Why You Should Make Your Bed

Now that the February #MakeYourBedChallenge is wrapping up we wanted to recap some favorite items that we found and why we are dedicated to this new habit!

Good sheets are everything! Cariloha has seriously been a game changer in our marriage. They are the perfect amount of soft yet incredibly breathable. We honestly refuse to use any other brands because Cariloha’s are made from bamboo and feel super soft against the skin. Freshly shaved legs and Cariloha sheets are a match made in bedroom heaven! When we are on vacation it is always surprising to see how rough hotel sheets can feel. We recommend that white color for the Cariloha sheets because it always looks crisp and fresh. If there is one thing you do for your room, this should be it!

Make a “pillow agreement” in your relationship to keep the peace. This means you decide together how many pillows you would both like to have on your bed. In a poll that we took during the challenge, we found the highest number of pillows on a bed is 17! Now that is impressive. Talk to your partner about how many pillows they are REALISTICALLY willing to put on the bed each day. You know we appreciate a good decorative pillow but 17 may be pushing it!

*picture via Domino Mag

Get the right comforter, duvet, or quilt for your bed. We have tried all three and had been hearing amazing things about the Cariloha duvet. Since we already love their sheets and trust their products we gave it a try and we have LOVED it! Just like the sheets the duvet is silky soft and made from bamboo. You’ll notice I keep using the word breathable but all of their products are which is a top priority for me because no one wants to be sweaty in bed. ewwww.

*picture via Domino Mag

It makes your room more romantic and cozy. We purposely scheduled this for the same month as Valentine’s Day… haha but really a bed looks much more tempting when it is made properly with fresh sheets.

pic via Minky Couture

Minky Couture Grande blankets are the pretty version of the weighted blanket. As longtime fans of Minky’s blankets, we both have them in every room of our house (even the nursery). They have a nice, thick, weight to them and are the absolute coziest blankets you will ever find. They are also machine washable which is vital when you live with a toddler! I highly recommend the Grande blanket for every master bedroom out there. It looks pretty as a decorative piece but feels even better! Speaking of Grande blankets go check out our Instagram post to be entered to win your very own!

Cute pajamas. At the ripe old age of 30, I decided to finally get a pair of matching pajamas. They are from Cariloha and as mentioned above, they are breathable. I’m the type that puts on my jammies at 7pm, so these are the greatest because even if someone stops by, I still look put together in these. You can find them here.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed the challenge this month, we can’t wait to share what we have in store for March!

A fun Valentine’s gift that we are positive you have never tried before

This Valentine’s Day we wanted to do something a little different and caring is sharing, right? Well, we found a last minute gift that might just make you the coolest spouse around. Strap on your seatbelts for this one… it’s massage oil!!

Now before you think we are going to get all weird, hold on. This set is actually pretty cool and unique because you drip the oil from a CANDLE! What?! We know it sounds dangerous and painful but it is really quite simple and easy to use.

So the way it works is, you light the candle and then drizzle the desired amount on your hands or your partners back. You might stop reading here and say NO WAY, I am not pouring hot oil onto MY HANDS. Which is totally understandable. That’s why we have a few takeaways for ya!

Anyways, here are the takeaways:

– Only use a small amount of the melted massage oil, a couple of drops go a long way.

– By ensuring that you only use a small amount you will not burn your hands to a crisp, so win/win.

– When the candle is burning it has a light and fresh scent that is not at all overpowering.

– All natural essential oils and ingredients are the only things in the candle. No weird chemicals or anything like that so you don’t have to worry if you have sensitive skin or are worried about what you are putting on your body.

– And the best part – no weird residue. The essential oils naturally melt into the skin so that it is super soft and moisturized afterward. Not sticky or covered in waxy residue.

Some different uses we have heard of being used for the candle:

* couples massage

* pregnant belly moisturizer (one girl claims it prevented her from getting stretch marks)

* foot rub

We found ours at a local market in SLC, UT (jenibeemarket if you are local!). But if you are not local and want to get one shipped by V-day this one on Amazon looks pretty much identical and this one can be primed if you are a procrastinator. If you are ordering the candle you might as well go ahead and get some petite sour gummy hearts to go with it! These are our very favorite, if you are local you can get them at Jolley’s Gift and Floral in Sugar House.

Happy Valentine’s Day one and all!

Announcing the February #MakeYourBedChallenge

(photo via Domino mag)

Here it is, the February Challenge, make your bed every single day of the month and see what happens! After the #getreadychallenge in January, we wanted something a little less time consuming haha. No, but really we have heard great things from dozens of different people, books, and talks about making your bed every day. We are inviting everyone to join us this month to create a new habit. Not sure about you, but it is something that is definitely not happening every day at our houses. One of our favorite books on this topic is, “Make Your Bed” by former Navy Seal William H. McRaven. In the book, he talks about the importance of that one small task each day. He said it was one of the first things learned in military training and its something that has stuck. Of course being a Navy Seal he was constantly traveling and a lot of his life was unknown – except the fact that he could make his bed every morning.

One of the most poignant parts of the book is his description of being in charge of Saddam Hussein while he was under U.S. control. He said one of the most striking things about Hussein was the fact that he never made his bed, his covers were always crumpled on the floor.

To make the challenge more fun we are taking an entire bedroom approach. That means that we are freshening up our linens. Finding that perfect balance of pillows (zero, if our husbands have any say in the matter). And, last but not least creating a hygge space where we feel calm, peaceful, and cozy!

We will also be looking at different bedroom ideas for art and wall coverings. We want to see what YOU guys like your bedrooms to look like. It is always fun to get fresh ideas and incorporate them into your home.

So here we go! The February #makeyourbedchallenge is officially underway! Join us by tagging @twintested and the #makeyourbedchallenge so that we can repost our favorites!

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

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