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Over the last year, I have found myself wearing less and less makeup, and I feel so free. My makeup routine has also gotten so much shorter as a result, and I have perfected a simple, yet gorgeous look using a few of my favorite products.
P.S. Isn't this ToteSavvy Clear Pouch the perfect makeup bag?! Grab the Trio Set here!
Face //
I started using this particular moisturizer about a month ago, but I have used Philosophy products for years, and this moisturizer is among my top favorites. This one is super lightweight and perfect for the summertime if you have combo skin like I do. I love it because my under eyes have been extremely dry, while my t-zone has been oily. It helps my skin feel glowy, hydrated, and ready for makeup!
This will be a forever beauty favorite. I feel like I have talked about Complexion Rescue a million times here on the blog, and no matter the season, it's a staple. Sometimes I will mix it with It Cosmetics CC+ Cream and make a foundation cocktail, but lately, and especially since it's summertime, I've been wearing it as my foundation by itself. Complexion Rescue also has 30 SPF, so it's perfect to keep your skin protected from the sun each and every day.
With this concealer, in particular, the tiniest bit goes such a long way. I barely put a tiny dab on my ring finger, rub my ring fingers together to warm up the concealer, and then I tap it onto my undereye and eyelid. It is a very thick concealer, but when warmed and used in tiny amounts, it conceals without looking heavy or cakey.
I love a glow, but in the summertime, I will take a small amount and tap it into my t-zone, under my eyes, and on my lids to help set my makeup. I have used this for years and have loved it!
Okay, call me crazy, but lately, I've been using a darker shade of foundation as my bronzer! I love the little bit of coverage it provides on my cheeks (thanks rosacea) giving my skin a matte, natural finish.
This has been my go-to blush for a few years now. I love that it's marbelized and has a few colors to create the perfect, blended color. It helps create a skin-like flush and gives the tiniest bit of a natural-looking glow.
Eyes & Lips //
A micro brow pencil has been life-changing for me recently, and I don't know why I ever stopped using one. I was using a pencil that you sharpen because I didn't want to spend the extra three dollars...dumb haha! A micro brow pencil allows you to achieve natural-looking brows, and I find myself using way less and my brows look like my own, but better.
I have always wanted a Naked Palette, and I finally bought myself one! I love how naturally pigmented this one is, but how I can also use it to create a dramatic smokey eye if I wanted to! Recently, I've been using my bronzer color in the crease of my lid, the color Public from this palette on my lid, and the color Glassy in my inner corner and a tiny bit in the arch of my brow to give them a little lift. I'm a creature of habit and always go towards browns and pinks for my eyeshadow colors.
This has been a more recent purchase for me as well, and I will say it's not my favorite as far as it giving me dramatically full lashes, but it has not transferred onto my lids in the heat or flaked. I was having the biggest issue with this happening to me with any mascara I used in the past, and thankfully, this one hasn't! I also love that it has good-for-you ingredients to help nourish and moisturize your lashes.
In the past few months, I have put actual lipstick on less than ten times...mainly because I love being able to give my little dude kisses all day, every day. I totally forgot I had this lip balm, and I'm obsessed with it all over again. I have the shade, Perfect Rose, but the coolest part about it is that it reacts with the warmth of your lips to create the perfect, custom color for you! It creates a natural-looking lip color that helps complete your summertime makeup look!
This makeup routine is perfect for when you're on the go, for the Mama who still wants to feel like we have it together still, or for those who aren't big on a lot of makeup! Five minutes is all it takes and you're ready for the day...well, maybe ready for the day after your makeup is done and a cup of coffee!
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What are your favorite makeup products for the summertime?!
Every little boy needs a playroom for the never-ending Legos, cars, balls, and many other toys. We were finding that our living room had become Lego land, and I wanted Bentley to have a space that he could call his own.
You might remember this space from a while ago when we first moved in and styled this space. It used to look like this >>> Family Room, and we have changed the layout several times--mainly because when we designed it, we didn't consider that it'd be changing into a playroom so soon! Don't worry, the other half of the room is still all for Chris, but this side is all for Bentley, and that's the side that's featured in today's post!
Obviously, those photos above are the before, but I feel like every good DIY project starts with a terrible before photo so you can see how far we've come. We set up Bentley's toys and kitchen a couple of months ago just to give him a space of his own, but now it's time to show you the DIY process to take this less-than-inspiring playroom to a space that we all love!
I will say upfront, just like with every DIY project, take your budget and double it. This was supposed to be our under $50 weekend DIY project using leftover paint, however, our paint went bad, so we had to repurchase our paint, which made it a $100 DIY project.
