Let's Talk About that #2006vs2016 Thing

It's crazy to look at pictures of me in 2006. I was 17/18, in high school, wearing bad puffy jackets with faux fur trim and clutching gigantic Slurpee cups. (In my defense, you could refill that XTREME Slurpee cup for only $1.09. Really.) It's not difficult to say that 2006 me was a different person that 2016 me. 

2006 me still thought that things would be easy once I graduated high school and went to college. I would keep every single one of my best friends (uh duh, of course!); I would become a different person of my choosing in college; I would become a high powered editor at a fashion magazine; my skin would suddenly become "adult" (a myth that is still repeated to poor girls like me with crappy skin to this day) and I'd look great. 

2016 me knows lots of things that 2006 me didn't know. But neither one of us is better than the other. 

2006 me struggled with self-esteem, just like 2016 me, just in different ways. 

Looking back, I wish 2006 me had known that she was just as good as all of her friends, that she didn't have to have boys pay attention to her to be important, that she didn't have to be embarrassed that she worked a part-time job to pay for her car insurance and clothes. I wish she'd known that she was pretty great on her own, that she deserved people who wanted to spend time with her, and that she could have found different, potentially better friends. (No offense high school friends. 2006 me certainly wasn't a party to be around, admittedly.) 

I wonder what 2006 me would think looking at me now. I think she would be shocked and appalled that 2016 me lives in the same boring town and goes to the same boring places, but she'd probably also be terrified that I have a baby. A real life human baby that I take care of, alongside a dog and a husband. She'd probably also feel I'd sold out a little bit by working in marketing (gotta do what ya gotta do, baby girl!) and would be appalled that I wasn't published by now. (2006 me had some very unrealistic expectations for the publishing industry and her own writing output). 

To me, the 2006 vs 2016 hashtag isn't really about looks though. Do I look different than in 2006? Duh. I've aged 10 years; I've had a baby; I survived college and the terrible economy and working as a receptionist. My hair is somehow darker and more gray. I weigh more. I wear a lot more make up. But hey, at least I've learned to work the selfie angle. The most important thing is that I feel differently than I did in 2006. I feel like I've grown up. Sometimes I worry that I feel too much like a teenager still, but looking at pictures of high school me makes me realize that, realistically, I'm so much more adult than I think I am. I'm basically a grown up. As if it wasn't obvious before. 

Tell me: what's different between 2006 you and 2016 you? What would you think of each other? 

A Sensible Gift Guide for: Writers

Every year, without fail, someone gets me a notebook. 

It's a thoughtful, loving gift. They know I'm a writer. They know I love to journal. They put two-and-two together and, boom! A notebook! It's perfect. 

I have stacks of notebooks. Stacks that I can't use because I'm obsessively dedicated to using only one variety of notebook (Moleskines, lined, red or black online) for my journals and notes. I buy others myself, use them a bit and then reject them in favor of my favorite. 

Writers are persnickety about writing supplies. (Or at least, I am.) If you know a writer, if you love that writer, you can feel a little confused at to what to get them for a gift. Don't worry--I'm here to help. 

1. A Cute Comfy Sweatshirt

Listen, not all writers like or drink coffee. But plenty do. And there are tons of cute, comfortable sweatshirts out there featuring clever sayings. Like this one. Writers need comfortable clothes, that are cute enough to walk outside in without having to worry about it. It's practical; it's cute; and if you know your writer friend well enough, you can find the perfect one for their personality. 

2. Some cute decor. 

There are a few options here: I love this wall art from Nordstrom, this rug (!) from Society6, and these Scrabble pillows from Etsy. Beautifying a workspace can help with motivation, but it's something that a lot of people put off. 

3. A cookbook 

Eating is important. Even if your writer friend isn't well-versed in the kitchen, a cookbook is a great gift to encourage your friend to eat, be merry, and relax. I like this one from World Market because it's especially aesthetically pleasing. 

4. A cute, clever pin or accessory

Whether it's a scarf, a cute hat, some mittens, a necklace, or a pin, a cute accessory that will fit their style and personality is always a great gift. (This goes for everyone on your list!) I love this Coffee Please pin, but other ideas include burger print socks, a cactus themed tote bag, or a great scarf. 

A Sensible Gift Guide for: Toddlers

Have a friend with a toddler? (Is that friend me? I hope it's me.) It's really, really tempting to go crazy in the toddler clothing and toy aisles. Trust me, I know. 

But please, friends, I beseech you: don't load your loved ones with toddlers with toys and clothes. Guaranteed, their toddlers probably already have more than enough of both. I created this gift guide to give people without kids (or who have older kids) an idea of what to get for toddlers--besides clothes and toys! 

1. Decor items

Toddler rooms are in transition: it's no longer a nursery, everything is safety-proofed, and the crib has possibly transformed into a toddler bed. Ask parents what kind of decor the parents would like for the room and find something cool. I love this pillow from TJ Maxx and this wall art from Etsy. 

