Month 1 Healthy Lifestyle Results!!!

Oh my gosh, month 1 of my....healthy lifestyle revamp as you may call it is over! And I actually did surprisingly well! Okay, so it may have been a little easier this month since I was on research and I pretty much had tons of free time to exercise and watch my diet. But nonetheless, I did it and I'm soooo happy I was finally able to keep a healthy workout/eating routine for a full four weeks!! That's definitely a huge accomplishment and I'm so happy I did it. In the past, I've fallen off the bandwagon after week 2, but here's week 4 and I'm still going strong! :)

As far as June goes, my diet was much much better and I've been exercising regularly. My diet definitely improved from before but wasn't stellar and there's lots of room for improvement. I did follow a calorie-restricted eating plan with only 1200-1400 net calories each day and did well in terms of not going over except on binge days. I only had one, maybe two, binge days a week which is great since I was able to get all my food cravings out of the way! The only problem is that I didn't really eat nutritious meals on my healthy days. Yes I had a calorie-controlled diet, but I was eating things like potatoes, breads, pasta, frozen foods, cheese....lots and lots of carbs and fats and salt with very little protein. I was able to justify higher calorie foods since I've been working out and so can eat more calories than normal. Fortunately, the number of calories is the most important thing for weight loss so yes I did lose weight despite eating utter junk. But, I kinda feel tired, less energetic, and more bloated. I think that if I focus on eating more protein and drinking more water/eating less salt, I'd feel SO much better and less bloated (meaning my clothes would look much better on me!). So that is my number one priority for next month. I'm really hoping I can keep a balanced diet during my very first core rotation in July. I'm not so worried about keeping up my workout schedule, but I'm a little worried about my eating habits. I tend to stress eat in stressful situations and on busy days, so I'm really hoping to watch my diet and make sure I'm eating enough protein with minimal salt.

But I don't want to be a debbie downer, since I'm SO proud of myself for keeping up a healthy lifestyle for one month!!!!! I was finally able to control my eating and begin a solid, steady workout schedule! I do find that I like working out most at the Wexford gym, which is quite far from my apartment but hey...if thats the only place I can work out, so be it because right now working out is more important to me than watching gas money. I'm trying to only go to that gym maybe 2-3 x a week to not waste so much gas, but like i said driving far to workout is better than not working out at all right now! Not sure if I can continue my morning workouts due to my early start schedule, so evening workouts may become my main workout time next month.

I've lost I would guess near 5 pounds this week. Maybe a bit more, but definitely no more than 10. I'm a bit scared to weigh myself because I'm scared to find a smaller weight loss than normal and get bad news and hence fall off the wagon. So, for now I'll take the fact that my jeans fit better, my face looks slimmer, and my love handles have decreased is a really really good sign! Again, I wish it was more but hey something is better than nothing. I'm hoping this trend continues into July and I can keep shedding the pounds! I'm hoping my tummy fat goes because that's the biggest hunk of fat on my body. I'm sooooo happy though and feel really optimistic and not burned out and that's an amazing sign.

Here's a summary as well as what I want to accomplish next month :)

Month 1 Achievements
- Worked out every week at least 4-5x! (thirty minutes each)
- Ate within 1200-1400 net calories each day
- Only 1 or 2 binge days a week, all moderately controlled (not totally crazy overeating!)

Goals for Month 2
- Drink more water! At least 3 (24-oz) water bottles
- Eat more protein and less carbs
- Watch salt intake and try to keep it under 2000 mg
- Plan out meals ahead of time so I don't go hungry mid-way through the day
- Try to workout 3-4x a week at least for thirty minutes each

Skincare Update: Shrinking Pores

I've been fighting insomnia for the past couple weeks and have been skimping a little bit on my skincare now that I've started working out more. It got to the breaking point this morning when I woke up exhausted as hell! and then after putting on my makeup, I noticed that my pores seem a little larger than usual. I usually have even skin, but my pores around my nose have been larger and my forehead (usually my oily T-zone) has been out of whack too. So, I figured it was time to re-hash my skincare routine for more even and smoother skin and to hopefully reduce my pores in a few weeks.


