A consistent description of me is bubbly or positive. And people who really know me know I'll vocalize frustrations, my opinions, and never hesitate to giggle at a girl who can't walk in her heels or can't dress herself. But if you're a part of my circle, you know I may ask questions and give honest answers, but you always have my love and support even if you disagree with my opinion.
Lately, I've notices a lot of negative connotation with the word "positive". Apparently, it's completely horribly annoying to be around positive people. And, let's be honest about this: negative mindsets breed negative mindsets.
Let me back up a little. Last night a good friend of mine and I went to a book signing for Paleo authors Juli Bauer, Cassy Joy Garcia, and Diane Sanfilippo. And it was refreshing. Yes, it was a lot about diet, and changes I'm considering making, but more than that, it was a lifestyle conversation. And the one thing that flowed through the room was positivity. I was sitting next to a friend who I consider a big part of my support system, and a really good, positive friend, but I was really reminded of how draining negativity can be. Diane Sanfilippo said something that really resonated with me. She was talking about that she is going to be your honest friend and be real, and she believes that her life should be a positive one.
This really got me wondering, when did being positive become a bad thing? When did choosing to believe that you can do things, that supporting the people in your life, or just thinking that today is going to be a good day become a negative personality trait? I hear negativity all the time: "nothing good ever happens to me", everyone is out to get me" seem to be the every day attitudes I hear. Each of these attitudes is an "I" statement, which makes me want to ask, "if these things are happening to you, what are you going to do to change it?"
I'm not speaking to any one person specifically, but I think it's so strange that feedback I often get is that I'm too happy, too positive, and too bubbly. I'm happy in my life, and if I'm not, I figure out what is causing the unhappiness and change it. I have control over my life, and I don't want to live a life where I'm unsatisfied more than 50% of the time. Honestly, I don't want to live a life where I'm unsatisfied more than 15% of the time.
Two of my favorite people I've ever known once told me a story where someone accused them of being "too happy." When we talked about this conversation afterward, it was very eye-opening that some people don't want to be happy. And that's fine, that's a life choice. I just don't understand trying to drag people down when they are choosing to be happy. Because ultimately, happiness is a life choice too. I just don't think I'll ever understand putting happiness into a negative context.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Trying New Things: Cosmetics Addition
Okay, it's been a crazy few weeks.
Not making excuses, not focusing on the negative, but a few weeks ago, I was in a pretty crazy car accident. I was rear-ended on my way to work. It totaled out the car I had, the one that was completely paid off, that I paid off in one payment to my grandmother. So I researched cars and picked one with a good safety rating and that was good for me (woooo Nissan Versa Note!) and I used my money from my insurance for a down payment, and I can now say, as a full-blown, panicking adult, I have car payments. And I live in Colorado and I am about to have to renew my lease. And I'm still working on leaving work at work, especially with work getting busy, it feels a bit chaotic. So I'm presently feeling anxiety over these things, but I'm working on it. Definitely need to yoga tomorrow. Because it works, and I never thought it would change my life.
BUT THAT'S NOT WHY I'M HERE.
It's NY Fashion Week. SPRING NYFW. It's the most wonderful time of the year. M Missoni, Baby Ghost (see side picture, thanks Vogue), and Thakoon are my favorites so far. I'm really excited about Whitney Eve Port and Lauren Conrad (because they actually are working for it, and it looks good.) So I've been thinking a lot about fashion and style lately. Which leads to my current obsession: Cosmetics.
But right now, I'm even more into makeup and skin care. After a few years working in the cosmetics industry, I was disenchanted with it. I was really struggling with how things "had" to be done, and that I needed to do things a certain way. Fortunately, cool-girl cosmetics and some good friends have really turned everything around for me.
A few months ago, my boyfriend, Jason, and I took a trip to New York. While riding the subway everywhere, I began noticing ads for a company claiming a 10,000 person waiting list for their brow product. I took down the name, and began looking into what I assumed was a ridiculous claim. And I kept reading about Glossier, about it's cool-girl feel and culture. Their take on cosmetics seems to be take care of your skin, and you don't need full coverage anything. Multiple-use products, like Balm-Dot-Com are intriguing to me. After months of looking and researching, I finally ordered. I couldn't say no to the cleanser, claiming good for sensitive skin, but reading review after review of how amazing it was for pH balancing and oil. I also loved the idea that it would break down makeup. And then there's Boy Brow, the 10,000 person wait-listed product that lives up to that claim. I never want to use another brow product again. I am about to put the cleanser on a monthly reoccurring order (and whoever came up with auto-renew for cosmetics is a GENIUS).
