Thank God for Spanx!

I honestly don't know what I would do without these life-saving body shapers! I have been a die-hard fan of Spanx for about 2 years and I can't say enough good things about this hoisery line. My pre-pregnancy size is size 2, but even at that size, I wanted to improve my body shape under form fitting jeans and dresses. These are a miracle. They conceal everything from my upper waistline to my mid-thigh area.

After I delivered my baby and was sent home from the hospital, my first task was digging through my long-neglected lingerie stash looking for my Spanx. I've heard of many women (including celebrities) bouncing back to their pre-pregnancy bodies by using girdles, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to at least try. I've been wearing my Spanx now for 5 days (day & night--even to bed) since being home and I've seen a huge difference. My tummy isn't as prego-looking and I fit back into my jeans. When I have it on, I have people telling me I don't even look like I just had a baby!

I definitely recommend Spanx, even if your goal isn't to get back into your pre-pregnancy clothes. They are super affordable as well. The one I love is the "Higher Power" design and it runs for $36 at department stores and at www.spanx.com

I'm A Mommy!

Born June 20 2009. 8:25am. 7 lbs 8 oz. 19.5 inches




So on Friday while I was posting my pregnancy update & product review on the Nivea Goodbye Cellulite gel-cream, I was having contractions. I just didn't know it at the time...haha! My back was just aching so badly and I was just sitting around waiting for my hubby to get home from work.

As the day progressed, I finally caught on that I was going into labor. My husband and I started to keep track of my contractions. They were 4 minutes apart and 45 seconds long...yes, it HURT! I went into the hospital at 9:30 pm. I didn't plan on getting an epidural but at 1 am, I was already 6 centimeters dilated, and I wanted every drug available on the planet! Haha. The epidural was absolutely heaven-sent!! My water broke and by then my contractions were back-to-back--thank God for epidurals! My doctor decided to have me start pushing and seriously, not even 25 minutes had passed when the doctor told me to look down to see my beautiful son!

I can't explain the joy I felt when I saw him for the first time. I still look at him now and wonder how this small cutie could come out of me...I love watching him sleep and eat. Even his cries are cute!

We arrived home today at noon and I'm sooo happy to be home with my little family.

Pregnancy Update: 39 Weeks

I am currently 39 weeks pregnant! Wow...it's been an amazing journey. My due date is Monday June 22nd & I'm already getting contractions. For those of you who are wondering, they aren't that painful yet. At first, they felt like period cramps and then they got a bit more intense, like the feeling you get when you really need to go to the bathroom. I'm not too nervous about the labor & deliver (we'll see! haha...I'm a big baby!) but I'm definitely not looking forward to the recovery process. I guess I'll have to live through it to know what it's really like but the stories I've heard weren't pretty.

I just can't wait to hold my son in my arms, so that I can be reassured that all this pain and waiting was worth it! Any day now, he will be here!

I finally finished painting the nursery furniture. His nursery theme is jungle babies. And my son's name is Jason :-)

I don't recommend using acrylic paint to paint furniture from IKEA. I find IKEA's products to be very cheaply-made, but being on a budget, I didn't feel like buying a whole new set of furniture. The dresser and side table were things we already had lying around. And the lamp was from a yardsale. I just spruced it up with some new paint and decorated it with wooden animal figures. The letter plaques were from Michaels (about $3 each letter) and I bought paint and some wooden animals to go with the theme...this is what nesting looks like hehe!

Nivea Goodbye Cellulite Gel Cream

Last year, Nivea came out with a Goodbye Cellulite Challenge which was a 4-week program to help reduce the appearance of dimples by using Nivea Goodbye Cellulite products, eating healthier and staying fit.

I decided to give it a shot and I was so amazed at how fast I saw results. I tuned in on their website everyday for 4-weeks and followed their easy program. (www.nivea.com/goodbyecellulite) I didn't do the same exact workouts since I didn't find them as intense as the workouts I was used to but the program really did work for me! In four weeks, I noticed less dimples on my thighs (of ocurse, the program didn't get rid of all traces of cellulite within 4 weeks) and within 6 weeks I had achieved my goal weight. I lost a total of 14 pounds just before my family cruise and never felt better in my life.

I would definitely recommend the Nivea Goodbye Cellulite line to anyone who's willing to give it a shot. I know the line comes with a gel cream, dietary supplements (that I didn't try) and patches. I only used a few of the patches...I found them really inconvenient & they didn't stick to well to my thighs but I went through 2 bottles of the gel-cream and I really liked it. The fragrance it has smells like a department store perfume and it goes on really well. I think the gel bottles run for about $13 at CVS Pharmacy.

Gel cream directions for use: "Apply cream once or twice daily to thighs, buttocks and stomach, and use with Nivea Body Goodbye Cellulite Patches".

