Learning to love

II never understood the whole "pray for those who hurt you" thing. I mean what in the world are you supposed to ask The Father for on their behalf? 

Luke 6:28 says "bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Those are Jesus' words y'all so they must be something serious right? I never got it though. I have sometimes done it though, Out of hopes that The Lord would hear my empty words and reward me. Sort of like the kid who only makes her bed on Friday morning when she's planning on asking for donuts for breakfast... You know, kinda to give mom an extra incentive to reward her?! What? Oh wait I did that too.  ;) 

Empty words and obedience without a heart change aren't what The Lord asks of us though. 1 Samuel 6:7 says "... People look at the outward appearance but The Lord looks at the heart." Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, Declares The Lord" 

Woah y'all. 

So He isn't looking for your empty words, "God please bless that person at work who is so mean to me.." While you're secretly hoping she trips and breaks her little high heels while you sit all self righteous in your desk thinking "she's so mean but I'm a Christian so I'm not as evil and at least I am so obedient and prayed for her...." And you know that person, the one who hurt you big time all those years ago? Yeah that one. He wants you to pray for them too! And not just one of those "Oh Jesus please change their hearts, please help them see what they did." Nope. 

The Lord is asking for a change in us. Not just empty words though y'all. I'm not saying He doesn't honor your obedience because I believe he does, but more than that, when Jesus gave us that command (yes command, not just a suggestion) I believe He wanted more. The Lord is all about some love and I truly believe that He wants us to do something a little crazy and pray for their hurts. My mom always says, "hurt people hurt people." And honestly when she tells me that about someone that's mean to me I'm like, "hhmph! Well at least I'm not the only one hurting!" Awful I know. But the truth is, all of us are. Everyone. 

And once you begin to pray for the hurts of those who hurt you, the chains the of pain and anger they once had over you are broken. So even though it makes no sense, because let's be real, ain't nobody got time to be thinking about their enemies' hurts (this is where the whole "my ways are not your ways" comes in)... Praying for the hurts and lives of those who hurt you, and truly beginning to love them is the only way to be set free from the pain they've caused you. 

So I challenge you today to ask The Lord for a heart change in you towards those that hurt you. You'll be surprised at how much lighter your load is when you decide to let Him help you love them instead. 

xo 

Victoria

Hold my hand

Lately things have been different. My husband is on a new schedule for work which doesn't allow us to see each other as much, my work schedule has been nothing short of unpredictable, and things have just felt off for me lately. Do you ever have those times? You know, when you just can't seem to grasp onto the routine you're so used to, the one you're so comfortable with. I'm not going to lie, it's been rough. My husband, bless his heart, has been sleeping less and doing everything in his power to give me as much of his time that he can. I'm a quality time girl y'all. I need it to feel loved. Isn't he sweet? Yes, I know he's a keeper.

I haven't been spending as much time with The Lord. I feel like there's no time! Sure we have our chats here and there during the day, but no special time like we used to. My schedule is off, it's irregular and sometimes I feel lucky when I'm just able to sleep like I used to. And I mean really, sleep is a pretty silly excuse when you're talking about hanging out with The Lord of all creation.

So things have been off, like I said. And I've been searching for a routine. Searching for some sort of regularity that I can get comfortable with but it hasn't come. On top of all the work schedules, I've got quite a few other things going on that I'm just not sure how to juggle. So time has just been slipping by lately. Sometimes I realize I'm cooking dinner or getting ready for bed and I have no idea where the day went because I haven't really gotten anything done that I wanted to.

I have this devotional I usually read in the morning called "Jesus Calling." I didn't get to it this morning so I planned on giving it a quick glance over before bed. I did and I actually had to read today's entry 3 times and stop for a second after reading it because it spoke so perfectly to what I've been struggling with and it was like a lightbulb finally came on for me.

The Lord wants to hold our hands. He wants us to look to Him. Not just in times when things are going great, or when they're really bad, but every single day. More importantly though, when our routines feel off and we feel like things just aren't working right, he wants us to look to Him. He wants to hold our hand. Because the times where we are uncomfortable and the times we feel off are often the times He is looking for growth from us. These are the times that The Lord is looking for more trust. Trust that we acknowledge that THIS day is the one He has made, trust that through all the chaos, and through all the uncertainty, He is there.

