A Year of Ipsy

Last year, I got an email from my sister (via Ipsy) telling me that she sent me a free Glam Bag. Of course, there was a catch: I had to sign up for a membership. “No biggie.” I thought. All I had to do was sign up to receive my bag and cancel the membership before the next month. After all, I don’t wear makeup and I prefer to keep my skincare routine pretty minimalist with all-natural products.

Well, let’s just say that some things don’t always go according to plan… 😅

So what is Ipsy anyway? Ipsy is a monthly subscription service where for $10 a month, you can try out five samples of makeup and skincare products that come in a cute makeup bag; or for $25 a month, you can subscribe to the Glam Bag Plus where you get five full size products (but no cute bag).

I’m subscribed to both and I’ve been pleased with my experience. Ipsy has made my skincare journey fun! I've enjoyed trying out new products, especially luxury brands. Speaking of which, I loooooove getting luxury items for a deal! For instance, last month I got the 111Skin Vitamin C Brightening Booster, which retails for $180, in my Glam Bag Plus for $25 along with 4 other items!

However, there have been a few drawbacks. For me, the main one is product overload. I’m drowning in lip glosses! (If it weren’t for my sister, I’d be drowning in eye makeup too.) Another one is that my preferences seem to be overlooked. I have indicated that I prefer skincare products over makeup, but 12/13 of the bags I’ve received have been makeup-heavy.

Luckily, these issues come with simple fixes. For instance, to avoid product overload, you can choose to skip a bag/box for a month or two (I decided to skip the July Glam Bag Plus). If you miss out on the bag for that month, don’t fret. You can buy the bags from eBay or you can make swaps within the My Subscription Addiction community. As for product preferences, many in the community recommend that to get your perfect bag, you should a) review the products you receive every month, and b) keep your beauty preferences up to date. (We'll see how my August bag turns out.)

Want to give Ipsy a try? Click here to use my referral link to subscribe!

Until next time!

Love,

Monique ❤

P.S. Here are some of my favorites thus far:

Favorite bag: October 2018

So cute! I could not think of a better bag to have for the Halloween season!


Favorite Product: BKR Hydrating Water Balm (From the July 2018 bag)

Source: Ipsy

This is a must for winter!! ☝🏾


Favorite Overall Bag: June 2019

A mostly-skincare bag + TETRIS = A winning combination for me!

Adventures in...Coaching?

Source: MaxPixel

Yes, you read that right! I'm working on becoming a coach 🙂

And, no, not a health and wellness coach, nor a beauty coach, but rather a life coach.

To make a long story short, I know what it's like to have a lot of big dreams and goals but getting stuck on the execution. Maybe it's because you're unclear on how to get started. Maybe you're overwhelmed by the process. Or maybe you just have a fear of failure. Whatever the case, I want to help you through it.

I also know what it's like to get caught up in the gimmicky, salesy world of personal development. Everyone seems to have the answer for all of life's problems and they're willing to share it with the world...for a fee of course. However, let me be the first to say that there are truly some great, genuine, and hard-working coaches out there and I'm thankful to be able to work with some of them 🙂

With that said, right now, I'm looking at taking on three new clients, so if you're interested, send me a message through the "Contact" page. If you know someone who would be interested in working with an up-and-coming life coach, please share this post with them.

Until next time!

Love,

Monique ❤

A Little Unconventional

Today's Weight: 218.6

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and bacon with collard greens (Pictured above)

Dinner: Greek salad with chicken

Thoughts: My breakfast is a little on the unconventional side, but I needed to get my greens in so this was the first thing I could get my hands on.

Also, I was glad to have a day off from work (state holiday). I spent today getting some shopping done and later coming home to cut up some Lush bath bombs.

Peachy bath bomb.

I had a total of five bath bombs I've been hanging onto for months now, but for one reason or another, they went unused. Since I'm working on eliminating products with added fragrance and colors from my skincare regimen, I figured that the best use for them would be aromatherapy. I plan on dissolving a chunk before or during a shower and letting the fragrance fill the entire bathroom.

With that said, I ask you, what are some unconventional methods you've used to achieve a goal? What are some unconventional ways you've used products?

Until next time!

Love,

Monique ❤

A Snack Attack

Source: Wikimedia

Today's Weight: 217.4

Snacks: Half an order of fries from Dairy Queen, pepperoni slices, a mind KIND bar, and a few slices of chicken.

Thoughts: Yeah...definitely didn't do well with the eating today...

These snacks weren't consumed in one sitting, so I had several chances to turn things around and eat on plan, yet I didn't.

Why?

