Simple Nude Eyes & Lips - Quick Makeup Look

Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE makeup, but I tend to stick with natural nude colors 95% of the time. I love this look for that very reason. I guess you could consider me a makeup minimalist since I use fewer products than most tutorials you see floating around the internet. But, seriously, the versatility of this eyeshadow palette is amazing and these lip products are the perfect nude color! I hope you love this everyday look.

Here is a quick 5 minute tutorial to show you exactly how I put this look together. I'll list all the products I used below and link where you can find them. Full disclosure: I do sell the products that I used for this look, but I promise you, I wouldn't sell them if I didn't love them and wear them everyday!

Products listed can be found here or by clicking the tab in the menu that says Shop Beauty.

Eyes:

Moodstruck Eye Primer

Moodstruck Addiction Shadow Palette 1

Esteem Lash Serum

Epic Mascara

Lips:

Precision Lip Pencil in Plush

Lucrative Lip Gloss in Luxe

Tools:

Blending Brush

Crease Brush

Planning Your First Disneyland Vacation

We're planning our first Disney vacation and I'm pretty sure I'm more excited than the kids will be when they find out. This trip is a first for me. I have never been to Disneyland or Disney World and I'm not ashamed to admit that I have completely immersed myself into planning mode. I'm reading every planning blog and watching every YouTube video I can get my hands on.

If you're planning your first Disney vacation you might be feeling like I was and have no idea where to start. I'll walk you through the steps we've taken so far to make sure our Disney Vacation is the best it can be!

Where do you start??

1) Decide when you want to go.
You probably already have dates in mind, but if you don't or you need to fine tune exactly what day to arrive and depart it's time to pull up a crowd calendar. This one, from The Mommy Mouse Clubhouse, is easy to read and extends all the way through 2018. We will spend a total of 5 days at the parks on our trip and I wanted as many of those as possible to fall on days with fewer crowds. Keep in mind these crowd calendars are only estimates and may not be 100% accurate, but it can really help in deciding exactly what days you'll spend at the parks.

2) A Disney Travel Agent??
Find yourself a Disney travel agent! I always thought having a travel agent meant I'd have to pay for the service and would end up spending more money. Boy, was I wrong!! Not only is our travel agent a wealth of information, but by booking through her we have the option to break up the cost of our trip into payments. Our park tickets are also included in the total booking package! Another thing I didn't realize is that you don't have to book a Disneyland Resort Hotel to use the services of a Disney travel agent. Our travel agent, Linda Gordon from Part of that World Vacations, was able to give us quotes for any local hotel we inquired about. She has been so helpful in this planning process!

An extra tidbit! Make sure you discuss character dining with your travel agent. Vouchers for character meals can be added to your vacation package. Click here to get an idea of what character dining is and the four different restaurants that do them. We decided to add two character dining vouchers to our travel package. Just be aware that you are only buying a voucher and you will still need to make actual reservations with the restaurants. At Disneyland reservations can be made starting 60 days before your trip.

3) Get familiar with hotels.
I know this is something my travel agent could have done for me, but I like doing my research. After we decided on our travel dates I pulled up Google Maps to get an idea of the closest hotels to the park entrances. We do not plan on renting a car so staying within walking distance of the park entrances is a must. Also keep an eye out for amenities you would like such as free breakfast or free wifi.

4) Flying? Consider travel logistics.
The two most common airports to fly into are LAX and John Wayne (SNA). SNA is closest to Disneyland. If you fly into SNA you likely won't encounter Los Angeles traffic and you'll get to your hotel more quickly. However, it's usually cheaper to fly into LAX. If you are traveling with small children you will also want to consider how you will be getting to your hotel. The only method of transportation that does not require car seats for younger children is the Disneyland Resort Express. You can also include that transportation cost in with your vacation package with your travel agent.

5) Join a Disneyland planning group on Facebook!
Almost everything I know about Disneyland has come from Facebook planning groups. I've learned which hotels are recommended, what "rope drop" means (being at the park when it opens), which rides are the most jerky and rough, which characters usually show up at character dining, which rides have the longest wait times, how fast passes work (read up on these!!), and so much more. You can run a simple search on Facebook for planning groups and numerous will pop up. Several are run by travel agents so just be sure to read the rules in the pinned posts.

6) Do your own "research".
Pull up the Disneyland website and start checking out restaurants, attractions, parades, and more. Use Pinterest to find blog posts with food recommendations, ways to save money, tips and tricks, and whatever else is important to you. In my experience it's better to be prepared and have a plan that you can adjust as needed, but always try to be flexible and go with the flow.

7) Have fun planning!!
I know it's easy to get overwhelmed with the amount planning a Disney vacation can entail, but I've consistently heard from experienced Disney travelers that planning is one of the funnest parts. Try your best to take it one step at a time and enjoy yourself!

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Being a Momma of Two

I've neglected this blog for a number of reasons. I've taken on other ventures such as starting my own business through direct sales. (I sell Younique naturally based cosmetics and skincare! Here's my shameless website plug: www.3dmascarabyashley.com!) My husband and I are currently looking into getting a new house with more property. But the biggest of all these new things in my life is that I had my second baby a couple months ago. I currently have two children. One that's 2 and a half years old and another that's 2 and a half months old.