Step 1 = SLEEP! 
Step 2 = DRINK WATER!

I cannot emphasize how much better my skin looks after I get a proper night of sleep and keep myself hydrated. I know it's hard to do that with a crammed schedule, but even getting as little as 7 hours of sleep and drinking 24-36 oz of water a day makes a big difference. Not only does my skin look better, but I feel better, need less caffeine, and don't look as bloated.

Of course, after sleep and hydration, I need to make sure that I follow a good skincare routine. I make sure to use good products and ones that haven't failed me in the past. The most important part is making sure I wash my face in the morning and I make sure to remove all traces of makeup at night. I cannot stress the last one enough. I went on for at least a year thinking that my face wash removed all my makeup, but nooooo. Makeup removing wipes are essential!

Morning Skin Routine
Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser (face wash with a tiny bit of salicylic acid)
Clinique Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion (toner)
Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 (sunscreen facial moisturizer)
Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 (daytime acne cream, as needed)
St. Ives Even & Bright Facial Scrub (exfoliation, every 2-3 days)

Nighttime Skin Routine
Simple Kind To Skin Makeup Removing Wipes (removing makeup at night)
Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser (face wash with a tiny bit of salicylic acid)
Aveeno Smart Essentials Nighttime Moisturizer (night facial moisturizer)
Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque (nighttime acne cream)
Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask (weekly facial mask)

So thats it! I'm hoping that once I start adhering to this schedule more stringently, my skin will be thanking me and my pores will be shrunken. Of course, I will update this blog and make adjustments as needed!

HUGE Summer Haul Part 2

Soooo. As you can see, I've been doing a ton of shopping lately! Sephora was recently giving away Fresh deluxe samples for VIB members. I LOVE the Fresh products but they are so expensive that I have to restrain myself every time. Additionally, the beauty insider 500 point reward for June was a NARS "most loved" set. Again, I've been wanting to try NARS stuff, but they're so incredibly expensive that I restrain. So since my two "wish I could try" luxury brands were both giving away free stuff, I just HAD to put in a Sephora order, which of course justified the $60 worth of other Sephora stuff I purchased. I did get a body scrub with my Sephora order, but I'm returning it since it has the Soap & Glory scent, which I cannot stand. I also bought a few bits and bobs from other stores. It's stuff that I needed, some fashion stuff that was on sale, and a few splurges.

FASHION & ACCESSORIES

Mossimo cream-colored cardigan -- picked this one up 75% off at Target, hoping to wear it in the fall! I've been wanting a long, flowy cream colored cardigan for a long time and when I found this on clearance, I just had to have it. yay bargain shopping!
Merona black sleeveless tank -- to pair with maxi skirts and sheer tops
The Sak cream-gold glittery cross body bag -- how perfect is this bag! Got it for the summer to wear when I'm out with friends, but also for the holidays and christmas season
Anne Klein braided strap watch -- I needed a new watch since my old one was beaten and torn up. This one from TJ Maxx was affordable, good quality, beautiful, and will hopefully last a long time!
Victoria's secret striped sequin pink and white iPhone case -- saw this at the semi-annual sale and had to have it. how strikingly beautiful is this case?!

BEAUTY

John Freida Smooth Start Shampoo & Conditioner -- makes my dry summer hair so much smoother and frizz-free!
EOS Hand Lotion in Cucumber -- smells so fresh and yummy
Sephora Daily Brush Cleanser
OPI Toe Separators
Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask Pods -- cannot wait to try this out next spa night
Karina Large Claw Clip -- finally something to keep my mop of hair outta my face!
Fresh Sugar Lip Polish (sample) -- I love how this one has fine sugar granules compared to my Lush lip scrub and doesn't get all over my face after use
Fresh Sugar Shine Lip Treatment (sample)
Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment (sample) -- smells so fricken good!!! Probably the best smelling lip product I own (which is saying alottt). Wish it wasn't so expensive :(
PINK Ready to Party Body Mist -- smells very very very similar to Fresh & Clean. Giant bottle was on sale for $6!
Benefit Ultra Plush Gloss in Coralista -- finally reunited with my love <3
Maybelline Color Elixir in Rose Redefined -- finally got my hands on this! Perfect summer lipgloss for tan girls! And work appropriate since it lasts about 1-2 hours :)
Maybelline Volum' Express Pumped Up Colossal Mascara -- lovvvving the pink tube
CoverGirl Outlast Nail Polish in Lingering Spice -- love this formula and it was on sale!
NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien (sample) -- a bit too frosty for me, but the formula is amazing
NARS Larger Than Life Longwear Eyeliner in Via Veneto (sample) -- I don't wear eyeliner, but I'll still test this one out since it is so raved about
NARS Blush in Deep Throat (sample) -- color is fricken gorgeous for the summer! cannot wait to try out my very first (baby-sized) NARS blush!
and some random samples....