Also, they send cute stickers and amazing packaging, and the best part is the pink bubble wrap bag. I need 10,000 of them.
The one thing about this discovery: it's making me challenge my own preconceived notions about skin care. So I'll probably be posting more about other lines that I'm finding.
Part 2 of this is dedicated to my friends Alicia and Jessica at MAC. I had never really been interested in MAC before, but going to see these ladies, I started getting curious about some lip colors. Earlier this year, I started to try some products, lip color, lip liners, and even one gloss. I love the lipsticks. I am obsessive over the matte colors. And these girls know me, we worked together for a couple of years, and became friends. So Alicia shot me a text about some a vintage line they had come in, so I went in and picked out the best lipstick ever, and a bowling highlighter (no, really it has pins and a bowling ball on it, I'm not sorry). Alicia
also told me about the upcoming 50th Anniversary Star Trek line. Which I fangirled over, immediately.
So I decided to come in and grab some of the items and I needed a foundation, because the line that I normally use decided to not call me back when they didn't have my shade in stock. But I really love the foundation, but not as much as the Star Trek bronzer "Highly Illogical" and the "Skin of Evil" nail polish. I never buy nail color, because I have 10,000 colors, but a super chunky green glitter nail color stole my heart. The bronzer is rosey but not pink, and it is the best contouring shade I've ever used, either on myself or someone else.
Moral of these stories are try something new, different, and that you haven't heard of. You never know what's going to win your heart. But if it's named after a Spock quote and comes with stickers, there's a good chance it's going to be a life-changing product.
Not making excuses, not focusing on the negative, but a few weeks ago, I was in a pretty crazy car accident. I was rear-ended on my way to work. It totaled out the car I had, the one that was completely paid off, that I paid off in one payment to my grandmother. So I researched cars and picked one with a good safety rating and that was good for me (woooo Nissan Versa Note!) and I used my money from my insurance for a down payment, and I can now say, as a full-blown, panicking adult, I have car payments. And I live in Colorado and I am about to have to renew my lease. And I'm still working on leaving work at work, especially with work getting busy, it feels a bit chaotic. So I'm presently feeling anxiety over these things, but I'm working on it. Definitely need to yoga tomorrow. Because it works, and I never thought it would change my life.
BUT THAT'S NOT WHY I'M HERE.
But right now, I'm even more into makeup and skin care. After a few years working in the cosmetics industry, I was disenchanted with it. I was really struggling with how things "had" to be done, and that I needed to do things a certain way. Fortunately, cool-girl cosmetics and some good friends have really turned everything around for me.
A few months ago, my boyfriend, Jason, and I took a trip to New York. While riding the subway everywhere, I began noticing ads for a company claiming a 10,000 person waiting list for their brow product. I took down the name, and began looking into what I assumed was a ridiculous claim. And I kept reading about Glossier, about it's cool-girl feel and culture. Their take on cosmetics seems to be take care of your skin, and you don't need full coverage anything. Multiple-use products, like Balm-Dot-Com are intriguing to me. After months of looking and researching, I finally ordered. I couldn't say no to the cleanser, claiming good for sensitive skin, but reading review after review of how amazing it was for pH balancing and oil. I also loved the idea that it would break down makeup. And then there's Boy Brow, the 10,000 person wait-listed product that lives up to that claim. I never want to use another brow product again. I am about to put the cleanser on a monthly reoccurring order (and whoever came up with auto-renew for cosmetics is a GENIUS). 
Also, they send cute stickers and amazing packaging, and the best part is the pink bubble wrap bag. I need 10,000 of them.
