My Happiness Project: Week Five

**Breaking News - This week's Happiness Project includes working on my blog, so if you have any issues with my site, please bear with me! It will be even prettier and more functional soon!**

This last week was so fun because I just got to be girly! How many beauty-related pins have I pinned over the years?! I got to choose a few and try them out. Why not? They don't take an inordinate amount of time and it was fun to shake things up. My beauty resolutions will probably be the easiest for me to continue in my regular life.

Beauty

- Try new hairstyles
--I  tried my favorite milkmaid braids again (welcome back, bangs), a new technique for hot rollers (start rolling at the top, leaving the ends out, the same way I do with curling iron, except I don't have to hold it!) and a braided bun. Still working on a couple of hair ideas for the wedding - I'll keep you posted.

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- Try an organic hair mask for my lifeless locks
-- Did it! I mashed up half an avocado, one egg and a hearty splash of olive oil. It looked like a weird guacamole and I smeared it all up in my hair - check out the gross chunks - and tied it up for 20-30 minutes before washing it out with COLD water (you don't want to cook the egg!). I saw the biggest difference! It's hard to tell in the second picture, but by dinner that night my hair was softer and shiner. Definitely worth a try if you feel like your hair is basically straw.

 - Try new makeup techniques and wear lip color every day.
- I spent a few hours on my Makeup Pinboard, reading Lauren Conrad and Bobbi Brown beauty & style books, and watching YouTube videos and tried several new techniques. I tried eyeliner into the corner of my upper lid (loved it!), blended bronze creme shadow instead of black eyeliner (very summery), and a better technique for covering my biological dark circles that make me look like a zombie (forming a triangle of cover from the inner corner of the eye, down the side of the nose and then up to meet the outer corner of the eye).

You absolutely HAVE to check out this girl's blog - her tips are so great

- Wear lip color every day.
-- I tried. I really did. I just suck. I never think it looks good, my lips are always too dry and chapped for good color deposits, and it's always bleeding regardless of liner.

- Take a luxurious bath to recharge
-- I was super sore and tense from sleeping poorly and doing intense crossfit every day, so these bathsalts were particularly needed. I've done milk baths, bubble baths and scented salt baths, but these epsom salt baths are just the top of the line. This little package costs like a dollar at the grocery store and it's amazing. This one has a soothing menthol smell and it loosened up all of my tense muscles and soreness. Highly recommended.

Personal Improvement

- Quit picking my split ends!
-- If you've ever seen me in real life, you've probably seen me picking at my split ends. I've been doing it since like 9th grade. It's an absent-minded thing, as well as a mental escape for me. I do it when I'm bored, nervous, thinking, worrying, all the time really. It's a bad habit and my car and clothes are covered in little blonde broken hairs. It's preventing longer growth and makes my ends look so unhealthy. I still did it from time to time, but curling my hair, wearing it up and looking at Cara Loren's gorgeous locks helped me to leave my split ends alone. Work in progress, but I tried!

- Stop complaining.
-- Easier said than done, right? They also say that your goals shouldn't be a "Don't..." or "Stop...." but that you should rephrase them to be positive and action-based. So I tried to replace complaining with gratitude! It is so easy to forget and start complaining about stupid things, but when I consciously tried to think more positively about my life and eliminate complaining I saw a real difference. Seriously, why do we complain? What do we hope to accomplish by that? Has it ever made you feel better? No! We should all just stop.

- Finally master the French Macaron!
-- Epic fail. I am literally the WORST at macarons. I don't get it. I don't understand.  Look at this. It's not a camera trick. They are actually flat.

 

 - Continue my other Happiness Projects.
-- I'm still moving in and cleaning up my new apartment, still working on my BOM study,  supporting The Beard in our new life pursuits, checking out lots of books from the library on various topics, couponing and even trying to practice mindfulness. Even just working on them for one week helped to make them more habitual and more conscious.

I Think I'll Go To Boston

I am en route to Boston for a weeklong Field Study! We're going to Boston, Plymouth Rock, Lexington & Concord, Mystic CT, West Point, Morristown, Philadelphia and Valley Forge. Just a bunch of history teachers, getting our nerd on.

Follow along with me on Instagram (@dholdy) for some hopefully awesome and patriotic pics. 

