Inside the Christmas Closet

Christmas is one month away, people! I'm one of those crazies who buys all of her Christmas presents on Black Friday weekend because 1. SALE and 2. I love to be prepared. But, amidst all of my shopping for others, I do love to treat myself to a few little things, one of them being my Christmas outfit! Every year I try to wear something a little trendier and more "mature" than the year before. My cousins always have the cutest outfits and, of course, we take so many photos which means my outfit has to be fire, flames, fuego! (My boyfriend's sister always uses this phrase and I felt it fit here nicely... thanks Jordan! ☺)

This year, I want to share my favorite looks with all of you very merry friends and, hopefully, inspire your Christmas Day/Eve/card outfit as well! Links to each piece are listed below the outfit collage.

1. VICI Lace Peasant Wine Top || 2. Express Cabernet Heeled Booties || 3. Abercrombie High Rise Skinny Ankle Jeans

1. Hollister Co. Chenille Mockneck Sweater || 2. LOFT Beaded Ring Earrings || 3. Express High Waisted Tulle Midi Skirt || 4. Steve Madden Blaire Booties

1. Express Ribbed White Turtleneck || 2. Old Navy Layered Velvet Cami || 3. Express High-Waisted Sash Pants || 4. Francesca's Kimberly Drop Earrings || 5. Express Black Heeled Booties

1. Express Ribbed White Turtleneck || 2. Old Navy Layered Velvet Cami || 3. Express High-Waisted Sash Pants || 4. JCPenney Red Block Heel Booties || 5. Free People On the Road Scarf Pony

1. Forever 21 Tiered Fabric Bauble Earrings || 2. DSW Nude Pumps || 3. Abercrombie Belted Taper Pants || 4. Abercrombie Cream Off-The-Shoulder Sweater

1. VICI Heart of Gold Shimmer Pants || 2. Abercrombie Cable Mock Neck Sweater || 3. Francesca's Tiered Circle Drop Earrings || 4. LOFT Pave Stone Stud Earrings || 5. DSW Nude Pumps

1. Aerie Ribbed Soft Turtleneck || 2. Old Navy Velvet Head Wrap || 3. AE Plaid Blanket Scarf || 4. Abercrombie Stretch Ankle Jeans || 5. UGG Mini Boots

1. PinkLily Beginnings Black Dress || 2. Abercrombie Cozy Black Swing Dress || 3. JCPenney Red Block Heel Booties || 4. Anthropologie Ribbon Hair Tie Set

1. Target Puff Long Sleeve Top || 2. Express High-Waisted Sash Pants || 3. Express High-Waisted Tie Skirt || 4. Express Black Heel Booties || 5. Francesca's Chandelier Earrings

I hope I provided at least a dash of holiday outfit inspo for you! I'd love to see your style during the holidays! Did you use one of my ideas to dress yourself up this year? Let me know in the comments! Happy shopping!

Stay smilin' - Steph

Holding Yourself Accountable

I just paid Jared (my boyfriend) $10. I could have used that $10 for a new clearance top from Target, a Chipotle burrito bowl, a Christmas candle...but, instead it went right into his pocket. "But Steph, you're a poor human who can't be spending $10 for no good reason! Why would you give him a free $10?" That is a good question, friend.

About a month ago, I purchased Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis. I heard such great things about this book and what it preaches. Rachel pretty much told me to get off my sorry behind and do something about the things in my life that I'm unhappy with. You guys, this book really spoke to me. After reading Chapter 2, The Lie: I'll start tomorrow, I decided to get off my sorry behind and hold myself totally accountable for all of my actions. It was time for a real, true change in my lifestyle and this book gave me my extra push.

So, I'm going to share some accountability boosters that have worked flawlessly to keep me on track with my goals! I'd like to think that these tips can apply to all aspects of your life, no matter what goal you are trying to achieve.

1. Begin. Somewhere. Anywhere. Just begin.

My favorite quote is currently hanging in my room. It reads, "There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly, live." So true. I always have struggled to start. I'm always the person to say, "On this day, I'm going to start doing this." Or "Right after this happens, I'm going to start..." Then it occurred to me, if I really want something, why am I procrastinating beginning? What good is a few more days of a bad habit going to do for me? That's why New Year's resolutions, in my eyes, shouldn't be resolutions. They should be "enhancements" that stem from your current goals and lifestyle decisions. Don't "wait until Monday." Don't hold out on yourself another minute. You got this, today.

2. Equip yourself for success.

First and foremost, I'm a firm believer in treating yourself. I'm also a big believer in saving money (even though I'm not so great at it.) But, in this instance, I'm going to tell you to make a $5-$10 purchase. Buy a notebook-- a blank notebook, with a pretty or inspiring cover. This will be your honest space to write and reflect on your goals.

