Author: blonde rosie

Feel the Difference with Origins Drink Up Nourishing Avocado Lip Butter

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Let’s start off with the fact that not all lip balms are equal. How do I know this? It’s because I have about a dozen or so lip balms around my house so I can easily grab one when my lips feel dry. That’s not counting the two I have in my car and the black hole that is my purse that accumulates lost lip balms! I feel like lip balms are not talked about enough and we just grab the three-pack at the register at Target. In October Origins sent me a Drink Up Nourishing Avocado Lip Butter and I didn’t think much of it. I have so many lip balms so what could make this one so * special *. Well, it’s been weeks and this lip balm has been the one I have been grabbing the most. With most lip balms once the product dries, my lips go back to being dry. This is why I LOVE the Origins Lip Butter because just a little bit of product lasts practically all day because of the formula and it locks in the moisture so my lips never feel dry. Most other lip products can feel like you just lathered icky sticky product on your lips and hope for the best. I’m constantly reapplying and reapplying because once the product dries up, my lips are still dry. The Origins Lip Butter has ingredients that actually work like avocado oil and 8 plant-derived oils and butters – not chemicals to temporarily fix the issue.

This winter, do yourself a favor and run to the store to pick up an Origins Lip Butter. I promise you will notice immediately a difference in the product texture and your lips will notice a change after one use!

My Favorite Tarte Palettes + Holiday Deals

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I think we create a narrative in our heads sometimes about certain brands. We know they are high quality and popular but tell ourselves that they are out of our budget. That is how I used to think about Tarte cosmetics until I “treated” myself to buying an eyeshadow palette kit last year as a gift to myself. When I checked out I thought I got such a good deal because I spent way less money than I was expecting. Turns out those prices aren’t just for the holidays. But are for every day!

What I love most about their eyeshadow palettes besides the perfect size of them, is that I can create a day and night look with endless possibilities. Perfect for taking on vacation because I just have to take one with me without feeling limited with shades. I alternate through three eyeshadow palettes, Tartelette lil’ juicy, Tartelette lil’ toasted and Tartelette lil’ bloom. However, now that I’m on the website I want to add a few more things to my cart!! HA!

And no eye look is complete without a really good eyeliner. Liquid eyeliner can be a little intimidating and with very little practice, I can make the perfect cat eye with Tarte Sex Kitten liquid eyeliner. The felt tip makes it easy and my eyeliner never smudges or fades throughout the day.

Be sure to take advantage of the holiday sales this month and treat yourself to high-quality and affordable makeup products! Check out their holiday gift guide page to get the best deals on gift sets for all of the gals on your shopping list!

Protect Your Skin From Harsh Winter Weather with No7 Radiance+ Vitamin C Moisturizer

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Winter is here which means I need all new products to keep my skin feeling hydrated and looking radiant. I’ve been reaching for my jar of No7 Radiance+ Vitamin C Moisturizer in the morning after I wash my face. Even with my expensive cleaners, I can feel my face get dry when I wash my face in the morning so I like to give it some moisture right away! Right away my face looks brighter and glowy when I put it on. Secret ingredient?? Well luckily for us it’s not that much of a secret! The moisturizer has your daily boost of vitamin C in the formula giving you that radiant look. I love using a moisturizer with vitamin C in it because it is an antioxidant that helps protect your skin from environmental factors. Which our skin desperately needs right now as we go from our heated homes to the cold outdoors and then blasting the heat in our cars to warm up again! Give your face the right product to deeply hydrate for instant nourishment.

During the day, I gently massage the No7 Radiance+ Vitamin C Daily Brightening Moisturizer into the skin and then apply a layer of foundation. The moisturizer is quickly absorbed and makes a good primer for my foundation. Another sign that the moisturizer is quickly absorbed is by hour 12 of my day, my face is not greasy because of the moisturizer.

At night, I use a cream with retinol in it but since my face can be sensitive to retinol, I like to use the No7 Radiance + Vitamin C Daily Brightening Moisturizer around my eyes so the retinol does not dry out those areas. The next time you are looking for a moisturizer during the winter months, be sure to pick up one with the right ingredients to give you hydrated skin and protect your face from the harsh winter environment. Also, it’s very affordable!

