|| My Top 10 Must Have Drugstore Beauty Products ||

I always LOVE when other people blog about this kind of stuff so I thought I would give it a shot! I think a lot of girls I know are in the same boat as me with the whole makeup budget thing… as in it is under the category of "spend as little as freaking possible". This wasn't always the case for me though. I used to be a high end makeup buyer and a frequent Sephora, Mac, Makeup Forever, Bobbi Brown customer but as of a year ago that all changed! I am now a Covergirl, Maybelline, Revlon, Aveeno and other such drugstore brands customer! At first it was hard, I missed my regular makeup ammo but now I am growing used to the new guys. It has taken me a year of sorting through crappy eyeliners, cakey foundations, and clumpy mascaras to come up with this list! It was a struggle. Seriously. I still can't really find a good foundation that I love though. If any of you know of one PLEASE let me know! I hope if you are on a budget like me and are struggling to find good cheap makeup, some of these products will help you out too! Happy shopping!

1. Aveeno Positively Ageless (Face Wash | Day Lotion |  Night Creme) - I love these products. I am obsessed actually! I wanted to get a jump start on the whole anti aging thing and thought I would try these out. Best decision ever.  The lotions aren't to heavy but still leave your face feeling creamy and soft and the face wash totally washes away all my makeup at the end of the day. 

2. Revlon PhotoReady Concealer - This concealer is great. I don't get as many zits and blemishes as I used to (thank goodness) but I do still get some and this hides them so well! Also it helps hide my perma dark circles I have under my eyes. It also blends into my skin really great so it doesn't leave behind a light coloured ring around your zit because no one wants that.

3. Revlon Custom Eyes | 020 Naturally Glamorous - Another great Revlon product. I usually just use 2 colours from this palette the one with arrow pointing to it and the lightest cream colour! The brown is perfect for the crease of my eye to just give it some depth. It lasts all day and I love it! 

4. Maybelline Master Drama Eyeliner - I use this eyeliner a lot. I like it for making the cat eye effect or just for a little darker line. It goes on so easily and lasts a long time. The only downer is that I find that it transfers onto my upper eyelid sometimes so I don't love that!

5. NYX Matte Lipsticks - Okay ladies if you buy anything from this list let it be these lipsticks. They are the best ever. NXY makes the funnest colours and I can't wait to buy more! Right now I have Hippie Chic, Euro Trash, Eden, and Indie Flick. They are great by themselves or with a bit of clear gloss on top! Also I know these aren't from a drugstore technically… but they are drugstore cheap so I am counting it! Don't walk, RUN and get these now!

6. Maybelline Baby Lips - I live in the dessert. Dry and chapped lips are a constant struggle. This amazballs lip chap comes in and saves the day! Also it has a little SPF 20 action which also helps with all the sun I get! 

7. Not Yours Mother's Hair Products (Dry Shampoo | Curl Cream) - I came across this product line through Cara Loren's Blog. I love the curl cream because it doesn't make your hair crunchy! I can't stand when I want to do my hair curly and it ends up all stringy and crisp. Yuck. This stuff its great! Just makes my hair a little beach wavy and no crunch insight! The dry shampoo is fabulous. I am someone who needs to shower about every 2-3 days for sure! Sometimes it's everyday if it's windy or my body just decides it's going to be greasy. This dry shampoo works wonders on my very thin fine hair! 

8. Bumble and Bumble Quenching Complex - Okay I am cheating again on this one but you have to know about this product so I don't care! First off this stuff lasts FOREVER! I have had it for over 2.5 years and use it every. single. day. My hair gets frizzy and full of static in the dryness found here in AZ and in Southern Alberta when it's windy and this stuff calms those problems right down. This is another must have in my books.

9. Annebelle Blush | 018 - I couldn't find a link to this one but I know you can buy it at Walmart and Target! This great product was recommended to me by my very own momma! It is really great stuff and I love the deep colour that it leaves. I think it looks best on a more olive or tan skin tone. So if you are fairer than me maybe go for a lighter colour! 

