Sweet Talk

i know, i know..i'm slacking...AGAIN! i hate that i don't blog very often like i thought i was going to, but maybe that can be my new years resolution ;) this week has just been crazy --like every week-- and i haven't had time to just sit down and blog my little heart out..until now!! side note: i received my cosmetology license in the mail this past week!! i'm FINALLY official!!!! 


"pleasant words are a honeycomb: sweet to the taste and health to the body." Proverbs 16:24


anyways, i want to jump right in to this topic for the night-- lips. 
our lips are another focal point of our face and usually if you're not looking at a person's eyes during conversation, you're looking at their lips. it's crucial --in my opinion-- to keep our lips healthy and moisturized, especially during the winter months. no one wants or wants to see dry, flaky lips! i decided i'd share a few tricks for what i do to have healthy and soft lips. 
to start out the most obvious reason your lips are dry is because they aren't being hydrated, so don't skip on the H2O! it's great for your body and all natural, so it's a win-win situation! obviously the most important product you can use is a moisturizing lip balm. i recommend using Chapstick- either the original or the blue moisturizing one because for me, they last the longest on my lips and are very soothing when i've got chapped lips. i know a lot of people are obsessed with Burt's Bees or Carmex, but they can become addicting to the lips and they stop working to aid the lips. if you can't give up your favorite lip balm i'd say just alternate between two every few days or weeks. 
**to really ensure soft lips, i apply my Chapstick religiously the following ways:
-every night after i wash my face
-every morning after i apply my make up
 i also apply it during the day whenever necessary. remember-- ALWAYS apply a lip balm under lipstick to make sure the lipstick or lip stain goes on smooth without creases or uneven coverage. 
another important thing to do that a lot of people don't think about is exfoliating your lips just like you would for your face or body. your body can shed 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells every hour so it's important to scrub those dead cells off so that your skin is refreshed! i'm sure that just put exfoliate skin to the top of your "to-do list"!! here's a quick and simple (and tasty!) way to exfoliate your lips:
mix small amounts of natural honey and sugar together in a small bowl until it forms a scrub-like consistency. apply the mixture on your lips either using a toothpick or your clean finger. next, scrub the honey sugar on your lips using your fingers or a toothbrush. i use a toothbrush because i feel like it's working better. when you feel like your done, wipe the scrub off your lips with a warm washcloth aaand.. VOILA! super smooth lips basically for free! 
so those were just a few ways to make sure your lips are healthy and moisturized all year round! now that we have the physical appearance of the mouth taken care of, here's something to think about for what comes out of our mouths. the saying "choose your words wisely" is definitely true. our words should be pure, encouraging, and honoring to God. i know that in my own life, i never want people to question my morals or standards by the words that come out of my mouth. yes, i DO put my foot in my mouth occassionally..or more than that, but i honestly do try to please the Lord with the words i say. Proverbs 20:15 says "there is gold and a multitude of jewels, but knowledgeable lips are a rare treasure." i challenge and encourage you all take this verse to heart this week. it is so important for us to think before we speak and that leads right in to your challenge for this week: think before you speak. ask yourself if what you're about to say is encouraging and portraying a true image of the Father you serve. Jesus spoke with knowledge ad everything He ever said was uplifting, loving, and pure. remember: we should be a mirror image of our Father-- our words need to mimic His. 


lots of love and Merry (early) Christmas!!

Eye See You!

good evening pretty people! so i promised myself that i would blog everyday..it's obvious i'm ALREADY slacking. sorry for that! but to make up --pun intended-- for my lack of blog posts, i decided that Mondays are now Makeover Mondays! i'm not entirely sure how this will go, but i'm excited! so here's an overview of what i'm thinking for it:
1) small make up tutorials for focal points on the face (ex: eyes, cheeks, lips..)
2) my favorite make up products or the "IT" products for the season!
3) clothing makeovers that consist of using one article of clothing for tons of different looks.
oh and i'm definitely planning on throwing photos in!
now, i know this stuff sounds like it's been done before and i'm sure it has, but i like to throw in biblical facts on things-- you all should know this by now! so now that you know the drill on mondays, let's get started!


this Makeover Monday tip may seem small and slightly boring, but in my opinion it's important because it has to do with the main focal point of every face-- the eyes!..hence my catchy title ;) our eyes should be one of the most important organs of our bodies! to me the eyes hold so many emotions and are beautifully captivating. they are also a very big blessing to me. if it weren't for our gracious and merciful Heavenly Father, i probably wouldn't have had my eyesight after i was diagnosed with an ulcer on my cornea 3 or 4 years ago. i claimed Psalm 13:3 as my verse "consider me and answer, Lord, my God. restore brightness to my eyes.." it goes onto say in verses 5&6 "but i have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. i will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously." how beautiful is that?! this is tangible proof that the Lord knew what would happen in every stage of my life before i was born! through continuous prayer and medications i was healed! the Lord gave us eyes to see HIS beauty in a lost world, so once again we should be doing everything we can to take care of such a precious gift from Him! i heard today that the skin around our eyes is 40% thinner than the rest of our face! that means they are fragile and must be taken care of! there are two things i believe enhance our eyes and help them age beautifully-- eye cream and mascara! i'm only 19 but i've been using an "anti aging" eye cream for about a year now because i want to make sure my skin is taken care of. (can you tell i'm a huge skin care fan?!) the product i use is Estee Lauder Time Zone Eye Cream. i apply the cream at night after i cleanse my face and every morning i can tell that the skin surrounding my eyes feels smoother and looks healthier. now onto mascara! i know there are a lot of people out there that don't wear any kind of make up and that's just fine, but adding 1-2 coats of mascara can liven up the most tired eyes! there are MANY different types of mascaras for all kinds of eyes so you can bet on it that there will be one that suits you! my favorite mascara as of right now is Loreal Double Extend- it's a double sided mascara with a primer to make your eyelashes look fuller and longer, but the best part about this mascara is that it doesn't smudge when trying to remove it. the primer+mascara form tubes around each lash making removing the mascara super easy! so i know those tips seem boring, but it's the little things that count right?! hopefully these mondays will be fun for everyone, i never want to have a dull blog because i am NOT a dull person!!! :) 
here's your challenge until i post again: guard your eyes. physically guard them by using the appropriate products, but more importantly guard them mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. focus on the beauty and the good in life instead of the problems that happen all around us.


