Misc.

I get a lot of questions about the different beauty products I use… which is kind of hilariousness because I’m definitely not that into cosmetics. I often just use whatever I can find for free after rebate and coupons!

However, I’ve received enough emails that I thought I should write a post with a few of my favorite beauty product… you know, the ones I’d buy even if I didn’t have a coupon {and that means I really like them!}

Also, please note: I was not paid by any of these companies… these are really the products I use every day! 

Skin:

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My skin is very dry… especially in the winter, so I’m always trying out new lotions and creams on my face and body. I like some better than others, but over the past few years, I’ve decided on a few of my favorites.

3 Citrus Face and Eye Cream from Prairieland Herbs:

I was first introduced to Prairieland Herbs by a friend of mine… and have been hooked ever since! I’ve done two different giveaways with them because I just LOVE all their products.

Their face and eye cream is absolutely to die for. It’s so concentrated that it takes me a full 6 months to go through a tiny 1/2 oz. container. If I could only take one product with me… this would be it!

MadeOn Hard Lotion bars:

I had never heard of a “hard lotion bar” until I did a giveaway with the MadeOn company – but I can tell you that they are absolutely fantastic! These bars are excellent for traveling because they aren’t messy and they can’t spill all over your luggage like bottled lotions. Plus they are hand-made from all natural ingredients.

During my pregnancy, I had really bad restless legs… and I’m not sure if it was just my imagination or not, but I used these lotion bars every night because they seemed to help with the restlessness!

Cheeky Baby Butter from the BabyBearShop:

I origionally got this for Nora, but it’s so soft and silky that I use it too. I massage some of this baby butter on Nora’s legs and feet every morning and night — she absolutely loves it!

I soon realized that my hands felt so great after massaging her legs, so now I use the baby butter as a hand cream for my dry winter skin.

Vaseline:

When all else fails, I always have at least one huge tub of Vaseline available for REALLY dry, chapped skin and lips!

Face:

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I don’t wear a lot of makeup on a day-to-day basis, but I do have a few products that I won’t go without!

As I mentioned above, my skin is pretty dry so traditional facial cleansers from the store would always dry out my skin even more. Thankfully, I found this recipe for homemade face wash using oil…  I’ve been using it once a day for over a year now and my skin has NEVER looked better. My face is so soft and I hardly ever have dry flaky skin like I used to.

Morning Routine:

• Use a little of the 3 Citrus Face & Eye Cream {see skin section above}

• Apply mascara {whatever brand I can get for free or almost free}

• Use a little concealer and/or bronzing powder

Evening Routine:

• Cleanse my face using the oil wash mentioned above {this also removes makeup}

• Dab a little more of the Face & Eye Cream on any dry areas

I might use a little eye liner or lip gloss if I’m going out at night, but other than that, I really don’t wear much makeup.

Lips:

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I have at least one tube of Chapstick with me at all times… however when my lips get really dry, I have two products I rely on.

Rose Salve from Bath and Body Works:

I’ve been using this since high school and always keep a good supply in our medicine cabinet so I never have to worry about running out. And I can usually get this for free whenever Bath and Body Works offers their “free lip product” coupon!!

Vaseline — told you I’m obsessed

I have several containers of each product so I never run out! Plus, both are really inexpensive and last for a very long time.

Hair:

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I’ve already spent some time talking about the different products I use on my hair. Since I have short hair, I usually only wash it every other day with my homemade “shampoo” and hair rinse. Then I use a few simple styling products to quickly make myself look presentable each day!

You can read about the rest of my hair routine over here.

Nails:

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Unfortunately, I really don’t pay much attention to my nails, and I always keep them cut pretty short. Sometimes I wear OPI clear nail polish to give them a glossy look… but that’s about it.

Believe it or not, I’ve never gotten a real manicure or pedicure before… and I don’t even paint my toenails unless it’s a special occasion!

 So that’s it — those are my favorite beauty products… the ones I use every single day.

Do you have any favorite go-to products I should try?

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Happy Thanksgiving Day! {and happy birthday to my sister!}

Thanksgiving is FOR SURE my favorite holiday of the year. I simply LOVE the Fall, fall decorations, the anticipation of Christmas festivities, the huge Thanksgiving meal {and all the leftovers}, the long weekend off from school, spending time with family, putting up our Christmas decorations, and even the crazy Black Friday shopping — although I won’t be participating in that this year!

And as we load up the car to bring our baby girl home from the hospital, I have yet another reason to love the Thanksgiving holiday and a HUGE reason to be thankful this year.

So as we enjoy a day off from our regular routine, good food, and great company; I want to leave you with a post I wrote last year… just because I think it is SO fitting for this time of year.

It’s Thanksgiving Day, and I assume we’ve all been quietly reminiscing on all the blessings in our lives, right?

Not you?

