Can you feel it? The cozy embrace of Christmas is here! It's the feeling of snow on your nose and eyelashes; crisp and cold as it steals your breath away and wakes the child in you. It's the awe and undone feeling in knowing this celebration of Christmas began in a stable and led to a cross and your redemption: the greatest gift ever given, living inside you, all around you - this wondrous love... Jesus. Christmas is the feeling of a warm crackling fire and hot cocoa in your hands, the tickled-pink feeling you get in finding just the right gift for your loved-ones, the joy-over-flowing feeling of being surrounded by family and friends round-table. It's the feeling of... Wait, what's this? This feeling of angst and dread and panic; you've nothing to wear and a bevy of festive holiday soirees to attend! The last thing on a girl's list is shopping for that oh-so-perfect Christmas dress, no worries! Reach back into your closet and pull out that ever faithful LBD (little black dress). 

I'm going to give you 3 merry & bright ways to put some sugar and spice and everything nice back into this old-standby! Plus a few holiday product ideas for fun, festive makeup!

This first look is for all of you slack-wearing gals out there who want to stay comfy, classic and casual. Step out of your comfort zone, determine to be a little more daring this season, give those dress-pants a break and step into a dress! 

This look is all about layering. Throw on a great basic but festive scarf (make sure to add a pop of color either in your scarf or another layer). Pair this with a buttoned up well-fitted cardigan so as to flatter your waistline {or if you need a little slimming effect go with a longer cardigan that conceals your hips and belt the waistline so as give a clinched-in appearance}. 

A solid black pair of nylons will extend the leg. Slip on your favorite pair of boots {riding boots are fine for this casual spin on the "Christmas dress" but in this photo I opted for my favorite ankle black booties so as to continue a unified look}. 

Nothing says "simple elegance" like a few fabulous accessories! This look is a perfect no-fuss solution to amping-up your LBD.  A little sparkle goes a long way. Add a focal piece around your neck with a statement necklace. You can also carry that theme down to your wrist with some fun layered bracelets or to your hand with a colorful party ring {choose one or the other, less is more}. You can also go with a subtle same-toned-printed in the nylons so as to add texture to the outfit. Your shoes can shine in this look! Use them to add a pop of color, sparkle and/or pizzazz!

This last look has a fun feminine feel. Ever so easy to pull off for any woman. Be as bold or subtle as you desire! 

I paired a printed blazer {black & white prints are really in this season as well as anything metallic} with a few strands of sparkle around the neck and a fabulous pair of printed stilettos. Anything goes! 

Want to add a little festive fun to your everyday makeup look?  Whether you wear a full "face" or just mascara here are a few product ideas I'm loving this holiday season!  

Go gold. Replace your neutral eye shadow for a shimmery gold. Couple that with a charcoal liner ( I like NYX in "gun metal") on the outside triangle of the eye lightly blended with a Q-tip and voila!

A bright red or plum lip is perfect for Christmas! My husband bought me "Lip Tar" in "NSFW" as a gift and if you want a last-forever color try this product.  

Also try Chanel gloss #60 and Burt's Bees lip shimmer in "Plum".

Always remember to only play-up one main feature on the face for a polished over-all look. If you put on a bright red lip then keep your eye makeup more neutral. If you use darker tones on the eye go with a light glossed look for the lip.

Regardless of what you wear for the holidays, whether you love your body, are working hard to get and maintain it or are learning to simply accept your shape, whatever your life's season or age know this; you are BEAUTIFUL! 

What you wear and how you present yourself often can impact how you feel about yourself. Cultivate the beauty around you, inside of you and on the outside too. If that means painting on red lips and nails then do it! Maybe for other women that means getting a bit more shut-eye, taking a long aromatic bubble bath, wearing heels instead of flats, or a dab or perfume on the collarbone. 

Whatever it is, take care of YOU this Christmas season, believe me, those nearest and dearest will thank you! 

Cheers to a memorable, merry & bright Christmas!

Preface:  Infertility is not part of my personal journey but I've faced coming to grips with the pain of God slamming a door and as of yet not opening another. I come to you humbly, feeling somewhat inadequate at tackling this subject. I do not have answers but I do have a story.

