29 March, 2016

March Favorites, Beauty + Fashion + Music


(I feel like I could start every monthly favorites post like this at the pace this year is going, but really...) How is it already the end of March!? I feel like I just did my February Favorites! In any case, this month I tried a few new beauty products, switched up my capsule wardrobe and listened to some good tunes and today, I want to share all of that with you. Who knows, you might even fall in love with them, too!


Beauty




Mario Badescu Facial Spray
Okay, I'm going to be real here, I totally thought this was such a gimmicky product. I kept hearing people rave about it, how it's so refreshing and will set your makeup and help your skin keep its moisture and all I could think was "yeah, right, this is just $7 pink water". But after hearing my mom tell me about how much she liked it I decided to give it a try and I am such a believer now! I use it to set my makeup and it gives me the perfect dewy finish (which I love because I use powder but I hate looking powdery!) and I really do think it helps my makeup stay on longer. I also use it at night after washing my face & applying my serum but before using my moisturizer and I can honestly say my skin feels so much more hydrated since I've added this to my routine.



Klurskin Rose Hips + Calendula Nourishment Serum
The story with this product is pretty funny actually, and I honestly didn't even know it until I was writing this post. I needed a new serum and had heard about this line because Urban Outfitters started carrying it online and in stores. I looked into the brand and read a quote from their creator saying that the philosophy behind their brand is that makeup looks better over good skin and I was sold. I walked into my local Urban Outfitters and tested a few serums out and decided to go with the "Green tea + Chamomile Essential Nutrients Serum" (which is actually a white-ish clear color). Well, my bottle (and the box it came in?) must've been labeled incorrectly because what I actually bought was this Rose Hips + Calendula Serum.

Like I said, I had no idea until literally this moment, but I feel like this serum and I were meant to be! It has changed my skin completely in just a month's time (and Josh's too!). It just looks all around healthier and glow-ier (is that a word?). But what I really love about this serum is that it isn't oily so I don't ever feel oily. It's a dry oil texture so I can wear it comfortably under my makeup and I can actually feel my skin soak it in every time I use it. Needless to say, I will definitely be repurchasing this product, and hopefully with the correct label on it this time! 





Eyeko Me & My Shadow Liner in Taupe
We got a handful of Eyeko's products at the store I work at and I was instantly drawn to this shadow liner. I bought it in taupe and it's the perfect base color for a cool smokey eye and it even looks good on it's own with a cat eye or even with just a little mascara. My eyelids are so prone to creasing when I wear eyeshadow but this product is waterproof so it doesn't move all day! The texture is also really nice, it glides right on and is easy to blend.  I'm definitely going to be purchasing some other colors!





Eyeko Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner
Like I said, we got some Eyeko products in at the store and this was the other product I decided to try out. I was in need of a new liquid liner and I love the kind that have a felt tip so I was excited to see that this one had a really precise felt tip. It's super pigmented and  waterproof (I even got to test it out one night that Josh and I were laugh crying!) so it's not going anywhere as the day goes on! I have tried so many different liquid eyeliners and this one by far is my favorite! All in all, I'm super impressed with Eyeko products and am so excited to try out some more.




Fashion






I have been obsessed with hats! Mostly my brown hat that I included in my capsule wardrobe (I could literally wear it every day if that wasn't weird..) but I just love the way hats in general look. They give you an effortless "put-together, cool girl" vibe without it feeling like you're trying to hard. I wear mine with dresses, jeans and a t-shirt or all black. It's also really nice to have whenever you're outside in the Texas sun! 


Music



This month, I put together a little playlist of the songs I've really been digging and playing on repeat. I figured I could write about what I've been listening to, or I could just put a little playlist on this post and let you listen (thanks Spotify!)! I've mostly been listening to Hozier, but I've really been into any sort of "driving tunes" or really anything that sounds like it would be on a surfing video. 






What were your favorites this month?

xo Kristina

25 March, 2016

Capsule Wardrobe + Spring Capsule


Happy Good Friday, y'all! I can't believe we're almost a week into spring. I feel like I've been in spring cleaning mode for about a month now (too early or... nah!) and have been decluttering + reorganizing everything from my home decor to my bathroom counter to my closet. I may or may not have a deep love for minimalistic style (which is so hard to reflect in your home when you have about ten thousand legos on the floor!) and I find it's taking over my lifestyle and even my wardrobe. 

