Nyx Contour Palette Review

I just recently purchased the NYX contour palette target and am not disappointed.

• Brand name: NYX cosmetics 
• Item name: Contour palette
• Price bought for: $11.99  

        Target price: $ 11.99
        Amazon price: $ 13.95 (with amazon prime)
        Ulta price: $ 11.99
        Brand price:  $ 12.00

This contour pallet is thicker then most, but does a great job for the amount of money you are paying it. The highlighting and shading work great. I will definitely buy this again.

• Rating. 8/10

*disclaimer: this was purchased with my personal money and I was in no way paid or sponsored to write this review.*

Lemon Sugar Lip Scrub

Lemon Sugar Lip Scrub

This is an AMAZING lip scrub recipe!! Maddie and I looked at Pinterest, and took all of our favorite lip scrub recipes, put them together, and tweaked them a bit. It make your lips SO soft, and makes them look luscious. So, here it is! -Ashley

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar 
• 2-3 drops of lemon essential oil

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients into a small mixing bowl
2. Store in a small container* in room temperature.

Before:

After:

*you can get small containers (like the one it the top picture) at almost any craft store, Amazon, and Target (look in the travel section)

How to use a lip scrub:

First, apply the scrub to your lips with your finger. Next, rub gently to exfoliate (for better results use a new toothbrush to exfoliate). Let it sit for a minute or two to moisturize lips. Finally, take a wet washcloth to remove the lip scrub. It's seriously that easy! 

DIY Makeup Brush Cleaner

***Hope you enjoy this super easy, cheap, and affective makeup brush cleaner that you can make in 2 minutes at home as much as I do! -Maddie***

Items Needed

•water (1 cup)

•vinegar (2 tablespoons)

•dish soap (2 pumps)

•microwave safe jar, cup, glass, or bowl. 

•microwave

    

     I used a mason jar, but any cup or bowl that is microwavable should work. First, pour one cup of water into your jar. Put it in the microwave for 1 full minute. Once heated, add 2 pumps or squirts of dish soap and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Stir all together. 

      Next, take your dirty makeup brush and swirl it around in the solution. Swirl and let it sit for about 20 seconds or longer depending on how dirty the brushes are. 

(I had already cleaned several brushes so you can see how much makeup comes off in the water) 

      

        Once clean, run brush under cold running water. Then, place on a napkin to dry. All done! It's super easy and fast and you don't have to go buy anything at the store (my favorite part). Also, it makes your brushes super soft, and who doesn't like that?!

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•••Holiness•••

1 Peter 1:15-16 ~But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Galatians 1:10 ~Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. 

1 Peter 2:9 ~But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Romans 12:1-2 ~Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Now I know that is a lot of scripture to put at the beginning of a blog post, however, I think it is necessary. 

Synonyms of Holiness:

Reserved, set apart, clean, designated, dedicated, devoted.

Opposites of Holiness:

Ordinary, common, unclean, defiled.

Concepts of Holiness: 

Different, stand alone, distinct.

The focus of this is holiness. God calls us to be holy. One thing that basically ever one of those verses mention is to 'not be like the world' to be different. God calls us not to fit in but to be set apart. For girls, being not of the world and being of God means dressing differently (modestly). We want to dress in a way that portrays Christ and draws the attention to Him. However, our character and actions should be different than the people around us as well. Our actions and character should portray Christ and His love. People should be able to see an outward difference of an inward change.

          One way we become different is by obeying God. Now most teenagers run at the word "obey". However, as Christians and followers of Christ it should be a joy to obey the Lord. Obedience makes us different, set apart, holy. We often worry about what other people think about us when we are different and obey Christ and not the worlds expectations. Go back up and read Galatians 1:10 again. It is very important we are striving to please God and not people.

   Now, if you are not clean, if you have screwed up and are living like the world, I have some great news for you: JESUS. There are two kinds of purity. The first type is one of that has never been used, undefiled, clean. The second type is one of that was once dirty, filthy, disgusting, and gross and has been washed completely clean. If you are dirty and not of Christ, you still can be! He will cleanse you and free you from being that way. You just have to ask Him. Once you have been washed clean by God, you are seen as holy in His eyes.

"If you were ever accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" 

"Your life as a Christian should make non-believers question their disbelief in God" 

Coconut Oil Hair Treatment

Directions:

Take 1tsp. of coconut oil and apply at the ends of hair. With the rest of The coconut oil, apply to rest of the hair. ( if you have thinner hair, you may need to use less coconut oil. You want enough coconut oil to cover your hair but not feel wet slimy and really greasy)

Overnight treatment: 

Put up in bun/braid. And let sit overnight or though most of the day. Rinse with warm water and shampoo and condition.

