Product Review - Clairol Foaming Hair Color

My mom says that her Grandma always used to say, "Even an old barn deserves a new coat of paint sometimes!"

So true, right?! Back before I was married and had more disposable income, I would go to my stylist and have her highlight my hair. $50? Sure, no big deal! Yeah, not so much anymore. The highlights I had done for my wedding (5 years ago now) was the last time! But over those 5 years, I've accumulated a few gray hairs. Okay, more than a few. I'm not graying yet, but I had enough gray hairs popping up to make me feel uncomfortable and insecure. 26 year old women shouldn't be struggling with gray hairs! It was time to color my hair, but I didn't have the money to go to a salon and have it done.

But, I'm also not a professional. I color my mom's hair on a regular basis, but it's a totally different thing when you're trying to do your own. I wanted something easy to apply, something that I could do myself, and also that wouldn't be messy. And there really wasn't anything like that on the market until Clairol introduced their Foaming Hair Color! A while ago (around the time it was introduced), Clairol ran a promotion on their Facebook page giving away free bottles, so you can be sure I snatched up one of those!

I was incredibly nervous about it. I had only done highlights - never my entire head of hair. I didn't want to wind up with orange or green hair! So, even after I got my free bottle, I still waited almost another 2 months to use it. Eventually the grays started to get a little depressing and I knew I just had to go for it. And it did. And it turned out great!

I don't have any pictures of the process or any before or after shots, but I can you that I had no more gray hairs! I didn't pick any crazy or completely different shades. I wasn't looking for a huge change and I didn't want to be stuck with HAVING to color my hair in a few weeks when my roots started to show. Basically I didn't want much difference between my natural color and the color I was using.

It was a fairly easy process though. I wasn't too impressed with the bottle. I was expecting a foaming pump, which I still think would be better. Instead you have to squeeze the bottle to get it to foam and come out. It also wasn't completely drip free, but the drips I got could have very well been my own newbieness. But you just pour, shake, then squeeze it onto your hair and rub it in. As their website claims, it was similar to using shampoo.

All in all, this really is a very useful product. I love the idea of being able to color my own hair at home - and no one has to know! In fact, the shade I chose was so close to my own hair color that my husband didn't even notice. I finally said something about it after a couple of days and he was quite impressed. It also easily covered my grays and left me feeling much more confident. It's the small things in life (like not having any noticeable grays)!

Since using the Clairol Foaming Hair Color, I have used the traditional squeeze bottle hair color. I had my mom color my hair and I think I really like the foaming stuff better. My mom did a great job, but it was just so much easier to do it myself!! The foaming stuff only took about 10 minutes to apply as opposed to the 25 or 30 minutes for the traditional hair color.

The Clairol Foaming Hair Color is available at most grocery and drug stores - I've seen it at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Smith's, etc. It runs between $7.97 and $9.99, I believe. Even better, P&G often has coupons for it - sometimes as much as $3.00 off 1! I can afford $5 for easy hair color I can at home by myself!!

Have you tried this (or any of the other foaming hair colors)? How do you think they compare to the traditional squeeze bottles?

(I was not compensated for this post. I did score a free bottle during Clairol's Facebook promotion, but Clairol did not ask me to write this post. I just thought all you wonderful ladies would like to hear my opinion. And this post is exactly that - my honest, truthful, and unpaid opinion!)

Makeup Review ~ Nars Lipstick

I was at the mall the other day and decided to step into Sephora. Sephora is a store with a huge collection of different brands of makeup and other body products. Basically....it's my heaven! Lol I thought I would start expanding my makeup collection some more and while I do I will give reviews on them. It also gives me an excuse to buy more makeup!

The first review I thought I would do is on Nars lipstick. Lipstick was Nars first product...so basically they are known for their lipsticks. They've had lots of time to perfect what goes on our lips. I love that I get to try on the lipsticks before I buy them. After much deliberation I chose....*drum roll*....Roman Holiday!

The color I chose is in the 'sheer' lipstick category. Nars' Sheer lipsticks are infused with ingredients to help nourish and improve the condition of the lips. It is a long lasting lipstick.

"Best Overall Lipstick” 2010 & 2011 InStyle "Best Beauty Buys”

I give it 5 stars! This lipstick lives up to it's company name. I can see why it has won best overall lipstick 2010 & 2011. It feels like I'm putting a high brand of chapstick on my lips. My lips were feeling dry the other day and instead of grabbing a lip balm I grabbed my Nars lipstick and fixed my problem. I love how the color lasts forever. This lipstick was definitely worth the money. I highly recommend Nars Lipsticks!
Check out their website! http://www.narscosmetics.com/



I was not compensated for this review.

