How to Fake the Preggo Glow

Ok, so I have been waiting for this natural glow to kick in- and I admit I am impatient.
Now I don't have bad skin, in fact many people complement me on my skin- but I still have my issues.  My skin is super dry, especially right now.  I don't have dark circles, but I have a sort of sick looking pink color under my eyes.  I also am very fair skinned and with no lip color, I can start to feel pretty washed out easily.

So I decided to go try some new things to up the glow that I "should" have by now.  I strongly believe feeling good about yourself is essential to how productive you are in the day at work, and I also think with so many other bodily changes- the little things like hair and makeup and some good clothing essentials will help keep you feeling positive with your new identity as preggo and MOM.


Here are my recommendations:

Skin Care- I do very little besides exfoliate,moisturize, and drink as much water as humanly possible(90 ozs a day now).  I use Keihl's Photo-Age Corrector Exfoliator  and just some grocery store Cetaphil Moisturizer- (the cream is the best for really dry skin and it also removes makeup well).

1. Tinted Moisturizer/Foundation

Lancome's Tent Miracle.  It is designed to let your skin shine through and the first time I wore it, my husband walked in the door and said "You're Glowing!"  Mission Accomplished.  I have heard bad things about this line if you have bad acne or really oily skin however.  The concealer wand that matches is a must to get the whole look- it really blends well and is easy to use on the go.

2. Great Mascara!  I like two right now: Lancome's Hypnose and also Dior's Blackout

3. Blush- any kind will do really, but I do like Nars Blush

4. LIPSTICK!  So many people are afraid of color- but my friend Elaina Sullivan taught me that it is essential to have a signature color.  Fair skin makes it easier if you ask me, but I think as long as you wear very little eye shadow- just some mascara and eyeliner...a bright lipstick looks classic and make you feel more awake.
Currently, my signature color is: Kate Spade "Red"  I love this new lipstick by Kate- it is not as red as it looks, and is very moisturizing and wears off nicely without needing a lot of re-application.

5. HAIR! Last but not least- I highly suggest keeping up frequent visits to the salon- or finding groupons to help with the cost.  I just went to get my hair cut and colored and I feel SO much better.  To keep the color maintence down, I just do a semi-permanent all over color to amp up my natural brunette color.  It makes it extra shiny and eventually fades off with no roots.  Ulta salons, which many people have near by- do all over color for 40 bucks with Revlon Shades EQ color- which I LOVE!

6. Skin Pampering! Ulta also has a great solution to cheap pick me ups- when you are in the mood to be pampered.  For 20 bucks- you get 20 minutes of any of their "Flash Skin Services"  I did the Microderm Treatment before my wedding and it felt great and made my skin glow.  Check it out and watch for coupons on their site.
Ulta Salon 20 minute Skin Services

Hope this helps someone out there feeling down about all the sickness and funk of the first trimester!

~the damsel

Second Trimester milestone!

Well I have braved the first trimester of carrying our sweet baby.  Let me tell you baby, you were not easy for these weeks!  I feel awful for all the times I acted like my older sisters were just imagining all these negative effects of pregnancy.

Like my poor sister Erin, who was sweet enough to join me at the Mariah Carey concert a couple years ago while pregnant with Jacob.  She kept telling me that she felt sick, and I just thought "suck it up" it is Mariah!  Then on the way home she asked me to drive, which I was not happy about because I not used to her big SUV.  Well sure enough, she puked all over the car the whole way home and apparently my response was "I hope you never get pregnant again!"  We can laugh about it now, but it is true that pregnant women are usually not making it up- making a whole person is definitely not easy.

My my primary ailment has been this nagging nausea that never caused any vomiting thus far, but just made life tough in general.  It has lasted all day, every day for the most part and it made simple hygienic tasks like showering and brushing my teeth pretty difficult.   Thank goodness my prenatal vitamins were never the root of the nausea because with all the Easy Mac I have been eating, those vitamins are what kept my mind at ease.

I am trying my best to think of this next trimester as the glory days since that is what everyone tells me.  So starting today, I am trying harder to do the things that have been so hard- like eating vegetables, working out, blow drying my hair, and any type of cleaning!  New trimester, new me...let's hope!

Special thanks to Tom for taking such good care of me and doing the dishes and putting the frozen pizza in the oven.  I know this may not have been what you expected of your new wife on our wedding day, but I promise to try harder now that I am feeling a little more myself!  You never put me down, and always insist that right now- I am our family's "main effort"- you will be such an amazing dad to this baby.

~the damsel

Our First Glimpse

(yes the video is upside down oops)

Today was an emotion jam packed day, and I was so happy Tom was able to take off work to witness it all.  First we stopped by the bank and signed our life over to the mortgage haha.  But really it was a big relief to get that done, it was about 80 pages of signatures.  Next we went to our most exciting appointment yet.   At 11 weeks, we were scheduled to just hear the heartbeat, which was weighing on my mind so much since day one.  I was very aware all along how real the threat of miscarriage is and I am always one to prepare for the worst.  So up until now, even though I felt so many symptoms...it still didn't feel real.   

So we got there and explained to the nurse that we haven't gotten any ultrasounds and the Army won't cover anything besides the 20 week one unless it is medically necessary.  We also explained that Tom is likely to be away at training for that 20 week one.  She was really nice, and tried the doppler on my belly to listen, but explained "at this point it is like finding a needle in a haystack."  Feeling very discouraged that my worst fears were about to happen, she told us not to worry and sent us straight to get an ultrasound.

We waited about 10 minutes, and then in an instant life was complete again and Tom and I both got to get the first glimpse inside where our baby was safe and healthy.   I always cry during other people's emotional moments, but for some reason...when Tom proposed, our wedding day, and now seeing our baby for the first time... all I could do was laugh!  I shed a few tears quietly, but mostly I was so relieved and happy. 

I can't believe next week marks my 2nd Trimester!  Whew, this has been a crazy ride so far.  More to come on recounting the awful weeks of sickness, my go to pregnancy grocery list, and trying to find ways to stay active while pregnant.

For now I am just back on the cloud 9 I was on the day we got the big fat positive on our test!

~the damsel

The Damsel's First Post

10 weeks

First post, and I am sure this will be the hardest.  Where do I  begin....

Well first I will explain the photo...I married my best friend Tom on October 1st, 2011.  We dated for about 6 years prior, and he changed my heart so dramatically in those 6 years that it almost makes me tear up thinking about who I was before we met.  I never wanted kids, and all I cared about was proving things to people on paper.  How smart I was; how tough I could be, with plans of being an Army doctor.  Within our first few sit downs in the BU dining hall...he had changed my stubborn mind about so many things and I am a happier person for it.  He showed me faith, and I owe him everything for that.  Now he is the one in Army, and I am the interior designer who sells design software by day.

So enough about my wonderful husband, and back to the photo.  After a whirlwind honeymoon in Italy, we did the impossible (or so we thought)  we conceived our first child right away due July 4th, 2012!  We are so happy, and our life will never be the same from here on out. 

I guess this blog is my creative outlet, my place for thoughts of life as it changes so rapidly for me.  I hope to write about a variety of things surrounding, pregnancy, birth, being an Army wife, design, and the occasional fashion post. 

Oh, and the title pretty much sums up my persona...just ask my husband, sisters, mom, dad, and friends.

~the damsel