Friday Favorites 12.3

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This week was back to work after a nice long Thanksgiving vacation. It was a fun weekend to spend time with the family watching Hallmark Christmas movies, doing some shopping with my mom on Black Friday, and enjoying turkey leftovers as much as possible! We wanted to enjoy a mid-week date night so we walked downtown to watch the tree lighting at City Hall and walked around to see the little pop-up shops. With the large crowds, we decided to come back another day to fully enjoy it because this year the Christmas Village set up is bigger than ever! Since it can’t be date night without a meal, we stopped at one of our favorite restaurants, Pub & Kitchen for dinner. We both got a cocktail to celebrate almost getting through the work week! Going into the week, we knew our work schedules were going to be super busy so to give us something to look forward to on the weekend, we made plans to decorate our house for Christmas this weekend. And if you cannot tell… I AM SO EXCITED!

So let’s get started and talk about my favorite things this week.

I’ve been enjoying 30 minutes of “alone time’ after work before J gets home. I usually curl up on the couch and watch an episode of Paris in Love or Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip on Peacock. It’s the perfect show to watch because it requires zero brain energy and is very entertaining. SPEAKING of Housewives, you must watch Housewive & Shah Shocker on Hulu if you follow the Jen Shah drama. I binge-watched Catherine the Great on Hulu one weekend because I love this show so much.

I love wearing a full face of makeup but I hate taking it off at night. Ugh, it is a struggle! I recently just finished using Maybelline Satin Liquid Foundation which I have used on and off for years. Luckily, I had a bottle of Maybelline Super Stay in my vanity that I’ve been using ever since. Wearing a mask most of the day because of work, I’ve found that using a full coverage foundation stays on the face better than a sheer foundation. Also I have been using this moisturizer every morning under my makeup and I notice my face looks brighter with daily use. At night I’m still using my retinol and dab a few spots of this moisturizer around my eyes since that area can be sensitive.

When we got back home from my parents house we came back home to an empty fridge and not much in the pantry. So on Monday after work I had to walk to the grocery store so we could eat dinner that night. This week I made barbeque chicken, stuffed peppers and quesadillas for dinner. Not that fascinating I know but it’s so nice to have options again!

I love visiting my parents because of how close they live to some of my favorite stores! We stopped in at Hobby Lobby and picked up a few things for the house before stopping at Homegoods and it’s dangerous when I walk in the front door! Hobby Lobby has an entire aisle dedicated to Grinch decor and I want all of it! Our Christmas plans are still up in the air so I delivered my parents Christmas presents when we were visiting at Thanksgiving to be on the safe side. I got my mom a butter ornament as a joke gift that I let her open early because we always joke about how much butter we use when we cook.

  • I keep a semi-full closet full of clothes at my parents house as well as a bottle of my favorite perfume so I don’t have to bring it back and forth.
  • My favorite Tarte eyeshadow palettes were on sale with Black Friday deals. Now is the time to stock up!
  • The windows at Macy’s are all decorated for Christmas!
  • The gin and tonic cocktail I had at Pub & Kitchen on our date night. Just thinking about it makes me want to have another!
  • Shared some festive stocking stuffer ideas here.
  • Last week I shared some gift ideas on the Blonde Rosie Facebook page. Keep an eye out because I’ll be adding more.

What I Wore This Week 4

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I’m a little behind on sharing my outfits on the blog because my life is been so busy lately but I’ve been loving every moment! Almost!! 🙂 I love doing this new series on the blog because it helps motivate me to create new outfits to photograph before work. After more than a year of wearing leggings and considering them to be real pants, I’m excited to shop my own closet. November feels like it flew by and I’m not sure if I’m ready for the Christmas holiday season! The day before we were driving down to North Carolina I was rushing to pack and didn’t have enough time to plan outfits so I just threw everything in a small overnight bag. When we got to my parent’s house it was clear that I didn’t really think my outfits through but luckily I packed enough sweaters to get through the weekend! We enjoyed the warmer temperatures in the South but were greeted with frigid weather when we got back! I didn’t realize I’d be wearing my big parka this early! This weekend I am taking my Christmas wardrobe out of storage so expect to see a lot of red and plaid on my Instagram this month!

