Beauty Products

My First Hydro-Facial

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Whew, another short week for me. I am loving these! Actually, this week has been hectic so far. The Indiana Conference for Women is happening this week, and I am on staff! We have some great speakers like Hoda Kotb and Tina Knowles! It should be really exciting, and I am looking forward to it. 

I am still on my self-care exploring journey and in today’s post I want to share my first hydro-facial that I got a few weeks ago. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

When I walked into Restore Skin Therapy I was greeted by the lovely receptionist and the staff. They had soft music playing and made sure that I was comfortable. They had lots of their own products. I loved their lip balm and their Renew Immune Serum. I have been using both while at home. After I spoke with Erin, I got all comfortable for my hydro-facial. She warmed the bed for me and explained the process of how it worked. 

 

 

It was so relaxing. The first thing that she did was massage my face and shoulders which was so needed. She then prepared my face for the machine. I will say I loved seeing it at work sucking all of the dirt out of my face and pores. The mask felt like heaven so did the aromatherapy oils that I smelled. We talked about my skin, skin tags, moisturizing routines, and hormones. 

Here is the four-step process that I went through:

HYDRO-FACIAL: A FOUR STEP PROCESS

  1. Cleanse – A deep cleanse with product formulated to each client’s skin.

  2. Exfoliation – The Hydro-Facial uncovers a new layer of skin with gentle exfoliation and relaxing resurfacing. The enzyme removes dead skin cells to reveal healthy skin.

  3. Extraction – The wand cleans out pores with painless vacuum suction. Blackheads, whiteheads, and impurities are removed instantly.

  4. Hydrate/infuse/protect – The Hydro-Facial saturates the skin with antioxidants and peptides to maximize your glow. Targeted skin solutions are delivered to address specific skin concerns. The skin is washed with a solution rich in antioxidants and highly moisturizing hyaluronic acid.

 

You can surely see my hydro-facial glow in my photo above. That was right after my session. 

 

 

This was the day after. I was still glowing! I did not have on any makeup, just lipstick. It felt as if my face had a reset. It certainly needed. I would highly recommend getting one if you can. If not I did find some great at home tools that you could use. The BeautyBio GLOfacial tool was highly recommended. This serum came recommended for the BeautyBio. There is also the blackhead remover, and the facial pore blackhead remover. I also found this face steamer. Oh, my I think I may have to order it. 

Let me know in the comments below if you have every had a professional hydro-facial. I would love to know!

 

  • This post is not sponsored. Affiliate links attached. 

 

 

Brow Lamination

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Good Morning Friends,

Still warm where you are? It is here, goodness! I am so ready for cooler temps. This past weekend Lauren came home for fall break. She only gets two extra days. She wanted to go to Jungle Jim’s in Cincinnati, so we took her. There were a lot of people and a lot of things to look at! Oh my goodness! I really wanted to get some seasonings, and we picked up a few. Overall, it was a great experience. Lauren loved it and it was a great way for me to hit the outlet mall. I must say, I am not sure if outlet malls are for me anymore. I can’t find much there anymore. I look for specific things now and my taste must be too old fashion. Oh well…. 

I am still having my self-care appointments despite the shutdown. I shared on my blog a while back how I try to live during these times. It is always hard, but I try to wait and trust in the Lord. The good thing about my upcoming appointments is that most were birthday presents so they are already paid for! A few weeks ago, I did go and have my very first brow lamination appointment. 

 

 

These are photos of my eyebrows before. They have been thinning out for years now because I used to shape them with a brow razor. I have been trying to slow down to allow growth, but I think I may need a little assistance. Plus, I am tired of filling in my eyebrows every morning. As you can see in the photos, they are very light, and I don’t have very long eyelashes either. 

I started my hunt a few months ago and found Meraki Artistry.  She has so many brow services. I was thinking about getting the nano brows but was not ready to make a commitment so soon. I reached out to her, and she was so nice and so knowledgeable. She is also a nurse! She explained the process and payment options. 

 

 

But then I spotted the brow lamination service, and she explained how this will give you the nano brow look without it being permanent and a little more affordable. It gives you the opportunity to see how they would look if you wanted to go permanent. Above are my eyebrows after the treatment! WOW!

 

 

Honestly, they don’t even look the same. I have had them for about 3 weeks, and I still love them. Now Char puts a perm-like coating on your eyebrows. This trains them to lay down and brush in the direction that you want. I could not wash my eyebrows for 2 days but that is okay. For upkeep, I have a few small eyebrow brushes, and I lightly brush them with organic castor oil. Castor oil has been known for helping with eyebrow and eyelash growth. 

