I hope you started off your morning feeling empowered for the week ahead. Part of my new morning routine is incorporating a practice called Morning Pages which is dedicating 3 full pages of a journal to a complete brain dump. This helps to unblock your creativity and relieves daily anxieties.
Anyway, today I found myself journaling about what I was proud of myself for incorporating into my life and sticking to, so I thought I’d share in case you need some support in these areas:
Staying Hydrated – I stepped up my water game with this hydration powder and have had it every day for the past 2 months. I love that it tastes delicious without sugar (organic stevia only) and no artificial dyes. Adding these minerals into your diet can be so beneficial if you struggle with headaches, muscle soreness, and never feeling hydrated enough no matter how much water you drink.
Mastering My Blowout – Just because I can do other people’s hair, doesn’t mean I have mine all figured out…that is until I started using this anti-humidity treatment after every wash and since then I have been actually enjoying washing my hair for once just so I can blow dry it and feel cute & confident!
Creating a Sleep Haven – I think I just need to do a whole separate blog post on this but my pre-sleep routine is so divine. I’ll spray a room spray and then this wonderful pillow mist and climb into bed with a cup of magnesium bedtime tea and I slip into the most relaxed state and wake up actually feeling refreshed and excited to get everything done for the next day.
Now, these habits are not only great for day-to-day self-care but especially ideal for the week of your wedding. The week of the wedding is a constant marathon and self-care can easily be overlooked as beauty routine chores. The difference is your intention and mindfulness with each practice.
For more ways to incorporate a mindful self-care practice check out this blog post:
My ultimate mission & passion is beauty beyond the vanity. We look beautiful not because we try every new facial out there, and have the best bridal artist, but because we’ve learned to cultivate self-confidence and it radiates on the outside. I want to help brides find their confidence & bliss through learning real self-care practices.
In a world engulfed in the latest beauty rituals & over-scheduled lifestyles, it’s no wonder you may find yourself still exhausted even after your weekly Epsom salt bath.
Photo from Canva
Although these things are nice, true self-care isn’t just sheet masks & bubble baths. It’s quite literally taking care of YourSelf.
“But how do you do that? How do you know if you’re doing it right? Can’t I just do what influencers do and call it a day? Why am I still stressed out?”
Well, are you checking in on yourself?
Like you would a friend. “Hey, I thought of you today & hope you’re doing alright. I miss you and want to get together next week if you’re free”
Do you do that with yourself, but like, every day?
I”ll be the first to say I don’t, but I’m working towards it on a regular basis.
I do know that the more I practice real “self-care” the more I feel like myself, but better, always new, refreshed, vibrant, and blissful. It also makes me feel more joyful, giving, radiant, and beautiful. Taking care of yourself is not limited to lengthy skincare routines, but maybe your skincare routine can also be a time you use affirmations to uplift yourself.
Does taking bubble baths sound like they’d be nice? But then you get in and you’re just stuck with your overwhelming thoughts? Bring a journal & some colorful pens with you and just let it out, every thought. and then let it go.
Don’t let another day go by without recognizing the things you do already do to take care of yourself AND also see what’s missing.
Ask yourself what YOU need. Trust you will always receive the right answer.
Photo from Canva
Here are some simple questions to start asking yourself. You can do this by free-writing in a journal or just spending a couple of minutes on each question to think about.
Am I consistent with exercising &/or walks to help relieve mental stress & make me feel more strong & confident in my body?
Am I eating nourishing foods in balance with sweets or treats?
Am I properly hydrated?
Are my hormones balanced?
Am I legitimately taking care of myself?
When was the last time I intentionally took myself out on a solo date? (there’s a difference between getting your nails done because you “need” to versus arriving at the nail salon grateful that you get to soak your feet & have your arms rubbed for the next 2 hours while sipping Champagne).
Do I talk to myself nicely or am I consistently catching myself saying mean things I would never say to a friend?
How am I doing today? What happened today that evoked an emotion in me? Let it out, girl!
I encourage you to ask yourself these questions. No shame in feeling discouraged if the answer is not an honest Yes. Avoidance is typically a sign of what we actually need to focus on. Let’s face it now. A little discomfort now beats a bridezilla moment on your wedding day!
How To Avoid “Spray Tan Hands” & Other Helpful Tips
About to get a spray tan for New Year’s? If you are, then you’re like me and need to exfoliate and shave tonight (more on when to get your tan later) Worried about “orange hands”?
Well, fear not, I’ve been using self-tanners since middle school and worked as a spray tan technician for 2 years so I’m here to share with you my key tip to avoid ever getting orangey, i-can-tell your-tan-is-fake hands when you self-tan or spray tan.
Now there are two parts to this, here we go:
If you are self-tanning, always slather your hands & feet in plain lotion before applying self-tan. The spray tan version of lotion is called Barrier Cream, they should have it in your tanning salon, but it doesn’t hurt to bring your own lotion.
Do tan your hands. Otherwise, they will look significantly lighter than the rest of your body. The other tell-tale sign your tan is fake lol.
BUT the trick is you need to CAREFULLY clean up your hands after.
Here’s how: For Self-tan, you need to wash (with cold water) just the palms of your hands with soap and be careful not to go too far past the first wrist line. Carefully pat dry your hands and re-apply plain lotion.
For spray tan, you take a baby wipe and rub the wipe between your palms and then dab around the edges of the wrist and tops of hands. Then when you get home you can wash your hands like above.
Always reapply the lotion on your hands after so it’s an even natural tan.
Now, avoid water for 8 hrs (unless your tan is a rapid one that has you rinse after 2-3 hrs).
How to prep for your tan:
24 hrs before your tan application do the following
I personally like to take a bath so my skin can soften & get hydrated and ensures any dry patches won’t ruin my tan
Exfoliate. You need to use a body scrub or an exfoliating mitt to remove dead skin cells and/or old tan.
