Lifestyle Archives - Page 15 of 17 - Twenty Something Plus

June 14, 2014

packing + prepping for Alt SLC

When I heard that Martha Stewart, yes THE Martha Stewart, was going to be a keynote speaker at this year’s Altitude Summit Salt Lake City I died. And then I entered every single contest in attempt to score the chance to attend.

I must be a cat, because I then found out that not only did I win (Thank you, Instagram and #altsummit_yellow!), but also that Joy Cho, yes THE Joy Cho, was going to be the other keynote speaker (Note to self: Make sure to pack Blog Inc.)! I died twice more.

Booked my flight, roundtrip. Had a minor panic attack (literally, anxiety will do that to you) after learning that the hotel where Alt SLC is taking place was full. Thankfully, I was able to find a hotel right down the street.

Prepping for Alt SLC was more or less a breeze. Blog cards? Check. Print schedule + highlight first, second, and third choice sessions? Check + color coded.

Packing is another story.

Did you know that you can only have one (1) quart sized ziplock bag for liquids? AND that each of those liquids must be in a container of less than 3.4oz? Seriously?? Who came up with this?! Clearly not a female + at the very least not me!

I have only ever flown internationally, and this trip I do not want to risk checking any luggage as I’ll only be in Utah for four days.

Now what to pack? What should I wear?

Slightly larger minor panic attack.

Others attending the conference (including Thrift Me Pretty’s Stasia Savasuk) have been very reassuring about not worrying about what to wear, but I can’t help it…t’s what I do on the daily!

I almost always overthink my outfits, have been known to over-pack, and now I’m trying to fit it all into a carry-on. This should be interesting…

June 12, 2014

twenty something plus + bing rewards

Almost too often we are criticized for using the internet for, well, everything. And as much as I’d like to argue that that’s not true, quite frankly, I can’t, because it is.

If I want to try a new restaurant, I look it up online and find reviews to see what others are saying about it. Same goes for movies, I need to know the ratings.

Living in a small town, I want to know how to get where I’m going before I drive an hour plus away, so I don’t waste gas. Gas is expensive y’all.

And also products. I must have looked into every single DSLR camera before investing in my Canon EOS Rebel SL1.

No one likes to waste their time or their money, and the internet, more specifically search engines, have helped us in our efforts to not do so. Except for when we want to, even if we shouldn’t…

When I need to know something, I often turn to my friends and family for their opinions or advice. How nice would it be to know what they like while I’m surfing the web?

Well by connecting my Facebook to Bing, I can! AND with Bing Rewards , I can even earn rewards simply for searching the web!

(I personally love that fact that a Sephora gift card is one of the reward options + I can even set it as a goal on my dashboard.)

How I use Bing…

I recently got a ficus. I was stoked. So stoked that I shared it on Instagram when I was doing the #100happydays Challenge.

I must have had it for about a week, maybe two when I noticed the tips of the leaves were turning brown. Not cool! I had no clue what I’d done so I looked it up using Bing.

The leaves are still brown, but at least I know how to prevent more leaves from turning brown and how to properly care for my beloved plant.

I have been thinking about getting tatted up for a while now. My little sister has over 10 tattoos (that I know of)! I just want one, OK, maybe two…and tiny ones.

I am pretty sure I want a tiny cross on the inside of my right wrist, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I would want it too look like.

I knew I’d want something small and simplistic, but much like requesting a particular hair style at a salon, I want to have a picture to bring with me, should I decide to actually get inked. I’d seen one that I liked on Pinterest, but I pin so much that I couldn’t find it, so I searched Bing Images and found it and several others that I liked just as much if not even better.

Bing has seriously made my sometimes confusingly chaotic life much easier, while at the same time rewarding me for it + in the form of makeup none the less!

Are you ready to start getting rewarded with what you want for doing what you already do? Then join Bing Rewards, it’s free!

I’m required to disclose a sponsored partnership between our site and Bing. I have been compensated in exchange for this post in the form of payment, product or experiences.

May 30, 2014

spring fling voxbox

I joined Influenster not too long ago, and recently got my first VoxBox. I am always saying that I like to try new things, and VoxBox allows me to do just that + share my opinion on the products I try.

