January 2017 – The Hustlin’ Homemaker

How To Style : Chambray Top

I’m starting a new series on this blog called How To Style, and I’m going to be picking a piece from my wardrobe and showing you different ways to wear it!

I thought I’d start off with chambray, which is one of my favorite fabrics to wear. It’s loose, super light, comfy, and casual. I like my sleeves rolled up, and I like how this shirt in particular doesn’t have a fold down collar. I think a nice chambray top can go with ANYTHING, but here are my favorite ways to wear it. ENJOY!

Outfit 1: DATE NIGHT

I paired this top with some leggings with a faux leather panel on the side. I think the casual vibe of the shirt goes well with these pants that have a little bit of an edge to them. I also chose these heeled booties with a tiny bit of a peep toe, and finished it off with some gold hoops and a faux snakeskin clutch. I think this is super cute for a casual date night.

Outfit 2 : DENIM ON DENIM

I paired the top with some darker wash skinny jeans and some comfy flats for this day to day outfit. The jeans aren’t the same color as the top, but I still love the monochromatic denim look to it. The flats are super cute and give the outfit a nice pop of color. I finished the look with a crossbody bag, dream catcher earrings, and favorite hat.

Outfit 3 :

For the last outfit, I chose white skinny jeans because I love wearing them, and they go with everything! I threw on this little tan cropped trench over it and put on some tan colored wedge booties to match. I like to roll my pants because I like a little bit of skin to show between the boots and pants. I finished it off with some blue stone stud earrings.

Outfit Details:

Outfit 1

Top: Nordstrom/ Joe Fresh – sold out (similar here)

Leggings: Old Navy – sold out (similar here)

Peep Toe Booties : DSW

Earrings : Nordstrom / Gorjana

Clutch : NY&CO (similar here)

Outfit 2

Jeans : American Eagle

Flats : Steve Madden
Bag: Louis Vuitton
Hat : H&M (similar here)

Earrings: F21 (similar here)

Outfit 3:

White Jeans : Express
Tan Trench : Old Navy (similar)
Booties : DSW (similar)

Earrings : Kendra Scott

What’s your favorite way to wear chambray?

Thanks for reading! xx

January Beauty FAVES

Hello! January has come and gone, and I have a bunch of faves that I’ve been loving lately! Most of these are old rediscovered faves (I’m on the no-buy!), but a few are fairly new to me. Let’s get into it!

Let’s start off with these two hair care products. First is the Batiste Dry Shampoo in the Floral and Flirty Blush scent. This scent is my favorite out of the bunch, it smells really nice and clean. I’ve been using this dry shampoo for years, and it’s just the best! When it sprays out, it feels kind of cooling, and really makes my hair feel clean! It does leave a white cast, but brushing it out makes it disappear immediately.

Next is the Kenra Blow Dry Spray. This is a heat protectant that is supposed to reduce blow dry time. I’ve also been using this product for a long time, and I love the smell (fruity with coconut) and it really does cut down on my drying time. I also notice that my hair is really soft after I use this.

Since dry winter weather leaves me with super chapped lips, I love to use a lip exfoliator every day. I usually just mix coconut oil and sugar, but sometimes I like to use this Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub. This smells like delicious chocolate mint, and it really makes my lips soft and moisturized after I use it. It leaves an oily feel on the lips that makes them super smooth.

Another thing that I started using this month is this Sephora Solid Brush Cleaner. Where has this stuff been my whole life? I LOVE THIS and actually don’t mind cleaning my brushes now that I have this. I just swirl my brush (or sponge) into this and it’s like a bar of soap. It instantly takes all of the makeup off (even off the sponges) without being super sudsy, and it rinses clean so fast!! I used to have to sit there wringing them out to get all of the soap out, but not with this. It smells nice and leaves the brushes so soft. I’ll never be without this!

I have a few makeup faves, first off is this Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara. This is a sample size that I received in one of those mascara sampler kits that come out at Christmas. I am so surprised at how much I like this. It really gives volume and I get absolutely no clumping at all, no matter how many coats I apply! It doesn’t flake or smudge, and it really holds the curl.

Next up is this ELF Contour Kit. Being fair skinned, it’s hard to find a contour kit that works for me, and isn’t too dark. This one has a light and dark bronzer (both matte), a shimmery pearl highlight, and a yellow toned matte highlight. This has everything I need! The pigmentation is good, and the colors last. Love this little kit. $6!

Lastly is this Deborah Lippman polish in 99 Luftballons. This is a sheer red pink color with multicolor glitter. I LOVE Deborah Lippman glitters, and especially this one. Here it is on me:

Isn’t it so pretty and festive? This is three coats, and is so hard to remove, but totally worth it!!!

What have you been loving this month?

Thanks for reading! xx

White Teeth in 5 Minutes ( $6!)

Having a nice smile is so important! Most of the time, the first thing I notice about a person is their smile, so I like to keep mine super white.

I’ve always whitened my teeth from time to time- I drink a lot of coffee, red wine, and tea, so whitening my teeth is a must if I don’t want them to stain. I used to use Crest Whitestrips, but those are very pricey and they always leave my teeth super sensitive!

I recently picked up a product from my local Walmart that was about $6 and promised white teeth in just five minutes. I have seen this product on the shelves before, but never gave it a shot until now. This is the Plus White 5 Minute Speed Whitening System.

In the box, you get a blue rubbery mouthpiece, the whitening gel in a squeeze tube, and a whitening rinse to use when you’re done.

