Top 10 Things You Can Do to Make Monday a Little Less "Monday..."

Credit // pixabay

We all know Monday isn't exactly the 'favorite' as far as days of the week are concerned. It's the start to the work week, we're all coming down from the weekend high, and the last thing we want to do is wake up bright and early Monday morning and head to our 9-5's. 

I'm sure most of you share the same love-hate relationship I have with Sundays. You have your morning coffee (or mimosa if you're feeling extra fancy), spend a questionable amount of time lounging in your PJ's, catch up on reality TV, and if you're adventurous enough you may just put on normal clothes to run some errands...

...and then around 7 PM a wave of panic takes over your body as you realize you have just a couple short hours left of the weekend. Monday is looming before us and you shudder at the thought of setting your alarm for the morning. 

OK so maybe I am being a bit dramatic, but in all honesty, if I don't check a few things off my list Sunday evening (and first thing when I wake up the next day), I am a total spaz Monday morning and that is NOT how I like to start my week. So, if you want to make your transition from weekend to work week a little smoother, here's what you can do:

1. Take a Bath (or a hot shower). There is nothing that a hot bath or shower can't cure. I always sleep better when I feel squeaky clean. I also like to wash and dry my hair the night before so I don't have to deal with it in the morning. 

2. Meal Prep. I prep breakfast and lunch five days a week these days and let me tell you -- it makes all the difference. I pack up my lunch the night before, put it in the fridge, and I'm good to go. I set my blender bottle on the counter by my protein powder and I'm all set for my morning protein shake. 

3. Program the Coffee Pot. Good Lord is this a huge time saver. It's like magic. You walk downstairs and your coffee is already there...waiting for you...

Excuse Me While I Whine About My Cold

Being sick is somewhat cool for like, a day, and then you're ready to climb out of your germ-infested blanket/cocoon of hell and bounce back to your old, healthy self. Having a cold sometimes turns you into a runny-nosed, lung-hacking diva who whines and groans at the sheer idea of moving from the bed. You have irrational thoughts. You can't breathe. You can't sleep. Even worse you temporarily have no sense of taste and therefore no appetite. 

This has been me for the past few days. Sick, dramatic, pathetic, disgusting, etc. I have been desperately trying to consume anything and everything I can to speed up the process and get this ish out of my body. Here's what I've had on hand since Saturday:

1. Tissues, duh. This is self-explanatory and incredibly obvious. Assume you will have a pile of used, nasty, crumpled tissues on the floor by your bed because, well, I certainly do.

2. Water. I remember when I got sick when I was little my doctor would ALWAYS tell me to drink plenty of water. I would always ignore the lady's expert advice and down my sugary apple juice when my mom wasn't looking. But seriously water is your best friend. Apparently water helps to thin out all that nasty mucus stuff and whatever gross sick-y things are inside your body. I have a massive tumbler filled with water next to my bed and then an extra water bottle on hand. Once they are both gone I fill them back up. DON'T. STOP. DRINKING. WATER.

3. Meds. Okay, so I totally respect the fact that there are tons of people out there who prefer the natural remedy route when it comes to illnesses, but if you are choosing to take any sort of over-the-counter meds, make sure you actually follow the directions and take it every 4-6 hours or whatever the packaging says. My doctor always tells me it takes time for your body to adjust and absorb whatever is in the medication, so it's important to actually take it as directed so it can do its job.

4. Fruits, veggies, green juice, etc. The more vitamins and healthy goodness you can shove into your body the better. For some odd reason the only thing I crave when I'm sick is fruit. I guess that's a good thing. Better fruit than bread and/or cheese.

5. Warm Lemon & Honey Water. I like to squeeze half a lemon and add a nice sized amount of honey into some warm water and down that like it's a good glass of wine. Water, lemon, and honey are supposed to be good for coughing and congestion. I also like the typical cup of green tea with honey as well for soothing my throat and whatnot.

c/o simply recipes

6. Cough Drops. I pop these bad boys like there's no tomorrow. My favorite is the Ricola Honey Lemon (there's that combo again). Halls is always good too, but I like something that tastes a little better.

7. Vicks and/or a Hot Steamy Shower. There is a fraction of a moment in time during my sicklyness where I am filled with the false hope that I am miraculously feeling better and that is when I am in the steam room aka shower. Something about the feeling of being super clean and the steaminess of the shower makes me feel like I could run a marathon. It's not 'til after I step out of the shower and into reality that I once I again feel like I was hit by a bus. It's always nice while it lasts.

Love Vicks Vapo Rub, always have, always will. I always put a tiny bit just under my nose to help clear up my stuffy-ness.

Well, besides the obvious (movies, blankets, etc.) these are the things I need when I am under the weather. Hopefully by the time you're reading this I will have kicked this cold's ass into next year. Hope you all are doing your best to keep in good health!

Oh and PS -- I'm linking up with Chelsee from Southern Beauty Guide and a bunch of other lovely ladies for the Let's Be Friends Blog Hop -- check it out!

xoxo

Glam Holiday Makeup Look

I'm loving bold lips for the holiday season so I decided to film a makeup tutorial using Urban Decay's Vice 2 Palette and two bold lip options. Watch the video from my channel below and read on for more information about the products I used! :)

Oh and by the way, I linked-up with Kristin over at Your Beauty Fix for her new link up Tell All Tuesdays! Check it out :)

Review -- Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick!

