Make-up I wear on an everyday basis

Thursday, February 25

It's almost been a year since I discovered 100% Pure, and to say they've changed my skin is an understatement. I doubt i'll wear any other make-up because this stuff is the real deal. As someone who has dealt with skin issues since high school, I am so thankful I found this company. I wanted to share with you today the products that I wear every single day. I've tried a lot of their products, and some I like more than others..but the items below are products I love and will continue ordering. Here we go…

1. Mattifying Primer: I start with this product every morning. After I wash and dry my face, I rub a drop of this primer over my skin. Because this is 100% pure of toxins and chemicals, the nourishing ingredients include aloe, seaweed collagen, eucalyptus, tea tree, oregano, thyme and other natural ingredients. This is the first primer i've ever used that didn't break me out, but instead added an extra coat of silky support for my skin! And it's part of the huge give-away below:)

2. Fruit Pigmented Healthy Foundation {in Peach Bisque}: After applying the primer, I let it still for a few minutes while i'm working on my eyes. Then I use a beauty blender (total game changer!) to put on this healthy foundation. This foundation is amazing. It gives good coverage without being cakey. And, my first bottle I bought lasted me 9 months! I just recently had to purchase a new one.

3. Fruit Pigmented Sex Kitten Palette: I'm pretty simple with my eye make-up. I like good neutrals for my lids, and then use a darker shade to line my eyes. I used to use the Pretty Naked Palette (which I also love), but it doesn't come with a dark purple color (which the sex kitten palette does) which is what I use to line my eyes. The nice thing about these palette's is that they also come with a blush, so when I'm feeling like wearing blush, I can just use this one as opposed to buying another blush. And, all the colors are pigmented by fruit which is so awesome!

4. Maracuja Mascara: Black Tea: My favorite mascara ever. It smells delicious, and more importantly, doesn't make my eye lashes droopy or worn out. It makes them bright and perky, which I love. It is also packed with essential oils, which makes me happy.

5. Fruit Pigmented Pomegranate Oil Anti-Aging Lipstick: I've tried almost all of 100% Pure's lipsticks and lip glosses. These pomegranate lipsticks are my favorite. They are so moisturizing because the majority of the ingredients are shea butter and fruits:) If you like bright colors, I love primrose (which is a bright pink) or poppy (which is a pinky red, may be my favorite). If you like a more muted color, foxglove is a good choice.

I hope that was helpful! In another post I have shared what skincare products I use on a regular basis, and hopefully this will inspire you to throw out those toxic products you use, and start treating your skin to non-toxic and gentle cleaners that actually work!!

Happy Wednesday friends!!



Pretty flowers and a new business

Tuesday, February 23



Spring is springing up all around us here in Northern California. It's a most delightful season as the blossoms on the almond trees grace the branches like snowy buds, and the daffodils spring up and scent the breeze so beautifully. My neighbor's tulip tree is blooming and I pause for a few seconds in front of it each day inhaling its sweet scent. This past week I cut a few branches of flowering quince that I spotted growing in our back yard, a gorgeous surprise that has been decorating my table the last few days.

My in-laws were here this past week, and my mother-in-law and I spent 3 days preparing and painting the bricks on the front of my house. Whew, it was hard work but sooo worth it in the end. I will show you pictures one day, the change is remarkable! My, my, what a little paint can do to freshen up a home!!

Speaking about freshening up my home, about a year ago, I got serious about eliminating toxic chemicals in all forms from my house. Pretty much everything I used to use, from make-up to cleaning products, had harsh chemicals that messed with my body.  U.S. researchers report that a majority of ingredients used in personal care products are industrial chemicals, including carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors. Many products include plasticizers (chemicals that keep concrete soft), degreasers (used to get grime off auto parts), and surfactants (they reduce surface tension in water, like in paint and inks). Imagine what that does to your skin, and to the environment.

So…I started doing my own research on how I could clean my home without disrupting my hormones or putting toxins on my skin and in my house. This led me to essential oils. I know essential oils have been a bit of a hot topic these past few years, but it is for good reason. And if you haven't looked into them more, I'm challenging you to now:)

What essential oils have done for me is open a huge door for making my house toxin free. Essential oils have allowed me to make my own cleaning products (which were so easy and so much more cost efficient than buying them from the store), and empowered me to take my health into my own hands. Since buying my starter kit last year, i've made all purpose cleaner, bug spray, perfumes, and diffuse the oils for a toxin-free air freshener! I'm also able to buy toxin-free toothpaste, soaps, and all sorts of other care products from Young Living.

