January 2018 – Life with Ariana

Planning February 2018 Tips//Plan with Me

January 31, 2018January 31, 2018Lifestyle, Plan With me2 Comments

It seems that January is one of the longest yet quickest months, if that makes sense. As crazy as it is, February is tomorrow! Today’s post will be on some tips for the month of February and I how I plan out my month in my planner.

For starter’s, I made it a goal of mine to become more organized and have a planner with me throughout the year, so far it’s going pretty well, but this past week I was slightly slacking off. However, for the new month I am glad to pick up my routine of planning back. First, let us start with my key planning tips to provide a successful start to the new month.

Purchase a cute planner and Stationary Supplies:

For me personally this is a huge one, I find that have a cute planner instead of a plain old boring one will help you be more motivated to use it. I recommend the brand “Create 365: The Happy Planner” from Michael’s Craft Store they have a variety of appealing planners, and the absolute best planner stickers, but do not worry if you cannot get your hands on this one, there are many other ones out there that are just as acceptable.
Make it personal, decorate your planner with washi tape, make it bright and colorful with pens or markers, and put in planner stickers to help personalize your planner. I recommend heading to Michael’s, Target, or the dollar store to get cute stationery supplies for cheap.
If you cannot go out and buy these supplies, do not worry because you can improvise and make your own planner with what you have.

Set a least one Monthly Goal or more if you desire:

If you were to set one new goal at the start of the month, and have it inside of your planner as a reminder, I am positive that you will achieve that goal by the end of the month. This could be a goal that’s as small as, “read any new book” or as large as “applying for a new job”, make it your desirable goal. For example, my goal for the month of January was to “start my blog”, and look where I am now, posting my 10th blog post!
My monthly goal for February will be to read a new book and finish it because I never do and to also finish one whole course of my online class. This month is about finishing what I started 😉!

Create a Monthly Mantra & Theme:

If you are unsure what a Mantra is, it is a word/phrase/or statement repeated frequently that you establish and live through. These are incredibly important when you need to be constantly reminded of something, and I do not mean something you plan, it’s more of a reassurance statement for example a mantra that I know is popular is, “You can get through this”. Make your mantra personal, to what best suits you or what you think you need to hear often. This mantra should be throughout your planner, on a post-it note, on your phone, and even your refrigerator.
Onto my next point which is establishing a theme for the month. This may sound a bit silly, but having a theme for a month will help incorporate your goal and mantra into your life. I also find that when having a monthly theme, planning becomes more substantial.
My theme for the month of February is Love/feeling loved/loving others, shocker right. I decided since Valentine’s Day is in the middle of the month, I will have Love as my central theme of this month.

Try to have a routine of something everyday:

You may be thinking well, I already have a routine everyday, but what I mean is trying to bring a new habit into your life, making it a routine for at least a month. These are just a few common examples; meditation daily, working out for at least an hour each day, or even praying. These are almost like small goals to make a part of your daily routine. Mine for the month of January was to “Practice Gratitude: by stating three things each day that I am grateful for”, (credits to my amazing therapist who gave me this assignment).
For the month of February I will continue my Gratitude practice along with mindful journaling everyday this month (I love to journal and I recently bought a new journal with mindful prompts).

Now that I gave the run-down of my key planning tips, I hoped you gained some insight for this upcoming month! Now onto planning my month of February! 💖

What I do to first get started, is to go through the calendar on my phone, since that is where I keep all my important dates/appointment reminders. As a disclaimer, my planner is not as filled as I wanted it to be. I only planned my events in my planner calendar, hopefully for next month’s post I will show you how I plan my week.

Processed with VSCO with f3 preset — I love how this planner features an area of all things you are doing currently.

