Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Oh Hey There

Man, has this week been unusually busy, to say the least. Here's a recap of all the shenanigans I've been up to:


-Washed all my whites with a red shirt, so now I have a whole lot of pink tops. Awesome (NOT REALLY).

-Found my favorite of all time board game online, Barbie Queen of the Prom Game 1990s Edition!! It's ridiculous, and I have no idea why I was so obsessed with it. This board game was played probably every waking chance I got when I was a kid. Anyway, you can buy it here if you are super into it as well (then call me so we can play it together). (Dibs on the hot metallic pink car!!! Ooooo sorry not sorry!)




-Got a few more freelancing jobs! EEE!! So pumped! But also, now my schedule is much more crowded, but I'm not complaining. Just currently trying to find a rhythm that works best for me. So that's why it's been a little all quiet on the blogging front for me. But I have a story this week, and I've got some celebrity makeup looks I want to try as well. So, thank you for sticking around, and I'll be back very soon with some cool stuff. In the mean time, I'm going write my face off and take mini breaks to read this amazing blog I stumbled upon: Garance Dore (you will love it too I promise!).


Talk soon!
xoHM



Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Staying Positive

I usually don't like to admit when I'm wrong. Then again, I don't think anyone likes doing this very much.

But my way of thinking was all wrong. From unmotivated, stagnant, and just downright depressed, I got stuck in a rut. A big ol' rut of self doubt.

This past month though, something happened. I'm not sure if it was the fact that everything in my life kind of fell apart (mainly that my hubs didn't get this huge job opportunity that would of changed our lives forever), or that I finally can laugh at the situation instead of feel like I'm drowning in it. Or maybe I'm going crazy (trust me, I thought this at first). But I just kept on this positive attitude kind of by accident, and while it hasn't been easy, I've felt better about my daily decisions, and I've seen results because of this shift in perspective. So I'm going to jot it all down in hopes someone out there needs a boost too.

Marzee is always in weird positions, cats man.


On fitness:
For the longest time I wanted to be skinny, and I know part of this is my poor body image issue that made me skip meals in high school (I don't do this anymore). But I always think I still need some improvements. I feel pressure to stay thin from everywhere, as I'm sure every other woman does thanks to our terrible culture. I know I've mentioned Tone It Up before, but after joining their online community, I finally feel like my poor body image is solvable. Every single woman on there struggles with it, and there is always someone picking them up to tell them they are perfect the way they already are. So I decided to make this shift at the gym. I got tired of being depressed after not getting in all my cardio, or because I ate too many carbs one day and felt bloated by dinner time. I now want to be as strong as I can be. That means doing more lifting, interval training, and circuits, and less straight cardio. At first I thought I was bound to gain weight (I'm at a healthy 110lbs at 5'2", ps), but to my surprise, I started to see some muscle definition/toning instead. I now look forward to this gym time to push my strength more each day. It seems like such a simple change, and I can't believe it took me this long to do it!

On recalls:
Sometimes GM decides your car is a deathtrap. And sometimes it takes them close to 6 months to ship out replacement parts to your town, making it virtually impossible for you to drive anywhere. But the plus side? I now know the bus route by my place much better, I've saved on gas, and I've realized how much of a privilege it is to have a car in the first place. And I've made new friends with the auto repair shuttle drivers. We may or may not fist bump when we see each other now.

On beauty:
Okay, well I'm still working on this, but I do think the makeup capsule is helping. Last night I found myself much more relaxed than usual. I had hot cocoa, and just sank into my couch, it was such a good feeling! I had just cancelled my Birchbox and Ipsy accounts, and while I thought I'd be bummed, I found that I wasn't. I actually felt relieved. And I think in a really silly way it's due to me putting less stress on makeup. While I like trying new samples, I love that I'm taking a break from it all, and focusing on just the basics of my beauty routine. It's weird, but try doing a makeup capsule too and see if you feel the same way.

On career:
Taking steps towards being an independent/freelance writer has lit a fire under me! I have been so much happier every week knowing I'm trying to further my career goals rather than just plugging away at my daily boring office job. Even though the progress is slow, I'm still pushing forward. I'll write an update on this at the end of each moth if you want to check out my progress.


While this isn't everything, it's a huge part of my shift to a better attitude. I don't always have good days, I've had a couple of really bad ones actually. But for the most part, I'm feeling so much better. I also understand that I'm not dealing with anything major in my life right now, and that sometimes you need to let yourself feel sad/angry/frustrated to get through this event. But if you are just stuck in a rut like me, I hope at least one point in this post helps you.

xo HM



Friday, September 5, 2014

My Quick Beauty Tips and Tricks // 001

I've been getting a couple questions lately about some beauty tips, so I thought I would share a few here and there whenever I have some time. I'm sure to do a follow up with more, but for now, here are five picked at random. If you want something specific covered or have a question, leave them in the comments section or email me.


