Self-esteem is vital to a healthy life. When we believe we have worth, we treat ourselves better and others around us better. Dove wants to encourage this mindset through their Self-Esteem Project to help girls build self-esteem, reminding them they’re beautiful the way they are. You can help support Dove’s initiative by shopping your favorite Dove products at Rite Aid. (Plus, you’ll get savings!)

The Dove Self-Esteem project has reached 15 million young lives with its self-esteem education. We see girls in our society who want to revamp their looks. I encourage you to watch Dove’s video, “Change One Thing.” Spread it to help girls realize that they don’t need to change anything about themselves; they are beautiful the way they are. Your repost of this video helps girls and women realize their beauty.

Check out my cute little Tae Kwon Do cutie!  It’s one of my missions in life to teach her about real beauty.  True beauty.  Beauty that is deeper than skin.  Beauty that no amount of make up will every form.

The deal I mentioned: buy $12 in Dove Products from 11/1-28/15 at Rite Aid and earn 400 Plenti Points*. Here are a few items to fill your basket. Dove Deep Moisture Body wash is dermatologist recommended and even provides softer, smoother skin after one shower. The Dove White Beauty Bar hydrates skin better than any other bar with its moisturizing cream making skin feel more firm and elastic compared to ordinary soap.  Dove Intensive Care Shampoo and Condition has Keratin Repair Actives immediately repairs the hair surface ending hair damage. Dove Advanced Care Nourished Beauty Deodorant delivers 48-hour odor and wetness protection plus an elegant floral scent.

Offer: Buy $12 in participating Dove products at Rite Aid and earn 400 Plenti points*. Plenti point offer good from 11/1/15 through 11/28/15. *Plenti is a rewards program. Limit 4 offers per card. Terms and conditions apply, See Plenti.com for details. Offer good from 11/1/15 through 11/28/15.

I love my sweet little girl. I want her to know that she’s beautiful, not by the world’s standards like her features are symmetrical and her button nose is bumped at the right angle. Though she does have many American beauty attributes, I want her to realize that beauty comes in different shapes and sizes. And one day I want her to see that confidence is beautiful.

I think middle school is the place where confidence shys and strays or blossoms and blooms. Remember that young age when you weren’t sure whether your outfit made you look cute, puffy, or like a baby (because who at the age of 12 would be seen dressing like a baby? We were all trying to convince our mothers it was time to shave our legs for heaven’s sake!). Bless the day when we finally figured out that confidence and grace gave us the mature, beautiful look we all desired from Seventeen.

Also as preteens (and teenagers, and college girls, and wives, and moms…), we stood by mirrors and talked about which of the features we didn’t like and expected each other to join in.  While psychology tells us that self-actualization is a part of growing up, it doesn’t seem that women grow out of criticizing ourselves. Last year WOMEN sent over 5MM negative tweets (Twitter alone!) about beauty and body image. For the sake of our next generation, I beg you to start positive trends with me. We can change the flow of verbal self-harm to self-care. We gawk that people have the “audacity” to abuse themselves, but being overly critical of ourselves has the same impact mentally. So I’m going to start a different, positive trend now. I love my hair. I love that it’s thick and strong.

Mainstream media often doesn’t encourage us to promote our natural beauty, but I really appreciate Dove’s message which backs what I want my daughter to believe. (By the way, Dove products at Rite Aid can earn you 300 Plenti points when you buy $12 worth of products now through the 26th of September.  Plus, you can stack coupons to drop the final price even further! But you’ll have to hurry, the current newspaper coupons are set to expire on 9/20.) I wish more companies would support women in this battlefield of the mind.  

Take a few moments and check out their “Speak Beautiful” video.

$50 Giveaway exclusively for my followers on Twitter! 

You will need to Tweet to enter, but don’t let that stop you! You can read the Official Rules here.

Tweet a positive message and tag @Beauty4Moms (me) & @RiteAid, along with the hashtag #SpeakBeautiful.  Good luck!!!

Tweet a positive message to start a trend #speakbeautiful #riteaid and you can win a $50 @riteaid gift card @Beauty4Moms

— Ashley (@Beauty4Moms) September 21, 2015

I’m kicking myself. Recently, I spent a boat-load of money on cosmetics. I’m really happy with my purchases, but not so happy with my bank account. Ok – I’m over my pity party because at least I look haute.

