February 2017 – The Hustlin’ Homemaker

FEB FAVES

Hello! I have a feeeew things that I have been loving all month. Although it seems like summer here in Texas (it was 85 today!), it is still winter…but summer is not too far away! I can’t wait. Let’s get into the summer inspired faves.

I had just a few beauty faves.

I have been so into the glossy lip, and NARS is one of my favorite brands for lipgloss. This one, a shimmery candy pink called Baby Doll is not sticky, and adds just the perfect amount of sheer color.

Another pink product I’ve been loving (I realized both of these were almost the exact same tone!) is this Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Rosy Pop. I love these blushes so much! They have the most adorable packaging, and they last so long on my skin! I love how they are not super pigmented at first, because I like to build up my blush color. This color is a medium matte pink that gives a really nice natural flush.

Here is a swatch of the lipgloss and the blush:

Lastly for beauty, I have the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. I like to use this product when I want to wear my hair sleek and straight. I apply this serum to wet hair, blow dry it straight, and it helps to smooth frizz without weighing my hair down. It also smells like jolly rancher candy! A little bit goes a long way, so I usually only use a dime sized amount, and it is really nice on those humid days.

I have a few fashion faves, first, these Hoop Earrings from House of Harlow 1960.I picked up these little beauties from Nordstrom Rack, and I LOVE THEM. Hoop earrings are definitely my thing, and I wear them almost every day, and I also love anything by this brand. Their jewelry is sort of bohemian, and I love the goldtone. These earrings have little turquoise triangles and I think they are just adorable. I’ve been wearing them with everything!

One more fashion fave are these adorable little multicolor sandals from Target. Target has THE CUTEST sandals right now. I also got these studded gladiator ones. Target just gets me.

They’re so colorful and just make me think of summer. I love the straps with all the different colors and textures. Can’t wait to wear them with a sundress or with a bathing suit cover up at the pool!

What have you been loving this month?

xx Amy

Top 5 | Blinding Highlighters

I love a bold highlighter. It might not look natural, but I LOVE IT and I want to look totally glowy. Today I am showing you my top five blindingly bright highlighters. These highlighters might start out subtle, but I like to pack them on for maximum effect!

I like to apply my highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones, the tip of my nose, and a tiiiiny bit just above my top lip. Like I said, I like to pack them on, but you can apply them subtly if you don’t want to look like a sparkly disco ball.

Here they are!

MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle

This is a cult-favorite golden pale peach powder highlighter that is chock full of shimmer and tiny microglitter. The glitter doesn’t show up on my face, it just shows up as a sheen. This is buildable and blends really nicely. I actually put this in a Products I Regret Buying post a while back, but I tried it again and I have really grown to love it!

Sephora Radiant Luminizing Drops in Morning Light

This product is a liquid highlighter that is pure shimmer pigment. You can actually mix this with your foundation for a beautiful glow, or you can just dab some on your face for an instant glow effect. The color of this is a gold champagne, and it doesn’t come off glittery, but gives that wet shimmer glow look. It is beautiful, and a little bit goes a long way!

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl in Gilded Honey

This powder highlighter is my favorite highlight of all time. First off, the little swirl pattern is so cute, but the product inside is such a soft creamy powder, and blends so nicely. The color is a shimmery golden honey color that is so glowy and so pretty.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Rose Quartz

This color is an icy silvery pink that is so so pretty and fresh. Becca’s highlighting powders never disappoint. The packaging is just beautiful on this too. It was limited edition, but here is a very similar alternative if you are into pink highlight.

Colourpop Pearlized Highlighter in Lunch Money

This is a soft cream highlight that dries down to a powder finish quickly. The color is a very pale light gold, but with tons of shimmer and adds such a pretty sheen to the skin. I like to just use my fingers to apply this one.

I noticed that the swatches above didn’t do them justice, so I went outside and snapped a few pics in the sunlight.

Gahhh. So pretty.
From l to r: Morning Light, Soft and Gentle, Gilded Honey, Rose Quartz, Lunch Money

What’s your favorite highlighter?

xx Amy

EAT | More Healthy Snacks

I love to make healthy snacks for my girls after we pick up my oldest daughter Allie from school. We are all hungry and need a little something to hold us over until dinner. These are my five favorite snacks to give them (and eat myself!)

1. Trail Mix

I love to make my own trail mix and add different things to it. Our favorite variety is unsalted peanuts, unsalted almonds, and dried cranberries. The nuts have protein to keep us full, and the cranberries give a little tang and hint of sweetness. LOVE THIS.

