How Do You Define Yourself?

Last weekend me and a few girl friends got into some good conversation, you know the kind, where you leave the table feeling lighter because you left it all right there. One of the topics that came up was how we define ourselves or feel defined. I would love to know, how do you define yourself? And, what if that thing that defined you was no longer there?

I have defined myself by jobs for a long time, I have felt self conscious because of certain career paths that I was on but thought I should be doing something "better" and I have felt defined by career paths that I was proud of but when the source of definition changes or is removed, who am I? Its a scary place to be.

On my drive home from lunch I wondered how I currently define myself because I honestly haven't felt defined by any one thing lately. I came to the conclusion that I would like to define myself on my choices. I don't want to do something or take a step in a direction because I feel its the natural progression and thats what I "should" be doing, I want to choose the direction of my life. I want to live all the movements of my life with intention. My direction is not crystal clear but I am pretty confident that the steps I make with purpose are leading me somewhat where I need to be going. And from my experience, the missed steps are the best lessons I have ever learned and still assist me in moving forward. I choose to be defined by my choices and living life with intention.

So, how do you define yourself and how do you want to define yourself?

xoxo
Audrey

Easter Weekend 2016

This Easter was a blast, so many good times with friends and family, we are feeling blessed and tired today! Our get togethers keep growing as my generation begins their own families and as Luke gets older things get more entertaining.

You guys know I love great food and treats, let me tell you, I am one spoiled girl to have some amazing chefs in my family! Ty's dad and my Aunt Tina stole the show this year pulling together some amazing, classic home cooked meals.

I also made time to reflect on the death and rising of Jesus because while all the egg hunts and chocolate are fantastic, I am most of all grateful to be saved from my sins and to have the Holy Spirit guide me as I navigate life.

I hope your Easter was blessed! Check out this fun video and pictures from our weekend below.

Wishing you faith, family, friends and great food!

Pray

When a tragedy occurs in our world what do you do? My first instinct is fear and now that I am a mother I wonder what the heck I am doing bringing more life into this scary world with so much uncertainty. The devil wins when I let fear stop me from moving my life forward.

I believe in God and I know the devil is real. Just as I see God fill people in my life and move them to do amazing work that brings hope to others, the devil gets a hold of people too. 

I am learning that instead of being still, afraid, silent and helpless in times where our world faces terror, I can pray. I believe in the power of prayer, I believe God hears every prayer and I believe prayer brings us closer to God. We need more God! 

I will pray for the victims, suffering, loved ones of victims, rescue workers, organizations raising funds, leaders in communities effected by terror, our militaries and the leaders of our nations. I can do something, we can do something, we can pray and lay our fears at the Lords feet, knowing He is the only one who can solve the problems and knowing that we live in a fallen world, an imperfect world and that this is not meant to be our place of dwelling for eternity.

I will also pray that in the face of fear the good always outweighs the bad.

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is with us, who can be against us? 

Prom Beauty Trends 2016

I have started to book up for prom so I know that you ladies are thinking about it even though the temps are still cool. I was excited to share my beauty trends for the upcoming prom season so we shot in the snow but hopefully you don't have snow on your prom day, living in Canada though, you just never know.

Spring makeup will be infused with colour and I kind of love how the pink popped against our snowy white backdrop. Here are my trends for the upcoming prom season.

Bright Colour
Spring makeup is about colour and I think especially the ladies going to prom this year should embrace all the beautiful shades. Wearing bright colours on your skin brightens your complexion, makes you look happier and more approachable and is sure to put you in the running for prom queen.

Monochromatic
If you have a favourite hue from this seasons top colours, don't shy away from wearing it all over your face. Focus the boldest of the spectrum on one area of your face and then use similar hues in more muted tones on the rest. In the pictures here we focused the most intense pink on our models eyes and then went softer on her cheeks and lips.

Youthful
Colour is youthful, playful and shows the world that you are not afraid to wear your personality boldly for all to see.

Wing
I don't see many cut creases and harsh lines in the forecast for eye makeup for this years prom. That being said, I also don't think winged liner is going anywhere, anytime soon. Your wing can be more subtle when it is applied first with smudged black shadow and then traced with a liquid liner, leaving the edges of the liner softer, creating a more gentle look to accompany your colourful eye shadow.

