I am religious with my morning and night routine. It could be 2 am and I will still do it. No one got anywhere without being consistent and that is especially my motto with my skincare. I hate that my teenage self went in tanning beds and lathered on oil at the beach. I have come a long way since those days and get monthly facials, treatments/lasers, apply SPF daily, drink loads of water, and treat my skin with care. I am finally free of hormonal acne and at my recent dermatologist appointment, my doctor told me my skin looks great and to keep doing what I’m doing. And my esthetician gave me an A+, too. The two opinions that matter most and that is making me feel really good 🙂
I used to dread whitening my teeth for fear of them hurting for days afterwards. These whitening strips are the only ones that don’t make me feel like I’m biting into ice cream a day later.. and they work. I try to whiten my teeth 2x a week.. usually before bed when I’m reading or doing blog work I’ll slap some strips on for 20-30 minutes at a time. When my smile looks and feels bright, it boosts the confidence a bit.
Ice roller + eye patches in the morning
This feels so luxe in the morning. I get my eye patches and ice roller out of the freezer and put them on before walking on the tread or sipping my coffee before the kids wake up. I notice when I skip this step, I feel and look puffy and/or tired. Ice rolling is truly a game changer when it comes to the circulation in my face.. and before I had the ice roller, I would legit dunk my head into a big bowl of ice water. Literal ice water. And it felt soooooo good. This ice roller holds its cool and isn’t as harsh as the ice bucket challenge.
I throw a face mask on at least once a week but Sunday’s while I put clean sheets on beds and put loads of laundry away makes it feel extra productive. I love an exfoliating mask 1-2x a week to shed dead skin and layers and get that smooth as a baby’s bottom glass skin. This one I linked leaves me feeling so clean and glassy.
These Uggs with every outfit including jeans
Tis the fall season for Ugg boots and I am so happy it’s here! I have been loving any and all slides for ease and convenience and the Ugg Tazz slippers are so comfortable. And while they are technically, yes, slippers I wear them as my going out shoes and feel great about that decision. They look so cute with jeans, slacks, and sweats and really easy to get away with wearing them to school, the grocery store, any and all errands if done right. Check our Pinterest board for outfit inspo.
Creamy white chicken chili for the whole family
My kids are finally at the age where they, for the moooooost part, will eat or try to eat what Britt and I are also having for dinner. This is absolutely the case when it comes to soups and chili. The boys gobble it up and this fall I plan to make this creamy white chicken chili every week. I love having leftover soup in the house for a quick after school snack for the boys. I like to make enough that it keeps us fueled for at least two days before I have to think about the next thing I’m gonna make.
Gentle movement like yoga, walking, tennis and pickleball
Ever since seeing a naturopath (more on that here) and reviewing some of my blood work, I’ve been told to try and lower my cortisol with more gentle movement and less HIIT/cardio. I have really been taking this to heart and only do an intense workout 1x a week when before, it was closer to 5x a week. I have so appreciated the break from all the cardio and moving my body in a more intentional rather than punishing way. I love a good weekend yoga class, long walks, tennis 2x week and pickleballing 3x a week. Racquet sports are such a good workout but it feels fun, enjoyable and social while doing it. And I am shocked with how my body is responding.. I have finally dropped some of the weight I’ve been carrying since postpartum because I am not longer in this fight or flight mode.
Gold Bond has been around for YEARS, decades probably, and when I asked my esthetician what she thought of retinol body lotion by Gold Bond she was like, “ HELL YES! Gold Bond has proven to have really effective ingredients!” So here we are, applying a nightly body lotion with retinol in it. It’s not super intense so doesn’t dry me out but I figure the more retinol the better. I don’t apply this to my face as I use a prescribed tretinoin for that. But everywhere else is fair game. My legs, arms, chest, hands you name it. I’m lathering it on. Retinol is so important in our 30’s and beyond so start now.
