Smelly Melts

Quick Update: This will probably be my last post for a few months. I am having wrist surgery on May 1st. This is a very challenging surgery that will require all my focus. If you want to keep updated on my life please follow me on Instagram @LAURENASHLEYMADSEN.

Thank you for all your love and support! 

Smelly Melts

Handmade by Kimberly Miller

smellymelts@gmail.com

www.mysmellymelts.etsy.com

www.facebook.com/smellymelts

Bordeaux Smelling Peaches and Cream While Burning.

Melted Soy Candle on My Hand

 My Favorite Lip Balm EVER MADE!

My new favorite 100% soy candles & lip balms! I mean how cute are these? They come in Mason Jars! It doesn't get any better! Kim, the owner, is such a doll! She makes great quality products that smell amazing and are long lasting! They are also great for the environment and DO NOT contain toxins or chemicals! A plus for me! My cat even had to jump on the table to get a smell! HE HAS NEVER DONE THAT! I promise you! He is seriously obsessed with Smelly Melts just like his Mommy! Another thing I promise you is that these lip balms are the most amazing thing you will EVER put on your lips! I swear, I will not purchase other lip products from anywhere else. It's seriously like crack to me. I have such dry lips and this feels like I'm putting silk on my lips! I even had the husband test it out and he loves it as well! The silky feeling and the lovely smell totally has us hooked! Oh, and for all my fellow pickle loves she has a DILL PICKLE LIP BALM! I DIE! Is this real life? Dill pickle lip balm! My life is complete! Kim, you are a genius!  Another thing I really like about Smelly Melts is that their candles burn evenly and they last 50% longer than non soy commercial candles. One tea light will burn for 5-6 hours while the largest size candle will burn for 96 hours! I mean, come on! This is amazing. I hate when I spend a crazy amount of money on a new candle and it disappears in a few weeks! Another thing I ABSOLUTELY LOVE about Kim is that she has such a great heart! 10% of all lip balm sales are donated to charity! The dessert lip balm sales are donated to Wounded Warrior Project while Traditional Smelly Melts Lip Balm sales are donated to Feed My Starving Children. You can help donate 1+ meal to a child with every single lip balm purchased! How amazing!? I highly suggest you check out Kim and Smelly Melts! 

If you order, please let her know I sent you! 

xoxo,

LMA

Photographed Above:

Blueberry Cobbler Lip Balm    Clean Cotton Tea Lights      Peaches and Cream 8oz 

Hazelnut Coffee Tea Lights      Blue Spruce 16oz (8oz in photo)

Follow Friday: Tone It Up

DOLLS,

Today we are talking Fitness! 

Working out is a bit difficult for me. I have many diseases that cause a wide spread chronic pain but on the other hand...I need to workout to keep my muscle tight/strong so the joints don't dislocate as often. Really??  Who wants to workout when you don't' feel good? My daily struggle is knowing when to push myself and when to back off and give my body the break it needs. So, for that reason, I do not belong to a gym. I don't think it would be worth spending all that money for only a few days a week! I can do everything at home! 

That brings me to my FOLLOW FRIDAY!

Tone It Up

Tone it up features online coaching from Karena and Katrina plus an entire community of other women looking to get toned, fit, and live a healthy lifestyle! Karena and Katrina, your coaches, will provide you with motivation, recipes, workout videos, and so much more! I really really love Tone It Up for their wonderful videos!  I highly suggest subscribing to the free membership via email and also subscribe to them on Youtube. Below is my all time FAVORITE video from them. It's an arm video that I try to do daily!

Fine Toning Arm Routine

You can also view ALL their videos by clicking below

https://www.youtube.com/user/ToneItUpcom

Do you see why I love them?? Not Only do they have free workout videos but you can also sign up at ToneItUp.com to get free newsletters from Karena & Katrina PLUS free printable workouts, healthy recipes, tips and more! For a monthly fee you can also sign up from the official Tone It Up Nutrition Program. 

To find out more on Tone It Up please visit the website

http://toneitup.com/

Do you use Youtube for workout videos? If so, what video do you love? Comment it down below!

xoxo,

LMA

* I was in no way paid to say any of this. This is just works for my fitness. This may not work for others, Take what you will.

Top 10 SPRING Nail Colors

Happy first day of SPRING! 

In Chicago we unfortunately still have snow on the ground... Sad face... BUT it will not stop me from rocking some of my favorite spring nail colors. Below are my TOP 10. It honestly was VERY hard to choose my top favorites because I just love so many colors! First world problems...I swear!

 Essie Play Date

MY HOLY GRAIL COLOR

 Essie Bikini So Teeny

 Essie Secret Stash

Essie Splash Of Grenadine

Essie Lights

 OPI Mod About You

 OPI Gargantuan Green Grape

 OPI You're Such Budapest

 OPI You Don't Know Jacques!

OPI Elephantastic Pink

Comment below a few of your favorite colors for spring!

I'd love to hear from you!

xoxo,

LMA

Follow Friday: Melsy's Illustrations

Welcome to the first ever FOLLOW FRIDAY! 

Follow Friday is all about ME bringing YOU my favorite Products, Shops, Blogs, Instagrams and so much MORE! 

I am SO excited to announce that Jamel Saliba From Melsy's Illustrations is our FIRST Follow Friday!

