a few months ago, i went out to try the new sephora mineral compact pressed powder. since i was on the look out for a pressed powder as they are not messy like loose powder and it’s easier for me to carry them around. i also singled out this particular sephora powder because it contain no parabens or bismuth. i matched the shade d30 and i’ve been very very happy with this powder. i use it to set over my tinted moisturizer and a very light coverage is all i go for so this is perfect. i assume you can build on the coverage too if needed.

while i was there, i was sort of glancing over at their tinted moisturizer and i told the rep that i like more natural stuff. she pointed me to cargo and tarte’s products. since my family was waiting, i didn’t spend extra time to test out the products. i’ve been sort of thinking about a new tinted moisturizer. i’m using jemma kidd’s and i like it but, i of course, wanted a more natural alternative. i wasn’t looking until tarte was pointed out to me but now i want to see if there’s a shade match as i’ll like to eventually it.

we went to the mall today to exchange a gymboree shoe that i bought for faith for a dress for jaelynn. i bought the shoe in a size smaller than i should have and since a replacement size is already on the way, i let jaelynn picked out a dress instead. so, i stopped by the sephora inside jcpenney’s and took a closer look at all the shades available from tarte. i tested tarte smooth operator agent 06 with yellow undertones and james said he couldn’t tell a difference. i looked some more and saw a shade in agent 10 that has a bit more yellow undertones and tried that too. again it blended in. the texture is not as thick as jemma kidd’s. the added spf 20 is a plus.

the rep saw me looking at the two shades side by side and offered to do a shade test. i said sure why not? she tried 3 shades on my lower cheek and said agent 10 was a great match. i told her i’ll take it and she went to get me the product. a few minutes later she came back and apologize because that shade was out. she filled out a sample jar for me to take home and said they should have some on the next shipment. i thanked her.

i’m going to order a tube online when tarte or sephora have a sale because i don’t need it right away and i can save some money. i’ll also have time to use up the jemma kidd’s and the sample she gave me.

i’m going to start paying more attention to tarte and cargo’s.

zia natural products

i’m a skin care products freak…like i try different things a lot. my staple products so far is zia. i’ll try whatever and then when it doesn’t work or i get bored, i go back to zia. i have multiples of their little papaya enzyme mask and citrus night reversal. i love those things! they always seem to make my skin feel nice afterward. i don’t like everything but i liked MOST of what i have tried. you ladies know how it is, you just want to try something else once in a while.

the noah’s naturals didn’t seem to work so well for my skin. after using the cream cleanser for a week straight, my skin got really tight and i started to get dry, itchy patches. whenever my skin gets that way with new products, it takes another week of using a really moisturizing cream to repair. you’ll think i have learn my lesson by now right? nope!

now, the thing with zia products is that they are way too expensive!!! just totally out of my price range. i cannot justify spending $37 for a 1 ounce face creme, no matter how much i love that stuff. the pro here is that it lasts a long time. that’s still not going to make me spend that much $$.

my zia cleanser has lasted me months now and it never never never dries me out, even if i use it every day, morning and night.

i sorted gave up hope on finding any of their stuff at reasonable prices, even with scouring ebay here and there. the last two days though, i scored BIG! a seller have the bamboo exfoliant (6.7 oz) for $7.95 and the nourishing creme (1 oz) for $8.95 with free shipping if you buy 3 of each. what did i do? i purchased three of each of course! this will be the first time i try the bamboo exfoliant. i’m actually very very tempted to buy all that’s left! i keep asking myself if i can use them all before they expired and that’s the only thing that’s stopping me. i’ll sleep on this thought for a few more nights and see. i’m just very psyched!!

if you want just try a few of their products, they have small kits (for oily, combination or dry skin) with 5 sample pieces for $20 at natural stores.

i want to share some of my absolute favorite zia products of ALL time (keep in mind that i have normal to dry skin), and not in any order:

citrus night reversal

moisturizing cleanser with soybean

deep moisture repair serum

nourishing creme

Isn’t it about time someone did something nice for you?

We thought so, too. So, this weekend only, shop with us at www.Aubrey-Organics.com, and get totally FREE shipping throughout the continental US — no minimum order, no matter what products you buy.

Shop between Friday morning* and Sunday night, and use Code F49S at checkout. Voilà — no shipping costs!

i’ll post a photo of my stash soon. my original budget for cloth diapers was $150. well, i ended up spending $200. here’s what i got:

23 little lions prefolds

13 newborn fitteds

6 small gdiaper covers

9 small/newborn covers

some doublers and pins.

i was practicing using a prefold on one of jaelynn’s dolls to get a feel – i’m going to need more practice. LOL

OT: get 1 year of prevention magazine free by filling out this short survey! (i did!) thanks to slickdeals! i have always receive my magazines from rewardsgold. i actually have a bunch of subscription magazines that come every month. the ones i don’t bother to read are elle (only flip through them), interview, and some others. i just throw them in the recycle bin. i do love shape, glamour, redbook, and body and soul.

i bought some new things for the household again (i always buy things *sigh*. and i use “household” because it’s not really for me. )

preserve toothbrushes in soft – you can recycle them afterwards. i’ve tried them before and love them! $16.22 for a pack of 6.

preserver toothbrushes for kids in soft – these are so cool! i love the idea of recycling, don’t you? and comes in colors. $17.22 for a pack of 6.

