DIY Skin Care Kit + Travel Case Tutorial

We’re sharing our DIY skin care kit sponsored by Olay, plus a fun travel case tutorial to carry it around wherever you go! 

The past couple of weeks has been a whirlwind. With recovery from the holidays, more travel for work, and just an overall amount of trying to fit too much into too little time. Luckily the one thing I have made time for, even with all of the travel and schedule changes, is my skin care. For the past 28 days, I’ve taken part in the 28 Days of Olay; I’m using Olay products for 28 days to see the clear difference it makes.

Now I’m not a products person. I’m also not much of a makeup person. So skin care is something that is very important to me. Because I don’t wear a lot of makeup, cover up, etc, I rely on my skin care to do the bulk of the work for me. And with my DIY skin care kit, I’ve been able to take my skin care with me wherever I go. It doesn’t matter if I’m on the go and attending a conference or just doing everyday work at home mom stuff from the comforts of my own home. 

Looking to make your skin care routine simple AND feel better in your own skin? 

Here’s how you can do it: 

DIY Skin Care Kit

1. On your mobile device, visit the Skin Advisor website

2. Snap a photo of yourself without makeup on and upload it. Skin Advisor will analyze your color, eye lines, wrinkles, and more – giving you an age estimate. 

3. Then take the specific product recommendations for your skincare needs that Skin Advisor suggests that you purchase at Walmart.

4. Make sure to get a cleanser, a moisturizer (for night and day), and a serum or cream to focus on any trouble areas. 

Tip: Buy trial size versions of your favorites to take with you when you’re traveling. Or purchase a pill container and fill each day up with the cream or moisturizer you’ll need each day. 

For me, the Olay Total Effects Revitalizing Foaming Cleanser and Olay Eyes Illuminating Eye Cream were a must. I can clean my face completely both day and night and not have to worry about my face drying out. Then I can hit my trouble spots – those dark circles and bags under my eyes – with the Olay Eyes Illuminating Eye Cream. I use the Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 CC cream to finish everything off before applying light makeup (mascara, some eye shadow, and tinted lip balm are my go to). 

A simplified skin care routine has made it easier to stick with it for the past 28 days and my skin thanks me! You can tell how well my skin is doing by taking a peek at the photo above. I can’t wait to see what my skin looks like in another 28 days! 

DIY Travel Case Tutorial

What you’ll need: 

  • zipper pouch or makeup case
  • craft paint
  • pencil with eraser
  • 2 paper plates
  • scissors

What you do: 

1. Take a paper plate and cut a design out of it. You can do a heart,  a star, a letter, or even a cute little airplane to represent travel. Just make sure the shape will fit on the front of your pouch. 

2. Put the shape cut out on the front of the pouch (make sure the top of the bag is at the top of your design). 

3. Using the eraser of the pencil, dot around the design with the paint color of your choice. Outline the shape in two layers. Then once the layers are complete, start to add more layers and taper off how dense the dots are until you are left with a starburst design. 

4. Remove the cardboard cut out and admire your pouch as you let the paint dry. Fill with your favorite skin care kit items and enjoy! 

What are your go-to skin care favorites? 

5 Must Have Products For Exhausted Moms

This post featuring 5 Must Have Products For Exhausted Moms is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Single Edition Media.

5-must-have-products-for-exhausted-30-year-old-moms

When I turned 30 I had no qualms about the next decade in my life. In fact I have been waiting for 30. Waiting to feel the age I’ve always felt. Is that weird? Maybe. But it’s so true. And being 30. It’s so right for me. But the one thing I didn’t realize as I became another decade older was the toll it would start to take on my body. The fine lines, the lack of elasticity in my skin. And the myriad of other things I started to notice. 

It could be the 3 kids I had or maybe it was stress but one day I just stopped and looked at myself in the mirror as I was brushing my hair and realized that hair was literally coming out in clumps. And I had a minor panic attack until I read somewhere that hair loss is normal. But is it? And that much? What was going on? 

That realization that my body was starting to change made me realize that I might need to look into a good routine. I might need to find products that would help this exhausted 30 year old mom look somewhat put together the next time I showed up at a PTG meeting or the soccer field. Luckily I found just that in these 5 must have products for exhausted moms I’ve listed below! I’m tackling hair care, skin care, and self care. 

