January Marshalls Haul

I’ve been suffering with my mental health lately and one thing I make myself do every few weeks is get out of the house on the weekend alone. I get asked why I don’t take my husband and the answer is not that I don’t want to bring my husband out with me, I need to prove to myself I can do hard things.

I need to prove to myself that I can in fact go to town alone. I can go pick up some groceries alone. For a long time my Agoraphobia (fear of leaving your house) ruled my life. I know if I don’t get myself out and even just browse, that there’s a possibility that it can creep back in.

This weekend I had some things to pick up grocery wise, so I went to Target and I stopped in Marshalls as well as Bath and Body Works (Semi-Annual Sale Haul coming soon). I like to walk around and browse even if I don’t end up purchasing a ton. There were a few things on my list that I needed anyways.

At Marshalls, I got a few makeup items. The only thing I hate about stores like this is that whenever I find something high end or a name brand it’s always either swatched or opened. I understand wanting to see what’s inside but it makes me hesitant to buy anything not sealed.

I looked at a few lip items, mascaras and blushes but I didn’t trust they hadn’t been used or they had finger marks in them and unfortunately you never know what someone has or I have a fear of staph with any makeup items.

I did pick up a rose quartz Gua Sha and face roller set on clearance for $7. I have heard people talk amazing about these things so I wanted to try it myself.

I got two E.L.F Ride or Die Lip Balms in tough Cookie and PSL. I’m not a fan of pumpkin spice but the colors were appealing to me.

I got a new Wet Brush because it was only $4.99 and that’s the only hairbrush that doesn’t kill my hair. It’s the only hair brush that doesn’t make brushing and styling my hair painful and rip too much out when detangling. I also saw Batiste has a shine mist and it was on clearance for $2.00 so I thought why not, this is the brand of my favorite dry shampoo.

I definitely needed new liquid eyeliner and so I got them here, I’m not sure how long they will last but I didn’t really want to go to Ulta or Sephora. If I’m going into those two places I always like to have a little extra spending money because I get carried away.

Not pictured are the card games I got on sale… I got: New Phone, Who Dis?, What Do You Meme? and the game Likes. They all were hilarious card games that were all under $10 each and I thought they’d make great game nights. We like to keep it lighthearted and fun during our game nights.

Do you prefer Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Ross, or Burlington?

XOXO,

Ashley

Ulta Haul

For Christmas I got a gift card from my Mother-in-Law for Ulta and as a girl with no self control… I spent it. I spent it literally the night of Christmas. I know I know but hey I got some good deals. I also had a coupon… that was an added bonus.

Part one of my Ulta haul

Okay so the first shipment I got from my order had my Too Faced “You Drive Me Glazy” collection. I only spent $24 on that whole collection! It came with a palette that had 4 blush/bronzers and 20 different eyeshadow pans. It also came with a mini of their Better Than Sex mascara and a full sized Killer Liner. I love the formula of Too Faced eyeshadows so I couldn’t resist this one.

I also grabbed an eyelash comb separator because I didn’t have one and sometimes lashes can be tricky. Lashes have good days but they also have bad days. This is for those times. I also got a crème gel eyeliner brush by IT cosmetics for only $1.80!

I grabbed these two Morphe Wondertint Cheek and Lip Mousses. They were gorgeous colors and I’m super excited to try out this formula. I’m trying to get more into cream products so I figured drugstore is the best place to start. I grabbed the colors Dream and Wish for only $5.05 each.

The last thing in the picture is the ColourPop Enchanted palette. I love the color story of this palette and I’ve had my eye on it for a while. When the price dropped to $3.78 I couldn’t help myself but add it to the cart. ColourPop never disappoints when it comes to formula and pigment.

Ulta order part two

The second part of my order came in and it had my ELF flat liner brush and the Double The Sex mascara set. My flat liner brush was starting to get a little nasty so I thought now was the time. Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara is one of my favorites of all time. At the normal price I find myself having a very hard time re-purchasing when I run out. When I saw that this two pack was only $18 I didn’t even hesitate to add it to my cart. I’m so happy I did because this is one of my favorite formulas in a mascara.

Overall I’m SO extremely happy with my little haul I got with my Ulta gift card! Did you get any gift cards for Christmas? If you did I’d love to hear what you got yourself!

