5 Necessary Cozy Office Decorations

I’m a firm believer that you have to be comfortable in your own space. More often than not, I’m at work more than I am at home so excuse my language when I say Hell Yes, I want to be comfy in my office bubble. And being on the mend has changed a lot of my perspective because I’m at the point where I don’t want to take care of allllllll my clutter. So in looking around my office, I believe it’s time to redecorate.

I’ve had my customers come in and say it feels cozy and yes, that helps too. Your surroundings affect how you feel and how others feel around you in that space. I’m no neat freak by far, like seriously from Death Valley to the moon far, but it’s time for a change. Besides Spring and Summer are here and it’s time to put away the dark table coverings and replace the dark folders and dark decorations and clear off a bit more space to feel fresh and hopefully keep the cozy feeling.

So here’s my necessary items that I keep my workspace cute and cozy no matter what theme I have.

Himalayan salt stone lamp - No matter what beliefs you have, this thing is amazing. They come in sizes small to OMG huge, but the benefits are awesome. Electronics put out positive ions that can mess with your body’s stuff and cause harm like headaches if you have a desk job that has you staring at a computer screen all day. This lamp gives off negative ions to cancel them out and I haven’t had a headache since. Who’s saving money on ibuprofen and Tylenol? Also it’s a cute conversation starter because trust me, everyone notices it and every kid will want to know what it is.

Shiny Canister - I’m a huge fan of shiny and glitter anything. I tend to lean into walking around like a disco ball but I understand for some people it can be too much. So walking around Hobby Lobby, I found this canister on clearance and while it looks deep, it’s not but it does have room to hold some candy or keys or in my case a stash of Colgate wisps for after lunch.

Scentsy or wax warmer – avoiding open flame in the workplace is pretty standard and with the variety of people I see and sometimes smell on a daily basis, having the room smell nice is essential. Living in the Southwest, agriculture is a big part of our industry but I don’t necessarily need my office to smell like cows. Just sayin.

Statement Piece (My cross) - Now most of my things are kinda general but I like to pull my personality in and that can be with a statement piece. This was a gift from my mom for my birthday a few years back. A friend of hers had made one for my mom for Christmas and it was gorgeous but could I bring it back with me? NOOO. Then this beauty came in and I was more than ok with it. My favorite colors plus glitter and you have me wrapped up with a fleur di lis. Who could ask for more?

Hand Sanitizer/Lotion – I’m a sucker for office supplies so when I found this little organizer on clearance at Hobby Lobby, I was determined to use it. Stick on a few scrapbook gems and a monogram and I have a space for my much needed hand sanitizer and lotion. Bath and Body Works is a good friend to have and having a wonderful friend who works there to let you know when the good sales are happening is even better and slightly dangerous. But anyone who works with the public knows that it’s a must and I don’t mind sharing it with my clients either. They feel great and smell great and with how sick I am, it makes me feel better.







Check out some of my other posts...

Travel Reality - http://bit.ly/2travelwoe

Tales of the Tank - http://bit.ly/TOTTBackpack

My Monthly Favories - http://bit.ly/LApril17F




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7 Perks to Living Alone

I’ve always been pretty independent, even according to my mom as a kid, and a lot of that helps me now that I’m working out this adulting part of life. I’ve lived by myself for a long time. Even with roommates in college, my dorm life went from roomy to no roomy for different reasons and my RA just never gave me a new one. Even when I lived off campus with other roomies, we had such different schedules that we weren’t at the apartment at the same time most of the time. And now with no school and no roommates, there’s definitely a lot of upsides to living by yourself.

1.       The ability to walk and be around the house in PJs or less. There’s no one around to be decent or sexy or modest for. If you want to walk around without pants as soon as you get home, then let the trail of clothes begin

Google is on point in the search area

2.       Have it your way. No, seriously. Even in a rental, there are a million things to make your place your own. There’s a living room, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen that can all be decorated differently with your own taste with no arguments other than yourself(because yes, that will happen). But double check the ability to paint, because big changes are usually a no with landlords. I’ve been toying with the idea of temporary wall paper. Hang it up and work it out and if and when I move, it is supposed to come off but there’s more research to be done on that end.

Yes this is on my board, follow me there too in the side bar

3.       Have one bathroom schedule to keep or not. Unless you have guests staying over, there’s no Dr. Sheldon Cooper telling you that it’s not your turn or where to keep your toiletries

Ultimate roommate situation - thank you Google Search

4.       There’s no roommates to blame for the dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher. There’s no one else to complain for leaving clothes in the washer and dryer. Everything is up to you and if you want to leave it, that is at your own risk. You can really test your own limits with chores and I feel that it helps get you in gear because if it bothered you with roommates, it will bother you more without them. And if it didn’t bother you, it will now, guaranteed or I have no sanity.