BRRRR It has been very chilly the last few days! Working from home in the morning is convenient because I can wear a cute (but old) J Crew sweater with sparkly details and slippers and no one knows!
The release of RED TV felt like a national holiday so I celebrated by wearing red to work. I found this really old Hollister top in the back of my closet recently and love the fun sleeve details.
Another cold day means another sweater to stay warm! I have this sweater from Loft in so many colors and I hope they bring it back because I’m always wearing it on cold days.
A busy day at work before heading to school means a professional look from the waist up! I keep reaching for blouses from Loft to wear under cardigans when I have Zoom meetings. My schedule is a bit of a hybrid model with working from home in the mornings and then in the afternoon I head to school for programs. I need something cute, professional, and kid-friendly so this has been my go-to look.
Another busy morning on Zoom meetings before heading to Jersey for site visits at different schools. A perk of working in schools after-school is that I can wear jeans and sneakers. I stocked up on cute white sneakers over the summer and they have been great to wear keeping up with the kids. I prefer the sneakers from Target since they are inexpensive and I don’t mind if they get destroyed during programs.

Ways to Slow Down

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For the past few weeks… months actually I keep saying that the next week will be easier or that next weekend we won’t have that many plans. Then the next week arrives and we are full steam ahead trying to do it all. I’m sure I am not the only one who is trying to balance work and life right now and it is only going to get busier with the holidays around the corner. Being back to work means that I need to create new routines to help me relax and recharge on the weekends. 

Here are a few ways that I slow down during the week to allow my body to rest and be able to conquer that long and never-ending to-do list.

Sunday Brain Dump

This has been a lifesaver for me because it only takes 5 minutes and I can make a list of everything that needs to get done and have an idea of what is coming up that week.  Once everything is in my notebook, I schedule tasks and events on my paper and digital calendar linked to my phone. My digital calendar is composed of mostly reminders to do things so I can stay on task each day and not feel overwhelmed doing a lot of things on one day.

Theme Days

Over the last few years, I have committed to only cleaning the house on Tuesdays. By doing it once a week, it keeps everything in good shape so it’s not that much to clean the next week. On Sundays, I love going to bed with the living room pillows fluffed on the couch, an empty laundry basket, and fresh sheets. When you just think about all of the chores to do around the house, it can feel like a lot. But by doing a few things each day each week, it’s all doable. Reminder to run your dishwasher before bed each night. Your future self will thank you!

Saturdays are for Errands

During the week, I make a list on my phone of things we need to buy, stores to stop at, and such. If I can do all of my errands in one trip so I can be home at a reasonable hour on Saturday, I am in a much better mood. Sundays are for relaxing and Saturdays are for socializing so I like to get all of our errands done early so I can feel like I actually have a weekend. 

Fitness

I’ve debated over getting a gym membership for months now but for now, working in my bedroom works for me. I tell myself that I will work out for just 10 minutes at night before bed because that is when I have the time and what works for me. Most of the time it goes longer than 10 minutes but it’s not as daunting when I say it will just be a few minutes of ab workouts or lifting weights. 

Set a Reminder for Bedtime

I’ve talked about this routine before and it is what has helped me the most since going back to work. I’m in bed at night at a certain time each night and my body looks forward to it every evening. It doesn’t matter if I’m watching tv or reading in bed, as long as I’m in bed, my body knows it’s done for the day. 

Self Care Is Important Too

I’m not kidding when I set up reminders for basically everything going on in my life. That includes a reminder to take a bath on Sunday evening before bed, a face mask on a Wednesday, and a quick polish change on Thursdays. If it’s in my calendar, I’m more likely going to set time aside for myself, and taking care of yourself is important too! 

About that busy holiday season….

If you are planning to travel to visit family, pack early so it’s one less thing you need to worry about. I’m doing my Christmas shopping early and dropping off items at Thanksgiving already wrapped to make the gift exchanges easier. We have so many holiday traditions in the city we love to do so I already created a calendar invite and invited J to see the Christmas tree lighting and walk through Macy’s Christmas Village. It’s on our calendars so we have something fun to look forward to and it won’t feel rushed. Decorating the house for Christmas should be fun so I’ve already started the deep clean for when we take down the fall decor and start putting up the trees! It may seem daunting but plan ahead. Your future self will thank you for it!