10. Revlon ColorStay Makeup - I'm just going to be honest with you from the start about this one. It really isn't my favourite but it's the best I have found. This is another product thank to Lisa aka my mom. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it's a bit heavy for me. It's perfect for those days you want your skin to look perfect though! Like date night, a wedding, family photos or any big event! I just don't love it for my everyday use. So again if anyone has any recommendations, I'm all ears!

11. Covergirl Professional Remarkable Washable Waterproof Mascara - Hollaaaa for the best mascaraaaa evaaaaaa! Yep it's that good. So good I had to add it to the list as a little bonus! It's the best drugstore mascara I have found. It stays on all day and washes off so easily and for a waterproof mascara that's a freaking miracle. Am I right? But it is waterproof so when you go swimming it stays on! Which I will be doing a lot of soon since the weather is getting perfect here! Yay for summer in March :) Oh and it's also under $5…. ya you hear me, under $5!!

Okay there you have it, my top 10 11! After I was done though there were a few products I left off and felt bad about it. So here are a few "honourable mentions" ;)

1. Summer's Eve Fem Spray - Just get it okay. You know why.

2. TONI&GUY Flexible Hold Hairspray - This stuff is great. Like I said earlier I hate crunchy hair especially crunchy hair from hairspray. I like to run my fingers through my hair and not get stuck halfway due to the sticky hairspray I just applied. This stuff holds your hair in place but still gives you a some movement!

3. Aveeno Stress Relief Products (Body Wash | Lotion) - Mmmm these are so lovely. They smell amazing and make my skin so soft. Even Brett loves the smell. He prefers the regular Aveeno lotion though, I guess it's more "manly". Anywho this set is great and I highly recommend it!

4. Orla Kiely Makeup Bag - Cause you gotta have a place to put all your products! I actually just bought this baby. Yesterday. So I can't really say how great it works yet but I think it's gonna be super duper awesome! It has lots of pockets and such and is perfect for all the travelling I do :)
p.s the link is to ebay for about $20 more than I spent at Target yesterday but I couldn't find it on the Target website… sorry!

WHEW that took a lot longer than I had planned! I hope someone benefits from this post! I now have a new appreciation for bloggers who do this type of stuff all the time! Anywho hope you all have a great rest of your week!

Here is just a little iPhone pic of me actually wearing the above beauty products! 

Lipstick - Hippie Chic w/ Euro Trash on Top

|| The Great Outdoors ||

Living in Arizona is awesome. It's January and I have been hiking twice this week! It's warm, sunny, and wind free every single day! I am really trying to take advantage of living here. I made some goals at the first on the month and like everyone some of them had to do with my fitness. I am trying to do it in a fun way by being more active in all aspects of my life and not just going to the gym everyday. So far so good! Hopefully it will last!

Since my husband is the best and so supportive he planned a hike on Martin Luther King day! We went with Chase and Allison and hiked Camelback! We had so much fun. It was pretty challenging but I'm glad I finished it! The view was really cool and we could see the whole valley! I actually can't wait to do it again, hopefully soon!

Then today I went on a easy and fun hike with Tera! It was a lot more fun than running on the treadmill, that's for sure! 

I hope I can keep up my new "lifestyle"! Also anyone that wants to come and visit me, you can come hike with me and enjoy this perfect weather… ;)

|| Year in Review: A 2013 Survey ||

Hello fine people! Welcome to 2014!! Whoop whoop. I decided before I give a recap of my Christmas/New Years I would do a little survey all about my BIG year in 2013! Feel free to do this, it was kinda fun, but let me know you did it so I can check yours out!

1.What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
Well I got married. It was a first for me! Also I moved to another country!

2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more this year?
Honestly I can't even remember if I made any last year. I was in the middle of planning a wedding so I bet my resolution was not to go insane before Feb 23rd and I did that soooo yep I did!

3. What is something crazy you did this year?
I didn't really do anything crazy… Maybe fly back and forth from AZ to Canada upwards of 8+ times?

