Monthly Archives

March 2020

Lifestyle

Morning Skincare Routine- The Best Essentials

morning skincare routine

After trying product after product over the last few years, I have found a morning skincare routine that is PERFECT. I went to Skinpharm and did their skin consult to bring in the big guns for this morning skincare routine. You bring in all of your current skincare needs and a nurse practitioner evaluates your skin with the ingredients in each particular product. After mine she let me know which were working and which I should switch out.

I’ve broken it down to the essentials to provide even skin tone, texture, brightening and age defying agents.

Morning Skincare Routine

 

STEP 1: CLEANSE

I like to use a very gentle cleanser to start the day. I use Skinpharm’s Gentle Cleanser or Korres Yoghurt Foaming Cleanser.

*Many people don’t think they need to cleanse in the morning, but you want to make sure and start your day/ morning skincare routine with a fresh face. It’s important to cleanse any skincare product left over from the night before.

STEP 2: TONE

Since I have dry skin, I typically only do this three times a week. Kim Kardashian’s esthetician mentioned she loved Sanitas Brightening Peel Pads and they are as good as the hype lets on! It’s like getting yourself a mini facial at home. Great exfoliation that leads to an even skin tone and smaller pores. If you have oily skin, you can use more frequently.

STEP 3: PROTECT YOUR EYES

Since your eyes are the most delicate area of your face they need a little extra TLC. I prefer a thicker eye cream at night, but during the day something lighter that can go under makeup or not feel as thick is preferred. I’m loving this Colorescience 3 In 1 Eye Therapy . It helps with dark eye circles, under eye, puffiness, fine lines/wrinkles and has SPF. It is tinted and comes in a few shades. It is very easy to blend in.

STEP 4: SERUMS

This is truly the products that have been the “hero” skincare items that have transformed my skin. When adding in serums make sure that each layer is completely dry before applying another layer. I start with Skinpharm’s Glow Factor serum. This one is packed with antioxidants—and 0.5% ferulic acid. It has pure vitamins C and E. It brightens skin, fights fine lines and wrinkles, and really helps with firmness and tone.

I follow that with my number one favorite product, Skinpharm’s Youth Serum. I would bathe in this if I could. It’s giving your face a big drink of water. It’s packed full of hyaluronic acid and peptides that are the ultimate hydration to your face.

STEP 5: MOISTURIZER

Awhile back I did a 6 month review of a ton of different moisturizers. You can find that full post HERE. The type of moisturizer I use does change frequently depending on how dry my skin is. Also, when in a hurry in the morning it’s good to pick one that can soak in to your skin completely and be a primer if you are wearing makeup. The most used moisturizers I wear (typically dry skin) are Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream (there’s a reason it has so many 5 star reviews) and La Mer’s Moisturizing Cream. La Mer’s is pricy, but it is so thick and hydrating if you have dry skin.

STEP 6: SPF!!!

If you make one change to your skincare routine let it be wearing your SPF every day. My New Year resolution this day was to make sure I wear my SPF every single day. (Cloudy day, sunny day, days when you stay at home….all of them.)

Skinpharm’s Skin Pharm 100% Mineral Tinted SPF. Now that my skin is more radiant and even, I use this to replace my foundation most mornings. (I rarely wear much makeup these days..) This is a protectant, but also works like a BB cream. Light and even coverage.

To also protect my eyes even more (and brighten the dark circles) I like to add in Supergoops’s Bright-Eyed Mineral Eye Cream SPF.

I know this sounds like a lot, but it’s really quick to do and will totally transform your skin. Having glowing skin really gives you a boost of confidence.

HIGHLY recommend getting a skin consult to evaluate the products you are currently using and see what could be eliminated or added for your particular skin type. Skinpharm offers virtual consults if you are not local to Nashville or Atlanta.

Fashion

Best of Loungewear & Comfy Clothes

loungewear

Best of Loungewear & Comfy Clothes

Many of us are spending the majority of time in our homes for the next few weeks. Perfect time to upgrade your loungewear & comfy clothes!

If I’m in dressier clothes for too long, Georgie will bring me my comfy pants and say, “here you go mama.” Ha!

The single most comfortable thing in our home is our Barefoot Dream blankets. They are a bit of a splurge, but they are just the greatest! Now is as good as a time as ever to scoop one up! These blankets have such a cult following that one would think they can’t live up to the hype. Honestly, they just do.

Here are some of our favorites:

Looking or the ultimate comfort? Their robe is hands down the coziest thing you will ever put on your body. You can check it out HERE.

** If you are looking forward to getting out and about this spring/summer when this whole scare passes, you can find lots of great spring staple pieces in this blog post HERE. **

Home

Amazon Home Organization

amazon home organization

A calm, clean and organized home can do wonders on your mental state. Everything is easier when you can find it. Creating a space that is organized can help everyone stay calm.

Since many of us are home now this is a great time to utilize freed up time to organize our homes. All of these are Amazon home organization finds so that you don’t need to leave to grab them and they arrive quickly.

I’ve broken it down by different spaces. Start with something small- under the sink or a drawer. It helps to feel less overwhelming.

When organizing- take out everything from the space first. Then you can sort like objects and use the organizers to keep like items together.

