Like Mother, Like Daughter.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Last year for Mother's Day, my mom treated me to a sunless tanning experience - a bronzing session at RAW Bronzing Studio. I had never had a spray tan before and I remember thinking this was a funny new activity for us to do as mother/daughter. Afterwards we went to lunch and she was doing her mom thing, asking me lots of questions about my life, and then she leaned over and looked me seriously in the eye. I wasn't sure what she was about to say, but I prepared myself to enter into a deep conversation about whatever it was she was about to propose. I caught a twinkle in her eye as she said to me, "Don't you love it? Your tan?" I breathed a sigh of relief - my mother! She's a hard one to peg, with all her simultaneous humor and depth. And I had to admit, I did love it. The bronze tone of the tan looked so natural and pretty, but my favorite part was that I had no tan lines. No tan lines, you guys! #dreamtan

My mom is the reason why I've started paying extra special attention to taking care of my skin. Over the past few years, she has had some basal cell carcinoma spots removed, so it's made me super aware of how seriously important it is to take care of my own skin. She's always saying that it was because she wasn't taking care of her skin when she was younger, so I want to heed her advice and take better care of the skin I have!

I'm pretty wretchedly terrible at washing my face at night (I know, it's so immature not to do this but I'm just always so tired), but I am trying to be more aware of how much sun exposure I am getting throughout the day. Especially as the weather is heating up and I'm outside more and more with my kiddos. I'm used to enjoyably baking in the sun, because I have olive skin and I don't burn as easily as some. However, that's almost all the more dangerous - I don't always feel the damage happening! But I'm getting better about being aware and taking preventative measures. I shared here about how I have been prepping my skin for the spring/summer season and I've been pretty consistent about that protocol.

My mom and I were at the beach together last weekend, and we had both gotten a bronze at RAW two days prior. I was like, DUH - mother daughter beach photos for the win! Thanks to my sister Rachel, who snapped these for us. I wanted to share with you all how real the sunless tan looks - my mom and I have very different skin tones and it still looks so natural on both of us! She has a lot of pink undertones in her skin while I favor my Dad's side more, with all those good yellow undertones. Note the sarcasm. Yellow = sallow.

Now I'm not going to go mega-cheesy here, but I do want to say that I am immensely grateful that my mom is here with me, continuing to share her life's experiences. I don't take it for granted, because my mom lost her own mother at 19, and wasn't able to ask her questions and have the kind of relationship that I'm able to have. I am still learning so much from my mom - from skincare to how to navigate friendships and motherhood and taking care of my body and mind and heart - she is a wealth of wisdom and I am so thankful that she is here with me. Leaning in. Asking me hard questions and helping me answer them in my own way. With Mothers' Day approaching, I just wanted to share this little tribute to my mom. She's amazing. And she's funny. Never underestimate a woman with a good sense of humor.

All that to say - take care of your skin, you guys! Because my mom says so.

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Discount & Giveaway!

RAW Bronzing Studio is located throughout the metro Atlanta, Georgia area, and the studio local to me (location here) is generously offering my readers 25% off the price of a full-body bronzing service at the RAW South location with the code OYKRISTEN. This is an awesome deal for those of you local to me, and with all this warm weather approaching I hope you are able to take advantage of it!

Over on Instagram, I am giving away an awesome gift package to one lucky local, including 4 full-service bronzing sessions ($162 value!) - make sure to check it out, enter and tag your local friends! xx

P.S. - I'm wearing an old Victoria's Secret suit (remember their bathing suit line? RIP, similar here), these high waisted shorts and this leather wrap bracelet. The bandana is my sister's a my mom's outfit details are lost on me - although if you were really curious I could probably figure them out for you ;)

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10 Ways I Prep My Skin for a Spring Glow.

This is post is sponsored by RAW Bronzing Studio. All opinions are my own.

'Tis the season of events aplenty! Kicking it off with Easter this weekend, the rest of Spring is packed full of weddings, graduations, reunions and, of course, Spring Break! And with these fun soirees comes the need for bathing suits and shorts, dresses and heels! And probably showing more skin than you did in the dead of winter, when you were still convincing yourself that Ugg boots are sort of cute because they are the warmest shoes ever made by man. (Just to be clear, I wear Ugg boots, but I know they aren't really cool anymore.)