Have you ever heard of a capsule wardrobe? I hadn't either until last summer when I saw a post about it on Instagram. I was a new mama to a tiny baby boy and barely had any time to shower and wash my hair, let alone try to put myself together for the day. I had a headache of a closet that was a terrible mixture of maternity clothes, old clothes I was starting to fit into and new clothes for my "in-between" state. I had a few pieces I loved and felt good in no matter what size I was, but they just seemed to get lost in the confused black hole that was my closet. I was so intrigued but also very intimidated by the idea of having a capsule wardrobe because all I could think was "how the heck am I going to survive with wearing the same 40 pieces for a whole season and not hate all my clothes"?! Even though it was so out of my comfort zone and had no idea where to even begin, I decided to give it a try and I loved it!

By now you're probably thinking, "okay, that was a cute story, Kristina, but what even is a capsule wardrobe?". It's simple! A capsule wardrobe is a system of cleaning out and organizing your closet. The rules are pretty basic, you just go through your closet and pick a number of items (my number is 42!) that are versatile, reflect your true style and make you feel like your best you. Then, you wear those items for the next season (or three months) and you don't go shopping until just before the upcoming season. That number doesn't include lounge/workout wear or intimates and, even though some versions do include jewelry and hair accessories, I don't include those in my final count (for now!). Pretty easy right? 
What I really love about capsule wardrobes is that it not only saves you the time you would spend looking through your overstuffed closet to find an outfit for the day and the money you would spend on trendy and "fast fashion" items that just sit in your closet, but it helps you declutter your life and, in turn, your mind. In a world that is so consumer-minded and always looking for the new trend, it helps you think outside of that box and be content with what you already have. I'm not bashing shopping or fashion or style because I still really love those things! I just love that the capsule wardrobe helps you take control of those things and not let them control you.

The best part about all of this is that it doesn't have to be a permanent thing. I do go through my clothes every season and take out things I haven't worn to sell or donate but I store everything else. The first capsule wardrobe I did I left everything that was season appropriate in my closet and just separated what was part of my capsule and what wasn't. For whatever reason, it helped me to know that I had other options at hand if I got bored or stuck with what I had. But, as I started really thinking about what my style was and what my "uniform" was (more jeans and t-shirts, less dresses and skirts), I didn't feel the need to keep those extra items in the closet. 

If you want to read more about capsule wardrobes and even get some free wardrobe planners (they're super helpful!) I highly recommend the blogs INTO MIND and Unfancy to help you get started! 

My Spring Capsule


Yep, this is it! After two weeks of planning and transitioning and light shopping I am so happy with my selections. My style is usually very casual and comfortable but still cool. Even though you can definitely make an amazing and versatile capsule wardrobe with colors, I just have a deep love for neutrals and find that they not only are so easy to mix and match, but they also just reflect my aesthetic.

I included links to everything in my closet - some of them are for the exact item but most of the pieces in this capsule I've had for a good while so they were nowhere to be found online. For those pieces, I included a link to a similar item or this year's version of that item. 


links: /1 (old) similar/ /2 tunic by RO&DE/ /3 (old) similar/
/4 (old) similar/ /5 (old) similar/ /6 (old) similar/

links: /1 basics by t.la/ /2 (old) similar/


/3 (old) similar/ /4 (old) similar/



links: /1 (old) similar /2 jeans by Mossimo/ /3 (same jeans, different washes and I distressed one of them myself) jeans by Bullhead/


links: /1 denim jacket by Gap/ /2 (old) similar/
/3 (old) similar/ /4 (old) similar but different color/



links: /1 wedge booties by Dr Scholls/ /2 (old) similar/ /3 (old) similar/
/4 (old) similar/ /5 (old) similar/ /6 (old) similar/
/7 flats by Mossimo/ /8 (old) similar/ /9 gladiator sandals by Old Navy/ /10 shoreline sneakers by Converse/


I'll be doing a weekly post with photos of the outfits I wear from this capsule wardrobe, along with posts on different ways to style the same piece to help get the most of your wardrobe (whether you're capsule-ing or not!) so be on the lookout for that!

Happy spring cleaning + capsule wardrobe-ing!

xo Kristina

22 March, 2016

It's A Love Story

I'm back! Maybe you didn't even notice I was gone, but I was. I took a little week off because Josh and I had a handful of visitors come through this past week and that + working full time proved to be a little full with little downtime! So I apologize for the brief hiatus, but I'm back. I had this post saved in my drafts and I was going to share it on March 15 (aka our actual anniversary) but like I said, things got a little crazy (in the best way!) and I never got to post it. So, this may be a week late but... better late than never, am I right? I feel like one of the first questions people ask you when they first meet you, right after they find out your married/engaged/dating is "how did you meet him/her?", so to celebrate Josh and I's two year anniversary, I want to share our love story. 


