Lately I've Been...

Happy Hump Day! We're halfway to the weekend :) The other day I saw a post on one of my favorite blogs, Carrots N Cake, and Tina shared some random insights from everyday life, and I thought I'd lighten to mood over here and share some of my musings as of late. Enjoy!

Lately I’ve Been…

Making: Trader Joe's Organic Carrots of Many Colors.  I love these things! I just peel em, cut em up into bite-sized pieces, season with a bit of pepper, crushed red pepper and paprika. Roast at 400 until they slightly caramelize and you're done! They taste great and I enjoy the fun color it adds to my plate!
Cooking: Protein! Mrs. Dash has become a staple in my kitchen to jazz up huge batches of boneless, skinless chicken breast, ground turkey breast and eggs (I still can't jump on the Tilapia train - gross!). 
Drinking: Water. And black coffee. I really miss the taste of my coffee creamer... but I just suck it up and drink it black. I've noticed buying better quality coffee distracts me from the fact that I have to drink it plain.
Wasting: Time looking at menus of all my favorite restaurants and planning cheat meals. Ha, that's slightly embarrassing to admit, but I always keep it 100% with you guys!
Reading: Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly. It's my book club's July selection and is written by the same author as The Lincoln Lawyer. Really great read so far!
Wanting: Twizzlers. Weird craving, but I want them. In. My. Belly.
Looking: Up bloggers who write about their fitness competition experiences. I enjoy reading other first-timers recap their stories! Takes a bit of the uncertainty out of it and calms any jitters I have about show day.
Playing: Ed Sheeran on Spotify. All. Day. Long. He's amazing! 
Wishing: I could see my girlfriends a bit more. Everyone has careers, personal lives and obligations. And being the only sober person at the bar gets old quick. When I went out last Saturday I had to run home at midnight, cook and eat my last meal and hit the hay to teach two Sunday morning barre classes. Deuces, social life! 
Enjoying: Odd Mom Out. It's rare a show makes me laugh out loud and this one does the job. 
Waiting: To take a vacation. Normally I travel once or twice a month somewhere fun, but with competition prep I have been somewhat locked down due to it being a straight pain in the arse packing all my food, supplements, finding a gym, etc. I'm thinking a trip to Napa in November sounds amazing :) 
Liking: My daily morning phone calls with these two amazing ladies. It's become sort of a tradition - and I love leaving the gym each morning and catching up with them. Having such a strong mom and sister to lean on lightens up my whole day :) We are the strongest tripod - always supporting and loving each other - the darkest and brightest of times.

Wondering: What I'm going to look like at my show. I've seen such changes in just 6 weeks - I really can't imagine what my body will look like in another 20ish weeks.
Loving: My support system. I really feel so blessed to have such incredible friends and family around supporting me (with my competition and beyond).  
Hoping: I get to see my family soon. It's been a few months and I need my fix!

Needing: A cleaning lady. My two bedroom condo isn't very large, but between being home a lot more and all the cooking/meal prepping, I feel like it's in a constant state of disarray. I try and pick up after myself but there is pretty much a gym bag and laundry baskets full of gym clothes everywhere, at all times. 
Wearing: Lululemon Speed Shorts. These little guys are perfect considering how hot and humid Atlanta is lately. I can move easily in them - and I have them in a ton of fun colors. I've also been channeling my Queens, NY roots and rockin Nike's Dunk Sky Hi Essential in pink and lovin' em. I wear em around town and to/from the barre studio. They make me walk with a little extra swagger ;) And these socks. If you haven't heard of Bombas, check them out. Great cause and by far the most comfortable socks on the planet. 
Following: Makeup tutorial accounts on Instagram. I recently bought a contouring kit and have become slightly obsessed with mastering the skill... amazing what a little highlighter and bronzer can do! Considering I spend 99.9% of my time in workout clothes, feels good to get fancied up sometimes.
Noticing: I am becoming increasingly content in my own skin. I'm sure a good amount can be attributed to getting in competition-ready shape, but overall I just feel good. I know where I stand with my relationships and work. I enjoy relaxing alone on the couch instead of frantically trying to make plans and stay busy. Just feels good to take a breath and appreciate the page I'm on in this book of life. 
Knowing: What I want. And refusing to settle for less. 