XOXO,

Ashley

Rare Beauty Positive Light Under Eye Brightener Review

At the end of December I got off work early one day and decided I needed to go get a few new clothing pieces for my wardrobe to make me feel better about the way I looked. After I was done shopping at Maurices, I headed across the parking lot to Kohl’s… I was on a mission.

I really wanted the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Blush but my Sephora was all out. Me being the makeup lover I am, I looked around to see what else was new.

Right when I walked into Sephora, there was an end cap that had a whole display of the new Rare Beauty Positive Light Under Eye Brightener with the exception of the second lightest shade, that was all gone.

I have very light skin and get very dark under eye circles, so I decided to give this a try. On first application, I wore it on it’s own with no makeup and I was impressed. I liked how it didn’t leave a streaky look behind and it looked more like skincare. The metal applicator though… Chef’s Kiss.

This was the first time I had worn it with my makeup. I put on my primer like normal, foundation, then the under eye brightener underneath my concealer. I expected it to either be patchy or completely disappear… neither of those things happened, though. I am thoroughly impressed at how this product performed.

I have oily skin and it didn’t make that worse, it just looked clean and fresh. I picked mine up in the shade light. At only $24.00, I highly recommend this to anyone who has dark circles or needs a little brightness under their eyes.

Has anyone else tried this? What did you think of it?

Until Next Time,

Ashley

Why I Started Blogging

For as long as I remember, I have always been a reader. I’m a major bookworm, so writing seems fascinating to me. At a young age, I remember starting my own novellas in my notes app on my phone.

I have always aspired to be a writer. You know how most people have a goal they want to complete before they die? My goal is to self publish a book. Only a select few people have read some of my work. I have one story line that I started about 7(ish) years ago that I’m super passionate about.

I started this blog to not only get my thoughts out and use it as a online journal, per say. I also wanted to share my love for reading, beauty, makeup, and other random-ish things I’m passionate about.

I know I have said this before but this year I plan to make my blog a priority. I plan to make a schedule. I plan to have different topics written out ahead of time so I can schedule posts. I have already started scheduling some posts and started an idea list in my journal for blog topics.

When it comes to beauty, I love makeup. My skincare routine has been the same for over a decade. Don’t get me wrong, I love some higher end makeup but I hate feeling like I’m blowing my money. If I can get a good product for a lower price, I will most likely go for the more affordable drugstore products.

When I started this blog I did a lot of unboxings and dupe posts. I do have at least one unboxing to share in the next few days from an Ulta purchase after Christmas that I had a gift card for… I got some higher end products for a heck of a deal and I cannot wait to share that when that order comes in.

What I’d love from you guys is some feedback. What are you most interested in? What are some topics you’d love to see me write about? Should I go back to my roots and do some dupe posts again?

Let me know in the comments, because I’d love some inspiration.

XOXO,

Ashley

A New Journey…

“Make yourself a priority. At the end of the day, you’re your longest commitment.”

About a year and a half ago, I made the plunge to try to get healthier. A family member had started a journey with Arbonne. I’ll admit… I was hesitant to spend this money and jump in head first and make a change. It wasn’t only a money factor that was stopping me- I questioned my capability to be able to go through the lifestyle change.

I started off with the 30 Days to Healthy Living with my mom. We split the package and cost to keep each other accountable. It consisted on switching two meals a day (for me this was breakfast and lunch) with protein shakes. I learned it was possible to make a protein shake taste good… surprisingly. I started using the digestion product to help my gut health and then my absolute favorite product was the Energy Fizz Sticks.

I have problems with caffeine when it comes to anxiety and migraines. The caffeine in sodas, etc. will send me in a downward spiral of anxiety attacks and horrible migraines; I quit caffeine cold turkey… UNTIL I found these. The Arbonne Fizz Sticks have been a lifesaver for me in every day life. Literally, I use these every day.

The fizz sticks are only 15 calories and have 55 mg of natural caffeine. These are the only caffeine my body has been able to tolerate and it gets me through the day AND in a good mood. They are also free of artificial sweeteners and free of high fructose corn syrup. Added benefits are balancing blood sugar, improving alertness, improving your cognitive function, metabolism support, and improving happiness overall.

