My Personal R+F Results

You guys! As you know, I started my own skincare business with Rodan + Fields back in January. At that time, I also started to use the products the way they are intended to be used: Twice a day, in the right order.

Although I've been using the products for a couple of years, I as really not using them in a way that one should expect to get results. In other words, I might wash my face and use moisturizer, but not tone, or I might just skip all the steps before bed.

In any case, when I started as a consultant, I knew I needed to become a product of the product. In my business kit, I got two regimens: REDEFINE, which targets firmness, enlarged pores, wrinkles and expression lines, and REVERSE, which targets dark marks, dullness and sun damage. In addition to my two regimens, I use our Multi-Function Eye Cream and our Microdermabrasion Paste to exfoliate a few times each week.

I started using my regimens on January 14, 2016. I use REVERSE in the morning, and REDEFINE at night. I use the eye cream both morning and evening before bed. I knew I was seeing great results about halfway in. I had melasma from when I was pregnant, and also a lot of freckles and dark marks on my face and nose from years of not using SPF.

I've always felt that I have nice skin. I don't get acne very often, I don't have to wear a lot of makeup, I don't get really oily, etc. I thought my freckles were cute. I was more surprised than anyone when I took my "after" photos this month. I couldn't believe what I saw!

My face looks so much brighter and refreshed! My melasma and sun damage is not completely gone, but it looks SO much better, and though I have some progress to be made with wrinkles around my mouth, forehead and eyes, I really think those have improved, also. Even my eyes have seen great improvement in terms of my dark circles, puffiness and crows feet.

I'm to a point where I can go without concealer under my eyes or anywhere else on my face. And I use our Mineral Peptides Powder, which has patent-pending RFp3 technology, SPF 20 and protects the skin against environmental aggressors and irritants, while light deflecting minerals immediately even skin tone and reduce redness.

Even though it may seem like I use a lot of products, it really is not very time consuming. It takes me about 5 minutes in the morning to wash, tone and moisturize my face and apply eye cream. And my nighttime routine is just a few minutes longer because I use the Redefine wash as a mask.

I always tell my customers to make sure they take a "before" picture, not so they do something with them, but just to have something to compare to after they've used our products for 30, 60 or 90 days. It's hard to notice changes in ourselves sometimes.



I would love to help you with your skin - either by helping to treat a current concern you have, or to prevent concerns! No matter how good your skin looks now, you still need to treat it nicely and protect it. Why wait until you have wrinkles or sun damage or anything else? Let's stop it before it starts! Take our FREE solutions tool and see what's recommended for you: http://bit.ly/RZFarrellSolutionsTool.

I'd love to know what you currently use for your skincare routine!

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Liam {15 Months}

I have really been terrible at blogging the past few weeks. Sorry about that. I've got a few posts in the works, but can't seem to find my writing MoJo lately. Even my Bachelor posts were hard to write at the end.

I thought a great way to get back to it would be to give a Liam update! Because who doesn't love Liam updates?! I actually have a lot of Liam updating to do. Since I stopped doing monthly updates when he turned the big ONE (I don't even think I did a 12-month update), I thought now would be a good time to post some recent pictures and share a little about what he's up to (Hint: EVERYTHING). I'll have to do a whole post altogether with his 1-year photos, and about 10 posts with just cute pictures. You know, the important stuff. ;)

Always flipping the bird, this kid.

It's so crazy how when they turn 1, they seem to go from baby to toddler overnight. All of the sudden these helpless babies turn into walking, talking toddlers. I feel like I have said it every month, but truly, every month with Liam gets more fun as he gets older. He is super verbal, active and he is just such a sweet, happy kid.

Stats

Liam's got his 15-month well checkup next week, but during our (many) doctor's visits last week, he clocked in at 33 inches, and 24 pounds. So he's getting taller, and maintaining weight despite how much more eats! I think it has to do with how active he is (aka, he is ALWAYS moving).

New Milestones & Skills

• So many teeth! He's got at least 10-12 teeth in there now, and his molars are on the way! I will not be sad to see the teething phase of life go.