First up, is the design. Chris is a graphic designer, so he actually designed this sign and came up with the entire idea! We purchased transparency paper here and were able to print on it with our printer at home. My Mother-in-Law works in education, so she had an old projector in her basement, and it worked wonderfully for this project! If you don't have a projector or know someone that has one, you can actually rent one from your local library, most of the time for free.
Once we got the projector lined up and it was at the perfect spot, we held our breath so we didn't accidentally move or bump it and started tracing our design with white colored pencils. I traced all of the curved lines and Chris went back with a straight edge and connected the straight lines so that we'd have crisp edges to follow while painting. Tracing took up about an hour and a half and we were able to get it done during one of Bentley's afternoon naps!
Next up was the fun part...which quickly became the not-so-fun and super tedious part...the painting! Since we were going from dark blue to white for a majority of the sign, we ended up needing four to five coats of paint for these letters, and that got old real quick. haha! We had to be strategic with our painting, so Chris actually taped off the straight edges and painted those while I focused on the curves and small letters.
The photo above was when we were so close to being finished...or so we thought. Later that night, we spent about four hours doing the touch-up painting to make the lines extra crisp. You can see that the lines were a little messed up or crooked, so thankfully the dark blue paint was easy to use to cover up the white and gray lines. Over the course of the long weekend, from random naptimes, attempting to have Bentley watch TV in the pack & play, to when Bentley went to bed, we were able to get this project completed!
I will say, this was our most tedious task ever, and I much prefer tiling over painting, but I am so in love with the way it helps brighten up the space and makes it our own.
Drum roll, please...
Paint & Project Details //
Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace SW 7076
Board & Batten Color: Sherwin-Williams Ceiling Bright White SW 7007
More recently, we changed our Board & Batten and white accents in the rest of our home to Sherwin-Williams Pure White SW-7005
Colors Used in The Jonesy Sign:
Toy Shelf // We painted and added legs to an IKEA wood cube shelf, but I found one here that is similar and doesn't need any modifications!
If you have questions about any other items, send me a DM on Instagram! :)
What do you think of this project?!
Finding Bentley cute clothes has been quite a struggle ever since he was born. Why are all the little girl's clothing the cutest ever, and then all the boy's clothing has huge clip art printed on them?! I will never understand it. haha! Once he started to get into 18-month clothing this month, I've been trying to find him clothing with either a neutral color palette, isn't childishly cheesy, or can be gender-neutral.
Toddler clothing, though way smaller, sometimes doesn't feel that much less expensive, so I've been trying to find clothing that will last multiple seasons (Bentley is a tiny peanut and clothing lasts him 2 seasons usually), or can be used by another little future peanut.
Here are a few of my favorite recent purchases for Bentley! The only thing we don't have yet is the Mama's Boy sweatshirt, but it's in my cart now to purchase for the end of summer/fall!
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Shop My Post!Boys will be Good Humans Graphic Tee
I realized that I never updated y'all on my newest adventure--my new job! After almost eight years in retail, it was time for a new adventure, and I was beyond ready to begin my new chapter in life.
I started working in retail unsure of what I wanted to do with my life after I graduated college. It’s crazy how a spur-of-the-moment decision to work as a sales associate for Michael Kors turned into an almost decade-long career that led me to be a store manager in the King of Prussia Mall—the exact position & location I swore I would never be in.
But, I am so, so glad that my retail journey led me to where I am today and taught me everything that it did. I will never forget my experiences, realizing what it took to navigate the ever-changing retail world during a pandemic, and the lessons I learned along the way. I will forever remember my support system (you know who you are) and the life-long friendships I made during this journey. These are the friends that were there for me during pregnancy with my son, transitioning into a new role after maternity leave, and a few short months later, taking on another new store and the hardships that came with that.
Working in retail, especially as a store manager, is not for the faint of heart. It takes relentless determination, focus, countless sacrifices, and the right amount of crazy to lead a successful team. I will forever say that retail is one of the hardest jobs, but one of the most rewarding.
I think the hardest part about transitioning out of retail is the fact that I don't get to see or talk to some of my teammates turned friends on a daily basis anymore. I also grew close to some of my clients, who would come into my store asking for me to help style them. Those were the moments I lived for. I truly loved helping my clients, and if you're one of my fav clients reading this now, I'm sorry I didn't get to tell all of you in person--I had hoped to have seen you all, but I missed a few.
I'm not going to lie, leaving my job was definitely scary, but a necessary thing to do. I wasn't happy--I felt like I never really saw my son, and by the time I got home, I was too tired to enjoy the time that I did get to spend with him. I felt like my family never came first, and after sacrifice after sacrifice, I decided to take the leap, switch careers altogether, and put my family and myself first.