I hope you guys enjoyed these planning tips, hopefully they are as beneficial to you as they were to me. Like and subscribe if you have not already. Also comment down below what you are looking forward to in February!

xoxo, Ariana. 💕

Check out my last post: Nighttime Skin Care Routine 2018 |Cruelty-Free

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Nighttime Skin Care Routine 2018 |Cruelty-Free

January 29, 2018January 30, 2018Beauty, Skincare16 Comments

Hello everyone, today’s post will consist of my nighttime skin care routine. I decided to give you the rundown of my current nighttime routine. My nighttime routine often varies between three scenarios for example; when I wear makeup, normal days, and when I am lazy. These are my all time favorite products, now onto my nighttime skin care!

Makeup days:

For the days that I wear makeup, I first start off with removing the surface layer of my makeup with Burt’s Bees Sensitive Skin facial cleansing towelettes, these are great for taking off makeup, they do not leave my face greasy, and they clean the skin very well.

Followed by that, I take my Milky Jelly cleanser by Glossier and pump some into my hands I massage the cleanser all throughout my face (even on my eyes because it’s safe to remove eye makeup 😉 ).After thoroughly applying the product onto my face, I get my Foreo LUNA mini 2 to deeply cleanse the skin. I love this so much, because it is T-Sonic™ face brush with different intensities, making the skin appear more cleaner and smoother. I move the brush in circular motions all throughout my face. After, I then rinse my face with lukewarm water and pat dry the skin (never rub the skin, as it can cause irritation).

No-makeup days:

On my makeup free day, I will wash my face similarly with my Foreo LUNA mini 2, but using the Purity facial cleanser by Philosophy (an amazing facial wash for sensitive skin). I apply some into my hands spreading the product throughout the skin and deeply cleansing the skin with the LUNA, rinsing and drying as normal.

Daily routine:

These next few products are what I try to use everyday after washing my face, except on those lazy days, lol! I try to apply toner everyday, after washing my face. Toner is the key to good skin, it will kill all the bacteria and wipe away any oil on the skin, balancing your skin’s pH level. Toner also should soothe the skin and calm inflammation if any, I prefer an alcohol-free toner so the skin does not get dried out. The absolute best toner out there is the Thayers Witch Hazel Lavender Toner. This toner smells amazing, refreshes the skin, and improves the skins quality. All you have to do is apply some to a cotton round and wipe onto your face and neck.For days when my skin is a bit dry I apply the Burt’s Bees sensitive skin moisturizer (see Winter Skin Essentials), followed by my Sun Bum Lip Balm in the flavor Mango to hydrate my lips.Before I go to bed, I spray my Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Chamomile, and Lavender all over to calm my skin.

For those lazy days:

We all have those lazy days when we just really do not want to wash our face or anything. The solution that I have for you is, using the Yes To cucumbers calming Micellar Cleansing Water on a cotton pad. This will help remove any dirt, oil, or makeup off the skin without needing to rinse afterwards. It is quick, effective, and the solution to a lazy person’s guide.

I hope this post was beneficial for you. I have been wanting to share my nighttime skin care routine and I’m glad I did. Please like and subscribe if you enjoyed this post! Also please feel free to comment about any questions or any suggestions on upcoming posts! (Pictures are all mine, please give credit)

xox, Ari. 🌃

Check out my last post: Current Makeup Routine | Winter 2018

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Current Makeup Routine | Winter 2018

January 26, 2018January 30, 2018Beauty, Makeup Routines/Looks6 Comments

Happy Friday, I hope everyone is doing well today! Today’s post is going to consist of my current makeup routine! I am excited to be sharing my go to makeup look today. Now I do not wear makeup everyday; however when I do go out and decide to put on a full-face of makeup this will be my casual look. My makeup routine often changes, but these are the products that I am currently using throughout my routine.

As a disclaimer all these products are cruelty-free, and my makeup routine is pretty minimal. These products work pretty well for me and if you have any questions at all about the products then ask me down below. Now onto the routine!

Makeup Prep:

I find that to get the ultimate makeup application it is best to have a fresh cleansed face. Whether I shower or wash my face, I go in right after with my Pacifica Dreamy Youth Day and Night Face Cream mixed with my Lush Grease Lightning Tea Tree and Aloe Gel to create my moisturizer (Winter Skin Essentials\\\2018). To prime my face, I use the Pixi skintreats H2O Skindrink: Pure Hydration Gel, just a little goes a long way. Lastly, spraying my face with my Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber, and Green Tea, to lock in all that hydration and moisture into my skin.