Owl Nail Tutorial

I was on Pinterest the other night and saw a tote that someone had made to look like an owl. I immediately was inspired for my next tutorial. Again, I'll make it simple. ;)

You will need the following colors in nail polish: green, brown, pink, white, and black. You can use nail art pens for some or even all of this if it's easier for you. You may choose to use different colors than I used as well.

First I painted my nails green. I had to do three different coats because the green I chose was so light.





After the green polish was dry I took my brown nail polish and drew the wings on the side. If you need to put the polish on some paper first and then take a toothpick to draw in the wings do so. It wasn't hard to just paint the wings on with the brush. I did use a toothpick for the beak. Later I decided I wanted the beak in black as you can see in my main photo.

Next I took my white nail art pen and drew the big owl eyes. It's important to make sure you don't press too hard with the pen because you might smudge your green polish. Though the green polish seems dry...it can still be bumped in the first half hour and messed up.


I then took my black polish and put spots in the middle of the big white eyes for the pupils. I drew in a bigger beak over the old brown one and then drew the feet. The last thing I did was put my pink spots onto the wings. You can do the pink spots in the pattern that I did or you can create your own.

That's it! Isn't the little owl so cute? Your family and friends will love your creative nail art. Thanks again for looking at this fun nail polish tutorial. Keep coming back for more fun ideas and beauty tricks.




We're linking up with these super awesome parties:


Whatever Goes Wednesday, Idea Sharing Wednseday, What I Made Wednesday, Creative-ly U, Feature Yourself Friday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Frugal Friday, DIY Under $5, Lovely Little Linkup, Craftastic Monday, Woot Woot Wednesday, Strut Your Stuff, Our House of Joyful Noise, Get You Craft On, Wow Me Wednesday, Weekend Wander, Turquoise Lovin', Pity Party

Our Favorite Products: Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion

This stuff is AH-MAY-ZING!

Since about the time I graduated High School, I've had a weird rash-like thing that pops up on my hands occasionally, especially during winter or when my hands are really dry for a long period of time. When it first started, I was working at Taco Time and thought it was a reaction to something in the food (MSG, maybe) or to the gloves, or due to the fact that I was constantly washing my hands. But it stuck around even after I quit working at Taco Time. Basically my hands would get red and itchy, then they would start to crack and even bleed. It was mainly on my right hand - on my middle and ring fingers. But it would get so bad that it spread across the back of my hand and up to my wrist. Occasionally it pops up on my left hand. I've never had it looked at, but I'm pretty sure it's a form of Eczema.

I've been dealing with it now for about 8 years. Needless to say, I've tried many, many, many different lotions. And the Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion is the only lotion that makes my hands look and feel normal. No more itching, no more redness. Just soft, smooth skin. Of course, it hasn't cured me. If I am washing my hands a lot (like while we were potty training Andyroo, lots of dishes, etc) and my hands get really dried out, then the itchiness starts to creep back in. But a couple applications of this wonderful lotion and my hands are back to normal.

Unfortunately the Aveeno brands can be a little pricey (around $7-$9 for a 12 oz bottle), but let me tell you, it is well worth it. I tried the Equate (Wal-Mart's store brand) version and it did nothing for me. Luckily I took advantage of Wal-Mart's money back guarantee so I wasn't stuck with crappy lotion! Fortunately, Aveeno also puts out coupons for their products pretty regularly, so that helps. It's not break-the-bank-expensive, but it's a little pricier than I would like to spend. I just consider it one of my few splurges. And seriously, spending that much every few months to keep my hands looking and feeling good is well-worth the money.

I definitely recommend this product to ANYONE! My 4-year-old niece was getting really dry, itchy, red skin on her hands and after just one application of this, she said her hands were feeling better. My Mother-in-Law is also a convert after trying it just a couple of times. If you're looking for a great lotion, you definitely should try the Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion.

Do you have a favorite lotion that you would recommend?

(This is simply my opinion. I was in no way compensated for this post. This is just one of my favorite products that I wanted to share with our awesome readers!)

Homemade Scrubs

I have a couple of homemade scrubs I wanted to share with all of you. It's nice because you know what you are putting on your skin and the ingredients 'should' be ready at hand.

The first scrub is an idea I got from a good friend. She posted this on Facebook and I knew I had to make it not just for me but for my neighbors. It's a peppermint scrub!