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Oh, you’ve been too busy thinking about the HUGE list of things you have to do… don’t worry, I’m guilty too!

However, I’d like to challenge us all to GIVE THANKS today, tomorrow, and always. Not only for the good things in our lives, but for everything.

Give Thanks…

…for dirty dishes. They’re proof of a home-cooked meal.

…for dirty piles laundry. They’re proof of a family you love and care for.

…for dirty diapers. They’re proof a precious little baby

Give Thanks…

…for the clutter in your home. It means your home is lived-in, used, loved, and comfortable.

…for sticky fingerprints on your windows and doors. It means you have children playing {or a messy husband!}

…for dust, dirt, and grime. It probably means you’ve been enjoying your life instead of cleaning, right?!

Give Thanks…

…for utility bills and mortgage payments. At least you’ll have a warm, cozy home all year long.

…for the mountain of gifts you have to buy. At least you have loved-ones to buy for.

…for any debt you have. At the very least, you’ll learn from your choices, and hopefully grow in the process.

Give Thanks…

…for the long lines at the store. They signify great deals!

…for blustery winter days. They signify Spring is coming.

…for the busyness of this holiday season. It signifies family, friends, food, faith, fellowship, and more!

In all life there is evidence of living.

Sometimes that evidence looks like clutter {OK, a lot of times}, but sometimes it looks like a reason to be thankful for the abundance in our lives. So before you start attacking every mess, grouching at your kids or spouse, and forgetting the reason behind the holiday season, look around and consider…

Is all that surrounds you clutter—or abundance?

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As crazy as it sounds, I get at least one email a week asking about my short hair cut… or something to do with my hair. And while I’ve only had short hair for a couple of years, I can honestly say that I LOVE the simplicity of it and I don’t see myself going back to long hair any time soon.

For those of you who know me, you are probably laughing out loud right now because you know how little time I spend on my hair… and how little I actually care about my hair!

However, I thought it was about time to address all these hair questions… and to start out, I’ll take you on a little stroll down memory lane and share just a few of the many different hair styles I’ve tried over the past 26 years. Some are REALLY bad, some are super cute, some will make you laugh, and some will make you wonder what on earth I was thinking!

The Cutest Little Kid Hair Picture:

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My mom made all our bows and took TONS of time to poof out our bangs like that! 

The “Who Knew I was Starting a Fashion Trend” Picture:

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Yup, I’m rocking the side ponytail way back when I was 5! 

The Most Coordinated Family Picture:

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This picture still cracks me up because somehow my mom got my dad to wear pink… and notice the poofy bangs and crimpy/frizzy hair?

The WORST Hair in a School Picture:

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YIKES! This was in 7th grade when I THOUGHT I knew how to do my hair! 

Favorite Triplet Hair Look x2: {I couldn’t pick just one}

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Growing up, my sister’s and I often had matching outfits and matching hair styles… thanks to my mom! This photo was for my cousin’s wedding and I’m on the left.

And this photo is in highschool when we went on a cruise and I braided all our hair {including my own} in tiny braids with beads {I’m in the center}. 

Favorite Senior Pictures:

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Yes, I had very curly hair, and I let it grow out pretty long in high school. 

Favorite College Hair-Do:

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I think I wore my hair in a ponytail every single day of my entire college career!

Favorite Curly Hair Picture:

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Dave loved my curly hair, so I’d often wear it curly just for him — even though it took longer to do.

My First Short Hair Cut:

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This style was longer in the front with more of a stacked look in the back. 

My First “Short All Over” Hair Cut:

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This was a big step for me because it meant that I would either have to keep it short for a really long time or go through an extended awkward period!  It also meant no more ponytails…

My SHORTEST Short Hair Cut:

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This picture was actually taken a few weeks after my hair cut… maybe a little too short!

Favorite “Every Day” Short Hair Look:

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Most days, this is what my hair looks like… simply swooped over to the side with a tiny little bobby pin. It really is SO easy to style! 

What My Hair Looks Like Right Now;

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This picture was taken yesterday afternoon — after a long day of cleaning, laundry, and freezer cooking. Not sure if horizontal stripes are the best choice when you’re 36 weeks pregnant! 

Pros and Cons to Short Hair:

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PROS:

• It dries in about 15 minutes — and I never use a blow drier
• I use way less shampoo, hair rinse, and products
• I’m forced to actually “do” my hair instead of just throwing it in a ponytail every single day
• I look much older {which is still a good thing for me right now!}
• I get compliments on my hair style all the time
• It only takes me about 5-7 minutes to do my hair every morning {yes, I’ve timed myself!}

CONS:

• No more ponytails
• Limited variety of hair styles — mine pretty much looks the same every day now
• No up-dos — I’ll have to figure something cute out before my sister’s wedding in July

My Styling Products:

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I can’t tell you how many people have asked me what products I use in my hair. And even though I am SO incredibly far from being any type of hair expert… here they are!