2. Frozen Blueberries

This is anther super simple snack to make, just dip some blueberries in yogurt, lay out on some parchment paper, freeze, and voila! A sweet frozen treat!

3. Larabars

Larabars are so awesome for on-the-go, or when I don’t have time to make a snack. Most of the flavors only have two or three ingredients, and they are so yummy! They contain nuts and fruit, so they have that salty sweet thing going on.

Cashew Cookie and Apple Pie are my favorite flavors.

4. Lettuce Wraps

I like to take a little bit of turkey and cheese and roll them up in some lettuce.

Secure with a toothpick, and there you go! Delish and guilt-free.

5. Peanut Butter Toast

I like to grab some whole-grain bread, spread a little peanut butter, drizzle some honey on top, and sprinkle with some cinnamon. Delicious, and perfect for when I crave something sweet.

More healthy snacks here!

Thanks for reading! xx

EAT | Acai Bowl

Acai is an antioxidant rich superfood that not only tastes delicious, but is full of fiber and vitamin c. I love to make myself an acai bowl if I am craving something sweet, or if I want a nice refreshing breakfast. The best part about it is that you can add pretty much anything to it and get creative. Sometimes I add kiwi, nuts, or even shaved coconut to the top- just whatever you have will work! This is a great snack that will keep you full for hours. Here’s how I make mine!

What you’ll need:

one frozen acai packet
frozen fruit (I’m using bananas)
2 tbsp milk
granola
toppings of your choice- I’m using blueberries, strawberries, and bananas

Run your acai packet under hot water, cut off the top, and break it up into a blender.

Add about 2 tbsp of milk (almond, soy, coconut, regular milk, etc)and some frozen fruit. I am adding bananas, but any fruit is fine.

Blend it up.

Scoop out your acai mixture onto a bed of granola.

Add your toppings, and boom. The best acai bowl ever.

Enjoy!

xx Amy

My PRECIOUS | 15 Pan MAC Palette

Ok, so if my house was on fire and I could just save one makeup item (lol) it would be THIS. Behold, my 15 pan MAC palette AKA my precious. I have been using this palette for years, switching out, using up, and buying new shadows for it. Only my favorite shadows go in here.

I love this palette because I bought it empty and I bought each individual shadow to build my own perfect palette. This palette has every color I need, and i just love it so! I can create any type of look I need with this.

MAC has recently lowered the price of their individual pan shadows to $6 (they used to be $10), so I feel like that is a good deal. Their shadows are some of the best, always pigmented and have nice lasting power. With 113 shades, and all types of finishes, you will definitely find the perfect color for whatever you’re looking for.

Here’s what’s in mine!

First off, I have three highlight shades, and three are definitely necessary.

Vanilla -velvet finish/ peachy-ivory with reflects
Nylon -frost finish/pale frosty gold
Phloof -frost finish/super pale frosty pink

Vanilla comes off as pretty matte on my skin, so that is what I use to highlight my browbone. For this, I don’t want anything shimmery, so this color is perfect. As for my inner corner highlight, I use either Nylon, which is more yellow toned, or Phloof, which is more pinky toned.

Here are the swatches:

From l to r: Vanilla, Nylon, Phloof

The next five colors are my lighter shimmery lid colors. These are all neutrals that work for anything!

All That Glitters – veluxe pearl finish/ beige with gold pearl
Patina – frost/ taupe brown with golden pearl
Sable – frost/ golden plum with bronze pearl
Satin Taupe – frost/ taupe with silver shimmer
Shale – satin finish/ mauve plum with subtle shimmer

All of these colors work so well as just a “one color wash” over the lid, or paired with a deeper color in the crease.

Here are the swatches:

From l to r: All That Glitters, Patina, Sable, Satin Taupe, Shale

The next two colors are my transition/crease colors. These colors also work very well for my eyebrows too, so I love them.

Wedge – matte/ soft muted beige taupe
Espresso – matte/ muted golden brown

These are the only two matte browns I need for any look. One is much lighter than the other; and they blend out so smoothly in the crease.

Here are the swatches:

The next five shadows are my more deeper and different colors.

Sumptuous Olive – veluxe pearl/khaki with pearl
Sketch – velvet/ burgundy with red shimmer
Club – satin/ red- brown with green pearl
Knight Divine – veluxe pearl/black with silver pearl
Carbon – matte/ intense black

These colors are my favorite to use when I am going out at night, or want a deeper, smoky type of look. They are all beautiful and they are colorful, but still neutral at the same time.

Here are the swatches: