Beauty Journey

I know it's been a while since I've written a blog. It's not that I haven't wanted to, I just have been trying to transition my blog and I've been thinking & researching & really just sitting on my ideas for a while. So here I am. I'm ready to go!

In my blog, "Changes are a Comin" I talked about my goals of change that I wanted to see in my blog. I have been thinking of new ideas and trying out nee things, so now I feel ready to blog! Instead of writing about the latest products and trends to look pretty, I want to focus on how to feel pretty. Once you're happy with yourself, your true beauty will shine through. I'm working on that with myself. I'm tired of chasing this idea of beauty that is unattainable and not realistic.



There are things that I really want to do & there are things that I want to be and achieve and I find that making these goals & working hard to reach towards them makes me feel prettier than any lipstick would. I actually wrote a post on December 31st that I still haven't published, but I will, about goals. So that will come up next! But I have some goals and things I want to achieve and I'm going to blog about my journey.


This blog is going to transition into different aspects of beauty. Not just makeup and Skincare. I'm going to go over health tips, recipes, workouts, and all sorts of different journeys that will lead you & me towards self-acceptance and happiness, which then will of course lead to beauty within ourselves.


I am right now right in the middle of a 14 day yoga challenge. I've really enjoyed it. I've learned so much about myself. Not only do I feel better, my balance has improved, my focus & breathing has gotten better and my mindset has become stronger and more positive. I've learned a lot about how far I can push myself.



I took a hot yoga class this week that pushed me so much further than I have pushed myself before. The teacher challenged us to focus and not give in when things get uncomfortable. When I don't like something, I don't do it. Plain & simple, I just don't. But it was interesting to see what one does when times get tough, in yoga we tend to wipe sweat, get a sip of water, fidget with our clothing to break from an uncomfortable position. I now know I did. Once it was brought to my attention I was amazed at how often I slip out of something when I don't feel good. That class made me focus on that and really push through the tough times. I was amazed at how far I could go!


I realized the mind is such a powerful thing and it can either push you to quit or it can push you to go further than you ever thought you could! I did poses i i never have attempted to try and held positions longer than I could have imagined because I was so aware of my thoughts, my intentions, my goals & my breathing. There were times when it was tough and it hurt, but you just breath and you know you'll get through it. And guess what? You do! And when you do push through it without breaking a pose or taking the easy route, it feels so darn good! You'll be so proud of yourself and the next time won't be as bad. You can look back and go, "wow! Remember when I first did this and I could barely get through? Now look at me."



That class was such a wonderful lesson of life and a nice eye-opener in myself. When times get tough you just have to breath and push yourself through it with a positive mindset and focus. You'll come out so much stronger than before.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New Year! Let's Start This off Right!

So I wrote this blog on New Year's Eve 2013. I never posted it because I wanted to tweak a few things but, I just let it sit in blogging purgatory until now. So humor me, remember this is from 4 months ago but it's still pretty good stuff...well I think so, but I also wrote it. Check it out!


Ok, ok. I know this time of year we all go through the same shenanigans. We end each year completely stuffed with holiday treats and fast food eats because we have been so busy! We binge and we push our bodies to the limit in usually the worst way and then we see the new year as a new beginning.

I am so thankful for that! I love a nice, fresh start. And now is the time to do it! This past year has probably been one of the craziest years I have ever had! I'm officially 10 years past my high school graduation. I thought I would have my stuff together by now but I feel like I'm just getting started. Honestly, I feel like if we do it right, we are always changing, We are always learning and we are always wanting to be a better version of what we are. I don't feel like I have wasted any of my moments or years, I just feel like this has all paved the way to where I want to be. This time last year I had a completely different idea of what I wanted but I wasn't truly happy. My plan was something of a superficial, safe, sounded-good plan. It looked nice & shiny on the outside but deep down, it wasn't me and it truly wasn't what I wanted. But-it was a nice, safe idea. It was easy. If I wanted to really take the time (which I had no time to even think about this at that time) then I would have really dug deep and realized I was basically going the exact opposite direction of my true happiness.

This year I did A LOT! I had a job that paid well, had good benefits and had a nice shiny name to it with lots of promise, but-I truly wasn't happy. When I was younger this is what I thought I wanted. For a long time this is what I thought I wanted. Even while doing aesthetics I always wondered about more of the high-end, fashion side of beauty. But once I was neck-high in the nice, fancy things, I realized, "whoa! I don't want this! I don't want this at all!" I was thrown in to the fashion & business world and realized "nope! I'm good!" Not only did I "think" I wanted to be in the middle of this fashion world but I also thought I wanted to really succeed and be a business woman. It felt good to do well and succeed. It can almost be addicting and I'll admit, you can almost convince yourself that certain things you sacrifice are worth it, and if you truly love it-those sacrifices are worth it, but this was not my path. I realized I was giving up my free time, my family time and time with my husband and friends and it was just not worth it. I spent so much time towards it and I love beauty and fashion but it's not important to me anymore. We change and our interests and passions change, and mine had. I have been really committed to working out and eating right for about the past two years. It's been gradual but this last year , starting about March, I really jumped in head-first into health & wellness. As time went on and I got more & more involved in working out and eating right I realized to me, what's more important now is feeling beautiful. I'm over the "you have to buy this to look beautiful." I'm more attracted to the "this is what makes you feel beautiful!"

My priorities changed completely. I was tired of missing out on family time and seeing my husband and friends and have me time! The more I thought about it and the more I looked into it, I knew this was not the path I wanted to go. I took a huge leap and a big risk and quit my job. I am doing makeup on my own, freelancing for lines I love and believe in, and working at a store that completely supports me and helps me follow my dreams and goals. This company actually gets you to write out 10 year goals. It's pretty amazing! I have found that really setting your goals that far in advanced help you make big crazy goals and it actually helps you see what you really want and it helps narrow down your goals in 10, 5, and 1 year goals.

I'm going to share a few pointers I learned while setting my goals. One I liked was put your goals in present tense. When you talk about living in your beach home in Florida, describe it. Don't say, "I will have a beach house someday." Say, "I wake up in my beach house on a beautiful sunny day." Make big, scary goals! If they don't scare you, they're not big enough! One of the things that helped me realize what I really wanted to do was asking that question of "if you won $100,000,000 what would you do?" I knew I always wanted to work even if it was part time. Even if I won the lottery (I'm trying to keep myself grounded here) I thought I would love to work where I work now. Hence why I followed what I wanted and went for it! I knew I wanted to have more time to work out, take hikes, I would want a big farm house with tons of land and garden and really be able to plant and eat a lot my own foods. I wanted to cook more and learn how to can items from my garden. Maybe eventually be a fitness instructor. If I won the lottery I would definitely go to India and get my yoga instructors license as well!

I look at these goals and think these are possible! Lottery winnings or not, I can do this! Why not do it! I mean we have one life to live and if this is what I want, go for it! I feel like writing out your goals make them seem more realistic and it helps you really lay them out and break them down more to be more attainable. I also think sharing your goals helps because you can hold yourself accountable of your goals and so can others who know them. We need to support one another, cheer them on when they are on their way to achieving their goals!

I've been thinking about some resolutions, I'm still working on them. But I'm starting to write them down and keep a physical list of my goals, I will constantly check back at them and reassess them and keep working on my goals and being the best version of me.

I definitely want to do yoga at least 3 times a week. I want to meditate daily, even if it's only 5-10 minutes. I want to sweat at least 20 minutes a day. I want to grow closer to my husband and keep growing our relationship and keep our communication going more and more.

These two links helped me out a lot!

http://blog.lululemon.com/vision-goals-why-we-love-them-and-how-to-get-started/

http://blog.lululemon.com/how-to-write-your-10-year-vision/?CID=FBVAG
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Simple struggles

"Eat Nothing, Taste Everything!"

