Posts in Beauty
Giving Is What Truly Matters

Around the holidays, a lot of us tend to get so stressed out at work, stressed about family, stressed about getting gifts, the list goes on! But the absolute most important part about the holiday season - and any time of year, for that matter, is G I V I N G. giving Although it's a hobby, blogging has brought so much joy into my life in the past couple months. I was invited to share my thoughts, challenges & support into the Bloggers Gonna Blog Facebook group a little while back, and it has changed the game for me. I never thought I could meet such talented, motivated & supportive people over the internet! The group has played a huge role in teaching me that blogging and building your personal brand is oh, SO much more than that. It's about CONNECTING with others and GIVING the support that you want and need as well. It takes a whole community to build a community. I'm so thankful to be part of such an awesome group of like-minded peeps. Georgie & Christina coordinated a big gift exchange for us all and I was so excited to give and get my gift! 

Secret Santa

My beautiful bloggy secret santa was Cassie from Almost Getting It Together! Cassie is a blogger in San Francisco who works full time in marketing and has time to run her awesome website. I love reading through all of her tips and lifestyle posts! Check out her blog for simple recipes and awesome travel tips.

Cassie put together one awesome gift. I've never tried these Rise Bars before and I'm so glad she introduced me to them because they're delicious!! Such wholesome ingredients. My favorite was the Carob Chip and the Sunflower Cinnamon! I haven't bought these at the grocery store yet, but my bet is that you can for sure find them at a Whole Foods! Cassie hit the nail right on the head here as I'm always on the go or in the office and ALWAYS need to have my snacks on me ;)

risebar

risebar2

Cassie also sent over some Cheesy Pizza Kale Chips! Another great snack to always have on hand.

kale

The next two items are my favorite. This Sweet Almond and Raspberry Seed oil has been saving my skin every night. Even though this winter has been extremely mild [not complaining], as soon as the weather gets below 70, my skin seriously turns into leather [Florida baby]. I get so dry! This oil makes my face and hands feel smooth and refreshed all the time. I've been using it at night and my skin doesn't feel so parched in the morning. 

oil,

I also received this amazing DIY skin care kit from Leonamade.com. The ingredients all come from family farms and fair trade coops. It's all natural and includes coconut oil - I'm in! I can't wait to experiment with this. I also love knowing exactly what's going into the product that I schmear on my face every night. 

skincare

leona

Thank you SO much, Cassie for the amazing Secret Santa gift! I'm so thankful to be part of such an awesome group. Going into 2016 I can't wait to keep connecting with other bloggers. It's so important to give support in order to receive it. Check out Beverly's post on sweatyandfit.com to see what I got her for our gift exchange! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful, fantastic, all around amazing holiday this year. 

XO- Rach

What are your Christmas plans? New Years plans?

Did you take part in a gift exchange this year?

What's your favorite part about the holidays?

What's up Wednesday?

Happy Hump Day! This post consists of some random thoughts as I sit here drinking this amazing latte from Cymplify...

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset Job Hunt

I have a job interview today. This is one out of two that I've had so far and I've applied to about 50. Who's in the same boat? Isn't it fun!! This weekend is a bit freed up for me so other than enjoying the amazing weather (supposed to be in the 70's this weekend!) I plan on applying for about 30 more. It's a hefty goal but I am getting real determined because April is around the corner. I also recently started my free trial of LinkedIn Premium, which has been making the job search a little easier. Thank you, LinkedIn!

Instagram Layout

Instagram released a new app this week called Layout. If you are obsessed with Instagram like I am this is pretty exciting! It's a new photo editing app that allows you to get really creative with photography layouts. It's very easy to use! You can create a custom layout or use one of many layouts that the app provides. Read more about it here.

Healthy Skin

Lately my skin has been looking and feeling really healthy to me and I thought I would share a few things I have been doing differently! I have always had pretty healthy skin, but it's usually really dry, sensitive and easily irritated. I don't use a lot of skin care products but there's two that have made a big difference lately!

Vitamin C Oil - I have been applying this every night after I wash my face and I absolutely love it! It is a little oily, but it has made my skin extremely smooth and hydrated when I wake up every morning. It has a ton of antioxidants that are beneficial for skin. It reduces inflammation, promotes the growth of collagen and diminishes the appearance of sun damage. Miracle oil! According to Dr. Oz, it can drop a decade off of your face. Not sure how much truth is in that statement, but I have definitely noticed a positive change!

Lush Love Lettuce Exfoliating Face Mask - A friend lent me some of this to try out last week and I absolutely love it!! It's awesome. Totally natural ingredients, smells awesome and makes my skin feel amazing. Because of the natural ingredient list, it needs to be refrigerated, and when you apply it, it feels cool and soothing. Unfortunately there is not a Lush store in Gainesville, but as soon as I am near one I am going to pick up some more.

This Newfie Video

I have an obsession with big dogs. Half of my Twitter and Instagram news feeds consists of dogs. I cannot wait until I can have my own Golden Retriever/Huskie/Aussie/Newfie/German Shepard/All of the above. So I'll leave you with this adorable video that I've watched way too many times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEdRUyN6Kfo