I love Young Living essential oils, and am so honored to be selling them now. Young Living has their own farms all over the world and offers therapeutic grade oils that are tested and approved! If you are curious about oils, or have more questions, please let me know. I hope to share with you how i've used them to keep my home clean and support my health!

Right now, Young Living has a sale on their starter kit. For the month of February only, the kit is $144 and comes with a diffuser (which on it's own is expensive!), and then 11 oils! You literally save so much money when you buy them all together in this starter kit! The oils in the kit are the ones I use the most, so it's perfect to have around. You also get some essential oil samples to stash in your purse, as well as 2 samples of NingXia Red, which is like an energy drink with only fruits and essential oils (that stuff is amazing!). When you purchase a starter kit, you also become a member and get 24% off all your future purchases!

The sale runs until the end of February, and if you've ever thought about purchasing essential oils, this is your chance! You'll also be invited to join a FB group where you can ask questions and learn more about the oils! If you still need some convincing, this is a great video explaining more about essential oils and the starter kit!

If you know you want to purchase one, here is a link where you can sign up under me. I will add you to an email list that shares tips about how to use your oils. Truly, these oils have helped open so many doors for my health journey. It may feel like a big investment now, but I promise you that it will be worth it!!

And lastly, I still have some gorgeous Santorini Calendars (just like the one in the pictures above). I'm selling them for a steal of a deal at $15 a calendar, plus shipping (which is basically just covering my costs without making a profit!!). I love how the calendar offers such a gorgeous touch of color to my home. If you want one, please email me and we'll make it happen! (hopeengaged@gmail.com)

Happy Tuesday friends!

Our Chalet in Switzerland

Thursday, February 18



To be honest, our choice of Switzerland for Christmas started with this chalet, truly. On a sunny day back in September, I had a few minutes to spare while at school and went to VRBO. I typed in Switzerland, and no joke, this chalet was one of the first to pop up. I gasped at how utterly picturesque it was and immediately went to googlemaps to figure out the precise location in the Alps. I sent the link to my dad, and later that night we ohhh and ahhhed over the gorgeous chalet. And then we became serious about going to Switzerland for Christmas.

The chalet is located in Plans-Sur-Bex, a tiny but adorable hamlet above the town of Montreux on Lake Geneva. We spent the first 4 nights and 5 days in this wooded masterpeice, and it was the perfect launching pad for the start of our European Christmas. Plans-Sur-Bex is nestled up high in the mountains, and contains a handful of chalets, a quaint church, one restaurant, and an adorable water fountain where the cows drink from during the year. If you want Swiss Ambiance, you've come to the right place.

The chalet worked perfectly for our family of 8 people. There were 4 beautifully decorated bedrooms, as well as 2 updated bathrooms, an extremely cozy living space (with a HUGE roaring fire), and a lovely kitchen and long farm table that became the heart of the home as my family cooked up some tasty meals. Our first night in the Chalet we had raclette cheese on potatoes. The raclette melts, and then you pour it over your potatoes. It's a very famous Swiss dish, and it was the perfect way to kick off the trip. We also had fondue one night, another famous Swiss specialty.

If I haven't sold you on this dreamy place yet, here are a few more reasons why we loved it. First, it was built in 1714 (WHAT?!?) and is decorated in almost all antique furniture. You literally felt like you might run into hansel and gretel on the road:) And even though it's old, it has been modernized in the bathrooms and kitchen area so things are convenient! To put it in perspective, it was built before the USA was even a country, haha!

Lastly, like I mentioned before, it was an excellent launching pad to explore the surrounding area. One day we drove to Zermatt and visited the Matterhorn, another day we drove into Lausanne and saw the Olympic Museum, and yet another day we wandered the Christmas market in Monteux and visited the most famous castle in Switzerland called Chillon.

 At the end of our 5 days, I was sad to say goodbye to this chalet. I could have stayed another week, just holed up reading by the fire while it snowed. But alas, we had to move on. As a total side-note, the chalet is so affordable and with 8 people, we couldn't have found a cheaper place (or a cuter one!). If you want to check out this chalet, the link is here.  I hope you feel the magic as you look through these pics!! Enjoy!

ps- This is an awesome and hilarious post on parenting by one of my favorite bloggers, Jami Nato. She's actually guest posting on someone else's blog, but after you read and laugh about this post, go to her blog and read her redemptive story! Ok…now on to the Swiss pics!