Thinking: I should foam roll more often. 
Feeling: Strong, happy, and content. Looking around at the current state of life, I'm feeling so comfortable witTurning a year older definitely makes you look at your life a little more closely and my life is a zillion times better than I ever imagined it to be.
Bookmarking: New and healthy recipes on Bodybuilding.com. Eating the same food day in day out can get monotonous, so I like switching it up. 
Opening: My box of goodies from Skin Food, a skincare company from Korea. I've heard great things about their products and recently ordered their black sugar mask, peach sake pore serum, and peach sake bb cream with SPF20. Once I've used them long enough to formulate an opinion, I'll post a product review!

XO,
Jenn

My Beauty Faves: March

Gosh I’m such a sucker for a good beauty routine. I love having go-to products I can count on – not because I love spending hours getting ready – quite the opposite, actually. My patience grants me about 15 minutes to devote to my daily makeup regime (working from home has probably cut that time in half) – so my routine has to be easy. The only issue is, when I’m out with friends, I want to look like I’ve taken the time to perfect my look, without actually having to spend any time doing so. #thestruggleisreal

Some products I am LOVING lately:

My Current Arsenal

MAC Amplified Lipstick Girl around Town: It’s kind of impossible not to smile once you put this bright pink lipstick on. It’s so cheerful – especially when I’ve been WILLING spring to come. This cold weather can really make you feel down in the dumps, so I’ll take anything to turn my frown upside down. I may have put this lipstick on the other day. Just to wear around the house. And you know what? Sorry I’m not sorry. It brightened up my day!

MAC Matte Lipstick Russian Red with MAC Kiss Me Quick Pro Long Wear Lip Pencil: This red is so luxurious. As the description says, it is matte – but is the perfect shade of red, and has some serious staying power. It’s my one and only red lipstick in my arsenal, and just putting it on makes me feel sexy!

Anastasia Brow Wiz (in Caramel): HALLELUJAH!!! I’ve been needing something to help with my spotty, overtweezed brows and this is it!! This pencil is SO easy to use – and even has another side with a built in brush. Just sweep your brows, fill ‘em in, sweep and set (queue my next fave product!). Easy peasy.

Maybelline Great Lash Clear Brow Gel: I don’t give a rat’s you-know-what that this stuff has been around since the ‘80s (maybe even earlier?!) – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This stuff holds my unruly browns in place and dries clear. I never leave home without it.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup: I’ve been using this foundation for a few weeks now, and LOVE it. It gives a great overall light coverage and never clogs my pores. My skin always feels silky smooth and all the redness/breakouts/whatevermyskinfeelslikedoingthatday is smoothed over. It’s so light, in fact, that it almost looks airbrushed. I put a dime sized amount on the top of my hand, use a round brush, and just work it in. Really easy to apply and actually smells nice to boot!

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray: Honestly, I would have never thought I needed a setting spray unless the girl at Ulta told me I did. She said it would prevent my foundation from looking dry or cracked AND keep it on all day/night. I caved to peer pressure and bought it (the travel sized version – total commitment phobe!) and I must admit, it’s great. It keeps your face looking fresh and your foundation in place. I’ve been out running and wiped my face on my sleeve. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve left a light brown smudge down the front of my t-shirt, but with the setting spray, it sure does stay in place!

Urban Decay Naked 2 eye shadow pallet: These pallets have been all the craze for a few years now, and while I love the original, the 2^nd pallet is my fave. I have olive-ish skin and deep brown eyes and I find these golden hues really make my eyes shine bright. Plus, I’m pretty basic when it comes to being able to do smoky eyes and all that, so this is like eye shadow paint by numbers. Give me a nice dumbed down version and I’m a happy girl!

Kevyn Aucoin The Curling Mascara: This has been my favorite mascara for over a year now! Although you can buy it at Nordstrom, I order via Amazon for a cheaper price and free shipping J I already have long eye lashes, but this really fills them out and elongates them even more. I get compliments on my eye lashes more than anything else – so this is a ‘don’t leave home without’ product FOR SURE. I keep one at home and one in my makeup bag so I’m never without!

Vaseline lip therapy cocoa butter: Simple enough, this is a lifesaver during winter. When my lips are dry and cracked, this yummy smelling balm helps sooth and put moisture back in. It’s also super cute and tiny – fits perfectly in my makeup bag!

But enough about me and what I’m loving. What about you? Which are your beauty faves? Recently buy a new product you’re hooked on? Do tell!

(I am not affiliated with any of the companies above, none of this post is sponsored and I did not accept any free products to review)

XO,
Jenn