I always love to take questions from y’all whether it be via email, comments on the blog, or questions through Instagram.  When I start noticing I get a bunch of the same questions over and over, I like to try to do a Q&A post like the one I’m doing today to answer those and let them be on the blog to reference whenever you need!  So I took some I’ve gotten a few times and then also asked y’all to send any other questions you may have so I can include them in today’s post!

Some of the questions are longer and some are just little quick ones!! I love to answer any.  I try to be an open book 🙂 By the way, if you don’t already follow me on Instagram, you can do so here!  I love to chat with y’all via direct messages and see what you’re up to, too!

Your Questions Answered

Question 1: What is your dog’s name and how old is he?

My dog’s name is Maverick and he is 10 years old!! He will be 11 in August. I got him when I was in college and most people are shocked to hear that is his age.  He only just now (like in the last couple of months) started to get some gray hairs on his chin. He is a full-bred labrador retriever and the sweetest boy.  He constantly just wants to be around people and as close as humanly possible most of the time, unless there are other dogs around.  Then he couldn’t really care less about people because he LOVES other dogs 🙂

Question 2:  Are you and Craig the same age?

Close!  Craig is one year older than me.  He was born in February of ’87 and I am a January ’88 baby.  For those of you trying to do the math, he is 32 and I am 31 🙂

Question 3:  Do you have any quick & easy dinner ideas you can share?

I am actually going to share a full post about this with all my easy, go-to dinners THIS WEEK!  So check the blog again later in the week for that.  I’ll be listing out my favorite easy dinners to make and also sharing links to other recipes!

Question 4:  What are your must-have Beautycounter products?

I wrote a post about my skincare & makeup routine here that has a bunch of my favorites and my routine!  I also shared my easy makeup tutorial here that has my everyday makeup look.  I would say an absolute must-have is the overnight resurfacing peel.  It is a best-seller for a reason and if you are looking to even out your complexion, battle fine lines & wrinkles, and brighten up your face, this is the product for you.  It’s great at helping remove sun spots, dark spots, or acne scars.  You only need to use it about 3-4x per week.  Put it on after you cleanse your face, but before you put on moisturizer.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes and then you can apply your moisturizer over top of it.  It’s worth every penny and will last you a really long time because a little bit goes a long way!  The ingredients in Beautycounter products are high performing and therefore you don’t need as much as you would for say a drug store product.

PS: I also love the charcoal mask (so great for battling breakouts!!) and currently have a giveaway going on for one!! Click here to check it out.

Question 5:  Do you exclusively use Beautycounter products now?

Exclusively, no.  But I have been trying to make the switch to safer skincare for both Craig & myself, especially since getting pregnant…but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a Beautycounter product.  I really appreciate that Beautycounter’s mission is to get safer skincare products into the hands of everyone, and they stick by that mission by pushing to change federal regulations on what companies are allowed to put into our products.  They don’t care if it’s a Beautycounter product that you use, they just want people to know what exactly they are putting onto and into their bodies and the effects those chemicals can cause.  So while using Beautycounter makes it really easy because I know every ingredient they use has been tested for safety, I also like to use other clean products outside that brand.  I think it’s easiest to just start making a slow switch of your current products as they run out and replace them with safer options.  If you ever want help or guidance with that, I am happy to help you! Simply send me an email and we can chat about what you need!

By the way, they are currently having a promo where if you spend $125+ you get a free trial size of the mineral sunscreen which is AWESOME.  I just placed an order for some things myself, including the regular size mineral sunscreens, so I could get that!!  I’ve actually never considered the ingredients in sunscreen because you just think, well it’s protecting me from skin cancer right? So it has to be good for me. Well I was wrong, LOL.  Check out this article and this blurb about it:

“The FDA announced Thursday that it has proposed a rule to declare mineral sunscreen ingredients as safe, specifically zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. The agency said 12 other chemicals commonly used in sunscreens need more research to determine if they’re can be officially listed as safe, including oxybenzone and octinoxate.”  The safer skincare movement is happening, y’all.

Also, the Beautycounter sunscreen is reef friendly. If traditional chemical sunscreen damages coral, I’m scared to know what it can do to our bodies.

Question 6:  Any tips on getting started running??

YES.  This is one of my most frequently asked questions.  I have a post here with my tips AND a 1-month sample running plan that you can download.

Question 7: What is your current must-have piece of clothing?

For spring & summer (or really anytime), you can’t beat a basic tee.  I am LOVING these t-shirts and have stocked up on them in basically all the colors!!  They are currently on sale for 3 for $30.  I like that they are longer than normal tees.  I ordered a large and like that it fits a little oversized without being baggy and it’s stretchy so I have room for the bump.  So I’d say order a size up from what you’d normally get, unless you like your tees on the tighter side, then order your normal size.

They are long enough to where you can tie them in a knot if you want, like I did here!

Question 8:  What is baby’s name??

Haha, I figured I’d get this question!! Last week I shared on Instagram stories that I was debating not keeping her name a secret until birth like I had originally planned, and last week Craig & I told our parents the name and they LOVED it! I’m so happy and relieved about that.  I plan to share it on the blog here in the next week or two, so stay tuned for that fun announcement!!

As always, feel free to send me questions anytime 🙂  I appreciate you reading!!

xo,

Bess