Peppermint Scrub

Ingredients:
1cup of sugar
1/3 cup of mineral oil (I just used hypoallergenic baby oil)
2 T of corn syrup
1/2 tsp of peppermint extract
1 drop of green food coloring




Just mix this all together until all the sugar is moistened. I actually added a little bit more baby oil to mine. I put mine in some cute little half pint jars. For gifts just tie a cute ribbon around your jar. If your skin is super sensitive to breakouts try the scrub twice and if your skin breaks out stop using. You should exfoliate your face at least once a week...twice if you can to help keep dead skin from building up and getting into your pores. :)

The other scrub is even easier! Cut a lemon in half and put some sugar on it. Put it on your face and scrub away. Lemon helps with getting rid of age spots, light blemish scar coloring, and freckles(if you want them gone...though I love freckles). You could also put some lemon juice onto a cotton ball along with sugar and that should work fine too.

I hope you all have fun with your homemade scrubs!! Keep coming back for more beauty tips, tricks, and tutorials!

This post was written by ~ Heather :)



We're linking up with these super awesome parties:


Whatever Goes Wednesday, Idea Sharing Wednseday, What I Made Wednesday, Creative-ly U, Feature Yourself Friday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Frugal Friday, DIY Under $5, Lovely Little Linkup, Craftastic Monday, Woot Woot Wednesday, Strut Your Stuff, Our House of Joyful Noise, Get You Craft On, Wow Me Wednesday, Weekend Wander, Turquoise Lovin'

Blog Feature: Dating Divas

Have you all heard about The Dating Divas? I discovered them almost a year ago and thought that I would share them with you.

Do you ever struggle to find some new ideas for date night? Does the same old dinner and a movie get reeeeally boring after a few months. We live in a little Northern Utah town where there are about 3 things to do - dinner (restaurant or picnic), movie, and bowling, We definitely need help with date night. That's where The Dating Divas come in!




The great thing about them is that they're not just dating ideas - they're all about strengthening marriages. Learning to serve one another, learning to love one another, and even spicing things up sometimes.

If you need some help planning creative dates or want to find some ways to strengthen your marriage, then you should definitely go check them out!!!

How To Make Tweezing Less Painful

Does just thinking of the word tweezing make you cringe? I have some helpful tips to make it less painful.




My first tip is to wait to tweeze until you're out of the shower. The steam and hot water from the shower opens up your pores and makes it easier to pull the hair out. If you don't have time for a shower use a damp warm clothe over the area to open your pores.




My second tip is to use ice to numb the area first. Hold the ice over the area you desire to tweeze for about a minute. Wipe away the water that has melted and start tweezing. Be careful with this method because if you are numb you could hurt yourself by grabbing your skin with the tweezers if you're not careful.

I hope these tips help your next tweezing experience to be less painful. Keep an eye out for more beauty tips, tricks, and tutorials by Heather! :)

This post was written by ~ Heather






We're linking up with these super awesome parties:


Whatever Goes Wednesday, Idea Sharing Wednseday, What I Made Wednesday, Creative-ly U, Feature Yourself Friday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Lovely Little Linkup, Craftastic Monday, Woot Woot Wednesday, Strut Your Stuff, Our House of Joyful Noise, Get You Craft On, Wow Me Wednesday 

How to Get Soft, Smooth Feet

I don't know about you, but my feet are not the prettiest thing. They can be downright embarrassing sometimes!  I don't enjoy looking at them. I try and keep my toenails painted so that they look a little nicer, but I live in Utah and spend about 9 months of the year wearing socks. What's the point when no one sees them, right?

The main reason I don't enjoy my feet - the rough, callousy skin. But, I've figured out how to change that by doing two simple things.

1. Use a Foot File when your feet are clean and dry (not wet). Invest in a good foot file. I tried a generic one, but it did not do so well. The one I currently use is the PedEgg Pro with a Handle. I'll admit, I was a little apprehensive about this. I thought it was going to hurt and rip off my skin or something painful like that. But it doesn't hurt at all! If you haven't ever tried one of these things, you definitely should. I usually have to use my PedEgg about once every 2 or 3 months. And I love that it had a longer handle - it just makes the whole process easier. Use your foot file when your feet are dry - not wet. Before using a foot file, I was using this pumice stone type thing in the shower - and it did NOTHING! Let's face it, dry skin just comes off easier when your skin is dry, not wet.
2. Immediately after using your foot file, slather on some lotion and wear some socks. The lotion helps moisturize your skin and the socks help keep that moisture in and protect the new skin on your feet.

Do you have any secret tips for getting soft, smooth feet? Please feel free to share with us!

