My Favorite Things: Beauty & Skincare Products

This may be my favorite subject!  I LOVE beauty products- especially skincare!  I have SO many favorites that I'm going to have to a whole other blog post just about COSMETICS next time!  This is more of the bath & body products.

I absolutely can't live without:


1)  Clarisonic Mia & Refreshing Gel Cleanser - $119:  My face will never feel clean anymore unless I use this!  It takes off every bit of that dirt, oil & make-up and even has reversed signs of aging!  My fine lines are nearly gone now!  LOVE this gadget & the refreshing gel cleanser is SO gentle!

2)  St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub - $2.99:  This is my go-to scrub when I need a little more exfoliation!  I've always loved the way my skin feels so tight, firm & clean afterwards!  And its a STEAL at $3!

3)  Eucerin Calming Creme Daily Moisturizer - $5.97:  I have really sensitive skin so I use this on my face, elbows, arms, legs, neck, chest, stomach....you get it!  Its gentle, soothing & very effective in moisturizing dry skin!  I've tried it all & this baby - WORKS.

4) Josie Maran 100% Organic Argan Oil - $48.00-  OMG.  This product has my heart.  I am absolutely OBSESSED with argan oil these days.  I put it on my face & elbows.  It purifies and shrinks your pores, and it moisturizers better than anything I've ever used!  Miracle worker in a bottle!  OH!  And I use it as hair serum & a few drop revives my dull color...seriously.  It's amazing!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!

5)  Bobbi Brown Moisturizing Eye Cream  - $49.00:  Can't live without it!  Wakes my tired eyes up, keeps them moisturized & reverses fine lines & aging.   I put it on before I apply make-up and before bed.  Great product!

 

6)  Vaseline 100% Pure Petroleum Jelly - $3.29:  Oh Vaseline.  Such a beauty staple.  So many uses for you.  Eye make-up remover, lip balm, 10 minute moisturizing face mask, burn & cut soother, eye cream...I always keep one or two around the house at all times.  I use it non-stop!

7)  Jergens Firming Daily Moisturizer - $8.50:  Whenever this fair-skinned girl needs a little color, I turn to Jergens.  Their new formula barely has any "sunless tanner" odor to it now.  And it firms up my skin! Husband approved, all-around! ;)

8)  Dove Moisturizing Anti-Perspirant - $3.29:  The best!  No more razor burn with this deo!

9)  Elizabeth W Vetiver Eau de Perfum - $38.00- My signature scent.  I found it in Florida about 5 years ago & absolutely fell in love with it!  It's rich woodsy, clean undertones, with a hint of powdery yet slightly masculine finish is just so heavenly.  I love it.  It's definitely not something you smell everyday!  Made for the bold, creative woman, for sure! It screams unique! :)

 

10)  True Blue Spa Paraffin Hand Cream - $6.00- When I worked at Bath & Body Works in college, I was OBSESSED with this hand cream.  Now as an adult, I've rekindled my love for it!  It's citrus smell is amazing, it instantly soothes dry hands & feels like you just got a parrafin dip at the salon!  If you want pretty hands, this is it!  I always carry the travel size with me to use after sanitizer! :)

 

11)  Freeze It 24 Hour Hold Hairspray - $9.92:  OMG.  Everyone knows I love changing up my hair.  This hairspray lives up to its name!  My short, stacked hair stays in place, in wind or humidity - all day!  My curls & waves stay tight!  My teased "bump" stays sky-high.  This is one of beauties best kept secrets.  I've tried them all - Kenra, Big Sexy Hair, Sebastian & allllll the store brands.  I loved them all.  But I just keep coming back to old faithful here.  Try it - it won't break your bank at all!  And it rocks! :)

12)  Rembrant 2-Hour Teeth Whitening Kit - $18.86:  If I need a quick whitening before an event, this is what I use.  I'm an instant gratification person & this product whitens up to 10 shades in 2 hours.  Warning: As with any whitener or bleach kit, it can make you teeth & guns a little sensitive...but if you're in a rush, it's almost worth it! ;)

My Favorite Things: Moments

I've decided to start a little mini-blog series called "My Favorite Things". Yep, kind of like Oprah & a lot like The Sound of Music. But I don't want to be TOO random because I love a lot of things. So I'm going to break them down into categories for you. Today's favorite things category is MOMENTS.

