Summer is a Season of Self Love

With summer around the corner, I’ve had a desire to cleanse and renew. From health to the products I put on my body, to my personal style and photography.

I’m really going after the areas of my life that need tended to. Stresses and my insane schedule have left me pretty down for the count, and my health has taken a bit of a bashing because of it all. In times like this, I have to re-establish some of my core values, such as my self-worth, what I find my identity in, and what will keep me healthy and happy. Working to please everyone else NEVER ends up doing you any good. I work and exist in an industry that constantly takes away from my peace of mind. Wether it’s fighting to stay confident in myself and my work, finding the time to do what I love and makes me fulfilled, knowing my value and value of my work, and putting myself out there every single day, a lot of the time with nothing in return… it can be extremely taxing. I am constantly churning out content. I’m constantly putting intense amounts of energy into making that content my own, while also something inspiring that people will enjoy. And a lot of the time I have to please clients and jump through tons of hoops. And then there’s the whole stress of the Instagram game in general, and trying to constantly reach my audience, like Hercules swimming through the sea of souls to reach his Margaret. It feels pretty much equally exhausting, and probably will have the same aging effect on me!

I won’t lie, I have meltdowns. I worry abundantly. I brainstorm 24/7. I research and learn with my husband as much as possible. I try to nurture my inspiration in the free moments of the day, often late at night. I chase down whatever inspires me and I use that as fuel to keep me going. When I’m so busy doing all the things, I lose a bit of myself. Or maybe a lot. Each season provides something so different for me, I’m literally always on my toes, with very little time to decompress from the new or stressful experiences. Which is where I’ve been finding my health suffering because of it.

So, without going into too much personal stuff, I just wanted to share with you how, after spending today doing some research online and some soul searching, I’m feeling a renewed inspiration to… well, basically, to “treat myself”. Not to make it commercial like social media has, but to literally tend to myself. I’m not a super machine that can run 24/7 at 100%, none of us are. And when you never stop, I’ve come to realize that you can’t really heal properly from the things that have torn a little bit of you here and there. Sometimes life doesn’t seem to let you stop… I just gotta take another gig to pay the bills. I just have to please this client. I just have to put sleep on the back burner to get this edit done. I just have to not have a life for this week, and this next week, and now months have gone by… all so I can make shit happen so my world doesn’t collapse in around me.

Well…. drama aside… I finally took the time to find out what it is exactly I NEED. And, no surprise, it has a lot to do with mental healing that will then become physical healing. When your life in constantly spinning out of balance, it will begin to affect you more and more. And you have to deal with it before it gets so bad that you stop one day and ask how you got so messed up. I’m stopping myself now, and asking what I need to do to put myself back in balance. I’m excited to explore these new avenues of healthy lifestyle choices and share them with you!

On a less serious note, here are some summer things that I’ve been inspired by, including the scent Josh and I both wear, and the natural nail polish that comes in super pretty bottles.

A quick roundup of my latest favorite beauty and skincare products for the self love part of my daily routine-

I’m obsessed with the Hello Aglow Clarifying Hydrating Dew and spray it on after showers or washing my face, and before bed or in the mornings. I’ve been trying out the Babe Lash products and been using the Fiber Mascara every day I do my makeup. I’ve been applying the Lash Serum nightly and sometimes in the mornings too, and will let you know how it goes! My (and Josh’s) favorite face mask of the moment is the coconut mask from Chinta Island. It literally feels like it’s sucking crap out of your pores and shrinking them to leave behind nice smooth skin. I’ve been trying to revive my poor damaged hair by putting pure argan oil on it and braiding it before bed every night. My absolute favorite has been from Aradé. After doing this consistently, it doesn’t “rain broken strands of hair” every time I brush my hair! And it’s noticeably softer and silkier. I’ll be doing this nighttime ritual until it’s healthily grown back out past the bleached lengths, and probably even after that! And lastly, I’ve re-connected with a product because it is super fresh and reminds me of summer- my summer mint facial cream from Lala Earth. Of course, also all natural and in an adorable little jar that suits my latest obsession with all things gold. You’ve probably seen my beauty tray on my Instagram…

None of this sponsored, just real and honest thoughts on the products I repeatedly use or are trying out for the first time!

What are some of your favorite things that you treat yourself with, that you’d like to see me review?

Clarifying Hydrating Dew: Hello Aglow | Mascara, Fiber Mascara & Lash Serum: Babe Lash | Face Mask: Chinta Island

Shirt: Tiger Mist | Constellation Necklace: Ija Jewelry | Rings: Five and Two | Argan Oil: Aradé | Face Cream : Lala Earth