Ready, Set, Refresh

These past few weeks have been a bit of a blur if I'm being honest. When life starts moving too fast, I almost start to feel like a robot going through the same motions day in and day out. I forget about all of the things I normally love to do on a daily basis mainly because my brain compartmentalizes what needs to get done from what I want to get done. All of my energy during the day is focused on my day job especially when things are particularly hectic and I find myself working hours that are definitely nowhere near your normal 9-5. When my schedule finally calms down and I start to feel a bit more like myself, I like to spend my time doing a few mind-numbing activities before I get back into the normal swing of things. This past weekend has been solely dedicated to hitting my recharge button. And I don't feel bad about it. I've slept in, binge-watched the best show on Netflix and enjoyed PizzaHut on a stormy Saturday afternoon. Sometimes the best weekends are the ones where you don't have any set plans, but know that you're up for doing a whole lot of nothing. Here are some ideas to help re-boost your mind and body before getting back to your normal routine because this kind of laziness is definitely necessary from time to time. 

Binge watch a show on Netflix
You may or may not have heard about a show called Stranger Things. And if you haven't, get on the bandwagon now because I'm positive you'll thank me later. Stranger Things is a Netflix-original drama that's about a little boy who goes missing in a small Indiana town during the 80's. It falls into the sci-fi horror/thriller/mystery genre and features a pretty incredible soundtrack. Another thing about this show- the kid actors are basically adults trapped in small bodies. There's some serious acting skills going on here.

Bake or cook a new recipe
I really want to get into baking because I think I'd really enjoy it, but my mom never baked much when I was growing up. Therefore, I just never really got into it myself. I know it's a very comforting hobby for many people, so I thought I'd include it here. Cooking on the other hand, I do quite often. One of my favorite cookbooks at the moment is Lean in 15 by Instagram star, Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach. Lean in 15 has so many delicious, easy recipes that are perfect for a relaxing weekend in with a friend, roommate or signifiant other. 

Have a clean-out or run a few errands 
Your bedroom may be getting a little out of control and if that's the case, it might be a good time to have a clear out. I should take my own advice because I'm way overdue for a spring cleaning session and we have one more month left of summer. Oops. Alternatively, you can run a few errands that you've been putting off for a few weeks now. Nobody loves doing laundry, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. 

Get 8 hours or more of sleep 
Don't make any early morning plans because your alarm should not be waking you up. Let your body get up when it wants to even if that means noon. I don't have any trouble sleeping, but if you do, take some melatonin about 30 minutes before bed. Happy catching Zzzzzz's...

Plan some time off 
Because you deserve it. It's always nice knowing you have a vacation or even a few personal days already marked off on your calendar. When things get crazy, it's comforting to know that some much needed R&R is around the corner. It will keep your energy up and make you feel better about having to work your butt off during busy season. 

xx JG

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What's In My Makeup Bag?

I definitely like to switch things up in the beauty department seeing as I wouldn't deny the fact that I'm a bit of a beauty junkie. In an effort to not use the same things over and over again, I make it a point to try new products I've been hearing about or rotate a few bits from my beauty stash that haven't received any love lately. Despite my best efforts, I often do wind up reaching for the same foundation, liquid lipstick or eyeshadow palette that I've been using on a regular basis for the past few months. Right now my makeup bag is filled with a few tidbits I've been alternating between since the beginning of summer. Think glowy CC cream, bronze eyeshadow and a drugstore contour and highlight palette I'm a big fan of. On the plus side, getting ready in the morning has become a more streamlined process since everything I need is in one bag. And I'm all about keeping things quick and easy during the summer anyway. Curious to know what's inside? 

FACE
Recently, I picked up the IT Cosmetics Travel Size Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF +50 to see if I'd like it just as much as everyone else does. I figured going with the travel size version was the safe option seeing as the normal size is a bit pricey and well, what if I didn't like it as much as everyone else? Turns out I'm definitely not in the minority with this one. Surprised I'm saying this, but I think I might just like it a smidgen more than the Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream, which was a staple of mine last summer. I've been alternating between those two in terms of foundation because I only like light to medium coverage on my face during the summer. A new addition to my makeup bag is the L'Oréal Infallible Pro Contour Palette, which is a perfect no fuss contour/highlight duo that's small and compact for traveling. I love the professionally defined look this product gives my features and the best part is how affordable it is. Lastly, my Benefit Hoola Bronzer goes just about everywhere with me. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

EYES
There's not much going on around here that's new except for the NARS Isolde Duo Eyeshadow, which I've been loving wearing recently. Apart from that, I've gone back to a palette that I bought this past winter because I knew I'd get a ton of wearability out of the shades. It's the Tarte Tartlette In Bloom Clay Eyeshadow Palette, which I've mentioned numerous times on here. I've only started wearing a certain shade recently called rocker that rocks my world. No pun intended, ha. It's a gorgeous shimmery taupe shade that I've been using by itself all over my lid during the week for work. It's managed to make me stray away from funny girl and firecracker- two shades that I'm a bit obsessed with. On the mascara front, I've gone back to using the travel size version of an oldie but goodie - Benefit Roller Lash. My eyelashes are quite straight and this mascara does a great job of curling them even without the use of my eyelash curler, which I'm practically glued to. 

