Tag: pampering

Fashion Finds

December Haul 2015

by alyssahotrumLeave a Comment on December Haul 2015
December Haul 2015

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Hey there my lovelies! I hope you all are having a wonderful Wednesday! I decided to upload two blogs today because well.. why the hell not!? It usually depends what I have going on that specific Wednesday but I will either upload between 1-2 posts. Can I first start off by saying where did December go? I mean I was looking forward to Christmas for forever, then now it’s gone and done…crazy! Over the month of December, I purchased several new items ranging from makeup products, to skin care products, and even fragrance products.  I have a whole bunch of things to share with you guys that I really feel you will enjoy reading about! Some of the products I received as Christmas gifts, but the others I bought for myself. Let’s get started!

The first item that I want to share with you guys is this amazing Makeup Eraser that I purchased from Sephora. I purchased this for $24.00 and I actually am really pleased with the results! Okay, I know what you’re thinking… how the heck is this little cloth going to take all my makeup off with just water? Am I right? I thought the exact same thing, and was super skeptical about buying this product. After reading reviews and convincing myself to get it, I finally tried this product out for myself. Basically, it’s this super soft pink cloth that you put under water and rub on your face. The one side of the cloth (the more soft side) is specifically used for taking off all your face makeup including; foundation, powder, brows, eyes and lips. Once you have finished taking off all your makeup, you flip the cloth over (the other side) and this works as an exfoliator for your face. I was extremely impressed with this cloth, as it did take all of my makeup off! I had to go over my eyes a couple of times, but did not need to use any makeup remover or wipes. When I was finished, not going to lie, I was grossed out at the giant black cloth full of mascara and nasty crap. On the package it says to wash it in the washing machine after using it, but ain’t no one got time for that! I basically just put a bit of my hand soap in my bathroom that I use, scrub both sides together for a second, then rinse it off under water. I could not believe that all the makeup was gone within seconds off the cloth, and it looked brand new all over again! I then just hung up the cloth until it was dried, then it was ready for my next use. When purchasing this cloth, you want to make sure that you do wash it prior to your first use…why I am not too sure but I was just following the instructions! And voila, a nice clean face ready for bed!

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The next item that I am going to share with you guys is this cute recycle, reusable and re-enjoyable… phew that was a lot, Starbucks cup! I recently got a couple Starbucks gift cards for Christmas and came across this cute cheap cup when ordering my coffee. This cup was under $5.00 and is super accessible for when you want to lay in bed in the morning and lounge. I love putting my teas and coffees in here! I also wanted to share my recent purchase of knee high socks. I have always wanted a pair of these because I think they look super comfy and cute with pj shorts or you can even wear them with a going out outfit. I purchased mine at H&M for around $13.00, which I thought was kind of pricey. Some socks came with two in a pack and others were just one. There was a variety of textures and colours to choose from! I bought grey and black plain knee highs, and some woolly ones as well that were super cute!

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The next item that I want to share with you guys are these two combs! The first one I purchased from Sephora, and it was $10.00. I only use combs in my hair after I get out of the shower or in the morning, especially wide tooth combs. I came across this super cute pink Sephora comb and had to purchase it!

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The next comb I was searching for forever, and it was the teasing comb. I never really tease my hair, and always wanted to when going out on special occasions. I wanted a comb that was a little more gentle on my hair and the lady in Trade Secrets recommended this little brown brush. I paid around $8.00 for this and can honestly say it has worked wonders for my hair. I feel that it is not too harsh and works great for teasing my hair, even without any hairspray applied. I have thin hair, and thought this product was a must to buy, I highly recommend it.

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Next, I am going to share with you a few makeup brushes that I recently just picked up from Sephora. I am a beginner when it comes to eye makeup brushes, and only own like 2 so I thought “might as well purchase two more!”. I was looking around in Sephora and came across these two wonderful eye brushes. The first is called a “Pro Small Shadow Brush #15” which was $23.00. I thought this was a little bit pricey, but all makeup brushes are pricey usually. I use this brush on a daily basis to apply my eyeshadow on my lids.

