New Product Alert!

Complexion Rescue to the rescue!

I'm baaaaaack! After more than a few days off to focus on work and take a little blogging creative breather I am BACK and I've got a whole iPhone note's worth of post topics to start sending your way!! I hope you're ready because I've missed having a place to share my funny stories, random thoughts and new discoveries. Speaking of which...

NEW PRODUCT ALERT! I have found the greatest makeup product EVER. Seriously. Allow me to explain: Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a makeup person. My typical makeup routine involves less than 5 minutes of mostly applied-by-fingers products. This is the result of a few things (laziness and a fear of people getting so used to my made-up face that my plain-old face starts to seem less palatable being the dominant two!) and when I do want to "turn it up" I've got a single set of bareMinerals powders I like to use. But then I saw a tv commercial for a new bareMinerals product that promised to make my skin light and radiant and have all the benefits of a tinted moisturizer, BB and CC cream (I have no idea what those things are, but I know from reading fancy magazines that I should be using them on my skin.) So off I went to my local bareMinerals store (on Prince St. in NYC, though their products are also at most Sephoras) and had my makeup done using "the product from tv" which the girl in the store quickly identified as Complexion Rescue. 

My new, unstoppable combo!

You guys... this product is FOR REAL. Not only do I absolutely love how it makes my skin look, but it is so easy to apply and doesn't make your face look "made-up", just WAY better! With 2-3 tiny dots onto the brush (I bought Complexion Rescue and this brush) and about 60 seconds more time than my old makeup routine, my skin looks smoother, genuinely more radiant and overall more even and lovely. Don't believe me!? Well, I had someone see a picture of me recently and ask if I'd had my makeup done (nope! just my new Complexion Rescue doin its thang!) and my mom gave me an unsolicited "you look good" compliment over brunch last weekend. If that's not proof that this product is the real deal, I don't know what is!

My recommendation - go get this product, but take the time to have it tried out for you in-store. The pros will match your skin tone to the right shade and show you how to apply it (plus who doesn't like having their makeup done by a pro!?) So now go forth and get your complexion rescued!!

On working from home...

Maybe Someday...!?

This month will mark 4 months since I left my midtown corporate lawyer gig for self-employment out of my 1 bedroom apartment. I'm amazed to realize that it's already been 1/3 of a year because as the saying goes, the days are long, but the weeks and months are short. I could write a novel on working from home, but instead thought I'd share some of the top tips, lessons learned and rules I've made for myself so far. 

* Start your day with a routine, or a meeting, or something

For me, the hardest part of working from home is getting the day started. Without an office to report to I often sleep later or sit down to my laptop in pajamas and suddenly realize it's 2pm and I haven't brushed my teeth or eaten a thing. Having to get up and go to work forces you into a routine that working from home makes easy to skip. DO NOT SKIP this routine! After 2 months of disastrous days at home (and Dr. H questioning my basic sanitation) I made a rule to always get up, clean up and get dressed, even if it's into comfy clothing. I also try to schedule breakfasts and morning meetings that get me up and out of the house. 

* Be ok with having a weird schedule (and use it to your advantage)

Sometimes I'll have an entire morning without anything urgent to do or a crazy day that suddenly opens up at 3pm. And though you'd think I'd be all "awesome, free time!" more often I'm like "crap, I need to find more work to do because this is "work time"". It's ridiculous. One of the best things about working from home is how efficient you can be with your day, placing appointments, errands, meetings and breaks where you want them to be, instead of outside 9 to 5 or during lunch. Don't feel guilty about a 9:30am workout if it isn't going to impact your day's overall productivity. If you finish everything you need to do early, shut the laptop and relax... we're often our own toughest critics so you'll know deep down the difference between slacking and taking advantage of a good thing:)

* Get out of the house

As we barrel towards the cold, dark, winter months, I've found it increasingly important to leave the warm cocoon of my apartment and work elsewhere. Not only did staying home every day make me miss all my (awesome) work outfits, but it made me lonely and probably a little depressed. Now I work from coffee shops, restaurants, Dr. H's office, anywhere with other humans, at least once or twice per week. It's made a world of difference for my mood and overall enjoyment of working "from home".

* Have a physically separate work space in your home (if possible)

Earlier this fall Dr. H and I decided not to move to a larger apartment and while I don't regret that decision at all, I do see why moving next year to a place where I'll have an actual office will be a huge upgrade. Right now, my desk is in the living room and it's led to a variety of issues like difficulty disconnecting at night, lack of focus when Dr. H gets home early on nights when I need to work late and a desperation to "get out" on weekends instead of home feeling like a haven. If you can, have your office be its own space with a door you can open and close so that you can enter and leave work without entering and leaving your house!!

If you're a fellow work-from-home'er, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how you handle the overlap, isolation and lack of supervision... what are your tips and tricks!?