I love that moment....

1) When you see, hear & smell a brand new baby...& feel the love instantaneously fill your heart and well up in your tear ducts. 

2) When you let someone know they're loved in the good times & bad.  Even if you just can't find the words to say.

3) When you go to ocean & realize just how small (but fierce) you are.

 4) When you see people reach their dreams...or chase them with everything they've got.

5) When you win for your community. For your team. For your family. For yourself.

6) When leaders rise up & choose to be different.

7) When you decide to just be still & know that He is God.

8) When fairytales exist in real life & you find your price charming who loves & prays for you.

9) When the national anthem plays and your heart swells up with pride for your country.

10) When the world finds a diamond in the rough.

11) When you realize that your dad will never stop being your hero.

12) When good things happen to amazingly deserving people.

These are a few of my favorite things...



Colorfully Yours,

Featured on Baby Lifestyles!

Happy Friday everyone!  This morning, I woke up to find that our Preppy Golf Baby Shower was a featured party on Baby Lifestyles, an online magazine and blog.  The editor emailed me a couple weeks ago after seeing the "Daddy's Little Caddy" story on my HCP blog, & said she was a big fan of my company's work! She said she wants to continue to feature more of my party photography & design in the future! This is truly such an honor for my growing little business.

My niece enjoying a blue bubblegum soda with a custom party pop label.
Label Design by Heather Carpenter Photography | Design.

I've always been drawn to children's & party photography and graphic design over anything else, which can be scary because it can be such a SMALL field of photograph during this recession. However, God is faithful to me & continues to bless my business with opportunities by opening doors that I would've never thought to have peeked into otherwise.

Thank you to Lauren, the editor of Baby Lifestyles Magazine, for reaching out to me.  You've been a joy to work with and I pray God continues to bless your business as well!  And thank you again to everyone else involved in making this shower such a hit! You all rock! :)


Colorfully Yours,

EXCLUSIVE: Inside the Lockout

After several weeks of hardcore campaign work, Jason Gallagher & Ben Fort of Six Hours Short are finally closing in on the final days of their Kickstarter - with just a few hundred dollars left to reach their goal of $10,000.  The two will use the donated funds to cover the recording of a 5-piece rock band and the Chicago cast vocalists, as well as the mixing, mastering, and duplication of a 12 song album for their upcoming original comedy,"The Lockout: a Musical".
 

I had the privilege of interviewing the two Oklahoma Baptist University alum about their work on this musical, what the intensive 30-day Kickstarter process could mean to them and how chasing their dreams has revolutionized the way they think, work and play. There may also be some juicy stuff at the end... kind of.  Depends on who wins the fight...what?! 

Just read it, laugh till your belly hurts & then donate to the Kickstarter fund before February 22nd!

Heather Carpenter Photography: What is "The Lockout" about?
Jason Gallagher: The Lockout is about the friendship between a basketball player and owner and their journey through free agency and a labor dispute. There's also music.
Ben Fort: Life.

HCP: How & where did this dream originate?
JG: For me, it started with an acapella song that I wrote in my head called My Sources. I pulled Ben aside after church and sang it to him. That song never made the final cut.
BF: For the record, I've also had songs cut. Jason's original idea was a musical about NBA free agency, which is still the narrative of Act 1.

HCP: Who all is involved in taking this crazy, genius idea & putting it to paper?
BF & JG: Ben and Jason.

HCP: What is this Kickstarter campaign you've put on?
JG: The Kickstarter is for funding a soundtrack that will help us bring more attention to the musical.
BF: And it's not one of those "$25 for a handwritten note" kind of Kickstarters. With a $10 pledge you get the whole 12 song cast recording.

HCP: What does reaching this Kickstarter goal mean for you? And where will this take you guys?
BF:  Neither of us do video, so we're excited about creating something that can be shared. Long term, we'll use this album to apply for the New York Music Theater Festival, a springboard for new musical works.
JG:  It would mean a lot. It makes our lives a lot easier.

