Orange Ambition

ORANGE AMBITION

Now if you told me last month that I’d be obsessed with all things orange, I would have thought you were crazy.

Well folks, It’s official I’m obsessed with orange or a nicer name for it coral. I never would have thought orange blush would work on my yellow toned skin. Who would have thought that my new favorite lip product would be Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous (orange)? Or how about my favorite candle Market Peach from Bath and Body Works, again orange.


I would have to say my love for orange started with buying my first slightly orange beauty product at the suggestion of Tanya Burr. In her Monthly Favorites video  she mentioned Clinque Chubby Stick in Hibiscus. I had to have it and when I ran to the department store to get my own, I was scared when I saw it in person and realized it was an orange based red and more orange than red. Then I tried it. At first I was hesitant, so bold of a color, so not use to it, then I notices how great the slightly orange toned red looked agains my skin and with no other make up on at all it really brightened my whole face. 
Then I started to be drawn towards the beautiful coral nail polishes from L’oreal and Butter London. After watching Essie Button’s latest favorites video where she mentions Stilla’s convertible color in gladiola, I thought well I need to try that. Even when I swatch it at the store I was hesitant, I mean it is VERY orange.

Today was a almost no make up day and I decided to pat a bit of the scary cream gladiola on my cheeks. I was surprised by the blend-ability of the color and how it really brightened up my face. It didn’t even seem orange, more of a natural peachy glow from within.

Who knows what I”ll broaden my pallet to next. It really is like a kid and her brussels sprouts, just because as a kid you hated it, doesn’t mean your adult pallet won’t like it. I think orange is my brussels sprout in beauty. That is also why I love makeup so much! You can explore, create, express, and just feel good from a new lipstick or blush or in my case a chubby stick and cream color.

What colors do you avoid? What have you been hesitant to try? I dare you to go try it this month, it’s just makeup, you can always wash it off. Go and have some fun, be bold, be daring, be happy!

Advice From a Stranger

Recently I was given a piece of wisdom; “never take advice from someone you wouldn’t want to switch places with.” It was like the universe heard all my fears and frustrations and gifted me with these words at a soon-to-be dark hour.

I was feeling a bit sad and doubting some of my decisions that I had made, even though I feel the happiest I’ve been in years. You know how sometimes, when everything is going well, great things are happening, and you’re busier than ever (but in a good way), somehow doubt manages to sneak up from no where? Well that was happening. Some people in my life, while I’m sure meant well, were making me doubt my actions.

It’s funny how when you’re happiest and passionate about something, people who are not as happy or are insecure, start to put their doubts and fears onto you. Normally I’d put on the old sweats, grab a bag of Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar, a coke, and plop down on the couch in front of the T.V., claiming that I was re-evaluating my path. Instead, I walked into a meeting for the first time where I didn’t know anyone and the woman leading the orientation gave me the words of wisdom, “never take advice from someone you wouldn’t want to switch places with.” This is so simple and phrased so beautifully. While I had grasped the concept, it was much clearer hearing these words from a complete stranger.

I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m marring the man I love in 2 months, I feel proactive and in control of my destiny. There are so many great things happening in my life. So while I may have occasional problems and hiccups, I wouldn’t want to trade my life for anyone else’s right now.  Things are good.

Things are good
At my bridal shower

The wonderful woman that gave me the piece of advice that I keep reminding myself with for the last few weeks is Menena Givens. She is my adopted sales director for Mary Kay. Now I know there can be a lot of stigma that goes along with Mary Kay, but I also have met a lot of women in the past 3 weeks who have used the products for years and love it. I had looked into selling Mary Kay back in college, but found it too confusing. However, when I was really stressed last month about my upcoming wedding and worried about my new business venture, I was given a free facial with a bridesmaid by a Mary Kay Independent Sales Consultant.

My fist skincare party

She didn’t sell me or try to recruit me. She just gave my friend and I a wonderful experience. I was shocked at how much better my skin looked and what high quality products they offered, then my friend said, “you would be really good at this.” I laughed it off. But the idea kept popping into my head for a week.  I thought about how much fun it would be to give other women the same wonderful experience I had and help them feel beautiful on a different level. So I e-mailed Vicki, my Mary Kay Independent Sales Consultant…now recruiter and have met some amazing women in the last 3 weeks.  I figured worse case I’d just pay the $100 for my starter kit and play with the products and use the discount for myself, but the more I read about Mary Kay the more I wanted to share it’s legacy with others. I was inspired and felt passionate and full of possibilities.

I started to actually wear make-up, just because I could.  I felt prettier and better about myself.  My skin has never looked better either! My sales director encouraged me to attend the weekly meetings, so I did, feeling insecure and scared. What I found at the meetings were a bunch of inspiring, passionate, and motivated individuals. I’ve never encountered so many positive attitudes. Everyone was so welcoming and helpful. The problem was, not everyone in my life was super supportive about MK. Some questioned why I would do this? Don’t I have enough going on? MK?! Really?! So I walked into my first meeting already starting to doubt myself, but then I heard a few of the women’s stories and became inspired again. MK isn’t just about cosmetics and sales. MK is about women empowering women. Taking control of your life and goal setting. Mary Kay is helping me to see the positive side of things, plus it’s really fun and It’s helped me catch up with friends I haven’t seen in awhile.

So next time someone starts to make you feel doubtful about your life and your choices, think about it, would you want to switch places with them? Odds are…probably not. 

