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Chronic Style

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Spring Style Look Book

Disclaimer: This post is done in collaboration with Firmoo.com. I have worked with them before and I adore their products. I received a coupon code for a free pair of frames but I purchased the lens as well as the addition two pair of glasses featured in this look book with my own money. As someone who wears glasses regularly, I want comfortable and stylish glasses but I don’t want to pay a fortune so Firmoo is the answer. As you know, transparency is my highest priority and I would never support and write about a brand that I was not 100% in love with. Now that that is out of the way, on to the fun stuff!

Spring Style Look Book 2016

Spring is here finally and warm weather is upon us! Thank the Lord! It is getting warmer but there is still some cooler temps. You know where is cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon, and then cool again so layers are a must around my area so I tried to incorporate that into a lot of these looks.

Work Look:

Edgy Work Look For Spring

Outfit Details:

Pantsuit – Cato Fashions

Heels – Poshmark

Blazer – Forever 21 (similar)

Necklace – Cato Fashions

Clutch – Bongo Clutch from Kmart

Sunglasses – Firmoo

 

Date Night:

Edgy Date Night Look for Spring 2016

Outfit details:

Jacket – Bongo Moto Jacket from Kmart

Tank: Mossimo Swing Fit Tank from Target

Skinny Jeans – Old Navy Rockstar Jeggings

Shoes – Poshmark

Handbag – Aliexpress

Glasses – Firmoo

Casual Weekend Looks:

Casual Weekend Look for Lipstick Lovers

Lipstick Lovers Unite

Outfit Details:

Top: Lipstick Addict Top from Jane.com

Jeans: Old Navy Rockstar Skinny Jeans

Shoes: JustFab Carmella Sneakers

Glasses: Firmoo

Necklace: Made just for me by FFJ Creations! I am so in love it says “Live Boldly”

Lipstick & Compact: Sephora Disney Minnie Mouse Collection

Spring Weekend Look 2016

Outfit Details:

Top: Marshalls (similar)

Shorts: Old Navy Boyfriend Shorts

Sandals: Boss Sandals by Blowfish

Necklace: FJJCreations

Casual Weekend Outfit for Spring 2016

Outfit Details:

Top: Old Navy Layered Tank

Short: Old Navy Boyfriend Shorts

Sandals: Viorica Sandals by JustFab

I have to say that I am in love with all of these outfits! They are all so comfortable and most importantly I feel like they are all very ME. I finally feel like I’m coming into my own and figuring out my own style. My husband just shook his head at the “Black Is My Happy Color” tank but its so true! I love the color black and that doesn’t mean I’m a creepo. Black lovers unite! The most important thing I learned by putting together these outfits is that accessories make all the difference in the world! You can take a super comfy and basic outfit but add a few accessories and BAM! You’ve got the perfect outfit! Jeans and t-shirts are my style default but I’m learning to use that foundation and take it up a notch. For example, the last outfit: those studded sandals are everything. I could easily throw on flip flops and be completely beach ready but by adding the studded sandals and some spiky bracelets, it gives it a much different vibe. I am totally digging all of the shoes in these outfits. The white sneakers from JustFab* with the silver sequins on the heels are life!

I am also learning I can use my glasses to add spunk to my outfits as well (both regular eyeglasses and sunglasses). Normally I wear contacts the majority of the time but since discovering Firmoo*, I’ve been able to find stylish glasses that add spunk to my outfits and because their glasses are ridiculously affordable, I can own more than one pair so I can mix and match with my outfits.

So here are my quick spring shopping tips:

1- If you are shopping online, always, ALWAYS use Ebates*. You are crazy if you don’t. You get cash back just from shopping online and there is now a browser plugin so you can earn cash without even thinking about it. Hello?! Who doesn’t want free money? Almost all of my favorite stores use Ebates and since being a spoonie means a lot of online shopping, I figure I might as well earn some cash back while I’m at it.

2- Basic pieces are important to every wardrobe but its important to find certain pieces that really speak t you. Whether you stick to basic clothing items and focus on unique accessories such as shoes and jewelry, that’s awesome but its important to really feel like you and feel confident and spunky when you get dressed. Affordable ways to find these unique pieces include shopping stores like Marshalls or Ross where you can find higher end pieces at a lower price, hitting up thrift stores, or shopping sites like Poshmark. I adore Poshmark. You can find a lot of NWT items but there are a lot of second hand listings as well so it is a great place to find some great deals on second hand items (I sell on there as well! You can find my closet here!)

There are a few of my favorite looks for spring and a few quick shopping tips! What are yours? What are your must have items for spring?

