July 2017 – The Hustlin’ Homemaker

July FAVES

It’s is the end of July, which means it’s my sister Kimmy’s bday! (Happy Birthday Kimmy!) AND it means it’s time for a new favorites! Here’s what I’ve been loving all month long.

First off, this pink gloss. NARS is my second favorite brand for gloss (Dior is first), because I don’t find the glosses to be too sticky, and they last pretty long on the lips! This color here is called Angelika, and it is described as a “cotton candy pink with gold particles”. This is a cool toned medium pink that is sheer, but still looks so pretty on the lips. Here’s a swatch.

Next is this eyeliner pencil that I have been using in the inner corner of my eyes and also underneath my lashline. This is the Infallible Silkissime Liner from L’Oréal in the Highlighter shade. The color is a metallic kind of rose gold that is sooo pretty and really brightens up the eyes. Here is a swatch.

Lastly for makeup, this face palette by Urban Decay. This is the Naked Flushed Palette in Going Native. It includes bronzer, blush, and highlight powders. The colors are so summery with the bubblegum pink blush, and the bronzer doesn’t come off orange at all. The bronzer has a teeny bit of shimmer, the blush is matte, and the highlight shade is a pearly pink color. I love this, and it’s so convenient.

I have two skincare faves, first off is this Aveeno Skin Relief Overnight Cream Intense Moisture. I love to use this cream on really dry skin before I go to bed at night. I like to apply this on my elbows, knees, and heels, and it REALLY softens the skin, even after I shower. It doesn’t have a strong scent at all, and is thick. I would recommend using this at night so it really has a chance to sink in.

Last thing for my faves is this Paula’s Choice Resist Triple Action Dark Spot Eraser. This contains 7% AHA, glycolic acid, and most importantly Hydroquinone. I have a few dark spots underneath my eyes caused from the sun and pregnancies. hydroquinone is a skin bleaching agent that is supposed to lighten up these spots. This is combined with AHA and glycolic acid which exfoliate the dead skin to brighten. I have been using this once a day at night to help these spots, and I am actually starting to see the spots lighten. I’ve only been using it a few weeks, but I’ve really been pleased with the results. I am hoping that they continue to lighten up.

That’s it for the faves!

Thanks for reading x

Easy Crafts For Kids

Hello! My girls (especially my 6 year old Allie) love to do crafts. They are always asking me to do them and are always proud of their creations. Here are a few that I thought I would share with you- these all mostly use household items (cups, spoons, tape, etc) so you may have everything you need already at your house! Both of my girls ages 6 and 3 had fun with these. Let’s get started.

1. Watercolor Painting

This painting project is really fun for Allie, but my three year old Ashley can also do it with some help.

All you need is a blank sheet of paper and some masking tape. You’re gonna tape up the page any way you like- just place the tape however you want on the page. Allie was able to do her own tape, but I did Ashley’s.

Just have your kids paint the shapes inside the tape using watercolors. Even if they can’t quite stay in the lines yet, it still works!

Once it’s dry, carefully peel off the tape, and voila! Everyone’s picture will turn out pretty.

The best part is taking off the tape. The girls were thrilled with the end result.

You can use these folded in half to make a birthday card, too- we did that!

2. Plastic/Paper Cup Crafts

Telephone

This one I’m sure is one everyone knows, but my girls LOVED this.

Just cut two small holes in the bottom of two plastic cups, run a string through each end, and secure with a paper clip.

Have them each hold a cup and stand at opposite ends of the room.

Make sure that the string stays taut, and that they hold the cup on their mouth so no air gets in. They’ll be amazed at how they can actually hear each other!

Pom Pom Launcher

All you’ll need for this craft is a paper or plastic cup, a balloon, and some Pom Poms. Cotton balls also work.

Cut the bottom of the cup off.

Tie your balloon at the bottom and cut the top off.

Stretch the balloon over the top of the cup (not the side we cut)

Place a few pom poms in the cup, pull back on the balloon and you have a great launcher! They loved this one. The pom poms go far!

3. Spoon Crafts

Spoon Girls

Draw a face on your spoon, use a cupcake liner folded in half as a skirt, and attach a little shirt and some hair with glue. You could get really creative with this and use googley eyes or yarn as hair. The girls loved these and even made a boy one for their Daddy.

Spoon Butterflies

We also used the spoon with a face as the center of a butterfly by just cutting out a shape on a piece of paper and gluing it to the center. We added antennas and jewels to it and there you go! A beautiful butterfly.

4. Treasure Hunt and Craft

Make a list for your kids of things to find outside and give them a ziplock bag. They will have lots of fun finding everything on the list.

After they’re done, have them glue down their findings on a piece of paper. They’ll be proud of what they found.

