Skin care routine

In a recent post about random products that are good for your skin I listed a few things that are probably around your house that you can easily implement into your skin care routine! After trying a few different combinations of these products I have found the perfect combination of products that I really love. Keep reading if you are interested in seeing how I combined the previously mentioned products!

As previously mentioned using these products can leave your skin red or irritated for an hour or so after using them so I recommend doing these things at night when your skin will have time to recover before applying makeup. 

MY ROUTINE:

Remove make up with an olay face wipe {4-in-1 daily face cloth} before using any of these products. Removing makeup from the skin is like starting with a clean slate and will allow the products to actually clean your skin and get into your pores instead of simply removing the makeup. Once my skin is free of most of my makeup I cleanse my skin with my cleanser recipe.

My cleanser "recipe": Combine a quarter size amount of Cetaphil cleanser with two drops of lemon juice and gently apply to skin in circular motions. Rinse off with luke warm water.

Now that my makeup is definitely all gone, the next step is to exfoliate. Your skin type and sensitivity will determine how often your skin should be exfoliated. Some people can exfoliate daily without any irritation and some can only exfoliate once a week. With my skin so dry at the moment I have been exfoliating every other day.

My exfoliator "recipe": Combine 1TBSP of baking soda with a few drops of warm water and a drop of Vitamin E oil. Rub this combination all over your damp skin {avoiding your eye area} in circular motions for as long as you feel necessary {don't exceed 5 minutes}. Once you are done exfoliating rinse your skin with luke warm water and make sure none of the baking soda granules are still on your skin. 

Now that your pores are open and clean, use some kind of toner to do a last cleaning and close the pores to avoid dust or dirt getting back into your pores. My favorite toner at the moment is by simple and it is a "soothing facial toner" that is 100% alcohol free.

I apply this with small gauze pads as they are not as absorbent as cotton balls. I was noticing a while back that a majority of my toner was being absorbed by the cotton ball and wasting the product before I could even apply it to my skin. 

Once I have toned my skin I like to apply a moisturizer Vitamin E combination to help moisturize my skin and reduce acne scarring. The moisturizer I am IN LOVE WITH right now is the Clinique "moisture surge extended thirst relief" it is quite pricey but it is so thick and it absorbs straight into my skin which I love. If you go to any Clinique counter they will give you a sample to try before committing to the product. I use about a dime sized amount of moisturizer and a TEENY TINY drop of vitamin E oil. The oil is incredibly thick and sticky so you really only need a small drop. Before applying the combination to my face I rub the moisturizer and oil together in my fingers and then apply all over my face.

After applying the moisturizer {and letting it soak in!} I apply a combination of baking soda and lemon juice to any pimples or problem areas on my face. Depending on how many blemishes you have on your skin will determine the amount of "zit zapper" that you need but make sure the consistency is thick and pastey. I leave this on my skin all night to help reduce inflammation and clear out my infected pores.

When I wake up in the morning I use my cleanser recipe to remove the "zit zapper" and any dust, dirt, or bacteria my skin has accumulated throughout the night!

Thanks for reading xo

*none of the above photos are our own*

Mama's famous chocolate torte

A holiday favorite in our house is our mama's chocolate torte! This easy to make dessert is always a hit at any holiday party & is VERY easy to make.

Ingredients:

• Graham crackers
• 1/2 pound of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 pound of dark chocolate chips
• 5 tablespoons of rum {optional}
• 5 tablespoons of liquid glucose 
• 32 oz of heavy whipping cream
• Spring loaded pie tin {pictured below}

This easy to make dessert is always a hit at any holiday party & is VERY easy to make.

Begin by crushing the graham crackers in a zip lock bag to create the crust. 

Next, sprinkle the graham crackers in the spring loaded pie tin.

Combine chocolate, rum, and glucose into a bowl and melt the chocolate {be careful it doesn't burn!}

Whip the cream to a point where it is stiff, but not as fluffy as whipped cream.

Fold the melted ingredients and the cream together and then pour into the tin on top of the graham cracker crust.

Then freeze for 48 hours!

