Search Results for: 5 things

1. Coloring

With colored pencils, and using said pencils to draw false lashes, questionable eyeshadow and winged liner on cartoon horses. 😊

2. Retinol

I have a pimple on my chin.

It’s one of those *painful* ones with roots like an old oak tree, but instead of doing what I usually do with a pimple like this one — bombarding it with benzoyl peroxide — this time I showered it in Kate Somerville’s +Retinol Vita C Power Serum Firming + Brightening Treatment instead.

Soooo I may have overdone it a little, though, because the peeling around the area was intense for a minute, but dang, the retinol worked some serious magic. It pushed that pimple through the various annoying pimple phases quicker than benzoyl peroxide ever could, and a healing process that usually takes a month took about a week and a half.

OK, #teamretinol, I totally get it now.

3. “When Will My Life Begin”

Connor is going through a Disney princess phase at the moment, and this song from Tangled sung by the adorable Mandy Moore (LOVE HER) sticks in my head for a loooong time every time I hear it.

1. Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Seasoning Blend

I usually don’t like spicy seasoning because I don’t like it when my tongue feels like it’s on fire or when I’m excessively drooling, but I’m totally down with this mix of chili powder, salt and lime, which has a little bit of heat to it (not so much that I can’t handle it). Apparently, it’s TJ’s take on something called Tajín?

Anyway, I love it. And I’ve been putting it on everything, including the Thai-inspired ground lime chicken I whipped up a few nights ago with chopped cucumber, pineapple and watermelon.

Seriously, this stuff makes even the most mediocre watermelon, of which I’ve had many this year (not a great year for 🍉), taste delish.

2. MAC Half ‘N Half Lipstick

This neutral creamy pink lives in the MAC permanent line, and it has MAC’s Amplified formula, so it’s moderately shiny and majorly pigmented.

3. Doing air squats with a medicine ball

OK…you put the ball under your butt, then lower yourself into a squat until your “cheeks” touch the ball before you rise back up again.

Why would any sane person do this, you might ask?

Good question. 😁

Well, it basically forces you to get loooooooow and drop into a deeper squat than you might otherwise, and every time I do air squats this way, my legs are toast the next day, and I can barely walk up and down two stairs.

It’s simultaneously wonderful and terrible at the same time. LOL!
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1. Mrs. Casual on Instagram

WARNING: Do not — I repeat — DO NOT visit Jenn’s (otherwise known as “Mrs. Casual’s”) feed if you’re trying to curb your Target habit. She has a knack for finding the cutest clothes, and she pieces together inexpensive finds into outfits that look like you spent some serious $$$ on them.

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Sale Alert!! Friday favorites on the blog today and this chambray maxi was one of the most popular items 🙌🏻 it’s also on sale for $25!! PS also found some Tory Burch Miller’s on sale 💃🏻 All details through the link in my profile http://liketk.it/2CVVF #LTKsalealert #LTKshoecrush #LTKstyletip #LTKunder50 #targetstyle #mrscasual

A post shared by Jenn | Mrs Casual (@mrscasual) on Jun 28, 2019 at 4:49am PDT

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Anyone go to Target not needing anything at all 😳 THATS when it’s dangerous 😂 but if this chambray tank is what comes out of it I’m 100% ok with that 🙌🏻 All details through the link in my profile http://liketk.it/2CpRf #LTKsalealert #LTKshoecrush #LTKunder50 #mrscasual

A post shared by Jenn | Mrs Casual (@mrscasual) on Jun 8, 2019 at 5:42pm PDT

2. Going up and down the ladder

We’ve been doing a lot of ascending and descending endurance training in that HIIT class I go to on Monday and Wednesday nights, and for the record…they’re both wonderful and terrible at the same time.

In the plus column, I feel like Wonder Woman when I’m done. On the not-so-plus column, they feel like low-key torture when you’re in the middle of them. Last night we went “down the ladder” by starting with 20 burpees (with a push-up!), followed by four approximately 200-meter laps around the gym parking lot.

Then we did 15 more burpees and three more laps, then 10 more burpees and two more laps, until finally five more burpees and one more lap to completely finish us off, and we only had seven minutes to do the whole thing… I finished just after the seven minutes expired.

