I collect concealers like I collect lipsticks. In absurd quantities. It’s a constant battle keeping them all contained to one drawer in my makeup storage. But the obsession and subsequent culling efforts have led me to many great concealer discoveries for every problem my face likes to throw my way.
UNDER EYE CIRCLES
The bane of my existence and my most frequent problem. Depending on the amount of sleep I’ve gotten the night before, I tackle them with one or a combination of concealers. My go to is the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealersince it’s light weight, doesn’t crease under the eyes, and lasts the bulk of my day. If that’s jut not cutting it or if I’m looking for a bit more radiance, I add on the It Cosmetics Perfect Lighting Concealer in “Radiant Neutral”. It leaves a much more dewy finish on the skin without looking shiny or drawing too much attention to my under eye area.
BLEMISHES
If my skin is being particularly dry and flaking, I reach for the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout in “Light” because it doesn’t dry out my skin or look cakey. It’s full coverage in the sense that it conceals any redness without looking awkward or obvious. In the warmer months I’ll go for Urban Decay’s All Nighter Waterproof Full Coverage Concealer since it’s a bit drier on the skin. If you tend to have more oily skin this would be a great option all year round.
DARK OR DULL SKIN
If there are any dull or dark patches on my face It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealing Pot is the unlikely solution. It’s just too shiny under my eyes, but does wonders at cancelling out any dull spots by adding a nice radiance to the skin. It’s super light weight, slippery almost in application. It doesn’t have the greatest staying power, but does the trick for a handful of hours.
GENERAL COVERAGE
Do-it-all concealers just don’t really exist, but if you’re in the market for an all-around good concealer to tackle most of your problems, Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Concealeror Kat Von D’s Lock-It Concealer are both very comparable. The Kat Von D one finishes a bit drier on the skin while I find myself putting the Urban Decay offering all over my face on days I can’t be bothered with more than one concealer (read: most days). It also seems to last a lot longer than all the other concealers in my collection. Plus it’s the only one I’ve repurchased twice.
I’d love to hear your concealer recommendations for a gal with dry skin and pain in the butt dark circles. Send them my way!
The planner community has changed a lot since I picked up my first Erin Condren Life Planner three years ago. There are so many groups, events, and styles of planning being shared that you can find any advice or inspiration that you’re looking for. I’ve learned quite a lot over the years from my fellow planning gals.
No white space planning is gorgeous, but definitely not for me
How to layer stickers on top of each other like the boss that I am
My monthly view can be used both for planning ahead, but also memory keeping
Happy mail makes everything better. And surprise happy mail is even more powerful
When you find a pen you love, don’t share it, lend it, or have less than 10 backups of it
No two planner addicts plan the same way
Swag bags are essential for a successful event
They’re almost always aspiring girl bosses. They’re always bad asses
It’s ok to change your planning style. Again and again and again
Most of us our introverts, but that doesn’t stop us from attending planner meetups
Hording. Hording pens, hording stickers, hording Target Dollar Spot treasures
We make planning work for us no matter what we do or who we are
How to organize planning supplies to make it look like there isn’t an obvious problem when there most definitely is (see the point about hording)
How to be kind and share the love through RAKs, good deeds, and friendship
The planner community has a spot for everyone. I’m constantly making new friends, finding new trends, and falling even farther down the planner rabbit hole. It’s pretty dang great isn’t it?
It’s really just that simple. If I see a drawer or closet start to get out of hand, I don’t wait for “spring cleaning” or a day where I suddenly feel inspired to clean my entire house of its junk. I just do it. I’m constantly opening up cabinets, tossing a few things, and shutting it again. It makes my house feel so much lighter than letting the stuff I no longer have a want or need for weight it down.
I’m sure there’s a space in your home that could use a good reorganize. Give yourself 30 minutes today to tackle it. Even if it’s just getting rid of anything you have no use for anymore. Just doing that will bring about a world of difference before you even start to organize what you have left.