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The second brush that I purchased from Sephora and absolutely love is the “Pro Gel Liner Brush #26” which was $21.00. I use this on a daily basis to apply my gel liner on top of my eye lids.  I find this brush gives me the right amount of control to apply my liner, and is the perfect width as well.

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This moves onto my next item that I purchased from my local drug store and it is the “Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in blackest black”. I purchased this for $10.00 at Walmart and I find this is the best gel liner I have used so far! This little product goes such a long way and you only need a little bit of it each day.

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The next product that I am going to show you guys are the two eye shadows that I use on a daily basis. I love the beige look and love to go towards a more neutral appearance. I recently purchased this eye shadow from Walmart called “Colour Tattoo Metal” in the shade 70 Barely Branded. I absolutely love the colour of this product and I love the fact that it is a cream as well! After I apply my eye shadow primer, I go right ahead in applying this cream all over my lids before moving onto my next shadow.

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After applying this cream eyeshadow I move onto applying this shimmery beige eyeshadow. I purchased this product from Sephora in the Urban Decay section. This is my first time purchasing Urban Decay’s singular eye shadows and let me just say how beautiful it is! I love the pigmentation that the shadow gives off, as well as this beautiful colour!  If you are not into the shimmery and glittery eye shadows then I would highly recommend staying away from this specific colour. This colour is in the shade “Midnight Cowgirl” and is just gorgeous! I purchased this item for $22.00 and would for sure grab another when I am through with this one!

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The next item that I have for you guys is from LUSH. I received a few bath bombs which I absolutely loved. This was my first time ever using a bath bomb and I can gladly say that I am going to purchase more when I run out of these ones!  I had used two already which were the “Pink Bath Bomb” with the flowers in the middle, and the “Avobath bomb”. I thought the scents of these were absolutely amazing and would purchase these two again! The one that I am going to share with you guys is the luxury bath melt called “You’ve been Mangoed”.  You can purchase this in the LUSH store for $6.45 and let me just say, you will not be disappointed! This product does not fizz up like a bath bomb, but rather dissolves at a slower pace, leaving your skin smelling like fresh mangos. Aside from the bath bombs, I cut this product in half and only used bits at a time when in the bath tub. I would highly recommend trying these products out for yourself!

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The next item that I have for you guys is from LUSH again, and they are called the “Herbalism” face and body cleanser and the “Eau Roma Water”. I absolutely love this face wash as I found it clears up my face so well. I do however hate the smell, as it makes my face smell like it has a salad on it…. but that’s okay because it works wonders! I purchased this at LUSH for $13.95 for the smaller container. I decided to purchase a toner as well, and came across the Eau Roma Water toner. I absolutely love the smell of this product and spray it on a cotton pad after washing my face. I purchased this product for $22.95 and would highly recommend trying it out for yourself! The scent of this toner is a gentle rose and lavender tonic, which is super relaxing and smells amazing.

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The next products that I have for you guys are a couple of mascaras. I purchased this first one at Walmart for under $10.00 and it’s called “L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes”. I  love the look of this product and found that it did look really nice on my lashes. However, personally I do not like to use this product by itself but rather as a second applicator to my lashes. I love products by L’Oreal Paris, but am still in love with my Telescopic mascara by them.

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The next mascara that I have to share with you guys is the “Lash Factory 3D Fiber Lashes” which was given to me as a Christmas gift. I have only used this once so far! I am pretty sure you can purchase this on Amazon for around $20.00. There is a two-step process when applying this mascara, and I found that it made my lashes look extremely long! Just be sure to follow the directions inside the packaging when applying this product and you will be good to go!

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The next two products are some of my favourite! I absolutely love taking baths and find them to be extremely relaxing when you are having a stressful and hard day! When I have baths, I do not like to wash my hair every time as this strips your hair’s natural oils, so I always found it hard to keep my hair dry when I was soaking! I recently came across this cute shower cap that I purchased at the dollar store, and it keeps my hair dry when bathing. There were many different colours to choose from, but obviously I had to go with the pink sparkly one! I also got this amazing EOS as a Stocking stuffer and love the scent! I am pretty sure you can purchase this basically anywhere and it has a wonderful coconut scent to it…. mmmmmmmmmm!

