Grateful

Despite this challenging and unpredictable year, I want to say that I’m grateful for the good that has managed to find its way into my life. Stay safe and stay well.

Riding the Waves

Life has felt very uncertain, and we are all riding the waves in a little boat lost at sea. Even if we have created new routines and new normals for ourselves, feelings of worry have still managed to creep back inside our heads. But it’s important to hang on even with the fear of feeling lost, or feeling as if the boat is about to capsize. Let the waves take you in a direction and see where they lead.

15 Simple Things to Do at Home

As we navigate through uncertainty, it’s important to do things comfortable and familiar to help us cope. Even if it’s doing an activity for a short time. Here are some simple things that you can do while you are at home.

1. Call a loved one. Family, friends, they’ll want to hear from you. If you can video chat, even better.

2. Organize your life at home. Just because you can’t go out doesn’t mean you can’t take the time to play catch-up on the things around the house that have needed to be done. Start things that you’ve been putting off. Such as the “I don’t have time” or “I’ll do it later” things.

3. Make a list of long term goals and plan out small steps to reach those goals while you are stuck at home.

4. Switch up your workspace. It’s important to do this to avoid feeling trapped in one space all the time. A change of space should help boost your productivity.

5. Try something new at home. Try a new skill like drawing or playing that guitar that’s been laying around (if it hasn’t been marked to declutter). I’m not saying to get good at it, I’m saying do something new to break the “sameness” of every day. Also, I’ve noticed there are a ton of new recipes out online these days. Maybe you could find one that uses ingredients you already have at home.

6. Refresh who you follow on social media and reconsider the media you consume in general. I think it’s fine to go through or unfollow and unsubscribe from social media and refrain from reading content that is making you feel bad about yourself or is no longer interesting to you. It’s nothing personal.

7. Read that book you’ve been meaning to start. You have the time!

8. Clean out your technology. Go through your phone and get rid of apps you don’t use and get rid of files you don’t need on your computer. In general, get rid of the things that don’t serve you.

9. Do an at-home workout. I’m no fitness expert but I’ve been trying to incorporate some kind of fitness in my day since I’ve been mostly sitting at home. I’ve recently started using the FitOn app (it’s free!) to do workouts from home. I’ve found the FitOn workouts to be easy to follow along and I like how easy it is to select the types of workouts you are interested as well as the time you wish to dedicate to the workout. A major plus would be trying to do a workout outside if you can.

10. Give yourself a makeup break.

11. Go longer between washing your hair. This may sound gross to some but let your hair embrace your natural oils! I’m definitely not someone who can go many days or even a week without washing my hair but lately, I’ve been going more days in between washes. Besides, it’s not like you’re going out and seeing people.

12. Do a pampering skincare routine. I’m talking with the added face masks and treatments! I’ve been making more of an effort to incorporate a face mask into my nightly routine.

13. Sort out your stuff. Now is a good time to go through the things you may not need. Wait to donate them or pass them along to someone else at a later time, of course.

14. Start a new night routine. Rethink a new routine that emphasizes relaxation or calmness. Maybe it means unplugging from technology a little bit earlier than you would. Or diffusing essential oils, like lavender to create a calmer space. And please make an effort to get enough sleep!

15. Let yourself feel. It’s cheesy, yes, but let yourself feel the emotions that you may have pent up inside. You are not doing yourself any favors by holding them in, you need to allow yourself to process them and figure where to go from there. And remember to take it one day at a time.

What have you been doing while staying at home?

Hello.

I hope you’re all safe and I hope you’re all well.

The Bad and the Boring Beauty Tag

I’ve been wanting to do a fun tag on this blog and discovered this tag, originally created by YouTuber Lisa Lobotomy, but I came across this tag from The Newbury Girl and found it interesting and kind of different from other beauty tags I’ve seen. I present The Bad and the Boring Beauty Tag!

1. A foundation finish that you don’t like?

I have oily skin and I find that dewy finishes don’t work well or last long on me! Especially in the summer when I’m melting!

2. The worst mascara you have ever tried?

The L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara was a flaky mess on me. Oddly enough, the original Voluminous mascara was not. I also don’t care for Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, it was very clumpy!

3. One thing you tried once and then thrown away?

The Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pens in the colors “Bronze Beam” and “Sage Gold” I purchased both of these at the same time because I was in the market for shimmery eyeliners and heard good things about Pixi. However, both of these colors irritated my eyes with itching and redness that I had to stop using them. I do love the “Matte Mulberry” shade from this range.

