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Clean Beauty Makeup Tutorial
I am always looking for beauty products that are made with natural, clean ingredients. But now that I’m pregnant I’m even more focused on what I am putting onto my skin. One way I’ve changed that up is by focusing on my makeup. I think a lot of times we tend to go for clean skincare products but forget about our makeup. I like to run my products through the Environmental Working Group website or app to make sure they have a good rating. Here is how I achieved this look using products with a good rating from EWG!
Primer – First I primed my skin with the Tatcha Silk Canvas Protective Primer. Hands down the best primer I have ever used!
Concealer – I concealed my under eyes with Bareminerals Bareskin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer using a damp Beautyblender.
Foundation – For foundation I used Bareminerals Complexion Rescue Stick Foundation and buffed in with this brush.
Brows – I filled in my brows with the Tarte Amazonian Clay Brow Pencil in Taupe.
Powder – After my liquids set in I used my damp Beautyblender again to set my makeup with Bareminerals Illuminating Mineral Veil.
Bronzer, Blush, Highlight – I used this Tarte Tartiest Pro Glow Highlight and Blush palette for bronzer, blush, and highlight. I used the blush in the color Beat. For the bronzer and lush I used this brush, for highlighting I used this brush. I like to run my highlighter over my cheekbones, over the tops of my brows, down the bridge of my nose, and along the cupid’s bow of my lips.
Eyes – I used the Tarte Tartelette in Bloom Eyeshadow Palette in the color Jetsetter all over my lids and Activist along my lash lines using this brush.
Mascara – I applied Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes to my lower lashes (I have extensions on top).
Lips – I used Bareminerals Gen Nude Liquid Lipstick in Swag.
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Gender Reveal and Pregnancy Q&A!
Well, if it isn’t obvious…Surprise! We’re having another girl! Honestly, I was shocked to learn that baby number two would be a girl. I grew up with two older brothers so I guess I never really imagined having more than one girl in my family. I always wanted a sister and I am so excited for Margot that she will get to experience that. All of you with sisters or daughters will have to teach me everything you know!
I have to say thank you to all of you for your kind and loving words on our pregnancy announcement. This pregnancy is flying by so quickly, I feel like I haven’t really been able to come to grips with being a mom of two yet. I wanted to do a Q&A to update everyone on my pregnancy so far and I thought this would be the easiest way. Without further ado!
Pregnancy Q&A
When are you due? October! Margot’s birthday is October 3rd so these girls will be exactly three years apart. I just hope this little one isn’t born on Margot’s actual birthday. I have mixed feelings about their birthdays so close together but I guess my oldest brother’s birthday is only 2.5 weeks before mine and it was never an issue. I think three years apart is a good gap!
How have you been feeling? What symptoms have you had? I was pretty nauseous the first trimester with Margot and this time around was even worse. I never threw up but had a general feeling of car sickness every day all day. I started taking B6 at night and that helped tremendously. I was also super tired with both pregnancies – like ready for bed at 7:30pm every night. I also had no appetite and most food grossed me out or just didn’t sound good so I actually lost a little weight in the first trimester. Then, just when I should’ve started to feel slightly normal, I got hit with bronchitis. I ended up having to take antibiotics but it knocked it out and now, at almost 22 weeks, I’m finally feeling pretty good!
Were you trying? I would say we were not trying / not preventing for a few months. We knew we wanted another child and wanted Margot to have a sibling, but we also are in a pretty good groove right now so it was hard to decide when the right time would be. I always thought I wanted at least three years in between kiddos so I was fine with passively trying. Luckily we have not had a hard time getting pregnant, it was all about timing. We were pretty busy over the holidays and once things finally settled down after the New Year it happened!
How did you find out you were pregnant? Around the time I should start my period I was feeling a little crampy. I decided to take a test for the heck of it and saw maybe the start of a line. I was pretty much in denial since I had no other symptoms so I waited a few days and then took a digital test on a Saturday morning. When the word “pregnant” popped up I showed it to Matt and he said, “Who did that?!” Which is such a Matt response, haha!
Do you have names picked out? We actually decided on a name over Memorial Day weekend up north! I think we’ll keep it a secret until the baby is born, though.
When did you find out the sex? We did genetic testing at 12 weeks, which we also did with Margot. This time around they offered us a test that looks at the chromosomes from your blood test and can also tell you the sex, which is how we found out. So we’ve known since around 12 weeks which I loved because I was so curious! I remember waiting until the 20 week ultrasound with Margot and feeling like I was going to burst if I didn’t find out soon. We also had our anatomy scan at 20 weeks with this little one which confirmed she is a girl.
