Keep your skin young with Lavera Sunscreen

I am always amazed when I think about how my life has evolved in the last 10 years.  Had you told me ten years ago I would using sunscreen I would have laughed out loud at you!  I am a Southern lady who always liked to get her tan on, but when I met my husband 5 years ago, all of that changed.  He made it clear he loved me and didn't want to see me harm myself with the sun.  Funny how love spurs us to look differently at things.  Today, after lots of research, it is simple healthiness that drives me and love was the catalyst. 


This is where loveTrueNatural comes in.  They offer a whole array of beauty products from hair care, body products, and various facial beauty products which have a very high standard of ingredients.  They don't use anything synthetic including: preservatives, emulsifiers, colors, petroleum based ingredients, and they do not test on animals!  Additionally, they only use natural ingredients in their products, and they fully disclose everything that is in their products.  One of my favorite things about the company is they use packaging that has the least impact on the environment, and all of their products are fully biodegradable.  


I am currently using a Lavera Product which has certified organic ingredients, and  Lavera has been awarded "Europe's Greenest Beauty Brand" out of 33 companies!  The Lavera Anti-Aging Facial Sunscreen SPF 15 UVA I am using is 100% mineral based with plant oils and shea butter.  It is immediately UVA, is Parabem Free, and contains "wrinkle-fighting Hyaluronic Acid."   I can hear you asking how all of this translates into real life usage so I will tell you.

At 36, my skin is not as soft or "moist" as it once was, and I find I have to use a great lotion on my face or it is literally dry and peeling. As we all know, even during the Winter when the sun isn't out, we need to wear sunscreen to protect our skin from the sun's rays which can cause damage, so I am usually needing to use multiple products.  Lavera Anti-Aging Facial Sunscreen is a nice medium thick cream.  It isn't so thick that it is unpleasant, but it is thick enough that my face has a nice glow about it once I apply it.  However, it is transparent and thin enough that I can wear it under my mineral makeup which means I can and do use it every day.  I love that it moisturizes well enough on it's own that I don't have to use two products in the morning.  I find the price to be a "medium grade" price because it sells for $24 for a 1.6 oz tube.

The bottom line I like this product and will likely purchase it again.  The only downside in my own personal opinion is that it isn't suitable for children so I have to purchase a separate product to put on their faces daily.  However, the upside is that Mama has another luxury treat that is only mine:  hands off!

Where to buy loveTrueNatural products:  You can purchase an array of beauty products on their website and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter .








Disclaimer:  I did receive products for this review, but I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Allyson's Quick-er Potato Rolls

Baking


I think the biggest dilemma I always have when it comes to bread making, especially bread for supper is that it never occurs to me that I want bread with supper until about 2 hours before supper.  I know, I know.  I should have a weekly menu, be all organized, and all that jazz, but if you know me personally, that just isn't me.  I am more a "fly by the seat of your pants" artsy kinda girl that remembers the important things when it comes to business.  However, when it comes to cooking, it's all based from the heart or my Dh's (dear husband's) tummy.

I have just the solution for the I-need-dinner-rolls-making-homemade-is-cheaper-and-tastes-better-and-I-forgot -to-make-the-dough-earlier dilemma.  This is my quicker rising Potato Roll recipe.  They are really good, and I must say I made 12 rolls last night, there are six of us, and there was one roll left for my 2 year old's breakfast "bun bun" needs.  Ah, yes, and Mama only ate one roll!!

Allyson's Quick-er Potato Rolls


4 cups of White Lily Flour or bread flour
1/4 cup sugar or honey
1 TBS Instant Yeast (can be bought in bulk at the warehouse stores and is WAY cheaper than packets.  Just store in the freezer)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup yogurt
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup instant potato flakes
2 eggs

In a large bowl mix together Flour, Sugar, Instant Yeast, and salt.  If you are using a  yeast packet you will need to soak it in 1/2 cup of the hot water for 10 minutes for it to bloom instead of adding it to the dry mixture.

Over medium heat, warm the water, yogurt and butter until it is hot 120-130 degrees.  Remove from heat and stir in the instant potatoes.  Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the potato mixture in the dry ingredients stirring to mix well.  Next, stir in 1 egg until well mixed.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 6-8 minutes until the dough is silky smooth.  Cover and let rest on the floured surface for 20 minutes.  This is a very important step.  After working the gluten in the bread, you must let it rest at least 20 minutes before working with it.

