the end of a great year

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

This little guy hasn't been feeling very well the last couple of days. I'm just grateful that I'm home this week, otherwise, I wouldn't get to hug and hold him as I have been able to the last couple of days.

I can't believe that 2014 is already ending! This year's been quite the year, and I'm excited for 2015, and what it'll bring. With our little guy being sick, we're staying in & not going anywhere, but we haven't decided exactly what we'll do to celebrate the end of 2014!

Enjoy the last of 2014!

-Kaolee

garnier skin renew dark spot corrector

Sunday, December 28, 2014


I've been using the Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Corrector for a couple of months now, and it's time for a review! I'm nearly done with the cream. I've been using it as a serum, so after my eye cream, and before my moisturizer. I put this all over my face except for under my eyes, or on my eyelids. This cream contains 5% Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps your skin repair itself, and helps with aging. It also helps brighten your face.

I've used a couple of the Garnier skin care products before, and really liked them so I was excited to try the spot corrector. However, after a couple of months of using this consistently, I have not seen my dark spots disappear. I'm almost done with this product, and I don't plan to repurchase. I think this product would be good for preventative skin care; however, based on my experience, this product does not get rid of dark spots. My dark spots are mainly sun spots so this may help with acne scarring, or other types of dark spots.

The cream itself is not too thick. It has a nice scent, and is not overpowering.

I was really hoping that a drugstore product could solve my spot issues; however, I'll be trying some other new products. Let me know if you have any favorites that I should try!

-Kaolee

this is christmas

Thursday, December 25, 2014

christmas just comes and goes as it pleases! or so it seems. and every year, it passes by faster, and faster. i wish i can just bottle up christmas for hard days during the year. december is really one of my favorite months. i love the lights, the spirit, the family time, the love, the feeling of cohesiveness.
 
we had a really good christmas day! we opened presents, and then made a nice breakfast of french toast & biscuits & gravy. i love biscuits & gravy, and it is so unhealthy, but so yummy. i've been looking for the perfect recipe, and although i'm still trying to perfect it, the recipe turned out pretty darn good. in the afternoon, we went & played some volleyball. christmas just doesn't sound very complete without volleyball around here ;) later that evening, we went over to our friend's house, cooked a bunch of food, ate and played lots of games.
 
let's remember to keep the holiday spirit because it ain't over yet!!!
 
merry christmas!
 
-kaolee







santa claus is coming to town

Tuesday, December 23, 2014


i was so excited to take mw for his first pictures with santa. he was asleep when it got to our turn, and they tried to capture a picture of him & santa sleeping; however, the overhead lights were just way too bright and he kept waking up. thankfully, he was not in too bad of a mood.
 
i'm so glad we managed to get some pictures with santa this year!
 
he's such a sweet boy! (and i mean mw, not santa lol).
 



mw: five months

Monday, December 22, 2014

i can't believe my little pumpkin is turning into a big pumpkin! the past five months have been extremely difficult, but also so much fun. we are completely enamored of this little guy. he's changing so much!
 
-he loves bananas.
-he's starting to grab things: ornaments, clothes, his bottle, my hair, just to name a few.
-he loves to smile and laugh.
-he loves to talk.
-he loves the color red.
-he's outgrowing his tub.
-he sleeps from 9pm to 5am. he's our alarm clock, even on the weekend (unfortunately).
-lately when he wakes up, he'll poke his head and look around. it's the cutest little thing ever.
-he hasn't rolled over yet. he keeps getting stuck in the middle.
-he's a thumb sucker. i don't give him the pacifier but he's resort to his thumb.
-he's drooling a lot, but no sign of teeth yet.
-he moves a lot, and can't sit still.
-he loves to look around, and look at his environment.
 
we love him so very, very much & we can't wait to celebrate his first christmas!!!
 