RANDOMS

PaperMate Gel Ink Pens -- on sale for $1 per pack!
Home Presence Reversible Dual Size Egg Ring -- I can finally make my own egg mcmuffins! :)
Bare Foot Peppermint + Plum Foot Lotion -- hello soft, beautiful feet
Adroable elephant and cupcake printed napkins (<3) -- HOW CUTE ARE THESE?! in love! and only 25cents! I'll have to make some cupcakes and give them out to friends in these cute (and very dessert appropriate) napkins

Summer Lip Products ♥

I did my favorite springtime pink lip glosses post back in April and thought I would follow it up for the new season with my favorite summer lippies! :)
I'm obsessed with lip products (no literally, I cannot leave any store without buying a lip product) and so, it's obvious that I would have two overflowing baskets of lipsticks and lip glosses in my makeup drawer. Unfortunately, the downside to my lip product obsession is that I often lose amazing lip products to the bottom of my makeup drawer and I forget about them until they're gross and yucky. Soooo, what I've started doing for the summer is picking out certain makeup products I want to use this season and putting them in a little metal tray on my dresser so when I'm getting ready in the morning, I'll 'reach for' products instead of rumbling around my makeup drawer, picking out the same stuff on top. Make sense? So far it's working pretty well! I've been using up all the new makeup I got for the summer and have my fall/winter/spring makeup stashed in my makeup drawer. I might do a post on my summer makeup products later, so watch out for that!

But here are the lip products I currently have in my "summer makeup tray" -- gotta come up with a better name for that. They're a mix of glosses, balms, and lipsticks...but mainly glosses since I love me sheer, shiny lips during the summer. They're lightweight, make me look polished, and very low maintenance. As you can tell, I swap out my darker lip colors for more fun, vibrant pinks, corals and some nudes. While I'm scared to wear vibrant lipsticks in the fall time, they're more easy to wear in the summer because my skin gets darker and vibrant colors tend to look a little...better? Haha, not as striking against tanner skin. I do have my favorite favorites amongst this bunch, but I use each of these products pretty regularly and hope to use some of them up by the end of the summer.

Swatches from left to right:
Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Hoola -- a sheer nude-bronze gloss with fine golden glitter
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Creme Brûlée (swatched heavily) -- a sheer, light nude creme lipstick with a slight sheen
Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in Ingenue (swatched heavily) -- a sheer, darker nude lip balm with very fine silver micro shimmer
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya -- opaque creamy coral-pink lipstick
Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Pango Peach -- peachy pink gloss with golden glitter (very similar but more peachy than NARS Orgasm gloss)
Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Coralista -- sheer, creamy, true coral lipgloss
CoverGirl Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Gloss in Hot Stuff -- sheer baby peachy-pink lipgloss with heavy silver-white glitter
NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Nude Pink -- sheer cool-toned, creamy, true baby pink lipgloss
The Body Shop Watermelon Lip Gloss -- sheer, watermelon pinky-red lipgloss with sparse glitter
Maybelline Color Elixir in Rose Redefined -- mid-sheer, creamy medium pink-rose gloss (looks more cool-toned in swatch than on lips)
Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Strawberry -- opaque hot pink lipgloss with silver glitter
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart (swatched heavily) -- mid-sheer, cool-toned creamy bright pink lipstick
Maybelline Baby Lips in Rose Rush (swatched heavily) -- sheer, bright medium pink-rose lip balm

Natural, Glowy Summer Makeup

What's one beauty item that always reminds me of summer? Coral peachy blushes! 