Bon Appétit

xo

Not your typical fall layering

Fall layering isn't just for sweaters... stacking and layering bracelets is also just as important. Finding the perfect series of watches, bangles, and bracelets is essential for the perfect arm candy! Here are some images to inspire you:

Everyone stacks a little differently but we enjoy arm candy with a variety of texture, color, and size but we like simplicity at the same time. To create this effortless but unmatching series of bracelets it is a good idea to stay with the same color metals throughout {gold or silver?}. It is also smart to only have 4 or 5 pieces {in our opinion} because it gets overwhelming and tacky looking when you see a girl with her entire forearm covered in bangles and bracelets.

It is also essential to find one {Yes, only ONE... well, okay maybe two} statement piece in your series. Have a stunning watch or a gorgeous bangle and then mix and match with some less expensive pieces throughout. 

Here are some of our faves on the more expensive side:

An awesome place to find inexpensive arm candy elements is groopdealz.com. We were recently sent a super cute bracelet with some serious bling. The bracelet {while on the deal} was only $2.99. The deals usually last only one week so you have to get the items while they are on deal. They change them up pretty regularly so keep checking!

This bangle is on groop dealz for only 6 more days!

Francesca's also has some fun bracelets that are SUPER affordable. They are very hip with the trends and when you are paying about $9.00 a bracelet it is very reasonable to buy some new ones with the seasons. They also usually are doing a buy one get one 50% off deal as well!

Alex & Ani is also a company which makes bangles with initials, horoscopes, greek letters, and much much more. These bangles are the perfect addition to your set of bracelets and they are very personal as well. 

And... if you like monograms {like us} here are some adorable monogram bracelets

Etsy link here

Only $12.50!

Hope this helps you with your stacking this fall. Comment below with feedback, we love to hear from you. 

xo

Sneak Peek of princess Ks new big girl bedroom!

My First Geocaching Experience!

After I posted about how Geocaching Works, I decided that I needed to try it out with Charlie. I was so extremely pumped to go searching for hidden treasures but Charlie, on the other hand, was not so into it. I begged, pleaded and eventually forced him to come with me. 

We were just having our usual Sunday lazy day. Laying on the couch watching a Harry Potter Marathon and enjoying each other's company. I finally got Charlie off his big butt and we drove to the Super Target near my house. We followed the geochaching app's instructions and found ourselves in a wooded area behind the superstore. I turned on the compass and watched as we got closer and closer to the hidden geocache with each step. The compass stopped working and hints and helpful tips popped up on my phone and told me where I should be looking and what to excpect. Charlie was the one who found the camoflauged geocache hidden under a fallen tree. 

We opened our hidden treasure and found an assortment of items inside! There were silly bands, little toys and braceletes. It was a really cool experience. We wrote our names down in the log book, put the geocache back and left it for the next adventurer.

  

 I would 100% recommend this activity for anyone looking for something new and different. I never would've known about all the fun adventures I was missing out on if it wasn't for the Geocaching world! So next time you're "soooo boreeeedd!" and you have "nothing to do!" get off your booty and go find some geocaches! It was a really fun experience:)

For the initial geocaching post with more of the "beginners" details click here.

bookshelves, organization, and jewelry... oh my!

I knew coming up to college that I would need a bookshelf for organizational purposes. Once we got up here, hwoever, I didn't think there would be room for it. I was super disapointed when we were putting my room together that it wouldn't fit. I was happy to find that this little space between my window and my closet really needed something. After moving my room around 100 times we realized that this would fit perfectly here and it looks so clean and organized {two of my favorite things!} 

Here it is! All finished! My super functional book shelf, with organization, and hanging and resting jewelry space. Check out the inspiration for this project here!

I absolutely love these hooks {from Target} they are super perfect for both belts and large necklaces! Not only are the hooks super functional for large necklaces, I think they look adorable too. I needed a little something to even out the height on the other side of the window {pictures coming soon} so I added the two girls talking. It represents all the people I have in my life who I love. 

Below the hanging jewelry I have two desk organizers {$2.99 marshalls find} for watches, bangles, rings, and all kinds of other things.