I love a good, golden tan as much as the next girl, but as I've gotten older and I've learned that the damage from the sun's powerful UV rays aren't to be ignored or taken lightly. In my family we have particularly sensitive skin, so I try my best to protect it and prepare for this season of warmth and sun exposure. I was thrilled when I learned about RAW Bronzing Studio, a local-to-me organic spray tan that is actually formulated with ingredients that are nourishing for the skin (INGREDIENT LIST HERE). Today I'm partnering with RAW to bring you these 10 tips for how I'm prepping my skin for a healthy glow this spring.

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Sun Care

I don't play chicken with the sun anymore. When I'm heading to the beach or pool, I always carry:

1. Sun glasses - Since my kids tend to find mine and play with them, I usually opt for inexpensive ones. But I love these Quays featured above!

2. A hat - Full coverage is best for me, so I often look a little silly with an enormous hat on the beach, but my family has gotten used to it ;)

3. Lots of natural sunscreen - The sunscreen I really liked last year is Goddess Garden SPF 30 for everyday. This summer I'm looking forward to trying out Coola and Bare Republic, two brands I've read a lot of amazing reviews about.

4. A higher-neckline bathing suit - My chest has broken out in the past few years when it gets too much sun exposure, so I'm always on the hunt for a higher bathing suit neckline (not always the easiest to find!) or a really good cover up.

5. A spray tan - Like I mentioned before, the best way to get a good, even glow without the harsh UV ray damage is by getting a spray tan! This way, when I am at the beach, I don't have to worry about tan lines or taking the time to lay out. The RAW bronze allows me to have a healthy glow without "trying" which helps me to be more present with my family and, you know, build sand castles!

Skin Care

Taking care of my skin continues to become more important to me with each year. I'm dealing with cellulite, stretch marks, wrinkles and sun spots - things I didn't have to worry about 10 years ago! I want to take better care of my skin so that I don't have drastic issues to address 10 years from now. To me, this means practicing some daily good habits, including:

6. Taking collagen - This is a new practice for me, but I am loving adding this collagen to my smoothies and shakes. It supports healthy skin, nails, hair and joints.

7. Exfoliating - Sloughing off the dead skin is a key part of taking care of the gentle skin underneath. I like using this one for my face and I've heard this one is amazing for body! Also featured in the photo below ;)

8. Moisturizing - Nourishing the new growth beneath the surface is probably one of the most important things I can do for my skin. I am currently using and loving this face oil, this body oil and this body butter. And this is my little secret weapon for spot treating areas that need extra attention, like scars or wrinkles.

Personal Care

9. Drinking lots of water - Sometimes this is really hard to remember to do, but I find that having a fun water bottle like this one helps!

10. Taking my multivitamin - Again, hard to remember to do everyday, but I feel so much better when I'm consistently taking this vitamin pack, which delivers power-packed nutrients to my entire body.

I hope these tips help you as we head into bathing suit and event season! I am such an advocate for self-care. While I certainly don't have a ton of time to put into endless beauty treatments, I think creating some practices that make you feel put-together and pretty are so important for feeling confident.

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Discount & Giveaway!
 

RAW Bronzing Studio is located throughout the metro Atlanta, Georgia area, and the studio local to me (location here) is generously offering my readers 25% off the price of a full-body bronzing service at the RAW South location with the code OYKRISTEN.

This is a crazy good deal and for those of you local to me, I hope you are able to take advantage of it! I recommend adding the "Prep" to your package, because it neutralizes the pH of your skin so that the formula will work better (sometimes the soaps and deodorants we use can throw off the balance in our skin). You can choose between the Original Bronze or the Rapid Bronze - original slowly develops over 8-10 hours, while Rapid develops between 2-4 hours and you can shower between the 3-4 hours mark. FYI Rapid is an awesome option when an unexpected event comes up and you need to look put together fast!

I'm running a giveaway for a few amazing goodies over on my Instagram today - make sure you stop by and take a moment to enter!

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P.S. - Wearing: jumpsuit (from last year, similar here), these flatforms, this necklace, these earrings and this lipstick.