Category: Beauty

Brave is the new Black

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I was subtly reminded the other day just when I was digging out the weeee  last little bit of glorious color from one of my favorite lipstick as I flipped it over and noticed the name of it — that the word brave can mean many things. I smiled at myself because at that exact moment it meant to me that I had to put on my big girl pants and go get the job done, regardless if I felt like it or not, I had to be my version of brave. The brave woman would thank me later….she always does!

My go to neutral-ish color on a daily basis by MAC Cosmetics

BRAVE

Such a bold, strong word.  💪  Sometimes it partners with funny, sexy and inspiring. At times though, it can  partner with sadness, loneliness and the ugly stuff —  that’s when we don’t always give ourselves the credit for the feeling.

The credit we should for finding a way to deal with whatever it is we are going through at the time. To listen in, to cry, to feel the emotion – that can be tough and deserves to be recognized.Sometimes being brave is letting it all out, letting it go, being true to how you are actually feeling.

Everyone has something, no matter how glamorous the social media reel may look – remember that. You are not alone, even though you may feel like it at times. Your words, how you dealt with hardships and stories mean things and are important.

Your version can truly help another person in the most beautiful way.

You are brave in your own way, every single day. Now, off to replace that lipstick, I have used all of my creativity up trying to get the last drop out! (I know I am not alone here!!!) 😍

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading!

 

Lash Love

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Let’s talk a little lash love for a quick minute….
It’s true, just like the hair on our head, lashes go through different cycles as well. With every passing birthday they can start to thin, fall out and are more prone to breakage. Nope, you are not crazy – you may have even noticed them fading in color – it happens!
Lashes are beautiful and functional, offering protection from dust, debris & sunlight.
Lash Love
So, here’s a few lash lifesaving tips:
💙 Gentle is key. If you use an eye lash curler be careful you are not pulling on the eyelids. I mean, those suckers scare the buh – geeezus out of me, but if you do use, gentle pressure when closing down on the lash will prevent breakage, damage & lash loss.
🌟 Remove that eye makeup at night. I know, it can be tough some days when your face wants to hit the pillow, but your skin & lashes will thank you!
💙 Pat or dab ⬆️⬆️⬆️ when removing. Eye area = delicate, more than we realize!
**Resist from rubbing & picking mascara off. = Damage
🌟 If you use falsies, please don’t sleep in them or apply glue directly to eyelid. Eeekkkk…. irritation + eye lash breakage. And for heaven’s sake, not that anyone would do this, 😉 but please don’t share your falsies with a friend for obvious reasons!
💙 Just like hair conditioner, a good lash serum with the right ingredients promotes healthy lashes by nourishing & protecting which can lead to lashes appearing fuller, darker and longer. All lash serums are not created equally, so choose wisely. One of my faves is right here.

One more thought — what you put into your body shines out…, REALLY!!

Healthy hair foods rich in Vitamin A & C are: eggs, nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, cold water fish such as salmon, trout & tuna. Iron rich foods like leafy greens & chicken help to keep hair follicles healthy & prevent lashes from excessive shedding.

Please do reach out to me with any questions and / or to find out the best way to save $$ when ordering!
Hope that was helpful!
Much Love,
XX
Renee

Inhale Confidence ~ Exhale Self Doubt

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I’m laughing at this exact moment because I just had to do THIS:

INHALE CONFIDENCE

EXHALE SELF DOUBT

Laughing because as I am multi – tasking, answering emails, texts, teammates, customers, social media and thinking about this exact topic that I was getting to ready to write on, I believe I was holding my breathe….without even realizing! Then, I exhaled – a BIG one and it felt so freaking good!

WE ALL DO IT.

From time to time fall into that downward spiral of self doubt,  negative head talk, even the comparison game. Especially whenever we are about to do something, new — for the first time.

Here’s the thinG though…

It is just fear.

That’s it. And you know what, it is the PERFECT indicator that you are on the RIGHT track. The fear IS the indicator that you NEED to push through and follow your gut & heart. Get out of the overthinking, junk food thoughts and get back in control of your thoughts.

You got this.
You are enough.
You are worthy.
You are damn awesome.
You are beautiful.
What you are doing IS valuable and makes a difference.
So, keep doing YOU.

If you are reading post and feeling like this message, today is talking directly to YOU, there is a reason you are here. It is to encourage you, this is your sign.