1.  Skinny Straightener: My hair is still curly so I use this 1″ straightener to tame the front of my hair and around my ears.

2. Comb: Once it’s straight, I use a comb to kind of “tease” the top of my hair to add a little volume.

3. Short and Sexy Paste: I put a little of this paste in my hands and then rub it through my hair to give it a messy look. And I’ll be honest, the only reason I’m using this is because I got it free after rebate. When it’s gone, I’ll move onto something else that I find for free!

4. Tiny Bobby Pins: I got these pins years ago for Christmas but I still use them almost every day to swoop back my bangs.

5. Maximum Hold Aerosol Hair Spray: I have really thick, heavy hair so I need the maximum hold for my hair sprays. Once I have my hair styled, I spray it down… well!

6. MadeOn Hair Butter: My hair is also really dry, so since I almost always wash my hair at night, I’ll put a little of this hair butter in my wet hair so it’s not so dry and frizzy in the morning.

Oh, and in case you didn’t know, I make my own Hair Wash and Hair Rinse so I don’t use shampoo or conditioner.

That’s it! Everything you could EVER want to know about my hair… and probably a lot that you didn’t really want to know!

Do you have short hair?

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What is your favorite or least favorite thing about keeping it short? And do you have any secret hair products you use?

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Up until about a year ago, I never really did any shopping online {except for Craigslist!} But that all changed this past year.

I don’t know if it’s because I finally realized how much time {and money} I can save by shopping online, or if it’s because I have a bunch of Swagbucks and Amazon.com credit to use up — but seriously, shopping online is just SO convenient!

If you share my passion for online shopping, then I’m sure you’ll be extremely interested to learn about a new website I recently came across – itemize.com.

How does itemize.com work?

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I know you can’t really read the words in the picture above, but it’s actually a picture of one shopper’s “Shopping DNA” for one month. The colored tabs across the top are different categories of online shopping — Health and Beauty, Baby and Kids, Women’s Clothing, Outdoor, Office Supplies, Home Decor, etc. etc.

Then the bubbles on the graph depict how much that shopper spends in each specific category for every purchase they make during that month. This makes it really easy to compare how much you’re spending in certain categories from month to month {great for those of us with budgets!}

So based on your specific shopping DNA, itemize.com can then make sure the most relevant deals, sales, and special offers are brought to your attention — via email or whatever other way you choose to be notified.

What is MY favorite itemize.com feature?

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Honestly, the thing I’m loving the MOST about itemize.com is that I no longer have to search and search to find the best deal because itemize.com does that for me…and then just notifies me when the deal is available.

Talk about a HUGE time {and money} saver!

How can you sign up for itemize.com?

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Itemize.com is completely free to use, all you have to do is sign up here — and start shopping!

Once you sign up, you will be able to pick your shopping preferences from a variety of options {see photo below}

You’ll also be able to customize your profile, manage your email alerts {the way they send you deal information} and then start shopping!

You will have so much fun playing around with itemize.com — and if you have more questions, you’ll probably find the answers right here on their FAQ’s page!

What is your favorite thing about shopping online?

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I was compensated for writing this post, however my love of online shopping and all opinions are my own! Read my full disclosure policy here.

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I just wanted to send out a quick reminder that TODAY is the very last day to enter for a chance to win my 26 very cool, very fun, and very organized birthday giveaways

I had SO much fun sharing my birthday gifts with you last week, and apparently you liked the giveaways too because as of yesterday morning, I already had over 6,500 entries!!

However, for simplicity’s sake, I’ve listed them all below. You may enter any/all of them… but you have to do it by 10:00pm EST tonight!

{all the links below will open in a new window}

#1: Ultimate Christmas Storage: Set of 3 Nesting Storage Boxes

#2: Hoover: Hoover Floor Mate

#3: Aladdin Food Storage: Food/Drink Storage Gift Set

#4: Prairieland Herbs: $50 Shop Credit

#5: Gussy Sews: $70 Shop Credit

#6: Simplify 101: Organize your Paper Clutter On-line Workshop

#7: Tastefully Simple: Summer Gift Basket

#8: The RaC Designs: Custom Dress

#9: The Container Store: $50 Gift Card

#10: Rachael Ray: 3-Piece BBQ Tool Set

#11: BabyBearShop: Organic Toiletries

#12: NeatReceipt: Portable Digital Scanner

#13: Red Letter Words: 12″ x 12″ Canvas Print

#14: Sutton’s Gourmet Paper: Cupcake Party Pack

#15: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and Caldrea Natural Cleaning Gift Sets {2 winners}

#16: Thirty-One Bags: 3-Piece Organizing Bag Set

#17: Cora Anne Designs: $50 Shop Credit

#18: Laundry Tree: SoapNuts Laundry Kits {4 winners}

#19: Create Beauty Daily Custom Jewelry: $50 Shop Credit

#20: The Letter Girl: Custom Address Stamp

#21: MadeOn Skin Care: $50 Shop Credit

#22: Wall Worthy Vinyl Lettering: $50 Shop Credit

#23: Plan to Eat: Full Year Meal-Planning Membership {3 winners}

#24: A Spot of Fancy: Calendar Blocks and Coaster Sets {2 winners}

#25: PartyLite: TeaLight Centerpiece

#26: The Poppy Bag Co. “Bella” Handbag

What an awesome round up,  huh? That’s over $2,500 worth of giveaways — all for you!