HCP: You graduated from OBU with the various others involved in this production, so naturally you have a huge following here & in Texas. Would you ever consider having an encore production here in Oklahoma?
JG:  We'd love to put the musical on in OK. That would take a ton of money and resources. Maybe we'll get there someday.
BF:  And if it does happen- there's a band called Mopak that will know all the songs.

HCP: What do you want to be when you grow up/where do you see yourself in 10 years?
BF: In 10 years, I'd like to be running a comedy theater in Texas. I'd teach sketch comedy writing and try to give Texans the same opportunities I had in Chicago.
JG: If you would have asked me a year ago - it may have been different, but I see myself writing comedy centered around sports. Beyond that - I'd hope to be able to focus on more serious stuff, maybe even strictly producing.

HCP: What has chasing your dreams taught you about yourself? others? life?
JG: Oh boy. It's taught me that chasing your dreams is a process.
BF: It's definitely a process- we wouldn't be Kickstarting an album if we hadn't studied at Second City, and we wouldn't have moved to Chicago if we hadn't written at OBU.
JG: It's a very unique experience that I'm lucky that I've had the drive to actually do this. After college - you see so many people let their dreams die (or at least remain something that is in their heads) while we have the opportunity to live it out. Pursuing the dream is the dream for me, which is awesome.

HCP: What advice do you have to give the readers who want to jump in with both feet & start chasing their own dreams?
JG: The advice I'd give is - if you are going for it - do it with everything you have. You must learn how to keep going when confronted by failure. Also - very important to know that this is all possible because of God and especially in a field that is so based on human acceptance - to always remind yourself that you are already accepted.
BF: Amen.
  
On a lighter, more random note...

HCP: We know what KD keeps in his backpack now, but what do you think James Harden's storing in that beard?
BF: The hope that died with Yao's foot.
JG: James Harden is storing flops and fake tears.

HCP: Do you still watch The Office? Why?!
JG: I do. JIM & PAM ARE GOING THROUGH REAL STUFF, GUYS! Seriously - it's no longer funny but it's like building a dresser from Ikea. You've already invested yourself into 90% of it - no point in giving up now.
BF: I'm out. The Office was a social thing for me.

HCP: What's up with your Rockets waiving Lazar Hayward?!!
JG: Ben?!
BF: Daryl Morey knows best.

HCP: Do you think Lando got jobbed at Spring Affair?
JG: Strong Yes.
BF: For those unfamiliar, Lando was an OBU band that had one song: Mindshackle 20. It was awesome, underrated, and it will show up with new lyrics in The Lockout.
HCP: Ok, I'll try not to take too much offense to that as I secretly agree. #winner

HCP:  Have you ever actually seen Rick Carlisle & Jim Carey at the same place, at the same time?
JG: Yes, actually. I saw them both at a T.G.I. Fridays in Grapevine.
BF: I'll take this opportunity to quote Jason: "Rick Carlisle looks like a Methodist minister."

HCP: Starving man vs. African wild dog? Go.
JG: There is a Ballerball column coming very soon where I got responses from 4 NBA players. For the most part - they think they can take the dogs.
BF: As the wise Dr. Litherland once said, "I would take my shirt off, wrap it around my fist, and shove it down the dog's throat."

HCP:  Last, I'm a huge Lord of The Rings fan. In reference to LOTR, what best summarizes your own journey with writing & producing "The Lockout" thus far?
BF: Our Kickstarter is like the hobbits' trip to Rivendell- it's all we're focused on right now, but once we get there we have even bigger work to do.
JG: I've never watched/read LOTR. Weird, since I put on a play halfway parodying it.
HCP: Great answer, Ben.  Jason, I really need to think about how I can make this friendship work. ■

Coming Tomorrow: Inside "The Lockout"

I was in choir all through middle school and high school, so naturally, when it came time for spring musicals, I got into "diva mode".  I always saw myself singing under the big stage lights of a Broadway show, signing autographs & accepting golden statues in front of my colleagues with dramatic, tear-stained humility & gratitude.  That was my dream...clearly, I've taken the easy way out by becoming a photographer.  Kidding!  You are entitled to have multiple dreams.  Sometimes one dream may lead into another.  Maybe I can be the singing paparazzi on the red carpet one day. ;)

Anyway, I love watching people really go for their dreams though.  It's kind of an adrenaline rush seeing people put everything they've got out there on the line & creatively turn things they love into a career.

