As you know, I gladly sacrifice my dermal integrity and the stability of my budget on a regular basis to test out beauty products, because hey, everyone needs to feel like they are contributing in some meaningful way to this world, and if that means randomly breaking out in hives to do so, I’m your girl.

Ask my circle of friends, and they will agree: I’m not the one in the group known to be particularly on-time, particularly good with remembering important dates, or particularly anything-that-has-to-do-with-having-a-functioning-brain.

Today I’m here with some tips on a new addition to my beauty routine that I’ve come to love: Dry brushing.

Traveling with two toddlers and a newborn requires patience… and a simple makeup routine. Since we spent the past 10 days in Pittsburgh with the kids, I have reached for these three makeup products every day to get a polished but natural look. Check them out below and find out how to get money off a Beautycounter order of your own!

I remember being young and swimming with my mom at the pool, and every time we went into the pool she would insist on keeping her head out of the water and her hair dry. I also remember thinking, How lame.

Lots of skin problems, some research shows, can be caused or exacerbated by compromised skin. What does compromised mean? Skin that’s been stripped of its natural protective properties by over-cleansing or over-treating.

There are long days, and then there are long, rainy days with three children under the age of 4 in your house. I’ll let you take one guess as to which one feels longer.

Full disclosure: The term “clean” for beauty products is much debated. Some companies use it to advertise products that are free of parabens only; others use that term to mean their products are free of a sweeping list of ingredients. (For example, see Beautycounter’s list.)

After I posted yesterday about the importance of finding joy in our days, I realized it’s the small things in my day that I often find the most pleasure in. And paramount on my list of Favorite Things are food and drinks–specifically, carbs and tea, my two favorite specific types of said categories.

Flying in the face of all the simplifying I’ve been doing to not only my beauty routine, but also every other aspect of my life these days, there is one spot where I’ve added something extra. And I’ve gotta say, I kinda love it.