 

Heated treatment:

Put on shower cap and let hair steam in the shower for 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water and shampoo and condition.

This will help restore health and shine for your hair. And can also help hair grow faster.

Elisabeth Elliot's Legacy

•••Hey guys! In compensation of missing so much, here is a bonus post. This post is honoring Elisabeth Elliot, who recently passed away. Her story is incredible and I hope you take it to heart. -Maddie •••

Elisabeth Elliot

Elisabeth Howard Elliot, one of the most influential christian women in the past century, was born on December 21, 1926 in Belgium to two missionary parents. Elisabeth and her parents moved to Philadelphia when she was ten months old. By the time she was a young adult, Elisabeth had four brothers and one sister.

      Elisabeth attended Wheaton College, which is where she met her future husband, Jim Elliot. Philip James “Jim” Elliot was born on October 8, 1927 and wanted to become a missionary. Both Jim and Elisabeth went to Ecuador to translate the New Testament and to spread the gospel. 

       In 1953 Jim and Elisabeth became husband and wife while they were in Quito, Ecuador. 

      In January of 1956 when their daughter, Valerie, was only ten months old, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming went to evangelize to a group of people called the “Aucua”. The “Aucua” are now known as the “Huaorani”. After a short friendly interaction with one of the Aucua people, the rest of the Aucua people came out of hiding and speared all the missionaries to death. 

      Even though Elisabeth Elliot endured the pain and sorrow of the death of her husband and close friends she said, “At the time we just felt like God was in the whole thing and there wasn't anything that wasn't in the providence of God.” She also once stated, “I have one desire now: to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it.” Elisabeth Elliot certainly lived up to that; after going through the death of her husband by the Aucuas, she and the other missionary wives continued to evangelize and talk to the exact same people group because she knew that was what God had called her to do.                .        Elisabeth Elliot and those women showed a tremenous amount of faith by continuing their husbands work. 

Elisabeth did missionary work for many years. 

      After she returned to the United States, Elisabeth began writing books. With over thirty books published, some of her most famous works are: “Passion and Purity”, “Let Me Be a Woman” in which one of her famous quotes “The fact that I'm a woman doesn't make me a different Christian, but the fact that I'm a Christian makes me a different kind of woman” comes from, “Through the Gates of Splendor”, “The Shaping of a Christian Family”, and many more.       Elisabeth Elliot who also became a public speaker, spoke at conventions and churches all over the country. Between the years 1988-2001, Elisabeth was appeared on a daily radio progrm titled, “Gateway to Joy”. She spoke in public, encouraged young women, and counseled new missionaries until her death on June 15, 2015, at the age of 88. Elisabeth lived north of Boston, Massachusetts with her husband, Lars Green. 

       Her quotes, “Don't dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.” and “The heart set to do the Father's will need never fear defeat.” are just a few of countless quotes that have helped many Christians in the past 60 years. Elisabeth Elliot was a strong woman of faith that all Christians can learn from and look up to. The legacy she left behind for all women is one to follow.

 

Facial Skin Care Routine

Hey Guys! Sorry we haven't posted. I have been at camp so it would have been hard to find time to write a blog post.

Today's post is about my (Maddie) skin care routine. It was really hard for me to get in the habit of having one, just out of pure laziness. However, taking care of your skin now will help you in the future. So here's my skin care routine:

MORNING: 

First I take my face wash: 

and wash my face. I really love this product because it can be used as a cleanser or a mask. My biggest struggle is with black heads and oily skin so this is what I found works the best. 

Next, I use toner. I use a toner by neutrogena. 

This toner is very gentle on my skin. And does not smell bad at all. (One of my pet peeves!)  

The last thing I do before makeup (if I choose to wear any that day) is to moisturize my skin. (I use a different moisturizer in the morning than in the evening.) 

This moisturizer is fragrance and alcohol free and is for sensitive skin. I love this product so much because it is not greasy and doesn't leave any residue. However, it is still very moisturizing and hydrating.

EVENING: 

First I remove any makeup from my face: 

I use just generic makeup wipes to remove makeup. I normally don't wear a lot of makeup (if any) so a heavy duty remover is not needed.

Next, I wash my face with the same cleanser I use in the morning.

I also use the same toner. Afterwards, I use this moisturizer: 

This is by Mary Kay and is for oily skin. I put a VERY THICK layer of this on my face so that in the morning my face will feel extra hydrated and moisturized. 

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****This blog post is not sponsored in any way. All opinions are my own and products were bought with our own money.******