4. What places did you visit?
New Mexico, Salt Lake, Denver (does the airport count), California, Vegas and Montana.

5. What dates from 2013 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
Jan 2 - I went through the Temple for my first time. It was such a great experience and so amazing to have all my family and friends come and support me. Feb 23 - Our wedding day. Because I got married. You know kind of self explanatory.  April 27 - Brett's Birthday. It was the first one we had spent together! We went to a drive in movie and it was a really fun day!   July 4th - We got to go to New Mexico and I got to meet the Holt side of Brett's family. It was such a blast! Can't wait for their next reunion!   July 17-Aug 9 - I got to see almost every member of my immediate and extended families! Having two reunions back to back was so special and I am so grateful I was able to make them both.   Aug 30 - Mitch returned from his 2 year mission! BEST DAY! Missed the crap out of him.

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I know this is going to sound lame but it was definitely getting married. It's not an easy thing to do you know. I had to search long and hard to find Brett and I feel like I won big time with snatching him up. I spent a lot of hard/happy long years in the YSA looking for him. I seriously couldn't have married a better person for me. He makes me better and helps me when I am down and celebrates with me when I succeed. I am pretty much obsessed with the guy.

7. What was your biggest failure?
This one is a little embarrassing but it would have to by my overall fitness. I really slacked off this year and have a few extra lbs to show for it. I kept setting goals and then coming up short with them. I have recommitted this year though… so wish me luck!

8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Well just the same one that I have been for almost 5 years now…. the dreaded Celiac!

9. What was the best thing you bought?
A photography mentorship with Jalene Taylor. She was the sweetest, most helpful girl! She has helped me take my photography to a better place and I owe her BIG time!

10. Where did most of your money go?
Straight to Mid Western University's pockets!  You are welcome Mid Western for taking all of my life savings. I hope you didn't spend it all in one place...

11. What did you get really excited about?
I was actually super excited to be in my own house and decorating it however I (and Brett of course) wanted! It still sometimes feels like I am playing house and Brett isn't my real husband.

12. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Hunter Hayes - Wanted

13. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I had done more socializing. I was pretty much a hermit and to afraid to meet new people. I had lived in an area where I was always around my life long friends and never had to really make new ones and meeting new people was/is really scary for me.

14. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I would have to say T.V watching… Ya it's a bad habit of mine. I kind of love it….

15. How did you spend Christmas?
We spent most of it in Raymond and Magrath with our families! We did go to the cabin in Montana for a few days and had a blast! Christmas was seriously the best ever.

16. Did you fall in love in 2013?
How about more in love?

17. What was your favourite TV program?
Ah as I said above I have a love/hate relationship with TV. My favs were Vampire Diaries, Greys, Extreme Weight Loss, Biggest Loser, Elementary, and Modern Family.

18. What was the best book you read?
The Elisabeth Smart book. It was REAL good.

19. What did you want and get?
The Husband spoiled me rotten on my bday and got the 85mm lens I had been wanting forever!

20. What was your favourite film of the year?
42, Monster's University, and the 2nd Hobbit. (this was hard… we watch a lot of movies)

21. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I went to the zoo, dinner, and got real spoiled! - see here - I turned 25 years young...

22. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Uhhh leggings, baggy shirts and flip flops? Is that a fashion concept? Maybe lazy.

23. What kept your sane?
My husband. Through all the ups and downs he was my rock.

24. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
This is random but probably Hillary Duff. I am sick of seeing Disney stars go crazy for attention and I liked how she had a baby and has a family and is normal and doesn't care if that's all over the news.

25. Whom did you miss?
I missed my family a lot. You know moving FAR away for the first time and all. Other then those guys I would have to say Katelyn. The last time I moved away she moved with me so this was different. It's hard not seeing your bff all the time. Especially when at first I had no real friends. Sometimes texting/facetiming/socialmedia just doesn't quite cut it.

26. Who was the best new person you met?
I can't even answer this one! I have met so many great people this year!! My whole ward is awesome and I have met a ton of great people through Brett!

27. What was a valuable life lesson your learned in 2013?
Somethings are worth waiting for.

27. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"We're having such a good time together and it's only just begun..." -Easton Corbin

28. What is your favourite memory of 2013?
That would be the family dinner/ program we had on our wedding day. I just think about it and it puts a smile on my face. If I could go back in time and relive that moment again and again I would.