For those who don't know, right after I graduated high school I started doing missions work with an organization called Youth with a Mission (aka YWAM). I was living in Kona, Hawaii, (rough life, I know!) where I would be for three months before going overseas for three months and then back to Kona to do it all over again. Even though it was hard to be somewhere new with mostly new people every three months and even harder to be so far away from my family, I absolutely loved it. I loved everything about it. I loved traveling, I loved the people I got to meet, I love discovering new cultures, I loved getting to share the love of Jesus with people through words and actions. I loved it so much that at one point I basically had a 10 year plan to solo-sailor it and do missions work overseas before I "settled down and got married". I feel like those four years were some of the most important years of my life. I really got to grow into myself and learn who I was and what I was passionate about and what I truly believed. Even with all the hard times of wondering if my monthly support was going to come through and where I was going to live the next three months, I wouldn't trade those years for anything!


Marriage was the last thing on my mind, and to be honest, I didn't actually think I would ever get married. I was never the girl that fantasized about my wedding day and dreamed about what my "colors" would be and what song we would dance to for the first time. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with daydreaming about your wedding (and if anything it will help you with actually planning a wedding!) I just never did. 

Our love story actually started in May 2012, about eight months before I met Josh. I had just lead a missions team and I was back home to take a month of rest and seek direction on where I was to go next. I was staying at my parents house and one night, as I was laying in bed in that half awake but half asleep state, I had a dream. In the dream, I first saw the back of Josh's head with his long hair pulled up in his signature man-bun and then he turned around, looked at me and smiled. And that was it. I instantly woke up and I knew from the one psychology class I took in school that you only dream of people you know or faces you've seen before. But I didn't recognize him and I felt it was God saying "that was your husband, start praying for him".


I thought for sure I had just made that up, I almost never dream and if I do I never remember them, but this one I just couldn't forget. I didn't share it with anyone, not even my mom or best friend, and I just felt like God was inviting me to trust Him and to see what He would do in my life and how this love story would unfold. So I did. And whenever I was reminded of the dream or whenever I felt like everyone around me was getting engaged or married I would pray for my husband, whether it was the man in my dreams or not. 

Fast forward through that summer and fall, I had moved to Austin and decided to move back to my parent’s house. Everyone around me was talking about graduating and jobs and grad school and here I was so unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. I narrowed it down and decided that I was either going to move back to Hawaii to work with YWAM again, or go back to school and get a degree in photojournalism. As I pursued each option, both of those doors closed - and I mean they slammed shut - about a week apart from each other. Bummer right? Then, one day, and pretty randomly, I found out about a Communications and Graphic Design course they offered at the YWAM Denver campus. It started in January. Not only were they still accepting students but within a week I was accepted, got money for my one-way plane ticket and was moving to Denver. Totally crazy, but God was totally behind it.

And then, in Denver, I met Josh.


He was there doing his discipleship training school. When I first saw him, I immediately thought he looked so familiar. I thought nothing of it though because he said that he was from Maryland and he was seven years older than me. The Denver campus is pretty small so everyone eats lunch cafeteria-style together, no matter what course you're taking. One day, that first week, we ended up sitting  in front of each other at lunch and we just started talking small talk (and yes, I was kinda freaking out internally because he was so hot!). He was so easy to talk to and I felt like I could talk to him forever. He was (and still is) amazing. He told me he was a surfer from a beach town on the eastern shore, he told me about all his travels through South America and that he even spoke fluent Spanish (what!) and had a deep love for tea, reading and the outdoors. He was even trying to go work at YWAM in Kona, Hawaii, (just like I was) but the door closed on him and he ended up in Denver. What! He couldn’t have been more perfect. 

Then one day, about a week after that initial lunch, God reminded me of the dream I had. You know, the one I had eight months prior, the one where He showed me who my husband was - yeah, that dream. And I was like, “No way. There’s no way. Things like this don’t happen to me and he is really too perfect. Plus he has short hair, not a man bun like in my dream.” and to that God simply said, “Just trust Me.” I kid you not, the very next day Josh told me the story of how he cut off all his hair just before moving to Denver because he bet his friend he wouldn't cut his dreads off (spoiler alert, he did) and he even showed me some pictures of him with his ponytail. God is really funny sometimes.