Life's Too Short, Put on Your Good Jeans

It’s funny how some things that you were told as a kid stays with you for life. Then you spend your adult life trying to unlearn those things. I grew up with the idea that nice things should be saved for a special occasion.  Those pretty, new, shiny shoes shouldn’t be worn until it was a special occasion and even then, don’t get them dirty or god forbid a scratch on them. Yesterday when I woke up, I looked at my closet and thought, well I’m not doing anything but working from home and then meeting a friend at Starbucks before I go for my run, so I shouldn’t wear my nice jeans. I should put on my old jeans, that don’t fit well, are a little stiff, and make me feel a little fat. WHAT WAS I THINKING? This goes against everything I believe in, but it’s been so ingrained in me to save things. This stops now!

This isn’t living and it definitely isn’t fun. So what if I don’t have anything special going on for the day? I should still dress my best and I should definitely dress to make myself feel great. Why did I knowingly put on jeans that I don’t feel great in when I have 5 pairs that do? Because God forbid the ones I like fade or get dirty.  I take really good care of my things, but this is a little extreme. The jeans will most likely go out of style by the time they fade or get holes in them. Also if they do fade, it’s not the end of the world, I can drive my butt down to the mall and get another pair. Somehow this thing that my parents kept telling me or expected of me when I was growing up, has stuck and it keeps creeping back into my life.

If I look back, it goes all the way back to my grandmother and probably her mother. My grandmother would save cookies and candy for special occasions, but usually by the time she brought them out to enjoy, they had gone stale or expired completely. This is where I get my phobia of mold and food gone bad, I have no problem tossing food that is slightly old. I can’t stand mold and I will freak out if the sell by date has passed and the food is still in my fridge.

Life is too short. These clothes, shoes, and accessories are just material objects, if you can’t enjoy them, then what’s the point? Clothes should be worn and enjoyed. They should make you feel great when you put them on.  What is a special occasion anyways? My last special occasion that really mattered was when I was proposed to wearing sweats, no make up, and messy hair. The moments that are important to us aren’t defined by what we wear and it wasn’t like I told my fiancé to hold on while I go put on my cute sweats, but I can’t help imagining the situation where I allowed myself to wear my nice sweats that morning. This is a perfect example of why you should always dress your best and for yourself, you never know what’s going to happen. You don’t want all the important moments in life to happen while your wearing jeans that make you look fat or sweats full of holes and coffee stains, do you? 

A Feather Leads to Fun

The other day a good friend of mine told me how she found a giant bow and decided to put it on her head for fun at work. She did it for joy and she was having a good time. No one said anything about it, but she felt more playful all because of it.

Lately, she has also been wearing this bundle of feather earring in one ear. If you knew her, you would see that fit her true personality… natural, beautiful, fun, and free. When we went to try on bridesmaid dresses, even the sales clerk complemented her on her earring. She said how she liked the feathers and wish she could pull it off herself. Why can’t she? No one will judge you if you are confident in what you choose to put on. At the end of the day it’s not permanent, but it’s a way for you to explore and have fun.

Sometimes I will put in a much more conservative version of her earrings in my own ears, to try and channel the traits I love about her. It gives me a little more confidence and excitement. It lends me the strength that I admire in her.

Lots of people want “to put more effort in their appearance.” I say put more fun in it. Effort seams like work. A little joy can go a long way. Dress for yourself. Dress to put your best self out there. Dress to feel good from the outside in, most importantly, Dress Yourself to Happiness! 

Dress yourself to Happiness... Seriously

I’m dedicating this post to 3 things that I think should be applied to your everyday clothing choices. My weeks are filled with ups and downs and recently there have been a lot fewer downs in between the ups. Looking back I can say that therapy, exercise, diet, and creating a consistent schedule for me has to do with it, but I also think applying all the changes I’ve made inside to the out also helps more than anyone ever gives credit to. I look at getting dressed differently. While I’ve always loved fashion, I see it differently now. Here are my three rules for dressing yourself happy.

1.                    Always dress the part. Last week I wrote a whole post about dressing for the activity or event, it is one of my favorite posts thus far because I really do believe that clothes make a first impression, but more importantly it helps you feel like your ready for the activity your about to take on. We want to look our best for a date, so why not life? You want to dress in appropriate clothes for different sports because of function, but this concept can be taken so much farther! Please read Dress the Part for Your New Years Goals if you haven’t already.

2.                    Dress to make yourself feel good. You deserve it. Everyone deserves it. We can do all the work on the inside, but until your ready to look your best, you won’t feel your best. It wasn’t until I got out of my uniform of sweats that I got up and out of the house to really get healthy inside and out. You should dress to show off what’s on the inside. So many times unconsciously we do that already, but just like smiling can suddenly change your whole mood, so can your clothes. Put on something that flatters your unique self and let the world see YOU!

3.                    Trends will come and go, but you won’t. Your essence, your style, and personality are the only things that no one else has and makes you special. Yes, your special because your you. The whole world only has one of you. So be you. Dress like you. If you are drawn to glitter add it to your wardrobe. Be creative and adventurous in your wardrobe. Have fun! You can always change your mind and change your outfit, so go for it! Make a fashion mistake, but make it with your head held high and because you were following your heart and who you are.  Who knows you could be the new trend.

Now I know that my goal was one post a week, but I was inspired to write another one this week from a voice class that I took.  My hope is that this inspires you to take some risks and move towards your fears no matter how small you think they are.  Please if you like what you read, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! I’d greatly appreciate it! Comments are also always welcome!