Morning Skin Care Routine

Skin care is very important to me. Your makeup will look its best when your skin is healthy and smooth. My skin care routine is minimal, but I feel is effective for my skin. I have dry, combination skin so I gravitate towards "gentle" products with no fragrance and are very moisturizing. Read on for my simple 4-step morning skin care routine.

Step 1: Clean face with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Pat dry face with tissue or hand.

Step 2: Using a cotton ball, apply Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner.

Step 3: Liberally apply Eucerin Daily Protection SPF 30 Moisturizing Face Lotion all over face and neck.

Step 4: Gently dab Origins Eye Doctor eye cream with ring finger.

I have very fair skin and when exposed to too much sun, moles appear so I apply sun protection religiously. Having said that, I'm still hesitant about applying it on my daughters daily because I'm afraid a few years down the road, research is going to show that sunblock is bad for children. Of course, if they're out in the sun for a long time I still do.

Flower Power Diaper Cake

I have another baby shower to attend this weekend and since I really enjoyed my last diaper cake, I decided to make another one. One thing I didn't like about my other diaper cake was that you can almost-sort-of see the rubber band underneath the ribbon. This time, I used an opaque cream coloured ribbon underneath my gauzy pink ribbon to hide the rubber bands. If you want to save time, you can always just use one opaque ribbon instead of layering two. Whatever you like.

Front of diaper cake. 

 

Side view of diaper cake.

 

Back of diaper cake.

Happy Face Jello

When I dropped by Elizabeth's school this week for a parent-teacher conference meeting, the kids in her class were playing outside. As soon as I walked through the gates, they rushed up to me and started chatting excitedly. I can't help but be reminded of -- and I say this without meaning to be offensive but instead with plenty of affection -- meerkats! They are adorably curious and oh-so-small ... then again, what do I know about meerkats?

These adorable small beings sure love jello, so I made the kids -- not the meerkats -- jello with happy faces made of bananas and clementine. It was a happy day for all of us.

Birthday Goody Bags for School

Elizabeth is turning 4 this month and I have prepared little goody bags for her friends at school. I included silly little things that kids love (my kids love things that I usually call "garbage") and for something extra special, I made personalized name bracelets for all the girls.

Oh, how time flies! I still remember the day I had Elizabeth, and now she's giving me attitude. When I think about how big she has gotten, I feel a little sad. She will never be my little helpless baby again ... even though she'll always be mine and of course I will come to appreciate the older her, I will miss the baby that she will never be again. Makes me want to grab the little one and hold her tight before she rushes out of my grasp too. I think I will do just that.

Coconut Oil!

My mom has been pestering telling me to use coconut oil to cook for a while ever since she heard about its health benefits, and so I picked up a jar on my recent trip to Trader Joe's. I've cooked with it and I must say, I absolutely love it! The coconut oil is so fragrant and makes the kitchen smell utterly delicious. It also leaves a very subtle taste to the veggies (I've used it with cauliflower and broccoli dishes) but doesn't overwhelm their natural sweetness. I heard my aunt has been using it as a moisturizer as well ... definitely not something I would do, but sounds yummy!

DIY Scarf Hanger

I love scarves and I think they are a great way to spice up an outfit. (There's a great video from Wendy's Lookbook that teaches you different ways to wear a scarf.) I previously hung my scarves by folding it in half, draped over a hanger but I find that it took a lot of space. So I googled and searched and came up with my version of a scarf hanger.

What I used:
1. A pant hanger from the dry cleaners
2. Plastic shower curtain rings
3. Binder clips

A picture is worth a thousand words. As you can see, I am using the binder clips to hold my shower curtain rings in place. Now I have more space in my closet to fill! Yay!

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner Review

As you may or may not remember, when I shared my current makeup favourites in this post I failed to mention a favourite liquid eyeliner because I haven't found the one yet. Well, brace yourselves -- things are about to change!

Taking advantage of Sephora's annual November Friends & Family discount, I recently purchased the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black. It had good reviews on Sephora and From Head to Toe had previously raved about this liner and so I thought I would give it a try. Ever since I started using liquid eyeliner, it has become a stable in my makeup routine. If I don't use it, I feel incomplete. I think this is what leads to people wearing more and more makeup, and before you know it, you're looking at Christina Aguilera in the mirror.

If this does happen, someone please be a friend and stop me. I'm sure my mom or husband will. 

So this is what they claim the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner does on Sephora:

Featuring a long-lasting pigmented formula, this black eyeliner has an easy-to-apply, pen-style nib, allowing you to create thick feline flicks and defined lines for a smudge-proof finish. Apply a thin line along the lash line and inner rim or smudge outside the rim for a sultry, smoky effect. This gratifying, color-intense liner doesn't flake or fade and adds a unique touch to any look.

I've only worn it a few times, but gee golly, it sure does work well! I look for longevity and ease of application and the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner gives me both. I LIKE IT! At the end of the day the liner is still intact and I don't see any smudges or flaking. The description says we can smudge it for a smokey effect, so I will try that and use it on my lower waterline to see what happens.

(By the way, I think Christina's makeup is better nowadays where you can see her pretty face shining through. Poor celebrities. It's not really their fault.)

Update (12/22/13): I've used this for several weeks and much to my disappointment, it smudges! I still think it's super easy to use though ... so sad! Grrr!