macros, read the labels, you name it. So this made me realize, I should be more open about other personal interests in my life other than art and fashion. I love finding other ways to connect to the world! Majority of the responses I received were from vegans/vegetarians and how their reason behind nixing animals out of their diet was the same reason as mine. And then of course, I was reminded to support my local farmers! A lot of the world forgets the extreme difference between store bought Oscar Meyer lunch meat versus the grass fed cows and chickens on local farms. Just good ol' fashioned, fat and happy animals roaming grass land, with no injected chemicals. If we just educated ourselves a little more about the extreme differences between the two & seeing the amazing nutrients local farm animal protein provides,  I think people would be open to adding "smarter" meat into their diet. Sparingly, of course. But obviously this subject isn't interesting enough to be on Netflix to become viral. So, this is my small way to be a reminder - look into your local farming! Get your vegetables at the farmers market. Educate yourself and gain your own opinion. Most importantly, listen to your body. You may find a dramatic change in your health, in the best way possible - whether it's adding more meat to your diet, or none at all.
    Obviously, I am no expert on this matter! But health is something I've been passionate about as I get older and while my body changes. Keeping and open mind and learning something new every day is the key to a happy lifestyle :)
    ..Who's hungry?
  • June 25, 2017

    sun dress vs birthday suit

     

    it has been wildly hot and humid in good ol' dallas texas lately. the month of june is not messing around and i've found it hard dressing somewhat modestly while beating the heat and came to realize nothing will suffice unless it involves being in my birthday suit and hugging a gallon of blue bell.

    not socially acceptable, you say? fine. trusty sun dresses'll do. ;)

    this last week my oldest sister visited texas as a pit stop with her family. homegirl is moving from pennsylvania to southern california with two babies under the age of four, so a three day break from the car ride was beneficial for both parties.

    benefits on our end including getting to squeeze the sweetest little red headed babies. buuut mostly benefits for her sanity, though, hah!

    with traveling and growing families, it's truly rare for my siblings to all be together at my parent's ranch where we all grew up. we played in downtown mckinney {one of our favorite little towns}, celebrated her birthday and roasted s'mores in a million degree texas summer heat - but it was soOoO worth it, obviously... because, ya know, s'mores.

    i knew i had to take advantage of this time together & took off half the work week. so, needless to say, my inbox is fuller than a cow's belly, my custom painting orders are to the ceiling and i'm just sittin' pretty beside andrew on this relaxing sunday, re-watching the office for the 19th time, like the calm before the storm.

    however, we all know xanax might need to be the real mvp by the end of tomorrow's work day - lol. happy sunday, y'all! 

    my dress is sold out but you can shop a similar one here & here !

  • June 11, 2017

    shop sunday favorites

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
    my obsession with florals is no secret. i rely on dresses every. single. summer! so i figure i'd attach the few favorites i weeded out from the giant sea of floral dresses in the internet world right now. some of these might even be fun for fourth of july weekend! you can shop each dress with their matching link numbers above. i've already purchased three of the ten i shared! don't tell my husband... 
    happy shopping! xoxo
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