LIPS
I'm still all about liquid lipsticks and haven't used an actual lipstick in several weeks I'd say. My favorite combo at the moment is pairing two Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick shades together- Lolita and Bow N Arrow. I put a light, even layer of Lolita on my lips and then top it off with Bow N Arrow. Those two combined create probably the best shade I've ever worn. Other than those two, I've also been alternating between two different ColourPop shades- Midi and Trap. Safe to say I've been on a bit of a nude/brown train lately. Occasionally, I do really enjoy wearing a red/orange shade like NARS Dragon Girl Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, which is a perfect summery red shade. I've also been keeping my lips super moisturized by using the coveted Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream before bed about 3-4 times a week. And that's all folks. 

xx JG

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Five Ways To Stay Motivated

Even the most driven people loose energy and commitment every now and then. At the start of the new year, most people are at their peak in terms of staying motivated to achieve their goals or minor changes that can impact their lives for the better. The start of a brand new year instills within us a sense of hope that we can achieve whatever we set our minds to with a little kick up the butt. I'm sure you've noticed how many people hit the gym at the start of the new year, but start going less and less with each passing month. Hey, I get it. We're only human. I think summer is the hardest time throughout the year to stay motivated. The sun is out and we'd rather be hanging out with friends at the beach or lounging by the pool as opposed to working hard to reach our goals in whatever form they may be. Here are some tips that I find help me to stay motivated when I'd rather just be eating pizza in bed re-watching episodes of The Vampire Diaries. Because let's face it, that sounds like the perfect lazy weekend scenario to me.

Determine what drives your motivation
What is your passion or vision for the future? In order to stay motivated, you must determine a clear reason why you want to succeed and why it is so important for you to do so. Will you look back with regret if your passions are not fulfilled? Use your vision to give you extra motivation on those days when achieving the end goal seems nowhere in sight. 

Think positively
It may seem difficult to always think positively, especially when failure can get the best of you. But without failure, there'd be no success because you wouldn't learn from your mistakes. Accept that there may be minor bumps in the road to get to where you want to be. Try not to worry about problems before they exist or "anxious thinking" and just take each day at a time.

Surround yourself by hard-working people
People who are motivated, hard-working and goal-orientated will influence you in the best way possible. We receive positive energy and inspiration from other human beings in the form of thoughtful conversations, examples of creative work or simply by being in the presence of people we admire. 

Have a strategy or plan in place 
Getting from Plan A to Plan B may seem incredibly overwhelming and stressful to say the least. The bigger picture or end goal needs to be broken down into smaller, achievable pieces. A project can't be completed in one whole chunk, but rather broken up into sections with deadlines. If you look at your end goal the same way, it will be easier to set a strategy or plan in place that can make achieving success seem more realistic.  

Get organized 
And I don't just mean organized in the sense that you have a planner with all of your to-do's written out. That's great too, but getting your thoughts organized is more important because your brain has 100 ideas and different strategies you want to put into action as soon as possible, right? Many entrepreneurs tend to get pulled into so many different directions when it's best to focus on one single idea or strategy at a time. 

Getting my thoughts organized is probably the hardest tip I struggle with when it comes to staying motivated. Which motivational tip is most helpful for you? Are there any other tips you would recommend?

xx JG

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Four New Beauty Buys You'll Love

Summer Fridays have been great for some much needed relaxation time, but also for new beauty discoveries. Who doesn't like to do a little shopping on their day off? These four new products I picked up this past month are the equivalent to my June beauty favorites because I'm just not able to pick out which product I like most out of the bunch. They're all so good! I thought I'd put a little post together to share these tidbits with you all in the hopes that you might find something you like just as much. Recently, I stopped in Sephora while the Benefit beauty advisors were introducing shoppers to the new brow collection and holy crap there are SO MANY new brow products. One of the lovely Benefit ladies filled in my brows with the new Goof Proof Brow Pencil and yeah, I was sold. She filled them in thicker than I normally do, but I was definitely a fan of the finished results. If brows are your thing, I highly recommend checking out all of the new Benefit goodies. Other items I picked up include a gorgeous bronze eyeshadow duo, the easiest contour product ever and a great summer CC cream that really is your skin but better.

Benefit Cosmetics Goof Proof Brow Pencil 
I think what sold me on this eyebrow pencil right away is its unique teardrop tip that easily shapes, defines and fills in your brows. I don't know of any other eyebrow pencil with that particular shape, which is what makes this one really unique. I found the color to glide on naturally and it lasted on my brows all day. I've been using the pointed tip to outline my arches and define the rest of my brow with the wide base.

Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour
This product is ideal for anyone who wants to give contouring a try, but doesn't want to start off with something like the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit or Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette mainly because they're both a bit of a splurge. Personally, I've always been perfectly happy with bronzing up my face normally, but recently I've been contouring on days when I have something more exciting going on as opposed to just an average day. Glide the Clinique Chubby Stick over your bare skin after foundation to the hollow of your cheekbones, jawline, upper forehead and other areas as you wish. Easy peasy.

It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+
One of my favorite beauty bloggers, ViviannaDoesMakeup, raves about this stuff. I usually stick to using my beloved Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream in the summer, but I wanted to find another product that I could love wearing just as much. It's good to switch things up every now and then. I bought the travel size version to see how I'd get on with it first. Yup, I'll be going back to Ulta for the regular size as soon as this one runs out. I love that you can build up the coverage pretty full, but also pop on a bit on a day when you're not feeling like wearing any makeup. This cream makes my skin look ridiculously healthy and glowy, which compliments the bronze eyeshadow looks I've been loving lately. If you have oily skin, I'm not too sure if this would be right for you because I find it's better for dry/dehydrated skin.

NARS Isolde Duo Eyeshadow
What more can I say about two colors that are perfect for all of the bronzed makeup looks you could ever imagine? I may have worn this duo everyday for the past week or so. Maybe I'm overdoing it? Nah. I like to wear the shimmering copper shade all over my lid and then smudge the frosted ginger shade underneath my eye with a pencil brush. If you're feeling up for it, finish the look off with some false lashes. So so pretty.

xx JG

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