The permanent flavors Arbonne has are pomegranate, strawberry, citrus and blood orange (MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE). As of right now there are limited amounts of the Mango Peach left.

I am not writing this post for any other reason than I truly believe in the products and their benefits and how much healthier I feel after making a change in my lifestyle.

I got a little off on my health and lifestyle so I plan to do my best to keep myself accountable and starting the 30 day to healthy living on August 1st. I have noticed a difference in my habits the past few weeks and my body needs a definite reset. I am craving too much sugar and junk food and when you keep on that lifestyle it seems to affect my mental health, knowing I’m making these bad choices for myself.

I welcome anyone to start the 30 day program with me if you choose!

If you would like to check out any of these products or are interested in a healthier lifestyle choice, the best thing I did was become a PC (preferred client). This gained me discounts, free shipping and free gifts with products I’d already be purchasing just a healthier version of them! I’ll add the link below if you’d be interested in trying any of these products out.

http://www.AshleyGarlin.arbonne.com

Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments!

XOXO,

Ashley

My June TBR

This month I have started to get back into the groove of reading instead of getting caught up in the world of Social Media. It’s hard to not sit and scroll through TikTok and put your head in a book sometimes.

At the moment I’m currently reading the second book in the Twisted Love series. Twisted Games is even better than Twisted Love was and I am only about halfway through. 10/10 would definitely recommend this series. If you like a grumpy sunshine trope, this series is definitely for you. Twisted Games is more grumpy sunshine but with a side of off-limits love, because Rhys is Bridget’s body guard. That’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to ruin the book for anyone.

My TBR for this month is probably a little reaching, because there are so many books I want to read.

• Charm by Tracy Wolff
• Cherish by Tracy Wolff
• Twisted Games by Ana Huang (Currently Reading)
• Happy Place by Emily Henry
• Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
• The Nanny by Lana Ferguson
• Beach Read by Emily Henry
• Book Lovers by Emily Henry

I’m not usually the type to start two books at a time but I had started reading Charm by Tracy Wolff before I started reading Twisted Games. When I got Twisted games, I just couldn’t put it on the shelf and not read it. So currently Charm has been put on hold but I will more than likely pick it back up in the next couple of days.

I picked up a few books on Amazon because of the whole issue that printing costs are going to be rising on the 20th of the month. I had my eye on these few for a while so I figured I may as well pick them up before the cost goes up. I grabbed Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams, Happy Place by Emily Henry, The Nanny by Laura Ferguson and a journaling book (52 Lists for Calm).

What is on your TBR this month?

Until Next Time,

Ashley

Ulta and Marshalls Haul

These past few weeks have been tough ones for me. As I had mentioned previously, my grandmother had a stroke December 3rd. She ended up needing to be on hospice the past few weeks because she was just getting worse and worse after the stroke. On Easter Sunday she passed in her sleep.

I haven’t gone out much or done much since before it happened, due to stress. Its been a rough time for me emotionally because as most of you know, we lost my grandpa last year. No one prepares you for losing a grandparent… let alone two of them. It’s so hard thinking about how you aren’t going to see them or get those phone calls and voicemails.

Needless to say I had errands to run and needed some air yesterday. I have kept myself cooped up in my house, in my emotions. The reason I needed to get out is because I ran out of shampoo and so that gave me no choice to have to get out.

Along with my shampoo I needed at Ulta, I was in desperate need of concealer as well. When I went to the Urban Decay section… everything shown was 50% off. I love the Urban Decay All Nighter foundation, so finding it for 50% off was a must for me. I got mine in the shade 0.5 (I know… I’m pale). I also got the Urban Decay Stay Naked Threesome blush/highlighter and bronze trio. I haven’t tried this Urban Decay concealer yet but crossing my fingers that I love it.

Lately I have been using the L’Oréal Infallible concealer and that has been my go-to. I couldn’t find it in my Ulta so I didn’t pick that one up… I forgot I needed it when I went to Target after this.

The VERB Ghost shampoo is my favorite shampoo at the moment. I have naturally oily hair so I have to wash it every day or two to keep the oils under control. This shampoo doesn’t react like others I’ve tried and build up in my hair. Its very clean and my hair feels soft after washing. Not to mention, it smells amazing.

