Brief Update

Harvey has things on hold. I promise I'll be back to regular blogging soon! We've finally started getting mail delivery again (and I'm hoping the newspaper will finally be delivered Sunday). Things are finally starting to resemble "normal", though my community has a long way to go. Thank you all for your patience!

HSI Glider Ceramic Flat Iron

If there's one thing I love, it's the ability to try out new beauty products. I always love it when I get to try new hair straighteners!!

I received the HSI Glider Ceramic Flat Iron free in exchange for my honest review, and all opinions stated in this post are genuinely my own!

The straightener I used before trying this one was still fairly new, and I thought it did the job well, but I was proven wrong after using this HSI Glider!

You can't see it well in the picture, but the plate on the straightener that says HSI is actually a very pretty gold color. I really like the sleek but simple design. Additionally, I love all of the little extras that came with this flat iron!

The HSI comes with a pretty red pouch to store it in, which is a very nice touch! It was a little wrinkled straight out of the box, of course, but it's an easy fix to get the wrinkles out. Along with the storage pouch, I also received a heat resistant protective glove (YAY!!!) and a sample of HSI Argan Oil conditioner. I thought these were all very nice touches!! ALSO, inside the box was also the warranty certificate. The HSI comes with a 1 year warranty, which is another plus (Especially if you have young children who like to accidentally break things on occasion). So there are truly a lot of perks that come with the HSI Glider. Another thing I really liked (and sadly not pictured) is a small booklet that was included to showcase other HSI products.

This is another product that came with the flat iron!! I honestly feel like it's a very important "must have" when using the flat iron (The bottle says that it also works on extensions). I sprayed some on my hair before I started straightening it because it's supposed to help with protection from heat. I also sprayed some on my hair after I finished straightening it. It helped to tame the few flyaways that were still there afterwards, and it really left my hair super soft!!

My old hair straightener definitely could NOT do what this one can. It works so well that it actually cut the time down on how long it usually takes me to straighten my hair. It used to take me at least 30 minutes to straighten my hair, but the HSI Flat Iron got the job done in less than 20!!

This is not the CLEAREST picture (It was taken with the webcam on my laptop), but I love how my hair looks after using it! It was actually raining and humid here while I was doing my hair, so I'm pleasantly surprised at how great it turned out, considering!!

So if you're curious to try this yourself, or curious about other HSI products, be sure to click here! 😊

Natrogix Bliss Top 9 Essential Oils Set with FREE E-book!!

So I started using essential oil about 2 years ago. I was reluctant at first. I thought people were just over exaggerating when they'd go on about how well they work for health & wellness purposes. One of my best friends gave me a bottle of Lavender oil, and I was hooked! That's why I was super excited for the opportunity to tell y'all about this Essential Oil GIFT SET!!! (Which I did receive for a discount, but I truly love the amazing benefits offered by essential oils!!!)

The Natrogix Bliss Top 9 Essential Oils Gift Set (Which you can get here) comes with the top 9 oils used by essential oil lovers.

The oils include:

• Tea Tree Oil: Used as a lice repellent. Also works well for on the spot treatment of pimples, fever blisters, warts, etc. (I use this in a spray for my daughters' hair as a preventative, and have used it for those random painful pimples that pop up out of the blue!)
• Frankincense: This oil can be used as an anti-depressant and works very well at reducing anxiety and stress. It also has antibiotic properties and can help in relieving things like congestion. My husband and I sometimes use this in our diffuser at night to help with sleep!
• Lemongrass: This is personally the first time I've ever had this one in my collection of oils! From what I've read though, the benefits are to my liking! Benefits include helping with the relief of muscle aches, anti-fungal properties, and helping to ward off insects. It can also help to reduce fever and kill bacteria.
• Eucalyptus: This is another first for my collection. My aunt has told me great things about it! So has my best friend that got me hooked on oils in the first place. It works as an expectorant to help fight the cold & flu. It can be used for a myriad of respiratory issues, and can be used for treatment of small wounds, among other things.
• Peppermint: This one is one of my favorites just because of the smell alone!! It can also help sooth stomach aches & nausea. Peppermint oil is also another lice repellent! It can also help sooth muscle aches and other pains caused from long term conditions.
• Rosemary: This is one of my favorites to use in a sleep blend at night (I like to blend Rosemary, Lavender, and Patchouli) which makes sense because one of the benefits is that it reduces cortisol levels. It's also used for hair growth, memory improvement, and can be used for different detoxifying purposes to help different organs in the body.
• Sweet Orange: I love love LOVE the scent of this, and it has such an uplifting effect!! It does help as a mood booster, which I love! It's also used as a natural antibacterial, pain reducer, acne fighter, and many other things.
• Lemon: This one can be used as a natural cleanser, can help digestion, help with weight loss, be used for cough relief, and many other things. This is another one my aunt and friend are adamant on using in their diffusers whenever they have cold or allergy issues! 
• Lavender: This one is my favorite because it smells pretty, and it's so calming!! I diffuse this in the room when my kids are home because it helps to calm their ADD. I also use it as one of my "must" oils in my sleep blend at night. Lavender oil can also be used to help relieve headaches, improve eczema & psoriasis, and can help with healing small burns and wounds.