3. Be honest with yourself.

I'm the queen of excuses. I really am. I try so hard to hold myself accountable and stay honest, but I truly have always found a reason to skip a workout, or stop somewhere for dinner instead of cooking, or spend a little extra money on something because "I had a tough day." When I started this new commitment to myself, I used my journal to write out an honest goal list for myself. I made a weekly schedule in my planner and made my very first goal for the week to simply, stick to my schedule. Ask yourself what you want to achieve, write it down and give yourself an honest time frame to work with.

4. Tell someone!

The goal I am currently pursuing is to feel better about myself. I set out to change my workout routine and dietary habits.

I heard a few of my friends talking about the Whole30 and decided that it was the route I wanted to take. The biggest struggle I have is committing to something for longer than a week or two. I needed a plan that would really entice change in my everyday life. And I knew that if I was going to succeed in changing my habits for 30 days, I would need to tell people in my life what I was doing. So, that's exactly what I did. I told Jared, my best friend, my roommate, and my coworker about my Whole30 commitment. They are the 4 people I see and interact with every day. They all knew not to tempt me with sweets or slip-ups, and they acted as my "watchful eye" to make sure I stuck to my plan. The more people you tell about your goal, the more you feel like people are watching to make sure you don't go back on your word. Whatever goal you wrote down in your journal, tell someone about it!

When it comes to my workout plan, my high school biology teacher (shoutout to Mrs. Stahlnecker) is my accountability booster. I told her about my fitness goals and what I want to achieve. She checks in on me about once each week to ask me what workouts I did, how I'm feeling, how things are going, etc. She is an everyday inspiration for me in our Facebook groups, on Instagram and in the way she wants to see others succeed. Telling her about my journey always helps me stay on track. Find someone who will check up on you!

5. Give yourself rewards and repercussions

This is where my $10 Venmo comes into play. At the start of my journey, I made a deal with Jared. Each of us wanted to be held accountable for going to the gym. So, for the last 30 days, we have made our goal to go to the gym 5 out of 7 days each week. Being thousands of miles apart, it's hard for us to force one another to go. So for each gym day we miss, we have to Venmo the other person $5. I missed two days (openly admitting it because I really sucked with my goals last week), so at the start of the new week, I owed Jared $10. Proudly, this is the first Venmo exchange we have had in the last month. Yes, I'm bummed about losing some money to my boyfriend, but you know I will not miss a single day this coming week!

Accountability is a tricky thing in everyone's life. Ultimately, you are the only person who controls you. You are in charge of your life and what you do with it. But, listen to Rachel Hollis. Make a commitment to yourself and stick to it! Sticking to your word to yourself is an accomplishment on its own and you can so do it.

How do you hold yourself accountable? I'd love to hear your tricks!

Stay smilin' -- Steph

Self Care Sunday: Face Products

I'm literally the queen of face masks. I am always looking for a new mask to try, whether it's sheet, peel-off, clay, charcoal-- you name it, I'll try it! I've found a few brands I truly love... and a few I've tried that I most definitely will not be using again (Ulta brand sheet masks...big no-no). Keep in mind, my skin is not sensitive to literally anything; perfumes, textures, brands-- I can basically use anything, no problem. If you're a person with sensitive skin, definitely try the mask on a smaller portion of your skin before applying all over your face. We don't need rashes or breakouts as a result of my attempt to pamper you. :)

These are my two favorite brands so far:

Lapcos Sheet Masks are my absolute favorite. I usually buy the variety pack from Anthropologie to give my skin different types of treatment each time I use them. I recommend getting the variety pack to test each face mask; then when you find one you really love, you can order it separately online.

The Sea-Tox Clay Mask from Bath and Body Works is another one of my favorites, but it's unfortunately one of their limited releases, so it's no longer sold in stores. I tried something similar-- the L'Oreal Pure Clay Mask. I always feel like my pores are completely cleaned out after using this product. But, it can dry out your skin a bit so make sure to moisturize! (I'm such a sucker for packaging and Sea-Tox spoke to my inner consumer. Yes, I paid more for it. Yes, the L'Oreal version is literally the same product.)

Aside from my movie-watching, me-time relaxing in my face mask, I have a few favorite face scrubs that I like to use after a long day in the Florida heat. I've essentially used the same face scrub since middle school and I don't plan on branching out any time soon. Sorry people, I'm a woman who knows what she wants.

St. Ives is my absolute go-to face scrub. There are a bunch of different types for a variety of skin types and exfoliating preferences. I usually go with the Avocado & Honey in my morning shower to start off my day with a soft clean feeling.

If I really feel like I need to scrub away the sweat after a long day in the park, I'll use Apricot or Coconut & Coffee. Either way, I'm left feeling extra clean! Of course, I follow my nightly face scrubbing treatments with a face mask I mentioned above. St. Ives also has their own line of sheet masks that I've tried in the past. Of the three types, I recommend the Revitalizing mask.

You can bet that a nice face scrub and face mask are on my agenda for this Self Care Sunday! Are there any awesome brands that you use that you think I should be trying? I'd love your suggestions!

Stay smilin' -- Steph

*Post not sponsored by or affiliated with St. Ives, Bath and Body Works, Anthropologie or other related brands. Opinions are all my own.*