Friday, April 27, 2012

Hey Girl! Where you at?!

Hi Loves!

Soooo yeah I pretty much fell off the face of the planet for about 2 months :-0 and I am so sorry,

Life has been crazy but in a nutshell, my hubby and I decided to move our growing family about 2 months ago from northern california to the central valley! Um huge change... It's 2.5 hours from everything we know but I have some family here and that has made the change manageable! J (the hubs) then started a new job which we absolutely adore and he is home with us so much more :)

I also got totally caught up in "researching" homeopathic medicine ( makes sense since I am always looking for natural skin and make up items) and western medicine and with our new little bundle on the way I am doing even more research on cloth diapering! Oh man so many changes but I am so excited! i hope you guys will hang with me as I try to reconstruct my little bloggy to include all things, fashion, organic, beauty, skin, family,and artistry!
As I told my dear aunt today... I am a Jesus Loving, Starbucks drinking, money saving, organic living, make up artist! If thats not a walking oxy moron I dont know what is?!

Excited to share my crunchy momma adventures ( crunchy= granola loving, organic-y type person) !

Loves!
Amy
(<---Like this pic check out www.facebook.com/jepphotography and like the page! I would love you forever if you did!)

Hucklebee Hollow where have you been all my life?


I cannot believe it has taken me this long to blog!! I will have an updated blog post about the many changes that have gone in the last six weeks but not right now!

I have recently found I am a sucker for the words boutique, one of a kind, and all natural! haha!
I also have found that I am also very particular when it comes to these things.

I love my fancy scents from places like Bath and Body Works and Victorias Secret. But seriously every time I have tried to find a natural alternative they just let me down, so its back to the store I go to pick up my heavily loaded perfumes and lotions.

That was until I came across Hucklebee Hollow and started chatting with Tracy!
She makes some super yummy whipped body washes and whipped lotions! the texture is absolutely amazing and super silky. And the scents... divine! not "nature-y" smelling if you know what I mean... ;)

She sent me some wonderful product and two of my favorite scents were the plumeria and lilac!
Birthday cake was super fun to but I included that in one of my giveaways! So I didnt get to use it :)

I would definitely recommend checking out her yummy lotions and highly, highly recommend the plumeria whipped lotion ( not greasy and smells havenly) you can get your very own here http://www.etsy.com/listing/96065852/whipped-body-butter-plumeria-petals-8-oz
or if you are anything like me you can purchase a sample pack and try a bunch :-)


They even have a lotion that is supposed to mimic Victorias Secret's Love Spell! which is a best seller for VS! She was out of stock when I ordered my goodies but if it is anything like the plumeria's amazing scent, it's at the top of my list!!

So please check out Hucklebee Hollow and tell Tracy I said hey!!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HuckleBeeHollow?ref=seller_info

XO
Amy

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Kiss me... Im Gorgeous!

I am seriously in love with Kiss Me Cosmetics!! Not only do they offer amazing and highly pigmented make up goods and skin care they also offer a special line for super dry skin for eczema sufferers. KMC sent me a huge, and I mean huge, box of samples ( although there must be another name for these items since everything I received was full size!)
As you know I am always on the hunt for quality natural makeup as well as eczema relief for my precious 3 year old and my hubby :-) The sugar scrub is by far my most favorite product. Many many people who have dry skin use salt scrubs or exfoliants that end up taking off the layer of dead skin and although this does help, without the aided sugar it also strips your skin of moisture, and we all know that the best remedy for dry skin is moisture!
So after using this on my daughter as well as myself I can tell you truthfully this stuff definitely works and reduces the irritation and dry skin of eczema sufferers.
I would highly recommend trying this product for yourself! Your skin will thank you! http://www.etsy.com/listing/74194846/100-all-natural-sugar-scrub-for

In my box of goodies I also got this amazing (no joke) tinted moisturizer! I am a huge lover of tinted moisturizer! I wear this on a daily basis and it really does match my skin perfectly and gives it that extra boost of hydration without making my skin look greasy. And as an added bonus im pretty sure KMC puts chocolate in it... that's all I smell when I put it on and I love it.

