This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of LAGOS. The opinions and text are all mine. Thank you for supporting the brands my family loves!
It’s almost Mother’s Day, and every year, I am scrambling at the last minute to pick the perfect gift for my mom. If there is one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that you can never go wrong with jewelry. My mom has the most amazing jewelry collection, which her three daughters have been eyeing for years! Some of my favorite pieces of hers are those from LAGOS. Their jewelry is so timeless and elegant. For Mother’s Day this year, I picked out a diamond Caviar bracelet for her – their Caviar beading is the signature design element that is distinct to the LAGOS brand. They have a wide variety of pieces that allow you to mix, match, style and stack the pieces to create your own look. I love how my mom has stacked her bracelets in these photos!
Isla and I were lucky enough to pick out two pieces too. I chose a Caviar diamond ring and Isla chose a beautiful pearl necklace from their Kinder collection (you can see the joy it brought when she put it on in these photos!). LAGOS jewelry transitions easily from day to night and is comfortable to wear for any age. It is truly the perfect gift to make any mother feel extra special and loved this year for Mother’s Day!
Happy Sunday, y’all. It has been a minute, but I mean it when I say I’m going to get back into the swing of posting because I really do miss it! I’m going to share some ‘quarantine diaries’ this week, as well as a health update and some favorite recipes we’ve been loving recently.
It just hit me today that Mother’s Day is only two weeks away! I am always scrambling to find gifts for my mom and mother-in-law, so I went ahead and ordered their gifts this morning. I wanted to share some of the ideas I had for gifts for this special holiday. I had moms of all ages in mind when I made this guide. I hope you find something you love too!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Olay. The opinions and text are all mine.
October through early December are my busiest months of the year, with lots of family photo sessions taking place (meaning countless hours of editing). Every year, it’s been manageable, even with Sasha working in San Antonio during the week last year. With our upcoming move and finishing the new house (plus being in the third trimester of this pregnancy!), I’m feeling really overwhelmed this year.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.” I took a screenshot of this from someone’s Instagram story the other week, and I realized that I needed to heed this self-care advice. I felt like I wasn’t been a good mom, wife, friend, etc. because I was so caught up in my to-do list. I wasn’t working out because I felt like I didn’t have the time, wasn’t getting the facials I love so much because they didn’t “work with my schedule,” wasn’t going to lunch with friends because it felt like that was low priority – the list goes on. Immediately after reading that quote, I started saying, “No” when asked to do things that weren’t benefitting me or my family. I started working in an hour at the gym or allocating that time for a run into my daily schedule because at the end of the day, the work would get done and I started to feel way better about myself and was able to give more of myself to others after.
Instead of waiting until midnight when I’m finished editing to wash my face and do my skin care routine, I started doing it immediately after the girls go to bed. I wash my face, put on serums, then put on my Olay Regenerist Whip moisturizer. As I mentioned in this blog post, Olay recently released a fragrance-free version of my already-favorite moisturizer, and I’m loving the scentless option even more than the original (Sasha is too!). Going to bed not smelling like skin care products is very refreshing – and a big change, as most that I’ve used do include a fragrance. Olay Whips Fragrance Free is also available in the Total Effects with SPF 25 variety, which is perfect for daytime wear. Since trying it a few weeks ago, I’ve switched up my Whip to this option to have the added SPF.
After I did my last Instagram post, I had a number of friends ask me, “Do you really use it?” and YES! I do! And I really love it too. It’s truly the best moisturizer I’ve ever used. Whip has made a big difference in the visibility of my fine lines and wrinkles and definitely hydrates my skin, giving it a lifted look. It is formulated with niacinamide (B3) and advanced amino peptide complex – in fact, just one dose of Olay Whips contains the same amount of Vitamin B3 as 50 cups of kale – one of the most popular superfoods. I ran out just the other day (thanks to my generous lathering and tiny toddler hands), and ran to Walgreens quickly and got another. I love that they stock so many of my favorite Olay items.
What do you do to prioritize yourself during a busy season? Have you tried the Olay Whip Fragrance-Free yet?
If you are anything like me (Sydney), you just realized that you have less than 2 WEEKS until Christmas and you still have tons of gifts to buy! Where did 2017 go?! Of course, I’ve had months to shop and prepare, but instead I’m ordering last minute and rush shipping everything. I’ll be using our 2017 gift guide to knock a couple of things off my list (slash I’ve already ordered a few of these things for myself – Merry Christmas to me!). It’s broken out by category to make it easy to shop – For Him, For Her, For Baby, For Toddler, For Kids, and Stocking Stuffers Under $25.
Though you couldn’t go wrong with any of the items on these lists, I’ve highlighted a couple of my favorite items I will be buying this next week!
For Him
The Nest Learning Thermostat is one of my favorite things we have in our house. You can change and monitor the temperature on your phone through the Nest app. So, if you are out-of-town, you can turn the air down and save energy and then when you are headed home, you can set it to the perfect temperature. My husband and I always battle about the temp (I always think it’s too cold and he always thinks it’s too hot) so this also a good way you can change it without the other person noticing… I’m joking… kind of. We love our Nest thermostat and it is a great gift that any man would love!
I have shared about my love for Dermalogica on Instagram before – I use a variety of their products every morning and evening, and I love how clean and moisturized they make my face. I am definitely a true brand loyalist! I wanted to convert Sydney, so I asked her to try two of their limited edition holiday gift sets – the AGE smart Daily Defenders and the AGE smart Lip Smoothing Duo – to see what she thought. Spoiler alert: she loved them. More details below!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Now that Thanksgiving is over, I am ready to start thinking about buying everyone on my list their Christmas gifts. I have been listening to Christmas music since the day after Halloween, and even though I’ve been itching to decorate the tree, I’ve held back and waited until Thanksgiving was over. Now all that’s left to do is trim the tree and stock up on the gifts.
I am obsessed with finding new skincare products and sharing them with my girlfriends and my mom for Christmas. Every year I gather up my favorite products and share them with the ladies in my life! I especially love finding new products that help reduce wrinkles and makes me look younger, so I was so excited to try Dermalogica’s AGE smart Daily Defenders and AGE smart Lip Smoothing Duo after hearing Ailee speak so highly of their other products.