-kaolee




my mascara search

Friday, December 19, 2014

i have the shortest, puniest, thinnest eyelashes known to man, or should i say known to woman? they are so weak. if your lashes determined your survival, i would have long been gone because these lashes are just going to cower and fall dead. since i have been researching, reading, asking friends, and doing all that fun stuff, i thought i would just post about it.

just a side note that these mascaras may work for your lashes. heck, you might even love them! but again as noted above, my lashes aren't regular, normal, and cooperative lashes. they are quite the opposite so these are just based on my opinion and my experience.

during my research, i learned that:

1. more expensive is not necessarily better.
2. i need dry formulas. a wet mascara will make my lashes uncurl in about 2 seconds.
3. waterproof is a must.

my cousin recommended this mascara to me. i really wanted to love it and it's actually the first mac product i tried. when i first opened the tube, i had some hope since it looks fairly dry. the minute i put it on my lashes, i knew, this was not the one. moving on.

i tried this a couple of years ago, and it didn't work for me. but my cousin recommends using either of the two mac mascaras on here and then using this over it. i really liked the brush. it's more of those plastic brush head and doesn't put a ton of product on your lids, so i was thinking that would not be too bad. however, again, when i put it on over the mac mascaras, this did not work very well. i blame it mainly on the mac mascaras since those completely uncurl my lashes. after that, there is no point of return. unfortunately. 

i've been on this tarte kick. i am just loving their tinted moisturizer, foundation and blushes. i love how natural their products are! upon opening this, i had some hope. it looks to be on the more dry side. however, upon application, this did zilch for me. nada. i'm so sad since again, i wanted to love everything tarte.

my cousin loves her dior mascaras. i tried two previously before this. i can't recall the names of those, but they were way wet. i mean, uncurled and actually made them droop more. it's like someone kicking you when you are already down. the lady at the dior counter recommended this one. i have to say, i love the brush and the distribution of products. however, another wet formula. i won't be trying another dior mascara after this. it's a bit tiring and disappointing. 


this is the other mac mascara my cousin recommended. super wet and the minute i opened it, i knew i was doomed.


i had this in my arsenal during this whole trial and error period. i like the curved brush. and to tell you the truth, most maybelline mascaras have been good friends to my lashes. they've been kind and helpful. this is not a favorite, but it does the job.


a friend recommended this mascara. one end (left end) is for the upper lashes. right end is for the lower lashes. since my top lashes are barely there, you can only imagine my lower lashes. i really should use the right end for my upper lashes lol. again, this is more on the dry side so i have been using this. i wouldn't say it's my favorite, but it does what it's supposed to for the most part. 



i was using this for awhile. i actually got the falsies because i couldn't remember that it was the turbo that i loved. i haven't yet replaced this one since as you can see, i have a bunch of mascaras to go through. but i love this mascara a lot. this is probably my favorite of all these mascaras.

while at ulta, my friend recommended this. and i must say, i love using this as a first coat. i let it dry and then apply one of the other mascaras on and it seems to help a bit. i love that the mascara doesn't put a whole bunch of product on my lashes, however, if i wanted anything dramatic, i needed to load up on this. the brush itself won't put a bunch on. but at the same time, that's what i like about it.
i'm currently experimenting with lash extensions, which is nice because i don't have to worry about mascaras. however, let me know if you have any favorite ones that i should try in the future!
-kaolee


fall 2014 family pictures

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

we had our fall family pictures last month (or was it the month before that?!!!). gosh, this year is speeding by! anyways, we worked with an atlanta photographer, and she was spectacular. she made us feel super comfortable, and told us exactly how we should stand. trust me, we needed lots of help so her experience came very handy. i love the style of her photos for the fall, and it was perfect for us to use for our cards this year. i love how she captured the color of the leaves, and how natural the pictures looked!
here are a few from that shoot!
-kaolee





origins plantscription anti-aging eye cream

Monday, December 15, 2014

 it's been a while since i've been back in this space, but i'm back for good! this has been my space to write about things i love & enjoy. while i love being a mom, i do love beauty, fitness and fashion so i'll write more often, and more about those things!

i've been using this eye cream. if you notice, most of my skin products are from origins. i love that they use organic ingredients, and don't have all those bad ingredients, like parabens. i've been using this eye cream for a couple of months now, and yes, it lasted me that long. the cream is lighter, and absorbs very fast into your skin. however, i haven't noticed much difference in my under eye area. i am starting to have crow's feet so i need to make sure that is in check! and although i do love that they don't have the harsh ingredients, this eye cream just doesn't quite do the job for me.

do you have a favorite eye cream that you love? do share! i'm always looking to try new products!