If you are feeling stuck, here’s a few things that usually help me:

  • Get up, walk away from whatever it is you are doing and literally walk. Get a breath of fresh air. Take several breaths. Getting that oxygen flowing is not only great to clear the mind & increase creativity, but it gets the blood flow moving!
  • Speaking of moving, try 10 jumping jacks, regular jumps or putting on a song that you LOVE and dance!! Moooove that gorgeous body!
  • If it is run down you are feeling and able to – take a 20 minute catnap. It does wonders and napping isn’t just for kids, anymore. 😉

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVES BECAUSE IT WORKS! 

  • Write out twenty grateful statements: “I am so grateful that…..” Check in with your mood after and note the shift. Don’t stress about this one, it can be everything from, “I am so grateful for the cold, clean water I am drinking” to “I am so grateful for the income I received, today” to “I am so grateful for sunshine” Big, small, everything in between. Truuust me on the twenty & how impactful this exercise can be.
  •  If you work from home like I often do, change up that working space. Environment is EVERYTHING! Check out a coffee shop, go to a park (I like ones with picnic tables as they are easy to convert into my desk and I can sprawl out! :-)), even a nice hotel lobby is a great change of pace! Then, hit up happy hour for a drink as a mini celebration for being bad ass and pushing through your fear!

Thank you for stopping by! Much love!

xx

~ Renee

 

Gettin’ Some of the Morning Magic….

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Our days are often so overly packed with commitments, schedules, appointments, errands — you name it. Not to mention all of the hats we wear as multi – tasking, super efficient, on top of her game super women, ha, ha!  No wonder we are often left feeling SPENT at the end of the day doing everything we can to enjoy a glass (or two — no judging, here!) of vino, possibly in peace…for a minute?!  Self – care…what the hell is that? Who has time for anything extra? A clone would be a wonderful thing at times, right? Or maybe even a friendly robot, like from the Jetsons??? Yeah, a cute one, please! 😉

Ok, ok, so what if you made a commitment to yourself to carve out a just a few minutes at the beginning & end of each day for you? A few minutes to start your day, set your intention, set your internal GPS and do something for yourself that kicked off your day that made you actually FEEL really f-ing great about yourself? In turn those few powerful minutes work to serve others in a much bigger, more present and loving way. Would you do it? Then, for a bonus you started ending the day in the same way, like sort of a decompression of sort.  A short mini routine to help you wind down mentally & physiologically, to relax and in turn you actually slept better and woke up more refreshed. Sounds. Like. Heaven.

Getting intentional about time, how it is spent and how it is used speaks volumes in how the quality of life feels, the types of choices made and the way we spend our ever precious minutes of the day.

Try it. You be the judge.

Maybe it’s having a cup of tea or coffee in the morning and jotting down a few things that you WANT in your life and believe in.  Pick yourself up a really fun or pretty journal that you actually look forward to opening and writing in. It doesn’t have to be long, it can be as easy as: Positive change happens for me, quickly, Miracles happen daily, Opportunity is everywhere, I meet incredible, bold & kick ass people everyday, I truly believe I can have it all, etc…simple. Perhaps it’s listening to a positive podcast or YouTube Video from an inspirational mentor or reading a blog. There’s a lot of options here. For me, my morning routine is a non – negotiable. Traveling, in strange places, super early mornings (like 3:30 a.m. I am talking), wherever I am, my morning routine always consists of:

  • A vitamin cocktail of all of the yummy vitamins my body needs, daily – followed by a swig of aloe vera juice (great gut tamer)
  • A cup of hot peppermint tea, while journaling my intention for the day and what in my life I am creating and what I am open to receiving — and just as important, no longer tolerating
  • A form of exercise **
  • My 2 – 3 minute skincare routine, I mean, of course!**
  • A bit of eye & lip love, usually a messy ‘do and something comfortably cute  for clothes on my bod, depending on my mood **
  • ** all while listening to a mentor, training, podcast, etc…raising my vibe & growing myself

Some days, all before 7 a.m. Are all days easy to drag myself out of bed, nope. Does it take some really loud internal self talk, on some days, you bet. But, the pay off is so, so worth it.

I have found by implementing these easy pieces of my routine into the beginning of my day I am literally READY to tackle the day, negativity bounces off of me way easier and I seriously feel so much better about myself, enabling me to pour into others so much more and without a heavy burden of that feeling of pressure on my shoulders. It’s like I strengthen my virtual shield to repel bullshit and negativity while I maximize my super sexy woman cape to be capable of more than I ever thought I could. This shit works, seriously.

I only wish

I would have discovered the power of this years ago to relieve that heavy pressure. So thankful I have in my life, now!

Give yourself some time to adjust though, you have to stay consistent with this new routine to really experience all of it’s power.

You got this, stay with it, pump yourself up and for heaven’s sake, give yourself a few minutes of self love a day – you SO deserve it.