And the internet provides

5.       You literally have your own space. One issue that I had with living on campus was that yes I got my own half of the room but the times where I needed to just be alone and handle my thoughts or life in general, I couldn’t be alone. When you do, yes you have to deal with yourself but you can do that in peace. So if it’s Netflix and ice cream or blaring your stereo to get some energy out, you can just do you boo boo.

It really provides so much truth in life

6.       Sprawl out all over your bed or couch or floor, wherever your little heart desires!!! It’s one thing if you live with roommates or a significant other, but being able to leave the trail of clothes at the door or falling asleep in a starfish fashion on your bed is a great feeling. With roommates, you have to respect each other’s boundaries, but when it’s all yours then there are none. So lay across the couch or paint your toes in the living room with a sheet mask on.

I know I've slept all these ways and maybe a few more lol

7.       Be as quiet or as loud as you want. Trust me both extremes will come into play. Going thru life with roomies, there’s usually something going on. Living on campus, my friends usually had a tv show going on when I came ‘home’ or some sort of music. My older brother is a wonderful musician as is my younger brother, so classical music, big band, Dixieland, and other band arrangements of popular songs were being made at all times of the day and night for a majority of my life. That was the biggest change when I started living alone so the quietness got on my nerves, so I will always have access to movies being played in the background, or music or videos on Youtube to keep my mind from wandering. (Also I’ve gotten to a point where I can measure how much time I’ve spent by how long a song or movie was. Works wonders in the mornings.) But then there are times like me writing this post, where I’m a bit sick from stomach and headache issues, sound is the enemy and it can be quiet for however long I need it to be. No one to remind that I feel like crap and appropriately hiss when they turn on the light, or the tv, or the xbox. 

Yasss, Fave feel better movie

Now that you've read 7 perks, check out

5 Lifesavers When Late

10 Beauty Products For the Grown

*I read this little article from the Huffington Post the other day about beauty products that every grown woman should have. Going through it, I can agree with most of them. They are pretty vague and basic, and sometimes we need simple and basic, but I think we can also just up it just a tad. So I want to go through Dana Oliver’s list with my two cents and you can take what you will and add your opinion in the comments.

1. Red Lipstick – Every grown woman needs some shade of red lipstick, or lippie as the new lingo goes. If you haven’t heard of the Lipstick Index or the Lipstick Effect, Google it and learn you some because this makes sense in an odd way. Red lipstick is always seen as a classic staple in makeup and has withstood the test of time. So what is noticed is that when financial times, like the stock market or the economy in general, is down or even in great or great tragic events, then the sales of lipstick, particularly in red, skyrocket. They saw it during the Great Depression, after 9/11, and the recession beginnings of 2008. This I totally agree with because anyone can stick with a standard drug store red and look like a million bucks without breaking the budget or have your designer but still not have to worry as much as say the purse or shoes from said designer. But I’d say the more modern way to go is the liquid lipstick or a pigmented lip balm. For people like me who lick their lips too much, it’s just important to know what works for you.

2-5. Facial Cleanser, Moisturizer, Concealer, Eye cream – I don’t know of any woman or girl for that matter who didn’t have issues when puberty hit. In my case, I had and still have extremely oily and crazy sensitive skin. During puberty, I think there was a bidding war between countries to see who’d place ‘dibbs’ on my face. Now, I have the acne scars and the pores remaining from those tough times and still have oily skin. But I do know how to combat them. Part of it is a great cleanser but I think more of it is finding out how your skin reacts to certain cleansers and the chemicals in these kinds of products. Long story short –LOOK AT THE INGREDIENTS!! It doesn’t matter the reviews on a product, if there is oil or certain acids, I put it down and back away. And if times are tough, look into some at home remedies, like warm tea bags (I prefer chamomile or green) over the eyes to help with puffiness or my newer love with le Eye Panda. Pinterest is amazing that way.  

6. Hair Dryer- Now this can go either way depending on how many of you rely on blow drying your hair. I can’t complain when I say that getting the right amount of volume is nice and I agree with Dana when saying a few extra bucks for quality is worth it, but I also know that my $20 Conair hair dryer has lasted about 7 years going over my hair that has ranged in length from above shoulder length, to the middle of my back. So if I am to take or leave this one, I’d probably leave it.