2. Books

Toddlers are getting right to the age where books are fun. (Forrest will sit for a long time, for him, looking at his books now, which is exciting.) If you can think of nothing else, a favorite book of yours from childhood is a perfect and thoughtful gift. And if you're totally not sure, a gift card to a (local!) bookstore is also perfect. 

3. Toy storage solutions

The toys, at a certain point, no matter how organized I am as a parent, get out of control. Cute, clever storage options are a great gift idea, especially if they can be used in the toddler's room. I love these stacking boxes from Target, but there are tons of options out there. 

4. Wooden toys

If you really, really want to buy toys, I encourage you to buy wooden toys. The less plastic, the better. These wooden stacking dinosaurs are perfect for young toddlers; they're educational, durable, and fun. 

5. Blankets

Forrest loves blankets and it feels like I'm always looking for one to give to him. When it doubt, a cute, cozy blanket is a great gift. Toddlers can use them in bed, for naps, or on the floor--or for cuddling up with their parents. It's more of a family gift, actually. 

5 Christmas Movies I Have to Watch Every Year

Christmas. You feel it in the air, right? The faint scent of peppermint, cinnamon, and pine trees everywhere, the crowds of people at the mall, the Christmas tree posts on Instagram. 

I don't make any excuses: I'm obsessed with Christmas. And Christmas movies, specifically. 

Rituals are very important to me. I resist to call them "traditions" because traditions suggests a cultural relevance--and my habits are highly individual, especially when it comes to Christmas movies. 

There are five movies that I have to watch every single year to mark the Christmas season. If I don't get them in (like last year), it almost feels like Christmas didn't happen. Am I the only one? 

Anyway, here are my five favorites: 

1. The Santa Clause

"The Santa Clause" is one of those movies that I loved as a kid and I still love as an adult. I also recently found out that a significant number of people believe Claus is actually spelled with an "e" and don't realize the title is a pun. Oops. Watching it these days, I totally see Scott's side of everything--and find myself even more bewildered by Charlie's mom and Neil. It's such a great movie: simple, heartwarming, and featuring some of the best, goofiest, 1990s-era jokes and effects. 

2. The Polar Express

Pretend for a moment that this movie doesn't have that weird, hyper-Christian undertone. Ok, now I love it. I just ignore all that part. It's a beautiful movie (even with the uncanny valley effect) and has some amazing songs and moments. I always find myself wishing to know more about all the other kids on the train and I wish more of the movie was spent in the actual North Pole, because the buildings, elf workshops, and square are just beautiful. 

3. The Muppet Christmas Carol

Every year as a kid, I looked forward to watching "the Muppet Christmas Carol" on TV. It was the best part of the holidays. I still love this movie. When I finally got a DVD copy a few years ago, I had to order it from Hong Kong. Now, you can find it in Target almost every year. It's totally worth owning because I like to watch it every single Christmas eve. It's the perfect goofy, fun movie. 

4. Love Actually

I know there are some critics out there who argue that "Love Actually" is not, actually, a very good movie. Here's the thing though: they're wrong. Is it problematic in some ways? Oh, sure. But does that take away from my enjoyment of it as a Christmas movie? No. Because every single time Emma Thompson turns on that Joni Mitchell CD and cries in her bedroom, I cry like an infant whose been left behind. It's a breathtaking scene and any criticism of the film is redeemed in that moment. Because Emma Thompson is queen. 

5. the Nightmare Before Christmas

Is it a Halloween movie? Or a Christmas movie? That's the question. I like to think it's both. It's a movie that's perfect for the run up to the Christmas season--for that time between Thanksgiving and Christmas when it's still Fall, but you want to get excited about Christmas. All I know is, it was one of my favorite movies growing up and it's still one of my favorites now. And it's not Christmas until I've watched it. 

What are your favorite Christmas movies? 

Oh, and while you're at it, sign up for my new newsletter! I'll be sending out the first edition on Wednesday, December 14--and then every other Wednesday after that. 

A Sensible Gift Guide for: Moms

Gift guides. Two words that you hear, roughly, every 5 minutes in the month of December. 

I'm here to add a little more clutter to that segment of the internet. You know why? Because sometimes, moms get forgotten in the gift guide mania. Gift guides are often created with the intention to be used by the primary shoppers in family units (re: moms). Gift guides are sometimes made for moms or wives to "treat themselves." 

That's not this gift guide. This gift guide is for you (you're a mom or maybe a wife or a girlfriend who wants some nice stuff because you're stressed) to subtly (subtly) send to your husband/partner/boyfriend/girlfriend/whoever to give them ideas for your Christmas presents. 

