My Colorado Fave's

Hey girls,
  We are still traveling and Simon and I have been in Colorado for a couple weeks now.  For me, it's always a little nostalgic coming here since this is what I consider to be my home state.  My entire family is here (minus one sister) and staying at my parent's house (my old home) always brings back so many memories.  It is so special to bring Simon here and watch him enjoy my parents/siblings and old stomping grounds.  Every time I return to Colorado, I am reminded of things that I miss about this place - things that I forget I am missing until I am here and am reminded of them.  I decided that today's post will be a list of those plus a few pictures of our trip.  =)  Obviously the thing we miss the most is being close to family - that is #1 for us.  Today's list will be things outside of that.


My Colorado Fave's:
1.  The driving.  Everyone drives a LOT faster here than in Oregon!  It's nice to feel like you can actually drive freely on the highways as there are a lot more lanes.  The speed seriously is crazy - truckers will pass you on the highway if you are going 80 in the left lane!  It's liberating and a little scary at the same time.  =)

2.  The fact that you can open the windows on a hot, summer day and get a cool breeze that will keep your house at a nice temperature and make your house downright cold at night.

3.  The bombshell hair that the dry air gives me.  Peter regularly tells me that he misses my "Colorado hair" and I usually sigh and say the same thing.  Something about the dry air here means that the frizz is gone and my hair has lots more body and volume.  I seriously miss this.

4.  The thunder storms.  I am always taken by surprise at just how loud the thunder is here and how crazy the storms are.  They usually roll in around 3 pm and roll out almost as quickly as they arrive so your sunshine day will almost always end with a beautiful sunset.  

Storm rolling in

5.  The sunsets!  There is almost nothing like a Colorado sunset.  This is largely due to the fact that you have so much open space (and open sky) so you can almost always see the sunset from where you are. The majestic mountains serve as an amazing backdrop to these incredible paintings.  I could walk every evening and just watch the sunset for the rest of my life.

6.  Workouts.  Working out here means that not only do you work harder due to the altitude but that you sweat less (because of the dry air).  I hate washing my hair every time I workout and I miss that I didn't have to when I lived here.

Playing at Grandad and Mum-Mum's

Breakfast at the bar

Catching Crawdads at Castlewood Canyon

Castlewood Canyon - fun with cousins and friends

Cousin Alaina and her crawdad

Well, that's all I have for today!  We are headed out on our last leg of the trip.  It sure has been a wonderful few weeks being back here and seeing family.  

XOXO
Joy

Beauty Tip: Drugstore Finds

Hey girls! I know, I haven't been very good about blogging lately. With the traveling that we have been doing, it has just been more of a challenge to sit down and get some posts out there. However, I did want to share some great beauty drugstore finds that I have been enjoying lately!

This foundation has been the best surprise for me. It is lightweight with good coverage and the tone has matched perfectly. I recommend it for summer weather or for anyone looking for a lighter weight, cheaper option.

My sister introduced me to this stuff and it is amazing! It will give you long, luscious eyelashes that look more full.

If you wear foundation you must use a powder to set it! This translucent powder will not change the color of your foundation while giving you a perfectly matte look for hours. It is my foundation's new, trusty BFF. :)

These Ardell lashes (called Wispies) are the best drugstore falsies I have ever used! The thick, soft lashes look way more real than some others I have tried. They are very feminine, flirty and almost 60's mod looking. 

Sifting through drugstore makeup can be overwhelming and a waste of money if you don't know what you're looking for so I hope this helps some!  Let me know what your favorite drugstore finds are!

XOXO

Joy

DIY Sunless Tan

Grab your preferred sunless tanner (lately, I am loving L'Oreal Sublime in Medium) and get ready, girls.  Here it is, the DIY Sunless Tan post.

First, take a shower and scrub/shave every inch of skin that you will be covering with your lotion.  We're talking like a CSI episode where you have to get rid of any possible evidence.  You need to prepare your skin for absorbing the tanner and the more dry skin you can slough off, the better.

After your shower, dry off but don't apply anything to your skin.

Grab whatever regular lotion you have sitting on your nightstand and rub some into your knees, elbows, wrists and ankles, basically your "joints" or wherever it could potentially look too dark or streaky.   Let that dry.  Lotion will "water down" your tanner while a salve like aquaphor will work as a barrier so you can definitely put some of that on your cuticles too.

Now, put some tanner in your hands and using circular motions, start in the middle of your calves and slowly work down/up til you cover the lower half of your leg (I do a little swipe over the top of my foot too).  Do the same thing with every section that you want to tan:  start in the middle and use circular motions to cover the body part).

Once you have finished, wash off your palms with soap and water.  Let your color sit until dry and then wear loose clothing.  It will take around 6-8 hours for it to show and by that point, you are safe to shower off.

Enjoy that beautiful tan!  =)  You can repeat if you want darker color.  I find that mine lasts a few days so I maybe do it 2 times a week.

TIP:  Ask a friend/spouse to help you with your upper back.  OR stretch a towel across and rub back and forth so that your back isn't pasty white while the rest of you is tan.  

XOXO

Joy