-kaolee



tracy anderson: post-pregnancy workout dvd

Sunday, November 30, 2014

 
i've been using this dvd for a little bit now and i really enjoy it. i started using this after my doctor cleared me, and i like the no weight/low weight methodology. the ab work is really difficult though. i was a little surprised since i had to modify her ab moves. the butt and thigh moves are excellent. i love this dvd since it's a whole body workout. it's excellent even if you have never had a baby. The difficulty level is around moderate.
 
-kaolee
 

sephora wishlist

Saturday, November 1, 2014




lately, i have been obsessed with finding products that are made without parabens and sulfates, but that stills works. and because sephora typically has their vib sale in november, i thought i would peruse their website for some of my wishlist items. the cleanser, hair mask and shampoo listed below seem to fit the bill. i also have the sephora pro face brush and completely love it so i am hoping to pick up the concealer brush as well.
 
 happy saturday!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

review: origins mega-bright skin illuminating moisturizer

Thursday, October 16, 2014

this is my favorite moisturizer of all times. it is super light and has a nice fragrance. it makes my skin look super healthy. it's great for oily/combination skin like mine. it is a bit on the pricey side, but if you go into the store this weekend, you can get $10 off a $25 purchase.
 
-kaolee
 


 

his first laugh


9.26.2014. it was a friday. i was in the kitchen with my mother in law and sister in law. bd, my father in law & mw was in the family room. we were just sitting & talking. all of a sudden, i heard it. my little man laughed. and not just once, but several times. and out of all of us, who could have my little man laugh? grandpa, of course!
 
ever since they've left, my little man has been all smiles & laughs. he is so good to us & i love him so very much!
 
-kaolee
 


back in the days

Monday, October 6, 2014

my in-laws & sil came down to visit us for a week. we so miss them already! we tried to fit in as much stuff as we could and were able to do some things that we have never done before.
 
on one of the days, we went down to decatur and visited the dekalb history center. i used to have a client right down the road from decatur square so i was familiar with the restaurants, but didn't know that there was a history center right on the square. bd thought there was free parking. unfortunately, there wasn't but parking was cheap and right there on the square so we parked and visited the history center.
 

 
i love quotes so had to take a picture of this. 

 
look at those awesome pillars!


cool sewing machine. i can't quite remember what that big thing is though.

 


 it was fun reading about appliances from back then and how they came about. the ads are very interesting and run to read.

 
i've always wondered why in the world anyone thought colored tiles, sinks & toilets were cool. there is a reason apparently.
 
 
 my parents have wood paneling in their house so i won't hate on those wood panels :) i actually quite like this living room. simple & clean.
 
 
there were so many wonderful pictures. i love the styles back in the day. and the hair, seriously, the hair! i love it!
 

we went to callanwolde fine arts center hoping to get a tour. bd found a website saying that the tours were free without a guide. however, once we got there, the lady at the front wasn't very nice and there was no free tour. we were very sad but we did walk around the property. it is gorgeous.
 
happy monday!
 
-kaolee



when a movie leaves you wanting more

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

and you're just like...


but seriously! while my in-laws & sil were here, we watched the signal. the build up of the movie was incredible. there were a lot of vague things that left you really wanting more and wanting to find out what happens next. but then, bam! you get to the end, and you are left just hanging. it wasn't just a little more that you wanted, it was a lot more, a whole lot more. we all sat staring blankly at the screen, just feeling so empty. there were so many questions unanswered. so much hope that was just completely squashed!
 
i am a believer in happy endings. i don't care if the ending seems impossible, like the movie source code. i just want the ending to be a happy ending. i watch movies to give me hope, to bring lightness, to make me happy. i don't like them for making me feel like there is no hope.
 
and the signal made me feel completely like there is absolutely no hope sometimes. how sad is that? there is always hope!!!
 
anyways, i need a really good movie suggestion! one that won't leave me speechless, stunned and hopeless!
 
-kaolee

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
DESIGNED BY ECLAIR DESIGNS・POWERED BY BLOGGER