Psalm 91 is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It talks about the fact that The Lord is our refuge and protection even when things all around us look grim and are filled with uncertainty. Verse 4 says "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge." I think it's beautiful to imagine The Lord sweeping us under His wings when we need it.

The best thing, and the thing I honestly think I didn't realize until now is that even when I'm feeling lost and out of sorts, His love remains. Even when it's 9pm and I'm just throwing a pizza in the oven because the day was crazy and I don't have time for anything else, His love remains. And even if that new job of yours is exhausting you, or you've got no idea how you'll make it through the week, His love remains.

So if you're going through a rough patch, and dealing with some uncertainty, I would encourage you to take heart because The Lord doesn't change. And even when things feel off, and nothing is normal, He's there. Take comfort in the constant, unchanging power of His love for you. Because sometimes, it's the only thing that's constant.

xo

Victoria

Bronzers 101

I'm a beauty junkie. Really, I am. Sometimes I think to myself that I need a vanity just for my makeup and hair products. Because the vanity I have is currently home to my overabundance of jewelry. Oh that's really bad. Did I mention I hoard accessories? And by jewelry I don't mean legit diamonds and gold, although there is some of that going on, I mean inappropriate amounts of costume jewelry...I digress, the point is I have lots and lots of hair and beauty products. And ever since I started working at a makeup counter, things have reached a whole new level. sorry husband. But seriously who doesn't love a brand new mascara, or an exciting eye shadow?! I mean makeup can be so fun to change based on your mood! Smoky eyes one day, subtle the next, and then bam! a red lip! 

One of my favorite products, and probably one of the ones I'm most picky about is my bronzer. It's one of the basics and definitely part of what I wear every day.  Let me preface this post by saying that I do not believe in cheap bronzers. I've had wayyyy too many cheap ones that clog my pores and just don't do it for me. So although some of these bronzers to follow aren't cheap, they are good. And they will not make you break out. Also, none of these companies are paying me to recommend these to you. Although I wish they would! ;) Let's talk about a couple of my favorites and then let's talk application! 

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1. Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess ($29)- This is the bronzer that is currently in my makeup bag. It's available at either Sephora or Ulta. So what I love about this bronzer is that first of all, the color is perfect for my skin tone. It's warm without making my skin look dirty. It's available in a few shades so lighter girls, you may want to go one shade lighter. This bronzer also has a luminous finish, which means that it has a bit of iridescence to it. Most of the time, when you say luminous, women get scared for some reason, I guess it's probably a fear of having a glitter face. This definitely isn't that. It has a nice golden pearl like finish to it, which makes your skin nice and glowy! Definitely one of the best bronzers I've tried. 

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2. NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna ($36)- So this one is a bit more on the pricey side but NARS is a great brand y'all. Francois Nars is a really well respected makeup artist in the fashion industry and his entire line of cosmetics is really nice. The pigments are really strong so the colors all can be pretty intense. But he developed a line from a place of understanding what looks good on women and I think it really shows. This bronzer is a favorite of lots of beauty magazines and well respected makeup artists. It also has a luminous finish. The color is intense, like I said, so it's perfect for the times of year when your skin is a bit more tanned. NARS cosmetics are available at Sephora, Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom, Saks, and I think Neiman Marcus.

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3. Bobbi Brown bronzing powder in medium ($38)- So Bobbi Brown is actually a pretty well respected makeup artist that also started her own cosmetics line. She is known for creating really beautiful "natural" makeup looks where the models look like they aren't wearing anything at all. So because of this, her powders are pressed really tightly so when you apply, you get a minimal amount of makeup. This allows you to get nice build-able coverage as well as keep things natural looking. Does that make sense? This particular bronzer isn't luminous (it has more of a matte finish) and doesn't go on heavy so it's great if you're into more of the natural look. I've used this one before and loved it. Bobbi Brown isn't sold in my area though, so I've had to switch. It also comes in a good range of colors so there's one for everyone! Bobbi Brown cosmetics are a little harder to find but I have found them at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Lord and Taylor. 