So as you can see, the Natrogix Bliss gift set comes with all of the best oils you can find if you're just starting your collection. It's also great even if you're NOT new to essential oils!! The gift set also comes with a small booklet that has a few recipes for homemade oils blends, as well as a link to a free e-book that has 200 recipe blends! There's also a link in the booklet that includes a discount code for the Natrogix Bliss Totem diffuser.

So if you love essential oils, you know this set is something worth getting!! If you know someone who's just starting out with oils, this would be the perfect gift to get for them! 😊

Earthen #InstaPeel Instant Peel!!

Things have been crazy busy for me in recent weeks!! Not only did our family just finish celebrating my youngest daughter's THIRD birthday, but I have been busy trying some great products that I'm really excited about!!! 😊

The Earthen InstantPeel (which you can get here) is a product I'm actually very pleased with!

Some things to note: This peel is most effective when used in a steamy shower with a damp face so that the pores are really open and the face is more easily able to absorb the peel.

For my first time using this, I was in front of the camera, therefore I had to improvise with a damp rag to keep my face damp. I was still very satisfied with the results though!!

The peel is designed to remove impurities from the skin, and (more importantly) dead skin cells. It is safe for all skin types. I honestly didn't realize just how much dead skin I had on my face until I used this.

You can see some of the dead skin on my fingers, but this picture doesn't do justice to just how much skin fell off throughout the process of using the InstantPeel!!

The frequency of use really depends on your skin type. For oily skin, it's recommended to use the peel once a week. For moderate skin, it's ideal to use once every two weeks. For dry skin, use less often (maybe once a month).

If you care to get a better idea of how well this works, you can check out my YouTube Video 
It should be noted that I was not aware until afterwards that my face wasn't always fully viewable in the camera (Oops!)

I did receive this product free in exchange for my honest review, and all opinions are genuinely my own! I can't explain how soft and smooth my skin was after using this...I was amazed!!!

Another Summer Update

It's been a few weeks since I've written a general update about life, and our family's adventures! We've had a strange combination of "busy" and "lazy" going on at our house (that's what I love so much about summer vacation).

The girls finished off their summer track season a few weeks ago!! They didn't place in their final meet, but did great at the previous one! Maddie got 5th place for her division in the softball throw, and Kay got 3rd place in her division for the same event. They were both super happy when they found out the results!!

While they may not have placed in all of their meets, they had fun during track season, and that's what really matters. I love that they were able to start learning some of the essential track skills for when they get older. I also love that the summer track season gave them the opportunity to build stronger bonds with their friends (even if they didn't like how hot it was outside....none of us did for that matter).

They're sad that the season is over, but they're ready for their next set of adventures (we are still deciding on what those will be). I love seeing them bloom with each new set of endeavors they take on! It's so amazing to be able to see them grow, and to see them each blossom into their personalities, who they are, what they like. The possibilities are endless with these two, and I'm truly blessed to be their mama!!

Life has been busy for me also. Back in April (I think), I made the decision to start my own home business, and signed up to become an Avon Representative.