Jamel is the owner of Melsy's Illustrations. Melsy's shop sells some of the most darling fashion illustrations around! I absolutely knew once I saw her shop that I needed like 10 of her prints on my wall! Obviously my husband would be a little upset if I got 10 MORE prints with only 6 frames that are already filled, SO, I got one! I would honestly like to get one more! I could totally find the room! Wink ..Wink to the hubby!  Oh, and by the way, not only does she make the cutest prints ready to purchase, but she will also work with you on a CUSTOM illustration! HOW AWESOME. I wish! I mean, how amazing would it be to have a cute skinny little fashion print of yourself! AND you have the option to add GLITTER, SEQUINS, PEARLS, AND SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS. OH MY! Jamel uses Prismacolor pencils and/or high-end watercolors to hand make each beautiful work of art. 

Let's Talk Twenties

This is how I styled my Melsy's Illustration! Obviously this print is stunning on its own BUT I decided to give her a few friends. Hehe. Welcome to the party... OPI, handmade DIY confetti, the WONDERFUL Cupcakes and Cashmere book by Emily Schuman, and a cute little Macaroon trinket from Hattan Home.

Here are a few other fabulous finds I wouldn't mind having in my home via Melsy's Etsy Shop.

CHANEL and Polka Dots,  Pink Peonies, and Fashion Books.

To find more information on Jamels you can:

E-mail her here: melsyillustrations@gmail.com

Visit her shop HERE.

Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

If you buy from Jamel please let her know I sent you! She is honestly one of the sweetest chicks ever! I promise you will be in GOOD hands!

xoxo,

LMA

*ALL OPINION ARE MY OWN. I AM IN NO WAY GETTING PAID TO SAY ANY OF THE ABOVE.

Flower Child

Jeans: Old Navy   Tank: Old Navy   Knit Shrug: ILY

 Head Scarf: Vintage   OPI: Vant to Bite My Neck?

xoxo,

LMA

LOVELACE

 Since the hubby was gone on Valentine's Day we celebrated over the weekend!

This is what I wore! 

xoxo,

LMA

Top: Target    Jeans: Old Navy     Necklace: Jane Ann Jewelry  

V-Neck Tank: Old Navy    Nails: OPI Kiss Me I'm Brazilian

Face: bareMinerals   MAC Cosmetics   Mario Badescu  

Benefit Cosmetics    Urban Decay     Anastasia Beverly Hills

Hair: Rusk    BIOSILK    LUSH

Ring: Custom by DaValle Jewelers

Pink & Mint

Yesterday:

Beanie| Coal Headwear    Cubs Tee| Vintage 

Jeans| Old Navy     Nail Polish| Essie

Giveaway winner announced

The winner has been announced on instagram!

Thank you to everyone who participated and has ever supported this blog. I totally love all of you!

Now subscribe to follow this blog! 

Lstellato/Instagram

Xoxo,
LMA

ManiMonday by LMA Giveaway

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, 

Happy Birthday Dear ManiMonday by LMA,

 Happy 1st Birthday to YOU!

So excited to announce that January 19th is the blogs first birthday! This is so exciting to me! I love birthdays! What better way to celebrate the blogs birthday than to do a giveaway for you all?!  I so appreciate every single persons' love and support during my first year. This had been such a great experience. Like I said yesterday, getting sick was the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with but, I'm so blessed that this crazy journey had lead me HERE! With all of you! So as a BIG thank you I wanted to give you guys some amazing products! 

Here's What you can win:

Here's how to enter:
Follow

Blog

Instagram

&

+ Instagram this picture 

with the #ManiMondayONEgiveaway & @lstellato

ONE ENTRY PER PERSON

Giveaway will be closed on Thursday January 23rd at 12:00 Midnight.

I will announce the winner on Instagram and here at the blog sometime NEXT Friday Jan. 24th. 

Winner should contact me via email ManiMondaybylma@gmail.com

If winner doesn't claim their prize within 48 hours of being announced a new winner will be chosen.

Let me know what prize you would most enjoy winning by commenting below.

Thank you for your support & GOOD LUCK!

xoxo,

LMA

* all prize items were purchased by me. Everything is new and never used. The winner will be announce by name and @instagram name. 

(EXAMPLE: The winner is Lauren Stellato @lstellato). 

 The winners personal contact info will not be shared on any social media. I will be shipping the prize package myself. Obviously info will be shared with the post office. :) 

Free shipping on this giveaway.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

HEY!

First thing, SORRY I have been gone! My Internet had been down for weeks and it has been a disaster. Not the first time this has happened and it wont be the last. Working on getting it fixed but I am having problems with our Internet company. They are estimating it will be fixed in the spring but for now we are in the clear. Fingers crossed!  I just wanted to clear that up. Now lets talk fun stuff.

ManiMonday by LMA GIVEAWAY

January 19th is the blogs first birthday! In honor of this I will be doing a great giveaway.

One lucky person will win 7 great prizes! I have purchased all of these prizes myself as a THANK YOU to anyone and everyone who supports the blog! I never ever thought I would been here if you asked me years ago. I thought I would be teaching my entire life. This is something I have always wanted to do. I'm so blessed my life has taken me down this crazy path! Being sick has been one of the hardest things I have EVER had to deal with but I have had SO many blessings along the way! I would never trade it for the world because it got me here... doing what I love! See, being a beauty school drop out isn't all that bad! HEHE!

 (ps. I had to drop out because I broke my wrist twice and had to have surgery. It was the start of me getting sick)

Tomorrow will be the start of the giveaway! I will post the rules as well as photos of all the prizes here and on social media! Everyone is welcome to participate!!

PLEASE share the giveaway with friends and family!

xoxo,

LMA