dropps laundry pacs - you use 1 small liquid pack per load of laundry. biodegradable and eco friendly. looks great huh? i’m going to use them for the baby’s diapers. they’re suppose to be low sudsing too. can’t wait to try them. $25.50 for 84 pacs (2 x 42 pacs each).

for two of the above products, i subscribe to their auto-delivery and save an additional 15%! that’s a great way to save. you can always cancel the subscriptions after. what a great way to try some of these more eco friendly things that i can’t get at the stores or cost a bunch somewhere else.

as for the bella b tummy honey (see post below), i love it!! smells great and the cream is very nice! will love to buy when run out…but at $15?? ouch!

oh and my bella b glowing face wash/mask should be here tomorrow.

you know, i don’t feel comfortable using the palmer’s cocoa butter all the time and so i stumbled upon some products from bella b that’s supposedly all natural and very safe for pregnant women. of course, i bought some to try so we’ll see how they work when they arrive on monday.

click here for a special on bella b’s tummy to toes lotion – $2.99 plus shipping

i swear, when i was reading the description of this product, i felt like it was made for me. i got melanin from my last pregnancy and have been wearing sunscreen a lot this time around to hopefully prevent more from forming on my upper cheekbones. $12.75 from amazon.

i needed thing to replace the palmer’s that i’m using. since palmer’s got a bunch of ingredients in there, i’m just hesitant about using it everyday, kwim? if i like this, i’ll be ordering more. $15.01 from amazon.

i bought this to try from the learning curve special they’re currently running. otherwise, i would have pass. will see how it works. $2.99 plus shipping from learning curve.

i also found out that you are not suppose to use certain products while pregnant. yikes! i’m breaking out like crazy and was using olay’s age defying night cream for 2 days and stopped because it contains beta alpha hydroxy. see more of what not to use from babycenter.

thankfully, i usually stop taking care of my face because i get too lazy with my pregnancies. LOL i just got back into the skin care routine and am using zia’s products.

on a side note, i gained about 27lbs and counting. *sigh* but that’s okay. i’ll work out (hopefully) and lose some of it afterwards. i’m carrying this baby very low and have a lot of back pains and sciatica. i know how an 80 year old woman feels. i’m so stiff sometimes i can hardly walk. my baby is moving and kicking me so much!! sometimes, very early in the morning, he’s already kicking me and i’m hardly awake yet. then at night times, i’m trying to go to sleep an he’s still moving around. i just love to hear the baby move. i find it all very fascinating.

mmm…i just picked up their citrus medley shampoo and first crush conditioner from sonoma soap company to try out because they don’t have much ingredients in them.

so far, i’m loving it!! their citrus shampoo smells delicious and i find it’s cleans my hair but isn’t heavy. same with the conditioner – i think it’s doing a great job. plus i love the smell of it.

they retail for about $8.95 a 12 oz bottle and i got it for $3.99 each. i should stock up…

shampoo ingredients:

Ingredients: water, cocamidopropyl betaine, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, sodium lauryl glucose carboxylate, sodium lauryl glucoside, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, coco-glucoside, glycol distearate, certified organic aloe barbadensis leaf extract, glyceryl stearate, paradisi (pink grapefruit) oil, beta glucan, glyceryl oleate, sapindus mukurossi peel extract, natural aroma blend, chondrus crispus (carrageenan), bisabolol, citric acid, certified organic lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower extract, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, citrus aurantium dulcis (sweet orange) peel oil, sapindus mukurossi peel extract, polysorbate 20, certified organic honey extract, potassium sorbate, certified organic vitus vinifera (grape) seed extract, sodium benzoate, citrus tangerina (tangerine) oil, phenoxyethanol

conditioner ingredients:

Ingredients: water, behentrimonium methosulfate, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, hydroxyethylcellulose, sorbitol, triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil, certified organic vitus vinifera (grape) seed extract, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, tocopherol (vitamin e), certified organic rubus idaeus (raspberry) fruit extract, panthenyl triacetate, certified organic pyrus malus (apple) fruit extract, natural aroma blend, certified organic aloe barbadensis leaf extract, bisabolol, panthenol, citric acid, certified organic honey extract, ethylhexylglycerin, phenoxyethanol

i exercise on and off – the hardest part is starting a routine.

i have to admit i (mind & body) feel the best when i work out daily. i love the way my clothes fit better (of course!) and how much better i feel mentally about everything.

i love to work out, it’s just that when i don’t for days, it gets that much harder to begin. when i don’t exercise, i feel sluggish, sometimes bloated, and tired easily.

i have more energy when i exercise and have a positive thought on most things. therefore, i hate (myself) when i slack off and don’t do it.

here’s what the november issue of natural health magazine said in its “fit for life” article, on page 82, by John Hanc:

yet, while we know it’s [exercise] good for our heart, only recently has research begun to show that it’s also good for our head.

evidence now suggests regular physical activity can boost our moods, mitigate stress, fight depression, and help us feel better about ourselves and our lives – no matter how difficult those lives may sometimes get.

…why does exercise seem to work so well for so many types of people and so many conditions? ‘it alters your brain chemistry,’ says bob livingston, who has parlayed his own experience as a runner and therapist…’the endorphins kick n, the serotonin levels increase, and the physiology of the brain changes.”

make sense right? i am glad to say i have already been exercising again this week. my exercise dvds are one of the best investments i made.