One of my dearest friends announced she is pregnant. I've not seen her in 4 months. We've chatted on the phone; she's busy, I'm busy, this happened, that happened. Truth is, I'm avoiding being around her.  Lately I've been surrounded by too many pregnant women and babies.  They are glowing. They are all so painfully happy. They are not me, they have what I cannot. They are whole. Their bodies work. Mine does not. I am broken.  As much as I love her, she is living out the thing I can no longer live and had hoped so deeply for. She gets her heart's desire actualized. My heart is just messy and aching.

I married young with dreams of wife and mother defining my life's role. We got pregnant 10 months into marriage. It was sooner than expected but we settled into preparing for the beginnings of expanding our family. Not a part of the preparations: a baby in breach position and a scheduled C-section. There were complications. Then, in a last ditch-effort to save a life, there was a hysterectomy.  Nyomi was born while I almost bled out on the table.  I woke up after surgery asking for my baby, finding out she would be my only one. My body didn't die, but part of my soul did. 

I was rocked that day in such a way that it would take years for the healing to begin. I have experienced the scary depths of medicated depression, anger at God so startling it shocked me to my core and caused me to question everything I held-up as truth, disbelief and denial that I was dealt this cruel card and barring-up-under the deep ache of living in the hollow space of broken dreams. What I had thought was my life's purpose no longer was. It had been snatched away. I was being asked to drink of a cup I didn't want. I don't know how many times I asked; "how could this have happened to me, why this, why me?" 

Almost seven years in and the healing is still being written into my story. There are moments when I still feel so deeply. The surprise and swiftness of the sucker-punches set me back a bit, but no longer devastate. Time is kind, but the living out of this space can be tough some days. 

Just the other week a woman unintentionally did what so many have done before. We were casually talking about contentment in various seasons of life and before I knew it she'd whipped out the scripture card and the "you can be thankful you have one" line and then there was, "if God cares for the sparrows...” and "if God closes one door another one will open." There it was, pat and trite. I felt my heart clench and realized I was holding my breath. "Exhale" I said to the heart, "breathe". I pasted on a tight smile and thanked her, I'm not sure why. I guess that's the prescribed way to escape a hurtful 'Christian(ized)' conversation. 

Later when I reflected on this individual's life I realized that her's has been a straight road with few bumps, a doting husband and darling children... Children. She has not walked a footstep in my shoes. I cannot hold that against her. But inasmuch, let me be as bold to suggest a few things you can do if you find yourself brushing shoulders with "someone like me". 

When there is a person bearing-up under something that you cannot possibly imagine, don't preach at them.  Stop giving pat answers or for that matter don't give any answers.  Just love them. That may look like silence and a listening ear, maybe a shoulder for the tears, a hug or words, words not of false understanding but kind support. If she shares her story with you don't offer up your silence because you don't know what to say, extend an: "I'm so sorry, that must be really tough" or " I can't imagine what your going through" or whatever sounds like love. Send her an, "I'm thinking and praying for you" note, let her know on those days when it feels like no one else in the world aches the way she does that she's on someone's mind. Responding to someone else in the midst of their pain means giving a bit of yourself, extending yourself, offering up what you do have... your time, your kindness, your compassion.

"A Death Blow is a Life Blow to Some..." (Emily Dickinson).  The death of my dreams and what I thought equaled a good, rich, fulfilling life is what it is took to truly wake me up. I thought I could get through life by faking it, striving, keeping everything together by clenching tighter and keeping my chin up. But my Lover just wanted me. The real me. The undone messy me. 

You see, it's there in the mess that He can showcase His glory.  As devastating as it is some days to sit with this neck-deep muck of what is; I feel, no, I KNOW that I am loved, well loved. My Lover keeps bringing me back to these hollow places because I continue looking for nourishment from all the other dry wells I can find; business, over-commitment, Facebook, housework, relationships, appointments... Anything but dealing with my heart. My deepest fears. Guilt. My bareness. Sitting with the truth of my insides  has shaken-up some deep-rooted issues. I'm seeing my heart for the breeding ground it's become. Prone to performance and striving, complaining and control, fearing the unknown, failure and falling-short. 