The theme of this particular VoxBox was Spring Fling, and had products to help you get ready for spring.

Spring Fling Vox Box

My Spring Fling VoxBox contained:

Peach Pie Car Freshener from the Labor Day Movie $21.24

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara $5.47

NIVEA Skin Firming Hydration Lotion $5.97 for 6.8oz

Playtex Sport Fresh Balance available in Walmart stores $3.99 – $4.99

Kiss Everlasting French Nails $7.79

Kiss Everlasting French Nails

voxbox-blogimage

These products were received complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

May 29, 2014

diy destroyed jeans

Jeans are a wardrobe staple.

Destroyed jeans take a classic look to the next level.

They are also wicked expensive…and I’m broke.

That’s what makes diy so awesome!

Not only are they something fun to try, but that feeling of accomplishment afterwards, makes me feel like I can take on the world. And in these jeans, I can, now that I worked some diy magic on them.

I found (yes, found) a pair of Vigoss jeans that just happened to be my size. The only thing wrong with them is that they were missing the button.

I have distressed, ripped, and destroyed all kinds of denim in the past, but they never come out great. So I set my expectations low, by deeming my finds as practice jeans. But the results were far better than I could have hoped for!

Side note: Pay attention and don’t multitask when doing anything with a sharp blade. Sounds obvious, but I sliced my finger pretty badly and there was a lot of blood involved…No bueno!

May 14, 2014

100 happy days challenge

#100happydays

Can you do it?

I did.

More often than I care to share, I find myself feeling sorry for myself. I see the lives of others and instead of being happy for them, I get jealous. It isn’t that I don’t have good things going for me…but sometimes it’s easy to forget how fortunate and blessed I am when I compare myself to others. I only see what I don’t have instead of what I do have. Over time that can really take it’s toll and you just get down (and not with your bad self). Well at least I do. And not too long ago (actually, a little over one hundred days…), that’s where I was.

Enter the 100 happy days challenge.

Now, I am always up for a photo challenge! Any excuse to take pictures and you can basically count me in! Not that I wouldn’t be documenting just about every second of my life anyways! I have about 12,000 photos just from this year on my phone and would rather delete and app than a precious pic…Feel free to judge.

I successfully completed the challenge, and while I don’t feel earth shatteringly changed, I do find that it is easier to find the good, happy moments in each and every day.

If you think this is something that you could use, I encourage you to participate.

Need inspiration? Check out my Instagram!

The feature image is from the 100 happy days website.

May 11, 2014

meet the furbabes

I tend to hoard.

Shoes, clothes, makeup, pets…

I am currently working on revamping some things on my blog, and one of the things I want to update is my about page. The plan is to add mini bios for each of my ~~personal assistants~~ furbabes. In the meantime, these photos should provide you with enough cuteness to hold you over until then!

+ The featherbabe

So, while I may not be a mother, I do have my hands (+ my heart) full. Hope those of you that are moms had a spectacularly wonderful Mother’s Day!

xx
Bethany

May 9, 2014

10 beauty products to swap out for spring

Being in Vermont, this winter has been…long. After yesterday’s weather and looking at the forecast for the week, I think it is safe to say the spring is finally here to stay. Transitioning away from our winter wardrobe is something that those of us with heliophilia, await from the very moment that the leaves start to fall.

I noticed that I don’t really find myself thinking about as much is updating my makeup bag. When I say updating my makeup bag, I don’t mean adding to it…that is a never-ending thing for me that just kind of happens whenever I have money. What I’m referring to is the swapping out of darker, more wintery and sultry makeup for brighter, lighter and fun makeup used in the spring.

Everyone has their rules for just about everything now-a-days. While I understand that rules can be broken…there are products that I generally find myself going to in particular seasons that I don’t care for as much during others.

