What we learned from getting ready every day for a month

Whew! Turns out there are 95 days in January, or at least it felt like it. This was a long month and a long challenge, but we are so proud of ourselves for finishing it. Thanks to all of you who joined in, you made it way more fun! It sounded like the most simple idea – just get ready every day. Turns out, sweats and leggings were super tempting many days. Waking up and seeing others take part in the challenge kept us going until the end!

Here are some snapshots of the past month…

We love the words of Katrina Lake, founder of StitchFix:

“Every day, every one of us sets the stage for our sentiment, our confidence, and our success by getting dressed. When you feel great, when you feel your best, it opens up a world of possibility. Feeling confident and self-assured are important inputs into good days, successful days, and happy days.”

Making the effort to actually get ready was definitely deliberate and purposeful.

We ended up learning a few things:

We were WAY more productive. This was the whole reason we decided to give it a try. Studies have proven (read more here) that you get more done when you get dressed and ready for the day. Well, it turns out they are right! You are ready for anything and you get stuff done.
We took fewer naps. It’s just harder to nap when you’re wearing jeans rather than sweats 🙂 But, truly getting ready for some reason I felt less tired when I was getting the same amount of (not much) sleep.
I felt more confident. Sounds dumb, but putting on an outfit I like, doing my hair and makeup and feeling put together made me feel better about myself. It was a reminder that taking pride in your appearance requires taking care of yourself.
I wore clothes I haven’t in years. Turns out I actually have plenty of clothes to wear, they were just hidden in the back of my closet collecting dust.
I cleaned out my closet! I also realized there are clothes in my closet I am just never wearing again, which meant I got rid of them. I narrowed it down to clothes I actually want to wear and either donated or posted the rest on Poshmark.
I got organized. Planning my outfit the night before made a huge difference. That way, I could think about it for a little while after the baby went to sleep rather than running around in the morning grabbing whatever I saw first.
Done is better than none. There were quite a few snow days and a couple sick days when I really didn’t want to get dressed. So I pulled on my coziest “get ready” clothes and called it a day.
Getting ready made me want to make plans more often. When you’re ready, you feel like you need somewhere to go, so I actually did that and it’s made this month so much more exciting.
Realized monthly goals make a lot of sense. They are easy to stick with because the endpoint seems so much closer. Which is why we decided to make a monthly goal for the rest of 2019. Stay tuned to see what our goal is for February!

Steal or Splurge: $50 vs. $10 Face Tanning Drops

If you go to your local Ulta store and look for face tanning drops, you will be hard pressed to find them. That’s because they are sold out! The Tan Luxe Illuminating Face Tanning Drops have become a huge hit and are now basically only available online. It’s because they actually work. Which is great, except for the $50 price tag. We found out that Ulta created their own version of the drops and decided it was time to compare the two.

What the tanning drops have in common:

Same oil in a dropper formula and bottle
You combine the drops with your moisturizer each night before bed
Easy to apply
No streaks or weird splotches, the color goes on very evenly
Does not cause breakouts

Tan Luxe Pros:

Very concentrated, you only need 1-2 drops
It lasts a very long time, even if you use it every single night
No foul smell
It works! You wake up with a face that has natural color and looks like you got a great spray tan

Ulta Tanning Drops Pros:

The price! $10!
No foul smell
Very subtle color, natural looking

We’ve been using both for several weeks and can honestly say they both work! So, some advice. If you are just dipping your toe into the world of self tanners, we suggest trying the Ulta brand. If you are picky about what you put on your face and have tried lots, we suggest Tan Luxe simply because it’s more concentrated and will give you a deeper color. We love other Tan Luxe products and regularly use them on our bodies for self tanning.

Here are links to all products mentioned above:

Tan Luxe Illuminating Tanning Drops $49

Ulta Illuminating Tanning Drops $10.99

Tan Luxe Body Tanning Mist $49

The GET READY Challenge!

When the month of January comes around the word blah comes to mind. The holidays are over, you are supposed to be going gangbusters on resolutions, and it is so cold outside that you begin to feel like a sad, vitamin D deprived hermit.