Well, it wasn't because I was eating my anxiety. Rather, it was that the food was just...there. And I knew it would taste good and I knew that I wanted some.

After all, when would be the next time I will get french fries, right?

Instead of just mindlessly eating, I should have just followed Coach Jennifer's advice when it comes to cravings:

1. Do a 20-minute pause.
2. Check in with your thoughts and feelings.

Looking back, my feelings were of desire. These feelings didn't come out of nowhere, but rather from the thoughts that I had about the food ("It would taste good", "When will be the next time I'll get fries", etc.).

This is a skill that I know I need to develop in order to get to my goal weight, yet the pause is a pain because it's so inconvenient. Even I'm not exceptionally busy most of the time, I have other obligations that require my time and attention (work, family, and other goals of mine). I barely have the space to breathe.

How do you practice mindfulness in the midst of busyness and chaos? Let me know down in the comments.

Until next time!

Love,

Monique ❤

And Now for Something Different...

Today's Weight: 218.6

Breakfast: Sausage and Egg Scrambler, an Iced Caramel Craze Latte, and a French Cruller from Dunkin' (Donuts) (Don't worry, guys, this was a planned treat.)

Lunch: Roasted Greek salmon and coleslaw

Thoughts: "I don't feel like writing today. As a matter of fact, I don't really feel like doing anything today." (Cue "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars)

Well, clearly, I pushed through the resistance to get this post done.

As much as I would like to continue the deep, thought-provoking posts that I've been making, I also made a promise to you guys to be more transparent.

And this is how I'm going to start. Beginning this month, I'm going to post every day about my current weight, what I ate, my thoughts and feelings, and maybe an update here and there about what else I have going on in my life.

With that said, I've also made a promise to myself to eliminate products with added artificial scents and colors by the end of the year from my skincare regimen. Unfortunately, this means that my relationship with Lush will soon come to an end.

(Unless they decide to release a line of fragrance-free and dye-free products, and I will gladly spearhead and sponsor that project!)

For those of you already on board with fragrance- and color-free skincare products, let me know what you use. I'm especially curious about bath products.

Until next time!

Love,

Monique ❤

Coming out of Hiding

Remember when I said that consistency was my biggest struggle? Well, that’s been pretty much been the reason why I’ve been MIA for almost a month now.

Unlike previous bouts of inconsistency with blogging, I’ve actually had a lot happen that I could’ve written about; however, I was just too ashamed to talk about my experiences, not only with you guys, but also to my coach.

I was afraid of the criticisms that I would receive if I shared what had been going on. For instance, if I told you all that I have been up and down the same five pounds for weeks, you all would think, “You’ve received over a year of coaching. Surely you would have this weight loss thing on lock by now.” (I’ll respond about this more in another post, but for now I’ll say that such is not the case.) After all, you’re only supposed to post on social media once everything’s perfect, right?

Well, I want to change that.

I’m going to be more transparent with you guys. I know what it’s like to be frustrated by people on social media who just appear out of nowhere and they have have lost weight, gotten out of debt, and/or are in relationships (or engaged...or married). Not that you’re not happy for them, but when their stories are told, it seems as though they just found success overnight. Like they just received the secret to solving an issue that you have been struggling for years.

But with that said, I do plan on posting more often. At least once a week if only to update you all on my current weight. Also, you’ll be seeing more pictures of me!

Thrilling! 🙃

Until next time!

Love,

Monique ❤

Nothing Went Wrong

Source: Max Pixel

Normally, my coaching sessions would be nice and pleasant. An hour-long girl’s chat with Coach Jennifer about my week, especially my struggles and thoughts. Usually, these struggles would be about food, but sometimes we’d talk about my struggles in other areas. More often than not, Coach Jennifer patiently listen to me and would provide impactful and simple advice.

However, during this last session, she had to get tough with me.

And she’s making me talk about my experiences in this blog post.

(Takes deep breath) So here it goes...

For 10 years now, I have carried resentment and regret for my performance in high school.

Not that I was a bad student. My GPA out of high school was 3.25. I also participated in my fair share of activities such as HOSA and FBLA.

My hangup?

I was ranked 36th in my class.

Now, if you know my graduating class, there were about 108-110 of us. So to the untrained eye, I did pretty well still, right?

Well, my problem is that I was (and still sort of am) a perfectionist.

I knew that I wasn’t going to be valedictorian. Much of my 10th grade year promised that (especially Geometry and history), but I still thought that I would be ranked in the top 20.

But then I got my ranking.

I.

Was.

Devastated.

Rinse and repeat in college, but this time I finished with a 2.77 GPA. (I failed calculus twice, an English class, a chemistry class, and got a failure to attend in my psychology writing class.)

