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How We Wore It// May Edition

I'm back for another month of How We Wore It. I love getting to personalize an outfit and see how all the other amazing women personalized it as well. I was so excited when I saw this outfit because I knew that I had two similar pieces in my capsule wardrobe!



So here's my interpretation of the outfit from my very own closet....






Now click through these links & check out some of my favorite bloggers!


Brooke at Silver Lining
Deidre at Deidre Emme
Sierra at Sierra's View
Brooklyn at A Little Too Jolley
Laura at Sincerely, Laura
Kaycie at Redhead Memories 
Kyla at FordOlogy
Ashley at Absolutely Ashley
Tayler at The Morrell Tale
Bonnie at Life of Bon


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Help for the Homeless

"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

Matthew 19:24 (KJV)

Yikes. As Colten and I have been evaluating our financial situation lately we realized how well off we are financially. It's just the simple truth. We make a really good amount of money and we have definitely not been doing enough giving for how much receiving we've been doing. The Bible also says however that it is not HAVING money that makes you evil, rather the LOVE of money. So we've been evaluating our generosity, and seeing where we can do more. One of my goals on my dream board is to get to the point in our lives where we donate 50% of our income. Wouldn't that be amazing??

The first thing I did was vow to live in a Capsule Wardrobe, and only buy clothes when I absolutely need to. You can read all about that HERE.



And today I wanted to share a few ways that you and I can GIVE to a local homeless shelter in Salt Lake City, UT. The Road Home. Even if you aren't local, there are a few easy ways to give!


1. Register your Smith's Rewards Card. 
Under Community Rewards, select The Road Home and with each Smith's purchase you make, they will donate to the shelter.

2. Amazon Smile.
 With each eligible purchase, Amazon will donate .5% of the price to The Road Home (or another charity of your choice). That might not sound like a ton, but anything helps!

3. Sign up to provide sack lunches to the 60-180 preschoolers they provide for.
The Road Home has preschool for children who need it, and these children need to eat lunch. You can choose a 60 day or a 180 day and prepare and provide the lunches for these children. Use the link above to sign up for a specific day. Contact The Road Home for more info.

4. Local In Kind Donations.

Colten and I are planning on doing this in the next few weeks for date night. Spend the $$ you'd normally spend on date night (or a little extra!) and pick up a few items off this list. There are restricted items so make sure to see what they need so your donation will go far. Socks, underwear, pillows, blankets, etc.

5. Palmer Court Donations
Palmer Court is a permanent supportive housing development in Salt Lake City. Use the link to see the items these families need to help get settled into their new home.

6. Give a Cash Donation.
Let them choose where to put the $$. So easy, donate the cost of today's coffee/fast food meal now!



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What's In My Shower- Hair Products I Love!

I've been what I consider a "hair product tester" for a long time. I've never stuck with one specific shampoo/conditioner for more than a bottle. I just really enjoy trying new things. But now, I'm a changed woman. 

I've been using the same products over and over in my shower! I have been re-purchasing  products which is SO unlike me. So I'm here today to tell you exactly what's in my shower. 

Shampoo: 
I trade off between...

 

UNITE Blonda Shampoo-read my raving review HERE
Pureology Hydrate Shampoo


Conditioner: 
My hair is so fragile and processed that I NEVER use regular conditioner. I deep condition every time! I switch off between these 3.


   

UNITE Luxury Intense Mask
UNITE Moisturizing Repair Treatment 
Pureology HydraCure Intense Moisture Hair Masque 

OLAPLEX!!




One of the perks of being a licensed cosmetologist is this huge thing of Olaplex I keep in my shower. I use generously every shower and my hair is looking and feeling amazing. You can buy the No. 3 even if you are a not a licensed stylist but No. 2 is reserved for stylists only. The good news is the No. 3 is the exact same ingredient as the No. 2 just a smaller percentage of the active ingredient. I promise you will see a difference in your hair even with the No. 3. And if you want the benefits of the No.1 & 2 let me know and we'll do a full Olaplex treatment on you!


They recommend 1X a week, but unlike protein treatments you can't overuse Olaplex. So I use it every time I shower, I mean, I flat iron my hair every other day, so why wouldn't I rebuild those disulfide bonds every other day?? 


As you can see I'm obsessed with UNITE, Pureology and Olaplex. Though they air on the pricier side of salon products, they are so worth it! Julianne Hough, Nina Dobrev and Selena Gomez all use UNITE which was reason enough for me to try the line, they all have amazing hair. I don't know how I lived without Olaplex. And Pureology is like a spa treatment in a bottle.

If you're going to try any of these products, PLEASE please please please PLEASE buy from a reputable source. Amazon is not a reputable place to buy salon quality products. Amazon salon products are likely old, watered down, or fake. Please email me brooklynjolley@hotmail.com and I will help you find out the best place for you to buy based on your area. Everyone deserves happy, healthy hair!

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31

I should've taken a before picture, but suffice to say I basically covered the floor of a spare bedroom with hangers and clothes I haven't worn in months. Too tight, too big (#typicalnewlywedweightchange), too short, too hot, too sheer, why did I buy this. Maybe you're nodding your head because you understand. My closet was a hot mess of clothes I bought on a whim. Maybe I'm purposefully not showing you the amount of clothes I own because I'm embarrassed by it. (I am.) 

Then I started reading about Capsule Wardrobes on Un-Fancy and I became obsessed. It led me to evaluate my feelings about clothes, about what I wear, and why I buy what I buy. I don't even dare calculate how much I've spent on clothes in the past year, it probably would make me sick. I'm ready for a change.


This is my closet as of last night. 31 pieces including shoes. I'm obsessed. It's basically all the things I wear over and over anyway, and I sighed a sigh of relief when I realized I have SO many things I already love. 31 feels generous. I only have to wear each top twice this month if I choose... so yeah, pretty ridiculously generous. And I'm not even donating the clothes in the spare bedroom for awhile just to make sure I'm fully committed. But my heart feels so committed I can't imagine going back. 

I've been re-reading 7: An Experiemental Mutiny Against Excess. Oh how this book speaks to my heart...

"I'm not sure 'I think you're stupid,' is in the same category as 'I'm going to kill you' as far as spiritual backlash goes. But it does forge a sense of solidarity with Jesus as he was always misunderstood for his counter-cultural ideas.

The least shall be greatest.
Blessed are the meek. 
Humble yourself like a child. 
Sell all your things to give to the poor.

I can't imagine these were popular ideas either. I'm sure Jesus got the 'I thought you were normal but now I see I was plainly wrong' face plenty of times. He seriously knew how to thin out a crowd. He always gunned for less, reduced, simplified. He was the most fully and completely unselfish, ungreedy, unpretentious man ever to live, and I just want to be more like Him. It's as simple and hard as that." 

Do I really think paring down my closet and wearing less will make me more like the Savior? Truthfully? Yes. I find myself getting slogged down in the materialism that is so easily set before us. We make more, we spend more. We want more. We want new. We want in style. We want the 2016 model not our 2015 version that is 'so last year'. I fall for it. Over and over, every day.

And when I get dressed each morning from my simplified closet I'm reminding myself that Jesus probably didn't spare a thought on whether or not his clothes were trendy or flawless. He was too busy serving. I look at my closet of 31 items I adore and remind myself how blessed I am to have so much abundance. I'm asking myself how I can be more like the Savior. I'm asking what I can do today to build His kingdom. It's really as simple and hard as that. 

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