I heard this quote and thought, "Hmm. That sounds interesting."
I was watching Bethenny Frankel's Talk Show "Bethenny" and heard this quote. Some people love her, some people don't, I however, love Bethenny. I might not agree with everything about her but what do I know?? I don't know her on a personal level so I don't pass judgement on what the media highlights. What I do know about her is she's all about empowering women and helping women feel good about themselves and she helps you better yourself and live a more fulfilling life. That is why I like her. She is a great person to follow through business, life, health, I just love her.

I like how she eats what she wants, I mean obviously she does, she started as a chef so of course she loves food. But she's smart about it. She will eat whatever she wants but she doesn't eat the entire thing. I like that. My struggle with eating healthy and trying to maintain happiness with my body has been a struggle. (I will write about this later too) Depriving myself of certain foods and enjoying life has always been a hard balance. I love food! When I go out of town, restaurants are where I start my planning. I want to try new things, eat at local hot spots, enjoy what foods this area is known for. I don't want to go to some fabulous dessert spot and get a fruit cup and then look back and regret not splurging. I want to enjoy life and feel good about myself.

I have changed my "cheat meals" into "treat meals." And you don't have to lick the plate clean if you do splurge. Split those indulgent plates with friends. If you're by yourself split the meal up and save some for later. On the "Bethenny" show she said treat your eating habits like a bank account. If you just have to have that brownie for breakfast then just know you will have a salad for lunch and pass on the pasta and bread for dinner, and eat some grilled chicken and veggies instead. It's all about laying it all out for the day and not depriving yourself.

I just reached this point not too long ago. I was sick & tired of being mad at myself all day long after I ate something bad. That's no way to live. I finally reached the point where I work out, and I'm smart with what I eat. Now if I want to have a brownie for dessert or pizza for dinner, it's ok. I worked out, I ate right that entire day and I will for the rest of the week. Just get back to your regular routine after that and enjoy it while splurging and move on!

I find that's one of the most common problems with splurging. You splurge and then you never get back on track. You push off until the next week, then push it off the week after. Just eat what you want, in a reasonable portion, enjoy & move on. No need to beat yourself up over and and obsess. Just eat a small amount of it and get back on track.

I just wanted to share this little bit of info because I found it very nice an a great way to balance everything. When I eat well, I feel better mentally and physically. But, we're human here. I crave Mexican and chocolate chip cookies! And I like to enjoy good food with family and enjoy a local special dish so I really enjoyed hearing Bethenny's take on enjoying food.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Salt Life Lessons

I am fresh off a beach vacation and wow, it was nice. I love vacations. Not just for the lounging and relaxing. I love vacations because I always have the amazing fond memories that I look back on for years and years. These memories give me a warm, comforting feeling that makes me realize how lucky I am.

This past year has been pretty crazy. I finally took a huge leap and quit my stable job to start my own business. I've always wanted to have my own aesthetics business. I wanted to be able to give affordable custom facials to people who want to better their skin. It's unfair how expensive it can be to just better your skin!! I find that unfortunate. So I decided the only way to give people affordable facials was to do it myself! I also don't like using products with a bunch of crap in it. So now all I focus on is all-natural skin care products. I finally took the leap and now the ball is in my court. Great right? Yes. But I also have realized that doing what you love and taking a leap of faith also comes with random anxiety, staying up all night stressing out, constantly worrying about money, and feeling guilty when I have free time.




I try to give myself about 1-2 minutes of, "Oh my God!! What the heck did I do??" And then I move on and realize this is what was meant to be and everything will work out. I'm so, so happy doing what I do. Yes, it's scary and yes, my income is very uncertain. But, for the first time I'm doing what I love and really diving into bettering myself and my life. I'm sacrificing shopping, spending frivolously, and even simple luxuries like going out to dinner. But, As much as I worry and stress out from time to time, I would never go back to the stable job I had before. I will write more about that situation later but right now I want to write about some wonderful affirmations that would randomly pop up during my vacation. These nice little instances reminded me that everything is going to be ok.

