Beauty On A Budget Update

Do you remember a while back I wrote a post about budget beauty? I'm still using and loving the products I wrote about back in November, but now I have a few more amazing beauty bargains to share with you!

How To Save Big Money On Beauty Products

I don't know about you, but even when I'm on a tight budget there are still things I need to stick to, like my beauty routine. 

I'm a girly girl, always have been. I try to take good care of my skin, and I wear makeup every day....well, most days! 

A Few Of My Favorite Facial Products For My Over 40 (Nearly 50!) Skin

I've been meaning to write this post for quite a while, but time just seems to slip away from me. I have so many things I'd like to tell you, but there aren't enough hours in the week! However, I'm so enamored with these products that I just had to share. 

Fall Fashion Over 40

It's that time of the year when I transition from sandals to ballet flats and boots....scarves and sweaters. 

Layers....lovely layers!

Fashion Over 40....and Beyond

Let's face it, things change once you hit 40. And for me, that wasn't today or yesterday....I'm getting on up there and rapidly approaching 50!

I can't believe it, but it is what it is. 

Through a Country Window

I am truly blessed. 

I went through a lot of difficult times in my life but right now I am in a place where I am at peace.

At last.

It was snowing when I went to bed last night, ever so gently, and it was a frigid evening. But we were warm and cozy in my little house with the wood-stove doing it's job extremely well. 

The oil company is going to hate me....and I'm ok with that!

One of the things that drew me in when I first toured my new home were the views. I have a view of the mountains from 3 sides of my house, and the back side of my house backs up to acres and acres of woodland.

In the summer, the property is gorgeous with established gardens, privacy from the road, and mother nature all around.

In the winter when the leaves are off the trees there is a different kind of beauty. The mountains are clear in the distance and I start my day with a view of the sunrise through my bedroom window.

When I open my eyes, the first thing I see are the mountains through the window to the left of my bed, and the sun rising over the peaks. 

It's an incredible way to start one's day, to be so inspired by the beauty out your window that you just want to jump up and grab the camera. 

The dogs hear me up and about and they are ready to go out and face the snow. And I'm ready for coffee. 

I watch the pups out the kitchen window as I'm beginning my day. No birdies bathing in the little birdbath today!

I take a peek out the dining room window to the Chickadees, who are loving the sunflower/safflower seed combo I put in the squirrel proof feeder. They ignored this feeder for months....now they can't get enough of it with this new seed combo!

After letting the pups in and getting the fire going again I head back into the bedroom where the sun is now shining on my little garden cottage at the rear of the house. 

The horses have arrived outside the other bedroom window....I don't think I'll ever grow tired of seeing my neigh-bors. 

Sorry. I had to. 

I'll just have a seat for a minute with my coffee and start my day on a quiet note. 

Giving thanks for my blessings and the beauty all around me. 

My favorite way to start the day. 

The Princess Room

Friends of ours came over for a visit the other evening and when they saw my master bath they immediately christened it The Princess Room. 

So The Princess Room it shall remain!!

Hey - why not? Every girl dreams of being a princess at some point in her life!

I first brought you in here when I showed you my Master Suite about a million years ago. 

Ok, only 3 months ago. I might have exaggerated a tad. 

Well, today I'm going to give you a peek even further into the inner sanctum...the stuff you always want to peek at when you use someone's restroom....come on, don't lie - you know you always want to open the medicine cabinet!

Maybe that's just me. Sorry. I can be nosy. 

Continuing with the Clutter Busters....here are my tips on keeping my Princess Room organized. 

I wanted a vanity all my life. It was high on my must-have list when designing this space. It's such a luxury to be able to sit down and take my time with all my little beauty routines. And let's face it, after 40 the routines take longer and longer each year. Wahh!

I like to have everything right at my fingertips when sitting at my vanity, but without being "cluttered." This marble tray that I picked up at Sierra Trading Post for about $3 does an incredible job. The coordinating marble cup holds my makeup brushes. 

I have two of these rotating cosmetic organizers, one on either side of the marble tray - they hold my cosmetics and they spin around so I can see what I have. And let's face it - I have a LOT of products. A ton. I have always been that kind of girly-girl. These organizers came from Joss & Main.  Love that place!

In the vanity cabinets I have these mesh roll out organizers - there are two in each vanity which keeps everything so nicely organized. 

Yes, I'm a bit of a neatnik. I admit it. These kind of things make me very happy. 