Jason Gallagher (left) & Ben Fort (right) of Six Hours Short are the writers & producers of "The Lockout: A Musical".
Photo credit: Jeff Cotner | www.jeffcotner.com

My extremely talented friends from college, Ben Fort & Jason Gallagher are doing just that.  They are combining their love of basketball, music and comedy to create one out-of-this-world production called "The Lockout: A Musical". This musical is actually inspired by the NBA lock-out that rocked the United States in 2011. Who else would think of this?! I seriously can.not.wait!

I had the opportunity to interview these two for a blog post that will posted tomorrow!  The post will provide you with all of the juicy journalistic details of what they're doing, why they're doing it & why it's so important to donate to their 30-day Kickstarter fundraiser NOW.  Seriously, they are SO close to reaching their goal of $10,000!  Every donation of $10 or more gets a prize...just sayin'.

Till then, check out the video to the right.  If you feel the need to give immediately after viewing the short clip alone, by all means - for the love of the game, just do it.


Colorfully Yours,

Cabin Fever

Whether it's snowing, hailing, raining or tornadoing (yes, I am aware that I made that word up), I get stuck indoors a lot in Oklahoma around this time of year.  Although, I must say, if it's tornadoing, I usually am sitting in a lawn chair outside of my trailer staring at the sky - just what you all would expect from us Okies & Texans.  Kidding.  ....about the trailer part.

ANYWAY, now that I've caught that rabbit, back to the story...

I get really bad ADD when stuck indoors for long periods of time or when typing a random blog post on a Sunday. The past week, I've had a lot of fun documenting some of my favorite cabin fever moments with my family.  ENJOY & don't judge me...'cause baby, I was born this way. ;)

It's a tradition to play "Aunt Heather's Beautiful Shop" with my niece every time she comes over.

It's pretty obvious, but in case you couldn't tell, she's Belle & I'm Ariel.  Duh.

Maggie's first big snow!!!

She didn't know quite what to make of all of this!

Love the way snow looks on trees!  SO beautiful!

Huge chunks falling at the Carpenter casa!

Don't eat the yellow snow, Maggie!

Romantic indoor "picnic" with my sweetheart, Jason!

Quick snapshot before we go inside the store to get stuff for dinner!

Dinner.  Delicious White Chicken Chili!  Snowy day staple in our house!

Enjoying the snow!!!  It fell ALL DAY LONG!!!

Family photo op!  Say cheese, Maggie!

A little blurry but I kinda love that its focusing on the huge snowflakes instead of us! :)

Colorfully Yours,

Madeline & Wyatt | Impromptu Shoot

One of my favorite things about being an aunt is that I get to be as silly, crazy & imaginative as I want with to be the kids.  I don't really have to discipline them, I get to spoil them rotten, I get to pack their little bellies full of sugar, & I get to be the "fun adult" in the room.  (I kind of am a Peter Pan type - I really don't think I'll ever grow up! )

Anyway, my niece & nephew LOVE taking turns being my "photographer's assistant" at shoots & tell me that they want to be photographers when they grow up too.  I'm a firm believer in nurturing a child's dreams so whenever I'm out doing shoots at the farm, I usually hold a kiddie workshop for them afterwards.  They observe what I'm saying & how I'm posing my clients, and then they want to try it after the client goes home.  This particular day, our workshop was "Posing 101", I suppose!

Hope you just love these as much as I do, as their personalities really shine through in the photos! These kiddos make giggle & bring so much joy to this crazy world that I live in.  Don't know what I'd do without them! :)

All photos are copyright of ©Heather Carpenter Photography | Design.  You're welcome to share but as always remember: please do not alter, crop, steal or print.  Thank you!

Colorfully Yours,