Skincare while pregnant tips?? I am planning an entire post on this soon! Stay tuned!
Will you breastfeed/ did you breastfeed Margot? Yes and yes! I nursed with Margot and pumped at work for a year and she continued to nurse from time to time for another year after I stopped pumping. We were very blessed to have a good, long nursing relationship. I am planning to nurse this little one and I will definitely get help when needed. Hopefully it will be a bit easier this time around since I somewhat know what I’m doing but every baby is different so we will see. I am planning to write a post about all of my nursing tips and must haves!
Baby must-haves, strollers, etc.? Also planning a post for this! The nice thing about having two girls both born in the fall is that I don’t need a lot of new stuff but there are a few things I will need replacements of or new things that have come out that I want to try!
Do you have a birth plan or a type of birth in mind? We did the Bradley Method of childbirth with Margot which is also called “Husband Coached Childbirth.” I knew I wanted an unmedicated birth and our Bradley classes prepared Matt and I for that super well. Going into Margot’s birth we felt as prepared as we possibly could be as new parents. We will follow that method again and hopefully things will go as smoothly as they did for Margot’s birth. I am planning to share her birth story on the blog soon!
I hope I answered all your questions in this pregnancy Q&A! If you have any others, feel free to leave them below and I’ll respond to them in the comment section.
Thank you all so much for your support and love during my pregnancy! I’m so appreciative!
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Mom Life Mondays: Weeknight Meals
Today I’m starting a new series on the blog – Mom Life Mondays! I know how hard it is to be a wife, mother, and employee and I’ve learned a few tricks along the way. Today I want to share how we handle weeknight meals in our house. Hopefully this will help you gain some time back to your evenings and take some of the stress out of the work week!
I am in charge of dinner in our house Monday through Thursday and Matt is in charge of the weekends. Usually one night on the weekend we eat our or order in. When Margot turned six months and needed to start eating real food I found myself stressed out about how I was going to get home at 6:00, eat dinner by 6:30, start bath at 6:45, and get her in bed by 7:30. My solution to this was to make a large meal in the slow cooker twice a week and eat leftovers twice week. This way dinner is pretty much ready by the time we get home and I don’t really have to think about it.
Every Sunday I make a grocery list and we buy our groceries for the week. I check my Pinterest board for dinner ideas and add all of the ingredients to my list. For the most part I throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning before we leave for work or daycare. Every once in a while if a recipe is more complicated I will prep the night before, but I usually try to stay away from complicated recipes during the week. I also use an outlet timer with it with my slow cooker. Since most slow cooker recipes need to cook on low for eight hours I set the timer to start at 10:00am and turn of at 6:00 pm. If you’re really fancy you have a newer slow cooker you can set the timer on – I definitely see one of those in my future!
The other thing that has been life changing is slow cooker liners! For so long we had to clean the dang crock pot every night until I finally remembered about those and started using them. Such a life changer for cleaning up!
Slow cooker burrito bowls is a recipe I adapted from a casserole recipe for use in the slow cooker. We eat this probably every other week and it’s really good reheated the next night for leftovers. You can get creative with toppings and hot sauce if you like it spicy to suit every one’s taste!
Slow Cooker Burrito Bowl
Ingredients:
1lb ground turkey
1 package taco seasoning
1 15oz can black beans
1 15oz can diced tomatoes with chiles
1lb bag of frozen corn
2 packages of Spanish style rice
1 package shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions:
- Line slow cooker with liner.
- Place ground turkey on bottoms of slow cooker.
- Top ground turkey with taco seasoning, beans, tomatoes, and corn. Cook on low 8 hours.
- When you get home from work, prepare Spanish rice according to package instructions.
- Stir ground turkey mixture, breaking up ground turkey as you go.
- Stir in Spanish rice.
- Top with cheddar cheese and place lid back on slow cooker until melted.
That’s it! We usually add a little salt and sometimes add hot sauce, sour cream, or lettuce on top. I hope this helps your evenings go a little smoother and that you enjoy this recipe!
Follow me on Pinterest here!
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Gingham for Spring
My love for gingham will never die and I especially love it in the spring. This gingham blazer is so versatile and I was so excited to add it to my wardrobe! Here are three ways I love it styled for spring.
For work this style looks great paired with a white cami and paperbag waist pants. You can look trendy while still looking put together enough for the office. This blazer is also super stretchy and comfy for a long day at work.