4. The most boring eyeshadow palette you own?

Probably the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. It does have “basic” in the name so what do you expect? It doesn’t make a tone of looks on its own considering it’s composed of a small range of cool-toned browns and is a mostly matte palette. But it is a nice complementary palette. That being said, I do enjoy using it and judging by the number of pans I’ve hit it’s safe to say this probably my most used eyeshadow palette! So sad it’s been discontinued 😦

5. A makeup trend you think is boring and want to go away?

I’m going to steal The Newbury Girl’s answer here and say that I also think content creators should stop doing challenges that involve applying makeup with random household objects. It’s just pointless in my opinion.

6. The worst liquid lipstick you have tried?

Again, I will be echoing The Newbury Girl’s answer 🙂 the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks are terrible. This formula is like no other liquid lipstick that I’ve tried — and not in a good way. It dried down to my lips to the point of being painful to wear. While I’m personally not a fan of liquid lipsticks in general, I can still say there are much, much, much better formulas out there!

7. What color do you think is the most boring one?

Brown. I think it’s obvious why.

8. What brand do you think is coming out with the most boring things?

This answer can vary from time to time but Almay has never released anything interesting to me.

9. Which step in your makeup routine is the most boring one?

Applying a primer. It’s just kind of a boring step to do. But it’s one of those steps that pay off in the long run when your makeup still looks nice at the end of the day.

10. If you had to choose between: – A good base and a bad eye look or – A bad base and good eye look which one would you chose?

A good base with a bad eye look. Even though I love my eyeshadows I think a nice base can make up for a less than stellar eye look.

I tag you to do The Bad and the Boring Beauty Tag or share what beauty products you find boring!

What I Want Out of This Year

It’s a new year new decade and I’ve been reflecting a lot about what I want for myself not only this year but in the years to come. I’ve never been big on New Year’s resolutions because I personally believe it sets the bar too high for what is realistically possible, potentially what to accomplish by the end of a single year. Don’t get me wrong, I see the benefits in striving to better yourself but let’s be real many goals will likely take longer than one year to accomplish. These are goals that I want for myself:

Continue Blogging: I started this blog toward the end of last year and I’ve enjoyed running it. I want to keep it going and evolving the content this year and in the years to come.

Keep Reading: I made a blog post about a short list of books I’ve loved this year. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people who can read loads of books in a year. But it’s not about quantity it’s about quality, right?! Yes, I want to read more books this year, but I only want to read books that are entertaining, thought-provoking, and potentially inspiring. I don’t want to waste my time reading through books that I really, really don’t enjoy just to say I finished a book. I’ll be browsing through Goodreads for some suggestions, I’m open to a variety of topics and genres. Leave me yours below!

Strive to Move Ahead but Appreciate Where I’m at: This a very wide-reaching and vague aspiration. This applies to me both personally and professionally and it’s very simple. I want to move forward in my professional life and I do have some plans in motion to do that. At the same time, I’m not going to set the bar in such a way where I will have to be in “this place” in my life by “this time”. For me, that’s unrealistic and doesn’t take many variables into consideration. I’d hate to crush myself emotionally and hold myself back to keep from moving on. Reflecting upon the past helps me appreciate where I started and where I am today. I have a lot of reasons to be happy and grateful for where I’m at now!

Declutter and Minimize: I’ve been slowly paring down the number of excess items I own. Whether it be waste, clothing, papers, homewares, random trinkets, etc. I’m not a minimalist and I’m not going for that lifestyle. Side note: I am really enjoying reading/watching/consuming information about minimalists and those who choose to live this way and I definitely agree with some of the principals and choices, go you! Anyways, decluttering and keeping a tidy space has been great for clearing my mind, feeling more organized, saving time, and sometimes money. I’m working to keep only the items that I use or find value in. Additionally, this mindset has allowed me to thoughtfully consider and re-consider purchases as well as being content with what I already have.

Organize My Financial Life: To reference my blog post about my favorite books again, I read a book called Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping by and Get Your Financial Life Together. Since then, I’ve been very inspired late last year and this year to work towards a healthy financial life. No, I’m not striving to become the richest of the rich but I would like to work towards a healthier financial future. I would also like to finish paying off the last of my student loan debt, which of course, is a very big part of a healthy financial future. Paying off my debt is probably the biggest goal that I’m working towards right now. If you have any kind of debt, you understand what a burden it is and how it really holds you back in life. If you’re in the situation I’m rooting for you!