I was lucky enough to go on a little family vacation with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law. We went down to Florida and it was a wonderful time.


This is one of my favorite quotes ever. I truly believe it too. I don't cry often but every once in a while, it helps. But working out always helps me and everyone deserves to stare off into the ocean and hear the waves crashing.



Like I said before, I'm going to get into my process of following my dreams later. But there was a moment a few weeks ago where I was so stressed about the uncertainty of my life that I couldn't put my mind to rest that couldn't sleep. I lost so much sleep and stressed so much my eye was twitching!! I'm not one to freak out and stress over something if I can't control it. But this just started to take over. I knew I needed help so I went to my favorite tea place across from my office and asked her for help. (I will also write about this little gem as well!!) she suggested I meditate and really focus on water. Water is my element that I chose to live my life and choose to deal with situations. I am a Leo so water is an odd combo, but whatever. I was instructed to take a tincture blend to help calm my nerves, meditate and really become one with water. I had hung out at a few lakes but I knew the beach would really help me connect. Little did I know that I would learn so much more.




I really followed my instructions of becoming one with the water. I used to be fearless in the water. Then I stepped on a sea urchin and then a few years later got stung by a jellyfish. I kinda lost that uninhibited spirit after that. But after instructions to become one with the water, I was up for it again! My sister-in-law and I jumped right into the water. The crashing waves really wake you up and make you feel alive. You crack up and scream like a little kid. It was really, really nice to just have fun and enjoy the water. It was a nice therapy.



While shopping on vacation we went into Ron Jon Surf Shop. We went in there almost every day, I mean we're practically surfers now...haha. While shopping me and my sister-in-law ran upon the cutest brand of accessories. They had the sweetest quotes and were just adorable!



I don't know what this brand is, but I'm going to find out and buy some of their stuff!



As simple as it is, shopping was fun (as always) and it was a nice breath of fresh air and a wonderful reminder to just relax and everything will work out.




It was really neat to see where inspiration will hit you if you're open to it.



I hope this blog made sense! There's just a lot going on and I want to write about it but I was feeling very inspired after the last week. I wanted to share these inspirations with y'all!


Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Changes are a comin'

Beauty Trend 1923

So here's the deal folks. I really want to write often. I really do. I admire these beauty bloggers out there, They are so dedicated to keeping a very consistent blog and snapping photos of their awesome makeup looks of the day. They spend lots of money on beautiful, exotic product lines and brands that many people don't have easy access to, or we are willing to spend that much money on (definitely something you can't find at your local drugstore). But, I'm going to be honest-I'm losing that drive.



Beauty Trend 1933

It's not that I'm losing my love for aesthetics and makeup. I'm just not that invested in spending that much money on products and taking a ton of time throwing on makeup. I love makeup and I ALWAYS put some type of makeup on just because it's what I do. I will never leave the house without my brows on, some bronzer & blush, and a little mascara. It's just what I prefer to face the day with. But I just never have, and obviously never will be willing to spend a lot of money on makeup. I will search far and wide for an amazing foundation. I'll spend a little more money for a great eye shadow palette. But the truth is, I will stretch that product out as long as possible! It's just something I'm not willing to invest my money in. And blogging about my high-class, fancy makeup is not where I will be investing my time.



Beauty Trend 1943

I'm not saying that I'm over spending decent money on a product. Or that I don't care about makeup. I'm just saying that we all have areas where we spend our time and money with no hesitation; and fancy, expensive makeup is not my area of obsession.



Beauty Trend 1953

My focus has always been how to look beautiful, what is beautiful, what is the world's definition of beautiful and what is our society's thought of what's beautiful at the moment. This means that we are constantly changing our looks. Where it be hair color, hair length, hair style, golden bronzed skin or nice fair skin, dark lips, nude lips, smokey eyes, and what not. There are constant changes in the world's opinion of beauty and that's not fair. We can't possibly keep up! One day we think we've got the latest look down, and then the next day it's a completely different look. It's exhausting!! And truthfully it's unrealistic and disheartening.



