hacks

Authenticity & it’s four Attributes

During the first day of my internship training, there was a girl in my group who made it her mission to point out to me how “fake” she thought I was. She didn’t say it to me privately, instead, she timed it so everyone else in the group would hear her opinion of me by saying it out loud during one of our quick 10 minute breaks. The girl was not a stranger to me because we had started the same internship program from the very beginning. Her sudden hostility towards me was strange, super random and I was left confused for the remainder of that training day. I had no idea what I could have done to cause her to say that and I couldn’t recall ever being out of line or disrespectful towards her. In order to hide my embarrassment and try to be polite, I let out a nervous laugh because I was trying to brushed it off as if she were telling me an insider joke.

Thinking back to that moment, I was so naive to social cues and didn’t realize when someone was being out of line towards me. I let her continually name call me, although it really upset me yet I didn’t comment back or bother to ask her why she was doing it. Honestly, I thought that I was being the “bigger person” and tried to not let it show that it was affecting me! Needless to say, I kept a fair distance from her and would try to avoid situations where I had to have a conversation other then work. Part of me couldn’t tell the difference between a joke or if it was a direct personal attack and not knowing the difference made me feel insecure, especially when I was around her.

So before I get to my point, I want to share another more recent story of a male coworker who consistently had a snarky comeback whenever I would attempt a causal work conversation. His attitude and mannerisms towards me would feel boorish, meanwhile other coworkers would have nothing but praise for his helpfulness and goodness. I took his animosity personally because it felt like it was gradually getting more indifferent and hostile. Being around him was like walking on eggshells and I would purposely stay clear of his path (although it was really difficult because we all had to work in a tiny office). I wouldn’t ask him for anything or bother with advice and I dreaded being left alone with him whenever the other coworkers left the office during lunch breaks or for any other reason.

One work day I had decided that I had had enough of his toxic attitude and dished it right back to him, exactly how he would towards me. When I looked at his face, his eyes were a little wide and he had a bit of a smirk. He then said, “finally, she speaks for herself.” In that moment, I didn’t know what exactly he meant but after that one comeback, he started being friendlier. Shooting for conversations rather then building negative tension. It seemed like suddenly, this male co worker wanted to have a decent working relationship… go fucken figure.

What I failed to realize was that, ultimately, it didn’t matter what these people said or even how they behaved towards me. What was important was how I responded and handled those different personalities and how much I would let them affect me or influence me personally. If I would have been self-aware, I would have been able to pick up on those subtle shady cues a lot quicker rather then letting my personal feelings decipher what every interaction meant. Here are a list of a few traits I wish I would have learned earlier in life, a set of traits that wouldn’t have allowed for these scenarios to play out the way that they did.

1. self awareness

to have self-awareness is an advantage over those who do not have it or don’t even know what it means in the long term (ei. me). I believe that self awareness is a skill because it means that you understand and trust yourself without a doubt and can’t be easily swayed or influenced. Its a skill build on balancing confidence and vulnerability together although each trait can cancel each other out. It may sound easy, but this is a mindset that is difficult to master because your exposing yourself to the world around you and therefore potentially having others judge you harshly.

2. boldness

boldness is having the ability to be forward and intentional with whomever it may be about whatever you personally believe in. Sharing with them your specific interest without fearing that you won’t be accepted somehow because others might not agree with you. I feel like deep down we all want to get some kind of approval from those around us and maybe even more from people who may not even know us directly.

3. honesty

honesty, the key ingredient for authenticity because it flourishes when you stop lying about who you are and about who your pretending to become. There is nothing wrong about having aspirations of a future better you. But by humbling yourself to see where you are at that moment, where you are mentally and physically, starts the process of self reflection. A quick google search defines self reflection as meditation or serious thought about ones character, actions and motives. From my personal experiences, self reflection is one of the greatest gifts you can give your future self by taking a little bit of time to think about you. I know it sounds selfish but if your rebuilding, the first thing every good home needs is a solid foundation.

4. trust

by learning to trust your actions, your choices become more deliberate and thats helpful because there is no way for sure to know what the opportunity costs are of every option available since time and resources are always limited. Trust can go hand in hand with intuition or that “gut feeling” that we all experience from time to time. Figuring out a way to let go of the expectations from others around us jumpstarts the ways in which we learn to depend on ourself and ultimately trust oneself.

I feel like in our society, being talented isn’t enough anymore but whats important and valuable is being authentic because it allows others to connect with you on a personal level other than the work you produce. By connecting with you, it means they might like you and want to continue supporting you by watching your instagram stories or sharing your tweets. It all kind of comes full circle and with all the different options of connecting with people, your personality will be the dividing force between your work and everybody else.

Looking back, I would have responded differently…

Wet n Wild Mega Liner Glam Kat Eyes

#MOTD inspiration!

Yesterday, Americans all across the fifty states celebrated our independence day with a lot of bbq and fireworks. Its the unofficial, official start of summer, which is awesome!

But the heat and humidity makes it unbearable to put on a full face without it literally melting off your face. For the rest of the summer, my strategy is to emphasize the eyes while being subtle and light on my skin so it’ll have enough room to breath. One easy way to create glam look is a sexy cat eye. The first step to getting it done perfectly (even if you’ve got to try a few times) is by finding a pointy tip liquid eyeliner. It will revolutionize the way the wings are applied and wear throughout the day. My personal favorite drugstore liquid liner, that is amazing for your budget and overall quality is the Wet n Wild Megaliner. The Megaliner collection has a variety of liner tips and colors to create the looks your heart desires.