I ended up at Marshalls while I was in town and boy am I glad I went in! This Too Faced Pumpkin Spice Second Slice eyeshadow palette was on sale for $24.99! I don’t usually buy the seasonal palettes during the holiday season because they are so dang expensive when they come out. After opening this one, I fell in love with the color story and couldn’t leave without it.

The makeup wipes are always a given for me when I go to Marshalls or TJ-Maxx because they’re so much cheaper than at the drugstore. I bought these for $3.99. I also got the Revlon blurring powder because it just happened to be in my shade only and I love this line from them.

I was heading back to the beauty isle to put something back that I decided I didn’t need and the workers had apparently just placed out the Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation and Concealer and once again, only in my shade! I have been wanting to try this for a while but haven’t been willing to pay the hefty price it comes along with. I just happened to find this at $12.99. That’s a complete steal!

Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried any of these and how you like them!

Until next time,

Ashley

It’s Okay Not To Have It All Figured Out

I just turned 26 in November. I still don’t have my whole life plans figured out yet. I work in a family business in property management and I work my boutique on the side.

After high school, I was prepared to go to college because that’s what I thought was the “right” thing to do at the time. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t know what I wanted to major in. I just felt like college was the right course to go.

Long story short, I got an injury that made me re-think my college career. I fell off a hoverboard and broke my elbow and have some permanent nerve damage from the injury. I was working on healing myself while trying to make college work. I was more stressed about getting good grades than I was about healing from my injury.

I know I want a family later on in life (if it’s in God’s plan of course), but I don’t know what age. To be honest I’m winging this “adult” thing. It doesn’t come with a handbook as much as we wish it did.

All I know is four things…

1) I want to travel to as many places as I can and go on adventures. I want to go on my first cruise. I want to visit places we haven’t been to together. I want to make as many memories as we can and soak those in.

2) I want my boutique to succeed as much as God allows. I did a huge thing this year by changing the name of my business to a more permanent name. I want to attend as many vendor events as I can.

3) I want to spend as much one-on-one time with my husband as possible before bringing kids into the picture. I want to visit Disneyland, as its only a few hours away from us, and make our own memories before we have littles with us making those new memories.

4) I want to look back at my life and cherish the things we did and not regret the things we didn’t do.

Life is something that you should live. I want to look at my life and be so grateful for all the things I do, as I do now. My husband and I have this thing that we don’t buy each other gifts. We save the money we would be buying gifts with and adventure and travel with that money. We try to do a few small trips a year and one if it’s a bigger trip.

So, as much as I wish I had my life and my future all together… I don’t. I don’t think anyone does in all honesty. It’s okay if you don’t have it all together. In fact, it’s normal.

Until next time,

Ashley

Ulta Haul (and re-purchases)

I did a pickup order at Ulta yesterday because I had the day off work but I also needed some items for my every day makeup. I ran out of my brow pencil and brow gel so that was my main reason to do this order… they ended up not having my color so I did have to order it from the website. I also got a new highlighter because I wanted something more close to my skin color. I also needed bronzer because I’ve been feeling very pale recently.

My hair has been a bit more oily so I have been washing it every day but the Winter weather has seemed to cause my scalp to be dry and a bit more irritated so I wanted to try this new serum that Pacifica sells.

These beauty blenders by Real Techniques have been a staple in my makeup routine for years now. They don’t suck up all my product and they seem to blend perfectly. I change my beauty blenders about every month or so to try to help keep my skin as clear as possible.

I’ve always had dark under eye circles and I am always on the hunt for the best under eye gels. I have used the Arbonne ones and loved them but I haven’t wanted to renew my “subscription” with them due to costs. If you have any recommendations on under eye gels, leave them below!

The Florence By Mills lip balm got me with the sale price and the packaging… what can I say.

This online order was made solely due to the need of the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow gel. I had it on my pick up order and they were out of it.

I was also looking at the essence highlighter but my store didn’t carry it at the moment. For under $5, I couldn’t beat the price.

I have been loving Ulta’s lip oil. I have the one in Red Apple that I keep in my purse and it is really good for dry chapped lips. I wear it both with and without makeup. I added the one in tangerine and the one in cranberry-pomegranate to my bag because of the free gift that came with a $19.50 Ulta purchase.

Like I said, the Florence balms got me with the packaging but I can say… I absolutely love the formula of these. It feels smooth on the lips with a hint of color.