Disclaimer: Again, this post was a collaboration with Firmoo.com and while I received one pair of frames free to facilitate a review, I purchased all other glasses on my own (as others that are not featured in this post) and all opinions are 100% my own. Thanks to the generosity of Firmoo, they have provided a discount code “ANEWKIND2” which will cover a complete pair of eyeglasses from this selection of glasses for the first 10 users and is valid through April 20, 2016! Shipping and handling are extra and you must be a first time customer but that is amazing and thank you so, so much Firmoo! As another side note, any link marked with an * throughout this post indicates an affiliate link. All about transparency here y’all. 

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Loved & Loathed Beauty Products: March 2016

Loved & Loathed Beauty Products: What I've Been Loving (& Loathing) in March 2016

It is so hard to believe that the month of March is already over which means its beauty favorites time! This month seemed to have flown by! Of course, when you’re bed-bound 80% of the time as I have been the last several months, its easy to lose track of time. Lately, doctors appointments are what have helped me keep track of days. So, so sad. Hopefully that is changing soon. Fingers crossed. Power of positive thinking. Game on!

That being said, I don’t have a HUGE amount of products to share with you this month and there are ZERO loathes but I just hauled a bunch of new products so the April installment may be completely different! I did want to share with you a few amazing beauty favorites that have totally rocked my socks off this month.

Loved & Loathed Beauty Products: What I've been loving (& loathing) in March 2016

1. Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer

I have heard tons about this product on YouTube and finally bit the bullet and gave it a try. I was a little leery as I’m not too great with cream bronzer/contour products but this one was so easy to use! I got it in the shade Rich Bronze which is the darker of the two shades which may seem surprising considering I’m an uber pale princess but the Rick Bronze shade was more cool toned so it made for a more natural contour and went along better with my skin tone. I picked it up at Target for $10.99 and supposedly it is a dupe for the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Makeup with a whopping $50 price tag. I think I’ll stick with Sonia Kashuk!

2. L’Oreal Infallible Makeup Extending Setting Spray

When  you deal with hot flashes, makeup setting spray is a must. Not only are setting sprays supposed to help keep your makeup in place, they often help bring a nice, finished look to the face by mattifying the skin or giving it a dewy or radiant finish. I have tried many different setting sprays and this is most definitely one of my favorites. It is $16.99 which seems pricey for the drugstore but you can catch it on sale (especially at Ulta where they often run BOGO 50% Off sales plus a store coupon for $3.50 off a $10 purchase and if you shop online, you can also earn cash back through Ebates*). Definitely recommend checking it out as warm weather starts to move in (yay!)

3. NYX Color Correcting Liquid Primer (Blue)

I have tried a lot of primers (A LOT) of all varieties and this one definitely tops my list. This line of primers has different shades to do different color correcting tasks. The blue shade helps to add radiance to fair/light skin. Because I have been so sick and lost so much weight, my skin has been looking extra pasty and dull and this primer helps to even out my skin tone and give a beautiful, healthy glow to my skin. It makes my skin feel so smooth and helps my foundation go on like a dream. Definitely worth the $13.99 but again, be sure to shop the sales!

4. Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick (115)

This is the only non-drugstore item (plus the matching powder) that you will find on this list. I am a drugstore girl through and through but I had heard so many amazing things about this foundation that I saved up and gave it a whirl. They were not lying. It is the best foundation I have ever tried. It goes on so easy and evens out my skin like a dream. The coverage is perfect and it feels like you are wearing nothing. I apply this with my oval face brush (#11) and I can have my face done in less than a minute. Plus it is actually light enough and pink enough to match my skin tone perfectly which is so easy feat. At $43, it is definitely an investment but worth it in my opinion. My best advice is to shop Sephora through Ebates* so you can earn cash back (and its even better when its a double cash back day!)

5. Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder (110 Pink Porclain)

This is my perfect finishing powder. It sets my foundation and adds a touch of coverage without becoming too cakey or powdery. I also love that it is so cool toned and pink. I have a problem with a lot of foundations and powders oxidizing on my skin so I end up orange looking by the end of the day but this powder is perfect and the perfect match to the MUFE Cover Stick. Definitely a match made in heaven!

6. Z Palettes (Large)

I have absolutely fallen in love with Z Palettes. They make storing your makeup so much easier! You de-pot your product from its original packaging and using magnets, store your products in a palette. You can use these for eyeshadows, blushes, bronzers, highlights, etc. It makes everything much more streamline. You can store like items in each palette or you can create a custom palette for when you travel of specific blushes, shadows, etc that you want to take. I happened to pick up two of the limited edition lipstick prints before they went out of stock but they have a lot of different color and size options. If you hate having to dig to find specific products, you may want to check these out!