Eyeshadow:

I start off my makeup with eyeshadow just in case I ever have fall-out, I am then able to clean up with the rest of my routine. My go-to palette is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow palette, definitely a cult favorite for many beauty gurus or makeup lovers. As my transition shade I use “Warm Taupe” using my Luxie 205 Tapered Blending brush seamlessly blending the tone into my crease and lid. Then, I use the same blending brush to blend “Buon Fresco” onto the center of my crease by doing a halo effect, in the center of my crease. To add depth for the corner of my eyes, I take my Blending Crease brush from It Cosmetics 105 and dip it into “Red Ochre” lightly and blend in a circular motion. Taking my Elf Crease brush, I apply the shade “Vermeer” to add a pop of highlight underneath my brow bone arch. That completes the simple eyeshadow look that looks amazing in sunlight if I do say so myself. (Also please excuse my brows, I am currently growing them out, so the natural look is going to have to do for now. Either way I do not do anything to my eyebrows except comb them through with an eyebrow gel.)

Base:

Currently, I have been using the Burt’s Bees BB Cream in the shade Light/Med that I apply with a Black Original Beauty Blender (my favorite way to apply any foundation/bb/cc cream). I have not had any recent breakouts, and luckily my skin is actually pretty decent right now. My one skin issue is slight hyperpigmentation on my cheeks and around my upper lip. Surprisingly, I find that the Burt’s Bees BB Cream has good coverage, it illuminates the skin, and it is very moisturizing. For concealer I will be using the famous Tarte shape tape in the shade light neutral, for those of you that are unfamiliar with the concealer it is extremely high coverage, which is why I use a Silicone Liner Brush by Real Techniques to be precise with the application under my eyes and in other areas I want to conceal such as, my upper lip or above my brows.

Setting the Face:

I usually prefer my face to be more matte since I have oily skin, but throughout the winter I also want that glow; which is why I do not bake but instead lightly set my face using one of my holy grail products, the Laura Mercier Translucent loose setting powder. I dip my beauty blender into the lid and set the makeup under my eyes and on my T-zone to prevent oil and creasing. Once I am done setting my face, I apply my NYX HD Finishing Powder (My favorite finishing powder that does not cause flashback in photos!) to reduce shine throughout my T-zone using the BH Cosmetics V2 Face Brush.

Bronzer/Blush/Highlight:

For bronzer I used the Bahama Mama Bronzer by the Balm Cosmetics, a favorite of mine on the sides of forehead and temples. I also lightly contoured my cheekbones to define them naturally, using my Real Techniques Contour Brush. The blush I reached for was the Wet n Wild Coloricon Blush in Mellow Wine 328B using my Real Techniques Blush Brush (Real Techniques is my favorite brush line, their brushes are synthetic, extremely soft, and cruelty-free). For highlighter I went back into the ABH Modern Renaissance palette and took the same shade I used to highlight my brow bone, “Vermeer”, using the SLmissglam highlighter brush that I received in my Ipsy bag this month.

Eyes:

To curl my lashes I use a Sephora eyelash curler and finally apply a few coats of the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara, a sample that I received in my November glam bag. Short and simple, just the way I like it. A tip I recommend doing before applying mascara is, to comb through your lashes with either a lash or brow comb, this really helps separate the lashes and gives them a fuller look!

Setting Spray:

I often switch my setting sprays, but as of now I am using the Mario Badescu Rosewater Facial Spray. Perfect for that natural glow and helps keep makeup in place with a delicate scent of roses. Also for my lips (not pictured) I used the Burt’s Bees Lip Shine in Peachy, a sheer gloss.

The Final Look:

This is my final makeup look, I love the natural glow that this look gives, it especially looks gorgeous in the sun. I hope you appreciated this post, if you did please like and subscribe! Also comment down below if any of these products are in your current makeup routine.