Ulta seems to do amazing with their free gifts! I absolutely LOVE everything I got in this free gift.

Until next time,

Ashley

CFS/ME Flare Up… My Experience

The past week or week and a half I have had a major flare up in my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. I can definitely say this flare up has been the worst flare up in a very long time.

The first sign I got when I realized I was going to have a flare up was a very bad sore throat. The sore throat I get when it comes with Chronic Fatigue is a completely different sore throat than I ever experienced. It is hard to swallow but it just hurts in no particular place. Nothing soothes it, it’s just… there.

Then it felt like all my symptoms hit me like a load of bricks. My body hurt so bad, almost as if I had done a very vigorous work out. My arms ached, my legs ached, my back ached… you name it, it hurts.

It’s very discouraging when I get a flare up not only because it affects my every day life but because there is NOTHING I can do to help it or fix it. It’s hard living with a immune disease that I have no treatment for.

I have been very emotional because I am sleeping but wake up feeling like I haven’t slept whatsoever. I have had such bad anxiety and can’t control it. My body is just worn out but life has to go on and I still have to get up and do daily life activities. The show must go on. I have to keep strong and keep pushing forward.

I have gotten thrown off my diet this week/weekend due to the holiday but I am going to start eating more whole foods and less processed and less added sugars. I definitely need to cut out all fast foods, I don’t eat them often but I just am going to make myself a priority. I already don’t drink caffeine because I get bad migraines but I’m going to focus on my water intake and vitamins. Here’s to a fresh start for this year. It’s okay to mess up, just start back again and try again!

Today I decided to do some research, I had enough. I looked up what doctors specialize in my condition and found one in my area and called them and they told me they do indeed specialize in my condition and luckily they believe they take my insurance.

I need a referral to see this doctor so I have an appointment with my general practitioner later this week to hopefully get this ball rolling and get into see this Rheumatologist sometime soon. If there still isn’t any treatment it will be nice to get some clarity or learn some coping skills or any knowledge of this I can get.

I was diagnosed a little over ten years ago now. When I was diagnosed they had no treatment and knew very little about this condition. All they really could tell me at the time was that I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and there is no cure or treatment at that time. It was a very rare thing to get diagnosed with at the time. It is still a rare condition but I am hoping there is a little more knowledge on this topic.

I’m hoping in the next few weeks as I get into this specialist I’ll get some more knowledge and answers on how to better care for my body during these times. I’ll keep a little diary of my journey with CFS and working on my health.

Until Next time,

Ashley

My Disney World Trip 2022

My husband and I had planned this trip for TWO years before we finally went at the end of November. Our first date was in 2021 right before everything got shut down from COVID, then the shut down forced us to completely cancel the trip because we had no idea when everything would be open again. The second date we had planned in January 2022 and then we had another COVID surge but my husband and I also were having some family things. We both lost a grandparent and I lost someone who was like an uncle to me as well. So within the span of a month we experienced three deaths.

We re-scheduled for November 29th-December 7th. This was definitely a trip for the books! Yes we both caught a small cold while there so we missed one day of parks and a dinner reservation but we were completely fine the rest of the trip. We had a longer flight than expected and so we were jet lagged as well, so the sleep did us wonders.

We stayed at Pop Century Resort in one of the preferred pool view rooms. We got a King bed room and I must say it was probably the best hotel I had stayed at in a long time (besides the Contemporary for our Honeymoon). The best part of our room was the shower, we had a waterfall shower and that waterfall shower was so relaxing! I’ll insert some pictures below.

The bed was super comfortable for being what Disney calls a “value” hotel. We both slept through the night with no issues and woke up refreshed.

We did five park days (we planned six but we decided to rest one of those days). We ended up with two Magic Kingdom days, an EPCOT day, an Animal Kingdom day and a Hollywood Studios day. I feel we had plenty of time at the parks, you could always have more but for us we had plenty of time do do what we wanted. If I had to rank the parks from favorite to least favorite I’d say Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT then Animal Kingdom.

We had a blast at every park we went to but Animal Kingdom was just a very busy park even on what they called a down day. There is also a lot more to see than to ride at Animal Kingdom, I hope that makes sense. I do love EPCOT, but it had a few rides and a lot of shopping (which I’m not going to complain about). My favorite ride in EPCOT was Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. We waited about forty minutes but we had a blast.

