Friday Five (5 Items I Wear on Repeat)

Happy Friday, friends! Bill and I are off to Charleston for a quick little weekend getaway to celebrate our anniversary (4 years!) and my birthday on Saturday! I am so excited! We have reservations for dinner both tonight and Saturday and even reservations for brunch on Saturday morning. There are so many cute restaurants and little cafes on my list to visit! I don't think we will hit all the spots on my list, but hopefully most of them! 

It's been a minute since I've posted my Friday Five and this week I just wanted to share these 5 wardrobe items that I've been wearing on repeat for the past month...

1) These loafers: Seriously, the best $15 I've spent in a long time. I have them in black, which looks like is sold out online, but I'm loving the dark grey color and the blush!

2) This cable knit cardigan (SO cozy!): I wear this one all the time! And it's long enough to wear with leggings!

3) This lace up sweatshirt: So warm and cozy! Perfect to throw on with jeans! 

4) These joggers: Just like leggings are considered acceptable pants to wear in public... I am a firm believer that joggers are the acceptable sweatpants to wear in public ;) 

5) These jeans: I am a BIG fan of Express jeans. I have a handful of them and this mid rise, legging dark wash pair are my favorite currently. Like I wear them on the daily and they are super comfortable! 

What are your wardrobe staples currently?

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and happy shopping!

ALSO: Have you entered in my Beauty Counter giveaway yet?!! 

Shop the post:

Beauty Counter Wishlist + A Giveaway!

Have you guys heard of Beauty Counter? Chances are you have if you follow a lot of other style and beauty bloggers. I had heard of Beauty Counter over a year ago and have been curious about their products for a while. I just recently started doing more research on finding a perfect skin care routine for myself and I kept going back to the Beauty Counter products because of the fact that they are made with NO harmful or toxic chemicals. In fact, they have devoted an entire page on their website that lists all the chemicals that they will never use in their products (view more about the 'Never List' here). I was surprised to find out that the retinol ingredient (which is used in so many anti-aging skin care products including some very popular, expensive brands... *cough* R&F *cough cough*) can possibly cause skin tumors and birth defects if you are pregnant?! I think it is so important to be more informed about the ingredients used in our everyday beauty products, especially those that are in contact with our skin and can seep into our pours.
(Beauty Counter also never tests their products on animals, which I think is absurd that there are any companies out there that do!)

When Amy contacted me to try out some of Beauty Counter's products, I was so excited! I was able to try out some of the skin care products and some of the lip sheers. I loved the way the skin care products made my skin feel and I felt good using the products because I knew there were no harmful chemicals used. It's true that once you start using BC products, you will want to start switching over to all their products!

Since I'm really trying to be good about not spending money on myself this month (November is usually a no self-spend month for me), I decided I would purchase a few of the holiday gift sets for the women in my family for Christmas (sorry family members if you are reading this...spoiler alert!). I've also put together a wish list below for most likely my mom and Bill who will no doubt ask me what I want for Christmas...

Here's what is on my Beauty Counter Wishlist:

Charcoal mask (3) and charcoal bar soap: Charcoal everything is so trendy right now! ha! But, really... do you know why? Charcoal helps to draw out toxins in your skin and absorbs impurities. Charcoal masks are all the rage right now and this one is definitely one to try if you are wanting to try out a mask. The bar soap can be used on your face or body! 

Lip Conditioner in Peppermint: I have somewhat of a chapstick addiction and it gets even worse in the winter months. This lip conditioner would be the perfect stocking stuffer for anyone on your list! It soothes and softens lips with peppermint and rosemary oils. This would make a great stocking stuffer!

Perfect Pout Trio - Pinks: Although I loved the lipstick colors I tried ('Little black dress' was my favorite), I'm truly a tinted lipgloss girl by heart. I keep lip glosses everywhere and in every handbag I carry because I'm always reapplying it! This would also make a great stocking stuffer!

Body Butter in Citrus Mimosa: I don't know about you, but my skin is always super dry in the winter. I like to switch to a body butter during the winter months to help lock in moisture after I shower. And the citrus mimosa smell is just a bonus!