Now lets talk application. I feel like a lot of women I meet (especially at the counter) are super intimidated by bronzers. And I think it's because they don't know how to apply them. To start things off, let's be clear: Bronzers are not blush and bronzers are not the same as loose/ pressed powder. This means that they aren't meant to be applied the same way either of these two products are. Think of a bronzer as a date with the sun! Bronzers add great color to your face in just the places the sun would kiss you see I told you it's like a date!, such as your forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin. The best way to remember application is to think of applying them in sort of a number 3 figure on each side of your face starting above your eyebrows, going to your cheeks, and finally your chin. You also may want to dust your nose a bit. The key here is to not just use the product like blush, to avoid looking dirty, and also to make sure you don't use it all over your face, like a pressed powder. Bronzers are great for adding a warm wash of color, without being as obvious as say, a blush. Another key to applying bronzer is making sure you use a good brush. Big and fluffy ones work best! Above everything else, keep in mind that makeup application should be fun! There aren't any strict rules so figure out what works best for you. And go try a bronzer if you don't use one already! You might be surprised how much you like it! 

Do you have a favorite bronzer? I'd love to hear all about it! 

xo

Victoria

Five things on a Friday

So pretty much every Friday I have this nerdy Friday song that I sing (don't worry, I don't actually sing a real music note) and a corresponding dance I do (oh you're right, it's not cute at all) because let's be honest, Fridays are the BEST y'all! Aside from the fact that they are the start of the weekend, I feel like the human population as a whole is in a better mood, which makes life fun. Also, you girls probably count down the minutes till you get (hopefully!) a post from me about some of my favorite things for the week! Let's jump right in! 

1. Simply Smooth Hair Treatment- A friend of mine gave me this after she purchased it at a salon and noticed that one of the main ingredients was wheat protein. She has a severe gluten allergy that's nothin to mess with. I totally would have paid her for it, but she wouldn't let me. So aside from the fact that this stuff was free, I'm totally loving it!! You just spritz it on after you wash your hair, and it helps detangle, smooth, and I think it just adds some great overall shine! I love it. And I'm always tryin a new hair product so it's usually pretty hard to convince me! 

2. Henri Bendel bracelet- Ok so this is something very near and dear to my heart. I don't really do souvenirs so on our trip to NYC last year, I picked up this bracelet as my own sort of memento of the trip. It's from Henri Bendel on 5th Avenue, which is a fabulous store and if you haven't heard of it, check out the website. It was definitely more than I would usually spend on something like this, but hey it was NYC and the husband approved! I absolutely adore it and wear it with practically everything. It's the perfect bit of over the top sparkle that I think basically every outfit needs. More is more girls!

3. Chip Skip by OPI- As you all know, I'm obsessed with a fan of doing my nails. The only thing I hate though, is nails that chip after like a day or two! It's the worst! All that hard work and sitting around waiting for them to dry just goes down the tubes! Anyways, this stuff by OPI has totally been a lifesaver! Its basically a base coat before your base coat. And it dries out your nail bed from any excess oil or moisture. This helps the nail polish to adhere better to your nail. It's pretty stinky but I swear it works. This, along with my beloved base coat and a few other tricks I've learned (don't worry, I'll share those later!) has been getting me an average of 6-7 days per polish! It's great! 

4. Chance Eau Frache by Chanel- Chanel makes the best perfume. I know smell is super personal and really varies from person to person so if you go to the mall and smell this one this weekend and hate it, it won't hurt my feelings. But also, please don't tell me because this is my very favorite perfume and it's the one I wore when I met and married (2 of the best days ever!) the man of my dreams. So besides the sentimental value this perfume has to me, I just adore it because I think it smells amazing! It's pricey so I only save it for special occasions but it's the best y'all and I just couldn't get through another 5 things post and not make mention of it. side note: yes, my bottle is almost empty so if you so happen to know my husband, please tell him I'd like some more for my birthday in August! 

5. Denim vest by xhiliration- Yes I did it. I went and bought something so 90s it's fabulous. Guess where I got it?! Target! I know, my shopping there really is becoming a problem. Anyways, I totally love this vest y'all! It's so 90s and bohemian and maybe even a bit edgy all at the same time. I fully plan on living in it all summer and throwing it over any old dress I can! I'm thinking it will be a nice update to that denim shirt I've been wearing the heck out of all season! I know some of you may be skeptical and maybe even a little traumatized by the ones from the 90s that everyone wore with those awful sunflower dresses and hats, but trust me y'all, this vest is so not that! And just to prove it to you, I'll leave you with a picture of me wearing it and two of my dearest friends who are some of my favorite people in the world! 