5 Must Have Products For Exhausted 30 Year Old Moms

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1. Spire Wearable Wellness & Activity Tracker
State of mind affects how you breathe, but how you breathe can also change your state of mind. That’s pretty deep, right? Well it’s true. Studies have shown that slow, deep and consistent breathing can lower blood pressure, reduce stress and increase the flow of endorphins in the blood stream. 

Working with leading experts on the respiratory system, digital health and medical/wellness devices, Spire is the only wearable that increases mindfulness and productivity by tracking breathing patterns reflecting our state of mind. And for busy moms that means one thing – realizing when you need to step back and take a moment for yourself. 

Spire is a “trainer” for mindfulness & mindful living Spire makes mindfulness more attainable by alerting users in-the-moment and suggesting breathing exercises and meditations to lead to a more mindful behavior change be it a calmer and focused state – goodbye stress! – or even becoming more active. While wearing, the Spire PLATFORM will learn to anticipate stressful events before they are likely to happen and alert users with actionable insights on how to prepare and experience more calm in their life.

Spire is fully integrated into the Apple Health App and works with Apple watch. And if you’re like me and have an Android based phone, an Android App is also now available. You can score $10 off when you purchase the Spire here. The discount is applied at checkout.

5-must-have-products-for-exhausted-30-year-old-moms-viviscal

2. Viviscal
After each kid I seemed to lose a bit more hair. And while it hasn’t visibly been something to worry about, I’ve noticed that the fullness I once had is starting to wane. So I researched various brands to find one that would work well with my hair and I’ve had a great experience with Viviscal. They’ve been the leading brand of dietary supplements in the US for the nourishment of thinning hair and promoting existing hair growth for over 25 years. Backed by extensive research and clinical studies that prove the brand’s effectiveness, the Viviscal Hair Growth Program nourishes hair from the inside out with the proprietary marine complex called AminoMarTM for strong, healthy hair!

Viviscal Gorgeous Growth Densifying Shampoo is scientifically formulated with Ana:Tel™, a proprietary complex blended with Biotin, Keratin and Zinc to promote healthy looking hair growth. Viviscal Densifying Shampoo gently cleanses, leaving hair looking fuller, thicker and healthier instantly. Viviscal Gorgeous Growth Densifying Conditioner contains the proprietary Ana:Tel™ complex blended with Biotin, Keratin and Zinc to nourish hair from the outside and promote the appearance of healthy looking hair growth. The lightweight formula moisturizes and conditions hair leaving it looking naturally thicker, fuller and gorgeous.

3. Dermae Firming DMAE Eye Lift –
While I was looking for a new skin care routine to help with the lack of sleep I’ve been getting, I stumbled on Dermae products. This multi-action eye cream helps to revive and smooth the look of your delicate eye area. And who doesn’t need help with our eye area, right? Widely-acclaimed DMAE helps to visibly improve the appearance of skin’s firmness for a more lifted look. While wrinkle-fighting peptides including Instalift® Goji Berry help to smooth the look of fine lines and wrinkles for younger-looking eyes. Now I just need to get rid of the dark circles! 

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4. Dermae Firming DMAE Moisturizer –
I know the importance of moisturizer so if I can find one that doesn’t feel too thick but soaks in well and makes my skin feel hydrated, I know I have something that will work. This nutrient-rich moisturizer is clinically proven to improve the appearance of skin’s firmness, hydration and elasticity. Widely-acclaimed DMAE helps skin to appear visibly firmer, smoother and lifted. Antioxidant-rich Alpha Lipoic Acid and Vitamin C Ester nourish your skin for a more revitalized appearance.

5. Fiera® by NuelleTM
As I’ve looked at every other area of my life – stress level, skin and hair care, etc – I also look at the relationships in my life and how they’ve changed in my 30s. Especially my most important relationship – my marriage. I’ve checked out Fiera for a little help reconnecting with my husband and love the changes it’s made for us. If you’re looking to reconnect with your partner, you can use code Babble for 10% off when you check out here

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Have you found any great products you use daily? 

How to Make An Elsa Braid: A Simple Hair Tutorial

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Influence Central for SoCozy. I received Target gift cards to facilitate my review and thank me for my participation.

How to Make An Elsa Braid - A Simple DIY Tutorial

Now let me be completely honest up front, if you were looking for a super fancy french braid like tutorial, then look somewhere else. Because today I’m going to show you how to make an Elsa braid. But if you’re anyone other than my daughter you may simply see a pony tail with a braid in it. That’s because this is exactly what her Elsa braid is.