I will be going back in November for a second treatment and will continue until I see the results that I am seeking. I am enjoying being in this pocket of life. I love trying new things (that are in my arena) and having time to explore. I will update you all in the future regarding my eyebrow and eyelash journey. 

Take care! 

 

*Affiliate links attached; this post is not sponsored. 

 

 

 

Perimenopause the Journey Continues…

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Hello Friends,

How is everyone doing? This past weekend was nice. I took it easy and went to a friend’s daughter’s wedding. I had a great time with my Guild Girls and my hubby. We ate, drank, and laughed. On Sunday, I went and did something. So I have been working on “building my life team” and I started looking for someone to help me with my eyebrows. I went on a search for someone and found Meraki Artistry. I will be sharing my eyebrow lamination experience soon!  

I wanted to give you all an update on my perimenopause journey. I wrote my first blog post about it last year in July and the journey is continuing. Here I am a year later, a little smarter, and a little more patient. So what has been going on this last year?

Well, I stopped the hormone pills, and I did go to the dietitian for almost a year.  For a year I was working with my dietitian, and I recently decided to take a break. I learned a lot about what foods would work for me in this time of my life and protein. I took lots of blood tests this year and learned that my protein was too high! Oh great another worry. Also, I loved my dietitian, but a lot of these weight loss companies are really pushing these weight loss medicines. I think they are great, but I just keep thinking, “I can’t stay on these all my life and the weight will come back eventually”. So far now I am working on keeping my carbs low and trying to focus more on eating protein whenever I do eat. My dietitian was wonderful and hope to go back to her soon. She is still a part of my life team. I am not on any diet medicines at this time. 

I have added strength training to my workouts, and I am still walking. I love my morning walks and cannot live without them. I am taking more strength training classes at my Pilates studio, and I am really enjoying them. What I am also working on is eating less at dinner. I must admit, I can eat more at dinner and it’s not good. So that has been my focus lately. 

 

Me in Washington, D.C. a few years ago. 

 

Have any of you heard of Midi? My dietitian mentioned them to me earlier this year and I do remember Jennifer L. Scott discussing them in one of her videos. At first, they did not take my insurance, so I decided to wait. But then I got an email that they did so I called and made an appointment with one of their perimenopause doctors. I took some blood tests and discussed my hormones, weight gain, hot flashes, headaches, sleep, and mood swings with the doctor. Of course, she said that I am in full blown perimenopause! I knew that! We decided that I would try birth control pills again and those made me feel worse! So I got off of those quick! I then decided to try HRT. I am now using an estradiol patch and taking progesterone at night. I feel a whole lot better I tell you and I am sleeping! I will be meeting with my doctor from Midi in a few weeks (this will be my third appointment) to discuss some more things from my blood test, but my protein has dropped! So that was happy news. 

 

 

Photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Life has become a journey for sure. Other items that I am focusing on are my thoughts. I heard a comment recently from Joyce Meyer’s Podcast called Talk it Out. She recently had a doctor on her show called Dr. Axe and he said some things in the first 5 minutes of this podcast that I just have to share!

“When I look at medical conditions for today, I think about half of it is diet or food related. That’s a big piece but I actually think that stress, spiritual, and mental health is equally if not slightly more impactful to our physical health and that’s very true of specific conditions. I’ll give you an example of how this cascade works with hormones. Like the hormone that most affects other hormones in the body is cortisol. And so, if you are stressed and living in a state of fear and worry and you don’t believe that God is a good father and that he’s going to be there for you and protect you; then you’re living in a constant state of insecurity, and your cortisol is higher. When cortisol is high that causes insulin to go high. Now your blood sugar when it is high that imbalances estrogen. And then the other thing that imbalances is then your thyroid hormones, T3 & T4. So having stress can be very disturbing to women’s health.”

WOW! You all should watch that podcast. It was very impactful, and I learned a LOT. I am one of those women who struggles with believing that God will take care of me. I will be honest. I am. So, this is something that I am working on and started with my Christian therapist last year. 

Another comment that Dr. Axe made was when your doctor tells you to stop stressing but they NEVER tell you how to stop stressing. He mentioned building things in your life that make you happy. That is how you combat stress, and he is right. That is another reason why I started going on and creating “elegant adventures” and started building my life team. If you need more life inspiration my blog post Tips for a Balanced Life may help and my How I Romanticize my Life Daily is other. 