A day in the life of me is tiring and busy, although I never seem to actually get anything done. Being a mother of two beautiful girls has its rewards, but it's also the hardest thing I've ever done. It's definitely not rainbows and butterflies, unless that happens to be what they're wearing one day. I'm pretty sure I just went 3 days without showering. I hardly ever have clean clothes for myself. I've washed the same load of laundry about 2 or 3 times without ever removing it from the washing machine. I swear that mildew smell sets in way too fast! My hair has a permanent pony tail bump. I have enough time when we get up in the morning to brew some coffee and put the kettle on for the toddler's oatmeal before the baby starts crying because she's hungry and then wants to fall asleep again. And I'm pretty sure my sex life would need a defibrillator to even detect the faintest pulse.

Having two kids is no joke and anyone that tells you different is lying to you. I applaud mommas that have more! Although there is no extra time for anything else except rearing children, we have finally achieved a good rhythm and our house is settling into its new normal. That new normal is pretty great! :) And I hope I can find at least a little time to share it here.

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29 Weeks Pregnant

It's been 17 weeks since you have heard from me. That's just a little too long don't you think? I've gotten side tracked by life! That happens, right? Well, here is the long awaited pregnancy update. Keep a look out for another post to see what we've been up to as a family.

I am now 29 weeks pregnant with our second baby. This little one is a GIRL!! Ayla is getting a sister and I'm so thrilled! Her name is Everly Rae. We plan on calling her Evie. 

Overall my pregnancy has been uneventful. Which in the pregnancy world is a good thing. All my labs have come back 100% normal. No gestational diabetes or anemia for me! Woo hoo! Evie is breech, as I expected she would be. I have a bicornuate (heart shaped) uterus that doesn't really give her the space to move into a head down position. My c-section has been scheduled for December 30th, 6 days after my due date. The plan is to try for a VBAC if Evie is head down. If she isn't head down we'll shoot for the December 30th c-section, but if I go into labor before then she'll be delivered via c-section at that point. 

I really want to have a natural birth or at the very least be able to feel what labor is really like. I'm afraid I'll feel like I missed out on something I've always been so passionate about. I want the chance to experience labor at least a little bit. This is one of the main reason I pushed for my scheduled c-section to be after my due date. I'm hoping that I'll go into labor on my own and that this sweet little peanut will be able to come when she is ready.

Along with a breech baby comes all sorts of aches and pains. I have a little head directly under the right side of my ribs at all hours of the day. My poor ribs are bruised underneath and it burns constantly. I get kicks directly in the cervix which literally take my breath away. It's really difficult to bend over, but I'm sure that's the case for any pregnant woman. Those aches and pains aside this really has been a fairly easy pregnancy. I'm trying my best to savor it completely. My husband and I don't plan on having more children so this could very well be the last time I'm ever pregnant. As it would for a lot of women that makes me just a tiny bit sad. However, I've have been lucky enough to bring the goofiest little girl into the world and I'm currently carrying another little lady that I can't wait to meet. If two children is all I have that's more than enough love for me.

12 Weeks Pregnant

Here we are again! I feel like I just did this whole pregnancy thing. This time around things are vastly different though. I'm going to use the tried and true weekly questions for each pregnancy update. I feel like that's the easiest way to compare week to week. 

I'm a little behind with this post since I'm closer to 12 weeks and 4 days. I had my 2nd appointment on Wednesday and everything looks great. Baby had a heartbeat around 160. I am seeing an obstetrician (the one that did my previous c-section) for this pregnancy because unfortunately my midwives are not yet allowed to do VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) at the hospital. He's is a wonderful doctor and I'm so glad he gets to see me through this pregnancy. He believes as long as this pregnancy isn't breech that I'm a great candidate for a VBAC!

How far along: 12 weeks 4 days (the picture above was taken at 12 weeks exactly)

Total weight gain: -1 pound from pre-pregnancy weight

Maternity clothes: I'm still in my regular shirts and pants most of the time. However, I've been loving my maternity maxi skirts from Target!

Stretch marks: None, except the lovely ones left over from last time on my hips.

Sleep: I have a toddler that still wakes up most nights. Sleep probably will not be something I'll get to enjoy for several more years. However, on the nights Ayla does decide to sleep through the I'm out for the count until she wakes up.

Best moment of the week: Sharing our exciting news on facebook!

Miss anything: I miss enjoying food.

Movement: Not yet, but I'm so looking forward to it!

Food cravings: Not really. On a rare occasion something will actually sound good, but that's not very often.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Pretty much everything. The idea of eating right now sucks. Everything makes me stomach turn. I pretty much have to force myself to eat because I know I need to and I'll feel even worse if I don't. This would explain why I am one pound under my pre-pregnancy weight.

Have you started to show yet: I've got a little bump going on. It's mostly bloating, but it's slowly starting to get bigger.

Gender: We have no idea, but I'm leaning toward boy.

Labor signs: No.

Belly button in or out:  In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody: Moody for sure! My poor husband.

Looking forward to: Starting to get more of a belly and finding out if this little one is a boy or girl!