So, take note people who are reading this lift to figure out what to get the mom in their life: these suggestions come from a mom who is just as exhausted as your person. I know what I'm talking about. 

1. Giftcards, giftcards, giftcards.

Listen, if you don't know what to get the mom in your life, I have two simple words for you: gift cards. Some people think gift cards are terrible gifts, but I would argue that, no, they are the best gifts. I get so excited when I get a gift card, especially to a place I already shop. Target, Sephora/Ulta, Starbucks... where does that special mom in your life like to treat herself? Get her a gift card for that store because most likely, she doesn't get the things she needs for herself very often. 

2. A really nice wine glass set & a bottle of wine. 

Not to play into stereotypes here, but most moms love a nice glass of wine after their wrestle their toddlers or young kids into bed. It really takes a lot out of you. Mostly, though, wine glasses are beautiful and a nice set is often something young families don't have, leading many moms to drink their wine out of coffee cups (no shame in that game). Throw in a bottle of your favorite wine and you're set. 

3. A journal or planner. 

Nothing says "I care about your mental wellbeing" like something to record thoughts or appointments in. I love getting a new journal for Christmas because journaling is incredibly relaxing and perfect for the end of the day. Pick one that's fancier than the average spiral bound notebook, prerferrably something that will look nice on Instagram. 

4. Candles.

Candles are often gifts that are thought of as boring or last minute. Nah! Candles are great because: 1) they smell nice, 2) they're relaxing, and 3) they look beautiful. I like this one from Zoella. 

5. Picture frames. 

Most moms have a ton of photos that they just, well, haven't gotten around to doing anything with. Personally, I'm always just a little behind when it comes to getting stuff framed and put up. Take the plunge and buy the mom in your life a nice set of frames (or even a collage frame). She'll appreciate it,  I promise. (You can even get a head start and frame all those photos she's been meaning to!) 

Want to know where everything from this photoset is from? Check it out on my Polyvore!

3 Essentials for Oily Skin

I've always had oily skin. Always have, probably always will. I still struggle with break outs. When I was a teenager, I remember reading teen magazines that said, eventually, I would just stop breaking out whenever any minor environmental or health change occurred. The fact is, that just didn't happen. 

I have found ways, as I've gotten older, to deal with my skin. Ultimately, as much as I would like to fundamentally change my skin (or, realistically, the balance of hormones that causes this travesty), it probably isn't going to happen any time soon. So, I learned to take care of the skin I have, prevent break outs as best I can, and soldier on no matter what. 

Here are the 3 products that I absolutely depend on for my skin's survival. 

1. Charcoal Cleansing Bar, Beautycounter

My sister sells Beautycounter and for my birthday, she gave me the Charcoal Cleansing Bar. It's $24 for a bar, which seems pretty steep, except it lasts forever. I use it to wash my make up off every night and honestly, it leaves my skin feeling super soft and clean, without that weird, waxy, squeaky feeling that other cleansers cause. I have also noticed a significant improvement in my skin since I started using it, both in terms of break outs and how greasy I get throughout the day and night. With almost 2 months of solid use, I'd say it is reduced in size by about 1/3--so a bar should last 5-6 months, depending on how often you use it. 

2. Clear Start Matte Moisturizer, Dermalogica

Moisturizer is key to preventing oily skin. When I was around 13, my pediatrician (seriously) explained that people with oily skin actually have quite dry skin; the body produces more oil to help with the dryness, thus creating too much oil and causing acne. I know, right? So keeping your skin moisturized is super important when you have oil skin; it will help prevent excess oil. I love this matte moisturizer from Dermalogica; it's the perfect base for primer and foundation in the morning, and it doesn't have that gross, greasy feeling I associate with a lot of moisturizers!

3. Studio Finishing Powder, NYX Cosmetics

I posted about NYX two days ago, but another reminder: if you have oily skin, a finishing and blotting powder are musts! I carry a compact of blotting powder in my purse, but I always top my foundation with a light dusting of Studio Finishing Powder. If I forget to do it, my make up is sliding off by 9am. However, with finishing powder, I'm pretty much set until noon--and even then, it's only the oiliest parts of my face that get bad (my nose and forehead, mainly). Give it a try, I promise you'll love it! 

Is It Too Pushy to Ask for More Gender Neutral Options?

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed 2 or 3 weeks ago that I sent out a tweet about Freshly Picked's celebrity collaborations. 

I love Freshly Picked. If you're a parent, you've probably seen an ad (or five) for them on Instagram. You've probably seen a baby wearing them on Instagram. Michael Phelps's son, Boomer, famously wore a red-white-and-blue pair with gold heels at the Olympics. They are small, leather moccasins, soft soled, for babies and toddlers. Freshly Picked is everywhere, becoming almost as popular among InstaMoms as ModCloth is among the indie crowd. 