There are a few good things in the works for this week while I'm away, though - some belated outfit photos from Hawaii today and possibly a guest post from the Beard! The famous Beard!

Anyways, we took these outfit photos when we were waiting for a table in Hawaii, and I forgot about them until now.

Dress: Cotton On, Chambray: F21, Sandals: Forever Young, Headband: F21, Purse: Steve Madden

This was pretty much what I wore every day. Some form of maxi dress/skirt, sandals and a sub-10 second hairstyle.

As far as makeup goes, all I wore was my new Supergoop CC cream with SPF (obviously) and mascara. Maybe some creme blush for dinner.

That's my kind of vacation - no hair, no makeup, no pants and plenty of aloe vera. My back looks like leprosy. TMI. Sorry.

Sleepy Morning Products

I love getting ready in the mornings. I love it. The Beard and I fight about it every Sunday before church (the only time we are getting ready around the same time).

"Ryan! Get up! It's your turn to shower. We're gonna be late!"

"You are still in there!"

"I'm waiting for you to come get in!"

"I'm not getting out of bed until you are done in there."

"I will literally spend as much time getting ready as you allow me."

"That's retarded."

The Beard has a brisk 20 minute routine from waking up to being ready. Everyday. It's not quite that simple for me. I COULD get ready in 20. Easily. But I don't always. On a lazy Sunday, getting ready for date night, or any time where I am not in a rush I love to spend extra time on my routine. It's so zen and therapeutic.

Well this year, my commute increased from 5 minutes to 30. My school starts 10 minutes earlier. So now I don't have the luxury of rolling out of bed 15 minutes before school starts. Hence, my routine has changed, and I have some new beauty products to prove it.

First, I'm slightly embarrassed but also pleased by my first beauty discovery. I originally bought it for the Beard at his request. One morning I was running late and needed to wash my hair. The Beard's Pert Moisture 2 in 1 Shampoo/Conditioner. This is blasphemy for a girl who has used her mom's Paul Mitchell products her entire life.

 

Later that day I found myself running my fingers through my hair over and over. It was soft. It was shiny. And dare I say, it was sleek? Wow, Pert 2-in-1. You changed everything.

Garnier Anti-Dark Circle roller is pretty fun to use. Dark circles are my big beauty problem, and I've never found a product that works 100% for me. This product is pretty sweet because the metal ball feels cold and soothing, which helps to wake up my eyes. It goes on light and sheer, which is great because I can't stand heavy products. It definitely improves my circles and looks natural, but I still layer a tiny bit of concealer over it.

In an effort to distract from my dark circles and make me look fresh and awake, color in my face is necessary. I used to love Maybelline's Dream Mousse, but now it's the bouncy blush and it SUCKS. I've upgraded to L'Oreal creme blush. Unfortunately more expensive, but I like it better. It's a bigger pot, less shimmer and blends even easier. I'm in love.

 

Highlighter eyeshadow is the quickest and easiest part of my routine. I brush Mary Kay's Crystalline or Spun Silk under my brow, on the inner corner of my eye, and directly under my pupil on the lower lid to open my eyes up.

No way am I waking up early to wash and blow out my hair every day. No way. Too lazy. Plus my hair is super clean, rarely oily and can go days without washing. My new favorite? Dry Shampoo. I thought it was only for oily scalps. Turns out its a saving grace for me, and flat-haired girls everywhere. I love the Suave Keratin kind. Cheap and necessary.

My weekly routine now is to give myself a real live, careful, sectioned blowout. Not just blasting my whole head until it's dry, but the real deal (great directions here). This way, my clean hair looks a million percent better and lasts longer. I usually do this on a Saturday or Sunday. By Tuesday my hair starts to look limp, so I pump it up with dry shampoo along my part, in my bangs and wherever I need volume.

Wednesday or Thursday I'll rock a bun or pony as my hair gets dirtier. I'll wash my hair at night and put rollers in it in the morning, or wash it quick (Thanks Pert!) and twist it damp into a low chignon.

I can sleep as late as 6 am and still get ready, take out Glen and double check all my crap to cruise out the door at 6:45. Thank the lord for beauty products.