My new job is honestly a God-send. There is honestly no other way to describe it. You know when you get that strong feeling in your heart that you need to do something, but you feel pulled into a million different directions all at the same time?! That's how this was for me. Terrified to leave the job and industry I knew so well, beyond excited to start a new career, but most of all, grateful for the fact that I was given this opportunity to be part of a brand that I love and believe in wholeheartedly.
This June, I became the Social Media Manager for ToteSavvy. If you don't know the brand, and you're a Mama, you need to check it out. We help Mamas keep their personal style while increasing functionality with our bag organizers, travel organizers, and clear pouches! We're basically for the Mama who is tired of using a typical diaper bag because let's face it, most of them aren't very cute. Plus, just because you're a Mama doesn't mean that you have to give up your handbags. As Mamas we make plenty of sacrifices--your handbags shouldn't be one of them.
Even before I became part of the ToteSavvy team, I worked with them right here on the blog. You might remember this post: Newborn Essentials I Could Not Live Without or my post on The Perfect Gifts for a First-Time Mom. Bentley loves the brand, too. 💙 Since my job is fully remote, I take all of the photos in our home, so naturally, Bentley is in some of the photos. I honestly love that he's so photogenic and loves helping Mama.
These are the moments I've always wanted and this is the life that I have worked so hard to have. I finally feel as if I'm in a season I've so desperately needed for so long. I'm beyond thankful and blessed and I'm excited to see where this adventure leads.
Always remember, you aren't meant to go through life miserable and unhappy. Yes, of course, there are times where you will be both of those things, but not for years on end. Get yourself out there, take a leap, and go live the life you've always wanted.
"Stay classy, stay positive, and love the life you live. The world is at your fingertips, darling." -KMJ-
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I'm not sure what's harder: figuring out what my toddler will eat or getting him to actually eat. Between growth spurts and teething, he either eats everything in sight, or he wants nothing to do with food at all. Growing kiddos need tons of nutrients, of course--they have to grow up big and strong! So, I wanted to share a few meals that Bentley love, loves, for lunch, and maybe your kiddo will, too.
Deconstructed Turkey Sandwich, Blueberries, and Goldfish //
Bentley loves turkey and cheese, so we do a deconstructed turkey sandwich. I just slice everything into bite-sized pieces for him to pick up separately since an actual sandwich is still a little too much for him to handle. Blueberries are his favorite fruit, so he eats blueberries with one meal a day. Seriously, the kid lights up when you pull blueberries out of the fridge. Goldfish are one of his favorite snacks, so I usually put some on his plate at lunch or he'll snack on them after lunch while we watch Mickey or Bluey!
Deconstructed Chicken Burger & Air Fried Tator Tots //
Whether you prefer beef, a vegan burger, or a chicken burger, you can still use this same concept! I cut up about half a burger (we melt cheese on it, too!), slice a couple of pickles, raw onion, and tomatoes. I also cut 2-3 Air Fried Tator tots for him. If you're still stuck on the fact that my child eats pickles and raw onions...yep. He loves them. haha! Since the plate we use for him is segmented, I use the center of it for ketchup, and he dips his tots and burger in it!
Toddler Charcuterie Board //
Little man loves cheese and fruit like his Mama. Every once in a while, we will skip meat during either lunch or dinner and do a vegetarian-type dish. Most of the time, if it's me preparing it, I'll make us both a mini charcuterie board of our favorite fruits we have on hand. I love doing sliced cheese for him since cubed cheese is a little harder for him to chew. He loves Ritz crackers, so he usually has two, and then I load him up on his favorite fruits we have at the time. He loves blueberries as I mentioned before, but he also loves grapes (please cut your toddler's grapes in quarters!!), peaches, and more recently, he's loving apples.
Eggs, Waffles, and Fruit //
Say hello to your newest go-to meal that's perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We've been loading Bentley up with protein since he's still under the 10th percentile for weight. He's a tiny little peanut; always has been, and always will be. I mean, he was 6 lb 2.5 oz, when he was born, so he's always been on the tiny side, but our pediatrician told us to try and get him to eat just a little more protein, so he suggested eggs! Turns out, Bentley loves scrambled eggs with a little cheese melted on top. I also started introducing strips of waffles so he can practice biting off pieces and dipping them into syrup. Who knew meal time was the perfect time for motor skills lesson?! Of course, it wouldn't be a meal without some sort of fruit for Bentley, and without fail, blueberries are in our house, always.
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Don't forget to grab the Divided Plate for your little one. I'm so glad we got this for meal time! We also love, love using these silicone bibs--they're so easy to clean!
What's your toddler's favorite lunch?!
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