Makeup

Background: I am a Makeup Wearer. I have been since I was about 12. I am by no means an expert/professional- but I like to wear it. That being said- it can't take longer than 5 minutes in my getting ready routine. That's not my style.


Long story short- after having Kyle I had some skin issues arise that were not fun. I finally went to the dermatologist- and he said it was essentially "adult acne" and gave me some drugs to take. They were not too heavy of drugs- as I was nursing, and he told me to come back a couple months after I was done nursing and he'd give me stronger stuff, if needed. I asked how long I would have to take them. He said, "Well, it could be indefinitely."


I do not like taking drugs. And indefinitely is a really long time. (Definitely not my style) So I became much more diligent in my food choices and in taking supplements, (zinc, cod liver oil, biotin) because I believe "you are what you eat." It helped a lot. A whole lot. Last summer I also decided it was time to stop putting a ton of chemicals on my face. So I switched to mineral makeup.


I had not used mineral makeup before. It was new and different. At first, it took more than my allotted 5 minutes of makeup application time (I'm faster now, and back at 3-5). I really like it. You should try it!


I'm not here to recommend a brand, I know there are a lot of great ones out there, but  I will tell you what I've used. (Meaning- it's makeup for goodness sake- how many brands could I have tried in less than a year?)


I first got Bare Essential getting started kit because 1) I didn't really know what I was doing/how to use mineral makeup. It came with the basic brushes, 2 foundations, blush, and mineral veil. I thought it was expensive, but it worked well and I was in mineral makeup business. 

If you do this- go into Ulta or another store that carries it and try out the foundations to see what color you need. Bare Essentials has a lot of online promotions, so check to see if it saves you money.


That was in the summer, and my foundation in the summer and winter are drastically different. So when winter came, I tried everyday minerals. I've used their base, eyeshadow brushes, and some eye shadow. They'll send you free samples so you can get the perfect color for you. I really like this brand. It works great, and it's more affordable. They also have online deals all the time. I will say, though, that if you have no idea what you want or need, or how to use mineral makeup, their website doesn't offer much help. So if you have any questions, let me know (I may or may not know the answer:)


FYI- Mineral makeup does contain SPFage. I use straight coconut oil as a face lotion at night. Some mornings I'll use oil of olay sensitive skin lotion if I need it (when that runs out, I'll look into it more and decide how I feel about it), and I still use my maybelline mascara. So don' t think I'm perfect :)

*And sorry there's no pictures or a step-by step process. I'm no photographer. Jana- this would be a fun project for us- don't you think? In our spare time...

Green Bean Salad

Okay- this Green Bean Salad is really good. I've made it several times. My little family loves it (except Grace who is going through a "I don't like green beans" phase. So her vote doesn't count) I even brought it somewhere as a side dish, and people said they liked it. (It was my parents- so hopefully they would be honest and tell me if they didn't?)  I've eaten it for lunch, dinner, and even breakfast one day (It's that good- and I'm weird.) So now I get excited when I see green beans on sale somewhere. I'm easy to please.

We ate this along with black beans and rice for dinner.

Green Bean Salad

Adapted from Deliciously Organic*. Serves 8

For the dressing:
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
3 oranges, segmented
1 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup chopped almonds, toasted 

Directions:
Stir vinegar, thyme, honey, mustard, onion, and salt together in a small bowl. Pour in olive oil and whisk until combined.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add beans to boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes, until bright green. Drain, run cool water over to halt cooking, and pat dry. Place cooked beans, oranges, dates and almonds in a large bowl. Pour dressing over beans, toss and serve. Best served at room temperature.

* I used less oil- because the first time I made it, there was a lot of "sauce" left in the bottom. It was still good, but it made me cringe to let all that good oil go to waste. I like the sauce-to-bean ratio better with less oil. I used almonds instead of hazelnuts because I don't have hazelnuts on hand. And I renamed it because Alan's pet-peeve is when the name of the dish is the ingredient list- and I don't think you'd believe me that it was good if I named it "Green Bean Surprise" .

All About Kids Class- Rescheduled!

My friend, Katie, and I are hosting a kids class all about essential oils. It is being taught by Sarah Brooks, who has her degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. She also has plenty of field experience with her own 5 children. Come join us as we learn how to help our kids stay healthy using essential oils! (FYI- winter does not have to equal perma snot and coughs in kids. Really!- there are things you can do to combat this!)

All about Kids
Essential Oil Class
Thursday, January 26th
7:30 PM

Katie's Home
Guadalupe and 101 area in Mesa, AZ.

(leave a comment with your contact info and I'll send you the address. Comments are moderated and I won't publish your info.)

Feel free to come and bring a friend! If you could let me know that you're planning on coming, that would be great! (So we can have some idea of how many to expect.)

And let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!