You need to closely shave your entire body (or not, it’s your choice). But don’t think you can fully shave after your tan, you’ll risk streaking it.
Apply lotion all over the body and wear loose clothing to bed (and the next day for that matter).
The Day Of Your Tan you need to do the following
Take a rinse, and wash everything real good but no exfoliating or shaving.
Do NOT apply deodorant or lotion and no sweating. If you do have to take a shower close to your tan appointment make sure there’s at least 1 hr of dry time.
Wear dark, loose clothing that makes you look homeless or bohemian (think sweats & over-sized shirt or a long flowy dress).
Aftercare for your tan:
Rinse your tan with cold to lukewarm, low-moderate pressure water until water runs clear (get everywhere!)
No soap (except armpits and bottoms of feet)
Pat dry gently with towel
No lotion today except hands
Avoid sweating, perfume, and any water activities
24 hrs after your tan application you can take a real shower
Avoid exfoliating, shaving, and any products containing alcohol, coconut oil, mineral oil, and any aerosol sunscreens.
I hope this helps you avoid any tan mishaps and has you looking perfect for New Year’s & any special events!!
If you’re a bride-to-be or have a super special event in your life that you are gearing up for, get on my mailing list today so you can be informed when I release my Beauty & Bliss Guides!
Bride to Be 2023: Here’s What You Need To Do First
(Image by Dina Diaz Photo)
So you just got engaged…congrats!
It is engagement season after all. But what do you do now? If you’re what I like to call a ‘DIY Bride’ you’ll most likely be the one that wants to dive right into planning the wedding and getting boxes checked off.
Go you!
That’s great you want to start chipping away at your wedding to-do list but what about the vision? No, not the vision of the wedding, but the vision of yourself. You, as a bride. The bride.
Is this a lifestyle change for you?
Do you see that there’s going to need to be a game plan to reach your vision?
If you already see yourself ready to get married, can you envision yourself feeling confident walking down the aisle in front of all your family & friends?
If you’re anything like me, you won’t take your journey from “Miss to Mrs” lightly. You see it as an identity shift, and although it’s a sweet one, it can be a lot between the planning & holding that vision of your future partnership that can get through the tales of time.
There’s a reason why they make wine glasses that say “This is my wedding planning glass” and how why the Betches Brides podcast (great podcast btw) has the slogan “for the wedding obsessed and the brides that are stressed”. Wedding planning includes tackling not just logistics, but your emotions through this season.
It’s simple: planning a big life event like this (whether you’re eloping or not) has a lot of elements of stress to it. It can bring out sides of you that you didn’t mean to evoke: bossiness, people-pleasing, guilt, overwhelm, and of course bridezilla.
But what if you knew exactly how to avoid or at least face these emotions? That would be so helpful, right? Heck yeah!
So how does one do that, because it’s easier said than done.
Here’s an excerpt from my new e-book to give you a taste.
“Q: What to do when you start to feel nervous?
A: Redirect the present feeling into excitement. Feeling nervous can quickly become overwhelming and make you feel nauseous. Your body might feel scared. This is going to be just one very big moment in your life so get excited instead. You need this big energy you feel inside to help you remember this important day in your life. Let that empower you to feel so positive and focused on what’s about to happen in a positive way. Have gratitude for this moment that you get to live.
Try one or all of these to help center you: Put one hand on your heart & one on your belly and tell yourself, “I am safe”. Scream “I’m getting married today!”. Smile your biggest smile. Dance! Move that energy for a moment and then breathe in and feel the bliss that comes over you. It’s almost relaxing, like a high. That is your state of bliss. You are choosing to own the moment and control how this goes for you. This GETS to be your big day. Make it work for you.”
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We are going to get right into the products and how-to’s of creating a snatched undereye.
But what does that even mean? Well, do you have dark under-eye circles you’d like to conceal without having to worry about creasing or darkness? Then let me teach you!
As a makeup artist that has had dark under eye circles since the fifth grade, I’ve tried many under eye concealers and methods and alas I have found a creaseless method that also makes make look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
This look will have you looking awake for early zoom meetings or snatched for your bridal makeup.
Here’s how:
Skincare is always a mandatory step in any makeup application so invest in it! I enjoy a luxurious skincare application with these energy drink eye masks. Do you need these every application? Absolutely not but you can use them 3-4 times a week for major brightening effects.
Eye cream. There are many I love: Monat (comes with a lovely cooling eye roller), and this one from Clinique.
Concealer Number 1: Yes, I need 2 concealers. The first one I use is for color correcting. I will switch out occasionally what I use for this but lately, I love Pat McGrath Labs concealer in shade L6. I’ll apply this in the inner corner and blend out in the inner corner, undereye and even on top of the lid to even out skin tone.
Concealer 2: Once the first ones dries down and I’ve applied any eyeshadow, I’ll go in with a concealer that brightens. My current favorite is Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer in shade Light 2 Vanilla in the inner corner & outer corner for that lifted shape. Sometimes I need to go in with a second coating of that so if that’s the case for you just make sure everything has a moment to dry down first.
Setting Powder: This magical fairy dust gives me creaseless undereyes, which has always been a battle I forfeit to because I do have Crow’s Feet. However, if you’ve read my blog post on this powder you know the benefits of why I love it. I’ll apply this powder lightly with the powder puff it comes with all across the undereyes.
Last step is a brightening powder from Dragun Beauty. I swirl it around on my Makeup by Mario brush and stiffle it onto my inner eye area wherever I know my darkness is. Then I do a second application using a swirling technique.
Voila! That’s it! I do enjoy setting my makeup with the new Fix Plus Stay Over setting spray.
