Friday, June 17, 2011

DIY Spa Day

Vacations are supposed to be an escape from the daily realities of work, bills, grocery shopping, cleaning up dog poop, more bills, grocery shopping, rent paying, and everything else that is patently "grown-up" and "not fun."

However, for those of us living paycheck to paycheck, vacations can actually be really fucking stressful. You are taking time off work, so you're not making any money, but it's not like your landlord or bill collectors go on vacation. Plus, being on vacation--even the kind where you are fortunate enough to have friends and family lend you their couches and kitchens-- inevitably COSTS money. So really it's a financial double whammy.

Anyway, while I am very excited to be going home for a couple of weeks, I have also been really stressed out, especially about money, since I will be returning from said vacation to Government Shutdown Unemployment Land.

I have this idea of what rich people do when they're stressed: they go to the spa, get a massage, buy themselves a nice bottle of wine, bang the pool boy.... 

Not being a rich person myself, I'm not sure if this is accurate, but I know I would love a motherfucking spa day right about now. Exercising like a maniac has definitely been helping me with the stress, but sometimes a bitch just needs to be pampered.

And that, my stressed-out, impoverished friends, is why I  have decided to share with you some of my favorite drugstore items that will allow you to give yourself the royal treatment in your very own home because you deserve a little luxury and relaxation in your frenzied, frazzled, debt-ridden existence, and besides, it's kind of awkward to have strangers touching you with Enya on in the background anyway.

DIY Spa Day

FYI, everything pictured above is less than $10 at pretty much any drugstore, and most of the items are less than $5. 

1. Tub of St. Ives Apricot scrub
    I love this shit!! It smells amazing and gets your skin really smooth. Plus a big old tub of it is only like $6 and will last for hella long. I use it on my face every night and on my entire body usually once a week in the shower.

2. Queen Helene's Face Masks (in Mud Pack and Mint Julep)
     If you have never heard about Queen Helene's, I am so sorry! I love almost every Queen Helene's product on the   shelves! These masks are both fantastic--great for leaving on while soaking in the tub--AND they're usually under $4.

3. Tea Light Candles
    To set the mood, these are little, cute and SUPER cheap. And they're unscented, which I like. I feel like scented candles are for women who name their cats after Greek goddesses and wear lots of clothes with wolves on them. If you want to get extra fancy, paint a Mason jar some pretty color and stick one of these inside.

4. Revlon Manicure Kit
   For about $8, this kit comes with nail clippers, an AWESOME file, and cuticle trimmers. All you need is one of those 3-sided files and you can do your mani-pedis for DAYS. Way cheaper than $30 plus tip.

5. Cucumbers
    For your tired eyes. Everyone knows about this, right? Ok. 

6. Neutrogena Triple Moisture Hair Mask
    If you have long and/or damaged hair, this mask is really great at making your follicles feel all silky smooth. About $7.

7. Dr. Teal's Lavender Bath Salts
    If you have a tub and want to get all fancy with your bath salts, these are great. But I usually just use plain old epsom salts because they're a bit more cost effective. 

8. Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel
    I recently discovered that witch hazel is great astringent/toner for my oily skin/adult acne. You can buy this formula, but I usually just go with a generic brand from whatever store I am at. It's usually under $2.

9. Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap
   Dr. Bronner's can be a little pricy, but I think it's worth it. I use this daily on my face and body. The peppermint is my favorite, especially in the summer, because it has a cooling, tingly effect that feels like it is tightening your skin and waking it up all at once. Plus, many local grocery stores (usually the hippy co-op kinds) will let you refill your old bottle at a discounted price. That way you do good for yourself, and for the environment.
 
The last spa-type thing I've been really into lately is making my own face/hair mist. I bought a couple small bottles of essential oils put a few drops of each in an old hair product spray bottle, added water, and VOILA! Fancy face and hair mist! It's very refreshing and moisturizing, and it's also great for spraying down my stinky yoga mat after class. Essential oils can be rather pricy, but a little goes a long way when mixing with water. I've found that tea tree and rosemary oil are good for my skin type (oily, acne prone), but you might want to do a little research and see what would be best for your skin type and price range.
 
I hope this gives you some ideas for ways to find a little R&R alone time amidst the stress of vacation planning or whatever it is you're going through. 


Thanks so much for reading!

<3- hallee

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

California Daydreaming

With a record-breaking heat wave here in Minneapolis, I am definitely NOT complaining about the weather, but with less than two weeks to go before my California vacation, I have been daydreaming heavily about all the lovely amazing people I will get to see, food I will eat, coffee and cocktails I will drink, and of course, all the amazing California sights I will see. 

I am absolutely loving summer in Minneapolis, but part of me will always long for California. Having lived there for over 10 years, I seem to have the equivalent of phantom limb syndrome: I swear I can sometimes feel the air, the topography, the lifestyle, coursing through my veins.

I am also looking forward to being inspired by some real California style. Most other places in America (and maybe even the world) are constantly trying to emulate the "California cool" style that has become iconic. California girls really know how to do casual without looking boring. There is an ease to a lot of the fashion in California that I absolutely love. 

Unfortunately, it's not an easy place to be poor in your twenties (or any age really). With sky-high housing prices, a failing social system, and an economy based on entertainment, technological innovations, and the prison-industrial complex,  I was simply never able to get my footing there financially. And while life has been hard here, and I am still pretty damn poor, it's a lot easier to be poor in Minnesota.

