Month: January 2018

December 2017 Glowing Beets Box

~ lilthingsmama ~ Leave a comment

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I’ve been really excited to share the December 2017 Glowing Beets box with you all! I look forward to getting this box every month, and I really enjoyed the December box! I am an affiliate with Glowing Beets, and share my 100% honest thoughts about the boxes. If you want to subscribe, enter “TLM10” at checkout and it will save you 10% on your first box!

Johnny Concert Eyeshadow Brush

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How chic does this brush look? I absolutely love the look of it! To me the matte black handle and the black and white brush makes it look amazing. This brush is vegan and cruelty-free. It is so incredibly soft too. Another great thing is that it is $6! I have been shocked at what makeup brushes cost in the past, but this one is definitely more affordable.

Johnny Concert Amplified Eyeshadow in Skull

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The second product in the box was a full size Johnny Concert eyeshadow in SKULL. It’s a slightly off-white metallic color. It is very glittery to me, so I would wear it on top of another color. I also thought it added a good highlight to the inner corner of my eye. I was very impressed that this eyeshadow is made of lots of organic ingredients. It’s also free of talc, synthetic fragrance, parabens, dimethicone, and lots of other bad ingredients. This eyeshadow is vegan and cruelty-free. Overall it’s a great clean product.

akar SKIN Nutrient Boost Eye Serum

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This is a power packed little bottle. The Nutrient Boost Eye Serum is 100% organic and wild harvested. It has ingredients like goji, pumpkin seed oil, rosehip seed extract, and then Shiitake mushroom extract (which I have never noticed in a product before). This serum is not floral smelling at all, it is very earthy/musky. The price tag is high, but you literally only use 1 drop so the serum will last a while. My under eye area soaked this right up, one of the better eye serums that I’ve tried.

akar SKIN Ruby Tint Lip Butter

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I opened this little jar up and immediately thought of jelly. It has more of a gel like consistency, than other lip butters I have tried. You just need a small amount to nourish and hydrate your lips. Just like the eye serum, it is 100% organic or wild harvested. It is pretty sheer, so there isn’t a lot of tint to it. It’s a great natural color. I like that it is not super pigmented. It has a floral-citrus scent. Overall, a really great product that melts onto your lips.

Such a great December box full of good quality products! Can’t wait for the January box! Don’t forget to enter “TLM10” at checkout for 10% off your first box. What kinds of products do you like to read reviews on? Comment below. Thanks so much for reading!

Loss (*Trigger Warning*)

~ lilthingsmama ~ 2 Comments

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I have struggled with the right way to write about this subject. What do I say? How do I encourage other women and families that are going through this same thing? My number one thing with this blog is that I want to honest, authentic, and encouraging. Beyond this point is the raw emotions and words of what I have gone through this past year. I’m not looking for pity, I am hoping that in sharing my experience I can let other women know they aren’t alone in this.

Why was the first time so easy? 7 months into marriage, Sterling and I got pregnant with Echo. I gave birth to a happy, sweet baby boy and we were over the moon. We went back and forth for a bit as to whether we wanted to have another baby. It has now been over a year and half since starting to try and conceive. January and May will be forever in my heart. Though I lost the pregnancies very early (at 5 & 6 weeks), I hold onto the thought of meeting those babies one day.

I struggle to find the right words and even questioned whether I wanted to share anything about this. My family never talked about infertility or miscarriage. They always talked about how easy it was for women in my family to get pregnant. In January when I got the positive test and then lost the pregnancy, I was not sure how to feel. I was confused, sad, and overwhelmed. I thought I did something and it was my fault that the pregnancy didn’t stick. How was I supposed to cope with losing a pregnancy? I didn’t cope well. Then in May having the same situation happen again, really took a toll. Just after the second loss  I met with my midwife where we discussed it all. She referred to the pregnancies as “chemical pregnancies”. I walked away from the appointment confused and frustrated again because I felt like my losses were minimized and brushed off. It is really tough getting a positive pregnancy test and then have that taken away. The highs and lows of these emotions have taken its toll on me.

It is now January, and I still don’t know how to feel. I don’t have the right answers. We have not gotten pregnant. And I’m emotional. I tell my story and share my emotions in hopes that I can encourage other women who are going through loss. Each story is different, but you are not alone. You don’t have to grieve alone. One thing that really helped me was sharing all this with my closest friend. Knowing that I wasn’t alone, and that I had my husband and my friend in my corner. You are so strong, and this hurt will be healed.

I started this blog to take you through my journey of going green, and to share family life with you all. This is my real life. It’s hard, not perfect, and crazy. I really hope that in sharing my struggle and hurt, that it helps you in some way. If you are feeling depressed or hopeless please talk with a doctor or counselor.

Thank you so much for reading! How have you overcome loss in your life? Comment below.