29. What was the best vacation you were able to take?
I would have to say it was our road trip to Provo this summer. We got to spend time with Kylie which was awesome! Brett showed me around his old stomping grounds at BYU and we just did a lot of fun stuff that week and laughed a lot!

30. Sum up 2013 in one word.
Change

|| Christmas Goodies & Giveaway Winner ||

This Christmas has a few firsts in store for me! My first married Christmas, my first time being in charge of someone else's Christmas gifts (so much pressure), and my first time making a Christmas card and sending out treats to give our married friends! So weird. I feel like I am playing house sometimes. Anyone else feel that way? Expect now I burn the cookies, the mints don't harden fast enough, the packaging isn't looking right, and I either make to much or not enough! Playing pretend was a lot easier!

Any who, this year I decided to give out homemade mints. I saw THIS recipe on interest and figured I would give it a shot! Looked easy enough… I was so naive. I spent a lot more time on these little bad boys than I should have. Poor Brett had to deal with my breakdowns… yah unfortunately there was more than one... What a keeper I snagged! Oh well they turned out pretty cute I guess!

Recipe:

CREAM CHEESE MINTS

INGREDIENTS

• 250 grams Philidelphia Brick Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 3 dashes food colouring of choice
• 5 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Line two baking sheets with wax paper, tape down the ends and set them aside. Fit a large pastry bag with a medium star tip.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and peppermint extract until it's smooth. Add the powdered sugar and and mix it until you achieve the consistency of thick cream cheese frosting. The peaks should remain quite stiff and not melt down when the mixer is stopped. Add more powdered sugar if necessary.
3. You can tint your cream cheese mints any colour using food colouring. I opted for an icy blue using a few drops of liquid blue food colouring. A little bit goes a long was so make sure not to add too much and make your mixture too thin.
4. Fill the pastry bag with the minty mixture and pipe little kisses onto the prepared baking sheets. You should get about 250 of them.
5. Let them sit for about an hour to set then store them in the fridge for freezer. They'll last about a month in the fridge and up to four in the freezer. Enjoy!

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WINNER:

And the winner of the Custom Card Giveaway (drawn out of a bowl by Brett) is….

Also I guess what goes around comes around maybe? Cause look what happened last night! Thanks so much again The Wife Life Blog! They are putting on a great 12 days of giveaways that you should check out!

|| Christmas Card GIVEAWAY ||

***Due to some comment errors, I have installed a rafflecopter to do the giveaway! All those that have entered and your comments are showing below, I will still put your names in no worries! If your comments don't appear please use the rafflecopter! Sorry for the inconvenience!***

 Merry Christmas!! My favourite season is finally here and I am so excited about it. Our shopping is all done and we are ready to back our bags and fly back to the mother land to spend the holiday season with the people we love most! Since we don't leave for a few days I have some spare time and I also wanted to do a little something to give back this Christmas, SO here is what I came up with….

A FREE CUSTOM MADE 

CHRISTMAS/NEWBORN/ENGAGEMENT
/NEW YEARS

 CARD GIVEAWAY!  

So basically any kind of custom card you would like me to make : ) I know it's almost christmas and most of you already have your christmas cards made and sent so I figured I should open it up to all other types of cards! I have tons of great backgrounds, fonts, colours, borders, graphics, and more! I can't wait to make one of you up a fabulous card!

How To Enter:

1. Follow my blogs on Bloglovin HERE

2. Follow me on Instagram HERE

3. Follow Meghan Maxwell Photography on Facebook HERE (look for another giveaway coming here soon!)

4. Share this giveaway on your own Facebook page with a link back to this post

5. Comment below and tell me what your are hoping Santa Claus gets you this year! (if your comment doesn't show up, please email me at meghaneholt@gmail.com or just say you did it in the rafflecopter and I will believe you!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I have been making random cards and things for people over this past year quite a bit and I think I might get into it more and actually start charging people… lol So if you see this and you don't win and still want me to make you a card, let me know!! I would be happy to show you a price list and design something up for you!

I made our very first christmas card this afternoon! Hope you have a very merry christmas and a happy new year!