I’ve french braided her hair and tried to call it an Elsa braid, I’ve even done a fishnet braid in her hair and tried to call it an Elsa braid. But this girl. She doesn’t believe me. And this, right here, is what she deems as an Elsa braid.

So we go with it. And I save about 15 minutes in the morning arguing about brushing her hair. Because she’ll let me brush her hair if we put it in an Elsa braid. AND if we use her SoCozy detangler.

How to Make An Elsa Braid - the life of a princessHow to Make An Elsa Braid - SoCozy detangler

How to Make An Elsa Braid

What you need: 

  • brush
  • detangler
  • 2 small pony tail holders
  • a head of hair

What you’ll do: 

  1. Spray hair with SoCozy detangler.
  2. Brush all of the tangles and knots out of the hair.
  3. Put the hair into a pony tail by gathering up all of the hair to the middle of the child’s head with a brush. Spray additional detangler if needed for stray or frizzy hairs.
  4. Secure with a pony tail holder.
  5. Section pony tail into 3 sections.
  6. Take one section into the left thumb and forefinger, on into the right thumb and forefinger, and let the middle fall into where your fingers meet.
  7. Bring the left hand side over in between the middle section and the right section. Then bring the right hand side over in between the middle section and the left section.
  8. Repeat until all of the hair is used up and braided.
  9. Secure with the second pony tail holder.

Watch this video tutorial for an easy visual on how to make this hairstyle: 

Before we started using the SoCozy detangler and putting my daughter’s hair in an Elsa braid, I would have to wrangle her every.single.morning to get her to stay still so I could brush her hair.

She’d scream, cry, and complain that I was pulling. I was hurting her. She was going to call Daddy. And then it all stopped and mornings became magical again (cue the Cinderella blue birds). 

Because now we can sit by her wishing well (aka the koi pond) like Snow White, while she wears her Cinderella dress, and smells her Briar Roses – no, seriously… they’re “Sleeping Beauty Roses” to her – and I make her an Elsa braid before we head off to preschool. 5 minutes. Easy peasy!

How to Make An Elsa Braid - quick and simple hair design

Looking for something a little less basic? Check out this SoCozy tutorial on how to make a Braided Tiara for your princess:


These SoCozy products truly are magical. We’ve had great luck with our SoCozy Cinch 3 in 1 Shampoo + Conditioner + Body Wash in addition to the detangler we use daily. Not only does our daughter use it during bathtime but our son uses it in the shower as well.

And with how lazy this boy is in the shower, we need a 3 in 1 product that tackles everything at once so we can douse him, scrub him, rinse him, and dry him without him realizing it! Before we bought this product, he’d just go in, rinse with water, and tell us he was clean.

We’ve had to go back to Target and get more because he is actually using it. And in the end he smells Mango-go fresh and everyone around him is thankful. 

What’s your go-to hairstyle for your little one?

How To Tame The Mane: Curly Hair Tips for Kids

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Influence Central for SoCozy. I received Target gift cards to facilitate my review and thank me for my participation.


How To Tame The Mane Curly Hair Tips for Kids

This girl. She’s full of, spunk, sass, and always on the go. She’s also blessed with a curly mane of hair that has been the source of our arguements every single morning. Until we found the right tools to take care of her hair.

Learning how to properly care for my kids hair is important to me because I want them to know how to properly care for themselves as they get older. Even with this girl that is always on the go, I can find time in the morning to tame her mane with a few simple tools.

Curly Hair Tips for Kids - get a good leave in conditioner and detangler

Curly Hair Tips for Kids

1. Find the right brush – one of my biggest tools in the morning to ensure no tears when we take care of my daughter’s curly locks is our Wet Brush. Not only does it ease the pulling and distress my daughter’s knots and tangles bring, it also feels great in my hand and in hers. That means she can brush her own hair some mornings when I’m still getting lunches packed.

2. Use a good conditioner – in the bathtub the night before I always make sure that my daughter uses a shampoo + conditioner so that her hair is ready for the brushing after her bath and again in the morning. Keeping her hair conditioned and well cared for also makes her curls look better when her hair dries.