The death of this one thing I'd hung my hat on has shaken me to life, brought me to my knees, drained me of self so I can be filled from the One Well that never runs dry. My Lover will keep bringing me back to this place until I choose to drink, deep, from this cup He's given and says is good. In fact, His very best for me. The taste is bitter, not what I wanted, this broken womb but this is MY cup and so I will drink. I will surrender to what is. 

I will accept and stop fighting, for only I can choose to give power to my pain or to my healing and my freedom. Paula D'arcy in the penning of her own journey writes the following, "I slowly begin to understand that it is up to me to choose how I will respond to this pain. I can let it eat me...or I can let go of my assumptions about how life should be and search for the beauty in what life is."

       It’s time to meet-up with you again friend and as you continue reading you will find this post a bit different in nature. I thought I’d welcome you in as you've seemed to have caught me in a space of reflection. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing but sometimes we have to look behind us in-order to continue moving forward. I don’t think the past define us but do feel it plays a part in the shaping of us. The past six and a half years have done a lot in shaping me. I think my face has been reconfigure from all the time it’s spent smashed into the carpet before Jesus, asking the unanswerable(s) like: “Why me? What now? Why this? And the famous, Where are you God? Then too there’s been the screaming into the pillow, running (literally) until my lungs felt like they were going to explode, weeping secretly in the shower and a few years of medicated depression. Through it all I've changed, been reshaped. Loss does that. 

       I am by nature a performer, a pleaser and up until recently my life’s mantra could be summed-up in one word, STRIVING. There’s no room for rest and acceptance in that word, no, just: trying harder, being better, tightening the grip, gritting the teeth and pasting on the fake smile; then about a year ago that all began to change. I came to the end of me. I was so, so weary. There was nothing left to do, no more energy to be more or be better, the smile faded and in that very place is where He met me and a seed of hope took root.

       I grew up thinking “normal” meant living the dream: two and a half kids with the white picket fence and an adoring husband on my arm. You may be laughing by now because for so many of us that’s not our reality. I’m gonna be totally honest with you though and say that even as I've got a foot planted firmly on the other side of “crazy” and am learning to accept and embrace my width and breadth there are still days where I think that if I just could live in my wish-for “normal”  I would be whole, rested in spirit, fully content and happy, ever so happy. Now, if that’s not the biggest lie from the pit I don’t know what is but we all can get snagged on the lies we believe and this was/is a big one for me.

       My reality a few years back was this: At the age of 22 after an emergency hysterectomy I was left barren and only able have this one child we’d been given. Her birth was shrouded by loss and grief and yet I there I was rocking this little sweet life to sleep. The guilt of those conflicting feelings made me feel like I was losing it. During those years I experienced a dark overwhelming ache which left me broken and feeling left for dead. I was later diagnosed with depression; going on medication (and even admitting to you now) was one of the most humbling experiences I’d walked through. In those next three years we would discover our girl had emotional/physical challenges that dictated our daily living. I didn't own a picket fence. And didn't think I ever would. My husband and I were both very strong-willed first-born children. Enough said.

       My current reality is this: My base circumstances haven’t changed. I am still barren but I no longer feel like I’m wearing it like a scarlet letter. I've been off of any form of medication for about two years and can honestly say by God’s grace there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel which for a time I had stopped believing. In the place of frequent personal melt-downs there is good and healthy processing taking place and living is done out of an opened hand not a clenched fist. It’s not all roses as most of my friend’s lives consist of multiple children and a clear-cut road of mothering to journey down where as I’m grappling with the wide unknown and for my type A personality let me tell you this is a stretching place to rest in. It’s true, that time is a healer. I’m breathing deep of life these days and learning to live out of my personal story, not wishing I could be transplanted into someone else’s. There have been major strides made with our daughter. She is doing amazing well and is working herself out of therapy and a diagnosis. I currently own a 4 foot piece of white picket fence I proudly display in the front of our small-town “starter-home” of seven years. My husband and I are still both strong-willed first-born, but we are learning new steps to this thing called marriage and when the voices raise in the heat of the moment we are learning to breathe deep and try again. But there is also this: my reality is just that… mine. I am redefining “normal” every day as I learn to accept, embrace and see with heart wide open. I’m no longer viewing life through the grid of stolen opportunities but rather seeing my days as given, chosen, gifts. It isn't always easy. But then, I wasn't created for ease. I was made for “such a time as this.”