Let me know in the comments below how you are doing on your perimenopause or menopause journey. I feel a little better this year than last and just hope that it keeps getting better. 

 

  • Affiliate links attached; this post was not sponsored. 

 

 

Building My “Life” Team

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Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. We kept things simple. I cooked a turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and made a caramel cake. We sat and spent time with our adult kids. We are now in the process of planning our summer trip. We are tossing around ideas and trying to figure out who wants to do what. I know that Lauren would like to visit Universal Studios in Florida, so we are trying to figure that out now. 

Also because of changes at my job and leadership, all of my work trips have been put on hold. It’s been very disappointing, but I am doing my best to trust that the Lord is working things out. Everything happens for a reason and that could be another reason why I am feeling lead to build my “life team”. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

As I am entering my mid-forties, my mind is changing and focusing on different things. At first, it was always the kids, my husband, this person or that person. I am now in a chapter where I want to focus on things that I want and need in my life for these next seasons. Health is taking a center stage in my life. Since I have started my perimenopause journey, I believe in building a team of professionals who are in my life to help me make it the best journey that I possibly can. 

I am starting with my primary care physician.  I have had her for over 10 years, but I am wanting to take a turn to a doctor who focuses more on functional medicine and who is willing to listen to me a bit more. Next is my OBGYN, again I have had her for 10 years, but I want someone “different”. Both of these doctors have been phenomenal; I just believe that I need new doctors in the next chapters of my life. 

I have a wonderful dentist. Our family has been going to her for almost 10 years, and I don’t want to leave her. She has been such a wonderful part in my life team and has guided me through my dental process and has been a wonderful asset. Next is my eye doctor, who again has been another great factor in my life team. I have been going to Dr. Shah for several years now and we are now discussing my options as I age and head into my 50s. She is open with me about her struggles as well because we are both in the same age group. 

Next is my dietitian who I started going to last year. She was a referral from my primary care physician after I complained multiple times about my hormonal weight gain. She has been absolutely heaven sent! I love my dietitian. She is so kind, informative, smart, and long suffering! Last month I was so upset with my hormonal weight gain I wanted to quit everything. She talked me off the cliff and gave me some info. She told me about an online doctor website called Midi that specialize in hormones.  Now I have heard of them before but didn’t think my insurance would cover it and it turns out they do!!! I have my first appointment coming up in the next few weeks. See that is what I am talking about…a life team!! 

 

 

 

In the next few months, I want to start looking for a dermatologist. I have never been to one and would love a consultation about my skin. I have had a facial but actually speaking with a dermatologist about my skin and maybe getting one of those skin scans would be a dream. So that is on my books to start to look for. 

I am still in Pilates class! I started in November, and I am still going. I actually love it. I go once a week for now and have my morning works the other 3 days of the week. I have added in strength training to my workouts as well. Meeting with my dietitian and listening to other podcasts regarding strength training and eating has had me change my workout routines. The other “life” team member that I have added is a therapist. I started therapy exactly one year ago and have not regretted it. I knew that I needed to add this person to my life team. Mental health is such an important part of my life in this chapter. It has helped me to “kick up the dirt” and clean it up. I love my therapist and our sessions. 

 

 

Friends are another group in my “life” team. As I stated in a previous post, I never knew how important friendships were until I saw “good ones”. As I spend time with other women, I am learning more about life, and the importance of trust.  I have been praying for “travel friends” or friend. I need a woman friend to travel with. I am not sure who the Lord will send but I need some girl trips in my life. A trip where we can antique shop, visit historical homes, travel overseas, and enjoy the gardens. I am also on the hunt for a business mentor. I have an entrepreneur spirit, and I want a female friend who has the qualities, discipline, and elegance to be a mentor to me in the business world. Next up is a garden mentor. Now there are a lot of people that say that they can garden but I want an expert. I think I may have one. David Strohmeyer is one of our designers as the show house and I spoke with him recently regarding my green house. I will be sending an email to him soon to set up a time for him to come out and guide me.

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Next to last is an interior designer. Now I have started to meet interior designers at the show house since I am a member. Last year I was able to do a collaboration with one! That was one of the highlights of my year! I know that I can reach out to them to get ideas and maybe do a consultation one day. I would love to redo my laundry room, closet, and kitchen. And last but not least is a fashion stylist. Last week was Influencer Day at the show house and I was able to sit and talk with Nicole Busch with Nicole Blair Wear. I asked her questions about blouses and skirts, colors, patterns, and comfort. It was such a fun conversation. Let me know in the comments below if you would like to see a blog collaboration with Nicole and if so, what would you ask? 