Magic Kingdom was fun the first day we went was the day after we arrived. We wandered around and rode a few rides. We just took it slow as it was the first day after a long day of flights. The second Magic Kingdom day we had, we used the Genie + system and we were able to get on SO MANY rides. We rode everything we wanted to and had hardly any wait for any of the rides. That was so worth the price, in my opinion.

The only other day we used Genie + was Hollywood Studios and it was so worth it for that as well. We got on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger, then we got a pass for Minnie and Mickey’s Runaway Railway, then Star Tours, and Finally we rode Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run right before dinner.

The restaurants we ate at were Chef Mickey’s (table service), Casey’s Corner (quick service), Garden Grill (table service), Flame Tree BBQ (quick service), Planet Hollywood (table service), Sci-Fi Dine In (table service), and Liberty Tree Tavern (table service). I would eat at any of these restaurants again. We also ate snacks at small stands and a couple meals at our hotel cafeteria and my husband swears that was the best pizza he’s ever eaten. The best place to eat if you’re a dessert person is hands down Liberty Tree Tavern!

Another thing we did this trip was pay for the Memory Maker Photo Pass. This was the best investment in our trip. We did pay $169 for it but I had my phone out SO much less and we got so many pictures. We have so many pictures from this trip that fill up a full photo album. We got the photo album in Disney World because we did the same for our honeymoon and we still cherish those to this day. The memories are 100% worth it, especially if you don’t visit all the time. I’ll insert a collage below of just a few of the pictures we came home with.

I only came home with a handful of souvenirs because I was too busy having fun to shop as much as I have before. Overall we had a blast on this trip and hope to go back one day in the future, but for now we’ll stick to Disneyland as we are Californians and it is closer.

I’d love to hear your Disneyland/Disney World stories, if you have any leave them below! Also if you have any recommendations of where to visit as a couple, I’d love to hear that as well… We are planning a trip to South Lake Tahoe since we have never been there but we are definitely travelers at heart!

Until Next Time,

Ashley

7 Things I Wish I Knew As a Teen

At 26, there’s a lot of things I wish I could tell my younger self. I have learned so many life lessons and things I believed as a teen, I have learned just don’t matter in life as much as I thought.

1. Most of your friends won’t stay your friends after you graduate high school. There will be a select few that you’ll stay in touch with. There is a select few that you will keep in touch with and I have learned to embrace those friendships and cherish those few people in my life. I firmly believe that the ones you don’t stay in touch with is for a reason, you aren’t meant to keep them as a friend. If they wanted to stay in touch, they would.
2. What people think about you doesn’t matter. You cannot live your life comparing yourself to others. You will be miserable if you live your life trying to keep up with the Jones’. In High School I got so wrapped up in worrying about what I ate and how much I worked out because I got caught up in comparing myself to others. I was a cheerleader and I worked out besides my cheer practices.
3. Do you. Who cares if your friends think your hobbies are dumb? Do what you love and don’t apologize for being yourself.
4. You don’t HAVE to go to college. If you want to go to college do it for you. College really isn’t something that you absolutely have to do. If you really don’t want to go to college… don’t. In all reality, college doesn’t guarantee you will come out of it with a high paying job that will pay off all those dang student loans you’re stuck with.
5. The most important investment you make is in yourself. Your skincare and makeup make a difference, find what works with your skin. You only get one body, take care of it. This also goes for mental health. Take care of your mental health. If you need to take antidepressants… your happiness is the most important thing.
6. Treat your family and loved ones with kindness. Tomorrow is not always guaranteed. Treat every day like it’s your last. Tell your loved ones you love them any chance you get.
7. Enjoy being young while you’re young. Don’t spend all your teenage years wishing you were an adult because that will come soon enough. The responsibilities of being an adult are stressful so enjoy being young while you are young. Once you become an adult everything changes and life gets a little more difficult.

There’s probably a lot more things I wish I could tell my younger self but these are the ones I can think of. I remember worrying so much about what others thought as a teen and trying to keep up with what was cool. I remember wanting to be an adult, like we all do when we’re in High School but adulting isn’t all it’s cracked up to be… Its a lot of work and responsibility.