If you are curious about more ideas on how to incorporate some kind of magical morning into your routine, reach out, let’s connect – I’d love to get to know you a little bit and brainstorm!

Thanks for stopping by.

XX

 

What Does Baking Have To Do With Your Face Cream?! This Is GOOD!

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What in the world does baking & skincare have in common?!  As much as I love coconut oil, this isn’t about using it as your moisturizer.
I’m gonna tell you
???????
Even if baking is not your thing,  most of us can agree that sweet treats come out best when the recipe is followed with the right ingredients, in the right order as suggested, correct?
I mean, think about this for a second, would you just leave out the eggs or flour in your favorite cookie recipe and expect the same result? ? (Actually, come to think of it, my still Mom laughs at me because I can never get my cookies fluffy, they are always flat!!). Yes, we have all done it while on the phone, or lost in thought of what is next to do on our list or just because we have made the recipe so many times, we were not really giving it full attention. Usually, though, it is not a conscious decision that we make and expect a delicious treat.
R + F uses & believes in using multi-med therapy: the right ingredients + the right formulations + the right order = the best results. Just like baking: the right ingredients + the right formulations + the right order = a great final product. This exact methodology is exactly how Macaela achieved her gorgeous results in the photo.
Multi – med therapy addresses more than just the surface concern on skin. It works to create healthy skin from the underneath — layers, out. No band-aid solutions – instead, lasting, healthy results that literally glow, giving you a fresh, healthy and radiant looking appearance.
It’s true, no single ingredient is going to give you beautiful skin. Just like solely whipping up half of your favorite cookie recipe won’t give you the delicious treat you are going for.  ? But, the right combination, will!
I invite you to discover your winning combo right here…..be sure to enter your email so I can help guide you!
Oh and while I may not be able to make a mean cookie 100% of the time, I can make one hell of a zucchini almond flour muffin!
Thanks so much for stopping in and have a beautiful day!!
XX

Naked Confidence

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We’ve heard it, read it and from time to time many of us experience what true and utter confidence feels like.  Like you can literally DO anything, right? Totally unstoppable. Don’t give a second thought to what anyone else thinks (in the most loving way of course), in your zone and nothing is going to stop you, you won’t let it.  And then, poof, maybe one day something happens out of your control and throws you unsteady, wavering, on the edge just barely able to talk yourself into getting dressed in the morning not let alone put in any effort. Or, maybe you are on the roller coaster ride — you know, one morning you wake up owning the day and while this happens quite often, but still have a few days a week or a month you just don’t feel it.

So how exactly do you recover? How do you just snap back into that amazing feeling and place? How can it be here one day and feel like it is gone the next? Truthfully, it is ALWAYS there, it is up to you (me included) to recognize it, even on the most shittiest of days when anything and everything feels like it is being turned upside down. HANG IN THERE. Trust that you WILL bounce back and be freaking better than ever. How you react during those moments are telling and lay the groundwork for growth, expansion & personal evolvement (ha, is that a word?! SP is telling me no!), but you know what I am saying.

Naked Confidence.

No, I don’t mean standing naked in front of the mirror or streaking across your backyard (or RV Park / Hotel in my case) – strip away the expensive handbags, sunglasses, uber photo filters that erase every laugh line and slims the face just perfectly, forget the size “mini – me” pants size obsession, thigh gap goal and no root days, ever. I mean really, take the pressure off! I am talking about naked confidence, WHO and WHAT you feel at your your core. Inside, out without all of the flashy stuff. Truuust me when I say I like fun, new & sometimes expensive items, a sexy lipstick and a great hair day, but take it all away and what do you have? That’s my point. Once that is paid attention to, worked on (yes, exactly like a muscle) and developed more & more from the inside out — those days, those days you are like where the hell did my confidence go become fewer & fewer in-between as you rock that inner, naked confidence regardless.

I totally get it, it can be really hard to love yourself in a world that is filter crazy, photo shopped and told through carefully posed photos on social media. We are all guilty from time to time, but come back, always come back to YOU and work that inner confidence muscle that gets stronger if you spend some time with it.

You.

You are doing just fine.

You are EXACTLY where you need to be at this moment.

You have so much to give, just being you.

You are worthy of every single thing that you receive and more.

You ARE truly doing amazing.

Think it.

Say it.

Believe it.

Let go of being so hard on yourself. Love the imperfections, the silly mishaps, the freaking roller coaster of life and laugh it off. That’s what makes you, you.

Breathe.

Celebrate YOU.

You have everything you NEED, right inside of YOU. Go ahead, give it a little attention and notice what happens. 😉

XX

~ Renee