Healthy Habit of the Month X.

So bright. So refreshing.

This post is the tenth installment of SeektobeMerry's "Healthy Habit of the Month" series. Sourced from my bff's at Weight Watchers, online articles and my own efforts to keep fit and trim, throughout 2013, I will attempt to integrate one new healthy habit into my life each month. Join me!

Another month gone by, another chance to check in and see how healthy we're feeling. For me, this is always a difficult time of year - as I pull out the warmer (bulkier) clothing and gravitate towards hardier meals, I also seem to have less free time for exercising (fall is always so busy!) and less motivation to "make the right decision" when it comes to what I eat. October's lack of focus leads to November's holiday feast and then before you know it we're surrounded by holiday party booze and h'ordeuvres reaching without thought for another round of peppermint bark (yum). With so much going on, I thought we'd benefit from a super easy and (supposedly) highly beneficial new daily habit...

Healthy Habit of the Month #10: Rise & Shine with Lemon Water
Once upon a time I incorporated a cup of hot lemon water into my morning routine and while it lasted (errr... 2 weeks?) it was good. You see, lemons are packed with nutrients, including vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and fiber and research shows that consuming some lemon right after waking up is really good for you: "This is the best thing to consume upon waking, as it flushes the kidneys and the liver and alkalizes the blood. It also allows you to tune into whether or not you're really hungry." Lemon water has also been shown to de-bloat you, flush out the toxins in your body (by enhancing enzyme function, stimulating your liver), improve complexion annnnnd aid with weight loss!!! (because of pectin fiber's presence in lemon, lemon water has the effect of reducing your hunger). Is this not the easiest and most wonderful idea? This month, vow to start every day with a glass of lemon water and get ready to feel like a brighter, lighter you!! (More information and sources for my factoids HERE, HERE and HERE).

Be sure to check out past "Healthy Habit of the Month" posts here: 

- Month 1: Adding a fruit or vegetable to every meal

- Month 2: Schedule a workout
- Month 3: Find an accountability buddy

- Month 4: Keep track (of your movement)

- Month 5: Challenge yourself

- Month 6: 1 Perfect Week
- Month 7: Sleep on it

- Month 8: Pack a Snack

- Month 9: Drink up!

On inspiration (and motivation).

The say fresh flowers can improve your mood.

My merry friends. I must confess (and perhaps you've already noticed) that lately I have been a bit lacking in inspiration, or perhaps more importantly, motivation. For the past 9+ months I have been the most enthusiastic blogger - constantly jotting down ideas, looking forward to my daily alone time in front of the keyboard, no limitations on my creativity. But all of the sudden I'm suffering from mental radio silence; I'm dreading having to "come up with a post" and I'm unsatisfied with every attempt at a whimsical rant. "WTF?!" I've asked myself... "WTF is going on!?" 

Maybe I have blogger fatigue (5 brilliant posts every week can be daunting). Maybe the weight of real life is mucking up my merry online persona (all things work, home and health have been challenging recently). Maybe it's the shorter days and departure of flip flops (I love my boots, but nothing beats freshly pedicured toes in cute sandals!) I just don't know. What I do know, however, is that I'm going to muscle through it (whatever "it" is). I find routine calming and writing for all of you has been part of my routine for almost an entire year now, so I'm sticking with it. So get ready for my thoughts on the beautiful Kate Middleton, the taste of bananas, the important differences between candy corn and candy pumpkins and all the other ridiculous things floating around my head. I'll just keep talking, you all keep reading (pretty please) and we'll see where it gets us:)

Sweet dreams (eventually).

How about we start at EAT & skip to SLEEP TIME?
ps- "pyjamas"?

How long does it take you to get ready for bed at night? If I want my head to hit the pillow at the same time as Dr. H, I need at least a ten minute head start... There's teeth brushing and face washing, contact removing, moisturizer applying and medicine taking, also one final pee, apartment door locking and last but not least, night time hair styling (usually a high bun or pony to ensure maximum morning hair glamour). It's my routine and I can't see how to remove a single step. Even on my most exhausted (or lazy or boozy) nights, I never ever climb into bed without at least a clean face and minty mouth. Dr. H on the other hand can make it from couch to comatose in about 3-minutes flat. I envy his no fuss existence.

And the worst part of it is that sometimes I stay up too late, lingering on the couch in front of the television, out of sheer apathy for my own routine! I think "ooooh it's so annoying to get ready for bed, I'll just put it off for a few minutes longer..." (because contact lens removal is that difficult?) Is it insanity that I'm so routinized that I can't even go to sleep without checking things off a to-do list or are my steps truly essential!? Maybe someday we'll have a magical way to be cleaned and primped and bed-ready in seconds, but until then, I'll see you in my dreams (eventually:)