It’s “Fool’s Spring” in Colorado right now. We have days with nine inches of snow followed by 60 degree and sunny days. The bipolar weather can honestly make or break my mood when it gets to this time of year because I am excited for longer, warmer days. Due to that, I like to switch up my beauty routine a bit in preparation for the warmer weather. Plus, I’m a product junkie and am always finding new shit to share! So here is what I’ve been doing lately for my beauty and wellness routine:
Morning Beauty and Wellness Routine:
I never feel truly awake until I’ve showered and have never been a shower-at-night kinda gal. So the first thing I do when my feet hit the floor in the morning is brush my teeth and take a shower. After I step out of the shower, I immediately put on moisturizer. I’ve been using Necessaire’s body serum. You can wear it alone or under your regular moisturizer. Since it’s dry as fuck in Colorado, I prefer the latter. It’s pricy for something you just layer under your regular lotion but I got it in my Fab Fit Fun box and have fallen in love!
Once I’m dressed, I put on a little make up and then make my kids breakfast. On days I don’t style my hair I add a little of this hair oil to the ends of my hair. (I cannot stress enough how dry as fuck it is here!) Then I just comb through it and let it air dry. You certainly don’t have to use the Young Again oil as there are a million hair oils on the market. But if you want a super lightweight one that doesn’t weigh down fine hair, then the Young Again one is for you. I also love this one by Kerastase or this tried and true one by Moroccanoil. They’re both great if you need something stronger.
Then, it’s time for my breakfast….
I am in no way an affiliate for them but I can vow that I never skip my daily routine of drinking my Athletic Greens. You mix one scoop of their powder with 8 ounces of water (I also add ice cubes) and shake it up in a shaker cup. One scoop has 75 vitamins and minerals in it as well as prebiotics, probiotics, phytonutrients, plant extract, antioxidants, and more! It’s only 50 calories so it’s not a meal by any means. If you’re used to eating real food for breakfast, just have your AG1 before you have your regular breakfast. I’ve come to crave it as it doesn’t have a typical “green juice” taste. It tastes slightly like pineapple and vanilla. For $15 of your first order, feel free to use my code here.
Afternoon Beauty and Wellness Routine:
Depending on the day, my schedule looks different. Today for instance, I dropped my kids off at school, ran to the post office, and then grocery shopped for the week. Whether I am running around or working on creating content, you’ll find me constantly drinking from my Stanley tumbler. I had NO idea they were a “thing” until I ordered one from Dick’s Sporting Goods. I loved the rave reviews it got for holding a lot of fluid while still being able to fit in narrow car cupholders. SOLD!
I got the one that holds 40 ounces of water and still fits in my cupholder without issue. I’ll put ice in it and it doesn’t melt for well over 24 hours! I also find that when I drink water out of a straw I tend to drink more fluid. I don’t know why…maybe it’s just easier to shove it down my gullet with a straw? Whatever the reason, if it gets more water in me, I’ll take it!
After lunch is when I tend to squeeze in my workouts. I’ve been a big follower of Rebecca Louise, a British trainer, for over three years now. Believe it or not, I found her on Pinterest of all things. There was an “arm flab burner” workout I pinned and it led to one of her videos. I adored her because she’s so upbeat but not obnoxiously so. Plus, who doesn’t love a good British accent? Her BURN app is truly what kept me sane during the pandemic. It’s $50 a year if you’re a VIP member so that’s cheaper than any gym membership for sure. I just cast the app from my phone to our home gym’s tv and let Rebecca boss me around. Each workout is 28 minutes with a 2-3 minute warm up and another 3-5 minutes for cooling down, so it’s only 35 minutes of your day!
The only equipment you need to have on hand are: free weights, resistance bands, and a yoga mat. Her workouts are hard enough to push you, but not so bad that you’re too sore to return for more the next day. (BBG about killed me when I tried that app, so I didn’t do it for long!) I also love Rebecca’s workout variety. One day is arms, the next is legs, then abs, yoga, kickboxing, then Pilates, and it changes all the time. She does monthly challenges and each month has a theme on what body part you are targeting.
After working out I’ll have a protein shake. I’m a vegetarian (95% of the time anyways) and am always struggling to get in more protein. It doesn’t matter what shit you use, but I LOVE these blender bottles. They have little whisk balls in them that help shake up the protein powder with the water without needing a blender. Then I tend to do some laundry, pick up the house, and work more on my blog or Instagram content.
Evening Wellness and Beauty Routines:
Once I get my kids from school, it gets a little hairy. Sometimes they have after school activities like gymnastics, Girl Scouts, or swimming. Those are the nights that we grab something fast (usually Chick-Fil-A if I’m being totally honest) so I don’t cook. But the other 5 nights a week I’ll cook. I absolutely adore Tieghan Gerard, the creator of Half-Baked Harvest. So I tend to make something out of her cookbooks. Tonight’s dinner is her Crunchy Baked Hot Honey Cauliflower. She has three cookbooks and they’re all phenomenal. Here is her most recent one which is my favorite of the three!
Then I clean up dinner mess, make sure my 9-year-old has done her homework, have the kids shower, and make their lunches. Yes my 6 and 9 year old are old enough to pack their own lunches. But when it’s fully up to their device, they pack things like chips and muffins and call it a day. So I prep their produce and wash and cut it and put it in these snack containers. I love them because they are sturdy glass and have a little fork attached to the top of the lid. (Don’t attach the knife unless you want your child’s teacher contacting you that they have a weapon with their snack.) My kids both love seaweed so they tend to always pack seaweed, a fruit, a veggie, and some type of junk like chips or cookies as their lunch.
After that, it’s time for us to get the kids to bed so my husband and I can unwind together. We all read a couple books of the girls’ choosing together, then I wash my face, and moisturize. My favorite nighttime moisturizers are the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream for when I’m really dry or Estee Lauder’s Nighttime Repair Serum when I am not so parched.
Side note on the Estee Lauder serums and creams: Nordstrom, Macy’s and Dillards always have a FANTASTIC sale at Christmas time that includes full-sized bottles of: The Advanced Night Repair Serum, Revitalizing Supreme Youth Creme, Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum, and Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. It also includes travel sized bottles of the Advanced Night Repair Serum, Revitalizing Supreme Youth Creme, two lipsticks, and a blush or eyeshadow. All for $79. (That’s the cost of just the ONE bottle of serum any other time of year, so you’re getting a great deal!) Here is a link to the last Christmas bundle so you get the idea of what it contains, but they do a new one every year that’s always a smokin’ deal!
Then it’s finally time for Vince and I relax. Sometimes he plays video games while I read or cruise social media. Sometimes we watch a movie or reruns of our usual sitcoms. But it’s our time. Lately I’ve been drinking this Sleep Time Chai by Ned. And if you know me, you know I’m drinking it out of a fucking Rae Dunn mug. The chai has magnesium in it and really does seem to help me sleep easier. I’m HORRIBLE about not watching tv or scrolling my phone at night so I am sure that’s a big reason I don’t sleep great at night. I’m working on it though! You guys will have to let me know your non-negotiable beauty and wellness rituals! Stay warm my Colorado friends! For my other wellness hacks, check out this blog here.