3. Don’t skip the detangler – we cannot even go near my daugther’s tangles and curls in the morning without a detangler. And I’m SO excited to have found the SoCozy detangler because it also has leave-in conditioner included as well. That means her hair stays smooth and soft AND the curls look great even when we haven’t just given her a bath.

How To Tame The Mane Curly Hair Tips for Kids - get a wet brush

SoCozy salon quality hair products for children are now being sold at Target. I was able to find our new detangler and the 3 in 1 shampoo + conditioner + wash on the shelves at our local Target in the Beauty section.

Not only did they have these two products I picked up but they also carried the Boo! Lice Prevention Shampoo and Spray. I know exactly where to go when I get the next letter home from my son’s school about a lice outbreak (is your skin crawling?).

We’ll be using our new SoCozy over the next few weeks and can’t wait to share how they work for our family (and yes – my son will be using these as well!). Not only do we need something for my daugther’s hair but for my son’s hair as well.

SoCozy Products in Target

SoCozy is currently running a contest and would love for you to join in on the fun! The contest taking place from 3/23 – 4/30. You can enter here: https://socozy.com/socozy-stylers/

What’s your morning hair care routine?

My Makeup Bag: Switching to a Natural Makeup Routine

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Whole Foods Market La Jolla.

My Makeup Bag - Switching to a Natural Makeup Routine

Since having kids I’ve switched up most of our lifestyle to include natural alternatives to the chemical-filled products we used to use. I’ve switched to natural cleaners in the house and in the laundry room, purchase local organic produce and foods, and am now starting to switch to a natural makeup routine.

I am really not sure why I didn’t tackle my makeup bag sooner but after a trip to Whole Foods La Jolla for their Body Care Event I was able to learn about what to look for in great natural beauty care. I even learned that some of my favorite natural products I was already using in other areas of the home could be great for beauty care as well! [Read more…]

The Ultimate Girls Night Out: Celebrating My 30th in Style

This post on the Ultimate Girls Night Out is sponsored by SheSpeaks and P&G.

The Ultimate Girls Night Out - Celebrating my 30th

Last month I celebrated my 30th birthday with the ultimate girls night out. I’ve been talking about how I was going to celebrate my 30th for the past year and finally I decided on an awesome night out with my friends at a great restaurant.

I made sure that everyone had rides to and from the restaurant and that the whole meal was taken care of so all my friends had to do was show up. My husband chauffeured most of us (his idea!) and surprised me by gifting each of my friends a cute favor that was left at the restaurant before we got there.

A girls night out is comprised of a lot of things but it always starts with getting ready… [Read more…]

Finding the Perfect Bra with Jockey Fit Kit

I received a free product as part of a promotional program with Jockey® and MomSelect. All opinions are my own.

Jockey Fit Kit

Did you know that about 1 out of 3 women wear the wrong bra size? Getting fit for a bra shouldn’t be a one time thing as our bodies grow and shrink throughout our lives. With the Jockey Fit Kit I can continue to find the right fit as I go down each pant size!

Losing weight is hard work and I want to show off my hard work in my new clothes but one thing was holding me back… my bras!

While losing pant sizes I was also losing in other areas as well and these issues needed to be addressed. Not to mention the fact that I’ve breastfed two kids (still nursing occasionally with my daughter) and the girls just aren’t what they used to be 5 years ago.

I turned to the experts and was sent a Jockey Fit Kit to find the perfect fit for my changing body. [Read more…]

Failproof DIY Nail Art for the Busy Mom

Failproof DIY Nail Art

I think I’m in trouble. My daughter is obsessed with all things beauty. And I really need to up my game if I’m gonna be able to impress her with my mad nail painting skills. So I’ve searched high and low for the easiest, failrpoof DIY nail art so I can start practicing now.

After seeing a few blog posts from my friend Staci of 7 on a Shoestring (a self-proclaimed tomboy), including this graffiti nail art how-to, I knew there was light at the end of the tunnel. If she could make fun and pretty nail art for her girls, I could totally pull it off for my two year old.

So when I was perusing the shelves at CVS waiting for my prescription for Vicodin to be filled (ugh… had my wisdom teeth pulled last week and OMG I’m in pain!) I found the display for Sally Hansen nail art pens and couldn’t say no. It just sounded so easy!

I left the store with my daughter’s favorite color, purple, in Sally Hansen’s Tough As Nails Xtreme Wear polish and a white Sally Hansen nail art pen.

[Read more…]



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