So this year, we are trying something new! This is where the GET READY CHALLENGE comes in! It’s free, does not include dieting, and you already have all the supplies you need! After seeing Brooke White’s “Get Dressed” challenge a few months ago we decided we wanted to make that the theme on the blog for January! Scientific research has proven that getting ready actually makes you more productive, so, we are putting it to the test for the next 31 days!

There’s a great article in Inc. magazine about this topic. Research shows that the clothes you wear actually change the way you perform. Here’s my favorite takeaway quote, “Taking intentional command of how you dress and present is a good step in empowering yourself, accomplishing your goals, and living a more lucid life at the helm of your decisions.”

We want you to join us, post pictures, and use #GetReadyChallenge so that we can support each other along the way! The Get Ready Challenge does not mean putting on a full face of makeup every single day or dressing up in a ball gown. These are a few ideas:

Take 5-minutes a day to make yourself feel special: this could be trying out a new lipstick color just because, or taking extra time in the shower for a deep conditioning mask.
Put on an outfit that you haven’t worn in a while. Start using the clothes that are already in your closet!
Consciously show love to yourself. Shut down your negative thoughts and instead think of ways you can have fun with the challenge throughout the month.

Join us on Instagram where we will be showing daily updates on the challenge using #getreadychallenge! We will meet back here in 30 days for a recap and to see if it really changed the way we felt during the day and made us feel more confident.

Here’s to a fabulous 2019!

What outfits to wear in family photos

It can be overwhelming to decide what your family members will wear in photos. I want to lay out a few guidelines that help me keep things streamlined for family photos each year.

Start with one color

As an easy go-to, I always start with a base of navy blue pieces. After talking to dozens of photographers over the years, the majority have shared that navy blue looks the best in photos. Gotta go with the pros.

Start to layer in accent colors

After you have decided on your navy blue base it is time to start layering in accent colors. Depending on the time of year you may want to go with pastels or bold colors. It is up to you!

Don’t forget the neutrals

You can’t go wrong with neutrals and navy blue as your family photo colors. This year I chose a pretty neutral palette and found a warm, fuzzy, gray coat that I loved. We wanted Lila to be the star of the show in a mustard yellow pea coat! Neutrals can bring warmth to your photos.

Consider the venue

Consider the venue when you are putting together everyone’s outfits. We have taken our family photos in fall foliage, at home, at a pretty park, and this year we went with a Christmas tree farm. The Christmas tree farm felt festive and was perfect for our holiday card.

When in doubt, ask your photographer

If you just cannot decide what to wear in family photos – ask your photographer for suggestions! They have seen many family portraits and will have a great idea of what looks best.

Think outside the box

Ali Anderson Photography took our photos, she is really wonderful, ESPECIALLY with toddlers which is not an easy task! We took our Christmas card photos at a tree farm in Alpine, Utah. If you look up “tree farm photos” you will be barraged with red and green plaid. Now I am not hating on red/green plaid because it is timeless and festive. However, we did something a little more unexpected and I love how it turned out.

For Lila’s look:

We wanted Lila to be the focus of our pictures this year (proud first-time parents what can I say?) I stumbled upon a mustard yellow pea coat at Target! I immediately loved the color and knew it would pop in the photos. Plus, the cape is removable so we opted to take it off since it looked a little bulky on her. This coat is similar and a gorgeous color, but you can’t beat the $26 price tag on this one. Her shoes are Freshly Picked and she wears this mary jane style. They really are the only shoes that do not slip off her feet and they are SO cute!

For Parker’s look:

We kept it pretty simple. He loves a good half-zip sweater so we found one in classic navy, our base color, that he loved. This one is similar. We felt like a coat on him would like too heavy and bulky for the photos. As for his pants, we went with the classic khaki chino. These are similar, and if your guy likes to golf they can also wear them on the golf course. His shoes are a great staple to have in your closet. You can find them here.

For my look:

I found the coziest hybrid jacket/sweater, but it is now sold out. However, I did find this one with the same sort of look. I wore my favorite jeans from Banana Republic. These ones are similar. I topped it with the striped top because I felt like it helped to tie Parker and Lila’s looks all together. The top I have is sold out but this is a similar one with collar detail! For footwear, I went with my everydayblack booties from Nordstrom and they are my winter staple! I honestly wear mine every day in the cooler weather because they can be dressed up or dressed down.