Separate the dough into 12 portions and shape into desired shapes. You can roll the dough into a ball, separate each ball into 3 sections and place into a well greased muffin cup, or as I did last night, roll each ball into a "snake" and then coil it up in a cinnamon bun style.  Place each roll with about 1/4 inch between them on a well greased baking sheet and cover with a cloth.  Fill a large bowl half full of boiling water and place the baking sheet directly on the bowl. Let rise 15-20 minutes.

Mix the egg well in a bowl and brush egg on the top and sides of each roll, then bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Note:  If I am not in a hurry and have 4-5 hours before supper, then I would knead the dough and place it in a well greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 and 1/2  to 2 hours until it doubles in size.  Then I would punch the dough down, shape, place on the greased sheet, cover and let rise until double again before baking.  However, they taste just as good when prepared as I did last night.

Print Easy and at Home with UPrinting.com

Uprinting.com


The Company is popular for various reasons:  Complimentary proofing service that doesn't require money upfront, free file review, and they have earned customer loyalty by offering various additional options.  I personally love that they are committed to eco-friendly printing solutions and being socially responsible!  They have been in the online now for 12 years and have expanded to offering printing for Puerto Rico as well!


Additionally UPrinting.com is known for it's work in the community!  They are known for Corporate Sponsorship for schools, charities, churches, and non-profits to assist with fundraising and promotional needs.  All in all, they are just a wonderful company.


Where to buy it:  You can have all your printing needs met online, and you can also connect with them on Facebook.

Disclaimer: You should assume that the owner of this blog will receive free print product in exchange for the post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions.

True Love-Wordless Wednesday

                                                         Kimbo and Ruby Singing together

                                                                          Kisses!!!

Lady Soma Product Review!

When I was growing up, I remember my mother being meticulous about her beauty.  It was quite simple, wash face, apply cold cream (brand will go unnamed here, but there were two she used and purchased at the local drugstore).  She did this every morning and night whether she was tired, running late, etc, and her skin was always young and supple looking.

Fast forward to today, and there are so many brands of face products that it is hard to know where to begin.  One thing that is very important to me is that I am not putting anything bad on my face.  That is where Lady Soma comes in.  They offer a selection of products that have not been tested on animals, nor has the packaging been tested on animals.  They also don't include any chemicals or genetically modified grains or produce in their products which are also organic.  The Lady Soma brand is headquartered in the US and the entire line focuses on women's body. Lastly, but equally important, a small portion of every Lady Soma proceed is donated on an Annual basis to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation!

You can imagine how pleased I was to receive a package of samples in the mail from this company!  I received their Renewal Serum, Antioxidant Berry Masque, Skin and Nail Treatment, and  Lady Mint Tingle lip balm.

I love the Renewal Serum because it helps diminish scars, age spots, fine lines, sun damage and stimulates new cell growth with Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin A.  My face felt smoother after one use, and I am excited to see how much improvement there is after a week!

The Skin and Nail Treatment is very thick, but still very creamy, has a wonderful vanilla scent and made my hands feel instantly softer.  However, as much as I work my hands here in the country I think a few days of this great cream will show better improvement in the softness.  For typical ladies who don't do lots of hard work with their hands like I do, the results should be more drastic in my opinion.  I personally like that one of the main ingredients is Aloe for healing. I love anything that contains natural ingredients.

I think my favorite product of all is the Antioxidant Berry Masque.  It literally smells good enough to eat although I didn't taste it.  My face started tingling right away from the glycolic and alpha lipoic acids in the masque, and after it dried and I washed it off my face was so soft from the Vitamins A, C and E in it.  It definitely eliminated all the dry skin on my face and left it looking shinier!

The Lady Mint Tingle is a nice moisturizing lip balm and as it's name promises it tingles!  I like that it has no taste, is the perfect size to carry in my pocket, and stays on for quite a while.  I even ate supper after I applied it, and while some of it came off while eating, a good portion remained on my lips.

The bottom line is I really like these products, they smell great, work really well, and because a little goes a long way, they make for a nice way to reward and pamper myself.  The Hand and Nail Treatment is the most reasonable at $15,  and the Antioxidant Berry Masque and Renewal Serum both sell for right around $32 each.  While it may be a bit pricey for some, I think how well it works definitely makes it worth the occasional splurge!