After that, I actually tried to avoid Josh for a good bit because I was a little freaked out that I had seen him in a dream before I had even met him, and what if I accidentally spilled the beans and told him that?! But sure enough, we were put together for everything. From outreach to intercession groups, he was always there. We even ended up going to the same church and would always ride together. Needless to say, we quickly developed a friendship and the more we got to know each other the more we realized we had so much in common. 

Part of the course Josh was taking includes a three month trip overseas, so while I was doing a communications course he was getting ready to do a two month trip in Kenya and Uganda and I was working in the communications office at the YWAM campus. One thing led to another, and I was given the opportunity to join his team going to Africa as a photographer. I had literally no money for the trip, but somehow everything I needed came in.


If you ever want to really get to know someone, travel with them because you will see each other in all sorts of situations - good, bad, ugly, sick (we both got malaria in Uganda). One night, I got so sick from pneumonia and poorly-treated malaria that he literally had to carry me to the hospital in middle-of-nowhere, Uganda, at night. I’m talking, dirt road, not a single street light to be found, middle-of-nowhere. He says that that’s the night he realized what a place I had in his heart, that more than just being best friends, he was in love with me. Because of my high fever and everything else that was going on in my body that night, all I can remember was the few times I had to tell him to put me down because I was going to puke. Romantic, right?

And to add to everything, this whole entire time, for those five months in Denver and Africa, we weren’t supposed to talk about how we felt about each other and it was so hard to not spill my heart when I was around him, especially towards the end! (YWAM asks that if you are in a discipleship training school or on a trip, you do not begin dating until your trip is over) So this whole time, I had no idea how he felt and he was seven years older than me so I for sure thought that maybe he just saw me as a good friend. You know, like a little sister or something. Little did I know we were both falling in love with each other the whole time!


On the way home from our trip, Josh and I got to sit next to each other on our 17 hour flight (where we watched stupid movies and only slept one hour.. it was the best!) and at the end of that flight, Josh asked me on a date. Finally! Well, he asked me if I wanted to go on a picnic with him, but we both knew what that meant. It meant we could finally talk to each other about how we felt, share everything God was showing us about each other in those five months, spill our hearts, vomit love.. you know, all that good stuff. And that's exactly what happened on our picnic! He told me all the dreams he had about me and how God was confirming to him that I was his wife. I told him about the dream I had about a year before, almost to the day, and how God spoke to me so clearly that he was my husband. It was so surreal! We ended up staying on that mountainside gushing and sharing stories for almost 7 hours. We didn't even eat the lunch we had packed but it was still the best picnic I had ever been on. 

So, while we were having a picnic on the most beautiful mountainside, after he said he knew he wanted to marry me, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Five months later, after we moved to Hawaii, while on a picnic next to the ocean, we ate sushi from our favorite place and he asked me to be his wife. Five months after that we were standing on another beautiful mountainside in Hawaii, vowing our love for the rest of our lives to each other.



If you don't take anything else away from this story, just know that God is so faithful and so trustworthy. Even if you feel like you've been waiting for something, whether it's a significant other or a job opportunity, you've just gotta trust Him with it. Don't try to do it on your own strength, just let Him lead you. And He will, I promise. 

xo Kristina


10 March, 2016

Everyday Makeup Routine


Unless I'm going to work or getting dolled up for a date night, I like to keep my makeup really light and super simple. It's not a "no-makeup makeup" look by any means because I definitely use my fair share of products. I instead like to call it the "you, but better" makeup. Plus, because it is so simple I'm able to do this makeup in 10 minutes, which is perfect because that's about as long as EJ's attention span (on a good day!). If I'm just hanging out at home I usually don't wear makeup and I let my skin take a breather. That being said, I almost never just stay at home because I usually work or have a lengthy list of errands to run. So for those days, this is my go to look! 



Unlike Beyonce, I woke up like this. Yikes! While I don't have any problem quickly running to the store to pick something up looking like this, I just rather look a little more fresh-faced and spare the general public from trying to internally guess if I'm sick (nope) or crazy (nope) or just tired (yep). I like this makeup for when I want to look a little more put together and I'm running around town doing errands or going out to lunch.
In the morning, this is what I'm working with and, aside from the dark circles under my eyes (that I'm pretty sure are just genetic and would be there even if I slept 8 solid hours a night) and the few spots, I'm pretty happy with where my skin is at! I've added a couple new items to my skin care routine and if I'm still as happy with them in a couple weeks as I am now, I will definitely be sharing my routine in an upcoming post.