• Walking/Running: He was zombie walking and wobbly around 1, but WOW is it amazing how fast they pick it up. These days he runs/trots everywhere and gives me heart attacks every day because he can't seem to figure out how to avoid corners and walls, and he is constantly face planting.
• Climbing: He climbs on to our ottoman/coffee table with ease, as well as the pouf in his room and pretty much any surface off the floor. See above re: heart attacks.
• Opens doors: Like, literally is tall enough to reach our door handles in the house and open. We don't have traditional door knobs, but we have the lever-type handles, so we're not quite sure how to childproof these. For now, we keep the doors locked at all times (including the oven door).
• Makes different facial expressions: He just learned to "smile" when I ask him to, and he also likes to experiment with different faces like furrowing his eyebrows when he's mad or making a sad face. All faces are the cutest. :)

• Imitates: He is very into repeating what he sees us doing, especially around the house. This includes brushing our teeth and hair, throwing trash away, picking up toys, putting things in the dishwasher, cooking, etc. He is into it all and we love letting him help and experience with new activities!
• Master of animal sounds: Name an animal, any animal, and there is a 95% chance that Liam knows and will tell you what sound it makes. 
• Hugging & Kissing: He will give you both if you ask him super sweetly. When he blows kisses, it's accompanied by an audible MWAH!
• Tantrums! Oh boy, the tantrums. We don't get then ALL the time, but they are frequent and always over silly stuff. Thankfully, he can be easily distracted, and we just try to explain why we aren't letting him do something. He's not a stranger to timeouts, and we also like to explain his choices and hope he makes the right choice! 

Words

Liam is super verbal! He's at an age where he will repeat anything we ask him to say. Most things come out as "Ba," or "Ca," but he does get some discernible syllables in there pretty often. I used to always wonder how the hell other women could understand their children when it just sounded like babble to me, and now I know! 

Whispering sweet nothings :)

It's also interesting to me that even though he can't communicate perfectly with words, he understands everything we say to him. We can ask him to put something away or tell him what room something is in, and he does it, and then communicate either by trying to repeat what we said or pointing, etc.

Some words in his repertoire: Hi, bye, mama, dada, Addy, cheers, paci, no, yeah, that, car, bath

Likes

• Animals - He's always liked animals, but it's reached a new level. We have countless books about animals, and his absolute favorite is a National Geographic book for kid all about animals. We look at it at least 5 times a day. He even hugs the animals in the book! There's also a channel that has 30 minute segments dedicated to individual animals, he just loves them.

At the zoo with a hippo!

• Books- We have at least 50 books in our house. He has us read them to him, and he reads them alone. :) 

• Running- Why walk when you can run? (And fall every.single.time?)
• Being outside - He knows what it means now when we say we're going in the car or on a walk and is super anxious to get his shoes/socks/coat on, and GO! There are usually tears when we come inside.
• Addy- Every time he sees our dog, he says "Hi Addy," with a wave, and he gives her hugs at least 10 times a day. He will also wag his finger and say, "No, no, no!" when Addy tries to take his food. :)

• Snacks - He is will aware where the snack cabinet is, and goes there every day asking for "bears" (Teddy Grahams) or "ca" (cookie and/or cracker). 

• Chewing on everything (books, wood, tissues, etc) - I joke with my husband that Liam has PICA disorder (you know, where they eat things that are not food). But seriously! We've had to throw away books because Liam will have taken bites out of the cardboard! He also likes to naw on wood, and put toilet paper in his mouth. {monkey covering eyes emoji}

• Cleaning: A boy after my own heart. We give him a wet paper towel and he wipes his hands and faces, then wipes the surface he's eating on. Also loves helping me Swiffer. :) 
• Timeouts: At our 12-month appointment, the doctor told us it was fine to do 1 minute timeouts in his crib, so we do. Usually when he is really not listening and we know he's doing it on purpose (aka, when he dangles handfuls of food over the side of his chair and looks us in the eye while we tell him no thank you, and then does it anyway). Anyway, he finds timeouts to be hysterical and just laughs while he's in there, so those are working out well for us. ;)

Dislikes

• Changing table - Yes, still.
• Sitting still for too long - Meal times are a little more challenging, but we have to have a lot of tricks up our sleeves when we go out in public! Usually at some point, one of us has to get up and walk around with him.
• Mom - Just kidding. But he's in a major daddy phase (still) and some days, he does act like he doesn't like me. (Full blog coming soon...)