Sure I love a good spring clean, but I also love a good any-day-of-the-week clean. Give it a shot!
I have the pleasure of speaking at an upcoming planner conference in Chicago next month. Let’s ignore the fact that I’m nervous beyond belief and not quite sure why I thought this whole thing was a good idea in the first place. Introvert nerves already flaring. Alex and I have been working on the speech and it’s really had me thinking a lot about Oh, Hello.
Anyone in real life would tell you I’m not the most flexible of humans. I like things a certain way and often have trouble when my perfectly stickered plans go array. Yet when it’s come to my business, I’ve somehow managed to go with the flow. And I’m pretty positive that’s the only reason we’ve been remotely successful. That and my husband’s ridiculous ability to take changes, make mistakes, and get messy (I’m looking at you Ms. Frizzle).
Let’s talk facts. Literally day one Oh, Hello had to adapt. I started the business thinking I’d make greeting cards. Then the idea of making stickers came knocking and Alex eagerly answered. As for me, I just wanted more stickers so if I had to make them myself I was game. Barely days old and suddenly my little business became something else completely. If I didn’t go with the flow, Oh, Hello would have bed dead shortly after it’s creation.
Now I’m still not the most open to change, but nothing good that’s happened to me has happened because I stayed the same. And sure a lot of things haven’t worked out. We bought way too many Darice sticker books thinking the trend would last, and it most definitely has not. That’s a side-effect of taking risks.
Alex and I have learned to say yes a lot. Yes to new opportunities. Yes to new challenges. Yes to letting things go that didn’t work like we had hoped. Yes to new…anything. Alex said yes to businesses wanting their branding on some of our products and now Oh, Hello Promo exists. I could write countless blog posts bragging about that boy’s client list (IBM, Comcast!?!).
So I may not be the most flexible person in my every day life, but I try every day to be as flexible as possible in my work life. You never know what might happen, but you have to be open to the idea that it could end up terribly, or better yet, wonderful.
Considering it’s just me and Alex in our household, you would think we would have a fairly good grasp on what the other person is getting up to. Yet time and time again we find ourselves double booked. So this year I’m implementing a family calendar into our routine to avoid this missteps in planning. Here are the steps I took to set ours up that could work for you and your family to get more organized.
Of course the first thing you have to do is pick a calendar to use. The one I’m using from Bloom Daily Planners is frustratingly out of stock and I definitely should have checked before filming a whole video featuring it. Rookie mistake. I’m also a big fan of the Erin Condren Wall Calendar because of its handy pocket and giant sheet of stickers. Any calendar will really do though depending on your needs.
Next gather all the information you want to put on the calendar, but make sure it’s things that at least one other person in your family needs to know about. So stuff like doctor appointments, class activities, travel, evening meetings, and so on. Plus while you’re gathering all of that info, don’t forget to round up less frequent event information you don’t want to double book on accident. This includes things like weddings, six month teeth cleanings, and other stuff that you schedule so far in advance they can often get forgotten as time goes on.
If you have a larger family than just two people then I definitely recommend color coding. Either give each person a color or give event categories their own so that at quick glance you’ll be able to see who and what is happening when.
Then put the calendar somewhere that everyone in your family has access to it so they can feel part of the planning process. Keep it low for younger kids and in a public space so that every day it’s seen. And then update it often. Add new events, update it with changes of times, and keep it a living, breathing addition to the family. Add stickers, photos and momentos, and other fun elements to keep it engaging and something the whole family wants to look at.
As the year goes along, write down accomplishments and important things that have happened for different members of your family. That way as the year comes to an end, you’ll have tons of information for you holiday letter, yearly photo book, or just as a keepsake of what everyone got up to that year.
I share all of these steps in today’s YouTube video if you want more commentary on the whole process, but I’m excited to put my family calendar into action. Plus who doesn’t love another excuse to use stickers?
Do you have a family calendar? How do you keep up with tons of activities for different members of your household?