Tried and True Family Picture Rules

Do you guys have any rules you follow when it comes to family photos? Our photographer Ali went above and beyond to keep Lila smiling in the cold weather. We brought Lila’s favorite toy, a little stuffed animal cat, and as long as Ali was holding it by the camera Lila kept smiling!

Don’t be too matchy-matchy

Try not to fall into the trap of being too matchy-matchy when it comes to family pictures or you could end up looking like those all denim nightmares from the eighties! As long as the outfits complement one another, you are good to go!

Check out our other photography tips

First up, our most popular blog post of all time: Couple Photos Do’s and Don’ts. Britt and Sam show couple poses to try and the poses to avoid! This is perfect if you have engagement or wedding photos in your future.

Next up, Family Photo Do’s and Don’ts. We had so much fun doing this photoshoot where we show poses that work and poses that should be avoided at all costs. Skim through if you need some ideas for your family photos!

And last of all, our Photography Tips From the Pros. Jessica Janae is a bombshell and taught us some tried and true poses and tricks to do in front of the camera. Hint hint, don’t do the head tilt!

Hopefully, these tips can help you achieve the family pictures that you are dreaming of! If nothing else, have fun! It shows through the photos if you are really enjoying yourself. Best of luck!

Steal or Splurge: Lipliner

We LOVE lipliner. It’s no secret. We’ve been telling you guys for years it just stays on so well, whether you wear it plain or put a lipstick or gloss on top. Lipliner is definitely a makeup must-have in our book. So, we wanted to see if the $5 version works as well as the $20 version. Watch our new Youtube video to find out!

Do’s and Don’ts for Family Photos

A few years ago Britt and Sam did a “Do’s and Don’ts for Couple Photos” post and it has been seen more than 20 million times since then! You guys loved seeing the comparisons and side-by-side poses.

Time to share our tips for the best family photos

So… we decided it was time for Do’s and Don’ts for Family Photos! In this post, we are going to show you the good and the bad examples side-by-side for comparison.

Follow these tips for Christmas card photos

The talented Ali Anderson Photography had some fun with us during our session and we were able to come up with some pretty bad poses. Whether you are trying to get the perfect snap for Christmas cards or to frame on the wall we hope these tips help!

The Prom Pose

Lila’s face shows exactly how I feel about the prom pose. You only see it in high school dance photos for a reason! It looks formal, but not in a good way. You can get the same feeling of closeness by putting your tiny human between the two of you. The YES photo looks more balanced and much less forced.

The Laying Down Chin In Your Hands Pose

Now, I know this one can be tempting… but you end up looking a little contrived. If you want to switch things up and get down on the level of your kids go with a casual pose that looks NATURAL! Ali is great at putting her subjects in every day poses that help showcase the family instead of the pose.

An outdoor blanket is a helpful prop to bring to a photo shoot. Try to choose one that is a neutral color so that it will not distract from your outfits. You also want to make sure that you bring along a blanket that you don’t mind getting a little dirty. (Thank goodness for washing machines!) The blanket will allow your family to experiment with some unique poses rather than just standing together. Plus, a blanket can be really helpful if you have younger kids that are not quite walking yet.

Squishy Cheeks Kissing Pose

Now, before you get upset about this one. Listen, I totally get it! Baby cheeks are the most kissable things in the world. However, when both of you kiss your baby’s cheeks, your faces can no longer be seen. And the purpose of family photos is to show the entire family, not just the back of the parent’s heads.

If you all are glancing at each other in a photo you still show a sense of closeness and love without hiding everyone’s face.

Piggy Back Pose

Let’s go ahead and make a general rule that if you are older than two-years-old you keep your feet on the ground! Haha, we see the piggyback pose a lot in engagement photos. No matter how fun you are, this pose is not the way to show it. Instead, put your little one on the ground between you and let them hold both of your hands. You still get movement and something a little different than everyone standing and looking at the camera.