The rundown of products I used for my eyes…

Using the same Wet n Wild Megaliner, you can create the inner corner wings which just emphasizes the shape of your eyes beautifully. Then I used the Mega Eyeliner Pencil to trace my water line because the pencil is not as bold and looks more natural. Lastly, I applied some mascara and then curled them with my a curler so my lashes will stay up for longer. The Maybelline The Colossal Volum’Express is nice… but its not always consistent. Sometimes the mascara comes out clumpy and other times its smooth.

These are the products I used for my face. As you can see, I just focused on covering my under circles and set it with the Maybelline FIT Me! Powder so it’ll keep my face matte. By keeping the skin smooth and simple, it’ll make the eyes pop even more.

I found these blending sponges at my local bargain store. I enjoyed how they’re all in different shapes and blend smoothly.

The Neutrogena 3-in-1 Concealer has been my go-to for everything. I found that using a flat shader brush makes the littlest drop of the concealer go a long way, which helps me save on quantity

Thank you so much for checking out my post! I hope this look inspires you to try it out. Whats been your favorite liquid drugstore liner? Let me know in the comments below. Have a blessed day!

Facts && Hacks About Mascara!

Recently, I’ve been wondering if theres a method of picking the right mascara… I don’t believe I’m the only one who’s asked this question before but I’m curious to know if theres a true, straight forward answer to this important beauty question.

I’ve had this longing to learn about this topic for a few weeks and it sparked from a very recent disappointing purchase of one of my all time favorite classic mascaras. One I believed would never let me down when the going got tough but, sadly, the formula felt dry on my lashes. Then, about an hour later, I started to notice mascara flakes around my eyes.

I’ve always been very weary about purchasing items influenced by ads or marketing, simply because, I can’t determine if its just hype or the real thing. Our eyes are one of the most sensitive parts our outer skin, therefore I strongly believe that what ever we decide to place on them should feel like an investment into the greater good of the health of our eyes. Below I’ve listed a few mascara insights from varies sources, so here we go:

1. Familiarity

The best way to make a better or rather more informed purchase without running the risk of losing money is by becoming intimately acquainted with your lash type. Not all things work for every person and you can thank your DNA for that!

If your curious to know what might your lash type be, here are four of the most common lashes;

Follow the link below for specific tips about each of these lash types; http://www.eonline.com/news/632094/tricks-to-lengthen-short-sparse-or-straight-eyelash-types

2. Different wands for unique results!

Small wands are typically better for small eyelashes because the bristles can grab each lash with more control and touch up corners easily.
Long, comb like bristles that are evenly spaced are often used for separating, defining and lengthen lashes, but it doesn’t do much to add volume.
For maximum volume, many wands are large and round with densely packed bristles that grab and coat each lash.
If you want a more precise application, its best to use a wand with bristles that have different lengths so it’ll grab each lash individually.
Rubber wands with moderately spaced bristles are perfect for a more natural look!

3. Formula & Texture

According to Cindy Lin, Albea’s Director of Product Development, Beauty Solutions in NYC, mascara formulas haven’t changed much the past 50 years. They’re basically a combination of;

Wax: which is best known for its volume, separating, and blackest black capabilities. Hard waxes — found in low-quality and expired mascaras — can stiffen your lashes and cause breakage.
Pigments: the most recent innovation was made in 2004 when the FDA approved a carbon-black pigment, which gives users the darkest, blackest lashes possible
Film Formers: film-forming agents are groups of chemicals that leave a pliable, cohesive and continuous covering over the hair or the skin when applied to their surface

Most mascaras you’ll see in stores are oil-and-wax-based, which are the easiest to find because their the most traditional. “When it comes to formula claims, if you see “contains vitamin this, vitamin that,” argan oil, botanical extracts, etc., it’s usually just promotional and at low percentages—the bulk of the formula is still the basic wax-pigment combo,” says Cindy Lin.

4. Mastering Layers

Makeup artist often use the art of layering to make mascara last longer while also making it easier to remove at the end of the day. The trick is to use a waterproof mascara on top of your regular formula. You’ll first need to apply your normal mascara and then finish it with a single coat of a waterproof formula. The convenience of waterproof mascaras (besides the very obvious) is that it holds curled lashes beautifully and keeps mascara from smearing throughout the day. But because it’s so difficult to remove, another trick is to put on one coat of a regular mascara and then a clear coat afterwards so it’ll create the same long lasting effect!

5. Innovation is NOT easy

Launching a breakthrough mascara formula isn’t easy. A beauty necessity like mascara can take years to produce because of the different channels of research & development, testing, FDA approvals, patents, etc. It’s actually easier and cheaper for companies to create a breakthrough brush and patent that, then creating a new breakthrough formula. The combined effort of three important components working together is what creates the magic: the brush, the wiper (this part is found at the tip of the tube and controls how much formula is left on the wand), and the formula.

When I jumped into the research, I was expecting to find a straight, cut throat answer with a bit of digging to validate the statements. All the articles I read answered one question but then it would lead me to another question. The conclusions a bit bitter sweet one because there’s no clear answer to towards buying decisions. Like mascaras, it’s a combination of what you’ll like and what would work best. It’s back to trial & error and just in time for the holiday season!

Thanks for reading along and I hope this article has helped you or given you some more insight. Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are of these facts or hacks of mascara! lol

hacks

Authenticity & it’s four Attributes

Wet n Wild Mega Liner Glam Kat Eyes