But I am and always will be a California girl at heart. And for all you haters out there, I will break a fucking bottle and shiv you because "I'm from Oakland, bitch!"

And with that, I give you a pictorial translation of my California daydreamin':


                                                                             The iconic Oakland cranes at sunset



Taco trucks, quality sushi, and Peet's coffee: all of which I will be putting in my face throughout my vacation.

  While I am hoping there will not be widespread rioting with the release of the BART officer who murdered Oscar Grant, hating cops and breaking shit is one of the things Oakland does best.


Minnesota may have ten thousand lakes, but I still love Lake Merritt best. Also, strawberry mimosas at the Lake Merritt Cafe are the shit on a Sunday morning.



Pretty dresses at sunset, the Golden Gate Bridge and prison overcrowding. Get ready California, with the new Supreme Court ruling these friendly gents might soon be your new neighbors





Big Sur is my favorite place in the world. Hopefully, we'll be able to make a quick stop on the way to my friend's wedding in San Diego. 

This is what I think So Cal looks like.




 
The second half of our trip will be spent in San Diego for my amazing friend Nikki's wedding in Balboa Park.
I also get to see a bunch of other BFFs as a bonus.

I hope you enjoyed the pretty pictures. Unfortunately, I can't do the DIY segment this week because I am so poor that I don't even have enough $$ to purchase the materials for the DIY projects, but I promise I will do a DIY summer trends post next week after I get paid. However, there will be a post on how to decorate your apartment or house for almost no monies later this week. 

Thanks for reading!
<3- hallee

Friday, June 3, 2011

Black & White and Bright All Over

Since I am a huge fan of bright colored clothing and print mixing, I tend to keep my accessories relatively low-key, usually choosing to wear simple gold or silver earrings or necklaces and maybe one brightly colored accent. Lately, I have been a huge fan of bright colored lipstick and my new turquoise purse (last seen here). But having acquired a few new amazing, brightly colored, spring-appropriate accessories over the last few months, and not having acquired a whole lot else, I decided to put together a couple looks based around a few accessories: bright pink pumps (thrifted), yellow flower ring (Buffalo Exchange a few years ago), said turquoise purse (thrifted), and tattered multicolored pink scarf (swapped).

To highlight their colorful-awesomeness, I paired them with black and white clothes for a super casual comfy look and a slightly more dressed up summer diva look:

Dressed Down




clothing deets: white Gap t-shirt (swapped) and high-waisted black shorts (swapped)


Please enjoy a short flower intermission whilst I change clothes:



Dressed-Up (Kinda)






 Clothing Deets: black & white dress (thrifted from Buffalo Exchange in Minneapolis), sweet sunnies ($14 from Covered in Uptown Minneapolis)

Anyway, for those of you that are unable to buy an entire new summer wardrobe (or, you know, groceries and stuff), adding bright accessories to basic looks might be one way to keep things interesting. It can also be a good way to branch out if you're stuck in a bright solid color/pattern mixing rut, or if you are one of those lovely ladies that can't seem to incorporate color into your wardrobe at all.

If you're fresh out of brightly colored accessories, I would also recommend maybe trying out some bright makeup or nail polish accents. Here are some of my drugstore favorites at the moment:



brights


1. Revlon Moon Drops in Hot Coral #712 
2. Revlon Colorburst in Fuschia
3. Covergirl Liquiline Blast Eyeliner Pencil 
4. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Color in Fairy Teal
5. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Color in Blue Calypso
6. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Color in Grass Slipper
7. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Color in Yellow Kitty
8. Gimme Clips - Blue Belle : Target
9. CoverGirl Smoky Shadowblast Tempest Blue 825

Well, I hope that gives you some ideas for cute spring looks. Next week: DIY feather hair extensions and how to furnish an apartment for almost free!
Thanks so much for reading!
<3-hallee

P.S. I am trying to find ways to get a little more exposure for the blog, so if you can, please HYPE me on lookbook.nu:


Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Summa Summa Summa Time

Now that summery weather has officially arrived here in Minneapolis, and I have found myself still gainfully employed, at least until my California vacation extravaganza at the end of the month, things are looking pretty good at the moment. Of course, I am still just scraping by financially--paying bills and scrambling to save up for said California vacation--but it's not getting to me as much as usual.
It seems like it's just that time of year: when a lot of the unproductive worry and anxiety shaking around in our brains is seamlessly replaced by a lot of unproductive (but arguably more pleasant) daydreaming.
Like when you were a kid and there were only three weeks of school left and you would be staring out the window from your desk, admiring the beautiful day outside, tuning out your teacher and thinking about summer camp and unsupervised neighborhood adventures.
Or like now, when I am a grown-up and there are only twenty days left till I leave for California, and I am scrolling through  fashion Stumblr at my desk, admiring all the swimsuits, beachy hair and exotic locations, tuning out the inane chatter around me and thinking about beach laying, lake swimming, and endless bike riding adventures. Le sigh.
Anyway, here is some fodder for your daydreaming:







Daydream away!! And get ready for an outfit post tomorrow and DIY feather hair extensions next week!

Thanks for reading, my dears!
<3-hallee