Check them out yourself, I think you too will be equally pleased!  You can purchase Lady Soma products on the Website and learn more about them on Facebook.

Disclaimer:  I didn't receive any money for this review, but I did receive product samples to try.  All opinions are honest and my own.  Please do your research and decide for yourself.

Monday's Mud Pie Memories!

Monday's Mud Pie Memories!

This weekend I put all four of my children and my niece outside to play so that my poor husband who works 3rd shift could get a few minutes of much deserved sleep.  I called them in for lunch and was just shocked to find five filthy dirty children with mud literally up to their elbows.  I was lecturing them all the way to the sink to wash their hands on how they know I don't allow them to drag mud in the house.  Although, I am pretty sure all they heard was Charlie Brown's Teacher saying "wah wah, wah wah, wah wah wah wah."

My lectures turned into guilt and fond memories when I saw this. They made this special cake for Mommy and Auntie (my sister).  I remember many a day spent outside with miscellaneous old bowls, lots of mud and beautiful weeds flowers to adorn my lovely creations.  The girls were so proud of this cake and spent all day trying to keep the chickens from pecking at it so they could show Auntie when she got back from work.

I guess my lesson learned remembered is that "God made dirt and dirt don't hurt."  So what if my bathroom looked like they tried to wash the whole mud pie down the drain.  A little scrubbing and it was back to perfect, and all the fun was well worth the dirt in the mean time.  So today, I had them all bundled up  at 8 am and outdoors to play in the melting snow and mud. Wonder what other creations I shall find tomorrow?

We're Not In Kansas Anymore, Dorothy

Or our Twenties


I have to admit this has been somewhat of a tough year for me thus far.  It's really quite silly, so do cover your mouth behind a cute fan or hanky if you feel the need to smile.  The root of my persecution?  A number.  Thirty-Six.  36.  Anyway you write it, say it or think it, I hear old.  Funny thing is 35 was painless, but as soon as Christmas was over and I had 30 days until my birthday I started seeing every fine line, my red cheeks that are a tale-tale sign of the tanning bed Era  in my college years,  and white hairs that refuse to quit peeking out and taunting me.

I am really unsure why this year has been difficult for me, but I think it is the mentality that I am "over the hump" and on a downward spiral to that age I never thought I would be.  In the process, I have done soul searching and decided it is time for a makeover.  I haven't changed my hair or makeup in years so I have been thinking about what changes need to be made so that I can gracefully look as awesome as possible at this not so pretty number of my age.

 My makeup has really been on my mind lately because the lipstick I have always worn just doesn't seem to fit me anymore.  It was a great look 10 years ago, but recently I haven't been wearing any because I had no idea what to wear.  Enter stage right Pure Romance.  Pure Romance was started by Patty Brisben in the 80's who was inspired by an episode of the Phil Donohue Show.  Fast forward to now, and Pure Romance has boomed into a huge company which is a common household name.  They provide everything needed for romance, and I was thrilled to discover they also sell makeup and perfume.

I was sent a package with Tell Me More liquid lipstick and Scentuality solid perfume stick to review.  I have to admit I was a bit nervous about the perfume, because a lot of scents cause me to get migraines.  I was really surprised that I haven't had any sensitivities to the perfume.  It has a great "Tropical" scent in my opinion.  It combines 6 different scents together to make an awesome scent, and I think I have found my match made in heaven.  It is a small stick about the size of a tube of lip balm, but longer and fits perfectly in the zipper pocket in my purse.  It is quite affordable, and is just perfect for me!

The liquid lipstick is also nice.  It is a caramel color in the tube, smells like a yummy caramel candy, but actually goes on the lips like a neutral high gloss lipstick.  For me this is perfect, because I love the high gloss  look without a bright and bold color.  I honestly feel and look amazing in it, and better yet, it is priced right around what I would pay for a nice brand of lipstick at the local drugstore/department store!

Check them out for yourself!  I think you will find they have many things you need from bath gels, to intimate needs to makeup and perfume.  You can purchase their products on the website as well as connect with them on both Facebook and Twitter.

Disclaimer:  I didn't receive any money for this review, but I did receive product in exchange for my honest opinion.  All opinions are mine, and you should check them out and decide for yourself!