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CURRENT FAVES: Mama’s 10-minute fall makeup routine

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If you’ve seen my recent Instagram stories, you saw my annual Sephora haul. Colder weather is a tough transition for my brain. I LIVE for sunshine. And when I know cold temps are coming, I cope by making changes to my appearance and routine…and pretending like freezing temps are actually never happening. Just me?!

I’ve received a bunch of sweet messages from you all about that *pregnancy glow* you’ve noticed lately. You guys are the sweetest. But, I’m here to tell you: I think it’s the makeup!

As someone who generally prefers to wear as little makeup as possible, I’ve been so excited about these products that I have actually WANTED to put on makeup nearly every day. And that says alot! Most of the products below are from my Sephora haul – plus a few items I’ve been using for a while. 

Face

After I have a clean face, I use Burt’s Bees Renewal Firming Day Lotion as a moisturizer/primer base. It’s not technically a primer, but I use it as one. I love that it has SPF 30 and is wrinkle reducer. 

For foundation, I have been OBSESSING over bareMinerals’ BlemishRescue Skin-Clearing Loose Powder Foundation in the shade Neutral Ivory. It’s formulated with 0.5% salicylic acid, so I actually feel like it’s helping me manage my breakouts – rather than just clog up my pores. This foundation is a bit more full coverage than the typical bareMinerals product, which I actually love, especially since it’s so lightweight.

Contouring

Because I tend to have oily skin, I opted for all matte products during my recent Sephora trip. I am absolutely loving the soft, beautiful finish of the Marc Jacobs O!Mega Bronzer Coconut Perfect Tan. A quick sweep across the underside of my cheekbones, along my hairline, along either side of my nose, and a light dusting across my jaw line, and I’m done! I love how natural it looks, and I’m so glad I made the switch from a shimmery bronzer to a matte one.

If I’m up for a light dusting of blush, I use a couple swipes of my new Nars Amour Blush, just to warm up my face a little. I tend to have red undertones to my skin, so I try to go super light on red/pink colors so I don’t overdo it.

I typically use a quick couple of brush strokes of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (highlighter) under my eyes in a v-like shape, across the top left and right of my forehead, and straight down my nose. Again, I go fairly light on this, too. It does have a bit of a shimmer to it, but not over the top.

Eyes

I keep my eye makeup routine pretty simple and quick as well. The RealHer Do Your Squats palette arrived in a previous FabFitFun box, and I like it. I dust the entire lid and up to my brow line with the color Driven (a very light, almost white color) to brighten things up and give it a simple base. Then, I use a warmer brown or soft mauve color (Invincible and Indomitable are my current go-to colors in the palette) to give my eyes a bit of smokey dimension, but nothing crazy or over-the-top.

I don’t like a heavy eyeliner look, so I tend to use a fine brush to line the bottom of my lash line with a darker brown eyeshadow. This tends to just soften the look a bit – none of that WOAH, NICE EYELINER look for me. For the top lash line, if I’m not super lazy, I’ll apply a thin line of Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black. If you’ve ever been afraid of using liquid eyeliner, this is for YOU! The applicator is so forgiving, and if I mess up, I just grab a q-tip to fix my mistake, and keep going. Seriously, love this stuff.

Anyone else SUPER picky about mascara? I haven’t made the plunge into eyelash extensions (though I’ve seriously considered it!), so I’m always on the lookout for the best mascara with the shortest applicator bristles. I don’t like the long traditional mascara applicator brushes because I think they make my lashes wayyyy too clumpy. My go-to mascara for the last couple of years has been L’OREAL Voluminous Butterfly Sculpt in Blackest Black. You’ll never believe how short these applicator bristles are…and I’m telling you, they’re the best!

Lips

If you saw my Instagram stories, you heard me talking about the bold lip color that I picked up at Sephora that was a bit out of my comfort zone. I wanted a good fall lip color that I didn’t have to reapply over and over again. The woman helping me picked up the Sephora brand Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick in Autumn Wind.

I’ll be honest, I was a little scared at first because it was a way darker color than what I’m used to. I applied it when I got home, and BAM. It was wayyy too dark.

Pro tip:  I decided to try to apply a smaller amount with a q-tip to minimize the product, and so I could manipulate the placement a bit more than with the lip color wand. And guess what?! I LOVE IT!!! 

I will say that the color does not hold up for the entire day. However, it does hold up longer than most lipsticks, and when it does start to fade, it doesn’t look gross. I like to swipe a bit of gloss or even chapstick over the top, so it doesn’t feel dry throughout the day.

That’s it!

And there ya have it! That’s my usual makeup routine. I know it sounds like alot, but I promise it takes me maybe ten minutes total, and I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on it lately!