Eating
We say goodbye to bottles in January and now Liam eats just like the rest of us, plus water and whole milk throughout the day. He loves most every food, and usually prefers healthy food to anything not "healthy" (like bar food). He loves his snacks!

Sleeping
Still sleeping from about 7:30pm to 7:00/7:30am, thankfully! We go through some rough patches with teething and sickness, but mostly he is a champion sleeper and napper, and OH how that makes a difference.

This phase of life is too much fun!

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Final Thoughts on The Final Rose

At long last, this season of The Bachelor has finally come to end. We laughed, we cried, we cringed and at the end, we threw things at the television, because as my mother so eloquently put it:

I think we all knew that Ben was going to choose Lauren, but we didn't want to believe it. And I will say, a part of me watching him with JoJo thought that maybe, just MAYBE he would do the right thing and choose her.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. When we left off, Ben had dropped the L bomb—to both of his leading ladies. This week, he wasn't shy with continuing to say "I love you"—again, to BOTH ladies.

Even Ben's mother was disturbed that her son was in love with two people. In fact, as we find out, the only person who didn't seem to be disturbed by this fact is Ben's new fiance, Lauren. Again, I'm ahead of myself.

But look, Ben chose his lady, Lauren and JoJo is our next Bachelorette.

(Thank God. I wouldn't have watched if it was Caila.)

THOUGHTS:

**JoJo might as well have considered herself done when she showed up with a shell as a gift...especially after Lauren had just showered his parents with wine and gorgeous flowers.

**Ben's parents claim Lauren is "polished." I beg to differ, especially when she declares such things as, "Getting married is a big commitment to me. Like, BIG." Similar to her later declaration that was akin to, ""If tonight was my last night with Ben I don't know what I'd do." DEEP.

**I wonder how Lauren feels knowing that Ben's parents were more Team JoJo? I also wonder if JoJo told them that her mom would chug champagne with them straight from the bottle at the wedding?

**The After the Final Rose was bullshit for more than one reason:

1. Showing both families backstage kind of spoiled the show, did it not? For one thing, JoJo's brothers weren't there, and I interpreted that as "they don't want to kick Ben's ass on TV." Plus, her family didn't look as happy as Lauren's did...I don't know, maybe I read into that.
2. JoJo and Ben's interaction also made it REALLY clear that she was going to be the next Bachelorette. She was way too nice and positive, which she had to be. We can't have our new Bachelorette crying about her breakup right before she has 25 men go after her, right?
3. The pastor....just...what??

**Shame on Ben for letting JoJo pour her heart out, telling her loves her one last time for good measure—and then telling her that basically he just loves someone else a little more.

**JoJo's dress was everything.

**Kudos to JoJo for giving Ben a little of her feisty side with just the right amount of shock and sadness. In that moment, Ben probably felt the Earth shift across America as everyone started to hate him. If he felt unlovable before, I'd love to know how he feels now!

**Did anyone else feel like Lauren looked bored when Ben was professing his love for her? She barely cracked a smile until he was on one knee!

Cheers to being able to see more of JoJo and her mom next season!

What did you guys think of Ben and his choice?

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Mama Moment #2: Monkey See, Monkey Do

At 14 months, Liam is currently obsessed with doing everything we do. He wants to eat what we eat, drink what we drink (No, honey, this is Mommy's juice!), do what we do.

And it's adorable.

He helps take out the trash. He feeds us dinner. He puts away his clothes. And lately, he is SUPER into brushing his teeth and brushing his hair, as well as mine.

