The Instagram Effect

     

 

I love Instagram, I really do. What's not to love? You can find pretty much everything you could possibly want in one swipe of your finger. Interested in losing weight and getting fit? There's an account for that. Looking for recipes to spice up your daily meals? You'll find plenty. I follow accounts dedicated to animals, positive body image, food, wineries, professional dirt bike riders, Hawaii, even I Love Lucy and Leonardo DiCaprio (because I have an unwavering love for both). And of course, I follow fellow bloggers and friends. In theory, it's the perfect social media platform. When I first discovered it, I had just finished deleting my Facebook, so it was a natural transition. Less drama, more inspiration. Less talk, more pictures. Less commitment...I got behind it right away.

I used it to post things that I love, and I tied it into my blog. I thought I was being clever, until I realized that most people use it for that reason too. I'm not as clever as I thought. I didn't want people to know that I had a blog, so I was careful to only use "Beautygirl24" and not my actual name. I only tried posting a handful of times per week, promising myself that I wouldn't let this app become a new obsession. Damn was I wrong. "The road to Hell is often paved with good intentions."

Okay, I'm being melodramatic. Let me explain.

I have a bad case of the Instagram effect. Or is it affect? I'm clearly being affected.

It's easy to get caught up and sort of lose yourself in social media. As a relatively quiet person, social media allows me the freedom to be who I am without fear of having "real life" conversations. I can put whatever I want out there into the ether, and if someone criticizes me, it doesn't feel as painful because it isn't a face to face exchange. That's not to say I don't get disappointed when I see my follower numbers going down, or when I'm not getting as many likes as some of my friends are. I hate that I feel like I need validation from perfect strangers. I constantly teeter between wanting to post more often, and wanting to post less. The worst part is feeling like it's one giant distraction. I check Instagram several times per day, almost aimlessly as though I'm looking for something but don't quite know what that something is. I follow about 300 accounts, a reasonable number I suppose. If I haven't checked it in a couple hours, I fear that I'm missing out on something important. I check it as soon as my eyes open every morning, a handful of times before and after lunch, in the evening, while watching television, and before I go to sleep. That's a problem isn't it? If I did this with anything else in my life, I'd probably be taken to rehab or institutionalized. Or I'd be super successful because I'd be using that time to actually get shit done rather than wasting time.

Then there's the comparison factor. Here's an actual conversation I've had with Nate:
Me: Ugh she's in Europe again! I want to go to Europe babe.
Nate: Have you figured out how we're going to get there, how we can afford it?
Me: Um, no not quite.
Nate: How can she afford to travel so much? Does she have a job 'cuz there's no way I'd get that much time off work to go travel every other month.
Me: I think she blogs full-time.
Nate: Why don't you try that?
Me: I dunno. I don't think I want to. I wouldn't be good at it.
Nate: Well, quit complaining then.
Me: Okay (keep scrolling through said blogger's feed, feeling like a sore loser).

This happens a lot. Not just with seeing others traveling the globe, but seeing people doing mundane things. Average, everyday things! How is that possible? So yes, the comparison factor is very very real and I know everyone must feel it at some point. As much as I root for people being happy and successful, it's difficult when you feel like you're not living up to your own potential. It's easy to get down on yourself.

So I'm trying to take mini breaks from social media, even if just for a day. Hell even if it's just for a few hours! I still love Instagram, I really do. But there's life outside of it. Thank God.

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Glo Minerals Cream Stay Shadow Stick

I was sent these products by Glo Minerals a couple of months ago, but as with any beauty post, I like to really take my time on reviewing them so I can fully test how they will wear. It seems disingenuous when I read beauty blogs and I can tell they have only used the product once. Major eye roll!

Anyway, cream eye shadow products have never been a staple for me. I have fairly oily eyelids so cream products don't exactly make much sense. However, Glo is such a great brand with a heavy leaning towards skincare so I kept an open mind and wore these in several ways.

First, I tried them all over the lid on top of my favorite primer. The formula felt sticky for a few seconds and I worried about creasing. However, after going to dinner and a movie one night, my eyes still looked nice six hours later. Admittedly I was surprised because I was certain the color would wear off. There was a bit of creasing, but nothing a little light blending couldn't fix.

Next, I tried layering a similar powdered shadow on top. This is probably my favorite way to use these, as the powder provides an extra barrier and there was zero creasing. Plus, the cream stick underneath made the look more intense in color. The lasting power would be perfect for a long day at work or evening out.

Lastly, I have used these as liners smudged into my lashline. The black is perfect for a smokey eye, but I also love the browns and plums for a sultry yet still natural wash of color. They are super easy to blend.