From you all: When I recently asked about your favorite Sephora products, you said: Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna and Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara were among your go-to’s! 

Tell me below, do you use any of these products? And how often do you change up your makeup routine? 

4 Things I absolutely loved about my momcation with Carnival Cruise Line

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This post is in partnership with Carnival Cruise Line, but opinions expressed are my own.

This past weekend, I returned from my first ever momcation – a trip I decided to take on a whim. With my bags packed with all of my essentials, I set sail with my mom and two aunts on the Carnival Conquest for a nearly week long trip across the Caribbean. This was my second Carnival cruise, and let’s just say, the staff did NOT disappoint! Here are four things I absolutely loved about my momcation with Carnival Cruise Line. 

The food

It’s safe to say we didn’t go hungry on our cruise. There was basically food EVERYWHERE, ALL DAY! And I got to sit down and eat EVERY SINGLE MEAL. That alone was like vacation.

I’m blaming my pregnancy weight gain on Carnival. From huge buffets at breakfast and lunch to three course dinners, I’m probably going to scare myself at my next OB visit when I step on the scale. But, oh well! It was totally worth it. I discovered Eggs Benedict at breakfast (um, what have I been doing with my life?! This stuff is amazing), and at dinner, I had the BEST crab cakes I’ve ever had in my life. Seriously, sooo good! Oh, and the dessert…I mean…where do I even start? Chocolate melting cake, creme brulee, baked Alaska, etc.? We didn’t have a bad dessert or meal!

On board, they surprised us with a private tour of the kitchen, where they serve 1500 meals in 45 MINUTES! Can you even imagine?! Our dinner staff treated us like gold, and not to mention, did some hilarious and cute dinnertime dancing/singing for us nearly every night, too.

Meeting Chef Satish during our private kitchen tasting (see my Instagram stories for more behind-the-scenes in the kitchen).

The service

I don’t know about you, but I’m disappointed by poor customer service on a regular basis – from grumpy cashiers to rude coffee shop workers. I don’t know what happened to great customer service, but it seems that Carnival hasn’t let this slip into a thing of the past.

Every single day, we were greeted by smiles and “Hello, Whitney, Debbie, Julie and Mary,” by our stateroom steward and our dining staff. They truly made us feel at home, and every day, our steward delivered fresh towels, tidied our space, made our beds in the morning, turned down the covers for us before we arrived at night…and even made us laugh with fun towel animals – including a monkey swinging from the ceiling one night, ha! I mean, having someone make MY bed and turn down the covers was a dream in an of itself!

Our fantastic dinner staff – including (left to right) Angel, Oka and our head waiter, Yosef, whose been with Carnival for 20 years! See my Instagram for Yosef’s mad dance skills.

The views and relaxation

There’s something about being on board a cruise ship that makes me sleep like a baby! It must be the gentle swaying of the ocean waves that rock me to sleep, or the fact that I know I’m going to wake up to views of ocean as far as I can see. Whatever it is, I was SO well-rested on board.

We’d go to bed early (before 10 p.m. most nights) and wake up around 7 a.m. to get our workout/walk in on the top deck with a fresh ocean breeze and breathtaking views. Talk about a great start to the day!

If we were on board for a day at sea, we’d grab pool chairs and layout in the sunshine near a salt water pool while reading and listening to Carribean music from a nearby performer. We made stops in Nassau (Bahamas), Half Moon Cay (Bahamas), Grand Turk (Turks and Caicos) and Amber Cove (Dominican Republic).

The most relaxing stop was in Half Moon Cay, where we rented rafts and literally floated out into the clear blue ocean for most of the day. I got super fried in the sun, but it was so worth it for the views and the relaxation! Seriously unlike any other experience I’ve had on vacation.

My raft view from Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas where we floated for an entire day.

The fun 

Who says you can’t have fun when you’re pregnant? We tapped into our adventurous side and tried out the on board water slide, and went ziplining over the huge pool in Amber Cove (twice!). It was so fun! We also got some quality shopping done in Nassau, and taste tested the famous Tortuga rum cakes (and may have brought back a couple of cakes!).

A couple of evenings, after our bellies were sufficiently stuffed at dinner, we’d catch a movie near the pool on the big screen located on the upper deck. I never make time to watch movies anymore, and I was so excited to finally get to see The Greatest Showman on board. So good! There were also plenty of performances to catch every night, like comedy shows, piano bar singing, casino games, live music as well as on board shopping.

Sipping on a virgin Pina Colada at the party pool in Grand Turk.