As you can see from the photos, Lila did not like the piggy-back pose! It is really awkward for little ones and they don’t feel very steady. She felt like she was getting squished and not held tight enough. By switching the pose to holding hands you create balance for your little one, especially if they are a toddler and still learning how to walk like Lila was at this point in time.

Stick to your own style

There you have it – the do’s and don’ts of family photos! I hope this is helpful. Family photos are incredibly stressful and seeing some tried-and-true poses can help ease the worries. No matter what you do, stick to your own style.

Don’t take my word for it, do what YOU want to

Now, here is my disclaimer. If piggy-backs or the prom pose is your family’s thing – don’t let this post hold you back! These are general suggestions that have worked in the past for family photo shoots. However, each family is different and has their own unique style.

What to wear in your photos

As for picking out outfits for family photos you can check out this post all about it. As a general rule, you should start with one main outfit whether it is you or your child’s and build everyone else’s off of that. I think it is really helpful to flat-lay all outfits next to each other before the photo shoot to make sure that everything looks cohesive.

Make sure you gel with your photographer

Don’t forget to find a photographer that you trust that has your same vision for photos. Check out their previous work and make sure it is what you want. There are so many different styles out there that you are likely to find one you love!

A few more photo resources to check out

We did this post about how to look good in photos with tips from one of our mega fab photographer friends that is hugely successful.
If you have any young children you definitely want to check out Britt’s post about getting your kids to smile in family photos!
Check out more of our photographer, Ali’s work here.
And of course our most popular post of all time, Tips for Couple Photos. Happy photo-taking!

Tis the season for family photos

The holiday season is around the corner and everyone will be wanting the same thing – family photos for their holiday cards! Make sure to plan ahead and contact your photographer in advance. We have also found it is helpful to have a venue in mind and make sure it is available when you schedule your photo session.

Have fun!

Last of all, don’t forget to have fun! Try to follow our tips for family photos but remember that it will show in the photos if you are stressed out about every little detail. Try to enjoy being together as a family and remember the photos don’t have to be perfect to be wonderful!

We started a YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Hi guys!

We want you to be the first to know we have officially launched a Twin Tested Youtube channel. After being encouraged by many, we finally took the plunge. Please please go subscribe (we currently have 9 followers who are 90% family 🙂 ). We are going to post Steal or Splurge videos. Similar to what we did on Makeup Monday on Instagram, but in a much more fluid space. You will now get links to every product we talk about directly below the video and you can watch it all at once. This just makes sense for us to do and we hope you love it! Please send us your suggestions and products you would like us to test. Thank you so much for your support throughout all of our ups and downs. It means the world. Hope you all have a fabulous day! Here is our first video testing out Lululemon vs. $23 Amazon leggings.

Here are the links to both leggings:

Lululemon: Wunder Under Tight

Amazon: 90 Degree by Reflex

Hazel & Lila are ONE!

Just for the fun of it, we are posting a little bit about what our babies are like right now so that we never forget.

Hazel is:

Walking everywhere (like so fast I can barely catch her!)
Saying a couple of words “hello”, “Lila” and “Dada”
Has four teeth, two on the bottom and two on top that just came in
Loves food! Oddly enough I think her favorite thing to eat is chicken
Loves to play with the hose and in water of any kind
Loves to give real kisses and blow kisses
Not the best sleeper – still wakes up a lot in the night
Knows how to wave and sign “more” and “all done”
So determined!
Hilarious and makes us laugh about a million times a day
Snuggly – she still loves to cuddle and it’s the best thing in the world

Lila is:

the happiest baby on the block
life of the party – loves being around people
almost walking, but is a very sassy crawler
says lots of words like “bubbles”, “Hi”, “Buh-bye”, Dada, Mama, Woof Woof and more
loves to eat
So sweet and happy
Has 6 teeth – 4 on top, 2 on bottom
Constantly giggling and making everyone around her smile

Lila’s 1st year and what I have learned about being a mom

Labor Day 2017 I was floating in the lukewarm water of the neighb0rhood pool, finally letting my joints feel relief from my large belly that was due with a baby girl that very day. Little did I know, later that night I would be having our baby girl. After returning home from the pool I realized the slight trickle of water down my leg was not from the pool water in my swimsuit and that my water had broken. At that very moment, I remember getting into the shower and tears streaming down my face because of the unknown that lay ahead. Giving birth for the first time is a life-changing, gigantic experience. But the fact that I got a little brunette with sparkling eyes that crinkle when she smiles makes every discomfort and pain worth it.