Beauty Trend 1963

I'm tired of showing you all that this is the key to look good, and you have to have this product to look good. I mean, I will still share a lip color that's going to be huge for the season and give tips on how to achieve certain looks and use certain brands and products, but I want to dig deeper into this beauty journey.



Beauty Trend 1973

What I've noticed is that I have started to devote more time to how to feel good and beautiful on the inside, not on the surface. We're going deep here folks! For a long time I've been unhappy with myself. Being a girl, we all kind of compare ourselves to others at some point in our life. I've been like that too. There are TONS of points in my life where I don't like so many things about myself. I try to color my hair or find the latest fad diet to temporarily fix that void but it never works. I've been unhappy with so many different things about myself and it has truly been a journey. Each day, each month, each hour is a different obsession over what I needed to change about a certain aspect of my body and appearance.



Beauty Trend 1983

But slowly, and I mean very slowly, I have learned how to truly feel good and happy about myself. It's no special diet pill or diet at that. It's eating foods good for you, working out, making healthy choices and recipes, enjoying the outdoors, yoga, meditation, really getting to know yourself. This has become my new "thing" I devote my time and effort and money to. This doesn't mean I'm not buying makeup or Skincare, it's just that I'm not devoting all my time and energy towards it. I'm not basing my importance on my perfectly flawless look at all times. My basis of feelings good about myself is not solely based on my makeup look.



Beauty Trend 1993

From now on I will write about beauty products and more affordable skin care items of course. But I won't be writing solely on beauty products. I'm also going to write about how to feel beautiful. How to achieve true happiness with yourself and things that I've gone through with my journey. Because, it really has been a journey. It's still a journey. We will never achieve this one recipe for happiness and then we are done and we keep doing the same pattern over and over. We are constantly changing into different people and finding different interests and goals. So that's what I'm here for. I'm here to guide you through my journey. Give you tips and pointers in what I've learned, and also I'm going to document my route. It will be a really raw, real run down of what's going on in my journey to be happy and achieve my goals. You are not alone in striving to be happy and reaching that goal of simplistic happiness.



Beauty Trend 2003

I've got a couple of business things to announce and I have a fabulous partner I'm going to introduce into this mix very soon. And we have a goal together-
We are here to redefine beauty. A more simple version of beauty. One that isn't just on the outside. This type of beauty will change your entire life and the way you live and look at things. Are you ready to take the journey with me?? Let's go and do this!!!



Beauty Trend 2013



Gothollywood.tumblr.com
Fineartamerica.com
Shorpy.com
Europabridge.wordpress.com
Flickriver.com
Norandom.com
Dailymail.co.uk
Vogue.com
Blog.blushbox.com

Local Beauty Wednesdays

So I'm going to start writing a little weekly segment called Local Beauty. I'm going to focus on the beauty that is right around us here in Nashville, TN. It might be a restaurant, it might be a gym, it might be a shop, it might be a person, it might be right in your home. That's what I'm going to write about today.

There is a HUGE beauty secret right in your own home! Want to know what's even better than the convenience of being in your own home? It's free!! And-whenever you have just 20 minutes (or more) you can do it!!

I know it's something you don't want to hear, but it's called exercise! It's the secret to everything!! It makes you look and feel good! I know we've all heard the health benefits of exercise but the beauty benefits are great too!

Working out obviously increases blood flow which helps circulation. Good blood flow means clear skin! Working out also helps inflammation which will help calm the redness in the skin. Breaking a sweat also helps stimulate collagen production which means it smoothes out wrinkles!

These are just a few outward results but there are even more positive changes internally! Working out helps you stress less which in the long run helps your skin age less! Workouts help with anxiety and help your posture which both are great for your health! You also detoxify your body when you work out which makes you feel better! Your immunity builds up more as well which means less sick days for you!

All you need to give yourself is AT LEAST 20 minutes a day. If you can get your heart rate up for 20 minutes and sweat, the rewards are amazing!!! Just the feeling you will have right after you workout will be worth it!! You never regret working out, you always regret not working out!