For a date night I love pairing this blazer with a white midi skirt and espadrilles. It’s nice to have something cute to throw on for chilly spring date nights.
Probably my favorite way to wear this jacket is dressed down with a pair of white denim. The fabric is really stretchy and you can easily push the sleeves up for a more casual look.
Thank you to Paige6 for sponsoring this post and gifting me this jacket!
Paige6 blazers are made in the USA , machine washable, and come in 7 different colors and prints! They have generously offered to give Lauren Luvs readers 20% off their next purchase with code LAURENLIZ. Their site is full of cute clothing – jackets, dresses, tees, kimonos, and more! Head over to paige6style.com and tell me what you buy!
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Spring Fashion With PinkBlush
Spring is right around the corner and we started to see some signs of it in Milwaukee this past week! I’m excited to bring out my denim jacket, dresses, and wedges. I wore this outfit this weekend even though it was still pretty chilly outside. I’m just too excited for spring fashion!
I love this new dress I received from Pinkblush. They have lots of cute non-maternity styles in addition to their great selection of maternity and nursing wear. I loved this button down pinstriped dress with pockets and paired it with my denim jacket to keep it casual. Add some wedges, a straw bag, and sunglasses and you’re ready for spring!
This beautiful dress was gifted to me by PinkBlush.Â
You can shop PinkBlush women’s clothing here and dresses here!
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Tea Party Styled Shoot With Henesy House
Dress // Shoes Styling: Lauren Henesy
Photography: Mattinson Photography
Florals: Liz Kiesow
Rentals: Relics Vintage Rentals
Location: Park Lafayette Towers
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All of My Hair Care Faves
This post was highly requested so today let’s talk about hair! You know I love an extensive skincare routine. Well, that also extends to hair. Here are all the products that I love and use!
I only wash my hair twice a week and I always shampoo twice. Lately I’m using the Drybar On The Rocks shampoo to get rid of buildup and get really clean hair. If my highlights are looking brassy I’ll use Schwarzkopf Silver Shampoo for my second wash and leave it on for a few minutes. I follow up with this Kristin Ess deep conditioner.
When I get out of the shower I throw my hair up in this towel turban. It helps to dry my hair faster and prevent breakage. When I take my hair out of the turban I brush it out with the Wetbrush, starting at the ends. Next I spray on this leave-in conditioner that also acts as a heat protectant. To get some volume I like to use a volumizing mousse at my roots. Then I blow dry my hair using the Harry Josh Pro blowdryer and a round brush. This dries my hair super fast! I also part my hair on the opposite side when I blow dry so I have some volume when I flip it over.
Once my hair is dry I spray my roots with dry shampoo. This helps keep my hair fresh for the next few days. I don’t usually have to go back and add more dry shampoo over the next few days. After I add my dry shampoo I put my hair up in a Snookie bump to keep my volume while I do my makeup.
When I’m ready to curl my hair I section off the top and curl four sections on each side of my head using the T3 curling wand with the 1 inch barrel. It really is the best wand I’ve ever used! I take the top down and curl the top in four sections on each side. I never hold the wand on my hair for longer than 10 seconds. I also leave about the last inch of my ends off of the wand. After all of my pieces have curled I let them cool while I get dressed.
Once my curls are cool I comb through them with a wide toothed comb. Sometimes I need to go back with my straightener in the front since my hair is naturally wavy at the roots.
At night to preserve my hair I put it up in a bun with a french pin. I also sleep on a silk pillowcase to prevent breakage. In the morning I just take my hair down and brush it a little bit or straighten any areas that look weird.
And that’s it! Let me know if you’d like to see a video tutorial. Also, if you’ve used any great products I’d love to hear about them!
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A Happier and Healthier 2019
Top // Leggings // Shoes It seems like everyone sets diet and fitness goals in the new year. Since becoming a mom I’ve been pretty inconsistent with diet and exercise (finishing whatever’s on your kids plate and falling into bed at the end of the day, anyone?). In November the new Shred415 location in Elm Grove, Wisconsin reached out to me and offered a month of free classes in exchange for social media promotion. I knew I needed to do something to get moving and feel better so I decided to try it out.
I was a little apprehensive at first. I’ve always been a yoga/pilates/walking kind of girl but I thought I could at least try it for a month. The workouts consist of four 15 minute intervals. You go back and forth from the treadmill to the “deck” where you do some weight activities. The instructor gives you directions for walking or running on the treadmill and the incline to set your treadmill at. On the deck portion of the workout the instructor gives you different moves to try along with modifications if needed.