      What is “normal” anyways? The view through your window may look ever so different from what you thought it would or your best friend’s or the people surrounding you. You know what? That’s OK. We all have a story. There are past chapters and parts of it that we write every day. One of the truths I’m realizing is that I can choose what to write today, in this moment no matter what has been written earlier in my story. There is power in the choosing. Not out of my own strength or striving but out of a beautiful place of receiving what I need each moment to choose to live, truly live, wide-eyed and fully present. Tasting of true rest, glimpsing of what it is to just BE. 

Beauty Bit:
Time to get your GLOW on
It's SUMMERTIME and we all want to have that sun-kissed look without getting to many rays. Let's talk bronzer. Worn alone it can look harsh or dull but applied correctly, worn with a bit of blush and your golden! The technique: Pick a bronzer color two shades darker than your natural skin tone. Tap off the excess powder from your brush and apply along the jaw, under the cheek-bone (make those fish-lips and you'll see your cheekbone) and up along the hairline; creating a number 3 on the face. Blending and swirling the brush as you go to work it into the skin preventing any sort of line. Finish by adding a pop of pink or peach to the apple of the cheek and you've got an instant sun-kissed glow!

BHG Photo: Jeff Harris

I just hung up the phone with my mother who beseeched me to pray for her as she was gearing up to clean out her closet and switch her winter wardrobe for a spring/summer one. I’ve not yet had to ask if she would return the favor as I’m opting for avoidance over bending the knee in a heartfelt beg-session. The sheer thought of having to face the closet can be a daunting one. It’s almost like having to raise a magnifying glass to ourselves, especially when the warm weather hits and the thought of baring-all becomes a reality. Without the safety of pants (to hide the cellulite), a chunky- knit sweater (to hide the middle section) and did I mention the hats for bad hair days and well, you get the idea! The idea of revealing any body part can be enough to put off this task for the end of all time! Then, there’s the having to get-rid-of and purge-process, the thought or maybe I should say fear of getting into the thick of it and realizing that nothing fits from last season and your left with one lonely outdated blouse that you don’t really like anyways makes you want to cry, this translates into shopping… and who has money and time anyways?! Now the armpits are drenched in anxious sweat, the mind’s racing with unfriendly self-talk and a wave of insecurity hits like a sucker-punch to the gut…

The above is my personal story so, of course I haven’t yet tackled this project due to a severe case of procrastination, instead opting for the same darn black yoga pants, T-shirt and hoodie… you know, for layering purposes. I mean let’s be honest, even when I do open those doors and stare into the abyss of clothing I always hear myself mutter the same thing anyway… “I don’t have anything to wear.”  If you too are in need of FACING THE CLOSET don’t go it alone. Together, we will get the job done and you can open your closet doors with confidence!

Over the years I’ve assisted many a successful woman clean out her closet, purge her wares, define her style and discern how things should look and fit on her shape. I still haven’t figured out why it’s so easy to help others do a thing that is so hard for me! So, as I write I’m planning on trying to take my own advice (I beg you not to check-in with me later as I’ve no guarantee I will put these helpful tips to use and I’ll thank you now for not noticing the yoga pant/hoodie combo the next time I bump into you unexpectedly at Target!)

          Let’s Get To Work!

I am going to have to ask you to try on EACH PIECE OF CLOTHING no matter how painful that request may be! It’s the best most sure-fire-way to know whether it’s a keep or get-rid-of piece of clothing. Whatever it is you are trying on must fit you well. We are not saving pieces for a rainy day, like: if you gain or lose weight, decide you may like it better later, or because it’s an “around-the-house” shirt etc.  Each piece of clothing should make you feel good about yourself when on your frame, if it doesn’t GET RID OF IT! Clothing that “fits well” means; it flatters your figure.

Please get rid of it if:

• You’ve not worn it in the last year and you always look at it and pass it over. If you don’t love this piece of clothing now you’re not going to love it later.
  
  
• A shirt is baggy and your “girls” are completely lost in material or is so form-fitting you see more than you want to in both your chest and mid-section area.
  
