Krystal's Current Loves!

I found myself loving some items and products more than others, but they are not all beauty related so I thought I'd post them here on my Life blog.

I have been obsessively making my own mocha's at home, topped with whipped cream and sometimes chocolate powder.  I've also been using this mug non-stop, Michael brought it home from work a while back and I just love the size of it!

I'm actually shocked to say that I have been loving this candle, and I wish I bought a larger size or at least more than one. It's the Slatkin & Co. scented candle in Winter Candy Apple. This candle is lightly sweet but still a bit spicy - and I LOVE spice!

My favorite Autumn body wash is Burt's Bees Extra Energizing Citrus & Ginger Root Body Wash.  I love ginger scented things and the citrus in this really does perk you up in the mornings!

Madilyn has been battling some fierce diaper rash (which I mention is my Top Care Soft Baby diapers review), and the one cream that has been really helping is the Burt's Bees Baby Bee Diaper Ointment.  My Burt's Bees obsessed mother gave me this as a shower gift to Madilyn, and she hasn't really needed it until this latest rash.  It smells calming, it applies thick and really protects the skin plus it's been helping to rid the redness and rash.

Next is our baby calendar.  Michael's sister gave him this for Christmas, she used to get him the Sports Illustrated calendars with the bikini girls every Christmas, but last year was his first Christmas as a daddy, so she got him this super cute baby calendar instead of the bikini girl one.  It was funny to see it not be a SI calendar!  We have it on the wall next to the changing table in Madilyn's room.  This month's baby is SUPER ADORABLE!

Lastly, I have been OBSESSED with these Korres Lip Butters.  I keep Guava next to my bed, which I apply every night and morning - I love it to pieces!!!  I even share it with Michael sometimes, and he said he likes it too.

Top Care Baby Soft Diapers

My BF I found these Top Care Baby Soft diapers at our Lucky Supermarket and they were super cheap, about $12-$13, so we thought we'd try them out since that's almost 50% cheaper than our other go-to brand, Pampers (and sometimes Huggies).  Madilyn has been wearing these for the past couple weeks, and slowly a rash began to develop.  I didn't know what was causing it; there haven't been any changes to her foods, beverages, or even the products we use on her - except for the diapers.  She's never had a diaper rash before, aside from a few tiny spots here and there from wearing a dirty diaper for a bit too long.

To rid rashes we were using Vaseline, when that didn't work we started using Burt's Bees Diaper Ointment, when that didn't do anything we started using Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Moisture Cream which we smothered her area with after taking baths to soak and alleviate the irritation and pain she was feeling.  She's not a fussy baby, but she would wake up from naps or during the night screaming and crying with tears just pouring out of her eyes.  She would be grabbing at her diaper all day trying to rip it off.  This is when I began to think it was the Top Care Soft Baby diapers that were causing the rash.  We immediately ran out and bought some Huggies (Michael forget I prefer Pampers because they have wider coverage to prevent leaks) and for the past few days her area has began to clear up.  The swelling has gone down, the warmness is gone and the bumps have disappeared.  Now I'm just trying to work on the redness with Vaseline, which works AMAZING!

I tried to find reviews on these diapers, but aside from people asking what people think of this brand, no one had an opinion or experience to share.  So, after emailing the company to notify them of their harmful diapers (I did this because they have a "quality guaranteed" stamp on their package), I decided to post my experience here on my blog in case anyone is on the fence about trying these diapers.

We're not new to trying different diaper brands, here's a list of diaper brands that Madilyn has never had a reaction to:

Pampers

Huggies

Target store brand

Luvs

CVS store brand

Babies R Us store brand

10-24-11 FOTD & Pregnant OOTD

I don't normally film FOTD's or even OOTD's, but since I've been slacking on photographing my makeup to share my recent makeup looks with you all, I thought a quick video would be equally appreciated.

Now that I'm 5 months pregnant and showing quite a lot, I'm going to be doing some Pregnant OOTD's on my non-beauty blog, Life By Krystal - I'm posting this first one here on Beauty By Krystal just to let you all know what I'm doing and where it'll be posted :)

Now for my FOTD, my skin has been really nice lately so I mixed my foundation with some illuminating tinted moisturizer to sheer the coverage and add some dewiness.  I kept my eye makeup simple and added a bright lip to pep it up a bit.