Our Favorite Products - Tresemme Climate Control Hair Spray

This stuff is AMAZING! I've never loved a hair product this much before. When I was younger, I used to babysit for this lady who was always complaining about how companies were changing and discontinuing products that she really loved and I never quite got why she was so upset. I totally get it now! My worst fear (besides losing my teeth and my child) is that Tresemme will discontinue their climate control line. I'm half tempted to seriously stock up so I'm never left without my favorite hair spray. I may or may not have 5 bottles in my pantry right now. I'm really not a brand snob either. The only other thing I'm this passionate about is the brand of peanut butter I'll eat. It's Skippy or nothing at all.

So why is this product so great? I don't really care about the frizz control, UV and humidity protection, or anything else that this product touts. I love this product simply because it holds my style all day long. Without fail.

My hair is very thin and fine. It's limp and sometimes stringy. I need all the help I can get. I won't lie - I back comb my hair to get a little volume. It's not because all the women in Utah do it. Really, almost no one else I know (besides the women in my family) actually back comb anymore. I don't go overboard though. But every other hair spray I've tried fails to hold the back combing. After even just a couple of hours, my hair is starting to go limp and flat again. Not cool!

But Tresemme's Climate Control Hairspray is there all day - wind, rain, or snow. Andyroo can throw his blanket on my head and I don't have to carefully peel the blanket away in hopes of saving what little volume is left in my hair.

This stuff is awesome! For me, a little sustained volume is all it takes to make me happy. I feel more confident and beautiful when I don't have to worry so much about my hair!

Is there a product you just can't live without! Let us know!

(This review was uncompensated. I'm simply sharing my love for a wonderful product!)

Product Review - Suave Dry Shampoo

A while back, I participated in one of Suave's Facebook promotions and received a coupon for a free Suave Professionals product. I was excited about it (who doesn't love FREE) and decided to try out the new Dry Shampoo.

It's been sitting on my shelf for almost 2 months now. I've been a little intimidated to use it. I didn't want to use it and then have it not work and be left with yucky hair for the day. I finally decided to just try it. I was headed out to run some errands with my mom, Hubs had to get ready for work to leave around the same time we were, and I didn't want to wake up super early to get ready to run some Saturday errands. I enjoy my sleep way too much.

My Hair: Very thin and fine. Cut to about chin length; modified A-line with shorter layers in the back. Typically gets pretty greasy if it isn't washed daily (And believe me, I've tried going without washing for a 2nd day. No thank you!)

My Review:
Initially, I was impressed with the way the product worked. For me, there was no powdery substance left on my hair, though it did seem to dull my hair a bit. The can said to use the heat from my hand to rub it in. I tried and it still looked a little dull. Not a deal breaker.

I didn't go overboard using this product. My hair is already thin and fine and I didn't want it to wind up looking yucky. I used it on key places in my hair - my top part, around my face, throughout my bangs, around my neck line, and in a few spots throughout my hair. My face can get pretty oily, so my bangs and my face were what I was really worried about.

Immediately after spraying, the greasy look and feel went away. Despite adding more product to my hair (I already had hair spray and volumizer from the day before), I didn't feel like it was weighted down. In fact, I think it helped restore some volume. That's a plus for me. I'll take all the volume I can get (since I have no natural volume)!

After spraying the dry shampoo, I went ahead and styled it just as I normally would. I used my straightener to get some of the wrinkles out and to add a little shape (curl under) to the end of my hair. I also back combed a bit and pulled my bangs back to the side.

For most of the day, my hair was fine. However, around 5 or 6, my hair started to feel really heavy and...gross (I don't know if that's the right term) again. Then it started to get clumpy and my scalp started to get itchy soon after. After two days of not washing my hair, I usually start to get a little itch from all the oil and product build up, so that wasn't really a surprise.

When it came time to wash my hair the next morning (I don't think I'll ever try this as a 3+ day shampoo), I washed my hair twice in order to feel like it was completely clean and that I wouldn't have any residue left.

Bottom Line: I'll use this product again. Not on a regular basis and not if I'm going to be out and about all day. I think it might be better suited (for me) as something to get rid of some of the oils if Hubs and I are going out on a date and I need to freshen up my look. 

(This post was non-compensated. I did receive a free coupon to try a Suave Professionals product, however this review was not part of the offer. I simply thought other mom's out there might like a review of this kind of product!)

Funny for the Moms - Anita Renfroe

Because I know we can all use a good laugh sometimes. Love this lady!

Motherhood Moment - Bladder Control

As I said in my last Motherhood Moment, I've got a yucky cough/cold. And for those of you who have had children, you know what that means.

Yup. If I cough (or laugh, for that matter) too hard, I leak a little. And I LOVE to laugh. Just ask Heather. In that case - Flash Flood Warning!!

Just about every single mom friend that I have has admitted that the same thing happens to them, so don't pretend to deny it. No amount of kegels are going to fully resolve the situation.

I think I might need to invest in some of these...

The things we have to endure to bring our children into this world.

Ladybug Fingernail Polish Tutorial

When my kids go to bed one thing that I love to do for my Mommy Time is paint my nails. I thought I would post a tutorial for doing your own ladybug nails at home during your free time. Let's get started!

First you'll want to get out some red nail polish, black nail polish, white nail polish, clear nail polish, nail polish remover, and a toothpick. I use a white nail art pen for this specific idea but if you have a toothpick that will also work.

You will want to wash your hands first and probably make sure they are the length you want and any imperfections such as hangnails are taken care of before hand. Make sure you are painting your nails in an area where you aren't going to get it on something you'll regret later such as furniture or clothing. I recommend a desk or the dinner table. Put something down underneath to catch any polish that might fall like a paper towel. Don't forget to shake your polish before using it. Next paint your nails red. Remember you'll be able to clean up any mistakes later with nail polish remover after you're done painting.


Next paint the tip of your nails black. You can do the black straight across the tip or you can curve it like I did. Then take a toothpick and dip it into your black polish. Draw your wings and dab your spots on with the toothpick. Almost done...


The last thing you'll do is flip your toothpick over to dip the clean side in your white polish (or use your white nail art pen) to do the eyes. Just two little spots and you're done painting. Now if you are like me and always manage to get some red polish on your fingers somewhere clean that up. You're done... perfect!!






We're linking up with these super awesome parties:


Whatever Goes Wednesday, Idea Sharing Wednseday, What I Made Wednesday, Creative-ly U, Feature Yourself Friday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Frugal Friday, DIY Under $5, Lovely Little Linkup, Craftastic Monday, Woot Woot Wednesday

Motherhood Moment - Give up the Guilt

This morning, Andyroo and I both woke up with a pretty yucky cough. Luckily, Andyroo's hasn't been too bad, but mine has gotten progressively worse throughout the day. Every time I cough, my head starts to hurt a little bit more, my throat gets a little more raw, and I lose another ounce or two of energy. Sneezing also makes my head hurt and I have a slightly runny nose. You know how it is to have a cold.

Today was grocery shopping day. Most people could put it off for another day or two, but since I go with my mom every week, and since I'd already put groceries off one day to spend time with Hubby's family, I had to go today. That meant I had to shower and make myself look presentable. *Sigh* Finally, after spending the day lounging around, I managed to find a bit of energy to do just that.

After grocery shopping, I was exhausted. I made Andyroo dinner (leftover mac and cheese and some microwaved chicken nuggets), put groceries away, and threw together a quick tatertot casserole for my dinner. Then I had to coax Andyroo to eat his dinner - he's the SLOWEST eater ever (almost an hour to finish his dinner)!! Then it was finally bedtime - gotta wrangle the boy to get jammies on, go potty, read a couple of stories, sing some wiggle songs, convince him to try laying still, and then sing some quiet time songs. Phew.

Shutting Andyroo's door as I left his room was the most wonderful feeling. Hubby was still at work, I turned on some Friends, sat down with the computer, and enjoyed my alone time.

Yes, I should have picked up the days worth of toys strewn across the floor. I should have done the dishes that are sitting in the sink. After all, we've been in and out of town over the last week and some of them are from Saturday. Yuck. (Don't judge me, please?) I could have unpacked some of the bags from out trip to Idaho Falls. I could have read some of the newspapers that are piling up on the table. I could have started some laundry. You get the point. As a mother and wife, there are a million things I could have done instead of watching Friends and sitting down in front of my computer. But I feel like crap. I need the down time. I don't have the energy to do anything else.

And you know what? I don't feel guilty for letting some of the housework go for another night. I'll catch up on everything tomorrow when I (hopefully) have more energy.

Don't let yourself get caught up in all the things around the house that need to be done. Take some time to relax, unwind, and enjoy something that makes you happy. Let go of the guilt about the toys and the dishes and the laundry. They'll be there another time.

Pregnancy Fun ~ Q&A

What do you wish your family and friends would've told you before you got pregnant?

Were you left in the dark wondering why you were having so much heartburn? Did your mother forget to tell you how many bathroom breaks you would be taking? How many of us weren't truly prepared for just how tired you really get during pregnancy?

Let everyone know what you weren't prepared for! We just might feature your answer in an upcoming post!