So these are all my “resolutions” for this year, maybe you found some or all of these aspirations relatable. What are your resolutions or wants for this year (or the next)? Share them below! Maybe you’ll inspire me or someone else to take one on.

A Short List of Books I’ve Loved This Year

I wouldn’t say that I’m a voracious reader, I don’t always take the time to do it. But this year I discovered some great books to recommend. Self-help and non-fiction books are not normally genres that I gravitate towards but these two genres were all I read this year. If you haven’t read any of these books I suggest picking one, two, or all of these titles up.

Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More by Courtney Carver: This book was a nice reminder that having more, more, more isn’t the answer. Carver has a practical minimalist approach and the book does guide you to take steps to curate a life with less stuff but also finding value in what really matters to you. I found Carver’s feelings of discontent relatable and her story inspiring in a non-cheesy way.

Quit Fast Fashion & Build Your Conscious Closet by Verena Erin Polowy: This is an e-workbook designed to help you rethink your existing wardrobe and reconsider your shopping habits. The useful activities, tips, and encouraging tone of the book make the goal of an ethical wardrobe achievable. This a great book for you if you are new to the “slow fashion” concept and are not sure how to be good in a world that is filled with damaging fast fashion. Verena also has a great blog and a YouTube channel that are both dedicated to ethical fashion and lifestyle.

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham: I’m a big fan of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood so I definitely had to read this book at some point. It’s a fun read and Graham’s personality really shows in the words. I especially loved the chapters about her beginnings as an actress as well as excerpts from a diary that she kept while filming the Gilmore Girls revival. The one negative I have to say about this book was that I wished she had gone into a little more detail in many of the stories she was telling. Even so, I would 100% recommend if you’re a fan.

Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping by and Get Your Financial Life Together by Erin Lowry: I think that I’m saving the best book for last. This book was a great self-help book on personal finance. It definitely appeals to a certain age group (obviously). I found it an informative and easy to follow guide to get your finances in order. The book is also structured in a way that allows you to skip chapters you don’t find relevant (I’d recommend you read the whole thing anyway). If you’re cash-strapped and living paycheck-to-paycheck this is a great read to help you take those first steps in managing your finances. While I’m no expert in finance, and I’m fortunate enough to not be completely broke there are topics covered in this book that I was really in the dark about. This book sheds light on those areas and I’m hoping to take the information learned from this book into the new year and continue towards a goal of better understanding and control of my own finances.

These are the books I would recommend you read, I believe they will stand out to you as they did to me. Have you read any of these books yet? What did you think of them? And please let me know your book recommendations, I’m interested in finding more titles to read in the new year!

The Fall Tag

I saw this tag floating around other blogs and I think it may be an old one but it looks like a fun one. I got the idea to do this tag from Hunida.

THE QUESTIONS

1. What is one candle you MUST light every fall?

I’m not loyal to a specific candle but I would have to pick one with a pumpkin or amber note. ‘Tis the season.

2. When you think of fall, what does it remind you of?

Colorful, crunchy leaves and the crisp air.

3. What is your all time favorite fall/Halloween movie?

The Nightmare Before Christmas (everyone’s favorite) or Hocus Pocus (also everyone’s favorite).

4. What Halloween costume do you have in mind?

I didn’t dress up this year but at some Halloween I will have to dress up as Catwoman.

5. What is your favorite fall trend?

Boots (tall or short) and all of the sweaters!

6. When you think of fall, what drink comes to mind?

Apple cider.

7. What is your go to fall beauty product? A must have staple!

A deep, coppery, brown eyeshadow like Tom Ford’s Spice or a good lip scrub and hydrating lip balm.

8. Do you prefer apple pie or pumpkin pie?

Pumpkin pie, although my grandfather made the best apple crisp that would win over a pumpkin pie in my book.

9. Do you have any fall traditions? If so tell us all about it!

Does lighting the fall scented candles and switching over to a cooler weather beauty routine count? It’s mainly a time to take some nice walks outside and rake the leaves of course.

10. The moment of truth, is fall your favorite season?

This was the hardest question to answer. It might be but I think I enjoy Spring a bit more since it finally signals the end of winter.

It’s still the fall season! Feel free to do this tag on your blog or answer the questions in a comment!