However, when Freshly Picked announced their most recent celebrity collaboration, I found myself getting a little, well, flustered. The newest collaboration is with Ayesha Curry; she created four designs of moccasins. Three of them are holographic: they are gorgeous and insanely impractical for the average baby, but who cares! You can get gold holo, pink holo, or silver holo. They are also obviously for girls. They are little girls shoes. They are only shown on girls in Freshly Picked ads. There is another pair of moccasins in the collaboration: they are plain blue. Plain blue! Not blue holo. Not green holo. They are... blue. That's it. They're blue. 

They are for boys. 

During the summer, Freshly Picked had another celebrity collaboration with a professional skater. 5 styles of shoe were released; 4 styles were obviously for girls (floral, polka dots, etc) and one was for boys. The boys styled was plain black with a lime green sole. Plain. Black. That's it!

The girls get fun designs, cute patterns, pretty colors. Boys get plain blue or black or brown. 

That's it. 

We can get into the "for girls" argument all we want. I'm there with you. I think saying florals are for girls and girls only is total bunk. However, Forrest depends on me to dress him; I can dress him however I like at this point. When he's older, he can choose. But my goal for getting him dressed in the morning is not to make him the object of negative attention. 

But that doesn't mean I wouldn't like a cute pair of shoes to put on him. Shoes that aren't covered in the Ninja Turtles or Superman. Shoes that aren't boring or plain. 

I'm not asking for a miracle here. I'm just asking for more gender neutral--or even, perhaps, overtly "boyish"--options. 

Walk into a Target. Look at the toddler girls section. Look at the toddler boys sections. Notice anything? Yeah, the girls section is 3-4 times as big as the boys section. 

It's incredibly frustrating. 

Also, when you look at those clothing sections, notice another thing; there are almost NO boys shoes for young toddlers. Under size 5 boys shoes are the hardest thing to find in the world. I might as well be attempting to purchase the Mona Lisa. There are racks of tiny girls shoes--fake Ugg boots smaller than my hand, sandals and tennis shoes and Mary Janes--but there are no boys shoes. None. The boys shoes that are available tend to be covered in characters--the Ninja Turtles, Cars, and more. 

It is endlessly frustrating. 

It is hard to find things that are gender neutral or that aren't overtly girly. What am I supposed to tell Forrest? Sorry, kid, you can't walk right now because I couldn't find any shoes in your size? Sorry, I know your feet are cold because you need boots, but they don't make them for you despite the fact that there are 20 varieties of boots for girls? 

This is my plea to brands to please, please, make more options for boys or options that are gender neutral. 

Freshly Picked has many plain colored moccasins that work just fine--Forrest has the velvet mocha style--but it would be nice if, for once, a collaboration came out that was for primarily boys or gender neutral and didn't feature just solid colors. It is entirely possible to make cute, exciting clothes for boys or that are gender neutral. You just have to try. It's easy to sell girly themed things--overwhelmingly, because girls have more options, parents buy more--but I promise, boy moms (or moms that are choosing a gender neutral route) have money too. 

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My Favorite Underrated Make Up Brand

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There are lots of great, underrated make up brands out there. Some of them are indie brands. Some of them are larger brands available at places like Sephora. And some of them are drug store brands, available just about everywhere. 

My favorite of those brands is NYX. If you haven't seen NYX at your local Wal-Mart, Target, or WalGreens, don't worry. NYX products are available online and at places like Ulta. But before you rush out to buy something new, let me tell you about why I like them. 

My first NYX product was a Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade Stockholm. If you follow me on Instagram, you've undoubtedly seen me wearing this shade before. I wear it at least once a week. Actually, the tube is just about empty; I need to buy a replacement. It cost $4.50 and it is my favorite, absolute favorite, pink-brown nude. You can check out Stockholm here. 

Since then, I've started buying more and more NYX products. At first, it was just the Soft Matte Lip Creams: I have Stockholm, Budapest, Prague, and several others. Then, it was face powder (the High Definition Finishing Powder, NYX Blotting Powder, and SFX Setting Powder are perfect if you have oily skin). And then, it was primers: the Soft Focus primer balm is surprisingly amazing and the Studio Perfect Primer in green is perfect if you have reddish skin like me. 

My most recent obsession are the Lip Lingerie lip creams; they come in a ton of beautiful nude shades and dry to a perfect, silky matte. You can check out all the available colors here. I highly recommend the colors Push Up and Lace Details. Lace Details is a gorgeous pale pink nude (pictured above) and I wear it just as much as Stockholm. 

I'm rapidly becoming a "single brand" kind of girl. NYX makes everything I love using--and they are super affordable. I used to spend $35 a bottle on the primer I thought I had to use--but now my primer is $6 or $10, depending on which formula I go with. Which means, I can throw in a few more lipsticks and eyeshadows while I'm at it! 

Do you have a make up brand that you just absolutely love?