We laughed too much, ate too much, and slept too much. And that – in my opinion – is what vacation is all about. Thanks to Carnival for making my momcation one to remember. It will likely be the last true vacation I take for a while with baby #2 on the way!

Now, I’m attempting to settle back into my Midwest reality – without three course dinners, laying out all day, and stunning ocean views. To be honest, leaving for a whole week was really hard. I battled a LOT of momguilt and missed my family so much. But, being apart gave us space to miss one another and find gratitude for the little moments.

Left to right: Mom, me, Aunt Julie and Aunt Mary.

I’m back and feeling super recharged and grateful I had the support of my husband and family to go on this trip. And if you’ve read this far, I hope you’ll take this as a sign that you need to make time for yourself, too…with a momcation or otherwise.

I’ll be looking forward to my next momcation way off on the horizon! Until next time, Carnival. 

PS: To see videos and more snippets of my Carnival experience, visit my Instagram and click on the Momcation icon in my story highlights. You don’t want to miss the sweet reunion with my boys at the airport (tears!). 

Momcation essentials

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Getting ready for my momcation at the end of this week has been a gradual process. I’ve been preparing my son, my husband, my dogs – and my suitcase, little by little. As the day approaches to leave for my cruise, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious about being away from my family for an entire week.

BUT, I know I’ll be a better mom because of it. After all, I firmly believe that self-care is one of our most important jobs as moms. And I’m really looking forward to several things on this trip: quality time with my mom and aunts (while I’m NOT chasing a toddler), sunny relaxation, eating uninterrupted meals, and workouts with an ocean view.

To be honest, I’m not exactly sure if I know how to relax anymore, so this will be interesting.

As I’m slowly packing, I wanted to let you in on my must-have essentials to survive a week without momming. Here’s a snippet of what I’m taking with me to the airport this weekend: 

For relaxation

For taking care of my skin

  • Morning skincare routine – I’m a big fan of the Meijer brand face cleansing wipes because they’re effective, especially for a quick fresh face first thing in the morning. And they’re more affordable than many name brand wipes. After a fresh face, I love applying a moisturizer with sunscreen – and Burt’s Bees Renewal Day Lotion with SPF 30 has been my favorite recently.
  • Evening skincare routine – I don’t know what I’d do without my Clarisonic. I’ve used this deep cleaning accessory for years now, and it does an amazing job of getting all the daily oil and makeup off my face. Well worth the price. And my go-to face wash is Neutrogena Naturals because it’s free of all the junk – like parabens and sulfates. Before bed, I’ve been absolutely loving Burt’s Bees Night Cream with Royal Jelly. 

For workouts with a view

  • Morning sweat sessions – Gotta have my Powerbeats wireless headphones to crank my tunes. My favorite workout on a cruise is on the small “track” on the top deck – I love running laps and adding in some cardio/body weight resistance training, too. There’s no better workout than one surrounded by nothing but ocean. I use a simple armband from Amazon to keep my phone – and room key in one place.
  • Best running shoes – I’ve worn the same brand of running shoes since my high school cross country/track days: Mizunos. I love them because when I get a new pair, I NEVER have to break them in with the discomfort of other running shoes – with painful things like blisters. Everyone’s feet are different, but Mizuno Wave Riders have been my go-to for years!

For evenings at sea

Now your turn: If you could go on a momcation tomorrow, what essentials would be on your list? Gimme your top 3 below! And don’t forget to subscribe to my email list for a little vacation-inspired treat for your inbox at the end of this week.

Why I’m leaving my family behind and taking a momcation (and why you should, too)

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On a whim a couple of months ago, I clicked “book” on a cruise. Without my husband. Without my son. Just me and the bump. I’ll set sail in just a couple of weeks for a full seven days away from the day-to-day responsibilities of motherhood. Instead, I’ll be waking up to ocean breezes and water as far as I can see. Sounds dreamy, right?

Vacay mode

To be honest, I didn’t exactly set out to book a vacation. After all, my list of excuses are a mile long, including the fact that I’ll be 20 weeks pregnant, and I have an extremely busy toddler. And even though he leaves me feeling drained and exhausted most days, I still miss him when we’re apart for more than hour. We’re a little attached.

But, my mom and aunts had booked the cruise a long time ago, and when a spot opened up to be my mom’s roomie, I just couldn’t pass it up. 

After a round of “Could we actually make this happen?” conversations, my husband, Alex was on board with the plan, too (Read: Not excited to be a single dad for a week, but said he’d be ok with me going).

Why I decided to book a momcation

Let’s be real: Motherhood doesn’t stop. Demands and stressors of family life don’t stop. And it’s a wild, beautiful ride that I don’t take for granted one single day. But sometimes, I just need a break. 

