Baby Shower // Akron

Monday, March 20, 2017



This weekend was such a great one! Mostly in part to the amazing day I had on Saturday, thanks to my wonderful friends and family.

My first baby shower was Saturday, March 18th at Uncorked Wine Bar in the downtown Akron area. It was put together by two of my best friends - Michelle and Alissa. I have no words for how much I love these ladies...they put so much time and effort into making the most beautiful shower and perfect day for me. I am SO lucky to have friends like them!  

 
 
The venue (Uncorked Wine Bar) was beautiful and it was the perfect size for a shower. White walls, local art, antique wooden floors, twinkle lights, and lots of space to set up tables. 

I felt overwhelmed by how generous everyone was and how hard everyone worked to make this shower special. Aaron and I are so lucky to have such amazing friends and family.


The decor was stunning and the food was delicious!! Alissa hand made the most intricate and tasty bundt cakes and had them individually wrapped for each guest. There was also vegan marshmallow pops dipped in chocolate, Caesar salad, croissants with chicken salad, pasta salad, delicious punch, and an amazing fruit tray! You all know from my pregnancy updates that fresh fruit is my jam right now ;)



Even though the weather in Akron was pretty crummy and it was freezing, I still wore the Fillyboo dress that I ordered a couple weeks ago - a little snow wasn't going to stop me. I wish I had gotten more pictures with everyone there, but we were having so much fun, I completely slipped my mind until the end of the shower!

With my best friend, Michelle
Abby, Alissa, Me, Michelle, and my sister Allison

Bumpdate // 2nd Trimester

Wednesday, March 15, 2017


Now that I've made my way into the 3rd Trimester (crazy!), I thought I'd do a quick update on how the 2nd Trimester went. It's going by so quickly, I can't believe it. I will be 30 weeks tomorrow, so only like 70 more days to go - and that is if she holds on for the entire time! 

We had a bit of a scare the other day with my blood pressure during one of my routine OB checkups. But, after checking and double checking, everything seems to be fine. Keeping a close eye on it though!


Gender // Girl

Maternity Clothes // Mostly - loving my Blanqi leggings and Liz Lange tank tops!

Stretch Marks // None

Belly button in or out // In... but getting pretty sore, so I think it is making its way out. 

Sleep // Sleep was better for a bit at the beginning of the second trimester...then got worse. I wasn't as exhausted during the day, which was nice, but by each evening I definitely felt wiped out. Now, I am pretty restless all night and considering one of those body pillows to try and help.

Best moments // My favorite parts of the second trimester have been feeling movement, finding out she was a girl, and starting to purchase things for the nursery.

Symptoms // Where do I start? Sore abdomen and groin muscles, forgetfulness, sporadic sciatica pain, rib pain (starting at 27 weeks), swollen fingers, and getting majorly out of breath. Oh, and don't forget that damn heartburn.

Miss Anything // Sleep - but we all know that isn't going to get any better once she is born! ;) Also, being able to bend over and move around with ease, and without grunting haha!

Movement // Constant and getting stronger every day - I love it! I really started to feel it around 21 weeks. Now, she's up high and kicking/flipping around my ribs most of the time...which doesn't always feel the nicest, but I still love it. Probably one of my favorite parts of pregnancy.

Cravings // Feeling thirsty a lot, so trying to keep up with the water intake all day long. No real food cravings.

Queasy or sick // Nope

Looking forward to // Continuing to work on the nursery - can't wait to share pictures once it is done! And having my baby showers in the next few weeks. xx 

All Over Glow // 100% Pure

Monday, March 13, 2017


Happy Monday my lovelies! 

I wanted to start the week off by sharing a cruelty-free product that I have been loving lately! This is All Over Glow in "Lightly Sun Kissed" by 100% Pure. 

This is a natural and vegan bronzing illuminizer, that contains light reflective pigments. I heard about it through Logical Harmony and loved the way it made her skin look, so I quickly went online to pick one up for myself.





I've been using All Over Glow daily on my face, neck, and décolletage. Since my skin is still very fair and dry from winter, I've been mixing it with some moisturizer before applying. On my face I apply it before my makeup and let it act as a primer with my moisturizer. 

I knew this was a product I wanted to share with you all the first day I used it. All Over Glow gives your skin such a healthy, sun kissed glow and makes your skin look so radiant! The fine shimmer creates an amazing dewy look, and it looks amazing under makeup or just alone on your skin. I have even used it on my face on days when I don't want to wear a full face of makeup, but still want a little "something" to make my skin look nice. 




I know I've sung the praises of 100% Pure before, but they definitely knocked it out of the park with this product! I have sensitive and dry skin, and this has been wonderful. Not only has it given me a more luminous look, but it provides a very sheer bronzed glow that doesn't look orange at all - even on my fair skin. I think it will even be great on my arms and legs as the weather starts to warm up! 

All Over Glow can been found here, and if you have darker toned skin, they have another shade called "Deeply Sun Kissed" here



Battle of the Cruelty Free Cleansers

Monday, March 6, 2017


I have been trying out a few different cleaners lately to try and find my favorite, or the one I want to continually use on a regular basis. I had a favorite, but when I discovered the brand was owned by a parent company that tests on animals, I decided to switch it out.

Cleansers are obviously important, as I wear makeup nearly every day and I need a strong but gentle product to make sure my skin is getting totally cleaned. You know when you wash your face and then go to dry it off, and there is makeup left behind on the towel? Yeah, I wanted to find something that keeps that from happening ;)

Over the past couple months I have focused on three different cleansers and have given them each a "rank" ...and found one that I fell totally in love with! 






THIRD PLACE // Yes to Coconuts Ultra Hydrating Creme Cleanser

Don't get me wrong, I love the Yes To brand...but this product just isn't for me. I don't know why, but for some reason their coconut range bothers my skin. If left on more than a few seconds, this gave me a bit of a burning sensation - and not the good tingly one you are looking for - the painful kind. 

Other than that, it was okay, but definitely didn't get my skin as clean as I would like and felt a bit "filmy" as I washed it off...like I need to follow up with another product to wash its residue off with. Needless to say, I won't be repurchasing. 



SECOND PLACE // Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash

I liked this cleanser a bit more than the Yes To Coconuts. It is a different consistency, as you can see in the photo, and I felt like it did a better job cleaning my skin. A tiny bit goes a very long way - it gets extremely foamy once wet. You definitely get your money's worth with this product. 

I liked the mild smell and it didn't irritate my skin, but I felt like it also fell a bit flat. It didn't give me a tingly clean feeling and although it did a good enough job, it just didn't "wow" me. 



FIRST PLACE // Pixi Beauty + Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse

This. What can I say? It is quite possibly the Holy Grail of cleansers. 

I am so impressed that I have already ordered two more...just in case it sells out or (God forbid) it is limited edition. 

The first side is a solid cleansing oil that you use to remove all your make up. This stuff literally melts the makeup off your face, better than anything I've ever used. The second side is an amazing cleansing cream that is moisturizing and feels like it is deep cleaning your pores. My skin feels so good after using this product and I am so happy that I picked it up. Not surprising though, as Pixi is a great line and this is a collaboration with skin care expert, Caroline Hirons. I just hope it is around to stay! 


BRB

Friday, March 3, 2017


Image via
Hello my lovely followers :)

I took a little break from the blog and social media this week, but don't worry - I will be back next week in full force. Posts coming soon include:

// Battle of the Cruelty Free Cleansers
// Wet n Wild Foundation Review
// 100% Pure All Over Glow Review

emily kay