Awesome & Awesomer....

Photos by the amazing Sarah Marcella Photography

Top: HM all gone (love this one!)

Leggings: HM sold out (love these!)

Chucks: Converse 

Awesome: 
-Finding the perfect duplex to rent.. it's spacious,clean, safe, perfect monthly rent... only to realize it's for an active senior community... why must we let a little thing like age get in the way! I wish I could say that it was the first time that happened... 
- While on the way to work discovering that your jeans that you thought were clean, were in fact sporting food that had spilled on to it from the other day... how long has that been there? I do my laundry... swearsies...
- Myself slipping like Bambi on black ice and I landed on my thumb/wrist area... while I didn't sprain anything my right thumb was complaining the entire time saying "you don't appreciate me enough so now you are going to pay"... good luck holding a coffee mug or tying your shoes... I was controlled by my thumb for days... 
- Realizing that this practically this entire outfit was purchased at H&M.... I might have a problem...
- Google+ comments deciding to throw a fit and not show up on the blog at all randomly... "Hey you Google+ comments? Yeah we are breaking up"... #bloggerproblems 

Awesomer:
-Discovering Amazon Prime... where has this been all my life..
- Sephora's return policy... nuff said..
- Sephora in general...
- My husband in a suit everyday... wowza....
- This picture....
- Being surprised with a day trip to Chico for my birthday.. my husband arranged everything and even had sister and brother in-law there to meet us! I was an amazing day...
- Our best friends having their first child.. gosh... life is too sweet... holy moly...
-Seeing my husband hold that sweet new baby...#babyfever... swoon...

Skincare Routine & Must Haves!

Skincare routine.... by hchdesigns featuring tarte

Philosophy facial cleanser / Tarte bath body product / The Body Shop bath body product / Beauty product / Beauty product, $48 / Eos beauty product

Well it's officially winter and my skin knows it! I have dry skin in general but this winter with the lack of rain.. well it's like the Sahara... I thought I would share with you my absolute favorite skincare products & routine..  For my skin I need moisture like alot of it.. and I need to exfoliate regularly...  Here is my routine.. which mainly happens at night..

1- Wash face with Philosophy Purity facial cleanser.. I like this because it's a basic no nonsense cleanser without all that crap in it..

2-Scrub face with Saint Ives Apricot Scrub.. I adore this stuff.. been using like since forever.. I can't remember maybe 15 or 16? Seriously long time.. I love it because it clears up my skin nicely and exfoliates... in the summertime, I don't exfoliate this often, more like every other day... however this is a new step for me..hello getting older.. so who knows this summer could be different..

Then by this point my ultra staying power eyeliner and waterproof mascara has bled like crazy and I look like something from a scary movie. no lie..

3- With a cotton ball I remove the excess eye makeup with The Body Shop's beautifying oil.. it's like a dry oil, smells amazing.. and seriously gets off everything.. (it's pretty much amazing for anything need moisture, legs, arms, hair).. and it smells like the beach...ahh.. I find that this is great for around the eye area since its a gentle oil...

4- I then moisturize my entire face (including lips) with Egyptian Magic.. this stuff is amazing.. its really thick so I don't recommend using this during the day.. it's perfect for a night cream.. only it's not a cream it's more of the consistency of a lip balm... It has been seriously the best thing for my skin since drinking water.. honestly so amazing.. I put it on at night and wake up to beautiful soft skin... it's all natural and loved by Madonna, Kate Hudson & Rachel Zoe...

Lastly is my must haves... which I listed most of them in in my routine except Tarte's Maracuja Oil.. seriously amazing.. I've used their sample for a week (saving for the big bottle) and it did wonders for my skin! It's anti aging.. score... gives a dewy glow and is perfect mixing with your foundation for a little more moisture.. This is a great daytime oil to prep skin for foundation... also through the day I'll use EOS lip balm which is incredible.. I keep it in my purse... love the stuff.. if you haven't tried it then run to you local Target get sucked in to their amazing deals and then when your standing in line to purchase something fabulous, pick up EOS lip balm, they are always in the checkout aisle...