 Another thing I adore is pampering my babies ( and myself too of course) thats why I am in love with the oatmeal tea bath, whenever I think of oatmeal I think of comfort and that is exactly what this provides. Its super good for dry dehydrated skin but also just a nice treat! it smells like a spa and is perfect after a long day. If you love coming home to a nice relaxing bath then you definitely need to get yourself some of this goodness! http://www.etsy.com/listing/52125427/oatmeal-tea-bath-for-babies

Renee is the owner of Kiss Me Cosmetics and she is such a love and pleasure to work with! I was so so stunned when I got all my goodies. there was so much to choose from :-) definitely check out her shop and like her on facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kiss-Me-Cosmetics/160247823986445. if you decide to try anything out let her know you heard it from me ;-)

xoxo
Amy

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Honey for your face!

I am a honey lover! I always have been! I love the taste and smell and the healing properties it gives!! In my opinion it is one of the most  versatile hmmm... substances out there! You can use it for healing sickness, healing dry skin, chapped lips, soothing sore throats, in your bath and shower, and now on your face. Eucalypto Organics makes an amazing honey facial cleanser. This is quite the unique product as it not only cleanses and removes makeup but leaves your skin hydrated! It is just wonderful! I have tried numerous cleansers that contain essential oils and they never seem to really "clean" my face, but this definitely does the job :-) I dont use this everyday because I love the smell of it! that probably makes no sense haha but I like to use this wash after a rough nights sleep or a long day since the smell is just wonderful, way therapeutic! If you are in the market for new cleanser I definitely recommend this and you can get yours here http://www.etsy.com/listing/79506111/balancing-honey-facial-cleanser-organic.

If you are also finding your skin needs an extra boost of hydration or you are getting a little rough around the edges (wrinkles), I am a huge fan of serums! Serums work on a cell level to restore your skin and provide suppleness and because it absorbs quickly into the skin I was super pleased to find Eucalypto Organics makes an all natural serum with rosehips! Do you know about rose hips and their benefits? Rose hips and rose water, and well roses in general provide huge amounts of hydration! Our mothers and grandmothers used this all the time! To this day many skin care professionals and makeup artists include this in their kit! Be sure to get yours today at http://www.etsy.com/listing/78626962/rosehip-balancing-facial-serum-organic :-)

Both products are perfect for dry, mature, or sensitive skin!

Thanks to Laurie for dreaming up these lovely products and sharing them with me!!!

Honey faces and Rosy goodness!

xo
Amy

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Attack of the Abrasive washcloth!!

There are many, many things in this life that I love and very few that I absolutely cannot stand, But of these few things washcloths are not my friend! No matter how many times I wash my face, I always leave the experience feeling as though my face has been scraped and burned :(I have spoken with numerous men and women about this issue... and it's a combination of things, people in general think the harder they scrub the cleaner their skin, I promise this just isn't the case. Really the harder you scrub the more layers of skin you are ripping off your face... OUCH! Sooo please let me introduce to you my new loves... Face scrubbies by Peanuts Crochet!
 These little lovelies are awesome for two reasons.
1. They get softer over time and with each washing.
2.They are crocheted so perfectly there are no little annoying fibers when you wash your face!!

When I first came across Peanuts Crochet, I was definitely anxious to try these babies out. My skin is super sensitive and I just couldn't wait to pamper it a bit. Karen, the owner, was so so gracious and sent me a bunch of full size scrubbies and even some additional sized scrubbies for eye make up remover and makeup remover in general! I have had the opportunity to try all of these and absolutely love them! You definitely need to check these out! http://www.etsy.com/shop/PeanutsCrochet?ref=ss_profile
The very best thing about Karen is her attention to detail, she found out my business colors and went ahead and customed my scrubbies to match with some extra complimentary colors!!
Soooo if you are tired of dumb, abrasive, skin shearing washcloths you need to pick up a few of these! I definitely recommend the washcloth scrubbies, you can get yours here http://www.etsy.com/listing/77708287/washcloths-face-scrubbies-cotton-crochet and while you are there ask her about the scrubbie loofah! I use mine every day and I love, love, love it :-)

The next thing I am anxious to try are her organic scrubbies... can you imagine if the originals are super soft, how amazingly divine these little loves will be!!!??