The one thing about this discovery: it's making me challenge my own preconceived notions about skin care. So I'll probably be posting more about other lines that I'm finding.
also told me about the upcoming 50th Anniversary Star Trek line. Which I fangirled over, immediately.So I decided to come in and grab some of the items and I needed a foundation, because the line that I normally use decided to not call me back when they didn't have my shade in stock. But I really love the foundation, but not as much as the Star Trek bronzer "Highly Illogical" and the "Skin of Evil" nail polish. I never buy nail color, because I have 10,000 colors, but a super chunky green glitter nail color stole my heart. The bronzer is rosey but not pink, and it is the best contouring shade I've ever used, either on myself or someone else.
Moral of these stories are try something new, different, and that you haven't heard of. You never know what's going to win your heart. But if it's named after a Spock quote and comes with stickers, there's a good chance it's going to be a life-changing product.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Once upon a time, I was going to be a writer, a fashionista, an "It" girl, and I was going to make the world mine. I was 20, and I thought I knew everything about how my life would go. I recently turned 30, and I am not a writer, fashionista, or an "It" girl (nor do I want to be. Exhausting). I do, however, believe I have made the world my own.
I started my 20's by making the choice to move back the small town my parents lived in to complete my degree, after 2 years of a roller coaster of college and boys. I made the decision at 20 to finish my degree and to focus on college, at which I was succeeded enough to graduate. I also had a great time, made amazing friends, and tried to figure out what I was doing with my life, basically like this:
Okay, that was for an 80's party, but that was me, for most of my 20's- fun, ridiculously dressed about 40% of the time, and trying to figure out what I was doing.
I had a lot of ups and downs- I dated a lot of jerks (some of which are still my friends); had countless thankless, underpaying jobs; and I spent most of it living with my parents (sometimes in their basement- stereotypes can be real, kids). On the up-side, I did move out, found a career path, and met the most wonderful man. I always kept pretty amazing hair and stayed true to myself.
So as 30 approached, I kept thinking about starting a blog concerning my next chapter- friends getting married, having babies, fashion, food, relationships, not my job (because I am learning to leave that at work), pets, travelling, and anything else that happens in my future.
Currently, I'm coming to terms with a recent diagnosis with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). That means a lot of different things for me, but the biggest is coming to terms with having a particularly slow metabolism. This affects my two favorite things: what I eat and what I wear. I am focused on what I eat and editing my fashion to fit the changes I'm seeing in myself. However, I struggle with my body, feeling both vindicated that there's a reason for the change, but also feeling like my body has betrayed itself. It's a daily struggle: something I'm coming to terms with, but it's often more emotionally than I will ever want to admit.
So welcome to my journey, complete with lipstick, delicious meals, fantastic clothes, personal successes, emotions (of all sorts), weddings, losses, but mostly just my life.
(Me just before my 30th birthday)
I started my 20's by making the choice to move back the small town my parents lived in to complete my degree, after 2 years of a roller coaster of college and boys. I made the decision at 20 to finish my degree and to focus on college, at which I was succeeded enough to graduate. I also had a great time, made amazing friends, and tried to figure out what I was doing with my life, basically like this:
Okay, that was for an 80's party, but that was me, for most of my 20's- fun, ridiculously dressed about 40% of the time, and trying to figure out what I was doing.
I had a lot of ups and downs- I dated a lot of jerks (some of which are still my friends); had countless thankless, underpaying jobs; and I spent most of it living with my parents (sometimes in their basement- stereotypes can be real, kids). On the up-side, I did move out, found a career path, and met the most wonderful man. I always kept pretty amazing hair and stayed true to myself.
So as 30 approached, I kept thinking about starting a blog concerning my next chapter- friends getting married, having babies, fashion, food, relationships, not my job (because I am learning to leave that at work), pets, travelling, and anything else that happens in my future.
Currently, I'm coming to terms with a recent diagnosis with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). That means a lot of different things for me, but the biggest is coming to terms with having a particularly slow metabolism. This affects my two favorite things: what I eat and what I wear. I am focused on what I eat and editing my fashion to fit the changes I'm seeing in myself. However, I struggle with my body, feeling both vindicated that there's a reason for the change, but also feeling like my body has betrayed itself. It's a daily struggle: something I'm coming to terms with, but it's often more emotionally than I will ever want to admit.
So welcome to my journey, complete with lipstick, delicious meals, fantastic clothes, personal successes, emotions (of all sorts), weddings, losses, but mostly just my life.
(Me just before my 30th birthday)
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