Life + Home
Because wellness has 8 pillars, I am representing two of them here- financial and environmental wellness. Finding balance between all of the pillars is key to a well and organized healthy life.
Waste reduction is needed for improving our environment, but also helping our budgets. Some of these things may or may not seem straight forward for you, but they are waste-saving hacks for the home that I instilled in my life a few years ago. I find they not only limit my trips to the garbage bins, but also has saved me a good deal of money over time.
ASHLEY’S WASTE REDUCING TIPS
* Use kitchen towels or rags VS paper towels
* Produce savers @rubbermaid will help save your fresh produce for days, sometimes weeks longer than keeping it in produce bags. Once you see it turning, freeze it without rinsing.
* Set a 2-sheet max toilet paper rule, seriously
* Make a point to pay attention to + repurpose everything in your fridge – get creative with your food!
* Have a plan: meal prepping with a set plan will reduce waste naturally
* Invest in a washable, reusable water bottle for everyone in the family
* Wear things a few times (if you have only worn it at home) before putting it in the laundry
* Be mindful of quantity: sometimes I notice that I use too much face wash, shampoo, etc. I take a small amount first and add to it as-needed
* Use reusable everything: containers, shopping bags, snack containers/bags, pantry containers, et al.
* Cancel + go paperless with the majority of your mail
* Learn to repair + repurpose things that vs trashing + buying new (YouTube people, it has video tutorials for everything)
Life + Home
I am asked all the time about my skincare and makeup routine, so I thought I’d address my makeup application + products in a blog!
These are the brands + products I use on a day-to-day basis for beauty.
I call it my “weekday” routine because you will notice a lot of things left out because I like to keep things basic + understated. I work more on balancing my skin tone, while giving it a little glow.
This routine takes me 5 minutes, despite seeming like a lot! I also have it all in one travel bag (from my favorite place: Paper Source) to bring it with me on days when I apply makeup after leaving the house. I love anything that comes in a stick 🙂 for the ease of use + for travel and you can tell I am loyal to some specific brands for certain parts of my face.
BRANDS I BUY
- Maybelline
- Milk
- Glossier
- Charlotte Tilbury
- Benefit
- MAC
- Cle de Peau
- Too Faced
- Christian Dior
- Beauty Counter
FACE
First things first, always moisturize + let your skin sit and soak it in before putting makeup on. I use my Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream Hydrating Moisturizer ($52 @ sephora.com)
I like to keep it light on my face + I love the Maybelline Fit Me Balance Stick Foundation ($8.99 @ any drugstore) because it is so light, but good coverage, paired with the Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder ($7.99 @ any drugstore.) I use a brush with the powder to keep it light. It helps me control shine + I actually use it mostly in my T zone/shiny areas: I sweep it up my nose, to the center of my forehead, above my lip + on my chin.
The spot concealer I use for any blemishes or spots is the BEST + although expensive, it lasts me forever because I use it minimally. The Cle de Peau concealer stick is $73 and worth every penny.mIt happens to also be amazing for under eyes as well if you need fuller coverage.
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer not only smells like actual chocolate, yum, but it gives me some “sunlight” to my look. I like it because there is no shimmer to it + it is on the cooler side of color and not overly orange-ish or warm. ($30 @ sephora)
Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek stick is a great travel companion (it also has a “mini” size to make it even more makeup bag friendly) + provides a creamy blush for just $28 and it lasts a long time. I actually use mine on my lips too! I like a creamy blush because I feel like it has more longevity + is especially good if you have dry or flaky skin (think: cold weather vibes.)
EYES
I have had dark under eye circles since I can remember, so coverage for me under there is key. Also, I tend to run dry under the eye, despite my love and the help I get from the La Mer Intense Eye Balm lotion (gasp $225, I know.) So, I love a creamy under eye concealer that brightens + hides the darkness from Benefit Boi-ing Hydrating Concealer fortified with creamy Vitamin E ($22.) I partner it with the Benefit Eye Bright stick ($20) – they have a great tutorial for how to use this effectively too not only instantly brighten your eyes, but also make them appear wider/larger.
You should set your under eye concealer with a translucent setting powder – I use Glossier Wowder ($22.)
TIP: don’t look down after putting on the concealer + set it right away so it doesn’t crease.
Benefit Cosmetics is certainly in the brow business + with my finishing touch from glossier, I get defined and filled in brows in seconds. I first fill with the Benefit Double the Precision Eye Brow Pencil Duo ($24.) Then, I set it + intensify it with the Glossier Boy Brow wand ($16.)
Nothing is easier than slicking on some Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize cream eye shadow ($32) with a brush + without any eyeliner. I have 8 colors!