  
• Your pants are at all too tight or too lose, for the love, toss ’em in the pile. Also, if you can grab the crotch of a pair of pants when on, please…. In the pile they go! {Bottoms should fit comfortably at the waist which means you can sit down in them and still breath without gaping in the back and leaving a gap between your pant and lower mid-section. }
  
  
• You are petite and your skirts fall mid-calf. For your height, at the knee or slightly above is what you’re going for. If you sport a longer leg then you can experiment with length. I believe most of us can pull off the maxi dress/skirt look (which is trending again this season).
  
  
• You've had “these” shoes for years, but they've seen their better days. Or, you've had these shoes for years and they’re collecting dust in the back of your closet. Just keep the shoes that you can wear with everything (cute n’ comfy nude flats are a sure winner as well as a great pair of black stilettos or pumps, all-purpose black or brown riding boots and for the summer a pair of metallic thongs will do the trick!)
  
  
• You like the color, fit and style of _______ but you have nothing to wear it with. I’ve learned that if you’ve not yet paired it with another piece in your closet you probably won’t. It’s best to just get rid of it then hold on to it and never wear it (unless it hold sentimental value, i.e. your wedding dress) in which case you can call on the All-Mighty on behalf of your indecision, or JUST GET RID OF IT!

Ladies it’s better to have a bare closet and a few pieces that have mates and can be mixed–and-matched then a full closet of “nothing to wear”. Through this purging process you will be surprised at how your personal style surfaces. If you are seeing a non-color pattern in your wardrobe – yes, I’m talking to all of you black, white and grey wearers (navy blue does not count as adding a color to your closet) be brave, step out and add a bit of color!  You've figured out what looks good and feels good on you, now you can add a splash of color. Maybe it’s a yellow cardigan, pink ballet flats or darling brightly colored skinny jeans/chinos that fit you just right!

Here are a few last tips as you’re putting back your “keep” pieces…. Hang you clothing in a way that makes sense to you. Some options are: color-coding, order by style (i.e. all cardigans together), or a combo of both! I've also found that space-saving hangers are really lovely and help in retaining order and neatness in a closet (you can buy these inexpensively at Wal-Mart).

Do what works for you, don’t over-think things, go with your gut and before you know it you will have faced down the Goliath in your room and won!

If you're like me, you're looking forward to finally saying goodbye to Winter and givin' a shout-out to SPRING!!!  It seems as if all of nature does a reboot and comes to life after laying dormant all Winter long. Maybe "hibernation" during the past months has left you feeling groggy, tired and unmotivated, even if your coffee cup is on "constant refill mode". All the while, bathing-suit season looms large in the mind and the inner panic is beginning to set-in. This time of year always makes me feel like giving myself a personal jump-start and my sticking point always is the same...having Energy! I thought I would share a few of my personal "reboot" tips, to re-energize the body, refresh the spirit and renew the mind. I live by one rule when it comes to this stuff... KEEP IT SIMPLE! If it's not simple I'm not going to do it, so the energy-boosters listed below will be just that... Simple! 
                                                     Let's get energized!

3. Eat for energy!
So many of you say, "I forgot to eat today!" or "I'm too busy to make healthy choices" or "I didn't have time for breakfast today"... Here's the thing ladies, your body is like an engine, without good fuel to run on you will burn yourself out and be sittin by the side of the road. Make sure you eat something nutritious for breakfast - jump-start your day! A go-to of mine is a packet of instant oatmeal (I try and get the "low" or "no" sugar kind). I add in any nuts I have on hand, Chia Seeds, which fill you up and are a great source of fiber, protein and antioxidants (they can be found in the health-food section of your local grocery store, or I get mine at Costco) and if I have time i will add some berries or banana on top! It's quick, easy and energizing! When I'm hungry for a snack through-out my day I will try and grab a protein source with a fruit/veggie. Like a handful of almonds/almond butter and an apple, some hummus with veggies or a Greek yogurt cup with some blueberries. This will help you keep your energy up and help you avoid mindless munching. * I've always heard it's so beneficial to do a cleanse around the change of the seasons and so, for the first time I'm doing one! I'm on the first day and other than a I've-not-had-my-three-cups-of-coffee-today headache I feel great! Click here for Cleanse. 