I like the portability of a workout like this because you can do it basically anywhere. All you need is a timer, a sidewalk or some other flat surface where you can drop and do your burpees, and a parking lot or a cul-de-sac to do the running.

3. Having long lashes again

I quit using this stuff in May, right around the time Tabs crossed over the Rainbow Bridge (at the time, I could barely remember to brush my teeth, so a lash growth serum was not happening), and my lashes fell out and broke off from crying so much.

I’ve finally gotten it together enough to start using Lash Boost again on a nightly basis, and once again, I have long, luscious lashes… This stuff is gold.

4. Pantry organizers from Amazon

I’m currently convinced that one of the keys to life is having an organized pantry, so I’ve been purging and organizing mine because when left unchecked it becomes a kitchen-based black hole where bag clips, spice jars and everything else disappears. Case in point: I found a can of Trader Joe’s beans in there that had expired…in 2007!

If you want something to disappear into the abyss — your ex, credit card debt, mental baggage — stick it in your pantry, man!
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1. Universal Thread High-Rise Destroyed Midi Jean Shorts

OH. SO. GOOD. The high waist on these jean shorts hits above the belly button and hold everything in, so I don’t feel like my tum-tum is hanging out the sides of my waistband, and the midi-length completely covers the cheeks and the very tops of my thighs. I feel covered up, but yet the shorts are still short enough to keep me cool and elongate my gams.

The material is a blend of 91% cotton, 7% Polyester and 2% Spandex, so it does stretch out a little, but I don’t mind because I don’t like my shorts to cling tightly to my booty. Keep in mind that because the denim stretches, the waistband starts to loosen after a few hours, so the shorts do slip down, but I just wear them with a belt and remind myself that they were only $17.99!

They’re also coated with something that’s supposed to repel stains? Thank goodness, because I need all the help I can get with white shorts.

I’m thinking of grabbing a couple more pairs!

2. Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Zinc Oxide Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

I’ve had several friends recommend Aveeno Baby Sunscreen (about $13), and it’s really as good as everyone says it is.

The active ingredient in this physical sunscreen is zinc oxide, which works by sitting on top of the skin to deflect and scatter UV rays. It absorbs quickly, isn’t sticky, doesn’t feel heavy on my skin, and layers well with other skin care products and underneath makeup. It doesn’t sting as I’m rubbing it in and hasn’t broken me out (knocks on wood). There is a white cast at first…but it fades after about a half an hour, so I don’t stress about it. It’s sweat-and water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, too.

3. Stretching

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Stretching is NOT my forte, as I’m about as naturally flexible as a plank of plywood. MY hamstrings are the WORST, and whenever someone in a fitness class or a workout video says “bend over and touch your toes,” I’m the person with her fingertips at the tops of her knees saying “NOPE! Not gonna happen.” But I’ve just discovered stretching videos on YouTube, and my life is forever changed.

I like doing stretching videos because it’s easier for me to have someone lead me through different stretching positions, rather than having to think about what to do next on my own (because why would I put my body into uncomfortable positions on my own?). It also really helps having someone tell me how long to sit or stand in whatever pretzel position I’m currently in; otherwise, I’ll just peace-the-eff-out after 10 seconds.

I’ve been doing a 20-minute stretch video while I watch TV at night before bed, and after less than a week, my body feels better in the morning (and throughout the day, really), and I sleep better at night because my muscles aren’t as sore after my workouts.

YAY FOR STRETCHING!

4. Air fryers

Air fryers mimic deep frying by using hot air and just a minimal amount of oil, so they’re supposed to be great for healthy cooking. I don’t have one (yet), but I reeeeeeally want one, because at my mom and dad’s house a few weekends ago for lunch, they cooked an entire Tilapia in their air fryer, and it was so tender and juicy that I inhaled the entire fish by myself in — I’m not even kidding — less than 15 minutes! (Side note: Don’t mess with a little Filipino lady and her yummy fish, man.)

Only thing holding me back is that the machines tend to be huge and take up lots of counter/cupboard space, which I don’t have at the moment, but is something I’m actively working towards, which leads me to…
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