my (pro-activ-free) skin miracle

Let me start off by saying that I am not one to put myself out there when it comes to truly personal things. I used to not tell anyone if they had broccoli in their teeth, because I thought it was rude. But I know people don't want to walk around with broccoli in their teeth, so I'm working on it. If there's something that can help other people, regardless of how uncomfortable it may make me, the kindest thing to do is to share that something. So here goes.

I wish I had taken a before picture so you could truly appreciate the after. But you can use your imagination. Throughout my teenage years, I was basically like every other teenager. I dealt with hormones and all the glorious side effects. Fast forward: I grow up, get married, and we decide to start our family. So I come off birth control. And cue the acne. Way worse than I ever remember it being in high school. One positive is that I'm sure it made me look younger? Because who would think someone in their mid-twenties would struggle with it like I did?

My cousin is getting married next month and I'm in her wedding. I want to look good. One morning a few weeks ago I was just FED. UP. I had found a blog through Pinterest that had piqued my interest, so I consulted Empowered Sustenance. I was heading to "the city" this particular day, so I picked up as much as I could there, and had my mom visit her co-op to get the rest. That night, using what I had on hand, I began my journey.

So here's what I've been doing:

Morning: put 1/2 tsp raw honey in my hands and rub on my face. Rinse with warm-ish water. Follow with an organic toner (I already had this and am trying to use it up before I make my own), and this Egyptian Magic cream (again, trying to use up what I have before I make my own - in this case, I will be making a facial oil). Apply all-natural makeup. Do not pick at face!

During the day: here's probably the key. Make better food/drink choices! Instead of fried, choose grilled. Instead of fries, choose fruit cup. Skip dessert. Have water with lemon, and occasionally tea. It's ok to cheat every once in a while, but that should be the exception rather than the rule. Do not pick at face!

Night: put some coconut oil on my hands and rub together until it becomes more oil-like in consistency. Rub on face (do not take makeup off before, do not wet before, just put it straight on my face). Massage my face, making this a relaxing ritual. Wet washcloth with very warm water. Lay over face for 20 seconds to open pores. Wipe face clean (don't scrub). Apply toner. Use more coconut oil as moisturizer as needed. Thoroughly wet the end of a q-tip with tea tree oil to use as spot treatment. Lather lips with Vaseline (nothing to do with acne, but my lips have also been crazy dry this winter). Do not pick at face!

It's been a week and a half and I can tell a HUGE differene! This thrills me. Yesterday I wore abut half the amount of makeup I usually do, and when I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror, I was pleased to see that I could walk out the door with NO makeup on if I wanted! I will not be doing that, however, as I would be confused for a young boy (I have super short hair and a young-looking face). But it's now an option! I will continue doing what I've been doing for a long while, and look forward to continued improvement. Let me know if you try it and it works for you!

more ways to save on groceries

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I'm working a lot more now so posts may be few and far between! Last night, I sat down and made out a monthly meal plan for the first time since beginning working so much, and I have to say, it feels so great. I don't know if I can go back to not meal planning. Along with the meal plan I made out a grocery list. I want to share with you some new ways I've started using to save on groceries.

1. conscious box Sorry, the link is not wanting to work for me. But anyway. A friend told me about this subscription service and she really loves it. My first box is currently on its way to my house. She said her last box had some teas, sunscreen, and several other things. This is a way she exposes herself to things we might never learn about, living in the boondocks and all. I thought it would be a good way to encorporate some more healthful products. Since my grocery budget includes household items, this is perfect for us. I chose to subscribe on a month-by-month basis, so it will be $19.95 every month.

2. amazon subscribe & save I am so excited to try this! So basically, certain items on Amazon are eligible to be in the subscribe & save program. You can choose to receive the item anywhere from every month to every 6 months. You get a 5% discount on these items. And if you choose 5 subscription items in any one month, you get a 15% discount. Yay!

3. I took my grocery budget, which is $200, and subtracted $20 for conscious box and the price of the items I subscribed to on Amazon. I ended up with $157 left for the month. I already had my completed grocery list so I ended up dividing the remainder of my budget among the categories of groceries. $55 for meat, $40 for dairy (2 gallons of milk a week - it's actually an improvement from a year ago), etc. Within the general categories like the ones I just mentioned, I broke down the money even more. $10 for butter. Obviously that will be a lot of butter, so it will enable me to stock up.

Nothing super fancy here, but I felt really good about my plan for March groceries, and I wanted to share with you how I did it. Hope it helps :)