Long story short, I went to Walmart for some supplies, remembered that I was going to be reviewing some make up brushes from Walmart so I strolled down the make up aisle and low and behold what did my eyes spy.  Legit make-up brushes.  I would expect to see these in a fancy pants store.  These babies were NICE. When I looked at the prices (to analyze if Wal-mart still indeed had lowest prices now that they had big-girl make-up brushes) they were true to Wal-mart form – a bargain.
These guys are called the Bold Metal Collection.

Here’s a short review of their features:

• – 100 Arched Powder
  The design has a dome cut to put powders exactly in their place.
• – 101 Triangle Foundation
  The triangle foundation brush is just fun. I’ve always used sponges, so I love that there’s a fancy, soft brush to do the same thing. It contours perfectly on the large and small areas.
• – 200 Oval Shadow
  The fullness of this brush makes lid application blend well.
• – 201 Pointed Crease
  Hello, smoky eye! The pointed crease is perfect for creases.
• – 202 Angled Liner
  Though I’m not a fan of liner brushes, I do like this one.
• – 300 Tapered Blush
  I LOVE blushing my cheeks and the tapered brush was a treat for my rosebuds.
• – 301 Flat Contour
  The thick stubbiness of this brush makes it great for contouring.

One aspect I loved about all the brushes is the weighted handles. You had something to hold onto and could feel the quality. Makes me think twice about the Wal-mart make-up aisle for sure!  I also like how all the brushes are white which is a good visual reminder for me to clean my brushes regularly!

Can I let you all in on my number one tip for better looking make up (besides a good skin care regimen)?

Good make up brushes!  Trust me, high quality make up brushes can make all the difference in the world ladies!

High quality brushes have:

• – Softer or precise bristles
• – Shed less
• – Wash cleaner
• – Last longer
• – Better application!

$100 Walmart Gift Card Giveaway

When it comes to my beauty concerns, nothing is more important than finding products I can feel good about, use every day, and that leave my skin glowing!  That is why I’m excited to share with you about a brand that is new to me, Aqua Beauty.  It’s probably not new to many of you because it’s available at Walmart locations nationwide but I somehow managed to pass it by.  Aqua Beauty has luxurious products without the hefty price tag.

Check out all of their great beauty care products:  

• – Skin Conditioning Cloth Facial Mask – Combats impurities with Vitamin B, marine & tea tree extracts.  Their one time use packs are easy to use, create a fun spa experience at home, and left my skin feeling amazing!

• – Hydrating Body Serum – Improves skin tone and texture with algae & marine extracts.  This has a feature I’ve never seen on a body product before – it has a roller ball applicator!

• – Sea Foaming 2 in 1 Soap and Sponge – Gently cleanses and massages skin with algae extract & sea salt.  I’ve never seen a body sponge like this before and I just love it!  The attached soap even massages you as you wash.

• – Ocean Fresh Salt Scrub + Polishing Glove System – Dual exfoliation reveals younger looking skin with sea sale & marine extracts.  I’ve never tried exfoliating gloves before and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to.  I don’t think my skin has ever felt so smooth! …especially after I added the Hydrating Body Serum afterwards.  Heavenly!
• – Hydrating Cloth Facial Mask – Replenishes dull, dry skin with Vitamin E, aloe, & marine extracts.  This is another one of their one time use masks and I found it to be wonderfully refreshing as well!

Right now by taking your very own Aqua Beauty product quiz you can get a $1 off coupon for Aqua Beauty at Walmart!

I took the quiz, which only took me about 5 seconds, and it gave me their recommended products to address my beauty concerns!

After you take the quiz you can scroll up, click the + sign near any of the products, and click “Save $1” to print your money saving coupon.

YOU CAN WIN AN AQUA BEAUTY SPA KIT!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My skin has become accustomed to being moisturized.  I feel like it aches without it.  No matter what the season or what the weather is, I need a convenient moisturizer on hand.  Here lately, with the unpredictable weather days, my go to (and convenient!) moisturizer is Vaseline Spray Moisturizer which is available at Walgreens.

There are several Vaseline Spray Moisturizers to pick from.  Wondering which is best for your skin?  Go here and enter your zip code to get the current weather in your area.  Once you have that, you can answer a few questions about how your skin is feeling and then voila, you’ll have the perfect Vaseline Spray Moisturizer for you!

Print: $2/1 Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer

#MyTotalBeautyForecast recommended the Vaseline Intensive Care Essential Healing Spray Moisturizer for my rough, not quite ready for warm weather yet skin.  Go get your beauty forecast and if you do you’ll be able to snag a $2 coupon for it…which you can conveniently clip directly to your Balance Rewards card or print from the site.  Sweet!  No matter the weather, you can have a beautifully moisturized skin with Vaseline Spray.