We have his little banana toothbrush that he uses, but when he sees us brushing our teeth in the morning, he now insists on using an adult toothbrush (we used a spare). We lift him up so he can put the brush under the faucet, and he then "brushes his teeth." AKA, he sucks water off the toothbrush. 

He does about 5-6 rounds of this before he sees me brushing my hair, and then he wants to brush my hair for me. How sweet is that?

And then he likes to go into brushing my teeth for me :)

My sweet little helper boy. Let's hope getting him to commit to hygiene is always this easy!

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Got Wrinkles? Not Anymore!

So, now that you've learned a little bit about what R+F is about, let's get into the products!

As I said, each regimen is designed to target a specific skin-related concern (aging skin, acne, sensitive skin and sun damage). All of the products are based on the Multi-Med Therapy philosophy of combining the right ingredients, in the right formulations, and using them in the right way to achieve REAL BENEFITS.

The first regimen I want to highlight is a customer favorite: REDEFINE! Why is it a favorite? Because everyone is aging, and this regimen helps turn back time.

REDEFINE is formulated to help defend against and reduce the visible signs of aging for noticeably firmer, smoother, flawless-looking skin. It comes with four full-size products: Daily Cleansing Mask, Pore Minimizing Toner, Triple Defense Treatment SPF 30, and Overnight Restorative Cream.

The cleanser is an exfoliating kaolin clay-based mask that you gently message with wet fingers into dry skin, then leave on for two minutes or so until it dries, and rinse off. Step two is the toner, which tightens and minimizes pores and, and as step three, you use the SPF in the morning, and overnight cream in the evening, both of which are SUPER hydrating and light on the skin.

In a third party clinical test, users of REDEFINE found:

*100% of people saw an improvement in the texture of their skin
*91% said their skin looked more radiant
*90% thought their skin was smoother
*80% said they had fewer fine lines
*80% noticed their pores appeared smaller
*80% said they have fewer wrinkles and more elasticity
*78% had a more even skin tone
*76% had fewer brown spots

REDEFINE works amazingly well with our two tools, the AMP MD Roller and our Macro Exfoliator (more info to come on those in a separate post). If you're interested in pricing,  let me know! I can get you 10% off and free shipping. 

Enjoy more of these amazing results!

What do you think?! Amazing, right? If you're not sure what regimen would be right for you, take 1 minute to use our solutions tool. Email yourself the results and I'll get a copy and can help customize a regimen just for you!

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This Week on The Bachelor: I Love You Gate

At long last, we are down to everyone's favorite episode: The one with all the sex.

And this season, with sex also comes LOVE, except for one poor gal who instead of an I love you got awkward silence and heartbreak.

So let's start there.

Caila's up first first. The first portion is a total snooze, as we basically watch Ben and Caila float down a river in silence, while a voiceover from Caila talks about how her head's not in it because she's worrying about other the two girls. Foreshadowing at its finest.

Can we pause for one second, and also talk about how Ben says that he and Caila have the deepest relationship of all the ladies? So...just so we're clear: Caila, the girl he also identifies as "smiley" and complains that she's not opening up...is the one he is closest with. Right...

Ben doesn't get what's got Caila's tongue (it's not him, at least not yet). I don't know, Ben! I'm going to guess it's the very premise of the show that's got Caila down because she knows she's got a good chance of getting dumped this week on national television.

Later that night, Caila fills the awkward silence by telling Ben she loves him, to which he responds with an open mouth kiss and invitation to sleep in his bed that night. Caila the sex panther eagerly agrees and viewers are given a gratuitous shot of 1 million fireworks. We get it...fireworks=SEX!

Caila's cool with the fact that Ben can't say I love you back (little does she know...) because she can smell it on his breath. What wait? That's Olivia level of stupidity, Caila. You're better than that.

I still don't buy Caila. She's full of well-thought out, fully formed sentences and platitudes, and nobody is that full of smiles, giggles and perfection. She even wakes up from the overnight date literally looking like the poster child for #iwokeuplikethis.