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The next product has to do with relaxation as well, and it is the “Sleep Aromatherapy in Lavender Vanilla” pillow mist. I purchased this at Bath and Body Works for $10.00 and absolutely love it. I have always had a difficult time getting to sleep, but found once I sprayed a few spritz on my pillow, I was good to go! This scent is super relaxing and extremely affordable. If you are having trouble getting to sleep at night, try out this pillow mist!

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The next product that I have for you guys is the “Ultra Gentle daily cleanser by Neutrogena”. I recently got this as a Christmas gift, and I love applying this to my face before I go to sleep. I find this extremely gentle on my skin and I really do love this product. I am pretty sure you can purchase this at Walmart or any drug store.

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The next item that I am going to share with you guys is this amazing eye lash curler that I purchased from Sephora. I bought this for $21.00 and it’s called “the Sephora Collection Show Curl Lash Curler”.  I really do like the look of this product, and thinks it looks super classy. I like to use this product before I apply my mascara and actually after I applied my mascara as well.

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I recently just tried this new primer from Sephora that I have heard so much rave about. I really do love this primer called “Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer” that I purchased for $40.00.  This coconut scent primer is great for keeping your makeup on all day, and leaves your skin feeling really refreshed and smooth.  I would highly recommend trying out this product for yourself !

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The last product that I have to share with you guys is this beautiful smelling perfume that I just recently purchased at Victoria’s Secret for $78.00. This perfume is called Scandalous and looks super pretty on my makeup desk! I couldn’t resist the classy appearance of it, and always wanted a perfume with a pump! This fragrance has a black peony, raspberry liqueur and praline scent to it! Highly recommend purchasing  this item for yourself!

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Well that sums up my December Haul for 2015! I hope this was enjoyable to read and that you learned some new products to try out! Please feel free to comment below if you have any questions or suggestions on what you would like to read about! Stay tuned for blog posts every Wednesday! Please feel free to follow my page and my other social media sites:

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Much love xo.

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Tips on how to say goodbye to summer and hello to university

by alyssahotrumLeave a Comment on Tips on how to say goodbye to summer and hello to university
Tips on how to say goodbye to summer and hello to university

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Having to transition from a fun, relaxing summer to a stressful busy university life can be challenging. Often the first week of being back to university can be exhausting, and it can be difficult to get back into the swing of things. Especially if you are entering your first year of university. Saying goodbye to summer can be heartbreaking, but  transitioning into the university life can be really easy, especially if you know certain tips and tricks. I am going to provide you with certain tips and tricks that I have learned over the years, that have helped me create a less stressful environment. Let me first start off by saying do not over think things. If you think that you are going to have a hard time getting back into the swing of things chances are you are going to! Breathe. Simply take each thing one at a time, and do not stress about a bunch of things all at once. The first helpful piece of advice that has helped me to say goodbye to summer easier is getting enough sleep and waking up earlier. If you are a night hawk you are probably thinking, “how the hell am I going to do this?”. I used to be a night hawk a few years back, and usually went to bed around 2 or 3 in the morning each night. I then would proceed to wake up around 12 or 1 in the afternoon, which is a no go. This was extremely awful when I entered back into the university life and could not wake up that late anymore, but proceeded to go to bed in the wee hours of the morning. Not only did I feel absolutely exhausted,but I had to get up early for morning classes. I became tired easily and grumpy as well.  I then decided to change my sleeping patterns. By going to bed early at night and waking up earlier each day, I felt more motivated and had more energy. I also became less agitated, and more happy throughout the day. Even simple goals such as “waking up a half an hour earlier each day”, will help you develop a more beneficial sleeping pattern for yourself.