From left to right: 

Beam, Gold Blush, Keepsake, Metro, Concord, Pitch

Beam is hands-down my favorite because it can be used to highlight anywhere! I use it in the inner corners of my eyes, underneath my eyes, and on my brow bones. It's such a beautiful champagne shade that I don't plan on buying any similar products anytime soon.

Gold Blush and Keepsake are the shadows I have been wearing the most on my eyes out of the six. The brown/bronze is the most flattering and easiest to wear on a daily basis. I just sweep them on and go, especially when I'm extra lazy about wearing makeup. They blend together perfectly and should really be made as a set.

As you can see, some have shimmer and some don't. The shimmer is more of a subtle gleam. You can barely see Beam on my hand, which is why I love using it to highlight. It translates to a bright, wide-eyed look on my fair skin. The rest swatch very true to how they appear on the eyes. The pigmentation is rich and goes on smoothly. It dries down to a powder, but still looks more glossy than regular eye shadow.

Out of the six, I recommend Beam (as a highlight), Gold Blush, Keepsake, and Pitch (as a liner). Metro and Concord are gorgeous, but I don't gravitate towards smokey eyes so I haven't had much use for them.

If you have any questions, let me know! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend 😊

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Just Ride & Be Grateful

Wearing //

H&M blazer

Express tank

Express jeans

Gigi New York bag

Stella & Dot bracelet (you need it)

Stella & dot choker and necklace

I have a picture hanging on my loft wall that says, "Though she be but little, she is fierce." My best friend gave it to me as a housewarming present, and as I sit here typing this, I can't help but read it over and over again. I think you know I've been in a mood for a few weeks. I haven't decided what triggered it, but I was struggling to function as I normally do and I was falling back into bad habits and negative thinking. All the work I'd been doing to increase my mood seemed to be slipping away, and I honestly didn't even care. Being positive takes energy! It doesn't come easily for me like it seems to for some, but that's mostly my fault. I have to make a conscious effort to be happy and instead of asking for help, I tend to sulk. I was stuck in a rut until I went to visit one of the only people that can snap me out of it. I was honest with her about some things that had been troubling me, and you know what she did? She said that everything is going to be okay, and that she loves me. And just like that, I was back to feeling like myself again. That's it. Those words were what I needed to hear, as simple as it sounds. I don't need a self-help book, or a new pair of fabulous shoes, or a giant glass of wine (though I love all of those). I just need to remember what's really important, who's really important. In times of weakness, I need to remind myself to keep going, and that eventually I'll find peace through my own strength, in my own time.

It's almost Thanksgiving here, and now more than ever, I really want to thank those of you who stop by to read. Your kindness means a lot to me, and I appreciate every single one of you who take the time out of your day to come by and comment. Or to those that come by and don't.

I'm taking a few days off from blogging but I'll be back next week. Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your friends and family.

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Beauty Dilemma

I'm not afraid of changing my hair. I know a lot of women feel that theirs is a security blanket, and I completely understand that. But it's just hair, right?! It grows. If we are one of the fortunate ones blessed with good health, I think it's a little childish to be so committed to something so trivial as hair. I saw a woman yesterday at the store and struck up a conversation with her in the checkout line. She was wearing a scarf over her head, and was flipping through a magazine with Reese Witherspoon on the cover. She whispered to me that she missed having long beautiful hair, but that she was going through chemo and radiation and so she was losing quite a bit of hers. I instantly felt like an idiot for ever complaining about mine. If this woman can endure such a painful process, I can certainly stop caring so much about what mine looks like.

The whole thing got me thinking. I've hated my hair since I was a kid. My mom used to cut it into a bob, and sorry ma, but you did a pretty bad job (she knows this lol). I always wanted to be blonde with long straight locks that never frizzed up. Obviously I didn't inherit that in the DNA department, so I did what I could to highlight and straighten the hell out of it. I grew it long in my twenties, but after getting married, I chopped it off and it's been fairly short ever since. Now that it's growing out, I'm tempted to change the color and go a bit lighter. But do I really want the hassle? To spend the money? I like my hair dark because it's low maintenance, and it costs hardly anything to take care of. But I'm getting that itch to just go for it. It's hair.

I'd also like to start doing more with it, and by that, I mean putting it back in a bun. So feminine! I've picked some things from Pinterest to show you.

Here is the color I would absolutely love! Still natural like I prefer but definitely lighter than what I have currently.

What do you think (keeping in mind that lovely woman I told you about). It's a shallow question, but one I feel safe asking about on this blog 😊

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