Now that Lila is a true one-year-old I wanted to share a few of her favorite things and what has helped me the most this year. (Besides grandmas and a twin sister going through the exact same thing at the same time!)

Wubbanub: If your baby takes a binky, these are hands down the best! Lila loves the elephant that is attached to hers and it is pretty much the cutest thing ever to watch her fall asleep stroking the ears with her tiny fingers. (Now I am starting to face the fact that she cannot have a binky forever and need a game plan for getting rid of it…)
A set of her own keys: My mother-in-law is a genius and got together all of her old keys and keychains, sanitized them, and then gave them to Lila. This way she has her own set of “real” keys to hold while I do everyday tasks like locking the door, starting the car, etc. without a fight.
Minky Couture blankets: They are super cozy and soft, but most importantly MACHINE WASHABLE! There is nothing sweeter than a babe fresh from the bath cozied up in her Minky. (I might just have a giveaway coming up on Instagram this week so pay close attention!)
A gym pass: Britt and I do a gym swap at Xcel Fitness each morning where we take turns with the girls to attend a workout class. Whether it is High Fitness or Reformer Pilates it has been a lifesaver to feel that part of my pre-mom self. I am happier because I get that moment to myself each day and I feel zero guilt about it because Lila is playing with her cousin. Plus, who says the gym isn’t a social event?! I have made some great friends there!
Fun clothes, okay these are not necessary but dressing a baby girl is FUN! I can’t get over these striped jumpsuits, and you shouldn’t either because they are $6.00!

Finding out our heritage (and if we are really identical twins) with AncestryDNA

Our birthday month continues and we just keep on celebrating! We wanted to do something significant for our 30th so we reached out to AncestryDNA. We are lucky enough to have them headquartered nearby in Lehi, Utah. More than 10 million people have taken AncestryDNA and uncovered something new about themselves. Pretty cool, right? We wanted to learn where our family really came from and if our results would match up.

Prior to our visit to the Ancestry offices, we took the “AncestryDNA test”. They make it very simple by mailing you a clear tube that you spit into and then ship back to them. That’s it! By far the easiest test we’ve ever taken! Your results are then processed and AncestryDNA’s cutting-edge science compares your DNA to people all over the world. The neat thing about Ancestry is the focus they put on technology. Everything you are seeing in your results is the latest, absolute most accurate and up to date information. You can view all of your results online, which makes everything so convenient and easy. Our mom was the one who gave us the idea after doing her own AncestryDNA test. She loved it and encouraged the rest of the family to take their own. After going over her results, we knew we wanted to do it.

When we arrived at the Ancestry offices we had two big questions:

Are we really identical twins with matching DNA?
Where did our family come from?

Family Historian Lisa Elzey was kind enough to guide us through our results. She dropped several bombshells while taking us through our results. She told us that we are indeed identical twins, but our results did differ slightly, which was very surprising! She also took us through hundreds of years of our family’s history and migration, which was absolutely fascinating!

We found out that more than half of our ethnic makeup is from England and Wales. We were raised thinking that we were predominantly Scottish, so it was all very eye-opening. The most surprising ethnicity found was the fact that we are both 10% Swedish! It was so nice having Lisa there to explain the how and why of each of our numbers and percentages. The website is super interactive so you can dig as deep as you want into your heritage. You can watch our full reaction in the video at the bottom of this post.

If Lisa looks familiar, it’s because she is the family historian that has worked on many of the celebrity cases on the television show “Who Do You Think You Are?”. She said working with famous people is fun, but she has realized something – we are all just people who want to know who we are and where we came from.

We think everyone should take the test! There is something so grounding about looking into history and learning about the names, faces and stories of your family members. We are so grateful we had this amazing opportunity! Huge thanks to the team at Ancestry for partnering with us. Now we need to go work on our family trees.

If you want more information about getting your own AncestryDNA test, go here.

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