Get Organized- Another helpful tip when transitioning into the university life is to make sure you are organized. There is nothing worse than having to rush on the first day or your classes, and try to get all your stuff organized. Make sure you have your note pads all ready, your pens, your binders and other necessities all ready in your backpack the day before your first day of classes. It also helps to have all your binders labelled with your different courses, so you do not get them all mixed up. Try buying different coloured note pads and binders to make each one stand out better. Do not buy your required textbooks for your courses the first week,as you may not enjoy one of your courses and want to drop it. This saves you a whole lot of money since university textbooks are not cheap by any means.When you are certain that you want to stay in your courses, make sure to stay on top of your required readings. Trust me, falling behind on your readings is not fun, and you will fall behind in your class. Take the half hour or hour out of your day to set aside time for your readings as this will benefit you later on when it is time for exams. Often readings in the textbook provide more helpful information than what your professors have to offer and it is much easier to understand. Having everything organized and ready to go helps create a more happier stress-free YOU.

One last Hurrah- When you are entering the final days of your summer vacation be sure to set aside one final day to see your girlfriends! After all, this is the last few days of your summer and you want to end it with a BANG. Whether it’s having a fire and roasting some marshmallows, going to the beach and roasting in the sun, going out for dinner followed by a movie, or just hanging out at home and having a movie marathon. Be sure to not hold back, and invite friends that you haven’t seen in a while or are not going to see for a while! This will help you transition into the university life with a good mood, and you will be sure to not have any regrets!

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Buy things in bulk & give yourself a budget- It can be extremely hard to spend your money wisely when you are used to buying whatever you want in the summer time. Especially if this is your first year of university that you are going into, you need to be sure you have a proper budget that you are going to work with each week. From personal experience I have learned this the hard way, and decided to spend a lot of my money the first couple of months while in university. You do not want to follow this route…trust me. Having money issues is not something you want to be dealing with while in university especially if you already have a heavy workload. Even having a budget discussion with your parents can be extremely helpful, since they already know a lot about bills and money.  Figuring out how much money you would like to spend each week and month will help you out in the long run. When you are going food shopping or shopping for supplies it is easier and more beneficial to buy things in bulk. This helps you save money and time when you start running out of that specific thing. Making a trip to Costco with your roommates and even splitting the expenses is something smart to do.

Stay on top of things-  It is crucial from transitioning to the student life from summer that you try to stay on top of everything. In summer, you were used to working, tanning, living it up and relaxing. When you enter the university life, be sure to keep up with your studies and your readings. If you have a project that is due in a couple weeks be sure to work a little bit on it each day even if it is for 30 minutes each  day. This will help create less stress for yourself, so you are not rushing around doing everything at the last minute. You will not feel stressed out and exhausted knowing that you finished the project a few days before it was due.

Touch base with your roommates before hand- If you are living in a student house and going into another year of university, then this is an extremely important step to do. Maybe a weekend before you go back to live in  your student house, see if there is anything that you need to bring up such as: detergent, toiletries, food, or even tupperware that you may need. Taking turns to buy certain things each month or week can help even the costs out, and will in turn help everyone out. This has worked extremely well for my student house, and I have had not one single problem in regards to this suggestion. Even messaging or texting your roommates before you move back in to ask them how their summer was will help break the ice if you have not heard from them all summer. After all, you do have to live with them for another year, so it’s best to get to know them as best you can and seem interested in their personal life.

Go pamper yourself one last time- When entering the student life, you become a poor broke student once again. This means no shopping sprees,  getting your nails done for a while, and no retail therapy. Now that you have textbooks to buy, rent to pay and groceries to buy, you need to limit yourself to what you are buying. Before school starts up again, treat yourself to one last pamper session. This could be going to get your nails done, buying a new purse, or in my case… both.  Doing things for yourself, or treating yourself, puts you in a happier mood when summer is coming to an end.  You then get to show off your new nails, or that brand new purse of yours to your friends at school. There are two places that I would highly recommend to get your nails done at. They are both located in Caledonia Ontario and are right down the street from each other. The first place is called Sky Nails and is a great place for getting gel nails done. I have gone there twice to get the gel nails, and it only costs you $30.00. Both times I have been extremely satisfied with the results and have no complaints! The second nail place that I would recommend is called Enliven and they do great pedicures here. I really like this place because they do not rush when they are doing your nails and it is extremely relaxing as spa music plays in the background. If you are looking for somewhere to treat yourself I would highly recommend these two places!