That's it! If you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear them!

What I Wore: Hat To be Good...

Photos by incredibly talented Sarah Marcella Photography..

Hat- Zulily (similar)

Jacket- Ross

Top- JCP

Leggings- Marshalls (fitness section)

Boots-HM

Clutch- Forever 21 (gift similar)

Watch- Relic (Gift -similar)

Bracelet- Kohls (Gift- Similar)

What is it about wearing a hat that transforms you into another world? I mean.. hat off, fashion blogger who generally laughs at her own jokes and thinks that America's Funniest Home Videos is great TV, which it totally is... Hat on, world traveler philanthropist, that is probably famous for her laugh which resembles Julia Roberts, in my dreams...

Hat purchases are rarely a planned excursion.. Like, "I think I will get out today and go shopping for a hat".. nope nobody does that, more likely you are minding your own business in a store like  F21 and you find yourself wandering into the accessories section and as an act of pure nonsense you throw on the hat as a joke and mention to your friends "hey guys how ridiculous is this?" and then you see your self in the mirror and and you have a moment where you and the hat agree, that maybe it's not a wise purchase or how often you'll even wear the darn thing.. but who cares because "holy crap, I look amazing!"

In other news, I've cracked the code on the whole leggings thang.... So here's the deal we can all agree that leggings are the bomb.com however I've yet to find a pair that isn't too sheer.. yikes.. So what do I do? I do what any 30 something girl would do, I reach for my yoga pants.. yup that's right folks those leggings are meant for exercising... gasp, shock awe... And even though I do exercise (not in these ones) I wear leggings on a regular basis so these guys were sacrificed for the sake of fashion... it had to happen... it was for a good cause.. So, here's my secret, I bought long ankle length fitness leggings for when I'm not wearing boots.. when I am wearing knee high boots I wear these guys, which hit right about the mid calf.. I know, it's kind of ridiculous but really if I'm wearing boots no one will know and I now have the most comfortable leggings (not see through) known to man.. and let's be honest we all wish we could live in our crazy comfortable work out gear anyways... am I right?

P.S. I'm sorry for the lame-sauce pun for the title... sorta..

Fashion Blogger Without Makeup! *gasp*

Ever see those magazine covers where they are shouting "stars without makeup!" Oh no Kim Kardashian without makeup?? What is happening to the world??? I mean really... how is it that we've elevated certain people to a "non human" status... hey y'all... their feet stink just like everyone else...

It got me thinking about us bloggers in the blogger loving world... we adore our fashion, our makeup our DIY projects and of course our lovely #OOTD... but it makes me wonder... I don't want you to compare your life to mine... or gosh even worse I don't want you to think that my life is perfect...
  ..that would never happen I'm way too honest...

So since a picture is worth a 1000 words here it is.. me without makeup...

You want to know something funny, most of my life I grew up thinking I wasn't pretty or photogenic... Some how somewhere along the way we start comparing ourselves to someone who has spent hours in hair & makeup, hired a stylist, professionally photographed & photo-shopped...  The crazy thing is we are all supposed be our own superstar... I learned a few years ago that I'm a beautiful work of art and to think of myself of anything less isn't an accurate perception... 

In this blogger world only seen through the eyes of a camera you are given only a glimpse and that's it...  So I've decided to give you a glimpse of the real world...I've got wrinkles... it's because on Sunday I'll be 32.. woah... Sometimes I get awkward feet when posing for pictures... I almost regularly spill coffee on myself... I've got weight I want to loose and in the morning I wake up with bad breath...  yup.. getting ridiculously real...

Without photo shop, makeup or a stylist... It's important to love ourselves... for the amazing work of art we are... and work on the things that need work, like our attitude, being more generous and making others around us feel loved and appreciated... 

As a blogger and a potential role model I want to inspire two things.. You are amazing & be real... So if any of my fellow bloggers would like to join me.. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Or if you are so inclined do a post on being real... the really real you! If you do I want to know it... tweet me at @HHDesigns on Twitter or just leave a blog comment! You are amazing, brave & you will change the world.. Stay fabulous because you already are!