All winners will be announced via a full blog post tomorrow afternoon; and I will also contact the winners individually.

NOTE: Leaving a comment on this post will NOT enter you for the giveaways —  you must click on the links above to enter each individual giveaway.

Good Luck!

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Welcome to my Huge Birthday Giveaway Celebration!!

Instead of receiving gifts this year, I’ve decided to give YOU an opportunity to win a bunch of awesome products I currently use and love.  I’ve partnered with 26 amazing companies to offer 26 different giveaways for my 26th birthday. There will be multiple giveaways every day from June 13-18 — so make sure you come back!

You will be able to find all 26 Birthday Week Giveaways here — just keep scrolling down to view them all.

Giveaway #19: Create Beauty Daily Custom Jewelry $50 Shop Credit

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I’m not a HUGE jewelry person — but when I wear jewelry, I want it to be unique. Not crazy, huge, bright, and flashy unique; but simple, elegant, no-one-else-has-this unique. So I’m often on the look-out for unique jewelry at affordable prices.

Enter: Create Beauty Daily custom jewelry Etsy shop!

I was actually referred to Cameron and her gorgeous jewelry shop via another reader — and seriously, her work is amazing. Every single piece in her shop is so unique, yet so simple and elegant.

Some of my favorites are pictured above:

1. Little Hearts Necklace

2. Hope Floats Necklace

3. Christ at the Center Necklace

And since it would be absolutely impossible for me to choose ONE item from her shop, Cameron has decided to offer a $50 shop credit to one lucky reader so you can pick your own favorite!

Enter to Win!

Simply answer the question below by leaving a comment on this post. You can even gain bonus entries for doing each additional item listed below (just make sure that you leave a comment for each one).

REQUIRED ENTRY:

• Visit the Create Beauty Daily Etsy shop and tell me — What do you have your eye on?

BONUS ENTRIES:

• Subscribe to Simple Organized Living via email or RSS

• Follow Simple Organized Living on Facebook or Twitter

• Follow Create Beauty Daily on Facebook

Just a reminder that any comments left on Facebook or Twitter will not count for my birthday giveaways, and you must provide a valid email address to be considered.

All giveaways during my birthday giveaway week will close on Monday, June 20, 2011 at 10:00 EST. The winners will be selected at random and announced via a full blog post on Tuesday, June 21. I will also notify all winners via email.

321 comments →

One month from today is my 26th birthday!!

No, I’m not telling you this so you can send me cards, gifts, or well wishes. I’m telling you this because one month from now — during my birthday week — I’ll be giving away over $2000 worth of products to Simple Organized Living readers for my HUGE Birthday Giveaway Celebration!

That’s right, I’ve partnered with 26 different companies to offer 26 different giveaways for my 26th birthday — and I thought it might be fun to whet your appetite for some of the amazing products you will have a chance to win.

Here are SOME of the participating companies:

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Aladdin Lunch and Storage Products

Baby Bear Shop

Caldrea Natural Cleaning Products

Cora Anne Designs

Gussy Sews

Hoover

Mimi’s Baby Esty Shop

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Products

Plan to Eat

Prairieland Herbs Organic Toiletries

Rachel Ray Products

Red Letter Words

Simplify 101 Organizing Workshop

Tastefully Simple

Thirty-One Organizing Bags

The Poppy Bag Company

Ultimate Christmas Storage Products

Wall Worthy Vinyl Lettering

And there are MORE!!!

Feel free to check out all of these amazing companies and products and get ready to win during my Birthday Giveaway Celebration — June 13-18.

Aren’t you excited?

Unfortunately, I recently had 2 companies back out due to personal {and totally legit} reasons. And even though I could easily find 2 additional giveaways, I thought it might be fun to see if there are any products that you would love to win.

Do you have a favorite Etsy shop that you would like me to contact?

Is there a specific product you’ve been dying to try?

Do you personally have a product you would like to giveaway or an Etsy shop to promote?

If so — PLEASE leave those ideas, websites, products, and suggestions in the comment section below, or email me aldekker @ gmail.com.

If I can’t use the products for my birthday week, I will still most definitely use them for other giveaways during the summer months {you do like giveaways don’t you?}

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