I sadly only have one coral-peach blush in my collection (the bareMinerals READY Blush in The Aphrodisiac) and I am about to hit serious pan on it soon. But, it is literally the most perfect peachy blush for the summer....it looks beautiful on tan complexions, it's shimmery without being an over-the-top glitter bomb, it's nicely pigmented, true to color, decently priced, made with good ingredients, the list goes on and on. There's never been a need for me to invest in another coral blush because this is literally the most perfect blush for my skin tone. As much as I love my new bright fuchsia blush, my favorite summertime blush will always be a shimmery peach blush. It makes my tan complexion look super glow-y, sun kissed, and healthy. And it can be paired with any kind of eye look or lip color and still look beautiful.

I bought the shade (pictured below) on a whim about three years ago when a Sephora employee suggested an apricot colored blush from the then-new bareMinerals READY Blush line. I was a little skeptical as I was a makeup newbie back then and anything except for pink blushes scared the crap outta me! I'm very glad I asked her opinion and bought this blush, because I don't think I have a more perfect blush color in my collection, especially for the summer. It's a true apricot colored blush with a very slight hint of pink and fine golden glitter. I'm not a huge fan of peachy-pink blushes because those tend to make my skin look a little drab. I love this blush shade in particular because it is more peach-coral than pink and doesn't have large chunks of glitter (ahem, NARS Orgasm....). I prefer this to matte peach blushes because the slight hint of glitter cancels the need for a highlighter, instantly perks up my look, and makes me look fresh, sun kissed, and glowing! 

Photo credit = http://www.cosmeticsaficionado.com/

Again, this blush can she worn by itself, but I chose to wear a natural, shimmery bronzey-taupe eyeshadow along with a bronzey-nude gloss to complete the look. These two products make me look even more awake and glowing. What I love about this look is that it's very customizable. I can wear a different eyeshadow or lipgloss and it will still look amazing, but yet different. Next time, I'm hoping to pair this blush with my Coralista gloss or even with my Naked3 palette!

Products Used

bareMinerals Matte Foundation in Golden Tan

CoverGirl TruFix Blend Concealer Stick 

bareMinerals Mineral Veil

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara

bareMinerals READY Blush in The Aphrodisiac

Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Hoola

The only issue? My bareMinerals Aphrodisiac blush is about to hit its 3-year expiration mark (self-made expiration date. Something about having a blush for that long just irks me...) and so far, I've had a hard time finding a replacement blush. I'm all for trying new blush brands and I wasn't impressed with the fact that this blush kinda fizzed out as you get closer to hitting pan. What I mean is that when I first used it, the color payoff was amazing but as it got older/closer to pan, the pigmentation and color start fading. Not sure if that's due to its age or something else. Nonetheless, I would love to try a similar color in either the Tarte or NARS line. I haven't found a Tarte dupe, but NARS Torrid blush is a really really close match to the bareMinerals Aphrodisiac blush. 

But, I'm hoping to use this blush up by the end of the summer and toss it. I don't wear coral blushes during the fall/winter season (I swap corals out for pinks and berry and mauves!), so I'll likely purchase another shimmery apricot blush next summer. But so far, this is my goto makeup look next to the fresh, youthful look I achieved in this post with my fuchsia blush. Love love love these two blush colors for the summer! :)

Fall Beauty Wish List -- Ulta, Drugstore, Sephora, MAC, Chanel, LUSH

Research month = plenty of time online window shopping.

And recently, with all the fall collections being announced and the scorching hot weather, I've been dreaaaaaaming and counting down to when autumn rolls around. September 1st, I cannot wait for you! Like I've mentioned before, this fall is going to be a really busy time for me, but I'm still excited because I'll at least have some weekends off in September and October to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather :) Plus, with my recent kicking butt on my diet, I'm hoping to be a few inches smaller during the season too. 

