{My Daily Face Wash Routine}

Last night after getting home from the gym, and trying to rush through my nightly routine so that I could sit down and eat and watch The Biggest Loser, as I was washing my face I wondered if I'm the only one that goes through this long drawn out process:

I first pull my hair back out of my face with either a head band or the clips shown above. I then pump a few drops of Johnson & Johnson soap-free, hypoallergenic face wash {I've been using this for years} onto my Clarisonic cleanser {I love this thing more than I love macaroni and cheese} and go through the 60 second cycle. From there I dry my face, grab the tweezers to do a little plucking {mind you I don't do this every night}. Hope in a Jar, I swear by it and use it daily, but if I feel I need a little more moisture {as my skin is super sensitive and dry} I grab the KP Duty. I then put on some Burt's Bees lip balm {as I constantly keep my lips moisturized - I have one in the bathroom, on my nightstand, in the car, in my purse, and one at work - obsessed, yea maybe a little}. Finally I take the clips out of my hair...and done! 

Tell me - I'm not the only crazy that goes through all of this, right? What happened to the good ol' days when all you did was slap on some Noxema?

PS. I lied about the macaroni and cheese - as if I could love anything more!

{Food For Thought Tuesdays: Real Bacon vs. Turkey Bacon}

While I've been cutting way back on my meat intake {basically only eating it when I go out to dinner on Saturdays} but when it comes to bacon, I have a major weakness. Because probably like many of you, I've been eating turkey bacon only because I thought it was better for me. But lately it started to dawn on me that if 1 slice of regular bacon is 1 point+ on the Weight Watchers program, and 1 slice of turkey bacon was also 1 point+ - how much different or better is it really? That's when I started to do a little research and was shocked at what I found out - so here we go:

As far as calories go, the difference between “healthy” turkey bacon and “fatty” regular bacon is negligible—and depending on the slice, turkey might sometimes tip the scales a touch more. Additionally, while turkey is indeed a leaner meat, turkey bacon isn’t made from 100% bird. One look at the ingredients list will show a long line of suspicious additives and extras that can’t possibly add anything of nutritional value. And finally, the sodium content of the turkey bacon is actually higher than what you’ll find in the kind that oinks—so if you’re worried about your blood pressure, opting for the original version is usually the smarter move.

LOTS of turkey bacon brands out there are, in fact, still hiding pork {some even dip their turkey bacon in pork fat}. They’re also put together using TONS of chemicals because turkey does not have a CUT of bacon. Bacon comes from a very specific part of the pig. Turkey bacon is just put together pieces of turkey, sometimes held together by foreign substances, dyed a certain color to make it appear to be more like bacon, and formed into a shape similar to what you’re used to expecting from pork bacon. Ummm....yuck!

In summary - 1. READ YOUR LABELS, 2. Stick with as few ingredients as possible, 3. Watch and try to minimize your overall intake of meat in general. Just a little food for thought...

{DIY: Painted Toe Pump}

As I mentioned on Wednesday, this weekend {after being completely held captive all day Saturday reading Hunger Games - soooo good} I committed myself to completing this painted toe DIY project. It what super easy and only took 10 minutes from start to finish. I really love how they turned out - you should definitely try this!

What do you think?

{TGIF Peeps}

Check out some of the links that I've been lovin' on this week:

- Shredded brussel sprouts, kale, and bacon salad - yep, making this over the weekend!

- Give back by shopping! 31Bits is a shop that sells jewelry made from women in Northern Uganda and the proceeds offer an opportunity to counter poverty.

- I have a few friends that have a tough time with being on time - I swear they own this watch.

- I'm such a fan of my girl crush, Gwyneth Paltrow, - loving this spring post.

- Check out Jamie's new website for Furbish - lucky me I get to drive down the street and visit whenever I want!

Enjoy your weekend Peeps - I hope you are doing something fun!!

{March Picks: It's All About Transformation}

Well - it's the beginning of the month so you know what that means...time for my March picks!

1. I really really....really love this shirt. With white pant season coming up, I can totally see myself wearing the heck out of this!

2. These stud earrings will soon be mine. I've been looking for a pair of gold stud earrings - and thanks to Pinterest, I've found them!

3. This dress - yea, there's nothing not to like about it. Great structure, great price...I'm putting it in the bag.

4. Don't step on my orange suede shoes - love these. need these.

5. I truly am. The quote that people don't change unless they really want to is true - and I'm living proof. Always a journey, a process, but I'm liking it...

6. Loving this lucite necklace - I'm wondering if I could make something like this? Man I miss my jewelry making days - I need to find more time in my days. That's going on the long-term goal list for sure - re-opening my jewelry shop.

So what are some of your favorite products, brands, trends right now?