Do you have a favorite month of the year? Most people will say the month of their birthday, which hey, I get it. For me, my favorite month has always been May. In my eyes, this month is a beacon — showing that summer is on the horizon, and you can feel the excitement people have about it.
Since I’m in the mood to spring forward, I wanted to share a little bit about what I’ve been up to recently! I was pretty bad about posting on the blog in April. Honestly, I’ve just been working my a$* off to get to the point in my career where I’ve always dreamed of being. It’s been a lot of hard work, and I’m sure they’ll be more of it to come. But, I’m pumped to see how the year progresses!
With all the changes I’ve been experiencing, I started to notice how many other things I changed last month in preparation for May. Today’s blog post is dedicated to sharing those little changes. Cue “Month of May” by Arcade Fire, please and thank you.
Let’s get started!
Incorporated Clean Beauty + Skincare Products Into My Routine
Have you ever read the ingredients of your favorite products and been like “WTF is that?” SAME. That uncertainty about the quality of ingredients and their impact on my body definitely got me interested in searching for clean beauty products. I’m trying to reach an 80:20 ratio of clean beauty products to not-so clean products. Going completely clean is hard, not to mention expensive. With that in mind, I decided to incorporate a few staple products that I could trust.
Follain has been a god-send when it comes to finding clean beauty products. I initially ordered their Clean Essentials Kit, which has samples of some of their most popular products. What I love most about Follain is that you don’t have to think twice about the products they curate for their website. Right now, my concealer, mascara, eyeshadow and powder are all from clean brands sold on their website. I haven’t quite found a liquid foundation I’m crazy about, but that’s on my list for next month!
Started To Actively Watch My Refined Sugar Intake
I tend to shy away from content pertaining to food because I feel like it’s a topic that people get really up-in-arms about for some reason. But, oh well I’m sharing this because it’s relevant to my life. Refined sugar affects all of us differently, but for me, I seriously felt like I was addicted to it. I would wake up in the morning and immediately eat a cookie or piece of chocolate. Why? Because my body was deficient in other necessary nutrients that I was trying to compensate for with sugary treats.
All I’ll say about this is that I have so much more energy since I started incorporating more healthy proteins and omitting most of the refined sugars I used to eat. This isn’t to say I don’t indulge in a little ice cream now and again — I’m just more conscious about how often I’m doing it.
Got A Stitch Fix Membership
This probably surprises some of you. Let me explain how I ended up here. So, I was reading a super fascinating article in Forbes about the technology behind Stitch Fix and I was instantly sold by it. I wanted to see if the algorithm used to curate the “Fixes,” or boxes of clothes received in the mail, could pinpoint my style as well as I can on my own. When I received my first Fix, I was in awe about how accurately it had matched my style.
How It Works: You take a quiz, which asks a variety of questions about your personal style. From there, you can also participate in daily “Style Shuffles” of images that you thumb up or down depending on if they match your style or not. Your personal stylist then curates your Fix for you! I signed up for a quarterly Fix, which means I will only receive four throughout the year. I’m so excited to see what’s in my Fix for this month. I’ll be sure to share it with you all on Insta.
Dedicated Time To Building My Brand
Because I can’t seem to do just one thing, I recently found myself diving head first into the idea of owning a business. I’ve wanted to be an entrepreneur since I was a little kid. Growing up, if there was ever something I was certain about with my career, it was that I was going to work for myself. So, if you’re wondering why I haven’t been on here as frequently as before, it’s because I’m trying to find a balance between my love for work and this blog.
I’ll figure it out, friends, you just may not be seeing as many blog posts as before. But, I promise I’ll be back because I love this little platform I’ve created. Stay tuned for more news about what I’ve been up to!
Focused Less On The Future + More On The Now
I, like many people I know, can sometimes fall into the trap of working toward a goal, only to realize I haven’t been living in the moment the whole time. With all the work I’ve been finding myself involved in, it’s definitely become more difficult for me to slow down. I’m aware of it. But I’m trying to give myself a break! Self care is so important to me, and something I’m not willing to sacrifice.
Whether it’s going to bed earlier each night, putting my phone down before bed, or unplugging completely to just go outside and roam around — I’m dedicated to living more in the moment.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw.
Ponder on that quote this week, my friends!
Well, that’s all I’ve got for ya today! I’ll be back on the blog with more new content for you next week!
Until then!
Alicia