FACE:

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW25 mixed with Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Illuminating in Bare Radiance

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW25

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Loose Powder in Medium

NARS Bronzer in Laguna

NARS Blush in Orgasm

MAC MSF in Soft and Gentle

It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil

ELF Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara

EYES:

NYX Eyeshadow in Nude

MAC Eyeshadow in Soft Brown

MAC Eyeshadow in Short Shorts

MAC Eye Kohl in Fascinating

Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner High Precision Waterproof Eyeliner in Mat Black

MAC Eyeshadow in Black Tied

Revlon Grow Lusious Mascara - Black

LIPS:

Korres Lip Butter in Guava

NYX Long Lip Pencil in Pinky

Lime Crime Lipstick in Centrifuchsia

Now for my OOTD, I recently bought new clothes for my pregnancy from Forever 21 (see the haul HERE), and today I just wanted to wear some fitted, comfy clothes - nothing too big or too tight.  It was a hot day so I chose a maternity tank, athletic capris, and simple flats.  I've been loving my bracelet combination lately, so you might see this combo TOO much :)

CLOTHES:

Forever 21 Essential Kint Tank in white

Forever 21 Basic Seamless Maternity Tank in peach

Forever 21 Athletic Capris in black

Simple flats from Payless - too old to name

JEWELRY:

Tiffany and Co. Tiffany Notes I Love You Ring - Narrow

Randon hibiscus ring from Old Town Sacramento, CA

Tiffany and Co. Return to Tiffany Black Onyx Bead Bracelet

White Pearl Bracelet from Shane Co.

Black Pearl Bracelet, Black Pearl Earrings from prizedpearls.com

Pandora Bracelet

Cheap rhinestone studs

NAILS:

ELF Nail polish in Champagne

Cakes By Alexandra: Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Swiss Buttercream

Michael came home with another cupcake from work, this time Alexandra sent a box for transporting a cupcake to me - how thoughtful huh? :)
This is an adorable Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Swiss Buttercream from Cakes By Alexandra.  It tasted so amazingly delicious, I even tried not to scarf it down like I did with the last one, I savored every crumb! :)

Yes, the ghost is edible... Yes, I did eat him! haha!

Shopping - Hautelook for Madilyn

I made a Hautelook order a couple weeks ago, but they ship everything separately and this was the only non-beauty item so I thought I'd share this ADORABLE find that I bought for Madilyn... it's technically a Christmas gift, but she won't remember trying it on before opening it on Christmas ;)

This is a Taylor Joelle Posh Creme Hat With Pink Flower

Sold on taylorjoelle.com for $22.99!

Purchased from Hautelook for only $12.00!





HOW ADORABLE IS THIS! OMG! :)

10/27 Prenatal Checkup

I'm now in my 21st week!

This morning I had a prenatal checkup, Michael stayed home in the morning to take care of Madilyn while I went to my appointment.  It was a quick checkup, my blood pressure was good, I gained 8lbs (which is good because I haven't been gaining weight like I should be), got to hear Muffin's heartbeat which sounded really strong and healthy.  I had a chat with my doctor about me feeling extremely exhausted from being pregnant and running around after my 1yr old.  She suggested I take as many naps with my daughter as possible and try to get to bed earlier.

I also told her that my lower abdomen muscles have been feeling sore from all the bending and lifting with my daughter, so she suggested that I start lessening how often I pick up Madilyn.  She said that I Madilyn needs to get used to not being picked up so often so that when I get really big, she won't ask to be picked up as often and she won't be as upset when I can't pick her up all the time.

The last thing we discussed was me snacking.  At first I was doing really good, having tiny snacks here and there, but with being so tired, I feel lazy and I slack of on eating as often as I should.  She said my low blood sugar might be factoring into my fatigue, so I really need to start munching on crackers or juice more often.

Oh, and I started tracking my belly photos now that my belly is solid and I'm fully showing my baby.  It took a while to fully show because I'm still caring a large amount of baby weight from when I was pregnant with Madilyn last year.

This photo is from 10/24/11, 20 weeks ~ 5 months

An intro to "My Crazy Mother"

I've mentioned "My Crazy Mother" a few times in random posts and received some private messages from subscribers asking for some advice on dealing with parental problems. I've had to explain that I'm really not good at advising people on how to fix problems with your parents or how to better a relationship with them. My background is so distorted from "normalcy" that I'm the type of person who says "You are not obligated to love or like your family. They are humans, they are individuals and if they are not the kind of people that you would be friends with outside of family, then you don't have to deal with them. You have the choice to disconnect for your own health and sanity." I taught myself this way of thinking when I was very young, probably too young to even have experiences to make that type of decision.

My childhood is a long and complicated story... which I will explain in later posts after seeing how many people have similar backgrounds and some of those people are still trying to deal with their demons. If my story helps even one person find their way, then it's all worth it to recap everything.

Fast forward to today, currently My Crazy Mother is in my life, with limitations. She's only in my life because I want my Grama to know my daughter, Madilyn. Unfortunately, to have a relationship with my Grama means My Crazy Mother is a part of it too. They are two peas in a pod, and live together; my Grama has always enabled My Crazy Mother's ways. I do not go visit them all the time, maybe once a month to let my Grama see how Madilyn is growing up. I text my Grama here and there, but I absolutely try to avoid any communication with My Crazy Mother. My Crazy Mother has the ability to push all my buttons at once, raise my blood pressure and summon my bad temper all within a few seconds of hearing her voice.

This week she has began to act like the crazy person I grew up with all my life, and it's bringing very strong emotions up. Emotions that are triggering me to make an executive decision. If she is not committed to a psychiatric hospital or at least see a psychiatrist, then I will not let her see my children or me anymore. She is the type of unstable person that you just cannot trust. I pictured turning my back for a second and she'd be doing something crazy to or with Madilyn. I am not okay with exposing my children to her abnormal issues.

I guess you could say this is my introduction to My Crazy Mother and the unstable childhood my brother and I had to grow up in.

Future posts will include more memories and how I've dealt with situations and her in general.

p.s. I've never written any of this down before, never owned a diary or journal, and I've only shared my life story with a select few - even members in my family don't know the whole story. I think I'm in such a good place in my life that I can look back much easier now and share my story in full the way people have suggested I do.

p.p.s. Please don't leave any comments saying I need to accept My Crazy Mother for who she is, and love her no matter what just because she is my mother - wait till you read the next posts about her before you try to "give me advice" that I most likely won't follow or even tolerate. Sorry if that sounds rude, it's just the honest truth.

<3

Shopping - Forever 21 (maternity)

I made another purchase on Forever 21 because as I'm now 5mons pregnant, a LOT of my clothes are too tight, too short and just plain uncomfortable to wear.  Some items are from their standard line, maternity line and their plus size line.  I'm a firm believer in wearing figure flattering clothes and showing off the pregnant belly in an appropriate and mature manner.  Buying my pregnant clothes from Forever 21 helps me maintain my body confidence and even make me feel sexier than I would in those frumpy-mumu-esque maternity clothes from the prego shops.

I first had to upgrade my tank top collection from mediums to larges and from scoop necks to v necks.  I got 6 Large Essential Knit Tanks (25" long - which is good to fully cover my belly) at $2.80 each in the shades Peach, White, Dark Grey, Black, Taupe, Grey.

I wanted to get a few more of the Basic Seamless Maternity Tanks because I love the ruching on the sides and how stretchy they are without ever looking stretched out.  I got 3 of them at $12.80 in the size ML each in the shades Peach, Cream, Pink. 

I decided to get some longer sleeved tops for the cooler weather sneaking in lately.  The maternity line didn't have any long sleeve tops, so I clicked over to the plus size line and found these Raglan Pocket Tops at $14.80 each.  I'm pretty desperate for some longer sleeved tops, so although these felt a bit pricey, I got them anyways because I can't be rocking tanks all Fall and Winter.  I ordered 3 in x-large in the shades Purple, Teal, Charcoal.

Next I wanted a sweater to wear around the house or when we go out, and I found this cozy looking (and feeling) Wool-Blend Longline Cardigan at $27.80.  It's a plus size x-large so it'll fit me during and after my pregnancy.

Last clothing item, I had originally wanted to get a pair of maternity pants, but I already have a few pairs of Forever 21 maternity leggings from my pregnancy last year.  So, I decided to save some money and buy a pair of Cable Knit Leg Warmers in Black at $8.80.  I figured I will reuse my maternity leggings and add these leg warmers on super cold days/nights.

Now for the cheap jewelry!  I know that Forever 21 jewelry doesn't last long, and tarnishes extremely quick, but for under $3 each I couldn't help but look.  I bought a K Charm Necklace at $2.80, a Filigree Ring at $2.80, a pair of Heart Locket Earrings at $1.50, and 2 Single Bow Bracelets in Gold/Teal and Gold/Black at $2.80 each.