Beauty Resolutions

January 05, 2017 in Makeup, Lifestyle

I didn't put much effort into making New Years Resolutions this year, because I usually don't end up successfully sticking to them and then I just feel bad about myself. I did however think of a few tweaks I can make within my beauty routine just to get myself out of the rut I've been in for the past few weeks. By the end of the year I was exhausted and chose to stay in bed rather than put any effort into getting ready, so I want to kickstart a new attitude in the new year.

WEAR MORE LIPSTICK

I tweeted the other day that my resolutions for the year were to "wear more lipstick, take more selfies, and tell myself I'm cute more often." Towards the end of last year I really started actually getting use out of my lipstick collection. I don't know what changed in me, but suddenly I wasn't uncomfortable wearing bold colors. I took the opportunity to wear something new every weekend. I want to carry that over and not only wear my bold options, but also my more everyday-friendly shades. I got into the habit of wearing lip balm and nothing else, but I'd like to actually get use out of the collection I've poured so much money into.

TRY HARDER

This one is already proving to be a struggle, but I want to get out of the habit of laying in bed until the last possible second and rolling into work without even trying to make myself look presentable. I'm not saying I need to wear makeup everyday, but some sort of effort would really help me get into the right mindset for the day I think.

WINGED LINER

This will be the year that I perfect my winged liner. I'm getting better, but there's always room for improvement. I think it would really help define my eyes, especially when I'm wearing my glasses (my super strong prescription makes my eyes look a lot smaller than they really are). The Surratt Auto-Graphique Liner is really helping - the brush tip makes it so much easier to get a nice, not wonky wing.

EXPERIMENT MORE

I'll be the first to admit that I'm very "safe" in my makeup looks. Nothing is really too dramatic or ventures far away from "no makeup" makeup territory (with the exception of my occasional bold lip option). I want to try out bolder eye looks and get better at actually using and applying eyeshadow, and trying something cool and editorial like a bold blush look would be interesting as well. I want to create a lot more looks for the blog this year, so unless I want to create the same look over and over, I'm going to have to step out of my comfort zone and experiment.

What are your beauty resolutions for the year?

A Look Inside My Bullet Journal

January 04, 2017 in Lifestyle

I had been toying with the idea of starting a bullet journal for a few months now (I think I first heard of it from Lily Pebbles), and I figured the beginning of a new year was the perfect time to start. I really dove head first here, watching tons of YouTube videos and pouring over Pinterest boards for inspiration. It's definitely a work in progress, and I'm still figuring out what's going to work for me and what isn't, but I was just too excited to share what I've been doing so far to wait until I had perfected it a bit more.

I first started in a notebook I already had on hand for a few days to make sure it was something I'd really want to do - I'd definitely recommend this before spending the money on more "official" supplies. Once I got hooked, I placed an order on Amazon for a Leuchtturm1917 dotted notebook (I got the medium size in navy blue, but there are a lot of colors available) and a set of Pigma Micron Pens (the set I got comes with 9 pens in different thicknesses including one with a brush tip). I already couldn't be happier and can really see myself sticking to this.

I started with the usual Index and Key pages. A lot of people then start out with a Year at a Glance page, but I just didn't think it would be useful to me. Instead, I liked the idea of combining the mini calendars into a Future Log - I got this idea from a Sunshine Sticker Co. YouTube video. Most I've seen only go six months ahead in the future log, but I went ahead and sketched out spaces for the whole year - I like that I can fill in birthdays for the year and any plans farther in advance. For example, my annual family vacation is in July, so I wanted to be able to write down those dates for when I got to take the time off of work. I figure if I run out of room in this notebook before I get to those later months, I can always carry those events over into a new one.

I really wanted a page to document ideas for blogposts as well as posts I've committed to write for brands. The "Blog Ideas" page is definitely a work in progress - I should have given more space to the Brandwork section and less space for the Waiting On section, but it's ok. And rather than stressing about leaving enough pages, I just left the one and am planning on just starting an identical page later in the notebook and marking it down in the index. If that ends up not working for me, I can always fix it when I get to a new notebok.

Along with a page for blogposts, I also wanted a page to keep track of any Instagram posts I've committed to. I've left a space for the Brand/product, as well as boxes to check off when I've taken the photo and when I've posted it. I also made a wishlist page to keep track of any products I'm wanting to save up for.