What were some things you wish you could tell your younger self?

Ashley

Dating Your Husband…

I feel like most people start dating then they hit the “honeymoon” phase. Then a lot of couples stop dating their husband when they get married. I will admit, it happened in my relationship because you get in the groove of things and then life gets ahead of you.

This last month, my husband and I have started making some sort of date night or date day a priority once a week. It doesn’t have to be an extravagant date. Wither it’s to go get groceries, go to Home Depot to get something you’ve been needing to get for the house or going to dinner/lunch together.

My relationship has drastically changed the past few months, for the better as we have made our relationship a priority.

At the end of November and beginning of December, we took a trip to Walt Disney World that we had been planning for a few years and kept having to cancel due to the Pandemic. That trip opened our eyes that we needed to spend more one-on-one time together. We agreed that we need to take some sort of trip every year, just the two of us. We stayed at Disney World for 8 nights and 9 days. That was the longest we have ever been away from home and if I’m being completely honest I wanted to stay longer.

On the way home we had a few hours of a layover and were talking about what we’d like to do next. We are California residents and used to go to Disneyland multiple time per year, as I grew up there as a child. Disneyland was a home away from home as a child.

We have talked about going on a cruise, going and spending the week at Disneyland, spending a few days at Universal Studios- Hollywood… There’s so much we want to do and places we want to see.

We have date nights planned the next three Saturdays to things we have either never done or haven’t done in a long time. This weekend (1/28) we are going to a local Artesian Faire/Farmers Market in our area. I never usually get to browse Farmer’s Markets like this because I am usually a vendor with my boutique. The weekend after we are going to a steak house, about a forty minute drive from where we live that we have only been to once and it was amazing. 

The weekend before Valentine’s Day we plan on going to a little farm about an hour away from our house and have a picnic before we pick fruits. This little farm is having a Valentine’s Day picnic for two with your meal included and you have the opportunity to pick what is in season from their orchards. We haven’t ever done anything of this sort but you never know if you like something unless you try. 

For Valentine’s Day I have a candlelight picnic at home planned. We did this once when we were first dating. We laid out a blanket and ate our Chinese food that we ordered in my bedroom. I don’t really want to go out and do anything fancy so we plan on ordering Chinese and eating by candlelight with some sparkling cider, as we don’t usually drink unless its a major special occasion. 

The memories are the most important to me. We don’t usually do gifts for each other in our marriage because we do experiences. We do trips together, go see local plays or comedy shows, go to the beach… possibilities are endless. I can’t wait to see what we plan next!

If you live in California, what are some of your favorite date places? Where is a place that we have to visit and add to our bucket list?

Until Next Time…

Ashley

5 Things You May Not Know About Me…

I thought it may be a good idea to re-introduce myself and tell you about a few things you may not know about me!

Hi, I’m Ashley… I am a 26 year old wife, small business owner, Swiftie, Bibliophile and beauty lover. I got married to my high school sweetheart in 2018 and we have been married for 4 1/2 years and together for 11 years.

The first thing you may or may not know about me is, I work in Property Management. I’m a secretary for our family business. I started this job in 2017 after cleaning rental houses for a living for around 4(ish) years. I started cleaning with my mom when I was young during the summers but my Senior year I did it full time. My last two periods of the day at school were “work experience.” There are the ups and downs of working in this field but I like the family aspect of it all.

Secondly, I worked at Ulta for a few months in 2018. I got hired on right before the Christmas season. My full first day was the dreaded day of all retail workers… Black Friday. After working in retail for those few months, I decided that wasn’t for me. Working at Ulta was super stressful and the hours that a part-time employee gets aren’t great.

Third, I started my own business in 2019. I started as a leggings company so my business name was Ashley’s Butter-Soft Leggings. I would buy wholesale and then go live on Facebook and sell them and ship out on my own. I focused on leggings for a while but quickly branched out to selling more variety. I just mailed out my fictitious business name statement yesterday to officially change my business name! Since I started to sell more variety and get some drop shipping vendors, I have hated my business name.