I truly hope that this blog post was inspiring. Let me know in the comments below what your thoughts are about having a “life team”. Have a great weekend! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter Self Care Favorites

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Hello 2025!

Have you made your resolutions yet? I have started my lists for goals that is for sure and will be sharing that soon. We spent a quite evening at home as usual celebrating the new year. I did visit a new consignment shop! I am over the moon about it. Oh my goodness, it is not filled with junk! So happy. It’s called Consigned by Design and they have two locations. I came out with a few things but have other furniture pieces on my radar. 

It’s still warm here in Indy and I have a feeling that in February and March it will get really cold. It always does. Around this time, I normally suffer from dry skin and also the winter blues. I am trying to embrace my seasons (thanks to Lydia Millien’s book Evergreen) and enjoy the chapters of life that I am in. With that being said I wanted to share some winter skin and self-care favorites for this year. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

My first favorite and new discovery is the Mario Badescu mango and coconut lip mask. What a great find! I love it! Lip conditioners are always hard for me, and I am so glad that I found this and enjoy using it. I also purchased this trio of lip balms from Amazon as well. I have also been using this Sallen Hansen cuticle massage cream. It has a very clean scent to it and has been a hero to my hands and cuticles this winter. 

For feet this best thing that I have used to soften my heels is Vaseline! It works and nothing works like it. If you have not tried it, you should. Just rub some on your clean feet before going to bed especially those heels. Put on some socks and look at the difference in the morning. If your heels are really bad, then it may take a few nights and a few applications, but I am telling you it works! 

 

 

Before                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  After- 3 hours later 

 

I did not want to post these on here, but I wanted to give an honest review about my recent experience with the Biodance (viral) Bio-Collegen mask. I did not know that they were viral until after I purchased them and saw all of the reviews. Now I love an overnight mask, but I have never tried anything like this before. I was so nervous, but it was a wonderful experience! The mask feels so good sitting on your face and was comfortable to wear. I even fell asleep with it on. My husband woke me up to take off the remaining sheets. The first photo was after putting it on and the second photo was about 3 1/2 hours later. Most of the mask had disappeared delivering active ingredients into my skin. I then tried the Biodance Hydro Cera-nol Moisturizing Mask. All I can say is… order one! It’s the ultimate self-care mask! Perfect for the winter.

 

 

Next up is a purchase that I have been wanting to make for a long time but was not sure. I have been wanting a neck massager but for the most part they never worked. One of our insurance reps brought this in and I tried it and oh my word! It has been on my radar ever since. This is the Mirakel Neck Massager, and it works my friends. I absolutely love it! Most people get the back massage machines, but I am a neck person because of sitting at the computer all day. I have used this SEVERAL times already. It hits that spot for me. It’s a wonderful self-care evening treat. 

 

 

The last self-care night item for me is a special treat. I love a hot cup of green tea or chamomile. I recently found this beautiful vintage dish at the antique store and could not resist putting some of my favorite Dove chocolates in it for a self-care night. Self-care is not only treatments but beauty as well. 

 

 

I hope that you all are inspired to take some time for yourself this year. Crave out the hour or two hours just to calm down and have a moment. Life has a way of beating up on you and I am learning to take time for me. Enjoy my video as well!

 

 

 

  • affiliate links attached 

 

 

New Healthy Rituals

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Good Morning Friends,

I recently had a four-day weekend and truly enjoyed it! I got my mums for my porch, order a few items online, started printing off to-do lists for the holidays, and kind of slowed down a bit. I am working on getting my canopy installed above my bed so I will be sure to share that soon. 

I don’t know about you but since I am getting a little older I have been shifting things in my mind and body. My health journey has been a part of my life since my 20’s but I have noticed that my needs are changing as my life is changing. First on my list is breathwork. I recently became interesting in breathwork after reading Rushing Women’s Syndrome and watching Jennifer L. Scott’s video about breathing. So I added this video on breathwork to my weekly routines. 

 

I enjoy doing this so much and it has helped me tremendously. I noticed that I do tend to pay more attention to my breathing. Next on my list has been stretching. I don’t know about you but I love a good stretch in the mornings so I added this video to my weekly routines as well. 

 

 

I feel wonderful after doing these stretches in the morning. Another item has been my workout clothes. I shared my morning walk clothes some time ago but I am beginning to add more items to my workout wardrobe. I found some great new yoga pants to wear  and new sports bras. 