Sometimes, Always, Never - Summer Face

I'm a firm believer in changing your makeup with the seasons. My skin tans very easily, and I'm also super anemic. That means I can look Latin in the summertime and Helena Bonham-Carter in the wintertime. I have 3 foundations that I rotate through and varying shades of eyeshadows for the seasons. Summertime is my biggest adjustment to my daily routine, and it's a lovely adjustment because it means LESS.

SOMETIMES

Makeup trends like bold lipstick or a smoky eye are awesome. But be careful, and adjust. It's far too sticky to rock this during the day, so stick to fun concerts and night events for your statement makeup.

Instead of a gray or black smoky eye, try green or blue. Think mermaid.

Instead of a bright red or wine lip, try a hot pink, or my personal favorite - a sunny coral.

ALWAYS

Sunscreen. Your mom was right. It's good for you. I still don't wear it on my body like I should, but I've been establishing a good habit of layering a sunscreen with moisturizer under my makeup, or using Mary Kay's tinted moisturizer with sunscreen on its own. Try Aveeno Daily Moisturizer, especially if you've got dry skin like me. It's easy to make your own tinted moisturizer by mixing it with your favorite foundation on the back of your hand and then brushing it on. You'll feel like a bona fide makeup artist.

Creme Blush. This will play up your tan just right, without caking like a powder. I like Maybelline Dream Mousse blush in Rose Petal.

Lip Balm. Duh. Get yourself a nice stick of Burt's Bees.

Exfoliate. St. Ives Apricot Scrub is a miracle product. It removes dead, dry skin and just makes you glow.

NEVER

Liquid eyeliner needs to hibernate until sweating and swimming aren't daily possibilities.

Thick foundation or powders. Switch to a light tinted moisturizer that won't cake or look weirdly matte. Your skin will thank you.

Any foundation, powder or cream that does not match your current skin tone. I think this is Paris Hilton. It's hard to be sure with all the bronzer and the fact that it isn't 2004.

Make(up) Not War

Secret obsession of Danica Budge Holdaway? Makeup. All the way. LOVE it. I've been a huge makeup fan my whole life. And how lucky am I? I've got a salon stocked with Mary Kay at my fingertips. Don't tell my mom this, but I'm starting to cheat on her. Mary Kay is great for certain things - pressed mineral powder, foundation and liquid eyeliner. But I'm not in love with their lip products, blush or concealers. They're fine. They do the job. But I've been branching out. I have the hardest time walking past the MAC counter at Nordstrom. All I want to do is buy the new Illamasqua fall products. Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes. NARS blush. Ahhhhhh my mouth is watering.


My latest purchases that I recommend:

Mary Kay's brand new I Heart Mascara. I'm a sucker for mascara.

Maybelline Dream Mousse cream blush in Peach Satin. Goes on like a dream.

Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition Brush Set. I'm SO glad I got this. It's almost perfect. I had to buy a few more brushes to add to my set in addition to these, but it's a great set. Very nice quality. And my next Pinterest project? Chic makeup brush storage. :)

Best fall trends I recommend:

Cat Eye. Never out of style. The September Allure (my favorite beauty magazine, by the way), had a great tutorial on various cat eye options. Mix it up, you guys.

Metallic Smoky Eye. I'm loving the silver and even a green metallic look.

Blue Shadow. The girls of The Beauty Department told me it's back. So much better than our first try in the 80s.

Wine Red Lips. The scariest fall trend for me. Still working to find my "right" shade. But be bold you guys.

Feeling bored with your makeup routine? Here's what you should do.

1. Watch Pixiwoo videos. All of them. Especially their Halloween and crazy makeup ones. So fun.



2. Mix up your base routine. Big liquid foundation user? Try a tinted moisturizer. My new favorite foundation routine is a little mineral pressed powder. Try a primer under your powder routine. Remember to account for a lighter skin tone during the winter. Unfortunately.

3. Buy something fun that will make you WANT to try new things. I bought a teal Maybelline eyeshadow on sale the other day. Still haven't found a good opportunity to use it, but I'm dying to. Find a new lipstick shade. Try lining your brows with a pencil or shadow.

Makeup is so fun. Never let it become a boring hoop to jump through each morning. Be a woman and enjoy it.