Focusing on my lashes is a thing:) I use the Dior Diorshow Maximizer 3D Triple volume plumping lash primer ($29.50) + then finish them with Dior Diorshow Pump ‘N’ Volume HD Mascara ($29.50.) It. Is. The. Best. I don’t even use a lash curler most of the time!
LIPS
I am so simple with my lips, but I do prescribe to lip care despite not wearing much color or lipstick often. I do a lip scrub 1-2 times/week and use a lip mask a few nights a week before bedtime. They are smooth + look fuller, but also take on and wear color better. I love the set of Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks (10 main lipstick colors for $305.) But, I mostly wear MAC clear lip glass ($17.50) or Beauty Counter Lip Gloss in Buff – Sheer Beige ($29.)
Xoxo,
Ashley
Life + Home, Recipes
As a mom, I like to sit down with my daughter and talk through the foods she might want while I am planning my own meal prep menu. Snacks are a mainstay since most kids eat smaller portions, more often, so I encourage healthy + whole food snacking as often as possible.
Here is a list of some of my little’s favorite nutritious snacks:
- Organic string cheese & a ½ cup of fresh fruit
- 2 TB organic or homemade hummus and 1 cup raw veggies-of-choice
- 1 TB organic almond butter (or sunflower seed butter if there is an allergy) on a slice of Ezekial (or sprouted) bread topped with banana slices + drizzled with a fruit-based fudge called Wax Orchards
- Homemade Trail Mix: 2 TB cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds, 1/4 cup pretzels or pretzel goldfish, 1 TB of shaved dark chocolate, and 2 TB dried cranberries (no sugar added)
- Peach or nectarine slices with ½ cup organic whole fat cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt
- Apple slices with 2 TB natural nut or seed butter + then sprinkled with cinnamon
- 3 avocado slices with one slice of nitrate- and hormone-free roasted turkey breast wrapped around them + can be dipped in salsa!
Life + Home
Living healthy means so much more than just eating well + working out. “Wellness” originates from the inside, out. This extends to our self-care practices all across the board- even beauty. The skin being our biggest organ, meaning we need to treat it well. Did you know that we absorb nearly 64% of what we put on our skin? Also, that the face is even more permeable?
This absorption includes the synthetic, toxic chemicals found in a great deal of our products. While it is a struggle to truly live 100% clean in every single aspect of our lives, I am happy with the efforts made on behalf of so many brands to deliver cleaner beauty + skincare products.
WHAT WE NEED TO AVOID
I could write a seriously long list here that gets overwhelming and confusing for anyone, even me. The top toxins in beauty products are listed below (with many sub-toxins within the categories.) These are mainly meant to be avoided to ensure they do not disrupt our hormones as well as lead to disease based on these disruptions.
- Parabens
- Sulfates: SLS & SLES
- Phthalates
- Mineral Oil
- Formaldehydes
- Formaldehyde-releasing agents
- Retinyl Palmitate
- Oxybenzone
- Coal Tar
- Hydroquinone
- Triclosan
- Triclocarban
- Undisclosed Synthetic Fragrances
- Acrylates
- Styrene
HOW TO CHECK ON YOUR CURRENT PRODUCTS
Outside of reading labels yourself and knowing what to avoid in your products, using the Environmental Working Group as a resource can vet the contents of products you use both on your skin, in your home, and more.
Check for this EWG seal on products when shopping for cleanliness verification 
WHERE TO BUY CLEAN BEAUTY PRODUCTS
I love to shop at my local store Credo Beauty but they have a robust website for you to use as well!
Sephora has a section for Clean Beauty as well to look through products with reviews to read through
MY BEAUTY REGIMEN
WASH
One Love Organics: botanical b enzyme is a cleansing oil + makeup remover perfect for the dryer skin we get during the cold weather months. Without any harsh add-ins, it won’t strip your skin of moisture + has a natural Botanical B complex to detoxify and tone your skin while cleansing.
HYDRATE
African Botanics: Neroli Infused Marula Oil is a fantastic hydrator. Helps balance the skin, calm and reduce redness. Tightens pores and refines the skin’s texture. Targets the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and sun damage.
BRIGHTEN
Neal’s Yard Remedies Frankinsence: Intense Lift Eye Cream is a natural brightening cream, when used regularly, that will aid in lessening deep lines + will improve firmness of the skin around the eye area.
REVITALIZE…throughout the day
Osea: Sea Minerals is a hydrating + revitalizing mineral mist. Spraying it on your face delivers immediate hydration + enables your skin to absorb more of your serums and moisturizers. Softens + plumps the skin while lessening redness.
LIPCARE
Henne Organics: lip mask helps soften + hydrate your lips in just 15 minutes. I use it every other night before bedtime to fight off chapped, cracked lips.