Daisy Chain

Hello, Fireflies!

Today is usually Stamping Sunday, and I do have a stamped mani for you, but it's the last floral challenge for May, instead.

Trilane Retinol + Vitamin C

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

If you've been wanting to try Retinol, but have avoided it because your skin is very dry, I think I have found the Retinol moisturizer for you!

Keeping The Hair On My Head With Hiara #hiarahairtowel

Press Sample. All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

My hair and I haven't always been friends.  When I was younger, I didn't know how to take care of my curly hair.  Now, I take every opportunity to pamper it - hair masks, oils, treatments - and my Hiara hair towel!

Dead Sea - Face Alive!

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

In my journey to finding balance for my aging, oily skin, one of my favorite tools has been the mud mask.  I confess, I get a little happy just sitting here thinking about mud masks.  Is that weird?

Let's just keep that between us, then, shall we?

Ride, Sally Ride

Hello, Fireflies!

Today is the last day of the Challenge Your Nail Art Space Challenge!  I grew up knowing about Sally Ride, but I didn't know she had her own day.  And, I learned a little more about her while doing research for this challenge.  The More You Know...

Blast-Off!

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Challenge Your Nail Art topic is Blast Off!  Rocket time!

What To Get The Beauty Goddess Who Has Everything - Including Blemishes

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

One of the best things I discovered about skincare was the power of serums.  And, the more powerful, the better! With my oily skin, I can't put on a heavy or rich moisturizer without breaking out, but I can apply these concentrated serums and get powerful, concentrated ingredients where they need to be without the blemishes.  This Skin Clearing Serum from Radha Beauty promises lots of skin-loving ingredients, plus help getting rid of my existing blemishes - sounds like WIN all 'round!

Planetary, Intergalactic

Hello, Fireflies!

I'm combining two, yes, TWO challenges in today's nailart:  The Sunday Stamping challenge is to leadlight a negative space mani, and the Space challenge is Planets.  So...

Space Movie: Wall-E

Hello, Fireflies!

Ready for another Challenge Your Nail Art challenge?  This month, it's 4 days of Space... the Final Nail Art Frontier..  These are the voyages of Lit From Within...

Sea and (Vitamin) C moisturizer!

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I'm back with another Oz-some OZ Naturals product.  *ba-dum-bum* Thanks, folks, I'll be here all week.

Previously, I reviewed some of their gel-tastic skincare, and a lotion great for skincare and massage.  Today, I have their Sea-infused, herbal moisturizer with Vitamin C, Algae Keratin Extract, and Blueberry Extract.

NYX Prismatic Eyes

Hello, Fireflies!

I saw a few swatches of the new-to-me NYX Prismatic Eyes Collection, and I knew I had to have a few of these metallic beauties!  I bought four of them, and I may need to get more.  MOAR!

Days of Wine..and Rum.. and Hibiscus?

Hello, Fireflies!

It's still May, and I'm still working on our May Flowers challenge!  Today's mani is inspired by booze.

Sleepy Cream

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I was surprised when Vita Sciences showed me that I could take B12 through my skin, and I'm wowed that I can also take Melatonin that way, too!  My nighttime ritual always includes lip balm and hand lotion, so why not use a hand lotion that's going to help me sleep on the nights I'm having trouble?

Exposed my Skin for 30 Days

Press Samples. All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I showed you my Exposed Skincare unboxing about a month ago, and I'd like to share with you how this facial regimen worked for me.  I have some before and after pix to show you, too.

Some of My Favorite Things - Gold and Black, Dogs and Chevrons

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is to mix animal prints with chevrons.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do at first, but I really like the mix of gold flakies and black chevrons, with my favorite animal print - dog paws!

My Fingernails are Blue From Polish, Not From Lack Of Oxygen #AretaFingertipPulseOximeter

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Sometimes, I like to paint my fingernails blue.  It's probably my favorite nail polish color.  Having your nails turn blue because you're not getting enough oxygen, though, that's not sexy or cute.  As someone who has asthma, I've often wondered if I'm getting enough oxygen.  Someone may have chronic low oxygen levels and not have obvious warning signs until there is damage to the heart.  So, I was excited to test out this Areta Fingertip Pulse Oximeter for myself and see if my fingernails could stay blue in all the right ways.

Pure Bentonite Healing Clay Masks For Me and the Mister!

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Oily skin, I has it.  My husband also has it.  On the plus side, it means we don't have as many wrinkles as we could have.  On the negative, we get pimples and blocked pores, greasy and dull skin if we don't take care to balance our oil production.  One of my favorite things to do to help balance my skin is to use a clay mask, like one made from Pure Body Naturals Ultra Youth Indian Healing Clay. 

Sleeping Zen #deepsleep

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I do love me some aromatherapy, and I love getting a massage, so trying out this product was a no-brainer!  My husband doesn't normally like to use oils, though, so I had to convince him to give this a try. 