This year, I'm so anxious to have my baby and start getting back into shape. My hubby is also a fitness trainer on the side, so he's pretty anxious to help me as well :-) There's no doubt that I'll be getting a bottle of Nivea Goodbye Cellulite Gel Cream to help me get back into shape.

*NOTE: These products are formulated with L-carnitine, which help your body convert fat to energy, & they contain caffiene, which is why I'm waiting until after my pregancy to continue using them.

PS: I am also really anxious to try out the Soap & Glory Slimwear lotion which is a cream that claims to reduce the appearance of cellulite too. So far, I've only found it at Target but I'm definitely going to try it soon since I read a lot of good reviews about on makeupalley.com!

Tanwise Self-Tanning Mousse

I used to use tanning beds a lot before I got pregnant. Not only was it unhealthy for my skin; it was getting to be really expensive (and so addicting!). To be safe, I started trying out self-tanners and even a few mystic tans (that were also becoming expensive). I went to Sally's to renew my membership and I found this wonderful product for $7.50. It was on sale so I'm not sure what the normal price is but considering that it's from Sally's, it can't be that expensive. I've been wanting to try St. Tropez self-tanner for awhile but I couldn't find it anywhere except online. I figured I'd give the Tanwise mousse a shot and WOW, I LOVED IT!

It doesn't have a nasty smell or a sticky feeling. It doesn't dry out my skin and it tans my skin immediately upon application. I even started using it on my face--no breakouts or irritaton; just a beautiful, natural-looking tan! I'm so glad I found this product that I probably won't be buying St. Tropez's $40 dollar tanner ever!

MAC Harmony Blush Dupe!

So ever since I got pregnant, I've been feeling like my face just literally puffed up! And after watching so many fascinating & talented beauty gurus on youtube, I learned the secret of contouring. I was so excited to try these tricks.

I love MAC blushes and I was deciding between Harmony and Blunt since those were the more popular contouring colors (besides Emote, which is no where to be found!). But since I was just learning the tricks of contouring, I decided to get something from the drugstore to start off with. I was browsing all the blushes at CVS Pharmacy (my fave drugstore) and I saw that L'oreal was having a buy one, get one free sale on their face cosmetics. None of the blushes looked like Harmony or Blunt. But I decided to look at the True Match foundation powders and I picked up the darkest one available. It's called Cocoa and it's described as "super-blendable" which was good enough for me. It was about $11. Not bad. It contours beautifully on my NC30 skin! And it's definitely blendable.

Well just this week, I was at MAC picking out blushes and thought to myself, why not just buy Harmony too?? So I bought it and when I was putting it into my blush palette, I thought it looked A LOT like the L'oreal Cocoa powder foundation. They are exactly the same! The only difference was the price and size. The MAC one was $15 and in a smaller pan. The L'oreal one was $11 and in a bigger pan (about 1/3 bigger!) I depotted the L'oreal one and made my own custom palette with non-MAC blushes but it originally came in a compact with a mirror and sponge applicator.

Here are some comparison photos!





Both of them contour and blend really well! So if you're not sure on getting Harmony, then I highly recommend getting the L'oreal Cocoa one and trying that one out first! Bring it on, puffy preggo cheeks!!

Love,
Josie

Decisions, Decisions: Jason's Homecoming Outfit

I LOOOOOVE clothes and I can't wait to be able to dress my little man up in cute little outfits!
I'm still trying to decide what his "homecoming outfit" should be...

I have two outfits picked out already but I don't know which one should be his first.

This one has little lions on it and I like it because it has the mittens and socks already attached. The only thing I need to find is a matching hat. Plus, the outfit matches his nursery theme: Jungle Babies!

The second outfit has little pug puppies on it and a pug onesie from Grandma J. I am so in love with pugs and this shirt is just sooo cute. I'm thinking about framing it after he wears it. I also found matching socks, a hat, sweatpants and mittens to go with it. Ugh! I can't wait for him to be born so we can show-off all his cute clothes! :-)

((INTRO))

My name is Josie-short for the French name Josephine. I am a Californian, conservative, christian, college student and proud military wifey. I am in love with anything to do with beauty and right now the most beautiful thing in my life is my relationship with my loved ones.

I have finally caved in and decided to start an online blog mainly to update far-away family members and friends about my adventures of motherhood, college, military life and enjoying my 20's. Plus, I just LOOOOOOVE to share my thoughts and feelings about everything (ie: vent).

There are no words to describe how blessed I feel right now while waiting for my little bundle of joy to enter this world. Words also can not explain how lucky I feel to have such a wonderful man in my life; one who takes care of me more than he has to, listens to my triumphs & frustrations, teaches me to become a better woman & friend and one who gives me a hand when I'm feeling down or feeling wayyyy too big to get off the couch :-)

I am an average 22-year old daddy's princess & college student, turned military housewife, turned mommy-to-be. And I'm excited for what the future holds for my little family & me.

Thanks for reading,

xoxo
Josie