Girly post

I'm doing this post for all the girlie girls out there that read my blog. And for my cousin Aishlea. She did this on her blog and asked that I do it to. I know Aaron will roll his eyes as he reads this but I think he might see a glimpse of the girl he met! Yes I have to admit that since having kids I have lost myself. I went from the girl who was always dressed to the 9s, always in makeup and had her hair fixed, always in cute shoes with an awesome purse; to a t-shirt and jeans, ponytail with no makeup, diaper bag carrying mom. Now not that there is anything wrong with that if that was really the girl I was. But that's not me at all and over time it's hurt my self esteem. Guess I'm getting brutally honest in this...more than I planned to. But oh well, might as well let it out. I got so caught up in being a mom that I forgot about my jobs as a lady and wife. I love being a mom and I am completely devoted to my children but you can't forget to be the woman that your husband fell in love with and I was becoming the complete opposite of the girl he met. Now that I realize it I feel awful because it's so easy to be a devoted mom and at the same time be a stylish women who loves herself and cares about her appearance. When you don't love yourself its impossible to love those around you who mean the most. I don't care what a woman says, every woman wants to be beautiful and be adored by someone she loves. Aaron has always adored me and I have let him down. He's followed through with his part and I've started taking his love for granted. Not that he would stop loving me for my ponytail and t-shirts...but he has been an amazing husband and I want him to proud of the woman on his arm. So it's my mission now to get myself back. To wear the clothes that make me feel good, to have my hair done, to paint my nails, and wear cute shoes. I want to feel beautiful again...and be the girlie girl I've always been. So Aishlea's post was about the products that she can't live without. Mine will be a little different. I'll show you the products I love and although I can't say I can't live without them (since I have for about the last 4 years!), they are the products that I won't live without anymore. Because they are part of the process that make me the woman I want to be...the woman my amazing husband is proud to call his wife!!!!

Well cleaning your face is essential. I have combination skin meaning that parts are super dry and parts are super oily. I love Clinique products. They are perfect for different types of skin and they are very mild...meaning not lots of harsh chemicals like other product lines...so it's good for your skin. They also have a pore minimizer lotion that does just what it says. Here are a few of my favs:

With makeup I'm pretty open to anything. I have a wide variety of different brands that I like so it's all just a mixture. Cover Girl eye shadows are probably my favorite. I love all the purples and it helps that their prices are really affordable. I have to have mineral makeup for my foundation and powder. It helps minimize your pores and I've noticed mine are getting more and more noticeable over the years. Plus mineral makeup is great for your skin since it's made up of larger particles so it doesn't get stuck in your pores which leads to less breakouts. And there is nothing worse than a 25 almost 26 year old with a zit that pops out when she's getting ready for a formal military ball! A great mascara is also a girlie girls necessity. I'm currently using Maybelline Great Lash mascara but my all time favorite which I need to get is Lancome's Definicils. Both are great mascara so if your on a tight budget go with the Great Lash but if you can splurge a little make sure you try the Lancome.

For hair I'm pretty open to different shampoos. I've notice that my hair does better if I don't stick to one certain type of shampoo so every time I run out I buy a different brand. However, I always use my Infusium 23 leave in conditioner. That has even gone to the beach with me all those years ago when I would go. It's great for moisturizing your hair and keeps the salt water from drying out your hair. (This is a picture of the shampoo which I am currently using but if you try it the leave in conditioner is in a bottle just like this.)

Another product I can't live without with lip stuff. I'm a Carmex fanatic. I always have some with me and if I don't I freak out. Yes, I'm sure you would call this an addiction. There is one that stays in my purse, my pocket at work, Lane's bag, and on the couch where I sit. You just never know when you might need some and for me...that's about every 20-30 minutes. Aaron also jokes (well I guess it's not really a joke) that he can always tell when he's picked up my water bottle by mistake because all he can taste is Carmex. What can I say, I just like to have soft lips and that seems to help me the most!

Another favorite lip gloss of mine is MAC Lip Glass. Now trust me, you should never kiss ANYONE while wearing this! But it makes your lips look like the girls lips in magazines. They become completely flawless. You just put the color of your choice on and then paint on the lip glass and there you go...perfect lips that last all night long...as long as you don't have any kissing planned! This stuff is rather sticky and I know how Aaron hates kissing me when I just put on my Carmex so I can only imagine his reaction if he had this stuff all over him! But he loves my kisses so it's worth it right honey!!!!Basically those are all my essentials. I'm not to picky about brand (for most things)...maybe cause I just haven't found one that can't live without. I'm much more of a clothes person. I just ordered a few new clothes and in my attempt and getting "me" back. I'm still looking for the right shoes. I've been having bad luck because I can't find my size in the ones I like. But here are few of the shirts that I've bought. Now if only this snow would go away things would be perfect. It's virtually impossible to carry kids in the snow while wearing heels. Clumsy me will end up hurting myself and the kids! I did order a new dress to wear when Aaron comes home for R&R. He is going to love it because it's so "me" and something I haven't dressed in in years. That one is a surprise but here are a few of the other ones. I get so excited just talking about all this!!!!

These three came from Body Central. This store is just awesome they have the cutest clothes and great prices. The little jacket I wore yesterday and I just loved it.

These two came from Forever 21. I also ordered some dressed pants from there that are really cute. Again, this is a great store with great prices.

My goal is to start dressing more like a woman and less like a teenager. I want to look classy and sophisticated. I do prefer to shop in a store but up here I don't have many options for stores plus it's hard shopping with two little ones. I've got at least a month or so before I have to have my shoe collection in place. I refuse to wear heels while the snow is still here. And I can't just half way wear an outfit!

I'm a firm believer that you should not have to spend a lot to look good and be happy with yourself. I have learned that somethings are worth splurging for though...like the massage I got last week...but we women should take care of ourselves and when we do that...we are able to take so much better care of the people we love most...our husbands and our kids.

I know this was way different from my usual post but I hope you enjoyed it...I really enjoyed doing it. Maybe there will be more to come! You should try it out and share with me the daily things that you just can't live without!