MINERAL BASED MAKEUP AND HOW I FAKE THE PREGNANCY GLOW

Since being pregnant, I've tried to switch most of my skincare and makeup line to more natural products. Finding good, mineral-based makeup can be tricky, but I finally found a line I love: Jane Iredale. Every product I've tried has been fantastic, exceeding my expectations for quality, color, and coverage. Here are a few products I'm loving:

THE BASICS:

1. Concealer

I knew a good, mineral based concealer was missing from my routine, but I didn't know just how badly or how much of a difference it would make for me. I don't think I'll ever go back to being a non-under-eye-concelear-user again. I like the design of this product; the twist function is as quick as can be, and I love the brightening, wide-awake effect. No doubt I will be using this like crazy in the middle of my sleep-deprived nights/days with a newborn. I wear shade No. 2.

2. Primer

Even just from a few weeks of use, I can already feel a difference in the texture of my skin from using this product. I wear this primer everyday under my makeup. I started using it mainly to smooth pores before my foundation application, but I've found that when I wash my face at the end of the day, my skin feels smoother and less flaky than my usual rough, winter appearance. It took me a while to realize the connection, but I love the results and am impressed by this multi-functional product. 

3. Foundation

Jane Iredale makes a few foundation formulas: Amazing Base (a loose powder), PurePressed Base (a compact, pressed foundation) and Liquid Minerals (a liquid mineral foundation). All three are excellent and have different benefits. My favorite is Liquid Minerals combined with Amazing Base for the coverage and versatility. The brush you use with the Amazing Base and PurePressed Base really does make a difference, use a flat-head brush for more coverage and a standard brush for a lighter dusting. All three look natural, have SPF, and the coverage is good and buildable. The shade I wear is Warm Sienna.

HOW TO FAKE THE PREGNANCY GLOW

People talk about this "pregnancy glow" that is supposed to happen while carrying a growing child. This is most definitely not happening for me, but I can fake it with a few key products.

1. Blush & Highlighter

To give my cheeks more color I wear this blush in Whisper. The formula has a slight shimmer built in which I like, and the color is a warm peach. To enhance the highlighter effect, I use this highlighter in Rose Gold. The product is highly concentrated color and shimmer and best used sparingly. I tap out a tiny, small amount, and work it into my brush and go from there. A little goes a long way, and the effect is that coveted, slightly reflective, lit-from-within glow.

2. Hydration Spray

This product sets my makeup and adds a "dewy" look that I love. I love that it's full of antioxidants and good things for my skin, while making my makeup last longer and look fresh and natural.

So glad to have found this line! Perfect during pregnancy, and the quality is so good I'll continue to use it post-baby as well. What are your favorite natural skincare and makeup products?

WHAT I'M EATING THIS PREGNANCY: SECOND TRIMESTER EDITION

My introduction to pregnancy was rough, to put it mildly. I had severe all-day sickness that shocked me with both the intensity and my inability to control any part of it. Nothing sounded good for 4 months. I had to force myself to drink water and that was even a stretch, and all my favorite foods now repulsed me. Luckily for me, it slowly started to subside once I hit around 14 weeks. Maybe in part to make up for my lack of ability to eat anything earlier, and maybe just because I naturally just love to eat, I'm inhaling everything in sight like it's my job now, proudly out-eating my 6'3" football-playing husband on multiple occasions. At least once I day I say to Daniel, "This is the best thing I have ever eaten." And I truly, genuinely, feel that whatever I am eating at that time is the single most delicious meal I've ever consumed in my life. I cannot get enough, and I'm so thankful to be past that dreaded first trimester sickness. Here's what I'm enjoying in my second trimester:

1. Avocados

I eat one almost every morning, along with whatever breakfast I'm having (usually two soft scrambled eggs) and it's divine. I add loads of lime juice and pink Himalayan sea salt (yes, I am a salt snob) and gobble it up. Love getting all those healthy fats and it just tastes amazing. 

2. Green Smoothies

We recently purchased a Vitamix with leftover wedding gift cards, and since around Thanksgiving I've used it nearly everyday. My favorite mix is a few handfuls of organic spinach, tons of frozen raspberries, frozen banana, and water. I like my smoothies so thick you need a spoon to eat them, and this one fits the bill perfectly.

3. Soft Scrambled Eggs

My favorite breakfast by far. I eat two organic, free range eggs nearly everyday, at least. I like them soft scrambled the French way, so that they're fully cooked but not over-scrambled, soft, rich, and delicious. I cook them in a generous helping of organic coconut oil to add healthy fats and then sprinkle them with freshly ground sea salt.

4. Quinoa Scramble

This is an amazing lunch, quick dinner, and go-to anytime meal. I start by softening an onion for a few minutes (I love the pre-cut ones from Trader Joe's since I am an intense onion-crier) in organic coconut oil, and then add a variety of toppings, and I never measure. I add some combination of the following: quinoa and/or rice, maybe pesto, spinach or kale, and two eggs at the end softly scrambled into the mix. At the end I add crumbled goat cheese, a generous squeeze of lime, and ground sea salt. It is amazing, and everything good and warm and tangy and comforting all wrapped up on one little plate. I could eat it for every meal. More examples of this dish here and here.

5. Citrus

This winter I can't get enough. I've always been a citrus lover, and put fresh lemon and lime on everything, but I'm especially loving those little cuties and grapefruit right now.

6. Coffee

I went without coffee for four months when I was so sick; it repulsed me and I couldn't even bear the thought of drinking it. Now that I'm past that, I love having my one cup a day allowance. I know this is a controversial one, so of course check with your doctor first, but it has made a world of a difference for me and I'm thankful to have it.

7. Lettuce Wraps

Another lunch item I'm loving: turkey lettuce wraps. I wrap sliced turkey from the deli (since packaged meats are off-limits) in organic lettuce with garlic aioli, mustard, pickles and/or capers, and it's the best. I inhale these.

8. Almonds

I loved this salted, perfect little snack. I keep a bag in my purse for when I get hungry and I'm out. 

Those are my current favorites! For dinners I plan some rotation of things we love: tacos, burgers, soups, salads. I've always loved to eat, but it's on a totally different level for me now, knowing I'm nourishing both my body and my growing baby.