Gems to Love : winter 2018

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January has got me feeling the winter gloom and wishing for some summertime sunshine. Here are a few of the gems that I'm absolutely loving right now that are helping me combat dry winter skin, gloominess, and are helping hold me over until summer comes! 

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S K I N  &  H A I R

Skin Care Winter 2018 by carlieraet featuring an eye mask

Let me give you some insight into these amazing products that are going to help your skin and hair glow this chilly season: Maui Moisture is a really great hair mist that is super cheap, super organic, and silicone free. Just a few spritzes on freshly washed hair will make all the difference if you have giant, curly, frizzy hair like myself. I have a super specific hair regimen that I follow for my unruly hair, that's recovering from a going blonde and having a weave addiction, that you can find here, but this is my newest addition to my hair rehab product list. Olay Luminous is a great moisturizer that keeps skin protected and looking bright. The best skin advice I've ever gotten was from a lady who worked in the beauty industry, and she told me that you can't reverse skin aging, but you can prevent it while your skin is young. So, keep that skin fresh and moisturized, whatever age you are, and Olay it up! My favorite new mask is this Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask. The link I have attached to it is from amazon, but you can buy it from your local health food store. This mask is crazy pants. My sister, who's the self proclaimed family skin-guru, showed me this mask and it is seriously amazing for cleaning out pores, but there's some no-no's you have to watch out for. It's a powder, so the label says you can mix it with water or apple cider vinegar, but apple cider vinegar works much better for clogged pores. When you mix and apply it, you can't use any metal, or it will deactivate the ingredients, so use your fingers or a plastic spoon. Also, don't leave it on until it dries because your face will be super dry and super sorry. 
The next things are these wonderful and life-saving face masks. I love Yes-To products, and this lip mask can bring any life-less and dry winter lips back from the dead. The eye masks are great for keeping the fine lines at bay, and I put mine in the freezer for a few minutes before I apply them, which helps me de-puff my dark circles. Finally, this hydro-boost mask from Neutrogena is really inexpensive and honestly one of the best masks I've used. It's a gel mask, not a paper mask, which I think makes a world of a difference, and it leaves my skin feeling refreshed and glowy. Plus, you can pick up it up at Walmart for only a couple of bucks!

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F A V E S 

After you pamper your skin and hair, these are some really cute projects and faves of mine that I love for the gloomy months that help me not crawl under my blankets and watch reruns in my spare time, all winter long. They'll keep your brain thinking and they're really adorable and fun!

Okay, there are some good gems in here this round. First off, The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE podcast. Ever. Ever in the whole world I love her. Jamie is a Jesus-loving lady who interviews other Christian women who are bloggers, moms, business women, and women in the ministry world who have amazing projects and products. It's a fun listen, and it's full of great advice from women of all walks of life, sharing their stories from their jobs, ministries, and some priceless entrepreneurship wisdom.  I listen to this podcast every week, and I totally binge it when I'm feeling the chilly season blues. Another thing I'm obsessed with right now is fringe jeans. Seriously, I pinterest these bad boys all day and try to wear mine as much as humanly possible. The ones I linked are pricey, but if you Pinterest it, there are some easy and doable tutorials to make your own.  The next gem is this wood-burning kit from Brit+Co that you can get at Target. It comes with everything you need to make a wood-burning project, and they also make other kits like a jewelry stamping kit, a clay bowl kit, and more really creative projects. I love this idea and totally want them all.
Since it's a new year, and that means new fashion, I'm really into these trend reports from Elle for 2018. They're fun to look at, and they can kick-start your creativity for revamping your closet to stay trendy in the new year. 
Shutterfly is a great company for ordering prints and all things photo-related, and you can make your own photo books on their website! I made one and a family member ordered it for me for Christmas, and it was my favorite gift I got this year. Five stars, it's a great product, and it's really fun to create. If sorting through pictures and designing isn't your thing, you can also just add the photos you want to a pre-designed book, and Shutterfly will make the book for you! 
Check for coupon codes before you buy, because they always have promotions and specials. The last gem I have is this fuzzy eye mask. Seems simple but let me tell you, this is a life-saver. I'm a constant traveler, so this totally helps me fall asleep in cars, planes, and when I'm sleeping on people's couches. I grabbed mine from Target for $4 and they've sold out for the holiday season, but you can find a cute, fuzzy eye mask anywhere online.
Don't let the January gloom get you down, and keep the sunshine alive with these gems to love!

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