7. Wet N Wild Color Icon Ombre Blushes

When it comes to looking for affordable (and quality) makeup, Wet N Wild is a great place to start. You would think because of the prices that the products would be terrible but while I’ll be honest, there are a few duds here and there, there are tons of hidden gems. These blushes are gems. They are beautifully pigmented, especially if you are fair skinned. If you have a deep skin tone, these may or may not show up well on your skin. They bring a radiance to your skin without being glittery. I have all three shades – top row: In A Purple Haze, Mai Tai Buy You A Drink; bottom row: The Princess Daiquiris. These blushes are well worth $4.99!

8. Makeup Revolution Beyond Radiance Palette

Makeup Revolution is a UK brand that has recently made its way into the US at Ulta and they have some amazing face products. Their highlights are to die for so when I found out that they had them in palette form, I jumped on it quick. These three highlight shades are gorgeous, the packaging is nice and sturdy, and it comes with a large mirror which is perfect for travel. This is definitely a prized piece in my makeup collection! The palette is $15 but like the rest of the drugstore beauty brands, sales at Ulta are frequent and you can always use the coupon!

9. ELF Total Face Palette

This is such a handy (and beautiful!) palette to have in your collection, especially for travel. It contains two blushes, a bronzer, and a highlight shade in a beautiful, silver compact. For only $8, its a no brainer. If you see it, grab it!

10. BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Beauty Sponge

I love using makeup sponges to apply foundation and concealer. Up to now, I have been faithful to my Real Techniques Miracle Sponge (which is still absolutely amazing) but I recently discovered the BH Cosmetics Sponge and oh my goodness, it is amazing. It works flawlessly to blend in concealer underneath my eyes with no creasing or getting cakey. It becomes so super soft when damp that it can make the heaviness foundation buff in like a dream. I still have my RT sponge but I’m not sure I’ll be going back. Shhhh! Don’t tell!

11. Oval Face Foundation Brush

If you watch any YouTube beauty videos, you may have seen a new brush start to make an appearance. Its a large oval face brush and the original brush is by the brand Artis and comes with a $65 price tag. OUCH. I feel faint just thinking about paying that much for ONE brush. I will admit that I was intrigued by the look of the brush but a certain hot place would have to freeze over before I would ever, EVER consider spending that kind of money on a makeup brush so when I came across a similar style brush on Aliexpress for $10, I jumped on it and I am so glad I did. It makes blending in foundation easy and quick. This brush + my MUFE Cover Stick = my foundation dream team.

Those are all of my favorite beauty products for the month! Like I mentioned earlier, I have recently hauled a lot of new products from some brands I’m just discovering so hopefully I will have a lot more products to share in April! Some may be loves and some may not turn out so well! I also hope that along with April showers, comes a more consistent posting schedule and a lot more fun! As far as the Chronic Style series goes, I will start sharing more product review, highlight affordable makeup brands that you may not know about, and hopefully add in some tutorials as well! I am beyond ready to get myself put back together and regain some sense of structure so I am excited for a new month which means lots of new opportunities! Yay!

What are some of your beauty favorites or style favorites lately? What should I be checking out?

 

Disclaimer: All of these products were purchased with my own money and all opinions are 100% my own. Links marked with an * indicate a referral link

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My Word for 2016: Furious

MY-WORD-FOR-2016-FURIOUS

I am a little late getting my act together on what my hopes and dreams are for 2016. I was able to travel for Christmas which was a huge, huge blessing but ever since it has been one major crash after another. As some of you may know, last year I had to have my gallbladder removed (which was a soap opera in and of itself) and the surgeon who performed the procedure noticed that I was full of adhesions but chose to not take them down for some reason beyond my understanding (and several other doctors I have spoken with). Instead he predicted that I would have a major obstruction within a year. Two at most. That surgery was in July and I had an obstruction in November. Thankfully, I know exactly what it means to throw up “coffee grounds” so we were able to catch it early and we were able to avoid surgery with time in the hospital on NPO.

Unfortunately the problems have only continued to get worse. After the gallbladder fiasco, I am done dealing with the local surgeons and my gastroenterologist referred me to surgeon that he hand picked so we can get another opinion of what is really going on and have some sort of plan of action. My endo doctor is also on board with getting another option as with adhesions being the primary issue, she would rather have a skilled general surgeon take the helm but would like a gyn to be on hand to check for endometriosis while they are in there if surgery were to happen. I will also be doing the Clomid challenge soon to check FSH levels for the possible of ORS or endo.

I had my appointment last Monday at CMC for my first consult with the new surgeon. She was really nice, very thorough, and while she was very frank when we spoke (no sugar coating here), she had a great bedside manner. That quality is extremely important to me in learning to trust a doctor. I know things aren’t always going to be puppies and rainbows but delivery is key. Anyone else with me on this?