5. Fill up your cup!
If you are running on empty no amount of the external "fluff" above is going to renew, refresh and fill you. It's in the quiet early hours of the morning that I sit with my coffee and with God. It's this time that sets the tone for my whole day. By turning my gaze towards the eternal and bringing my heart before my Savior I am positioning my heart to receive from Him each moment of the day. One book that I have enjoyed is One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  Friend you may be bleary-eyed with fatigue from early morning feedings or rushing out the door to work, to get the kids on the bus or settling in for the doing of one more day. Life clamors for our attention but I challenge you  - even for just a few moments, enter into a spirit of worship and meet with your Jesus. Maybe your washing dishes or in the shower but I will tell you this... He will meet with you, just as you are, right where your at.  

***I'm not going to even give a number to this little tip but it's something I do every day (almost)... I make my bed. There's something to be said about a made-up bed. If I get nothing else accomplished in a day, but at it's end am reminded that indeed I did do this ONE thing, and it looks pretty darn lovely and inviting... well then, the rest can wait until tomorrow. 

I trust this season, as the world around us comes out of hibernation and unfurls into life we too will do the same. As you "reboot" and get energized remember the above tips are just that, tips. Things I do or attempt to do, to live a life outside of my bed. Because let's be honest "my mama told me there'd be days..." and we all have them. I have been in so many seasons where the motto is : just put one foot in-front of the other. The above is not meant to be one more list for you to do. Just do what you can, TODAY. You are loved sweet friend by an everlasting love that will never let you go.
                             Happy SPRING to you Neighbor!

BEAUTY BIT:
I'm always curious about new products. I had tried BareMinerals years ago and really liked their foundation, but not the mess it created every time I used it...the loose powder would fly everywhere! Well, they just came out with a new foundation product in pressed powder form call "READY" with SPF 20, long lasting coverage, super fast/easy to apply and good for your skin as its formulated without parabens, fillers or harsh chemicals. Seriously, it's been a busy mama's dream-come-true! In wearing it the past few weeks (I'm fair/medium and I've been using the "light" shade) I've really liked it's wear-ability, coverage, the fact that I can have my foundation on and blended in a few seconds and that it feels like I don't even have anything on! I even use a small concealer brush and use this same product for cover-up. Love it! If you're looking for a new foundation, this one is definitely worth a try!

Like a crazy fool woman, drunk on curiosity, I whipped up a cocktail moment of "what in the world was I thinking?" Added a healthy shot of all that was conveniently “easy”, a splash of boredom and a little bit of time on my hands and volia! My “cocktail” in this case was a first-time-ever wax job. 

I've always had blond "peach fuzz" on my cheeks, chin and upper lip, sooooooo I thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if I were to wax it off myself.... I proceeded to wax my entire face, (and I'm telling you now, do NOT try this at home)! 

Thankfully I had no place to be. It was late and I was home with lights dimmed, shades drawn tightly and a freakishly red-burning-swollen-throbbing-“wish-I-could live-with-my-head-in-the-freezer” face all whilst sending off a quick prayer that it would be back to normal by the AM. 

Another one of my "moments" was a recent DYI bang-cutting incident, (I began wishing for regrowth the split-second I got a glimpse of them)! Oh the great lengths we go for beauty!  Funny as these stories are it made me pause and take a look inward…. 

I’m sure at some point we all have taken a certain measure, (in my case extreme measure) to maintain or enhance our outward beauty. But what are you and I doing to cultivate a beautiful soul?

You know the old saying, “Pretty is as pretty does”? That, my friends, is what makes me ultimately feel beautiful – doing “beautiful”, acting “beautiful”; it’s the being of beauty which is truly defining.

"I feel beautiful when _________”   (YOU fill in the blank).

Here's when I feel beautiful: 

*I don't yell at my daughter.

*I come face-to-face with a fear and go for it anyway! (For me today it’s: embracing my current identity crisis head-on regardless of the unknown outcome!) 

*I’m fully present in the moment and: not answering the phone, changing the load of laundry and responding to my emails and INSTEAD, taking time to sit down and play “little girl” with my daughter for the millionth time...