Neon Double-Stamped Flowers

Hello, Fireflies!

April Showers are bringing May Flowers all month long on the NCC.  Today's mani was inspired by a Spring pastel floral mani by Mandy's Polish.  I wish mine had turned out as crisp as hers did. Still, this is a bright, fun, very pink mani!

"Manly" Retinol Serum #InstaNatural

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

For many years, my husband wasn't really concerned with skincare.  Men's skin holds up better to the ravages of time because it's thicker, due to the hair follicles.  And, fortunately for them, our society thinks that men's wrinkles are distinguished.  Now that he's in his 40's, however, I'm starting to rub off on him, and he's willing and interested to try some of the products that he sees me slathering on my face.

My Makeup Spring Has Sprung!

This is a sponsored post from ShopAtHome.com.  All opinions are my own

Hello, Fireflies!

Spring may last for a hot minute here in Florida, but the Spring colors are hot for longer!  I love my vampy winter colors, but there's something freeing and refreshing about the change to a lighter, brighter palette!

Pastel Pink and Powerful Purple

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge was to pair a pastel with a neon.  A true neon purple is hard to come by, but I like the violet purple from the Saved By The Bell Wet 'n Wild collection, and I paired it with a pastel pink stamping polish.

A Green Tea Date #lifefood

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Sundays used to be Target Date Day.  Mr. LitFromWithin and I would go to our local Target, get a drink from Starbucks, and walk around for a couple of hours, checking out all the clearance, and catching up with each other.  Since we always shared a drink, and he doesn't like coffee, we started getting Green Tea Lattes, made with matcha.  Over time, we perfected our recipe.  We knew exactly how many scoops, and pumps of syrup, and how much milk.  And then, we'd lose our barista.  And then, Starbucks got rid of our favorite melon sweetener.  And, then, it was off the menu completely.

So, we had to learn how to make our own.  I think this Midori Springs Organic Ceremonial Matcha is going to take our favorite drink to a whole new level.

Anti-aging and Anti-pimpling from Aveya Beauty #aveyafacialpads #aveyabeauty

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

If you're a regular reader, you've probably heard me mention before that my skin is not only getting older, but it's still oily, and acne-prone.  This makes for some challenges in creating a skincare regimen that clears up acneic bacteria, but doesn't dry out or irritate my old lady skin.  I tested two products from Aveya Beauty that approach different concerns for my skincare.

Healthy Makeup from Cuepido Cosmetics #cuepido

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I'll admit, I don't always make the best choices when it comes to putting things on, or in, my body.  So, when Cuepido Cosmetics offered me the chance to try some healthy, natural makeup, I jumped at the chance to do something right for my skin.  I have lots of pictures, and a review for you of their liquid foundation, concealer, and loose powder.

Dotticure Flowers

 Hello, Fireflies!

Welcome to a new monthly challenge from the NCC.  This month, we're recreating other members' manis.. oh, wait.  That was last month.  This month, it's flowers!  And for my first mani, I'm recreating another member's mani that she did last month, recreating someone else's mani!  It's like mani Inception over here.

CoverGirl - The New Statement Eye

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

If you were thinking that you could get away with not knowing how to do a cat eye because the trend would be over quickly, well, you'd be wrong.  Wait, that was me.  I love the look of a bold cat eye, but getting all the pieces in place hasn't been easy.  CoverGirl took pity on me, apparently, and sent me a couple of products to make it easier for me to create that bold eye: The Super Sizer by LashBlast mascara, and Intensify Me! Liquid Eyeliner by Lashblast. 

I Fell In Love With Cashmere Falls No-Drip Argan Hair Serum

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

If you've read any of my Argan oil reviews before, you know that it's one of my favorite hair oils.  But, when I use it, there's one thing that I always have to be careful of - the texture is so smooth and oily that my hair just sucks it up without me realizing how much I've put in it, and if I'm not careful, my hair stays greasy instead of moisturized.

Cashmere Falls Heavenly Hydration Premium Grade Moroccan Argan Oil No-Drip Hair Serum solves that problem - and a few others - for me.

Butterfly Garden, Waiting

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge was to use to plates that corresponded to our birthday month and day.  I pulled out one of my first stamping sets - Red Angel - and picked 102 and 109, because I was born on February 9th, if anyone wants to send me a birthday present..

Sonoma Palette Cleanser

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you ever just needed a breather from bright colors or patterns, and wanted to take your nail color down a notch?  Painting my nails a neutral color can be like putting on my favorite yoga pants or comfy t-shirt.

Blue and Brown Eyes with Anastasia Beverly Hills Tamanna Palette

Some products given for review, some purchased by me.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I have wanted so many of the Anastasia Beverly Hills palettes, but decided on the Tamanna palette because of the rich colors.. and that blue! I had such a saga getting it, though. But I'm glad I finally did!