Hi there! I’m Karen Howell.
I launched this blog at the end of 2019 as a way to help women like me navigate the confusing world of clean beauty and healthy living.
But as I’ve grown and changed over the last few years, the content I share here has also grown and changed.
But what hasn’t changed is my mission to help women live healthy, enriching lives.
So on this blog, you’ll find honest advice and personal reviews about apple body shape fashion, clean beauty, wellness, and eco-friendly living.
It’s for women who are tired of the BS. It’s for women who need some simple in their busy lives. And it’s for women who know that one size doesn’t fit all.
Clean Beauty
I first tried clean beauty in 2013 when I was pregnant with my oldest child.
Let’s just say that clean shampoo I tried didn’t clean my hair at all. It was awful. So I ran straight back to my conventional products.
Then about four years later, while nursing my second baby, a beauty blogger I found on Instagram made me want to give natural products another try.
And as I tested (and liked!) more and more products, my entrepreneur husband encouraged me to blog about them.
After three years of listening to him, this blog was born!
Read my clean beauty posts here.
Apple Body Shape Fashion
I never planned on being an apple shape fashion blogger.
Up until recently, I’d describe my style as “whatever fits.” My closet was a haphazard collection of nice clothes from before I had kids and comfy, play clothes from after having kids.
I had trouble knowing how to dress my broad, short frame when I was thinner, and my softer, jigglier mama belly only made it more difficult to find clothes that fit.
I was frustrated and I simply gave up on myself for a while.
But when both of my kids started school full-time, I decided that I’d had enough.
I threw myself into figuring out what I should actually be wearing for my apple shape. And what I learned was that a lot of the advice on the internet is wrong.
So as I’m re-building myself and my wardrobe, I’m also teaching women the right way to dress their apple body shapes.
Read my fashion posts here.
Eco-Friendly Living
Eco-friendly living is not easy, especially with kids (and a husband).
I’m trying to make little changes every day while encouraging others to do the same.
Sustainable fashion is my newest obsession, and my focus as I update my wardrobe to fit my apple body shape.
Read my eco-friendly living posts here.
Wellness
Wellness means:
- developing your mind with skills, knowledge, and experience;
- nourishing your body with food, products, and exercise; and
- nurturing your soul with fun, faith, and relationships.
Read my wellness posts here.
A little more about me
I live with my family in Orange County, Calif., where we enjoy being outside all year long. My daughter, Olivia, reads voraciously like her mama, and my son, Caleb, loves all things cars like his daddy. My husband and I are currently dreaming about the day we can buy a travel trailer and take the kids on an epic road trip.
I grew up in a small dairy farming town south of Buffalo, and I proudly wear my Bills’ and Sabres’ clothes even when they lose. I’m a graduate of the University of South Carolina, and have also lived in Colorado Springs, Lake Placid, Indianapolis, and Northern Virginia (just outside Washington, D.C.).
Thanks for joining me. I’m so glad you’re here.