Product Review: Origins Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer

Hi, Guys!  Today I'm doing a product review of Origins Original Skincare Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer with Willowherb.  This skincare product was sent to me by the kind people at Influenster in my very first VoxBox!

When the box arrived, I immediately tore into it to see what I received.  The pore perfecting primer is in this cute little "millennial pink" aluminum can, which I love.  At first, I was pretty skeptical due to the description being "super-cooling" and the current temperatures in St. Louis were single digits.  Honestly, the last thing that sounded appealing in the morning was intentionally applying something "cooling" on my face...I could go outside and let the chilling wind hit me for that.  BUT nonetheless, I sucked it up, shook the can, dispensed the lightweight foam onto my fingertips, dotted it on my face and gently rubbed in. 

Since that day, the Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer has become a staple in my daily beauty routine.  It immediately made me and my skin feel awake, almost like I didn't need coffee (but funny joke...I always need coffee), smoothed my skin to make it makeup ready, shrunk up the pores, and brightened the tone to a natural glow. 

What the heck is Willowherb you might ask?  I asked the same thing and referred to my good friend, Google, for the answers.  After searching Willowherb, the first medical uses came up as a treatment for prostate and urinary problems and I was like "WHY AM I PUTTING THIS ON MY FACE!?" and dug a little deeper.  Willowherb "is apparently effective against acne bacteria, anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-viral, cleansing and acts as a natural analgesic, mimics hydrocortisone to soothe discomfort."  Now I'm not a doctor, so don't quote me on that, but I referred to Gerlinde Naturals for all that information.  The first part of the Willowherb description definitely makes sense as to why my face looks and feels 100% after using the Origins Pore Perfecting Primer.  It's an exceptional boost on tired mornings or after going to the gym and a hot shower, 10/10 recommend.

The Origins Original Skin Pore Perfecting Primer is available at Sephora, price $32
This post has been sponsored by Influenster, all opinions are my own.

♥ always
Allison

How I Keep a Positive Attitude in Winter's Gloom

With gloomy, cold, and short days, the days can seem to drag on yet seem like there aren't enough hours at the same time.  Sometimes finding myself in a funk for no apparent reason aside from the season to blame, there are ways I've figured out how to keep a positive attitude and not completely struggle through winter's gloom.

1.  Fuzzy everything...fuzzy scarf, fuzzy socks, fuzzy blankets, fuzzy sweaters.  Cozy layers make having nowhere to go enjoyable and staying in much more comfortable.

2.  Hanging out and snuggling with my dog :)  

3.  Binge watching tv shows - Stranger Things, This is Us, and Friends are what I've been watching lately

4.  Game night with the significant other.  Farkle has become our go-to!

5.  Skipping the gym and opting for at home workouts...because it's cold out.  Yoga with Adriene and Tone It Up are a few of my favorite YouTube fitness channels.

6.  Homemade soup...or soup out of the can.  I really enjoy soup.

7.  Hot tea and hot chocolate!

8.  Crafting.  I received a Cricut for Christmas so it has been fun getting creative, crafty, and feeling accomplished.
9.  Constantly remind myself that it won't be winter forever.  :)

♥ always
Allison

Resolutions and Goals for 2018

Happy 2018, everyone!  A new year, a fresh start, right?  Up until a few days into 2018, I had no set resolutions or goals for this year.  I had a few ideas that had crossed my mind, but nothing that I was really setting out to achieve.  After the go-go-go of the holidays, hosting a New Year's Eve party, and so on, I took a little time to decompress and jot down goals for 2018.

My first, I was going to attempt dairy free 3 days a week.  After 11 days into the new year, I'm pretty sure this is my first day without dairy so far (until I just remembered that I added a splash of milk in my eggs this morning, so I'm back at the beginning).  So, I'm going to aim for dairy free 1x a week until the end of the month, then possibly bump it up to 2 in February...January can sorta be a trial month, right?

In the past, I have considered the whole Dry January thing but never ended up partaking.  It's supposed to be good for your health, weight, cleansing, give you more energy, and all these other benefits that I don't know without Googling (also since I've hit my 30's, I can get some absolutely TERRIBLE think I'm legit going to die hangovers and thought it might be nice to have a month without losing those battles) I decided to attempt this month, but the weekends are a little difficult for me.  I had a few drinks last Saturday so I cheated the whole dry MONTH, but figure significantly cutting back and a few drinks one night a week can't really harm anything.

Also, since we're talking about liquids, a resolution is to DRINK MORE WATER.

For Christmas, I received a Cricut machine so made a set goal of how much I would like to sell per month through crafting.

Another goal is to COOK a meal a week.  Like actually find a Pinterest recipe, go to the store, get the ingredients, and make dinner rather than grabbing a Boca Burger out of the freezer, tossing that in the microwave, adding it to greens and calling it a night.  On Monday, I made some Creamy Tortellini Soup and it was SO GOOD.  Here's the recipe I based the soup off of:  Creamy Tortellini Soup

While we're on the topic of food, another goal is fewer carbs, fried food, and reduce sugar intake.  Sugar is a big pitfall for me...I love sweets but find that when I reduce eating them, the craving goes away.  Focusing on upping fruits and lowering cookies.

I always say I would like to read more so I'm aiming for 1 book a month.  :)

And lastly, but probably most importantly:  Be more present.  Put technology down for a bit.  Spend time with my boyfriend, watching a show or movie, and not look at my phone every few minutes.  Learn to take a break from social media.  Stop getting caught in the black hole that is Instagram and Facebook, scrolling mindlessly for who knows how long through things that don't even really matter...and by doing this, I hope to find the time to accomplish all the things that do matter.

Here's to 2018!  What are your goals and resolutions for this year?

♥ always
Allison