And I’m willing to bet you do, too.

As moms, it’s second nature to put this pressure on ourselves to be superwoman – to do all the things, to care for everyone – all while never giving ourselves judgment-free permission to come up for air.

But, why? I don’t know about you, but I’m no superwoman. And trying to be her is exhausting – not to mention, flat out unattainable.

We have to stop defining our measure of motherhood by how much we pour into others while depriving ourselves from what makes us feel alive. Instead, can we just give ourselves permission to say, “My well-being is just as important as everyone else’s in my family.” 

Take this advice from an excerpt in Arianna Huffington’s book Thrive:

As Tony Schwartz, Founder of the Energy Project, says, with exercise, it’s during rest and downtime that muscle growth occurs. To achieve peak physical fitness, we push ourselves hard in short bursts of high intensity, and then we rest and recover. And that’s exactly how we should live our lives for overall performance and well-being.

Leaving momcations on the table

Did you know that according to projecttimeoff.com 52 percent of Americans have unused vacation days? Some of the most common reasons for not vacationing include: 1) Fear of appearing “un-dedicated” or replaceable; 2) Too heavy of a workload; 3) Lack of coverage, or feeling like no one else could do their job.

Whether you’re a working mom, stay-at-home-mom or work-from-home-mom, don’t these excuses sound familiar? The fact is: It’s hard to get away. Taking a vacation can be expensive. It can be scary to let someone else take over. It can feel overwhelming to be away for an extended period of time. And we can feel like no one (including our husbands) can pull of parenting quite the same as us. 

Guess what: It’s still possible. Taking a momcation doesn’t have to be fancy. You don’t have to go to a luxurious resort, or head out on a cruise. But, you CAN take a break, whatever that looks like for you. It’s possible. 

Let’s set sail on a new mentality

When I was a kid, my mom taught me the importance of taking a break. Nearly every year, she’d leave my dad, brother and I at home for the week while she set sail on a cruise with her gal pals.

Wow, did we miss her! And ya know what: Her absence made us realize just how much she loved and sacrificed for our family. I remember that she’d always come home full of radiant energy, funny stories, and you could just tell that her soul was rested and recharged.

She needed it. She prioritized it. And she – and our family benefited from it. 

Schedule your momcation

Ever thought about going on a momcation? Maybe not a cruise, but a couple of days (or more) away from the family? If you haven’t, you should. It doesn’t have to be fancy. And you don’t have to spend a bunch of money.

The truth is, I feel pretty guilty about leaving. It’s not going to stop me from going, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t intend to worry about my guys and be sad about the little moments I’ll be missing here at home.

But, I know that it will be good for my soul, as well as my heart and my mental health. And my family deserves me at my best – rested, recharged, and able to pour from a full cup. So, I’m setting sail. And I hope you do, too, friend. Whatever your momcation may look like.

If you could click “book” on your momcation, where would you go? What would you do? Tell me in the comments below!

Answering your pregnancy questions

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First of all, thank you guys SO much for all your love and sweet comments and messages about our newest addition. As I mentioned in a recent post, I had some hesitations about sharing this news because I know how painful it can be to be on the receiving end of a pregnancy announcement.

But, thank you for rallying with us. We feel so blessed to share this news and this journey with all of you! Recently, on Instagram, I asked for your pregnancy questions. So, here are the answers to (most) of them. If you don’t see your question answered, I promise I’m answering it in an upcoming post!

When is your due date?

I’m due on Valentine’s Day!

Baby name yet?

I think we have one! But, like we did with Roman, we’re planning to keep his name kind of quiet. Why? Honestly, I don’t want anyone’s opinion to change how we feel about it. We’ll share it in February when he arrives! 

How is this pregnancy different?

So far, this pregnancy has had only a couple of minor bumps. My pregnancy with Roman was a BREEZE, so I expected a few hurdles this go around. At one of my first ultrasounds, my doc told me that I had a very small subchorionic hemorrhage. That’s a fancy way of saying there was a blood clot in the placenta. After two weeks of a “no exercise” order, I went back in and the clot was gone. Praise the Lord!

Also, similar to my last pregnancy, I had low progesterone levels. Your body produces progesterone to maintain a viable pregnancy, and if levels are too low, it could result in a miscarriage. So, from the time I found out I was pregnant through the remaining part of the first trimester, I was on a super high dose of oral progesterone supplements. Spoiler alert: These pills turn you into a nauseous zombie. But, now I’m off them, and feeling like a human again!

How is it being pregnant while you have a toddler?