*I just let it all hang out and am truly real, transparent and authentic, cause it’s so much easier to tell you “I’m fine and things are going well” instead of letting you know the real deal.  And here's the real deal:

My daughter’s anxiety is driving me over the edge, I’m dealing with a tidal wave amount of guilt, (as a parent and really just as a human being) and my personal control issues seem to be driving a wedge in my marriage and I don’t know what do about it!

Sometimes the squeeze of life can just drain the beauty right out of our souls. We are haggard and hurried, worried, guilt-laden, fear-driven, and hormonally-wacky to name a few. But sister, I can tell you right now, (from experience mind-you) that no amount of brightening serum, beauty balm or new miracle makeover is gonna fake it for you.

Can we together…. Choose TODAY to do something that inspires us, to laugh a little more and sweat the small-stuff a little less, to allow guilt to be whitewashed over with a brush of ACCEPTANCE, to say NO to the “to-do list” for a few moments and just BE, to embrace honesty and be REAL with the caring friend who asks how you REALLY are?

 “Why?” you ask…. Because YOU are WORTH the pursuit of BEAUTY today…   

BEAUTY BIT

I really love my "Buf-Puf"! What's a Buf-Puf you ask? Well, it's a small, inexpensive miracle worker. I'm too cheap, (i.e. innovative) to purchase an electronic devise to exfoliate my skin so I discovered this little baby (it's a deal at just a few dollars). Exfoliation of the skin allows the dull, dead surface skin-cells to be removed, restoring a youthful refreshed glow. Both "young" and "old" will benefit from exfoliation! I like to put a dab of face-wash right on my Puf and begin by moving in upward circular motions all over my face. You can apply as much or as little pressure as you like but always remember to be gentle. 

Note: My skin is breakout prone and so I pair my "Buf-Puf" with Alba Botanica "Natural Acne Dote,"  with 2% salicylic acid naturally derived from Willow Bark Extract it really does the trick!  If you have normal to dry skin I really love their "Natural Hawaiian Facial Wash" with coconut milk, (this product is of a creamy texture and will not foam when you wash with it so put it on your face first and then use the "Buf'-Puf".  When you're finished, rinse, squeeze and let air dry. 

In the future you can look forward to fun "how-to(s)" with both pictures and video clips! I'm excited to share with you some tricks and tid-bits I've found helpful as I've worked with various skin-types and age groups!

Hi friend! I’m Jessica...Originally I had this nice pat introduction to present to you, that’s how I’ve been living - all of my life; tidy…fake smiles, an “I’m fine” when I’m really not, pulling myself up by my boot-straps and pushing on while ‘saving face’ for the world. Well, that’s not working anymore and so here I am with my “revised” introduction. Here’s to being REAL! 

When this first photo was taken over a decade ago, I had plans for greatness: maybe a teacher, physiologist or interior designer, someone well known, liked and successful. More than anything though I wanted to be a bride and mother because I thought truly, that was the highest calling of all and I could be good, really good at that (was I ever dreaming!). I grew up poring over “Victoria” magazines and my wedding plans were nailed down by age 14 (seriously, don’t laugh). I found my prince charming (only after a prior broken engagement) was married by 21 and pregnant 10 months later with our now 6 year old daughter Nyomi. We’re the ‘three musketeers’, numbered not by choice but by rather by an unseen plan. And no, I’m not any of the “successful” careers listed above. Apart from daily trips to our daughter’s therapy, and dodging her unpredictable melt-downs, holding down the fort oft in a single-parent manner while my husband’s in school and maintaining a stressful career I do get to express myself as a makeup artist. It’s a privilege to “work on” such amazing woman; each of them uniquely different, truly stunning. I am passionate about women seeing themselves as nothing less than beautiful! 

Is this what I would have predicted my call to “greatness” reflecting? Not by a long shot (had you told me this from the get-go I would have hidden under the covers… indefinitely). Am I learning to find and SEE moments of hidden beauty and grace in the everyday – yes a resounding YES! Life is full of its imperfections; its scars and blemishes but, together, let’s turn our mirrors over and begin choosing to say… BEAUTIFUL! In the future I look forward to “doing” life alongside you, one beauty-filled moment at a time. 

“Life is not about creating yourself, life is about discovering yourself” 

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