All Natural Beauty Routine

It's been about a month since my 31st birthday -- which included a wonderful weekend full of celebrating -- and we are settling into a new back-to-school routine with 3 half-days of preschool for both children. 31 feels pretty good and, honestly, a lot more comfortable than 30 did. I guess I'm just still getting used to the idea of being in my thirties. The teens are long gone, but the twenties were so good... sometimes it's hard to let go! I'm not so worried about the passage of my youth, so to speak, as I am about the recognition that every day is a gift, at any age, and I want to enjoy it to the fullest extent.

But time passes, and things change, and generally that's a good thing. I am grateful for the blessings that the passage of time has brought into my life, and look forward to welcoming another new little "change" come late November. I'm counting down the weeks until baby girl's birth (hoping for an early arrival....before Thanksgiving) and attempting to predict just how much everything will change again once another little life joins our family. I'm a creature of habit, and routine is my jam these days. Throw a little change into the mix, and things can go haywire for a while. But that's the nature of life, and I'm learning to trust my anticipation/anxiety of change to the God who does not change (James 1:17).

But one thing I am really excited about changing up these days is my beauty routine. In different phases of my life, I've had varying degrees of interest in all-natural/organic/home-grown/etc. alternatives to the mass-produced products available on the market today -- from food and health products, to clothing and home goods, as well as beauty and self-care items. I've learned a lot about the toxins we are exposed to these days, even in the most standard of daily-use items. Lately, I've felt it's worth a little digging to discover ways of keeping things healthier and safer for myself and my family. So, for my 31st birthday, I decided to give myself the gift of a new, non-toxic beauty routine.

By researching items using the Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database and the app Think Dirty, I've come up with a new set of makeup that I feel completely comfortable wearing on a regular basis knowing that the nontoxic ingredients are not contributing to potential negative health impact. Both databases rate products based on overall hazard levels, including carcinogenicity, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies and immunotoxicity, and other use restrictions. If you read through the listing of ingredients used in every day products, it's scary how much potentially harmful junk is included! Identifying for beauty items that are paraben-free, sans sulfates and other preservatives or potentially toxic chemicals has gotten a lot easier with the help of these tools! I've been contemplating this switch for a while, and I knew it would be an investment, but I was also able to find several products that are both natural and affordable. I don't wear makeup every day anyway, and when I do, I tend to prefer a natural look, so this was more about finding products that would work best with my skin tone and even do double-duty for everyday, as well as the occasional "glam" wear.

From top left, clockwise:

• HAN Eye Shadow (Taupey Plum) - $13.00
• HAN Cheek & Lip Tint (Rose Berry) - $14.00
• BeautyCounter Tint Skin (Porcelain) - $41.00
• Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara - $7.48
• BeautyCounter Color Outline Eyeliner (Violet) - $23.00
• PuroBio Brow Pencil (28 - Dark Taupe) - $14.00

I also received as a gift a fantastic all-natural lip gloss by Au Naturale that is the perfect shade for adding a little glam. I really like when items have a "tool" incorporated, like the brush on the brown pencil, and the smudge stick on the eyeliner. Makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth! I've also been using Pacifica Alight Mineral BB Cream when I want a little more foundation coverage in combination with the BeautyCounter Skin Tint, and have a few other options on my wish list to try for base/foundation options (Pacifica Ultra Radiant Cream Foundation, Juice Beauty SPF 30 Tinted Moisturizer, Benecos Flawless Face Foundation). I'm also still looking for a neutral/shimmer eye cream that can be used as an eyelid primer and color, and would love to try this non-toxic nail polish as well! 

Below are pics of my before and after face. It still feels natural to me, but definitely adds pop to the eyes, cheeks, lips! I feel more put together, even if I'm just wearing gym clothes to the grocery store. ;) I like that the BeautyCounter Tint Skin provides enough coverage to even out skin tone, but still allow my freckles to show through. That's part of looking natural for my daily look, and I can always layer it with the BB cream for more coverage. I've really enjoyed testing out these new products and researching the most cost-effective ways to incorporate a healthier, non-toxic approach to my daily routine. 