I appreciated this quality in her even more when she told me that she would be calling a hospital board meeting before making any decisions on what to do next. She would be calling together other surgeons, radiologists, gastroenterologists (including my own), and anesthesiologists to discuss my case and formulate a game plan (you know you are a spoonie when . . . ). The first step will most likely be some type of advanced imaging to get a better idea of what is going on in there. Surgery may be on the table at some point but we are currently between a rock and a hard place. Because of all of my prior surgeries and adhesions, the likelihood of being able to do anything laparoscopically would be next to none and there are obvious risks of doing any kind of full incision (especially when the focus would be in a small area overall). The initial surgical incision if done blindly (or even with scans) can be dangerous or even fatal depending on where things are adhered.

So now we are faced with two options: 1) do we go ahead and do the scans to have them for reference and then wait until I obstruct to go in to fix everything and I just have to suffer with the pain now; or 2) do we take the chance to move ahead with surgery to take down adhesions and hopefully help the pain while risking injury and knowing adhesions could return?

It is definitely a hard question that has been weighing on my mind. The board meeting will be in a couple weeks so hopefully we’ll have some sort of plan put together.

All of this rambling and updating does have a purpose and does tie into the title of this post. Obviously everything that has been going on has made me incredibly anxious and filling my mind with so many doubts and questions. At times I have just felt like my head was spinning but I am ready to get back up, put on my gloves, and start fighting.

So I chose my word for 2016:

Furious.

DEFINITION-OF-FURIOUS

 

Most of the time when people think about the word furious, they think of anger but that is not all of it. The other definition is “full of intensity, energetic, or fierce.”

I don’t want to live 2016 full of anger. I want to live 2016 full of intensity.

I want to live furiously.

I want to love furiously.

I want to work furiously to make a difference in the lives of others.

One song that has trying been a life changing song for me over the past few months is called “Furious Love” by Veridia. It immediately touched me to my core. It reminded me that we can try our butt off trying to please others by being something that we are not but God made each and every one of us perfect just the way we are. He loves us so much, so intensely, and so furiously that He sent us a Savior, a Hero. 

FURIOUS-LOVE-LYRICS-VERIDIA

 

In order to live the life of intensity that I want for myself this year, I need to set goals for myself. I always try to think of my health in a holistic sense so I want to set a goal to cover each area of my life including the physical, mental/emotional, spiritual, something that is just fun and something to get out of your comfort zone.

Here are my goals:

1- In order to help my body have more energy in 2016, I will strive exercise four days a week (with a minimum of a 10 minute walk). I would also like to look fierce in my bathing suit at Disney in September 🙂

2- In order to better focus my mind and emotions so that I can focus on enjoying the positive ones more fully in 2016, I will strive to find alternative ways to confront my anxiety, such as through writing, art, or possibly equine therapy.

3- In order to ignite a deeper and more furious love for Christ in 2016, I will strive to read at least one spiritual/discipleship book a month and start keeping a prayer journal again. Some of the books on my reading list are Dear Woman by Chavos Buycks, God is Able by Priscilla Shrirer,  and Chronic Resilience by Danea Horn.

4- In order to have some furious fun 2016, I will strive to expand my makeup skills by taking at least one in person makeup lesson/course and at least 2 online courses. I know there are places in the Charlotte area that offer classes (meet up anyone? LOL) and there are also websites where you can receive one-on-one instruction from a makeup artist or stylist via webcam. This goal has me really excited!

5- In order to have a life full of intensity and challenge myself to spread my wings in 2016, I will strive to write an ebook this year! It is something that I have always wanted to do but the thought honestly scares the crap out of me which is even more of a reason why I should strive to achieve it this year! Would anyone even want to read a book that I’ve written?! Ack! My stomach has butterflies just typing this! Can I do this?

I will be sharing more about my blogging goals for the year tomorrow but these are the five big ones I will focus on to make me a healthier person as a whole in 2016. I am so super excited and can’t wait to get started!

Did you select a word for 2016? What are some of your goals or hopes for the year?

 

P.S. Back in the day, A New Kind of Normal had a feature called “Sharing Our Spoons” where each of us would set goals for ourself and have monthly check ins on how we were doing to help support and encourage one another. It was also set up in a way to encourage us to take care of ourselves as a whole, not just the physical aspects of our health. I would love to do that again if anyone is interested! You don’t have to follow the same holistic model if you don’t want to but if you just have a couple goals for the year that you would like to receive some support and encouragement, that would work as well too! Just leave me a comment or shoot me an email!

P.S.S. If you would also like to live furiously in 2016 and would like a visual reminder for your blog, grab the banner in the sidebar!

disclaimer

Information posted here should not be considered medical advice. It is not intended to replace consultation with physicians or other healthcare providers. A New Kind of Normal covers my personal experience and because every person's experience is unique, it should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare.

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