A fourth item has been new products. The first are these Garden of Life PMS Support pills. I am ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS skeptical of pms support pills. Most of the time they never work for me but these have been working!!! My cramps aren’t as bad, breast tenderness is better, and my mood is a little lighter. I don’t take them for the entire month. I usually start them a week or two before my cycle. They work great!

I am also going to try this Ryze Mushroom Matcha. I have been seeing this all over Instagram and have been curious for months now. I have read that some people have gotten flatter stomachs, feel less bloated, helps with inflammation, anxiety and energy. I will be sure to report back soon. 

 

 

And the last item on my list is Pilates. Now my normal workout routines contain a mile and half walk around my neighborhood and a day of weights. I have taken Pilates before but it was at home and a dvd. When I saw Lydia’s video of her doing Pilates on the reformer I immediately became interested, so I told my husband that as another birthday gift I would like a session of reformer Pilates classes and so he paid for them! 

 

 

I am now taking pilates at Indy House of Pilates! I am so excited. I have not been in a gym in 20 years! They last time I was in a gym I was 8 months pregnant with Lauren. I started about 2 weeks ago and will be finishing up my private sessions here soon and will be able to join classes when I want. It has been really hard. The first day after my first session I got in the car and thought, “dear God what have I done”! But I really want to continue my health and body are very important to me. When I see the other women walk in for classes, I pay attention to their posture. It’s straight and there is something about how they walk that looks different. I want that! 

With these new classes I got to order some pilates shoes. I saw Lydia wearing these while taking her classes so I found some on Amazon and I love these! You can wear them around the house as well. 

I am enjoying this new health journey and hope that with hard work and persistence I will be able to love my body and enjoy the upcoming years. Let me know below if you have taken a pilates reformer class, or have tried any of the products that I have mentioned. 

 

 

 

My Color Analysis Journey

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Good Morning Friends,

I had a really good birthday weekend. Thank you all for the birthday wishes truly! I actually have a lot of content to share. I will be working with my friend Dr. Minju Witte here soon on a blog collaboration for etiquette! So if there are any etiquette questions that you want me to ask Dr. Witte please put it in the comments section below. 

I have some wonderful autumn photos from the Lily House and an outdoor lunch that me and my Guild girlfriends had a few weeks ago. And I have a reel that I will be posting soon from my birthday dinner at the Cakebake Shop. I had tea there and loved it. Of course I could resist purchasing a teapot for myself. They are so beautiful in person. 

Okay now let me share my wonderful color analysis appointment with you that I had on my birthday!

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

A few weeks ago, my branding company, shared a new project that they were working on. It was a new branding project for a local color analysis consultant. Ummm that caught my attention immediately and I reached out to her to find out what services she offered.

Elizabeth from the Color Coordinator , was so helpful and offered an in-person experience and a virtual one as well. I thought about having the virtual appointment but honestly nothing compares to doing it in person. So I set up an in-person appointment and put it on my calendar! 

When I arrived I saw that she had the scarf rack which made me so excited. Now I have seen this done on YouTube so I kind of knew how it was going to be.  

 

 

She was very personable, knowledge and fun. She made me feel so comfortable and we talked about colors, age, and a little bit of everything. I could not resist a selfie! 

 

 

I did wear one of my favorite pink dresses but I was open to whatever Elizabeth was going to show me about color. I was also wanted some advice or make up colors. Sometimes people will just tell you, “oh that color lipstick looks great on you”, but then you get it home and find out that you don’t love it. I cannot tell you how many times I have purchased a pink lipstick only to not wear it.

In the above photos you will see a before and after. Elizabeth suggested that I go for berry color lipsticks and blushes. She actually applied a color on my lips and cheeks while I was there. You can watch her reel of my session here. 

 

 

After going through all of the seasons Elizabeth was able to narrow down my colors to “bright winter”. I never thought in a million years that I would be a winter. One of the great aspects of this season of colors is that black is a neutral for me. Now how great is that! Elizabeth also explained that I have three other sister palettes which are dark winter, cool winter, and bright spring. In addition to the booklets I got this color swatch to help me pick out colors for my clothes, nails and makeup! I love it! 

It was such a wonderful experience and I have NO regrets doing it. I have been wanting to experiment with more activities in my life and this was one of them. As we all know, life is so short and I want to do as much as a can to make it beautiful. 

If you live in the Indianapolis area, I would recommend Elizabeth if you want to take an adventure in discovering your colors. It could do wonders!