7. Sunscreen – this is not new because Dana is absolutely right when she quote Kerry Washington who said that there’s no excuse to not wear sunscreen daily, even in winter. If your foundation, BB cream, CC cream, etc doesn’t show SPF, then it has no business on your face.

8. Fragrance – Now the post says that they don’t believe that you “need” a signature scent but I beg to differ. Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory. Now do you need to douse yourself every day? No and please don’t, because you’ll stop smelling it on yourself and everyone will smell too much. Mix it up every now and then but having that staple can and will make you memorable in a good way if you do it right. That’s why even now into my mid twenties, I have a mix of great perfume and body spray.

9. Top coat nail polish – ok I wasn’t even allowed to wear nail polish until maybe 9^th grade, the Quinceaῆera milestone, aka Sweet 15, in the Hispanic community is very much strong in my family. But even then I knew if you didn’t have a base and topcoat, then forget about keeping that mani. So I’d leave that off of the ‘woman list’ since that should be learned at a younger age.

10. Mascara- I left this one for last because the sad little single sentence does NOT do this product justice. I love mascara. If I could only wear one thing, it’s mascara. “The eyes are the window to the soul.” Your lashes can be accentuated, appear longer, fuller, and act as an accent without taking the importance away from the eyes. No offense to the false lashes, even I’ll wear them occasionally, but when you find your soul mascara, then you are on top of the world in my opinion. I've got my go-to's and some new loves here if you wanna look that way.


Here's the article btw

Too Young? Take a Double Take

I saw this mini post from Fashionista and I couldn’t stay away. There’s apparently a lot of controversy over it and I really wish there was more to the article than there was, but on the other hand, it does leave a lot open for discussion. Oh internet, gotta love it.

Mario Dedivanovic is a celebrity makeup artist, notably for Kim Kardashian but she’s not important. The key words are Celebrity MakeUp Artist. As in he gets paid high dollar for artistic work in the form of makeup. So he does have an idea of what good makeup is. He knows what he's talking about when looking at the picture, which of course, blew up on le Instagram.

Honestly, I can kind of see how this can be taken the wrong way. I attribute that, partially, to living in a conservative part of the country but I’m also from a close traditional Hispanic family. Children are supposed to be innocent and little and I’m all for stalling the adulthood process. However, I don’t have kids and I see this in a different way and from looking at some of the comments, so do a lot of other people.

I started dancing at 5. I did ballet, tap, jazz, my personal favorite being ballet folklorico so any time we had a performance, there my mom was putting on my makeup. Now as a five year old looking at myself in full coverage cakey paint with red marks on my cheeks and my most hated enemy…. the black stuff on my eye lashes that never completely came out until I washed my face a dozen times. And it was expected for it to be weird and eventually annoying because yes, I was a child. But it was so worth it and it came with the gig. As I grew older I got used to it and learned how to do it myself, however comma, that was the only time I was allowed to wear it.

My family is definitely on the old fashioned side. I was lucky when I could shave my legs at the age of twelve and that is because I was so intimidated by everyone in my class who wore shorts and dresses and I honestly only ever wore pants because I wasn't allowed to shave my legs. I pushed some of the boundaries in junior high with some light eye shadow and the only mascara I was allowed to use was a clear one from some tween brand that doesn’t even exist anymore. But 15 was the magic number. Then I could wear makeup on a daily basis, do my eyebrows, date, the possibilities were endless. Did it suck getting there? Of course it did, puberty sucks for everyone.

Bringing it back to this controversial photo, I think that people forget that there are differences between my dance makeup story at five as a regular person who had no idea what the internet was at that time and this child model getting makeup applied by a makeup artist for a professional photo shoot. Now Mario did not do this look on the little model. He posted a picture of artistic work from his industry. This young girl obviously had a real life job to do and she did it fantastically and is looking cute and glamorous and confident, which is probably where the 'future daughter' part comes from.

The argument could be made that it is spreading the idea of over sexualizing girls and they are just getting younger and younger but forced to grow up. There’s the fighting over pageant girls who look like tiny adults but even look that the comparison sample via google images. 

Are their similarities? Yes and why is that? Because they are performing! Whether it be pageants, dance recitals, modeling, or making movies require makeup and when it comes to photos they also require editing. That's just how it is. When someone is getting paid and especially paid well, then they are going to bring out their best work. Whether or not, someone goes overboard on the photoshop is a different can of worms. All that being said, it should be obvious that these kids do not go out every day like this. 

