A Bullet Journal Update

A Bullet Journal Update

A Bullet Journal Update
I recently started bullet journaling in my Erin Condren journal and felt it time for a check in. Plot twist. It’s not going well. I’m pretty sure the first time I even touched the journal in weeks was to take this photo. Yikes. I’d like to say that I think 2017 will be better, but I highly doubt that. Bullet journaling just isn’t for me.
There are a few reasons actually. It’s hard for me to keep up with something every single day. The good thing about planning is I can check what I need to accomplish, but I don’t have to actively contribute to it on a daily basis. And if I’m having a particularly busy weekend I won’t look at my planner at all. Bullet journaling demands a bit more attention than I’m able to get it.
I’m also not very artistically inclined. Sure I can design a sticker like a pro, but when it comes to putting paper and pen together it’s a hot mess. If I were to truly pursue bullet journaling I’d have to develop a lot more talent than I currently have. I guess I could fumble through it and that be the journey itself, but I don’t have a lot of spare time in my day to devote to something that just doesn’t seem to be going well.
So my first bullet journal update is to say that I’m giving it a rest. I do have a few plans in the works for my organizational method for 2017 however that are definitely more my speed. Plus it includes some non-Erin Condren materials which is always a shock when it comes to me and planning.
Do you bullet journal? What do you include?

What You Need for a Capsule Makeup Collection

What You Need for a Capsule Makeup Collection

What You Need for a Capsule Makeup Collection
My makeup hording days seem like a distant memory and thank goodness because I don’t think my current lifestyle could afford the addiction. Ever since we moved into this house I de-stashed immensely and have created what I like to call my “capsule makeup collection.” Sure by some standards it’s still quite a lot of makeup, but for a beauty addict this is nothing. I’m sure I could even narrow it down more if the mood struck me, but a capsule makeup collection can fit your needs any way you want. So here are my tips and tricks to getting everything you’ll need out of a capsule makeup collection.
First up is lips. If they’re your weakness like they are mine, pick around five you couldn’t live without. A good nude shade, natural lip color shade, raspberry shade, red shade, and bonus shade. I honestly find myself only grabbing the MAC lipsticks on most days as they’re formulas I love in shades that I can wear with anything.

What You Need for a Capsule Makeup Collection
My blush collection is probably five shades total, but you could really live with just one or two. I swear I could ditch my entire baby collection and just use Urban Decay’s Afterglow Blush in “Video” until I’m scraping the sides for the last bits.

What You Need for a Capsule Makeup Collection
For base get yourself a good everyday one and a “special” occasion one. I use the BareMinerals Complexion Rescue on any given day of the week and break out the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation when I need more coverage. There are a few other favorites, but if you want to keep it simple these two will do the trick.

What You Need for a Capsule Makeup Collection
If you’re really going for simplicity in your capsule collection, skip the eye shadow. More often than not I don’t wear it anymore (color me uninspired) and focus on the brows and lashes instead. Eyebrows are my must-do no matter what level of makeup I’m wearing and the IT Cosmetics Brow Power beats out the rest of them in my book. I also find that if I tight line my lashes eye shadow isn’t even missed. My favorite has to be any shade of the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner. This one beats out all the rest hands down.

What You Need for a Capsule Makeup Collection
If your capsule makeup collection is void of eye shadow, be sure to have a good mascara to make up for it. My favorite high-end choice is the IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara, but anything by Maybelline is also great if you’re on a capsule collection budget.

What You Need for a Capsule Makeup Collection
For concealer find one good product that ticks all the boxes. For me it’s all about covering up the under-eye circles and I jump between Urban Decay’s Naked Concealer and the NARS Creamy Concealer. Both very similar but if you want to narrow it down it would have to be Urban Decay for the win. 

What You Need for a Capsule Makeup Collection
If your capsule makeup collection has room for a primer, don’t bother with anything but Stila’s One Step Correct. So much hydration that I wear it as a moisturizer when I don’t wear any other makeup. My skin craves this stuff and I’ve gone through probably a dozen bottles of it by this point. Liquid gold.
Ultimately pick makeup items that you know, love, and could happily use for the rest of your life. Sure I like dabbling in new releases, but I always come back to the main crew that has never let me down. Once you start digging through you’ll collection you’ll find it’s super easy to narrow it down.
What makeup products would be in your capsule makeup collection?