Not terrible! The first trimester was a bit tough, just because I was tired. But, I’m bouncing back and able to chase wild Roman around much better these days. My next question is: How will it be having a newborn and a toddler? TBD. Send me good vibes, ha!

Did you go through fertility treatment this time?

We had 100% planned to go through fertility treatment to get pregnant again. If you’re familiar with our story, you know that our path to parenthood wasn’t the easiest. 

Here’s the crazy part: We didn’t go through treatment this time. We started trying in March, and I got pregnant in May. With zero medical intervention whatsoever. I know. I’m shocked, too!

I am not a doctor, but I have to wonder if a change to my diet may have helped. Because I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), I had started reading up on this condition. And I had heard of some fertility protocols that included going gluten free. Oddly enough, I had been battling off-and-on digestive issues for what seemed like forever. After a consult with my doctor, he suggested I try going gluten free. Two months later, I was pregnant. 

Now, I’m not saying this is 100% the reason for my quick pregnancy this time. But, I have reason to believe it certainly didn’t hurt my chances! For some people, gluten can cause inflammation and toxins in the body, which I believe can only hinder pregnancy. This is my personal opinion!

How did your joy differ with this pregnancy?

I’ll be honest, I spent the first trimester waiting for the other shoe to drop with this pregnancy. It happened too easily, too quickly compared to last time. So, I’ve had a hard time bonding with this pregnancy/baby thus far, simply out of fear of losing the baby. But, now that I’m in the second trimester, I’m starting to get more comfortable with the idea of a perfectly healthy pregnancy.

How did you remain hopeful while trying to conceive?

Again, we fully anticipated going through treatment again. One thing I learned when going through fertility treatment was that NOTHING happens fast. So, I just tried to settle into the idea that it would more than likely take a while this time, and I just tried to be ok with that. I figured that if I got pregnant once (well, twice, including my miscarriage before Roman), I assumed it would happen again. But, God would have to be in charge of the timing. So, I tried to listen to His direction, and He told me not to jump to treatment just yet. And I’m so happy we tried on our own.

How did you find out you were pregnant?

Get this: I found out I was pregnant on Father’s Day! I got up super early to go to the store to grab cards for our dads (because, last-minute is how I roll). I had been feeling chunky for the previous few weeks, and I’d taken pregnancy tests, but they’d all been negative. I honestly thought my thyroid or something was off again, so I figured I’d better just do one last double-check and be sure I wasn’t pregnant.

I snagged a pregnancy test and figured it’d be another negative. When I got home with the groceries, we had about five minutes before we had to scoot out the door for a visit to Alex’s parents house for Father’s Day. I snuck into the bathroom to take the test without Alex noticing, then went back to the kitchen to put away the groceries. I even muttered, “No way it’s positive,” as I walked away and waited for the results. 

When I came back a minute or two later, my heart just about beat out of my chest. I could NOT believe I was reading PREGNANT! I was in absolute shock. I tried to calmly walk back to the kitchen and hide my surprise from Alex. When I whipped the test out of my pocket and said, “Happy Father’s Day!” to Alex, I think he nearly freaked out, too. Talk about an unexpected gift!

Did you REALLY not know what color was inside your gender reveal cupcakes?

Truly, we did not! I was soo paranoid I’d see a filling color inside our sweet cupcakes from Smallcakes Greenwood. I even had nightmares about it the night before our reveal party! Smallcakes did a great job, though, and they sure surprised us with the blue filling inside! 

Highly recommend Smallcakes for your cake/cupcake needs! And they have gluten free/dairy free options available on the weekends, which is awesome.

What did you crave with Roman and what are your cravings so far with this pregnancy?

With Roman, I craved breakfast food. But, I really only craved certain foods in the first trimester. With this pregnancy, I’ve craved breakfast food, too….and fries…and gluten. Currently, I’m on a soup kick and I’m loving me some Diet Coke. Oh, and I simply cannot drink coffee at home. It just sounds gross. So, I’ve been frequenting the local Starbucks every day. Send help! 

How did you feel when you found out you were having a second boy?

Honestly, it was such a mixed bag of emotions! At first, I was in absolute shock. Like, “No way is there blue in here!” In fact, if you watched our LIVE video from the gender reveal, you’ll see that Roman’s cupcake fell on the floor and I didn’t believe there was blue inside. So, I went and tore open another one, just to be sure, haha!

But, truly, I am soo excited that I get to be a boy mama all over again. I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy at heart, and I just know I was meant to be a boy mom. I can’t wait to watch these guys grow up together. 

Tell me what you want to read

I’m so excited to bring you along on this journey as we prepare to welcome our second little guy. Tell me in the comments below what kind of pregnancy/maternity content you want to read or what questions you want answered!