That’s it for today! Let me know if you’d like to see more crafts!
xx amy

EAT | The World’s BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

I consider myself to be a chocolate chip cookie expert, quite honestly. They are my favorite thing to bake, and I have tried pretty much every recipe out there. This recipe is THE BEST. People have told me that I should sell them before, and others have told me that they are the best cookies they’ve ever had. Maybe it’s the 2 sticks of real butter, the entire bag of semi sweet morsels, or the vanilla pudding mix I add in. Whatever it is that makes them so good, you need them in your life!

This recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies if you make them as big as I do. I usually freeze 4 dozen of them in separate plastic bags to use later. Let’s get started!

What you’ll need:

2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs (room temp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 oz box of vanilla instant pudding
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 bag semisweet chips (I use Ghirardelli)

The first thing you want to do is to take out your butter and eggs, and let those sit out on the counter until they get to room temperature- about an hour.

After that, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine butter and both sugars, and cream together until smooth.

Add eggs, and mix.

Add vanilla, pudding mix, and combine.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking soda.

Slowly add to wet mixture, and combine until smooth.

And lastly, add your chocolate chips. Yes, the entire bag. Who wants a chocolate chip cookie with like 3 chocolate chips in it?! Dump ’em in.

Place 12 on a cookie sheet, in about 1 inch balls.

I bake two dozen at a time, and bag the other 4 dozen up. 2 dozen per bag – and I put them in the freezer. Fresh cookies anytime you want.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Be sure not to over cook them…no one wants a crunchy cookie!

Transfer to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!! The vanilla powder makes them so rich, and they are super ooey gooey and chocolatey.

I’m sure you’ll love them as much as I do!

xx amy

I Went to ZARA

Zara has always been one of my favorite shops. They always have the latest trends, and literally everything in there calls to me. It’s just really my style. Kind of casual, but with a dressy type of flair to it. I don’t get to go to the actual store very often because it’s about 45 min away…as is pretty much every store except Walmart, but I do get a chance to go every now and then.

I recently picked up a few thangs.

These are their High Waist Floral Bermuda Shorts.

As soon as I saw these, I knew I needed them! The embroidered flowers are totally 80’s- they remind me of Guns N Roses! I love that they are distressed and high waisted. I’m totally into the “mom shorts” trend.

Next, I picked up this skirt. This is the Frilled Miniskirt.

First off, I love the color. They call it khaki, but I think it’s more of an army green. I feel like this color really flatters my skin tone and I just love the soft material. It has a nice thick waistband and it’s tiered. It’s a short skirt, but not too short. I also love this with a plain white tank.

Then I saw this Frilled Floral Print Dress.

If you can’t tell by now, I LOVE FLORAL. I also love ruffles and “frills”, so when the two are combined, it is heaven! I love how girly and swingy this dress is. It’s a light material, and I feel like you could really dress this up or down. I could also throw a jacket on it and it could take me into fall.

The last thing I have here is this T-shirt with Pleated Sash Belt.

I love black and white stripes, and these flowy sleeves are just everything! This is so comfy, but still a casual t-shirt. It could be dressed up or down, too.

Do you guys like ZARA?

x amy

DIY Rose Hydrating/Setting Spray

Hello! Today I have an awesome DIY for you guys to try out. Makeup setting sprays can get super pricey, so I decided it would be fun to make my own! After looking up different recipes online, I decided to create my own that uses just four products. This spray is so cooling and refreshing, you can even use it without makeup!

What you’ll need:

4 tbsp distilled water
3 tbsp witch hazel (I’m using a rose scented version)
1 tbsp glycerin
2 tbsp coconut water
Spray bottle (4oz)

Let me tell you why I picked these specific ingredients.

Witch hazel is known for its anti inflammatory properties, so it is very soothing and calming to the skin while restoring your skin to its natural ph. This toner in particular has rose petal essence, and it smells just like freshly cut roses. This toner tightens pores without alcohol, and it’s cruelty free. I got this on amazon, and a lot of reviewers said that it helped with their acne. If you don’t like rose scent, you can opt for a regular non alcohol version.

The next key ingredient is glycerin. This adheres to the makeup and helps it to last. It is also very moisturizing and softening to the skin.

Next are our hydrating components, distilled water and coconut water. Coconut water is known to be super hydrating and good for the skin, so I decided to add that in as well.

Let’s get started!

Mix all of your ingredients together with a spoon until well combined.

Pour into a bottle (this is 4 oz), and give it a good shake!

There you have it! A cheap and easy alternative to those expensive setting and facial hydrating sprays. I prefer to spray this on my skin before applying makeup, but it also works well on skin after makeup has been applied.

Everything I purchased to make this setting spray totalled to $20.69, and this includes two of these glass bottles. I am able to make 5 or maybe more of these setting sprays with these ingredients. The Smashbox Primer Water is $32 for one single bottle.

I hope you liked this DIY and will try it!

Xx amy