The fact remains that there was a job to be done and that’s how child stars are born. Mario Dedivanovic isn’t saying that all little girls should rock a winged eyeliner with a super cute lip. And honestly, if you think that is what is happening, then reconsider having kids or if you do have kids, then it’s up to you to show them otherwise. There's more than 'face value' so to speak so before you get offended, just think about it a minute before writing up a petition.

Phat Girls

Ok ready the soap box ladies, I need to ascend. Now I understand that due to technology and laziness, the human mind has a tendency to go blahhhhhhh *cue drool*. So many people do not have an imagination or just are at a lack of words. I can’t narrow that down to just men, because it’s women too. Maybe it’s because I see myself as creative or maybe I’m just a smart a$$, but I’ve also seen where different people, especially women, don’t approve of being described as plus size. It’s a matter of preference, yes, but I am also not the type of person to say don’t call me fat because it’s bullying or offensive.

Honestly, I don’t know why some people don’t like to be called plus size, but I can only imagine that it goes hand in hand with my distaste for the description of “chubby”.  When I hear chubby, I picture a child or toddler who hasn’t lost their baby fat or a kid who doesn’t know better. It’s also said to me with a tone of pity and shame and I’m not ok with that. I know I have mentioned it before about being the biggest woman at work, that’s a given. It’s not a shame, it just is. So when I ask customers if they remember which person they talked to, it’s either the lady in the big office, the corner office, the one in the middle and the chubby one…..see the difference yet???

I understand that my size is the first thing people see when they see me, but come one people! Have you no other way to describe a person? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need a customer to call up and describe me as bodacious or voluptuous, because that is super weird and creepy. I know I’m big, you know I’m big. If you feel the need to address someone by their size, keep it short and simple, say big or bigger. It’s not derogatory, it just is. I’m big, as captain obvious may say, so don’t think you’re doing anyone favors when dancing around words and round arm gestures to describe a person. Open up a thesaurus for crying out loud.

Just for Your FYI - I'm Not Your Bae - Torrid

This wonderful outfit from Torrid is fabulous and would be the only way I would acknowledge the word bae. I was never a fan of it and was one of those people who had to look it up when I heard it. (No shame or judgement) and what I found is that bae is Danish for poop, feces, crap shit, etc.
Urban dictionary defines it as a phrase of endearment as an acronym for 'Before Anyone Else'. Now maybe I'm just a English type person who tries her best to speak or write grammatically correct and fully understands that we all occasionally have a brain fart or three, but other people don't and it makes me question their IQ. 

Call it judgmental, call it stuck up, call me whatever you'd like but I didn't go to school to be called someone's crap or before anyone else. Since most tend to use it as a noun, it makes for sense to use it in the denotative state rather than the alternative. 

So in the end, kudos to Torrid for making me smile. That's all.

You Don't Just Talk With Your Hands - Nifty Nails

In my line of work, people are always looking at my hands. There's a lot of typing and pointing involved, so it's obvious to have a good hand care routine. I do have a bit of sensitive skin and that can seem limiting, but if anything it just makes you pay attention to the things your using.

I've had some great luck with Mary Kay Satin Hands. I've always loved their sugar scrubs and in the set it is just heaven. Even my brother uses it to help with his super dry hands. Now I understand that sometimes the MK price isn't always the desired amount and to that I can only say, Pinterest. There's a DIY recipe for homemade sugar scrubs so browse away and follow me while you're there.

There's a few ladies at work who have their nail guys number practically memorized. You have the acrylic cult and the gel lover. Even one our very own coworker is a certified cosmetologist so she just does her own and sometimes shares the knowledge, tips, and tricks. I have tried the acrylic but do prefer the gel. I just can't take the wear and tear on my nail beds time after time. Occasionally I attempt to get creative with some insight from our cosmetologist and it's not terrible but time consuming. I love doing my nails, there is no doubt about that so when I tried these Nail Strips from Sally Hansen and KISS, I have decided that these people need some kind of prize.

It seemed simple enough. Match the nail, stick it and file the excess off. Especially with the french tip, just popping a clear quick dry and BAM. Nails done with left overs for next time. Now the package says they should stay on for about 10 days. I tried the Sally Hansen ones first and I wish I kept a picture of them. They stayed on well for about two weeks so we'll see how these from KISS hold up. I get a lot of compliments on them and 8 dollars at the drug store beats out 30 for me any day. (Pedicures are a different story tho - just needed to point that out)