Hey it's my vanity! :)


-Use a Dove bar of soap instead of shave gel. This is a tip I got from an article about a leg model (Women's Health or Women's Fitness, sorry can't remember!), so I figured if she is paid to show off her stems her methods must be working. If you're like me, and use way too much shave gel/body wash/shampoo in one sitting, then this is a great way to save you some money. I used to get the jumbo pack of shave gel at Costco, and while that's cheap, it isn't quite as cheap as a bar of soap. So I switched over to the Dove bar once my family sized shave gel supply ran out (way too fast because over user right here), and I love it. I think I love it more than shave gel, to be honest. It's easy to use, super gentle on my skin, and for only $1 per bar, you can't get much cheaper. Try it out and see if you like it too. You'll only be out a dollar if you don't. (I really want to try making my own body wash too, and I'll definitely be using this DIY HERE).

-Prevent eyeshadow creases by using a primer first. I looooovvveee eyeshadow. I'm much more likely to wear it than bold lipstick. But when I would put my makeup on in the morning (7am), by the time I go to the gym, then go home, it had all but vanished, save for a crease mark. I know what you're thinking--of course it wore off because you were at the gym (ps I work out in my makeup, which I know is a bad habit, but I have yet to break out from it, soooo...). But the reality is, it wore off probably by mid-day/lunch. So I found that a primer, such as this Urban Decay one HERE, makes my shadow last literally all day long until I wash my face at night. Yes, even at the gym through my interval workouts where I fear I'm sweating off my eyebrows, my shadow stays put. Speaking of eyebrows...

-Fill in your brows with eyeshadow instead of pencil. This might not be ideal for everyone, but it's been my experience that most makeup artists prefer to use eyeshadow to fill in brows to make sure they don't look too perfect. A pencil can still work too, but I have more luck with eyeshadow. Plus my brows are super dark, always have been, so I have a hard time finding a pencil in my shade. Currently I use this brown HERE by Smashbox, in the trio called Focal Point. It's super dark and perfect. Kind of a coffee tone. Also the gold it's paired with was my favorite, it was used up very quickly! If you are afraid of your brows falling off throughout the day, just put a clear coat of brow gel over them after you put on the shadow. It just looks like clear mascara, and your brows should last you all day long.

-The only way you will get good at doing a cat eye, is by doing one every day. If you aren't that great at applying liquid eyeliner, try practicing applying it every single day. You will eventually get so good at it that it will go on quickly and look amazing, trust me. Don't use a stencil, that's not teaching you how to do one, it's just a useless "training wheel" concept. Also know that you can never make both eyes identical, just accept that fact. Start applying it before your eyeshadow, in case you mess up and have to remove it. If you mess up part of it, take a damp Q-tip and swipe off the liner little by little, being gentle obviously. Then after you've got your liner on, do your eyeshadow, and then retrace your liner to make it look like it was applied over your shadow the whole time. My favorite liquid liners are drugstore brands like Loreal and Maybelline. Seriously, the expensive ones always peel or rub off for some reason.

-Dark under eyes? Drink more water. This might be obvious to some people, but I never thought this would help my blue under eye circles so much. A couple of months ago my doctor told me to start taking vitamins. So I started taking a multi vitamin and you know how they turn your pee neon-highlighter yellow? I wanted to be so hydrated every day that I would get rid of that effect. Personal challenges are my number one motivator apparently, because I started drinking a ton of water, and my skin started to change. It no longer was dull and dry, so I didn't have to moisturize as much. Plus, my very dark under eye circles that I thought I was just stuck with have really lightened up! It's been about 2-2.5 months now, and I would highly recommend trying this. You can't go wrong keeping yourself hydrated, and the benefits can make your beauty routing easier, you feeling better, having more energy, and all around being a better (hydrated) version of you!

That's it for now! Have a great weekend! I'm planning on working out and sipping wine, as usual. Also, I'm downsizing my wardrobe, and I'm going to start planning my capsule wardrobe for fall. I've always wanted to do this and since it seems to be gaining some popularity recently, I figure I might as well hop on board. Now or never, right? Something like that anyway. I'll keep you updated on it, and I'll try to post outfits as I go. (Check out what a capsule wardrobe is from the pro HERE. I'm following all her tips on how to do this).  

xo HM



Friday, August 1, 2014

The Bad and the Good

Well, the bad news is: our beloved mexican restaurant with the best happy hour in the land is closed. FOREVER. Sooo no more $4 40oz. Now it's a search for the next best Thursday happy hour that will never live up to our unrealistic standards. We had sake bombs instead last night. Tough times, I tell ya.

The good news: the hubs made homemade bruschetta for the whole entire office. That's right, garlic breath for everyone! He is a genius with tomatoes, and just about every other ingredient as well.

So that's my week in a nutshell. This weekend is going to be full missing my two BFFs in LA. They are probably up to some fun shenanigans right now. Super jealous! Damn you universe!

Until next time.

PS Hang in there Mom! ❤️

xo Han