Sunday, January 29, 2012

a little reflection on Overall Beauty!

I recently got to work with J.E.P. Photography and one of our favorite models, Cutthroat Kristina!
On top of this amazing shoot, I got to use some of my new product
from Overall Beauty! The color on Kristina eyes is their gorgeous
mineral eye shadow in Flashy Denim!
This shoot was for a company called LoveTag LA and the items we were shooting were strictly black and white, this being the case I got excited about the idea of getting to play with some color! I really wanted to make Kristina stand out and with her amazing fiery red hair I wanted to use colors that would compliment each other!! I opted for Flashy Denim because it has such amazing pigment and the blue and greens worked so well with her red hair!
I will say that Overall Beauty cosmetics definitely has some major skill in the color department :)
If you are looking for some fun and playful makeup this is definitely for you and the owner Kim is absolutely the sweetest and extremely generous!
On a personal note:
Kim sent me some amazing products and included a foundation. In my opinion this foundation matched my skin perfectly and I had absolutely no reaction! With all mineral makeup though, I do definitely recommend using a primer for foundation and eye shadows!
Check out all there amazing products at
Let Kim know I sent you and stay tuned for some more reviews! I just got the cutest little makeup bag!
x's and o's

Sunday, January 22, 2012

They say " never judge a book by it's cover"

Well thats exactly what I did when I came across Moody Sisters! I thought their pacakaging was super cute so I just had to contact them! I know plenty of great products, and books too, are hidden behind dull covers but truly this stuff was just too fun and too great a product!
So when I received my package from Jess and Whitney ( two "moody sisters") who create their own organic skin care, I couldnt wait to look inside! They sent me a full size bottle of eye makeup remover, which I had been in the market for, for awhile now.This bad boy is fully loaded with sunflower oil, that absorbs super quickly into the skin, is all natural, and will not clog your pores, and apricot kernel oil which has major benefits in softening the skin and fighting those stubborn fine lines and wrinkles! With the skin around the eyes being the most sensitive and thin it is way way important to make sure you are using the most natural items out there! Since remember 60% off what goes on your skin is absorbed right into you!! 
I used it wrong the first time I tried it! I didn't read the directions! I just slabbed some on a cotton ball and tried to wipe my makeup right off... what I ended up doing was succesffuly smearing alllll my eye makeup everywhere! I then proceeded to read the directions! This organic goodness needs time to work its magic ( not long) but I was leary about leaving stuff on and around my eyes, I have super sensitive eyeballs ( just like the rest of humanity) and when anything gets into them it's so uncomfy, but I went ahead and put some of this remover on my lashes and lids and it was like a miracle! I was able to open my eyes and leave it for a minute or two and had absolutely no issues, for me thats saying a lot, I have used numerous drug store and high end eye makeup removers and I always tear or my eyes sting, not a bit with this amazing stuff! Since receiving this product I have used it on numerous models and just love the way it gently removes their makeup! Thank you Moody Sisters! You should definitely check this out http://www.etsy.com/listing/59274644/4-oz-eye-makeup-remover-gentle

If you are in the market for a gentle , non painful, creatively packaged, eye makeup remover for your moody skin (that actually works triple time as a makeup remover and age fighter!!) I highly recommend Moody Sisters!

Visit Moody Sisters at http://www.etsy.com/shop/moodysisters
if you purchase soon you can use the code REFERRAL and get an additional 20% off their already amazing prices!  Let them know I sent you to receive your discount!