First of all, you must know that Maybelline is one of my favorite drugstore brands. I haven't tried many of their foundations but I'm a huge fan of their mascaras and lip products. I was super excited to try this foundation stick and had high hopes for it. Before I share my opinion, let me tell you a little more about the foundation.

According to Maybelline's website, the Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick comes in 12 shades, is oil-free, has a "powder-core" that is supposed to help eliminate excess oil, and leaves your skin "flawless, shine-free...and natural matte coverage." The website also suggests applying the product then blending with your fingers.

The shade I picked up is in 220 Natural Beige and I must say it is a near-perfect match. I applied the foundation directly to my face and blended it in with my fingers, just as Maybelline suggests. I noticed that with just one layer, the foundation appears to be light-medium coverage. I still could see some of my acne scars and blemishes through the foundation, so I let it set for a few minutes before applying a second layer. The second layer did a better job at concealing the areas where I needed more coverage.

Once the foundation was set, I noticed it felt powdery on the skin -- not oily or sticky like some other foundation can be, and not drying on the skin either. I didn't noticed any excessive shininess to my normally oily skin. 

To really break it down for you, here are my personal pros/cons and final thoughts:

PROS

• Good range of shades to choose from; mine in particular was a near-pefect match
• Quick, easy to use. No special brushes or other tools needed
• Lightweight -- does not feel too heavy or cakey on the face
• Powdery, somewhat matte finish. Did not feel oily/sticky on the skin and did not cause skin to appear excessively shiny or oily
• Buildable. Can easily apply more than one layer to build higher coverage
• Inexpensive price tag. Target has it for just $6.99!

CONS

• Light-medium coverage. Personally, I prefer a higher coverage foundation to a lighter coverage because sometimes layering too much foundation can cause the skin to look cakey
• Not a lot of product in the tube. I feel like I've been going through my stick pretty fast. Maybe that's because when I wear this foundation I layer it to have higher coverage, but I was surprised when I saw how low the stick was getting after having it for only a couple weeks (and not even wearing it every day or every other day for that matter)

TIPS

• As with most foundations, using a primer before applying the product and setting it with a translucent or tinted setting powder afterwards helps to extend the lasting power of your foundation. I always recommend doing both of these steps when wearing any type of foundation
• Do not twist the product up too high! I made the mistake of doing this and broke part of the stick. Luckily it was salvageable, but I have to be careful how high I twist the tube now. Oops!
• Use your fingers to blend. After trying my Expert Face Brush by Real Techniques to blend this foundation, I definitely prefer to use my fingers, just as the website suggests

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Would I repurchase this product? Probably not -- but only because I prefer my higher coverage foundations (like the Revlon Color Stay Whipped foundation), and don't necessarily like to add multiple layers to my skin. 
• Would I recommend this product to a friend? Absolutely! For anyone I know that likes light-medium coverage foundations and needs a quick, easy foundation routine...I would say definitely try this out. For me, however, it just isn't my favorite.

What are your thoughts? Have you tried this yet? Let me know what you think if you have!

xoxo

Don't worry -- I haven't dropped off the face of the Earth. Since my last post I have been fighting a nasty cold and finally just starting to feel better. I will be filming a few beauty videos today and updating my blog tonight/early tomorrow.

Thank you to those who have nominated me for awards the past couple of days! I feel so honored you thought of me :)

While I get ready to film and update, here are two articles I stumbled upon that I will be featuring in an upcoming video. I'm so excited for you to see it! Take a look at them if you get a chance...they are super interesting!

32 Makeup Tips That Nobody Told You About

27 DIY Beauty Hacks Every Girl Should Know About

xoxo

10 Totally Random Beauty Tips You Need to Know

NYX Pore Filler / Real Techniques Makeup Brushes / EOS Lip Ball / NYX Blotting Papers / Olay Fresh Effects Make-up Removal Cloths

1. Applying some sort of primer or concealer to your eyelids/crease/brow bone helps bring out the pigmentation of your eye shadow and keeps it from budging. Your eye makeup will last longer and look even better.

2. Smearing a pore-filling primer all over your face is a HUGE no-no. When using a pore filler it's better to press or dab the product directly onto the area so it is able to fill in your pores and give your complexion a smoother appearance. My favorite pore fillers are Benefit's Porefessional (of course) and NYX's Pore Filler. Opt for the NYX version if you're trying not to splurge.

3. Apply your face makeup after you've done your eyes. Okay, I know this is highly debatable but this is my personal preference. Everyone has their own opinion about what order you should apply your makeup, but I prefer to start with my eyes so that I don't have to keep wiping away the fallout that lands on my foundation. After completing my eyes I just take a makeup wipe or eye makeup remover and wipe away any fall out. Then I do the rest of my makeup.

4. Wait to apply mascara until you are finished with your entire look. So this is another highly debatable tip. However, I personally like to wait to coat my lashes until I am completely done using any and all powders because I don't want any fallout -- from my eyeshadow or from my setting powder -- getting onto my freshly coated eyelashes. If you're like me, I definitely recommend waiting to put your mascara on until after you've finished everything else.

5. Tap out your brushes before applying any type of product to your face. This just helps to get any excess product off your brush and gives you a more even application.