I've been a fan of Avon since I was around 12, and I was tired of never being able to find a local rep, so I figured why not become one!? Not only do I get to offer people great quality products at an affordable price, but I get to splurge for myself also with the representative discount 😉

I could have chosen one of the numerous "popular" direct sales companies that I see plastered all over social media all the time, but Avon is what was in my heart to do. I see so many companies, and while I would love to try their products, the price tags aren't always suited for the working class who live paycheck to paycheck. Avon offers great products that don't break the bank, so that was a huge motivating factor for me. I am truly enjoying the journey so far (even though my house is drowning in Avon products these days)!!

So now you know a little of what our family's been up to in recent weeks! I'm hoping my next update will have more fun adventures packed into it! For now though? It's Avon order day, so I'm hopping off of here to get back to business. I hope you all are enjoying your summer so far! 😊

Vivo Mineral Clay Mud Mask

It's been a very long time since I've done a review!! It's something that I sort of got out of the habit of doing due to life getting busy. I also just sort of found myself in a "funk" for about a year or so where nothing was really motivating for me.  There have been a lot of positive changes in my life in recent months, and I'm starting to feel that motivation again, so I though it'd be a great time to jump back into the game!

The product I'm reviewing today is one that I received at a discount, and all opinions are genuinely my own.

This is the product I'm reviewing today. I will be perfectly honest and say that I was a little scared before applying this. I've used other mud masks in the past, and some of them really burn! I was very much expecting this one to do the same. I'm very happy to say that it didn't though!!

I really like that this mask has kaolin clay, bamboo charcoal, and other ingredients that help fight the signs of aging. This mask also targets clogged pores and excess oil, which is why I was so excited to be able to review this (I've always had issues with my pores and acne).




I actually got on camera while I was applying this because I wanted to record my "real time" first impressions of the mask as I was wearing it. You can find the link for that here.



Top Things I Like Most About This Mask:

• No Burning Sensation: I think this one speaks for itself! The fact that it didn't burn means that it wasn't an unpleasant experience while using this mask.
• No Hardening: This mask didn't harden while I was wearing it. I was able to talk and move my cheeks freely without worrying about the mask cracking (which has been the case with other masks I've used). I love that my skin was able to breathe while I was wearing it.
• Not Hard to Wash Off: I've used other masks in the past that I almost had to downright SCRUB just to get them off, to the point where my face was left irritated. That wasn't the case with this one. This mask was fairly easy to wash off, and only a slight gentle pressure was needed during the process. YAY to no irritated skin!!
• Super Clean and Soft Afterwards: When I finished washing the mask off, there was a HUGE difference in the way my face looked. It was almost like it had a new radiance to it. Also, it was so soft!! I was halfway expecting to need to use some moisturizer afterwards, but that's not the case! It should be noted, however, that each person has a different type of skin, so some people may find the need for moisturizer afterwards.

I'm really glad that I was given the opportunity to try this mask out!! I'm pretty sure it's going to be a keeper for me. If you're curious to see how this mask will work yourself, you can find it here. Also, for a limited time, you can get 10% off when you use code VIVOMASK. 

Our Simple but Busy July 4th

How was everyone's July 4!? Ours was good, but busy!! After starting my day with laundry & cleaning, some friends of ours invited us to a BBQ lunch. We ate (a lot) and enjoyed ourselves for a few hours while the kids all played.

Upon arriving home, we were greeted with 2 big bags of girls' clothes sitting by our front door. This, of course, led to me calling my neighbors to figure out the mystery of who brought them to us. Not that I'm complaining...it's a blessing! The clothes were just the right sizes for our youngest daughter and our oldest. I am NEVER one to turn down free clothes for the kids! They grow so fast, and clothes can be expensive!! So needless to say, I spent the next 2-3 hours washing, drying, and folding the "new" clothes (This also gave me the perfect excuse for purging the closets of all the excess).

Fast-forward a few more hours. Some more friends invited us over for more food & to watch the local firework show that one of the town residents puts on every year.

The pictures don't do justice to just how beautiful the show was! It's something the girls always look forward to, and it melts my hearts to see the excitement on their faces!

It was a fairly simple day for us with no extravagant plans. It's the memories made that matter the most!