Up for Sloppy Seconds is Lauren B. I don't even really need to go on because seriously: IT COULDN'T BE MORE OBVIOUS THAT HE PICKS LAUREN B! Anyway: Ben and Lauren set some turtles free into the ocean, and that was pretty cute, but I felt kinda sad because it seems like they were setting them free only to kill them.

Lauren is super nervous to tell Ben that she loves him. Terrified times about 1million, to be certain, but when she does utter those three little words, he says HE LOVES HER, TOO! Not just a regular, "I love you, too." He says that he's loved her for a while. YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT, BEN! But he does—over and over and over again. And then she laughs/cries and they cuddle and talk about how much they love each other and even though it's super cheesy, it kind of makes me melt.

Cut to gratuitous shot of Lauren B's dress crumpled on the floor. We get it...crumpled dress + I love you=SEX!

And instead of a generic compliment about looking beautiful in the morning, Ben thinks it would be fun to "play house" with Lauren. They're getting married, guys. FO SHO. Because Lauren loves Ben, and Ben loves Lauren.

Once again, we save the best for last: JoJo. So, it must be said: Ben starts off this date basically saying that his choice is this: Figure out if he loves JoJo or send her home. He doesn't want to send to her home, so what's the choice? Hey, JoJo, I love you, too! I'm getting ahead of myself.

After a lovely afternoon of jumping in waterfalls, JoJo musters up the courage to tell Ben through tears that she loves him. And in response, he says...HE LOVES HER, TOO!

I remind you...you're not supposed to say that, Ben. Not to one woman and DEFINITELY not to two.

JoJo's reaction to his declaration was priceless. "What?" she whispers. "Are you allowed to say that?"
No, JoJo, he's not.

These girls know what's up. They've watched the show. They know that it's not "allowed" for the lead to say how they're feeling until the final rose. So when each one hears, "I love you" multiple times, no wonder they were confident in their relationship.

Anyway, back to JoJo. As they tell each other how much they love each other, Ben tells her he's a little worried about her crazy ass brothers and she kind of apologizes, telling him that she wishes she could have stood up for him. I'm confused why she couldn't?

Ben doesn't care about all that because HELLO, he loves her! Cue gratuitous shot of Ben and JoJo on the bed in their underwear swimsuits. We get it...two nearly naked people + I love you=SEX!

OK, so, to recap: Ben loves two women and Caila's going home. But, because Bachelor producers are scum of the Earth, someone tells Caila it'd be a great idea to surprise Ben at his hotel room to remind him how much she loves him and how little he loves her in return.

Exhibit #1039842734 why I can't stand Caila: The way she jumped and frolicked around Ben's hotel room, giggling and nibbling on her fingers as she wondered where Ben art thou. And when she "found him" outside, contemplating how he was going to break up with her, it was all I could do to not scream,"SURPRISE, YOU'RE DUMPED!"

And she was.

For the first time this season, Caila shows a slight semblance to a real human with real emotions and accuses Ben of feeding her a line and insisting he doesn't have to flatter her. "I'm just gonna go," Caila says. I don't think you have a choice, honey.

But WAIT! In one last act of desperation, Caila jumps out of the limo and wants to know when Ben knew he didn't love her. In other words: Was it before or after you fucked me, and then two other women, Ben?

Somewhat pacified by Ben's response that it was AFTER they boned, Caila buckles up for safety and drives away. Dry your tears, Caila girl. I have a feeling you'll have 25+ men vying for your heart in no time. And when you do, I will not blog about it because you bore me.

Rose ceremony time, and obviously we know the outcome. JoJo and Lauren both tell Chris that they are in love—as in, each of them, mutually, with Ben—and so they are confident, and Ben and his sister wives live happily after after.

"I told Ben I'm in love with him and he said it back." Hm, where has @chrisbharrison heard this before? #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/MOVSJAJd1R

— Us Weekly (@usweekly) March 1, 2016

Final thoughts: As much as I love JoJo, I think she's too strong for Ben. What makes me the most mad is that she most likely won't be able to be The Bachelorette because she's final two. Which leaves us with Caila. Wamp wamp.

Next week: The Women Tell All, and that means OLIVIA is back!

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