Fourth, I have been a part of two multi-level-marketing companies. My mom and I started with Paparazzi for a few years and ended it when we realized we were spending more on products and buying more than we were selling. We loved it until it just didn’t work anymore. I also was an Arbonne Independent Consultant. I did this for a year then decided not to renew. I didn’t have the time for it and it was a lot of pressure on a 24 year old. There was nothing wrong with the products themselves, I still use them and love them. The discount wasn’t enough for me to stay as a consultant, neither was the pay. I’m not a pushy person so I struggled there. You have to spend a lot of time promoting and talking up the brand in order to excel, in my case.

The fifth thing you may not know about me is that I spent my Freshman year at a college prep school. College prep schools are A LOT. I transferred out for my sophomore year for two reasons; my family was moving about twenty minutes away and also I was stressed. I have chronic migraines, as I have mentioned before and some mental health issues. Being at a college prep school, I had about 6-8 hours of homework daily (including weekends). I am VERY hard on myself and the pressure to be perfect is real with me. I have been struggling most of my life because I push myself to be perfect in everything I do, even as an adult. My mental health was struggling and my neurologist at the time recommended me to change schools, as the stress made my migraines worse. So if you’re a parent reading this, don’t take this as a DO NOT send your child to a college prep school. You know your child and what your child can and cannot handle.

Thanks for reading! Talk to you Saturday!

Ashley

Current Skincare Routine

I know this is in no way “clean” or organized but my skincare shelf in my bathroom

I have had the same skincare routine for over a decade. I’ve added a few products this year as they are newer and I am very passionate about my skincare routine.

A beautiful face of makeup always starts with a skincare routine. Without a good skincare routine, you won’t ever be able to achieve a clean face of makeup.

At around age twelve or thirteen, my mom started me on Clinique’s 3 step routine twice daily. I have had very oily skin my whole life and have struggled with how to manage it. I saw dermatologists one after the other and no one was able to help me. We were in the mall one day back-to-school shopping and we stopped by the Clinique makeup counter and explained my situation I had been in.

This 3 step system is where it all started. I started on the oily skin facial cleanser, the pink bottle of clarifying lotion (toner) and the oily skin moisturizer. This skincare is definitely on the pricier side of skincare when you compare it to drugstore prices. The best thing about the Clinique skincare I have found is, the bottles last me a very long time as you don’t need much at a time.

The oily skin facial soap, for the 13.5 oz jumbo pump, only costs me around $37. That bottle can last me 3-6 months, using it twice a day. The combination oily toner, the same jumbo with a pump 16.5 oz, is only $35. The toner of this size will easily last me 6-8 months, using it twice a day. The moisturizer, you literally only need about 1 pump anytime you use it to cover your whole face. The jumbo moisturizer pump costs you $45 but it will last you forever.

This year I added three more products to my routine. Two of those products I only use once a day and the other I am working on adding twice a day.

I have started using the Clinique All About Eyes from my samples that Clinique has sent me. I have a few samples of this and the samples are taking me pretty far. When it comes to eye cream, a little goes a long way. I get dark circles under my eyes and that is one of my biggest insecurities. This product has worked wonders for me. When Clinique does their free gift with purchase, a hefty sample is usually included in that free gift.

The product I have been using for a few months now twice a day is their Acne Solutions Acne + Line Correcting serum. With this product, I have seen a difference in both my occasional breakouts, and my acne scars. The directions say to use two to three drops, I use three. I put a drop on each cheek and a drop on my forehead and pat that in and let it soak into the skin. The usual cost is $49 but I try to wait and get mine when it is on sale. Right now it is on sale at Macy’s for $34 plus tax.

Clinique Acne Solutions Serum $49.00

The third new product I have started using is the Clinique Pore Refining Solutions stay-matte hydrator. I like using this in the morning with my skincare before I put my makeup on. I’m a fan of anything mattifying. I haven’t used this product long enough to have a full review on it, but I will keep you posted with a full honest review. The usual price is $44 but once again, I will only buy these fancier products when they are on sale.

Clinique pore refining solutions stay-matte hydrator $44

Overall, I highly recommend these Clinique skincare products. I was a huge fan of the pep-start morning collection but the only thing they kept from that line was the eye cream. I’m still a fan of that but I miss the pep-start face wash. The plus about this is I don’t usually run out of them all at the same time. It’s usually one product at a time, so that’s easier on my bank account.

If you have any questions regarding any of these products or any Clinique products feel free to leave them below!