*Please pardon the bad hair and RBF (resting bitch face) 😝

2016 Word of the Year

In lieu of any resolutions or checklists for 2016, I'm taking a cue from one of my favorite bloggers over at The Small Things and choosing a special word to focus on for this year -- a theme, of sorts, that will inspire and inform my thoughts as we launch into a new year of exciting adventures.

So, without further adieu, the word for 2016 is...

"the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care" Merriam-Webster

Stewardship is not necessarily a word that is used in common conversation these days, but it covers a multitude of positive character traits and seemed like the best way to describe my intent for the year. In reflecting on 2015 (and really the past several years), the overwhelming conclusion is that we have been blessed. Very blessed. With jobs, homes, family, friends, and so much more. We have accepted new jobs, and succeeded in them; we have settled into new living environments with little difficulty; grown our family with a son and soon a daughter; we are surrounded by a loving community of family -- both biological and spiritual. In recognizing all that the Lord has given us, I can't help but be humbled and struck by an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

But gratitude is not where it ends. The old adage goes "To whom much is given, much is required." And this is where 2016 brings me. Having been given much, there is much expected of me. As a wife and mother, as a daughter of Christ, as a member of my local community -- there are so many ways I am called to steward these blessings and use them to build God's kingdom. So, in this coming year, I want to focus on that calling. Particularly, in the following three areas...

Family & Friends

It is obvious to me that my first priorities are to my family. First as a wife, then as a parent.  These are both hugely important roles with significant bearing on the lives of at least 3 people around me... with a ripple effect that will impact several more. It is easy to lose track of how pivotal these roles are in the day-to-day challenges of life. In 2016, I want to truly focus on acting as a steward of the precious family I have been given and work to ensure that I am giving them my best.

Although friendship relationships come second to family, they are extremely important as well and must be similarly nurtured. I've never had a very wide social circle of friends -- and probably even less so at this stage of my life when I spend most of my time at home -- but the friendships I've been given are the kind that last. And I want to make sure they stay that way!

Time & Talent

I feel very blessed to have been given a skill set and talent for a career that enables me to work from home, doing what I enjoy. Freelance graphic/web design is a wonderful fit for my creative abilities and time allowance at this stage of motherhood. I enjoy it so much that sometimes I have a hard time tearing myself away from work! It has been a struggle for my over the last two years to find a balance in parenting and working from home. Although I truly believe I've been given the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds, I want to make sure that I'm not shortchanging my family with a preference for work. At the same time, in the work that I do, I want to ensure that I am giving it my all and providing the best results for my clients. This also applies to cultivating other talents and predilections like painting and drawing -- creating art is something I've enjoyed since a young age -- but only in the sense that it promotes rather than detracts from the aforementioned priorities.

Health & Wealth

These two are paired often idiomatically and, though they seem to represent two separate concepts, they are really rather closely related. Health can quickly become worn down by a rabid pursuit of materialism, and no amount of money can buy you the blessings of good health. Conversely, an inordinate obsession with "health" (appearance, fitness, etc.) still cannot provide the satisfaction of the true Life found only in Christ. With those provisions being granted, these are still two areas of life that are pretty unavoidable. We all have bodies that need to be provided for. And it is to the benefit of the preceding goals that I be a good steward of the health and material possessions God has seen fit to bestow at this time of my life.

I'll be elaborating on these points in future posts, but these concepts encompass a lot of what it means to be a homemaker: providing healthy meals for my family; creating a positive, wholesome home environment; spending and saving conscientiously; and encouraging these habits in those around me. Stewardship of the home is the very heart of any society and it is my focus this year to learn, grow, and serve as a steward of the blessings I've been given.

‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 14:23