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Don’t let your summer die- Just because it’s nearing the university life, doesn’t mean you can’t stop doing the things you love. If you were on a baseball team over the summer months look into clubs and teams at you university you are attending. One thing that I have regretted over the years is not joining any clubs or teams throughout my university years. By joining teams,  you are becoming more involved in your school, and you can meet a bunch of new people as well. It is never too late to sign up for something new! Don’t stress so hard about the work load you have for school. Simply look into a sport you enjoy and do this on the side. As long as this does not interfere with your studies, you are golden.

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I hope that this blog has helped you beauts slowly transition back into the university life! Enjoy your years of university as they go by so fast, and they are the best years of your life! Do not stress yourself out too much, follow these simple tricks and tips and you will be good to go!

much love xo.

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10 simple ways to help you feel good about yourself

by alyssahotrumLeave a Comment on 10 simple ways to help you feel good about yourself
10 simple ways to help you feel good about yourself

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 Do you ever wakeup in the morning and just feel so crappy, out of it and gross? Or ever lurk instagram and just wish you had that girls wardrobe, hair, face, or looks? I think this is something every girl can relate to and I personally feel this way sometimes myself. Trying to stay upbeat about yourself and create positive vibes can sometimes be challenging and difficult especially if you are not an optimistic person to begin with. Having a positive day begins with how you feel about yourself, and what it takes to feel good about yourself. I came up with a few strategies and techniques to help you find ways to feel happy and optimistic.

1) The first piece of advice that I would like to provide to you is to take time to pamper yourself. Do this at least 2-3 times per week, and set aside a chunk of time dedicated towards YOU. Having YOU time helps to reduce your stress/anxiety/any negative thoughts that may be running around in your mind. Whether it be going to get your nails done, reading some of your favourite book for an hour, applying a facial mask, going for a stroll, listening to some music, or going for  a massage. All of these are great examples of YOU time. Even the simplest things such as getting your nails done can help make you feel good about yourself. Even setting aside one hour each day dedicated for yourself will slowly help to eliminate your negative mood. One method that I love to do is draw a nice warm bath and soak in it while I watch youtube beauty videos. This helps relax me and takes me to my happy place. Try out new ideas and see what works best for you!

2) Doll yourself up. Studies have shown that even applying the smallest amount of makeup to your face, can help brighten your mood. If you are feeling too lazy to apply a full-face of makeup, simply apply only your favourite makeup product. When I am feeling down in the dumps and am feeling very blah, I simply apply some makeup to my face. This helps to wake me up and uplifts my mood as well. By no means am I stating that I rely on makeup to feel good about myself, but it really puts me in a great mood.  If you want to go and do a photoshoot of yourself after, why not?! Go right ahead!

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3) Set aside a certain time each day to exercise . Often the thoughts that go through our head each day is “I am too tired, I just had a long day at work, or I am too lazy to do a workout “.  These are often thoughts that go through my head each day when I am feeling too lazy to even consider doing a workout. I recently had set aside an hour of my day each day towards a workout session. Working out helps to release endorphines which helps you feel good about yourself. And who does not want that? There are some really helpful and detailed workouts on Pinterest that you can lookup depending on what target area you would like to focus on. There are many different workouts for thighs, arms, abs, back and so forth. The best thing about Pinterest is that there are even 7, 10 or 20 minute workouts. This means you can not even have an excuse for not being able to fit in a 7 minute workout. This is only 7 minutes out of your day! I know from experience that once I have finished a 30 minute workout I feel amazing… like a brand new person and I feel good about myself. I usually look on Pinterest for Fitspo images that I gear towards my goal image. This helps create fitsporation and inspiration towards my future goals.