Have a fabulous weekend y'all! 

xo

Victoria

A love that carries me

When I was a little girl, I learned about Jesus. My parents taught me about Him from a young age and how if I asked Him to, He would live in my heart. Since then, I've always had this image of a cartoon Jesus tucked away in my heart. Sort of like a toy in my pocket. Kinda funny right? Well I guess it's sort of a nice sentiment to imagine that The Lord just hangs out with us, waiting till we need Him, and that's how I always thought of it. My whole life!

Y'all it's so different though. Last night I had a dream. In the dream I was walking. On beaches, through trees, and through all sorts of places. After a while of walking, I said, "Jesus sometimes I forget to carry you with me and I don't want to be that way." And just as clear as day, Jesus said I didn't have to! He said not to worry because the whole point was for Him to carry ME.

Wow.

This dream has been on my mind all morning and I've been praying about it, trying to understand. I know we've all heard the "footprints" poem about The Lord carrying the guy through the tough times. I think it's more than that though, I think what The Lord wants us to know is that he wants His love to carry us into and through the good times too. Because being a follower of Christ requires a complete surrender, a complete change of heart, and most importantly, a complete relinquish of control. When you finally allow The Lord to carry you, things like the direction of your life and where you are going, become out of your control and there's no longer a need to figure them out. And even smaller worries like how your day will go, vanish.

I would just like to challenge you today to just allow The Lord to begin to carry you, not just through the bad times, but through the good times too. I think you will be surprised at how much His love will envelop you if you let it. Because let's face it. That's all he really wants anyways.. To love you.

xo

Victoria

Seeking the King

So the last few Sunday evenings the husband and I have been watching that series "The Bible" on The History Channel. Have you? It's so good. In case you haven't seen it, basically they took The Bible, pulled all the major highlights out and made a series out of it. Each episode is 2 hours long and they run until Easter Sunday. It's really cool and I hope they make it available on DVD because I'd love to own it! 

Anyways, as I've mentioned before, I was raised in a Christian home, and went to church my whole life so most of these stories are pretty familiar to me. I mean I remember David and Goliath and Daniel in the lions den, I learned about them through puppet skits and little cartoon characters on a felt board as a child, and I've heard so many sermons preached on them. I guess that's why I took them for granted for so long and honestly remembered them as the puppet skits and cartoons I first learned them as. Watching this series though has really opened my eyes. God did some really cool stuff. No seriously! And I feel like sometimes we forget. Sometimes we think of Him as this nice big guy in white that lives in the clouds and hangs out until we beg Him enough to do something for us. But guys He's so much more than that! 

Lately The Lord has been challenging me in my prayer life and it's so tough. I was praying the other day, probably going down my list of wants, needs, and wishes and the Lord stopped me in my tracks. Sometimes when He speaks, it's like He's in the room. It's so loud and clear and hard impossible to ignore. He gave me a bit of a challenge and asked me who I thought I was to constantly speak to the Lord as if He were my hand maiden. Woah. 

As believers, sometimes I feel like it's so easy to get caught up in making a "to do" list for the Lord. We spend so much time marking down situations and circumstances that we want the Lord to intervene in. But how much time do we spend actually talking to God like a friend? I'm not saying that He doesn't care about our needs and we should just figure things out ourselves, but I'd like to submit to you that the time we spend asking the Lord for things should be far outweighed by the time we spend seeking Him and just trying to get to know Him. Tough? Yeah I know. But I mean think about it, would you want a friend or a loved one to only communicate with you when they wanted something? I wouldn't. Not at all. Well believe it or not, God is no different. Jesus sacrificed on the cross so that we were no longer indentured servants and could instead come boldly before the throne of the everlasting father. Not just so that we could have His help with things in our lives, But for something more beautiful. Jesus sacrificed so that we could get to know our creator, so that we could fall in love with Him.

There's a Phil Wickham song I love called "Beautiful," listen to it if you get the chance. Anyways, the first line of the song says, 

      "I see your face in every sunrise, the colors of the morning are inside your eyes."

I love it. I'd just like to challenge you today to do less "to do list" reading and more seeking, and taking time to stop more often and just discover the beauty of our King.

xo

Victoria

5 Things on a Friday

So I'm going to be doing these Friday posts a little bit differently than in the past. I know I have kind of used them as an outlet for my randomness once a week, but from now on I'm going to start featuring 5 things I'm currently crushing on. Sometimes these will be fashion or beauty related, and sometimes they won't be, but I hope you enjoy! 