False Lashes
In my opinion, false lashes are the best way to amp up your flirt. They give your eyes an enhanced Bambi flutter and will make your entire look more glamorous for pictures. If you have never worn false lashes but you would like to wear them for a special occasion, I recommend trying them out before your big event to make sure you are comfortable with the way they feel.

I hope these photos and trends will inspire you to get into some colour this season when it comes to your makeup. You can book me to be your prom day or special event makeup artist by emailing heatherlapier@gmail.com or calling 519 384 8778 and if you have any beauty questions or comments, I would love to here from you below in a comment or on any of my social pages.

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Surfing The Net

I like to unwind by being lazy on the couch or in bed with my computer. My Netflix, couch, TV, chip eating marathons are not exactly like they were before we had Luke but we find time to chill out these days after he goes to bed. I love to spend time catching up with my fav bloggers and YouTubers and just spend time going down the rabbit hole that is the internet.

Here are some of my favourite online places to hang out:

The Girls With Glasses

If you want to smile, hang out with these ladies for a few minutes during one their videos and you will be feeling the good vibes. They just do fun stuff on their blog and you know they are having a good time.

Jen Loves Kev

She shares her adventures in fashion, cooking, family life and motherhood in such an honest way that it allows you to connect with her. I am always inspired by how other women do motherhood, its so neat to see how people do things differently and similarly.

Love Taza

She shares her adventures around New York City and the world with her family, in the most beautiful and energetic way. She inspires me to soak up all the moments of my day and see the joy in everything.

What are your favourite channels and blogs?

My Current Skin Care Routine - Arbonne RE9 Advanced

For the last 10 months I have been using and experiencing a bunch of the products that Arbonne has to offer. And for the last 6 months I have been enjoying the RE9 Advanced skincare line so I wanted to share it with you here. Not only do I test various products on myself to find out how they work, I also love learning about the ingredients that are included in products I use and how they work to improve my skin. Call me a nerd but the science of beauty products is really interesting to me. So here is what I have learned and my personal experience with some RE9 basics.



General Awesomeness About Arbonne 

• All products are vegan certified 
• Dermatologist tested 
• Botanically based

RE9 Advanced Smoothing Facial Cleanser 

Personal Experience 

• I love the smell of the RE9 products, a light citrus fragrance.
• The gentle foam leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean without over drying it.
• I experienced a small breakout when I first started using this product line which is always a good thing as it shows me the products are working to draw out impurities. After about two weeks the blemishes were gone.

Purpose 

• Cleanse skin and remove makeup or impurities collected on the skins surface throughout the day.

Key Ingredients

• Algae Extract - strengthens existing collagen to help diminish the appearance of fine lines.
• Shea Buckthorn Oil (antioxidant) - counteracts the damaging effects of pollutants and other things in our atmosphere that our skin comes in contact with throughout the day. 

RE9 Advanced Regenerating Toner

Personal Experience

• It left my skin feeling balanced and clean not tight like toners I have used in the past.  

Purpose 

• Collect any impurities that may be left on the skins surface after cleanser and return the skin to its natural PH balance.

Key Ingredients 

• Witch Hazel - an ingredient used to calm and sooth skin. 
• Citric Acid - occurring in many acid fruits and when used in skin care acts as an astringent to gently cleanse the skin. 

RE9 Advanced Restorative Day Creme With SPF 20

Personal Experience 

• This moisturizer hydrated my skin and absorbed quickly without leaving any oily feeling on the surface, perfect for daytime and applying makeup over top. 

Purpose 

• To hydrate and protect the skin throughout the day. 

Key Ingredients 

• Kudzu Root - is a plant estrogen that helps to slow down the sings of aging and assists in the renewal of collagen in the skin creating a more firm surface. 
• Peptides - also aid in firming the skin with their ability to penetrate the upper layer of the skin to stimulate collagen regeneration. 

The focus of this skin care line is on anti-aging and hydration and over the 6 months that I used these products I would say that I saw an improvement in the appearance of my skins surface. I was also impressed at how long the products lasted. High end skin care products should include high percentages of their active ingredients to justify their price, which also means you only need to use a small amount, thus your skin care routine should last you 4 - 6 months.