The ten beauty products I swap out for spring:

1. Perfume

Left: Dolce & Gabbana + Versace
Right: VS Coconut Passion + Viva La Juicy

2. Nail Polish

Left: Essie in Wicked + OPI in Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine! + Sinful Colors in Nirvana
Right: Butter London in Teddy Girl + Essie in A Crewed Interest + Ruby Wing in Gypsy

3. Lip Stick/Gloss/Balm/Etc.

Left: Beauty for Real + Bite in VIB Rouge + Baby Lips
Right: Make + Givenchy + Dior

4. Foundation

Left: Clinique
Right: Laura Mercier

5. Concealer

Left: Benefit Fake Up
Right: Nars (Because my skin gets darker…)

6. Blush

Left: Nars blush in Seduction
Right: Nars Illuminator in Orgasm + Nars blush in Taj Mahal

7. Mascara + Eyeliner

Left: Guerlain + Sephora Define Yourself Black Eyeliner Set (Out of Stock + now I regret recommending it so much…)
Right: CoverGirl + Sephora Define Yourself Color Eyeliner Set (Out of Stock)

8. Face Lotion

Left: Clinique
Right: Supergoop (+ SPF)

9. Anti-Bacterial “Stuff”

Left: Bath & Body Works (I want my hands clean, not dry + No longer available, so glad I stocked up!)
Right: Purell

10. Tools

Left: Free gift with purchase from Sephora + sponge I found at a some drug store (here’s a better alternative + it’s a two pack!)
Right: Birchbox (No longer available, but here’s their new Birchbox exclusive Pouch) + Julep

Are these products that you find your self swapping out too? What else do you swap of for the spring? Do you have Instagram? Share a “What’s in my makeup bag” photo and share what’s stashed in your current makeup bag with the hashtag #myspringswapout!

May 5, 2014

spending time with the manfriend

Believe it or not, the “manfriend” has a name. It’s Andrew. Andrew Michael when I’m upset with him.

We’ve been together for six years this month. Like any other couple, we are far from perfect, but he truly is my best friend and has been since college.

Currently, we are working on strengthening our bond by addressing some flaws that we previously neglected to.

The really abridged version of our love story:

He saw me, liked me, chased me. I turned him down. He got a girlfriend, I got jealous. They broke up. I graduated (I’m older), we started dating. We moved in together, and a year after that we were engaged. In 2012, we were supposed to get married. That didn’t work out. We stayed together and moved to Vermont. I got really depressed and started seeing a therapist for seasonal depression and anxiety. I discovered why they say that you can’t love someone else until you first love yourself. My emotional health was hindering my ability to be the best me and a good partner. Then more stuff happened, and here we are, working on us.

Photos courtesty of Once Like a Spark Photography

The three biggest things that have been helping us (I asked Andrew what his thoughts on this were and he said the exact same three things!):

Talking (communication is key)
Showing appreciation and affection
Spending time together

Of those, I really enjoy spending time with Andrew. Our job can be very time-consuming. Yes, we also work together. We used to pass work off as spending time together, but it is not the same. When we do things one (or both) of us enjoys, we get to know more about each other, we learn what we have in common, and we talk more than we normally would.

What do we do together?

Andrew is a gamer, so this past weekend we played Diablo III.

I like boardgames, so we also played Scrabble.

We both enjoy watching movies, so we went for a walk to our local Redbox and rented four movies to watch while we snuggled on the couch.

Spending time together is great, but it is also important to remember that some alone time is much needed and can be just as great.

Do you have a partner/spouse? How do you keep your relationship going? Post a picture of the two of you doing something together on Instagram and tag #spendingtime. This can be a super fun way for us to share some “date” ideas!

xx
Bethany

April 20, 2014

DIY: Easter Eggs

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Easter Sunday!

I’m not always that big on tradition, but something about Easter reminds me of just how blessed I am, so I try to go to church if I can and dye Easter eggs with the manfriend’s mom the night before to use as place markers for Easter dinner.

What Easter traditions, if any, do you have?

April 15, 2014

DIY: Mini Planters

Me being in line to check out in a drugstore (or any store really) is just bad. While waiting to checkout at CVS, I spotted these cute tiny plants for $2 each.

I picked out three and figured I could finally do something with the small leftover candle jars I had.

This was super easy and didn’t really take much time at all. I had also scored a new bench that I’m using as a coffee table, I can’t want to style it using these mini planters. More photos to come!

I’ve done other succulent and cacti projects in the past but my green thumb isn’t so green. What plants do you like to decorate with, any recommendations?