There's actually no medicine cabinet in this bathroom - I couldn't put a recessed one in over the sinks as it's an exterior wall and all the products inside would freeze in my climate. And I didn't like the medicine cabinets that aren't recessed - I felt like they would stick out way too much and I would bang my face on them when washing up! So, medicines are kept in the medicine cabinet in the guest bath....and I don't mind one bit if you peek when you come to visit! 

I loved the fact that these vanities had such a large drawer underneath - however, it led to challenges in keeping things organized. This deep drawer organizer is awesome, I love it. And these Ikea storage boxes are perfect to organize the drawers as well. I ordered 2 sets of these and used them elsewhere in the master suite as well. 

This rolling organizer holds some items I use regularly such as contacts, vitamins, face wash, etc as well as taller items that don't fit under the sink. I told you how much I love these organizers and gave you a link to buy one for yourself when I told you all about my Kitchen Clutter Busters.  I actually ordered this one for next to my washer to hold laundry detergent but it was too narrow for the bottles I buy - but it worked out perfectly right here. 

I absolutely adore the tub I had put in however I limit the amount of times I use it due to the fact that I have a well and septic. That just makes the times I indulge all the more special! I go all out - I light all the candles, put on some relaxing spa music, and have a glass of wine - there's nothing like it!!

When we were putting in the tub my contractor asked me if I wanted a little recessed area for products and the answer was a resounding YES. More space for products? That's a no-brainer for me. 

I chose the same stone as the fireplace to back the recessed area. It's the perfect spot for the products I use in the tub. And everything has a lavender scent to make the experience even more relaxing!

My bath salts are kept neat and tidy and ready for action right next to the bath in an old ceramic container that came from a floral arrangement. It's just the right size to fit between the tub edge and the wall - who knew that holding on to these odd items would work out so well in my new house?

In the shower I put a tension organizer in one corner to keep all my shower supplies handy. 

The model I chose is from Simple Human and it's terrific! It got wonderful reviews and I completely understand why.  It's so sturdy and has 3 adjustable shelves plus hooks, razor holder, toothbrush holder, and soap dish. I bought mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond with a 20% off coupon. It was the best deal I found on this item anywhere - and it's worth every penny! All the reviews say it doesn't rust - that was a huge selling point for me right there. 

Across from the vanity my contractor built in shelving to store additional supplies. The width and height of the shelves was decided based on the amount of space that was left after everything else was installed and it couldn't have worked out better if we planned it this way!

I already had 6 of these fabric boxes that I was using elsewhere. I was originally going to get baskets for the bathroom shelves but when I tried out one of these on the shelves it was just too perfect! I bought mine at Home Decorators with a coupon code. 

Did you notice that there is usually a coupon code happening with me? Yup, I admit it. I hate to pay full price for anything!

These over-door hooks are wonderful - I have them EVERYWHERE. Seriously. Addicted. 

All these organizers not only keep the bathroom looking fairly tidy at all times but make my morning routine so much easier. Even on Mondays!

I don't have to go looking for anything. I know exactly where every item is. Things I use morning and night are right at my fingertips. 

And at the end of the day, that's what makes this space even more beautiful. It's amazingly functional. 

What's better than that?

Frosty Mountain Morning

It was a cold one last night with temps dropping down to 22 here on the mountain top! 

There was a heavy frost this morning making the simplest of items sparkle in the sunshine. 

And let me tell you, all this frostiness is not helping me NOT think about Christmas!

And Christmas decor. And Christmas trees. And wrapping gifts. And Christmas dinner. 

I've been trying to hold off....but it's bubbling up inside of me and I am going to break down one of these days soon!

I'm just so excited to decorate my new home for the holidays!!

But for now, let's just browse around at the beautiful frosty mountain morning. 

The front garden is a sea of ice crusted blades of grass this morning - it was a beautiful sight looking down from the upper deck. 

No coffee on the garden swing this morning!

I guess the chairs by the fire pit are a no-go also this morning - Brrrrr!!

Look how thick the frost was on the deck railings - it looked like snow. 

Like Christmas snow. Oops, sorry, there I go again!

My little garden cottage has a heavy frost on the roof. I guess it's time to dump all the pots and stack them in the shed for the winter. 

Summer grass gives way to fall leaves...which give way to winter frosts. 

The horses were up by their little barn - the lower paddock is all frozen over. Must be a bit warmer up on the hill. 

I could see the vapor coming from the horse's breath on this frosty morning. 