Morning Skincare Routine (Nourishing Cream Cleanser + Nourishing Day Cream): I really want to start getting into a routine for my face morning and night. I'm just going to start with the basics and maybe eventually add on more products as needed. For my basic morning routine, I would start with the Nourishing Cream Cleanser, topped with the Nourishing Day Cream before I put on my make up for the day.

Nighttime Skincare Routine: My nighttime routine would be a little more involved with just a few more steps.

1) Cleansing Balm: I was able to try this product out with a sample Amy gave me and I love it! It is so easy to wipe on with a cotton ball, but this product also comes with a reusable 100% muslin cloth which is much softer than your normal cotton ball or washcloth. This balm leaves your skin feeling so smooth while cleaning off all the extra dirt even after washing! This product is a best seller for a reason!

2 & 3) Nourishing Night Cream & Facial Oil: After cleansing my face, I would use the Nourishing Night Cream mixed with 1 - 2 drops of the No. 1 Brightening Facial Oil. This combination leaves your skin feeling silky smooth and extra hydrated. The oil really helps to brighten dull skin, which is common in the winter months.

4) Nourishing Eye Cream: I would end my nightly routine with this eye cream which is so soothing and lightweight!


Holiday Gift Sets I'm loving:

-Hand Soap set: I just love the colorful set they have put together for the holidays! Amy had a great idea of buying a few of these sets and breaking them apart for stocking stuffers.
-Hand Lotion set update - SOLD OUT - hopefully will be restocked soon! (regular hand cream here)
-Glow and Go mini oils - a small sample of each face oil.
-Clean slate charcoal duo: Definitely a great gift set for those wanting to try the charcoal mask and soap!
-Multi-masker set: 3 sample sizes of all 3 masks, plus a facial brush for application.

Check out all of their holiday gift sets HERE! *There will be new holiday sets available soon!

I'd love to know what's on your Beauty Counter wish list!

Amy from Beauty Counter has so graciously offered LLStyling readers not one, but THREE chances to win a hand lotion and a $25 gift card to BC! All you have to do is complete the entries below!

You can also shop my 'social' HERE (and click on 'Lindsay's Holiday Hoopla' social) or join my Beauty Counter event on facebook for updates on products and holiday sets!  from now until December 8th! Quantities are limited for the holiday gift sets, so snag your gifts asap!

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Halloween 2017

Oh, hey! I feel like I'm apologizing every time I post now which I don't feel great about. But, things are just busy busy busy this time of year! Have I mentioned that I started a photography business on the side? Oh, yea..that happened! And it happened pretty organically which I love. One of Bill's friends contacted me about taking their family photos and I was happy to do it at no cost because it's something I truly enjoy! Once I posted the final product on facebook, I decided to create a little facebook page for my photography and BAM! I got 7 messages asking to schedule sessions! I kept my cost pretty low just to see what kind of interest I would get. I have 6 photo sessions scheduled between now and the first week of December, and one that I completed last weekend!

So, between this new photography venture, working, mothering, wifing, (oh...and throw in potty training!) my plate seems to be pretty full at the moment which hasn't left a lot of time for blogging. But, don't fret! I'm not going anywhere!

I did want to at least get some trick or treat photos posted before Thanksgiving! We had such a fun night with the boys and I was really impressed with how long they lasted on trick or treat night. Our neighborhood hosted a little pizza in the park before trick or treat started which was so nice because I didn't have to think about making dinner for the night. Bennett was a little hesitant at first about his costume, but once we got outside with all the hoopla he was excited to join in the fun! He loved looking at all the other kids all dressed up! Camden was so excited for his fire fighter/ fire truck costume! Everyone loved it! AND we had a surprise visit from a REAL fire truck in our neighborhood! The local fire fighters come every year to pass out candy to the kids. So, of course I had the perfect photo op!

And now for the photo overload...

(Camden's costume here and boots are here | Bennett's costume here)

I mean... Does it get much cuter??

Here was my creative costume... and yes, I wore the same one last year!

shirt via Etsy | cardigan | jeans Express (old, similar here)

Now that we have Halloween out of the way... Can we start decorating for Christmas? No? Too soon?

I did at least FINALLY decorate our mantel for fall! I guess this will tide me over until Christmas decoration time...

That's all for now! Hope you all had a fun Halloween!

I'm linking up with Natalie and Annie for Thoughts for Thursday!