My next page is my monthly spread for the month of January - I just drew out a calendar with enough space to write in the boxes, and I also have some boxes on the right page for a To Do list and a Goals list. I really wanted to do a habit tracker, but I didn't want it to take up a whole page. So instead I just included it at the bottom of this monthly spread. So far this is really motivating me to keep up all of these habits. (Side note: I always play with Lilo whenever she's up for it, so I included that one more just to see if she really does want to play every day)

My favorite spread so far is this week's spread - I got the idea from this photo on Instagram. I liked the idea of tracking my sleep and water intake, but I'm already thinking I'm going to ditch these next week and replace it with a list of my expenses or something. I'm finding it's a bit of a pain to keep track of how much water I'm drinking, and I know it's more than enough, and I've been waking up at night thinking about how much sleep I'm getting. So those just might not be the best things to keep track of for me. I might not include the little weather forecasts either, as cute as they look, because I drew these up on Sunday and the forecast has already changed for the second half of the week.

The last page I have so far is a review page for the month of January (I left enough pages in between for the rest of my weekly spreads). This is also more of a trial run - I think I want to track more stats than just Instagram, Bloglovin, and Twitter followers in the coming months. I'm planning on using the "Loving" section to help me put together my Monthly Edit at the end of the month. I've started using the "Notes" section to keep track of a couple packages I'm waiting for, but maybe that's something I can include in my weekly spreads instead.

So there are definitely a few things I'm going to tweak as I go, but that's what I've really been loving about bullet journaling so far. I've never been able to stick to using a planner, but with something like this that's entirely my own where I can include whatever features I want/need, I definitely think it's something I'll stick to. I don't have many tips yet since I'm so new at it, but I'd definitely say look everywhere for inspiration if you're stuck, and start out sketching layouts in pencil first in case you don't like them. If you're too lazy to make super neat boxes in pencil like I was, just sketch out the corners of each box to get a feel for how they'll look.

Have you tried bullet journaling before? If you've done a post on it, please link it in the comments!

Masks for the Morning After

January 03, 2017 in Skincare

I'm not a big party-er, but my skin has certainly been feeling the effects of the festive period. Long days, late nights, rich food, and not enough water have left my skin looking less-than-great, so I've been sifting through my favorite face masks to find a solution.

If you're forward-thinking enough, I'd definitely recommend popping on a sleep mask before going to bed to kickstart the rehydration process. I recently bought the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask and it's been such a great addition to my skincare collection - it's lightweight, so it won't smear all over your pillow as you sleep, and it leaves the skin feeling so plump and hydrated. I've also used this during the day if I'm just lounging around, so that's always an option, too.

The Belif Anti-Hangover Soothing Mask has hangover in the name, so it really shines here. It's a cooling gel mask that feels so nice on overheated, dehydrated skin. I pop this one on in the morning when I wake up feeling dehydrated and just leave it on for awhile to let it sink in. A similarly cooling and soothing gel mask is The Body Shop British Rose Fresh Plumping Mask.* This is definitely a dupe for the Fresh Rose Face Mask, and it feels like you're spreading rose jam on your face. It's so cooling due to aloe vera, and the rose really hydrates and soothes the skin. The Glossier Moisturizing Moon Mask actually feels quite similar to these two, but is more of a cream than a gel. It also feels ultra-hydrating and soothing on the skin, and it's another one I like to just let sink in for an hour or two. This one also has some brightening ingredients in it to help combat the dullness that comes along with dehydrated skin.

If you're needing something super nourishing and your skin is feeling a little spotty or irritated, I'd really recommend the I'm From Honey Mask. I've only used this one a few times, and it's quickly become my favorite face mask. It's a creamy honey consistency that spreads over the skin evenly and immediately feels like it's feeding the skin. Honey is a natural antimicrobial, so it works well on acne while it's nourishing the skin. If you're not sure what kind of mask your skin needs, go for a honey mask - chances are, you'll be covered by one of its many benefits.

If you're not feeling too dehydrated but dullness is still an issue, look no further than the Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask. This jelly-like mask sloughs away dead skin with fruit enzymes and AHAs and immediately leaves you with bright, plump skin that looks like you've just come from a facial. This one doesn't leave any redness so it's a good one to use in the morning if you've got things to do that day.

What are your favorite masks to use when your skin's feeling less-than-perfect?