Every day I do this awesome workout video from the early 2000's, haha. I ignore the awesome clothes (bold colors and cargo pants)and the bad music for the amazing workout that it offers. It's a HIIT kickboxing video. HIIT means, High Intensity Interval Training. This is a cardiovascular workout That rotates between short intense anaerobic exercises and less intense recovery periods. This video is 20 minutes long and I sweat my butt off!! If I'm in a super hurry this video is all I do. If I have more time, I will do weights or the Total Gym(yes, I have one of those) (and yes, it's the one Chuck Norris does infomercials for) or some Tracy Anderson webisodes on YouTube for arms, legs and abs. I always do squats every day and I like to do at least 20 minutes on the elliptical.




This is me after working out with my HIIT kickboxing video. I took this because I wanted to show that it's ok to not look perfect in everything you do. I say, if you still look good after your workout, you didn't workout hard enough!



Check out the gorgeous Adriana Lima after her boxing workout!






I love this!!! She's so absolutely gorgeous and we always look at her on the runway and just think, "Wow! She's flawless all the time! What does she do?" Well, she sweats her butt off!!! She still looks gorgeous but it shows she works hard!

If you have no equipment, jump imaginary rope!! I love doing that!! Look up YouTube videos, find workouts on Pinterest. Or go for a walk/run! Put on the Pandora Workout Station and just have a good time!! I promise you won't regret it! There is no excuse. Just get out there and sweat for at least 20 minutes. I promise you, you will notice a change in your skin. But honestly, you will feel so good on the inside that clear skin will be an added bonus to feeling so well!

This isn't about being skinny. This is about feeling good every day and making a conscious effort to do so. Once you start feeling better on the inside, those outside results will just be a nice extra. But what's most important is how you feel internally and how you feel about yourself!






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

BB's & CC's

BB creams have been around for a few years now. I wrote a post about them about 2 years ago right when they came on to the US market. BB creams were in the Asian market around 1985 and made their way to the US around 2012. But now, there are CC creams! Like we didn't have enough decisions! So I am here to break it down for you.


BB creams=
Stands for beauty balm, blemish balm, blemish base
Originated by a dermatologist for post-procedure creams
Hydrates dehydrated skin
Primes the skin to give a smooth canvas to wear alone or as a great prep for makeup
Acts as a concealer to hide imperfections
Treats the skin with anti-aging ingredients
Has SPF so it will protect your skin from the sun

CC creams=
Stands for color correct, color care
Created and developed in Korea to correct discoloration
Hydrates the skin
Primes the skin for makeup
Has SPF to protect from the sun
Gives them skin a flawless finish
Evens the skin tone to color correct


I've noticed that I really love the luminosity from BB creams. But, BB creams also break me out like crazy!!! I hate that because I really did love the results from BB creams and I liked the results so much I have tried about 8 different ones but they just don't work with my skin. I have so many people that use them and love them! I just tend to break out very easy and primers have never worked for me so no surprise BB creams didn't work out in my favor. But Ike I said, I absolutely loved the glow that BB creams gave me. I was also really surprised at how much coverage there was in BB creams. If you have no sensitivity towards primers I would highly suggest you try them out. You will love the results! I also love that there are anti-aging ingredients in them.

CC creams have a lighter texture and coverage than BB creams. I have tried a few CC creams and I was super hesitant because of the breakouts I got when I tried the BB creams but so far, so good! I have found that the luminosity that I love from BB creams is not as noticeable with the CC creams. But, I will say on the days that I don't want to wear a full on foundation, the CC creams have come in handy.

All in all, I suggest you go out to a makeup counter and go try a sample of a CC cream and a BB cream and see what you think! I have tried the Garnier, Bobbi Brown, Too Faced, Smashbox and a few other BB creams and honestly I love them all. I've only tried two CC creams, Clinique & Almay and I love both! So go check them out, and try some for yourself!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad