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So I figured I'd give everyone a quick update of some things I've been using lately and I even have a fun giveaway!

My PopSugar Must Have Box
This month's box was super fun.  Inside was:
Bliss Micromagic Microdermabrasion Treatment- Helps scrub away dead skin and it really leaves my face smooth and soft.
Greenmarket Purveying Co. The Archivist Lemon + Cucumber Reed Diffuser Kit - I love the smell of this thing! It's made from all natural ingredients and it really freshens up my bedroom!
Samudra Pink Pina Zip Pouch- This is going to come in so handy for when I go to the beach and I want to keep a few things dry and safe in this pouch!
Knock Knock What To Pack Pad - This is an adorable little checklist of what to pack when travelling! I can't wait to use it.
Wet Brush The Squirt- I have wanted a Wet Brush for SO long!  It really does work and my hair isn't tangled at all.  
Halfpops Halfpopped Popcorn - So crunchy without getting kernels stuck in your teeth. I love the Chipotle Barbecue Flavor!
Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara and POREfessional - I love beauty samples and these products are great! I keep them in purse to use on the go. 
 

Sooo check out this adorable ear cuff from  Onyx XOXO Custom Fashion Designs. They specialize in ear cuffs that are super unique.  They are handcrafted with fine textiles of supple leather and mixed metals such as sterling silver and brass.  The leather tassels come in different colors and the metal cuff itself is textured by hand and you can adjust it for a custom fit.  I love how soft the leather is and the spike and chain give it such a rocker edge! It's so comfortable to wear!  Stay tuned on my Instagram for some awesome ways I style it!

And lately I've been reading books about home improvement.  This one is called Renovate, Remodel... Relax! Take Your Home Improvement From "How?" to "Wow!".  It's awesome and has so much information like the do's and don'ts of extending the life of your home, the top trends, biggest mistakes, questions you should ask before hiring a contractor, and more!  This is a great read for anyone that wants to rejuvenate their home inside and out!

 

 

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What Makes Me Feel Foxy [Waist Training]

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So I had heard all about this whole waist training thing and I was genuinely interested.  I teamed up with Feel Foxy to figure it all out.   Basically,  waist training is the gradual process of using a waist cincher/corset to reduce your waist.  You use the adjustable hooks to gradually increase how tight the corset is.

There are so many waist cinchers and corsets on the Feel Foxy website.  You can choose the style, material,  and color that you like best.   I used the Ann Cherry Clasica Fusionada Waist Cincher.  I did just as I was advised - and I gradually increased my length of wear over the weeks and also increased how tight the hooks were.  After the first week I was a lot more comfortable in this and I could wear it for longer periods of time.  I noticed that I am able to hold my stomach in more even without the waist cincher on.  

I also noticed that when I wore it to eat, I ate less aka proper portions.  I honestly couldn't shove food in my face all night if I had this on so it really worked out in my favor!   The other thing I noticed was that I look better in my shirts.  I'm not busting out at the waist anymore!  


When I first put this on it was difficult to get all the hooks closed but after the first few times I could breeze through it.  I thought this waist cincher was really soft and flexible and it didn't irritate my skin or make me itch.

I also felt really sexy when I wore this.   I can't really explain it beyond that but I definitely loved it.  I will continue to use my Waist Cincher from Feel Foxy.

Is this something you would try?

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My Secret in Addition to Nutritious Food and Exercise

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I've been running again and eating healthy and cutting out stuff like added sugars.  I've really been seeing a difference in my waistline but I also have to give credit to my other little secret... SlimQuick Pure Extra Strength Mixed Berries Flavor Gummies.

That's right... these little gems can help you lose 3x the weight (over a 13 week period)  as long as you are also doing other things like diet and exercise.  They are stimulant free and have Bio Pure Green Tea and a delicious mixed berry flavor.  There's no artificial colors.   I just took 2 of them twice a day with water and a small meal or snack.   I noticed a significant shrink in my waistline over the first month.  SlimQuick knows how obnoxiously difficult it is for women to lose weight because our bodies are designed very different than that of a man's.   I definitely felt an energy boost and I also noticed that I didn't have insane cravings for food. 

I definitely plan to keep using this product!!!  

In addition to that, I've been running at least 4 days a week and I've been keeping up with my healthy eating habits. Hooray for me!

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I Tidied My Closet with The KonMari Method

So originally I saw a Facebook post from someone that said they had KonMari'd their filing system of papers. Intrigued, I googled "KonMari" and then immediately bought the book. I also was inspired by all the Instagram pics I saw when I searched for the hashtag.   I read it in 24 hours and began the process.  I highly recommend everyone read the book. 

Basically, the KonMari method comes from Marie Kondo, who suggests that we only keep things that bring us joy.   She suggests a specific order to go through things like clothing first then books and magazines and then papers, etc.   You must put everything out in the open all together (coat closet, off season clothes, closet clothing, and drawer clothing) and hold each one by one.  When you hold it you ask yourself if it brings you joy.  Surprisingly, this was a fun process and I could not believe I was able to do it in a matter of hours!

So what was the result?   Well, I no longer have an off season wardrobe stored in bags under my bed.  All of my clothing fits in my closet (which isn't even a walk-in!) and in my main dresser.  I was able to get rid of SIX bags of clothes, which I donated.  

I was seriously exhausted by the end of the day and I was a bit emotional when I dropped the clothing off at the local Community Aid.  

I was so proud of my work.  Then I went to bed.  

 This is my entire closet. All seasons of clothing able to hang.  The first photo is the right side of my closet and the second is the left side.  I hang in this order: Dresses, skirts, jackets, sweatshirts, pants, sweaters, long sleeve shirts, 3-quarter length, short sleeve, and tank tops.

These are my drawers.  Left to right: Row 1 is work out clothes and pajamas.  Row 2 is jeans/pants and tank tops/layering shirts.  Row 3 is tshirts/scarves/belts/leggings and socks.   I didn't take a photo of my undies drawer though.  :)
When I woke up the first thing that crossed my mind was "Wow, I have everything in my closet now and there's still so much space! "  I had a different energy to me.  All morning I felt energized and less stressed.  Could it be that having so much stuff even when it was out of sight was blocking my good energy?   I believe it now! 
It's amazing how organized and in order your entire life feels when everything you own is in it's place and you only own and hang on to the stuff you absolutely love. 

But that's not all...I'm KMing everything else too and I'll have more posts about those including linen closet, beauty supplies, photos, papers, etc.


Have you ever heard of this method?  How do you feel about your current organizing/tidying methods?

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How To Make Your Bathroom Guest Friendly + A Giveaway!

The Dial® brand provided me with a sample of Dial® Sugar Cane Husk Scrub Hand Soap in exchange for a product review.  However, all the opinions expressed here are my own. 

Did you ever use the bathroom at someone's house and you feel so cozy and warm in it because they have such elegant décor and such delightful potpourri and a conditioning soap?   That's what I like to do for MY guests when they come to my house.  

Here are a few things you can do to make your bathroom more friendly for houseguests!

1. Keep Décor to a Minimum

Try to keep any shelving surfaces cleared as well as the main vanity itself.  When a counter is cluttered it doesn't feel clean to a guest.   The main things you should keep on your counter would simply be hand soap and perhaps an air freshener.

2. Keep Extra Toilet Paper Handy

Nothing is worse than running out of toilet paper and not knowing where the owner of the home keeps it.  In that case, someone may have to snoop around in a few drawers or cabinets.   In order to prevent that, make sure your roll is full and if it's near the end, have an extra roll sitting close by in plain sight.

3. Have Hand Towels Available

Ever go to a house and after you wash your hands you see that the only thing to wipe them on is someone's bath towel? No way Jose!   Make sure you always have clean hand towels available for your guests. 

4. Use a Quality Hand Soap
I can't stand using an actual bar of soap when I'm at a guests house. It's messy, slippery, and sometimes already been used which just turns me off.  NEW Dial® Sugar Cane Husk Scrub Hand Soap is a great choice for your bathroom.  It has an amazing scent inspired by freshly cut Sugar Cane and has gentle scrubbers that deeply cleanse skin while leaving it moisturized and soft.

I love the classy look of the bottle.  It definitely adds to the décor of any bathroom.  Dial®'s new Boutique Collection hand soaps have a completely new bottle and design with rich colors and vibrant scents.

And I'm giving away 2 coupons for free NEW Dial® Hand Soap!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Get Your Blog Up and Running in 10 Easy Steps

I've been blogging for almost 5 years now and I have to say, I've come a long way and learned a lot.  Now it's time for me to share some tips with you.   So if you know you want to start a blog but don't know how to begin the process, these tips should help you! 

1 | Choose a host. First things first; you need to figure out a host for your blog.   I started wtih Blogger, but it's wise to use a website hosting service such as HostGator , which  has 24/7 live support via chat, phone, or email.  They are basically always right there to help you which would have come in handy for me in the middle of the night when I had a page crash.  By the way, you can sign up for 30% off web hosting services at HostGator here.  

2 | Choose a domain.  If you know what you want to blog about, that's a great start for figuring out a name and you will want to choose a domain that coincides with the title of your blog.  As you can see, mine is AskAwayBlog.com.   HostGator is a great one stop shop for domains and will help make the process a lot less overwhelming.  

I designed this graphic to help introduce people to my site.

3 |  Design your site.  You should have some sort of theme in mind and a basic idea of what you want the design of your site to look like.  Don't freak out if you aren't good with design and HTML.  It took me a long time to learn over the years.  Luckily, HostGator has pros that can do it all for you.  That will save you a lot of time and energy, I promise you!

4 |  Figure out a layout.  The layout of your site should be easy on the eyes and somewhat clean so that when people visit your blog they aren't overwhelmed.  HostGator has excellent website building tools like drag and drop that make it super simple to build a site.  Over time you may need to change the layout and that's a normal and good thing. 

5 | Decide on content.  Think of what you want to give your readers when they come to your site and what topics you want to blog about.  The key here is to basically fulfill a need, like advice, fashion tips, organizing tricks, or product reviews.   If you just want to start a personal blog about your everyday life, that's a great idea too!

6 | Choose a posting schedule.  I actually have an agenda book for my blog posts.  I can see what days don't have any posts so I know where I can add one in.   

7 | Use photos in your posts.  Pictures tell a story so make sure you always include some in every post.  Practice makes perfect if you plan to dabble in photography so just be patient and see what some other bloggers do.   And HostGator offers one click WordPress installs with no messy downloading and uploading of files which will actually be one less HUGE hassle to worry about.

8 | Marketing is key.  If you want to generate traffic you need to market yourself or your blog.  HostGator has in house experts for SEO and PPC that want to help you with marketing.  Take advantage of this because the sooner you can start bringing in traffic, the better.

You can learn A LOT at a blog conference.

9 | Network.  Everywhere you go, tell people about your blog. Invest in business cards.  Go to social media club meet-ups and blog conferences.  Trust me when I say that almost any situation can be an opportunity to network.

10 | Have fun.  If it's not fun for you, it's never worth doing.  Remember to enjoy your blog and be patient and don't expect to be the #1 blogger overnight.   Blogging is a great way to use your free time and if it wasn't then people like me wouldn't be doing it for so long!

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.