4) Create a “to do” list. When you wake up in the morning and you are laying there in bed , think of different things you want to accomplish today. Having a plan and a schedule of your day helps make you feel motivated rather than being lazy each day and feeling like a slug. Make a plan for yourself or your “to do” list. Some examples and ideas to put on your list could be: do a 30 minute workout, make a healthy meal, write a blog for today, read or start a new book, meet up with an old friend, write a journal entry and so forth. Having a well thought out plan will help you develop more motivation and make you feel less sluggish. Often when you lay around all day and do not accomplish anything, you feel tired, lonely, frusterated, lazy or negative.

5) Find your “hobby”. I have heard this piece of advice so often now that I had to share it with you. Finding your talents or your special hobby is not as easy as it looks. When I was first asked the question ” what is your hobby ?”, I did not know how to respond, as I had no clue what my hobby was. I literally had to think what I was good at, and eventually became discouraged and down on myself… as I could not come up with an answer. This was when I sat down and made a list of new things that I wanted to experience. One of the hobbies on my list was “blogging”. I was told throughout university by one of the professors that my writing and the way that I wrote would be beneficial towards writing blogs. The next question that popped into my head was “what would I blog about.”. I have always been fascinated with beauty, beauty videos, and beauty youtubbers. A majority of my spare time is watching and reading up on different beauty hacks/techniques/advice. So why not create a blogging site distributing all the knowledge and information I have learned over the years on beauty? You do not know you will enjoy something or develop a hobby unless you try new things. Do not get discouraged right away if you are trying to find a hobby, it takes time.

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6) Buy cute workout clothes. Who does not like to look hot, sexy and great when they workout? I know this is a silly idea but trust me, it works. When you have cute workout attire, you will automatically feel good when you are workout out. Treat yourself by buying new workout shorts, vibrant stretchy pants, a cute sports bra, or even new Nikes. This will even help to motivate you to workout everyday and squeeze that little bit of time in each day. So what are you waiting for? Go splurge on some hot new workout attire!

7) Make a list of why you do not feel good about yourself or what makes you unhappy. Having a clear view and perspective on what brings you down can help create places for improvement. If you are upset because you gained an extra 10 pounds over the summer, create a healthy diet plan to start up. You can even print out a workout plan or schedule to help you shed those extra pounds. Find out what is truely making you unhappy, and write them down. Once you know exactly what is bringing you down, you can slowly work on ways for improvement.

8) Family and friend outlooks.  This is a very helpful technique and I have even tried this out for myself. My therapist recommended me to try this strategy at home, when I was feeling down in the dumps. This method focuses on “self-worth”  and how you feel towards yourself as well as how others see you. Grab a blank piece of paper and write down 5 things you like about yourself character/personality traits wise. Do not write down anything about your physical appearance. Once you have written down 5 things about yourself, write down 5 family and friends names. Let them write down 5 character/personality traits they like about you. Once you have all their answers compare yours to theirs. You may just be surprised at the special traits they saw about you, that you did not see in yourself. Some people are way too hard on themselves, and do not see how they impact others’ lives in a positive way. Once you see how the closest people to you feel towards you and what they love, this could help you have a more open mind. While participating in this exercise, I saw common personality traits people had written down about myself that I did not see.

 

  9)Eat right. I can not emphasize this piece of advice enough in order to feel good and happy about yourself. If you are one of those people that eats a bag of chips a day, a can of pop for lunch and dinner, or are always eating at fastfood restaurants, you are not going to feel good about yourself. Chances are you have a hardcore craving for this food,  but once you eat it, you are going to feel like a bag of garbage. It is not worth it. Instead of going for that bag of chips for a late night snack, try grabbing a handful of nuts that are packed with fibre and protein. After eating a handful of these, you are going to have more energy and feel a whole lot better. Soon enough your body willl start showing results due to your healthy eating!

10) Approach each day thinking you are going to have a good day. Waking up in the morning with a positve mind set will help to ensure you have a good day. If you wake up in the morning thinking “today is going to suck” , chances are it is going to suck. I know that this is an easy piece of information and advice, but it is extremely effective when used properly. I just recently started to use this technique, and it has helped create  more positive vibes. Entering each day thinking  ” today is going to be a good day”  will help create a more optimistic you.

much love xo.