Month: July 2020

Up & Moving

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

We have 3 more nights left in our place before we move about 10 miles down the road and I’m not feeling very prepared. So naturally I’m hopping on here to chat about it while the sweat on my husband’s brow continues to accumulate. (You’re doing great sweetie!) Part of the reason I’m feeling ill-prepared is my lack of focus. Not too long ago, I had 9 months where I reminded people that I was a dingbat due to pregnancy brain. What is my excuse now? I’ll head to the kitchen intending to pack up some dishes and 20 minutes later I’m knuckles deep in a new cookie recipe I had to try at that very moment. I miss my old organized, on-top-of-things self but at least this version of me will be able to instruct my new neighbors on how to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie, right? I must be going now as I have another box to pack up that my engineer husband will likely “audit”. And by that I mean, I’ll be packing up my box, minding my own business and I begin hearing some heavy breathing over my shoulder. I pause, see my husband eyeing my work and then he’ll give it the shake test, making sure the contents of said box are secure. This is the audit. Okay now I really need to go but below is a picture of the cutest moving helper in town!

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*Note: post not sponsored by U-haul but I wish it was cause I love me some freebies.

Beauty on a Budget

~ Carrie ~ 1 Comment

Beauty Staples (2)

Since I’m currently jobless and internship-less, mama ain’t got room in the budget to spend the big bucks on a quality skincare regime. However, I’ve made do with the products above and based on feedback from my clueless husband and the unintelligible babble coming from my 9-month old, I’d say the results are pretty stellar. Allow me to provide a little rundown of each product:

  1. I try to do this mask once a week to remove impurities from my skin and unclog my pores. You can quickly feel it start to work as your skin really pulsates. Your face will be red post-mask so be sure to use this at night (and make sure you use apple cider vinegar vs water- just feels more effective with ACV) Anyway, I call this thing a mini face lift because in the morning my skin is always noticeably tighter and smoother.
  2. Highly recommend buying a daily moisturizer with SPF so that your face doesn’t look like a road map by the time you’re 50. This is my first Kiehl’s product and I’d say I’m pretty happy with it. A small amount goes a long way and I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of sunscreen-y scent (smells like nothing). My only complaint is it is a bit oily so I’d advise those with oily skin against this product.
  3. When I heard Nivea Creme being compared to La Mer, I knew I had to try this stuff out. I’ve been using it for the past month and I love how rich and luxurious it feels as a night cream. I love slathering stuff on my face at night so that my skin has several hours to absorb it and my skin just feels more plump (in a good way) in the morning. I would love to say that I’ll eventually do a follow-up post comparing this cream to La Mer but ain’t nobody got $180 to spend on a measly 1 oz of product!
  4. I bought a jade roller when it was the popular thing to do cause I’m a follower like that and used it for like 2 days and then it sat for about a year. Now that I’m a mama and the under eye bags are real, I dusted that puppy off again and took it for another spin. I’ve noticed I’m less puffy (something about lymphatic drainage) and I look more awake post-use. Also, it just feels good doing it and I’ve gotten accustomed to viewing it as a little “me time” in the morning before everyone wants a piece of me.
  5. When my Clarisonic broke, I didn’t have the stomach to shell out another $200 for a new one so in my quest to find something similar, I stumbled upon this wizard brush. I typically use it with my everyday cleanser and I’ve noticed my pores are less clogged and my skin is softer. Just feels like a deeper clean when using it.
  6. I don’t what else to say about this stuff other than it’s magical. Although I don’t experience any major skin issues, I’ve heard of people using this cream as a sort of cure-all. Don’t be intimidated by the thick, oily consistency. It is magical.
  7. Saved the most basic for last. I’ve been a diehard Cetaphil user for years…maybe because it doubles as a makeup remover & a cleanser which gives ya more bang for your buck. Anyway, it’s gentle, non-irritating, and has yet to cross me so I’m keeping it around.

 

 

Big Magic

~ Carrie ~ 1 Comment

In order to get my creative juices flowing and maybe add some inspiration to my life, I started reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic. This is my second time reading it and I know it’s one of those staple books I’ll keep on hand forever because it has so much good info/advice/tips inside. I specifically wanted to start writing again because it brings me joy and I think blogs are fun, however there are SO many times I’ve set out to create a blog and commit to regular posts but end up writing about one post every 6 months to a year.

So this is typically my cycle: You know what? I’m going to start a blog › Tells friends about said future blog (like get ready to read it friends, it will be super interesting + engaging) › Start looking at other blogs for inspiration. Wow these blogs are good. Great content, visually pleasing. Umm why am I creating a blog again? › Creates blog that feels lackluster and plain but oh well it’s going to have incredible content › “Content” is composed of 2 posts over the span of 1 year (LOL!)

Anyway, to bring it back to the book, Gilbert makes some great points about creative living and discovering what hidden treasures lie within us. This entails following our curiosity which can result in Big Magic. Some of my favorite highlights:

  • Originality: yes everything has pretty much been done before but it hasn’t been done by YOU! You have a unique/authentic take/voice on whatever you’d like to share so add your hat to the game (is that the saying?)
  • Rejection: she is so candid about acquiring rejection letters from various publications yet she persisted in her writing because she loved it and couldn’t imagine not living a creative life. AKA let rejection be a learning process. Learn from it, grow from it.
  • Perfectionism: Gilbert mentions how many perfectionists think their end product is going to be crappy so they just scrap plans of even creating the product in the first place. Perfectionism is such a road block for many of us and it could really suck the fun out of the creative process.
  • Nobody cares: Possibly my favorite point, Gilbert talks about the fact that so many people are so consumed with their own lives, they don’t really care or think about you. So if you want to create, do so fearlessly because nobody is watching and nobody cares!

So what was my point again? Ah yes, going to try to take Gilbert’s advice and allow curiosity to be my guide in this little writing journey of mine instead of letting fear or perfectionism or comparison to get in the way. Nobody’s reading this anyway, right?