Weekend Wellness 10.08.17

So much focus is put on eliminating bad habits from our lives. However, I’ve found that starting new, healthy habits is just as challenging if not more challenging, than eliminating bad ones. For most of my adult life, I’ve been focused on trying to start one habit: become a morning person. I am a true night owl. I re-energize at night and it’s hard to turn my brain off. I’ve tried everything from limiting before bed screen time, to sleep inducing teas and lotions and evening meditations and journaling. While they definitely help get me to bed earlier when I put in the effort; no matter how much I sleep the night before I am not a morning person. I’m slow, I need my coffee, and will always need to set an alarm. However, I’d love to be that person that by 9 am has already worked out, showered, and is working hard at the office.  But the reality is, I’m just not there yet, but I’m not giving up either.

What is one habit you are trying to start (and do you have any new ideas for me to breakthrough on mine)?

My Nighttime Skincare Routine

If I had to describe my skin in three words it would be sensitive, hormonal, and combination. I need skincare products that will treat my hormonal acne while not drying out or aggravating the rest of my face. The quest to find products to meet my trifecta of needs has been a long one and turned me into a self-proclaimed product junkie. However, one product line that’s been a mainstay in my nighttime routine is Sunday Riley.

The U.F.O. Ultra-Clarifying Face Oil paired with Good Genes is a strong dynamic duo that doesn’t dry me out while still treating the annoying breakouts that can pop up on my chin and jawline. While I’m not at glass skin status yet, I at least *feel* like I am on my way.

What products are you loving for your nighttime routine?

P.S. If you haven’t yet read about my morning skincare routine, you can check it out here.

My Daytime Skincare Routine

It’s no secret that I love wine. Look back at some of my blog posts (examples here, here and here, just to name a few) or photos from my Instagram, and you’ll likely notice that quite a few of the images occur at a winery our around wine. So, when I learned that I could incorporate wine into my skincare routine it was a total game changer. 

I first learned about the Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum on Violet Grey when oils and serums first became all the rage in skincare, and haven’t looked back since. Almost immediately, I started noticing a change in my skin tone and texture. 

Now, more than a year later, I’ve started to incorporate so many products from Caudalie. First, I swapped out my toner for the Beauty Elixir, then it was their new Vinoperfect Essence and now I’m currently working through samples of the Moisturizing Sorbet and the Eye Lifting Balm and I love it all. 

I have sensitive skin which can easily get red, irritated or break out with the wrong products, but my skin takes so well to Caudalie products. So, while my first experience with Caudalie was likely fueled by excellent wine marketing, I’ve become a true brand advocate.

What are some of your go-to skincare brands and products?

P.S. this post is in no way sponsored, I just really love this product line. And wine. I love all the wine. 

Thursday Inspo 09.21.17

Fall Fashion Wishlist

By the time August rolls around, summer fashion is already in my rearview mirror and I'm fully focused on selecting what pieces I need to add to my wardrobe for fall. By Labor Day, I'm craving the rich textures of leather and velvet and deep jewel tones and black (if you saw my wardrobe, you'd get it.) I could spend hours flipping through look books and selecting my new seasonal staples, but I always try to be mindful when creating my wish list. My goal is to only select items that are currently missing or need replacing, are timeless and can be worn year over year, and versatile enough to wear with nearly everything in my closet. This year my fall fashion wishlist includes:

A structured statement handbag (Pictured: Givenchy); the perfect pair of lived-in denim (Pictured: GRLFRND); a day-to-night leather mini (Pictured: BB Dakota); timeless velvet pumps to elevate any outfit (Pictured: Gianvito Rossi); Bordeaux kissed lips (Pictured: Charlotte Tilbury); and fishnet hosiery for layering under ripped jeans and transitioning your seasonal mini skirts (Pictured: Vero Monte).

What are some of the items on your fall fashion wish list?

Weekend Wellness: 08.20.17

Goal setting is a huge part of my life. It is something I do regularly and always in writing. Why? It gives me something to reflect on, refer back to, and track my progress accordingly. I find without writing my goals down on a regular basis, I feel like I lose direction. For me, it’s extremely important to do big picture goal setting 2x a year: around the New Year and around my birthday. I find those are the two times per year when I really reflect on the trajectory of my life and where I need to focus my efforts. However, each week I do some planning and goal setting to help ensure I have a successful week. Regular goal setting helps keep me centered and focused, especially when life feels hectic.

How often do you set goals and how does it help you? 

Why I Keep Failing at Blogging

I will always wine, but never whine about being busy.

A quick scroll through the recent posts of W&W will show a very sporadic posting schedule, with large gaps between updates. Each time my blog efforts lapsed, I'd try and bounce back with a personal post explaining why I’ve been MIA or how I planned to get back into the blogging groove.

Despite my most organized efforts and flawless content calendar, each time of getting back on the wagon it would only be a few months before I’d fall off again.

I’d beat myself up mentally, being frustrated with the fact that I couldn’t stick to a schedule. I’d read so many blogging resources, like the WWW e-book blogging guide (which is fabulous BTW), yet couldn’t master my own content schedule.

It wasn’t until recently reading this blog post from Zanita Studio that it hit me as to why I constantly failed:

I was trying to do too much.

I had an amazing content calendar with themes and ideas for posts for 6 days of the week. No wonder I couldn’t keep up! What was I thinking?

As the Zanita Studio post brilliantly points out:

“Now, if you’re just starting out, that’s a lot of content. I don’t even post 5 days a week and I’ve been blogging for 7 years now. You probably don’t want to start out with guns blazing until you have a solid, loyal following who actually care what you have to say, otherwise you’ll be creating all this content for no one.”

As someone who works a full-time job, recently took on a second job on the weekends, and trying to make a blog work (like so many bloggers!); trying to do too much is kind of the theme of my life.

With that said, I love this blog and have so much fun working on it and I’m not willing to give it up. What I am willing to do is less. I commit to posting regularly, but less frequently (i.e. starting out with just once a week instead of almost daily), and will not mentally beat myself up if/when I don’t get to them. My new focus is trying to take on less in life and only give energy to the things that really, truly make me happy.

My new mantra: get shit done by doing less.

I'll drink to that! Celebrating my new life mantra.