There are many more pieces in the RE9 Advanced line, like serums, eye creams and night creams, I started with the basics. Some of you might be overwhelmed with a 5-9 piece skincare line and I totally get that, I always recommend starting with a cleanser, toner moisturizer and exfoliating 1-2 times a week. These steps are the most important when beginning to care for your skin or maintaining healthy skin. You can learn more about the RE9 Advanced Skincare Line here and about my Arbonne journey here. If you have any questions or concerns about skin care, I always love chatting beauty with you, you can comment below or email me heatherlapier@gmail.com. 

Thanks for reading my review!

Sharing vs Bragging

In today's world we all share so much, our losses but most of all our excitement, blessings and accomplishments. I can admit that when someone close to me is blessed with something I want or have been working towards, it sometimes requires effort for me to be excited for them at first. I want to be happy for them but I am human and once in awhile I need to check myself. I'm just being honest.

So what happens when I get blessed with something someone else has been desiring. I want to share my joy and excitement with the people close to me in my life but I also don't want anyone to feel like I am rubbing my gifts in their face and gloating. Even sharing it from a place of humble gratitude isn't always enough because we don't know why God gives some gifts to some people and other gifts to others. It's not my job to answer those questions, I just have to trust in God's plan and try and remove the selfishness from my own heart that is capable of comparing and desiring what others have. 

So in sharing my joys how can I do so in a way of humility? I think one way is to be sure not to complain about my blessings. Life is challenging, and with most blessings comes more responsibility. I also believe its not healthy to bottle things up but there is a time and place to vent and I need to be aware of how I vent. Too quickly I can look on the not so bright side and the negative thoughts flow out of my mouth like verbal diarrhea so being mindful of how I share my struggles is important. And when I share my joys I can share my true gratitude as well, fully aware that what I have been given is a gift. But those are just my thoughts.

What do you think about this topic? Have you been on either side of this situation? How do you handle it? It's a tough one and I would love to know your thoughts.

xoxo
Audrey 

How To Choose A Foundation Formula

In this video I provide you with some tips for choosing the right foundation formula for your skin type. I cover three main skin types, oily/young, combination and dry mature skin. If you have any questions about choosing a foundation, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I also love hearing about your experiences with different beauty products, I would love to know what products have worked for your skin type.

Thanks for watching!

Keep It Real

I love blogging and sharing my life through pictures on social media but I wanted to share a few stories I was unable to capture through imagery to keep things real with you.

I do my very best to get Luke and I out of the house a few times a week, I want to expose Luke to new things and I need stimulation out of the house too. I share pretty pictures of us out and about having fun doing different activities but what the camera fails to catch are the other moments that are special to me but not always so pretty. I always want to share honestly because I believe thats how we can relate to each other and create real relationships. Here are a few moments I failed to capture with images.

It was one of those days where I was feeling ambitious. I put on my fake leather pants a cute top and set out to go into three different stores for errands. I only needed one thing in Michael's so I opted not to get a cart and hold Luke's hand. Everything went fine until we got in line and Luke started to loose his cool. As he arched his back like a scorpion and screeched like a raptor, I did my best to hold on tight to my extremely strong little boy and keep him occupied while we wait. My awesome outfit soon turned into a prison of sweat as I felt the heat of the situation rise up from my legs. Unfortunately I was unable to capture this moment in a picture to share with you.

As most of you know, I love coffee and I love to go out for coffee with Luke. If I do have a day where I need to go to a bunch of places and get him in and out of the car multiple times, I like to break it up with a coffee and treat, its good for both of us. I often have a few moments of piece while he munches on something sweet to sit, snap a pic and take a few sips. Luke really only sits for a few minutes and then he must explore his surroundings. He gets down from his seat and climbs under tables, greets strangers and sometimes tries to escape the premises. After a few minutes of wandering a coffee shop its time to move onto the next destination. We don't stay in one place too long.

I am learning that outings with a child are much different than they were when I was alone but I wouldn't trade our adventures for anything. I know when I go into these situations that things probably won't go smooth but I am totally ok with that. I want to expose Luke to different things even if it is just for a few minutes at a time.

xoxo
Audrey

Keep Busy This Winter In Lambton - Lambton Shield

This week I shared our favourite activities to keep busy and get out of the house during the cold winter months over on Lambton Shield. I know spring in on its way and we are getting very excited for the days when we can spend hours outside but until then I like to keep on a little activity schedule. Please check out the post on Lambton Shield here and leave a comment with your favourite winter activities.

Happy days friends.