lots of love! 

Ahh, Reminders!

hi lovely people! here's your challenge for today-- be thankful. be thankful for the smallest things in your life because you never know who might have it worse than you. i woke up this morning feeling really rested which doesn't happen very often so i was thankful. i was also extremely thankful because i had a doctor's appointment this morning to get something to help my jaw. long story short, i've had jaw problems for about 5 years now and we finally know what's causing the pain so i'm on the road to recovery! thank you, Lord! anyways, i was getting ready this morning and i thought to myself, "i'm having a pretty good day"..that meaning, i feel extra good about myself! i'm sure you've had those days :) right after i thought that, i heard my boyfriend, Michael's, voice inside my head, "be thankful for your body, it's the only one you've got!" how true is that?! i'm reminded now of a verse that goes great with this topic, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? you are not your own, for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body." we were given one body on this earth. it is fragile, unique, and ultimately God's. if someone were to lend you an item of clothing or possession, you would do everything possible to make sure they got back their belonging the way it was when they lent it to you. that means we should do EVERYTHING we can to make sure His temple is being kept pure, clean, and glorifying because our bodies are not ours-- we are simply borrowing them for our time on earth. there's some food for thought as you go throughout your day/week! so i thought i'd throw in something fun at the end of these posts and i've decided for this one i'll show you all a skin care product that i love that does some great things for your body! just a little "somethin-somethin" to make you feel and look great!


i don't think i could live without this!

Jergen's Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Moisturizer. usually walmart has them for like $5 in the giant bottles! it's a GREAT moisturizer all year round, but especially for the winter time when our skin gets dryer than usual. this lotion doesn't have any skin brighteners in it, but once i put this on -right after i shower- my skin looks brighter and healthier! Remember: never, ever, EVER skip on moisturizing your skin (yes, this includes guys too!) your body needs moisture just like a flower needs water to survive.

--lots of love!

Just Getting Started..

   1 Peter 3:3-4 "your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes; instead, it should consist of the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God's eyes."

   hi there! so i decided to start a blog. i never thought this day would come, but i suppose i was wrong! i'm not exactly sure where this will go or take me, but that's okay! i guess i'll tell you a little about why i'm doing this and what it'll contain..i've always loved anything that had to do with fashion and beauty, but there was always one thing that i wasn't so fond of-- the pressure to dress, look, talk, act, etc a certain way. that pressure is everywhere no matter how hard you try to avoid it. i was sucked in pretty early on in my life and it took a lot of years to realize i didn't have to try so hard. i had (and still have) the most incredible parents in the world. ever since i can remember they have always told me how much they love me and how beautiful i am and even better they told me how absolutely stunning God thought i was...it was nice that they thought i was pretty, but i didn't believe it deep down. i struggled so much with trying to figure out who i was supposed to be and what i was supposed to look like that i got SO caught up in trying so hard that i instead lost myself. i lost all confidence because i wasn't 5'11 and 85lbs like the models in all my magazines that i collected--but for real, who is!? hellooo, airbrush!! i battled self esteem and confidence issues for the majority of my middle school, junior high, and high school career. i always felt like i didn't dress "cool" enough and i didn't have the prettiest hairstyle or makeup and all of that really tore me down even more. there was no epiphany that changed my thoughts, but i started to finally REALLY realize during my senior year in school the love MY God has for me and truly how beautiful He sees his sons and daughters. the bible tells us that we are "remarkably and wonderfully made..Psalm 139:14). realizing that the Lord hand crafted me the way He wanted opened my eyes and made me SO thankful for who i was. i also realized that loving cheap vintage inspired clothing and different hair and makeup styles was cool :) but what makes me really unique is that i have this glow about me and i like to call that special glow Jesus Christ! i mean come on, He NEVER goes out of style!!

   anyways, i want this blog to be fun and interesting about makeup, hair, and fashion..but also about how God views us and how we should glorify Him with how we look, but more importantly our inner beauty because out inner beauty can far outshine our outer beauty. i believe make up was made to enhance our God given features, not to completely change our appearance! clothes were obviously made to cover us --modest is hottest!--, but also to give us our own little flair! i encourage and challenge whoever reads this blog to jump outside the box, try new things, and TRUST that you are more beautiful than you know! i've got a few ideas up my sleeve for this blog that i think will be super fun so get excited!! let the blogging begin..!