new years resolution

Sometimes I find myself blaming my kids for me not looking cute anymore. Bad mom! There are plenty of adorable/fashionable/trendy moms out there who have more kids or more going on than I do. So, I have resolved to not allow myself to fall into the bad habit of "letting myself go". Five weeks ago, I joined a "New Year's Challenge" to eat healthy and excercise regularly with some co-workers. Here is the pledge we signed:

"I pledge to begin a new lifestyle by being diligent to exercise and make healthy meal choices. I’m going to lose the weight I’ve committed to in this contract, by wise and healthy means. I understand that intentionally skipping meals, cleanses, purging supplements, etc. are not only against the rules, but are not healthy means of attaining my goal. I am part of this group to not only achieve better health, but to also encourage the others in healthy lifestyles as well."


I have a casual morning jogging routine now...which means that I go for a run every other day or so and it lasts about 15-20 minutes. I also quit drinking soda and have stuck to just drinking lots of water. Other than that, there are no drastic changes to my diet. I consciously make choices to eat healthier. For example, I now choose brown rice instead of white and I forego most sweet treats. I don't have much of a sweet tooth anyways. So far I have lost 3 pounds and I am just 7 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I would love to get back to the "starting point" before I get pregnant again. I realize that my body has changed after having two kids, but I also don't think it's necessary to just accept a certain amount of weight gain after having babies either.

I also decided to spruce things up in the make-up department. I took a trip to Sephora (love that place!) with a gift card my mom got for my birthday (thank you, mom!!!). Here are a few of the wonderful goodies that I bought to help me beautify myself:

I have never used foundation before in my life, so I walked into Sephora having no clue what to look for. I asked for help and the nice girls led me to the Make Up For Ever aisle. I am forever grateful to them for introducing me to this wonderful foundation. I love how weightless it is.

I have been using Erase Paste from Benefit for years now. It is perfect for covering up under-eye circles. The pinkish tone really helps to counter-act the ugly blue circles that are the bane of my existence. Now you would never know that I was up 18 times the night before with a crying baby!

I love this Laura Mercier eye shadow. I use the color "coffee ground", but I am looking for something a little lighter - like an ashy taupe. The problem is that things always turn out more orange-y on my face, so I have a hard time picking colors. Suggestions are welcome!

My mom turned me on to Lancome mascara years ago. She says it is the best. I have to say that this Hypnose Drama mascara is pretty amazing!

And finally, I am really liking this lip pencil in the shade of "sex machine" by NARS. I know, the name of the color is funny, but it's a really soft pink (not the color pictured above). After years of wearing lip gloss, it's a refreshing change to wear something matte on my lips. I feel like a new woman!