The directions say to apply a thin layer of gel inside both sides of the mouthpiece (one layer for the top and the bottom), insert it into your mouth, and that you don’t have to apply pressure to it by biting down.

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To apply the gel, you don’t need a lot, just a thin strip. I then placed the mouthpiece into my mouth, and waited. The gel contains peroxide, so it almost immediately starts to foam up. The gel doesn’t taste very good, so don’t swallow it! The five minutes went by super fast, and then I just removed it and made sure to rub all of the gel off my teeth. So easy! Afterwards, I used the whitening rinse, which tasted really good and minty.

I didnt see big results until the third time using this. My husband and daughter both said that my teeth were a LOT whiter. I used it once a day for a week, and my teeth are so white now!

I would not recommend using this product for any longer than 5 minutes, as it can cause sensitivity and mouth sores. Just stick with the five minutes, and you’ll be good in a few days!

I maintain a white smile by using this product a few times a week, using Arm and Hammer Extreme Whitening Toothpaste, and brushing my teeth as much as I can.

Have you tried this?

Thanks for reading! xx

EAT | Crockpot Chili + Cornbread

One of my husband JJ’s favorite things to eat is chili with cornbread. This meal is super easy and takes all day in the slow cooker. The thing I love about chili is that you can add whatever you want to it, and make it as spicy or as mild as you like. My husband loves to have beans in his chili, so I add those in for him. To go with it, a delicious and slightly sweet cornbread. Let’s get cookin’!

CHILI

What you’ll need:

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 lbs ground beef (or any ground meat/meat sub you like)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans (optional)

Dice up your onion and red bell pepper.

Heat oil and sauté onion and peppers until soft.

Add garlic, chili powder, salt, cumin, and stir.

Add ground beef, and cook till brown.

Pour mixture into the crockpot, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (with juice) and beans (optional).

Stir, and set on low for 8 hours, or high for 6 hours. The longer it cooks, the better it is.

Here it is 6 hours later.

Let’s make some cornbread to go with it, shall we?

CORNBREAD

What you’ll need:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Vegan alternatives:

1 stick Earth Balance butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil instead of eggs
1 cup soy milk instead of buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter, add sugar, eggs, and stir.

Combine baking soda with buttermilk, and add to mixture.

Add cornmeal, flour, and salt.

Pour into round pan (so everyone gets an edge piece)

Bake for 30-40 min or until the top and edges are slightly brown. (Or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean).

When your 5 year old asks for more cornbread instead of having candy as her treat that night, you know it’s good!

I like mine with Fritos.

Hope you enjoyed these recipes and will try them!

Thanks for reading xx

10 Products in 10 Minutes | Everyday Makeup

Applying makeup is something I do every day, and today I am going to be sharing my simple 10 minute makeup routine with you! I don’t feel guilty saying that I’ve never left the house without at least SOME makeup on. It’s just necessary.

Being a stay at home mom, some days aren’t really, eventful. I’ll do morning drop off for my 5 year old Allie, then errands/playdates with my 2 year old, Ashley…and then to the parent pick up line to get Allie. That’s pretty much what Monday-Friday looks like for me. No dramatic wing liner needed. Haha.

Since I have Ashley with me every morning, I gotta hurry with the shower/makeup/hair situation, so here’s what I do!

I don’t use primer everyday- I usually just apply moisturizer and then go right in with foundation. I LOVE this L’Oréal Infallible Pro Glow. Gives a solid medium coverage, but is buildable. I love the glowy finish it gives to the skin. I have a full review here for it if you’re interested.

For undereye concealer, I like this Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer in Meringue. It has a pinky tone to it, so it corrects my dark circles, and it doesn’t crease. I don’t use concealer anywhere else, and I didn’t set my face with powder.

I’ve been using this ELF Contouring Palette a ton lately. This is such a great value and has really nice pigment. It has two shades of bronzer that I like to use – today I am just using the lighter shade on the perimeter of my face and a little underneath my cheekbones. Both shades are matte, and don’t come off orangey.

For blush, I used a matte pale pink color, this is Wisteria from the Becca Blushed With Light Palette. This color gives a nice natural flush. I did go in with a teeny bit of this Hourglass Ambient Strobing Powder in Incandescent just on the tops of my cheekbones, a tiny bit on the tip of my nose, and in the inner corners of my eyes. Gotta have the glow.

Eyebrows are one of the most important parts for me, so I never skip that! I used my Chanel Brow Powder Duo in Brun, mixed the two colors together, and applied them with a small angled brush.

When I’m doing everyday makeup, I don’t really try with eyeshadow, I tend to just do a wash of color or put something in the crease. Today I’m just taking Satin Taupe by MAC and just applying it to the lid and blending it out. This is just a frosty taupe color.

I’m also taking just a teeny bit of UD 24/7 pencil liner in Perversion and thickening up my top lash line with it. I just get the pencil as close as I can to the lashes and draw a small line. This makes my eyes look wider. I am careful not to get this in the inner corners of my eyes, because that makes them smaller, and I’m going for big, bright eyes.

Gotta apply some mascara, so I’m using the UD Perversion Mascara, which I’ve recently rediscovered (why did I stop using this???) it makes my lashes so thick and full.

Lastly, I have to have something on my lips. Today I am using my favorite – Essence Lipstick in Natural Beauty. Just the perfect, hydrating, everyday pink neutral color.

That’s it! Here is the finished product! Easy and natural. Perfect for everyday.