No warm glow coming from the solar path lights. 

The Lamb's Ear looks like it was dipped in sugar. 

And the Snow in Summer looks more like Snow in Autumn.

Back up on the deck Strawberry plants look so beautiful even in frost. 

The rubber stair treads I added yesterday are terrific - nothing slippery about my deck stairs now!

Back inside the warm steamy kitchen the bean soup I started in the crockpot yesterday is making the whole house smell like heaven. 

The sun is pouring in through the front windows and the dining room is glowing in the morning light. 

And there's a fire burning in the wood stove, keeping the house warm until I return. 

There's nothing like coming into a nice warm house on a frosty day. 

Welcome home. 

The November Garden

It is an absolutely glorious day in the mountains - the kind of day that just makes you feel lucky to be alive. I stepped out onto my deck this morning to feed the birds and had to run right back inside for the camera!

It's about 65 degrees out today and the sun is shining through the bare trees and it's hard to believe that not long ago we had snow!  No doubt there's a lot more snow to come but for now I'll just enjoy the November Garden. 

The Violas I put in back in April are still going strong! They faded a bit in the hot summer sun but once the weather cooled they kicked into high gear. They have survived 4 frosts so far and are still glorious. 

I wish I had a place to keep them alive over the winter....I might try bringing them into the unheated garage and see if they make it through to the spring. 

The mums that hadn't bloomed by the time we got the first hard frost survived and are blooming beautifully now. 

The Weeping Willow at the top of the driveway is beautiful at all times of the year - this morning the sun was shining through it and the whole thing was aglow.

I don't know what this is growing along the edge of the property but it sure looks pretty in November with that gorgeous red foliage. 

The garlic I planted right before the frost is growing....gulp! I don't know what will happen in the spring - this has never happened before when I planted garlic in October. Fingers crossed it survives and grows into nice big heads of garlic. 

I had found a packet of old Mesclun seeds when I was doing my fall cleanup in the veggie garden and decided to toss them in to see what happens. Looks like a couple took! We might get a winter salad after all. 

The foliage on the Blueberry Bush is lovely. I think I might need a second bush in order to get fruit but I'm not certain. I didn't get any berries this year but it barely survived last winter in a pot - I had to cut it back so drastically when I moved here in the spring. I wasn't really expecting any berries after all that trauma. 

One of the climbing roses I put in over the summer is still trying to bud - the frost got the last bud, let's see what happens with this one. Look at that beautiful foliage with the pink edges - simply gorgeous!

More happy little Violas from the spring planting. 

The Creeping Jenny is still going strong and look at how the leaves are turning pink! This stuff is my favorite "trailer" in mixed planters as it comes back every year.  Saves a little money at the nursery int the spring! Plus I love the chartreuse foliage against the bright colors of the flowers. 

The Pansies in the whiskey barrels are still doing beautifully, although the geraniums didn't survive the first frost. The Pansies were also from the early spring planting, along with the Violas. It's weird the way the mountain top is totally different for gardening than down in the valley - I'm getting used to it, though. In my house in the valley the pansies and violas would fizzle out in the summer and that was the end of them. Here on the mountain they just seem to rest in the summer and then come back with a vengeance!

One of the two Sand Cherries I put in by my garden cottage when we prettied up the exterior. The other Sand Cherry is already bare of leaves. Weird!

The view looking back to the house from the garden cottage. So beautiful! The shrubs around the house are all evergreen and the lawn was mowed for the last time this season yesterday, mulching all the leaves into the lawn to feed the grass for the spring. I don't have time to rake and mulching the leaves in the fall just makes a ton more sense to me. 

The puppies were out with me, sniffing all around the property....they probably smelled Mr. Bear.  They love going with me on a walkabout - they do their own little sniffabout!

I just put in two of these beautiful Sunjoy Tangelo Barberries at the edge of the property, in between three Lemon Candy Nine Bark - I can't wait to see how gorgeous they will look together as they get bigger - the contrast in foliage should be lovely! 

The hydrangeas have dried on the bush - I don't know whether to leave them or cut them back. They look kind of cool right now so I'll just leave them be for the moment. 

The last of the Achillea blooming - it put on quite the show around here this year. 

I hope you enjoyed this little walk around my November garden - I'm already looking forward to spring and hoping that the critters didn't eat ALL of the 240 bulbs I put in right before the frost! I know they got some of them but perhaps they were kind enough to leave some for me?