So this week is a pretty eccentric mix of things but y'all should know that I'm also mildly obsessed with everything in the picture above! I mean these fabulous little finds made the first cut, right?! Lets jump right in! 

{starting from the far left side of the picture}

1. Volumizing Lash Powder by Essence- Ok so I told y'all I have an obsession with eyelashes right? I wasn't joking. A friend of mine told me about this "volumizing powder" and I'm pretty sure I brushed her off at first and thought to myself, "she's out of her mind." Sorry friend. BUT thankfully she convinced me let me try it! So here's how it works, its basically a little baby jar of white cotton like fibers that comes with a mascara wand. All you do is put on a thin coat of mascara, then use the wand (not the one from your mascara silly!) to apply some of this powder to your lashes while your mascara is still wet. Then give it a sec and apply mascara again. (side note: it's white so you'll look a little weird but trust me.) Then poof! Your lashes will seriously look fake. No joke! It's the weirdest thing. And the best thing is that this little jar of fabulous only costs $3 at Ulta so you have no excuse not to try it! My asthetician told me that other, more premium brands make something similar and they are upwards of $30!! So yay for this $3 find! 

2. Almond Hand and Nail Butter by The Body Shop- I'm from Texas, where winter (real winter!) doesn't exist. So things like cracking hands, etc aren't really an issue if you use lotion with any sort of regularity. Well things changed for me when I moved up North because let me tell you, extreme cold, washing hands, and then constantly living in super dry, heated environments does a number on your skin. It really does! Mine were cracking, bleeding, and just hurting and looking pretty gross. I found this stuff a couple years back at the Denver airport, and it seriously is the only thing that really works and heals my hands when they're dry! It's super smooth, really thick, and seriously buttery, and it doesn't wear off after just one hand washing! It's a bit pricey (about $20 for the smallest jar-- which is the size I have) but the jars last a good while and it really really works y'all. My mom always said that your hand's will betray your age before your face so I always try to take care of mine, and this stuff has been a life saver!

3. Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt- Ok I know this is random but seriously I have almost finished that huge jar you see there in less than a week. I eat it for breakfast, snacks, and even sometimes dessert! It's a bit more tart than traditional vanilla yogurt but it has less fat and sugar, and wayyy more protien! I just add some granola for crunch and yum!! I'm so hooked. Try it! 

4. High Brow Glow by Benefit- Ok so this is fabulous y'all! It's a chubby little pencil, kinda like an eyeliner that is a gorgeous little champagne/ platinum color used for brow highlighting! What is brow highlighting you say? Well basically it's an old makeup artist trick where you apply white or pearl eye shadow under the arches of your brows to make them appear higher. With the pencil, all you do is apply it directly under the arches of your brows (and then smear it a bit with your fingers) for an instant brow lift! It's great in this super cute, super convenient pencil format! I love it for when I'm doing my makeup on the go... oh wait, I'm always on the go since I'm chronically running late. sshhh! I think I paid maybe $16 or $18 for it and it was totes worth it! 

5. Jesus Calling Daily Devotional by Sarah Young- This is probably the best thing on this list because it has helped me get to a whole new level in my walk with the Lord and my alone time with him. Each day has a "message" of sorts from the Lord. All are based in scripture but they are written in a format where it's more like a letter or love note, instead of your more traditional "thou art..." scripture. Each day is about a paragraph or 3 long and has all the scriptures referenced listed at the end. The main focus of the book is for the reader to learn to live or be challenged to choose to live in a constant state of fellowship with the Lord, which I love because I truly believe that our goals should be more about doing this and not so much about how good we can be. This book is at once encouraging and challenging and if you are looking for a little somethin to suppliment your devotional time or are just looking to get started in the morning prayer department, this is your book. I picked up my copy at Target and it has been something I really look forward to each morning. Time with the Lord in the morning is seriously the only thing that gets me through the day. I'm a total wreck without it.

Well y'all, that's my list! Hope you'll try one (or all!) of these little treasures! Do you have any current crushes to share? I'd love to hear them! 

 I also hope you all have a fabulous, and restful weekend! I will be at the counter all weekend so stop by and see me if you can! 

xo
Victoria