After cleansing, putting on serum and moisturizing, I start by mixing one part Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation in the shade 820 with one part Nivea Post Shave Balm. I would say this Covergirl foundation is medium coverage so I like to sheer it out with the post shave balm, and since I use it as my primer most days, it helps keep me looking fresh-faced all day! I apply and blend this with my fingertips, just as I would any tinted moisturizer.




Next I use Maybeline's Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in the shade fair. I apply it under my eyes in an upside down triangle shape and anywhere I want to highlight, such as the tops of my cheeks and the middle of my nose. Then I use a tapping motion to blend it  out with a damp Real Techniques beauty sponge (I wrung it out too hard the first time I washed it and it ripped in half! I'm thinking about splurging on the Beauty Blender next but I'm just using my sad sponge for now). I also conceal any spots I might have going on.



Anytime you use concealer you always want to set it with some sort of powder. I've been using the Elf High Definition Powder in translucent and while I'm not in love with it, I don't hate it either. That being said, I probably will be looking for a better setting powder once I'm done with it (so if you have any suggestions please share!). I found that with this powder that I have to "bake" it (which basically just means leave an excessive amount of it on there for a few minutes) under my eyes to keep my concealer from creasing or melting off my face, and I use the other end of my sad beauty sponge for this.





I once heard a quote that eyebrows are not twins, they're sisters, except for in my case I have the beautiful sister on the right and the ugly sister on the left. So, needless to say, unless I'm wearing my bangs straight across to where they hide them, I have to fill my eyebrows in. To do that, I use a small angled brush and the dark brown shade in a Revlon Colorstay eyeshadow quad that I've had for a while. I then go in and brush through my brows with a spooly brush.



By the time I finish my eyebrows, my setting powder has finished "baking" (such a weird term and I kinda hate using it but it is what it is!) so I use the Elf mineral powder brush (I use basically all Elf brushes.. I should be sponsored by them but I'm not - I just genuinely love them that much!) to sweep away all the excess setting powder.





Next I use my all-time favorite bronzing powder to do a little contour just under my cheekbones. They sell brushes specifically for contouring but I honestly love using the cheesy little brush that came with the compact! I then use Elf's complexion brush to blend it all out and add a little more bronzer to warm my face up.



With Elf's contour brush, I use the same bronzing powder in the crease of my eyelids. It just gives a little definition to the eyes without it feeling like it's too obvious.



Next is my all-time favorite step - blush! Seriously, if I was on a deserted island with only two beauty products it would most definitely be blush and concealer. You probably recognize this blush from my February favorites, its the Ulta mineral blush in the shade sweet pea, aka the perfect pink blush. I use an Elf angled blush brush to apply it to the apples of my cheeks.




Next is highlight! This is another product from my February favorites, the Milani eye shadow in Bella Chiffon. I dip the very tip of the (you guessed it) Elf blush brush to dust this on the top of my cheeks, down the center of my nose and across my entire eyelid, just to give my skin a little glow. 



This step looks and feels the creepiest but it makes all the difference! I take my Rimmel Scandaleyes in the black shade and tightline my eyes. It not only makes me look more awake but it helps define my eyes and makes my lashes look fuller.



If I could choose a third beauty product in my deserted island scenario, it would most definitely be mascara! I have been blessed with long eyelashes but I'm seriously lacking in in the volume department so I like mascaras that plump up  my lashes without any clumps. I didn't like Maybelline's Lash Sensational at first, but like a fine wine it has gotten better as it's "aged". (Now, don't go getting grossed out, by "aged" I mean a few weeks!). I like to focus on the root of my lashes and really wiggle the product in there, and then quickly pass through the rest of the lashes.



Last but certainly not least, my all-time favorite lip balm! Josh and I are the king and queen of chapstick and lip balm. We have one in each car, one on each of our nightstands, one in the bathroom, one in the kitchen.. you get the idea. Anywhere we are there's always a chapstick or a lip balm within arm's reach because we hate having dry, naked lips. I've been obsessed with this Fresh Sugar lip treatment in the clear color for quite a while now. I use it every night after I moisturize and, when I'm not using a lipstick or stain, I reach for this. It just keeps my lips so moisturized and so soft throughout the day, it's worth the splurge!



And that's it, you're all done! Seeing this all written down probably makes it seem like this is a super lengthy makeup routine, but like I said earlier, it takes me about 10 minutes to go from bare-face to fresh-face. All the products I use are pretty light and sheer so even though they let your natural skin show through, it really makes all the difference in making me feel like me, but better, and ready to face the day! What are your everyday, must have beauty products? 


xo Kristina