Our Wedding | The Highlights

Our Wedding | The Highlights

Prepare yourself for the wedding posts. They’re finally coming. It’s been almost three months from the big day and it honestly felt like it didn’t even happen until our wedding photos arrived just a few days ago. Everything came rushing back in one happy, emotional blur and we got to finally relive the day. It was downright magical.
So here are the highlights. My favorite parts and moments of that amazing blur of a day. My dad walking me down the aisle, the big kiss, officially being married, and dancing the night away. There are so many other, smaller moments I’ll go into detail over in later posts, but I couldn’t help but share these moments first. The wedding was a fairytale without a doubt. 

Easy Blog Photography Hacks

Easy Blog Photography Hacks

As an accompaniment to my last post about how to make your blog photographs better, I wanted to give some easy blog photography hacks if you just aren’t sure how to accomplish the photos you want. Quick and easy things to make the whole process easier. Get ready for all my super secret photography tips to be revealed.
First and foremost, the easiest way to not spend tons of money on equipment and lighting is to use natural light. We have quite a lot of equipment from Alex’s wedding photography days, but I still find the large window in our bedroom to be the best source for natural, bright light. It gets the most sun in the afternoon which is when I like taking my photos. Picking a nice big window that gets light when you want to shoot photos will make your life so much easier.
I also use poster board for backgrounds so I don’t have to worry about moving a white table or surface in. I have a stack of white poster board I picked up years ago that I use for everything. Plus if it gets dirty or I poke a ton of holes in it for enamel pin photography, I can just toss it. 
If you’re really in need of lighting and can’t afford to buy soft boxes, DIY your own lighting. Alex took a large lamp shade from IKEA that had a light bulb cord attachment and covered it with parchment paper to diffuse the light. He put a very bright bulb in and presto, make-shift light box. Sure it isn’t as good as the real thing, but we used what we had on hand and it works in a pinch.
Blog photography shouldn’t hold you back from having the blog you want. Try these tips and you’ll be snapping pics like a pro!

How Not to Go Crazy Working From Home

How Not to Go Crazy Working From Home

From the outside, working from home seems so glamorous. You can wear pajamas all day long, choose your own hours, and go see a movie in the middle of the day. Sure, all of this is true, but I’ve found working from home to be a lot harder than I ever expected. Over the past year I’ve developed a few ways to not go completely insane.
First and foremost try and set clear working hours. This is probably the hardest thing for me to do since a lot of what I do for a living started out as my main hobby. It’s so hard to turn off and do other things when before those other things were what my job is now. If I had my way I would work from the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep. That’s definitely not healthy. No matter when you wake up or want to sleep, set definite working hours so you aren’t constantly working and leave yourself no time for relaxing or breaks.
Along that same line, take breaks. Another thing I’m terrible at but something every other person who has a job gets to do. Take a lunch break. Take fifteen minutes to read a blog post or watch a YouTube video. Brains need time to reset and recharge before starting another task. I’ve found that although I hate taking breaks, I work better when I do. Things get done faster, and better when there are breaks sprinkled in.
Go outside. Take a walk around your neighborhood or take a break outside. Fresh air works wonders and helps you regroup. Sometimes Alex and I will go a good day and a half without going outside. We find ourselves getting stir crazy and snippy for no reason. We go for a nice 30 minute walk around our neighborhood and immediately feel better. 
Try and have a designated work space regardless if it’s an office or you set up camp in a guest bedroom. I find I work best in bed, but working in the bed that we sleep in makes it really hard to separate work from the rest of our life. So I set up shop on our guest bedroom bed. I still get to work in a bed, but don’t see our actual bedroom as my office. Even if it’s just a small corner somewhere, having a place you go specifically to work can help keep the rest of your home from becoming work spaces.
Don’t work from home. Sometimes the best thing to do is to not work from home. I go to Panera or a coffee shop and set up a mini office there. It gets me out of the house, puts me into a clear working zone, and helps to add some variety to the day. 
Working from home truly is the best thing that’s ever happened to me work-wise, but it’s not all sunshine and pajama filled rainbows. I actively have to work towards not going nuts and these tips definitely help me stay motivated and inspired.
Do you have any tips about working from home? If you don’t work from home, is there anything you’re curious about?