I've added a bunch of stuff to my beauty wish list recently and boy do I have a lotttt of things I want to get for this fall. I'm not going to get everything on my list and probably will be adding more stuff as more fall collections get announced, but here's my comprehensive wish list and products to try for fall so far :) 

ULTA

Eye Products
Maybelline Leather Color Tattoo in Creamy Beige

Lip Products

L'Oreal Glossy Balm in Lovely Mocha
Maybelline Color Elixir in Mauve Mystique
NYX Butter Gloss in Tiramisu
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Rose Velvet

Nails

Essie Nail Polish in Fishnet Stockings
Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamel in Autumn Spice

DRUGSTORE

Face Products

Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore
Milani Illuminating Face Powder in Amber Nectar

Eye Products

Milani Baked Eyeshadow in Intermix
Milani Bella Eyes in Bella Copper
Milani Bella Eyes in Bella Gold

Lip Products

Maybelline Baby Lips Crystal Collection in Mirrored Mauve

Maybelline Baby Lips Crystal Collection in Pink Quartz

Nail Products
Milani Nailpolish in Mauve Medley
Milani Nailpolish in Morning Coffee
Milani Nailpolish in Teddy Brown

SEPHORA

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick Duo in Natural (Lychee and Musk)

Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette

MAC & CHANEL

Chanel Illusion d'Ombre Eyeshadow in Mirage

Chanel Lipstick Rouge Coco Hydrating Lip Creme Color in Mademoiselle

MAC Customizable Eyeshadow Duo in Woodwinked, Bronze

LUSH

LUSH Butterball Soap

LUSH Rose Queen Bath Bomb

Summer Hair Care

Ahh, my least favorite season of the year: summer. I know I'm probably in the minority, but nothing about summer really excites me. In my school days, the prospect of having 3 months off was joyous, but now that I don't have a summer break, there is absolutely nothing I look forward to about the summertime. (Hence my copious fall dreaming, especially in this 92 degree weather!). I hate the beating sun on my face, sweating like crazy, wearing shorts I have to pull down every two minutes, feeling parched all the time. Blah I hate it all!

One of my least favorite parts about summer is dry, frizzy, unmanageable hair that requires extra TLC during the harsh summer months. Thanks to some product experimenting, I've discovered a few wonderful hair products that seem to work wonders to hydrate my lifeless summer hair! Not perfect, but it definitely tames frizz, moisturizes my hair, and makes my hair feel silky smooth. And with only a few, inexpensive products.

Shampoo & Conditioner

John Freida Smooth Start Shampoo & Conditioner

Photo credit = www.lipstickrules.com

I start off my mornings with a quick workout and naturally have to wash my hair afterwards. I've started to use this set of shampoo/conditioner and oh my gosh, my hair has never felt and looked better!! This line tames my frizz and conditions my hair like none other. This is the only thing  I've changed up about my hair routine in recent months and my hair is smoother than ever. I massage the shampoo around my roots and a little bit on my strands. The conditioner I apply just to my strands, not my roots. I leave in the conditioner for 2-5 minutes and rinse with cold water. 

Leave-In Conditioner

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Weightless Reviving Dry Oil

Photo credit = www.glesnibeautyblog.wordpress.com

Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-In Conditioner

Photo credit = www.thatwinsomegirl.blogspot.com

The Wet Brush

Photo credit = www.momstart.com

Once I get out of the shower, I spritz either my Organix or Healthy Sexy Hair leave-in conditioner throughout my hair (mainly on my strands, little bit on my roots) and brush it out with a wide-tooth comb or my Wet brush. I recently rediscovered my love for The Wet Brush and can't believe I went months without using it! My hair tends to get tangly during the summer and this brush smooths out any kinks and tangles in my hair, leaving my hair silky smooth and manageable.

Leave-In Serum

Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum

Photo credit = www.beautyblogger94.blogspot.com

To finish things off, I pump out a quarter-size amount of this product in my hands and pat this onto my damp strands. I have to be really really careful not to get this product close to my roots because it is heavier and can weigh down hair. I've made the mistake of applying it close to my scalp and the results are not pretty (a mega greasy, unclean feeling!). I like to pump out an extra dime size amount and put it on the ends of my hair just to hydrate them a little bit. 

That's it! A few easy steps and a few products and my hair is ready to go! I normally let it air dry, but even if I blow dry it, I use the same steps and products. Here's to hoping things cool down a bit and to  more fall dreaming posts in the future :)