I also LOVE using these labels. These are not Amazon, but worth it. They make the organization easy to keep up with.

Amazon Home Organization- Pantry

* You can check out my pantry organization full blog post, HERE! *

Fashion

Spring Capsule Wardrobe

spring capsule wardrobe

Spring Capsule Wardrobe

** Click on any item to shop.**

 

 

When you purchase items that are versatile and well fitted it takes away the “I have nothing to wear” problem. Building a spring capsule wardrobe  is all about finding good quality items that can easily mix and match with one another.  Far less wasteful. You will typically spend less money because you are able to keep the items in your closet longer.  Fewer, better items. You might even have some of these staples in your closet and can add a few in to create dozens of looks!

Some favorites to have on hand for spring:

Bodysuits-  Found the perfect nude one that is very seamless for $35,  HERE. My favorite of the season is this TANK VERSION. It’s a bit of a splurge, but one you can wear a ton.

Denim Jacket- Spring weather can be so hard to navigate that a denim jacket is the perfect item to have on hand. You can wear it tied around your waste as well. It has become one of my most worn items in my closet. By far the best denim jacket is THIS ONE. It’s the perfect amount of distressing, a great wash that goes with everything and it’s actually super soft for denim. I have a discount code on this one as well! You can use BEAUSANDASHLEY15 at checkout for 15% off.

Linen Blazer- You can wear this dressed up or down. I love it with a bodysuit, jean and heel for date night. Or wear it with a graphic tee, leggings and sneakers for a casual errand day. The color of this one  HERE Is great and it has nice structure. If you want a more relaxed (and super affordable) option.. check out this one HERE.

Lightweight Sweaters- Absolutely loving this lightweight option and it’s $45. You can check that one out HERE. Also, great to have a cardigan option. This neutral tie-dye one is a bit trendy, but the neutral tones make it great as a spring capsule wardrobe piece. You can check that one out HERE.

Gold Accessories-  I love having more fun with outfits from accessories. Big sunglasses or hats and jewelry. Gold layers are really trending as are “chain” style jewelry. Loving this bold gold chain necklace HERE. Another favorite are these DOME RINGS. They come in a set of two and can be worn stacked or separately.

White Jeans- NOT all white jeans are created equal, ladies. Some are far too see through or far from flattering. I looked high and low and LOVE these HIGH WAIST WHITE JEANS. Super high-waist (can I get a hallelujah?!) also thick enough to show nothing underneath. They are a crisp white color which is great and have a bit of distressing, but not too much. A TOTAL WIN PAIR. I purchased my normal size in these.

Dresses- Last season I bought an AllSaints cream silk dress and ended up getting a ton of wear out of it. You can wear it casual with a graphic sweatshirt over and sneakers or out for date night with heels. Edge it up with a leather jacket or put a denim jacket wrapped around your waist. I can’t believe that THIS ONE Is under $100. Also, a ribbed dress is so great to have in rotation. Found this  AMAZON OPTION for under $40 and it’s SO GOOD. Tons of great reviews and four color options. (I ended up ordering three colors it’s so good…)

 

 

You can find some other spring staple pieces as well as home decor spring items in this post, HERE.

Lifestyle

How You Can Help Nashville Tornado Relief

nashville tornado relief

How You Can Help Nashville Tornado Relief

** Photos From WTVF.**

We are devastated to see the destruction and loss our beloved city has incurred. The death toll is rising and the devastation is unfathomable. One of the things that makes Nashville so amazing is the community. Neighbors help neighbors. People here are strong and generous, but it’s going to take help from all around to rebuild. A State Of Emergency has been declared for Tennessee and it’s time to step in and help.

** The Disaster Distress Helpline 1-800-985-5990 can also provide immediate counseling to anyone in need of help coping with the mental or emotional effects of the storms. The Helpline is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week and free resource. **

HOW YOU CAN HELP NASHVILLE TORNADO RELIEF

* If you are someone you know needs help moving their salvageable items to a safe place, Black Tie Moving has their fleet of trucks and workers out helping free of charge.

* Hands On Nashville– They are working with the city and have a volunteer list. They will begin with volunteer clean up as soon as it’s safe to do so.

* You can donate to the Middle Tennessee Disaster Relief Fund, HERE.

* They need bleach, gloves, box cutters, etc. for clean up efforts. They also need personal hygiene items. The nonprofit Community Resource Center (www.crcnashville.org/) is the official agency for product donation.

*The Belonging Co. Church- you can text “TBCORELIEF” to 97000 if you need any type of help at all.Church teams are standing by ready to help.

* Home Street Home TN – This organization helps Nashville’s homeless community. This tornado hit a large homeless camp. They lost everything of the little they had. You can go to their site to donate or volunteer. You can also text LUV2020 to 44321 to donate.

* Supply Drop Locations:

Meet + Greet Nashville
1910 21st Avenue

WNDC Dream Streets Food Truck- Back Door Open
Parked in front of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church
2704 Torbet St. Nashville, TN 37209
Cross Point Church Bellevue

(Water bottles, non perishable snacks, bread, peanut butter, flash lights, garbage bags, work gloves, hand sanitizer, old towels, coloring books/crayons)