To my surprise I actually really liked these workouts! I love the loud music and dark room. The intervals make the time go by fast. And I typically burn at least 500 calories per workout! These workouts are very efficient. I’ve been able to keep going at least once a week and I want to start going twice a week to see even better results.
The other thing I needed to change to feel healthier was my diet. The holidays did a number on me. Too many carbs and sweets and too much wine (still working on that one!). I felt really sluggish and awful and low energy and knew I needed to make some changes. I had been following Kelly Leveque from Be Well By Kelly for a while and was intrigued by her Fab 4 philosophy. When I saw her book Body Love on sale I decided to snag it.
Kelly teaches a way of healthy eating so that you are getting the proper proportions of protein, fat, fiber, and greens in every meal. This helps to balance your blood sugar and keep you feeling fuller longer. Balanced blood sugar in turn keeps you from craving carbs and sweets and then crashing at the end of the day.
I’ve been starting off every morning with a Fab 4 Smoothie that keeps me full until lunch time. For lunch I typically have a Fab 4 salad and for dinner we make sure to have a good balance of lean protein, healthy fat, and greens. I have felt so much better and have such better energy! I love that I can throw all of my smoothie ingredients in the blender every morning and sip my smoothie on my way to work. It’s the one thing I know I will definitely keep up with.
I can highly recommend Shred415 and the Fab 4 life if you are looking to feel better and take charge of your health. Losing a few pounds doesn’t hurt either! If you ever want to try out a Shred415 class feel free to hit me up!
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My Favorite Masks and Treatments
A few weeks ago I asked on Instagram for some of your skincare post suggestions and one ask was for my favorite masks. Today I am excited to share with you some of my favorite masks and treatments!
MOISTURIZING MASK
I like to use a moisturizer mask as an overnight sleeping pack when I need an extra boost of hydration. After completing my evening routine I slather on the Summer Fridays Jetlag Mask to wake up with moisturized, glowing skin. This is my new fave!
SHEET MASKS
I love to relax in the evening with a sheet mask. The cooling mask helps to decrease puffiness and calm my skin after a stressful week. My favorite of all time is the My Beauty Diary masks. They’re affordable and come in lots of different “flavors” to try!
EYE PATCHES
I love to use eye patches on mornings when I have a little puffiness or after a long night. These eye patches cool, moisturize, and firm the delicate skin around the eyes.
LIP MASK
I had such terrible chapped lips last winter and nothing was helping until I tried this Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask totally cured them! The best, the best, the best!
ACID TREATMENT
I use the Drunk Elephant Babyfacial weekly to resurface my skin and get rid of any dead skin cells or pore clogging gunk. To use it, I apply it once a week in the evening for my acid step. Then I wait for 20-25 minutes and continue my skincare routine as usual, minus my acid and retinol.
I hope you found some helpful tips or new products to try out. You know I love trying new products so let me know if you have any gems for me in the comments!
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Let’s Get Hygge With It
Happy Monday, lovelies! I hope everyone had a warm cozy weekend in side. We got a few inches of snow throughout the weekend so it was the perfect opportunity to make hot cocoa and drink it by the fire. Today I want to talk about Hygge and making the most of the winter months.
Pronounced “hoo-ga,” this is a Danish concept that encompasses feelings of coziness and contentment with the small things in life. Enjoying a cup of hot cocoa on a snowy day or curling up with a good book on a rainy Sunday is Hygge.
Denmark’s national obsession with all things cozy is credited as one of the reasons they are always at the top of the list of happiest countries, despite their miserable winters. I’ve lived in Wisconsin for over ten years and when I first heard of this concept a few years ago I fully embraced it. I think it has definitely given me a better outlook on our brutal winters!
Here are some things you can incorporate to start living the Hygge lifestyle:
- Put on your coziest loungewear
- Light a candle
- Curl up by the fire for a warm night in. Even better if your mantle is decorated for winter!
- Wrap up in a faux fur blanket
- Pour yourself a warm drink in a cute mug
- Make comfort food like chicken pot pie or do some baking
- Go outside for a winter walk with family and friends
- Cozy up with a good book before bed
I hope the concept of Hygge inspires you to live your best winter life! Had you ever heard about Hygge before? I think changing my mindset a little bit has definitely made me embrace the winter and enjoy it more!
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Style, Beauty, Mom Life