Clearly, there was no “anything” cum laude.

No medals.

No honor cords.

Nothing.

Despite the smiles in my pictures, despite finishing with a B.S. degree in Psychology, despite being the first person to finish college in my family since my uncle in the 1980s; I was miserable.

Surely, I thought that my college performance would make up for not excelling in high school, but I did worse.

All my life, school had been my thing. Making the “A” or “A/B” honor roll was nothing foreign to me, especially from pre-K to 5th grade (I would still receive the honors periodically from 6th grade on). Now, without the grades, the GPAs, or the coverings of clout in the form of medals or honor cords, I felt like nothing.

And we’re just talking about grades. I’m not even going to get into talking about standardized test scores and the fact I did zero internships in college.


I felt like I had let everybody down. In fact, I knew that I let myself down. Given my present reality, I thought that if I had done everything right, gotten the grades and made the connections and stuff, I would be rewarded with a life of success and freedom from pain and disappointment.

So after giving Coach Jennifer a slightly more condensed version about my experiences in high school and college, she asked me a simple question:

“What if your experience in high school went the way that it was supposed to?”

…

Huh?

Sis, what?

I didn’t really have an answer for her. After all, if everything went the way it was supposed to, using society’s measure of success, I would probably be much happier and better off than I am now.

“Nothing. Went. Wrong.” She said afterwards.

I never really thought about it like that before. Because I wasn’t swimming with accolades, scholarships and other monies, and people begging me to be a part of their school or staff, I thought I was a failure.

Despite my rebuttals, she told me that I was playing the victim. Again, I never thought of it that way before. I thought “playing the victim” was something external, something malicious or narcissistic people did did when they were trying to get something like money and/or sympathy.

She followed that up by reminding me of my power, telling me that I make the decision for what success looks like.

Needless to say, I was shook after that coaching session.

If that wasn’t enough, I received confirmation of the need for a mindset shift when I had the exact same conversation with my mom not even 15 minutes later.

So with all of that said, I have quite a bit of work ahead of me, and I’m not just talking about the homework Coach Jennifer gave me (this was the biggest assignment!). Rather, I have to work on undoing all the years of having thoughts that didn’t serve me. The thoughts of being the victim, believing my happiness and success to be at the mercy of grades, awards, and people.

All of these experiences happened, and they happened the way they were supposed to. Moreover, they’re all in the past and I can’t keep living there.

Nothing.

Went.

Wrong.

Eating Through Anxiety

So the past week has been interesting. I did very well eating on plan and working with my coach and lost four pounds.

But then anxiety struck.

I was working on a project that I was trying to finish before the month ended, and I had a small binge. This week, my boss has been more critical than usual. I was fine until yesterday when I binged again.

And these are just the big things that have worried me. Lately, I’ve been feeling stuck and feeling inferior because I’m 27 and I haven’t done anything big in my life. No dream job, no moving to a new city, no relationships, no saving the world.

Nothing.

Oh, and did I mention my 10th year class reunion is coming up in October?

Anyway,  I’m back up four pounds now...

How do you cope with anxiety and stress without eating? How have you overcome feelings of inferiority? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time.

Love,

Monique ❤️

New Lush Bath Bombs!

So Lush just released a bunch of new bath bombs today. Of course, there are a few I'm excited to try out like Turmeric Latte, Honey I Washed the Kids (yes, it's in a bath bomb now!), and Magma.

But then I saw the Japanese-themed bath bombs.

I'm a bit of an shinnichi, so I was ecstatic when I saw these bath bombs! However, there are three that I'm especially fascinated by.


Lucky Cat

Feelin' lucky? This pink kitty beckons you to the bath with its botanical scent. Fizzing fast into fluffy fuchsia waters, Lucky Cat's multi-colored stars burst from the center, waving in good fortune and leaving you feline fine. With a classic, botanical blend of jasmine absolute, neroli and ylang ylang, this is one fresh and floral kitty that'll leave you feeling brand mew.

Even though it's cute and I'm sure the fragrance is lovely, I feel that the color(s) and floral aroma for this kitty is a little unexpected. For the name "Lucky Cat", it would've been nice to have a gold, white and gold, or white and brown calico-colored bath bomb with a sweet, earthy fragrance. Maybe a frankincense and vanilla blend with cinnamon, sandalwood, or ylang ylang.

I'll still buy it as is though. Pink is my favorite color and I love cats!

Harajuku

Soak it up Harajuku style and get lost in a kaleidoscope of scent and color. Full of bubblegum sweetness, this candied bath bomb blends punchy Brazilian orange oil with balsamic benzoin resinoid and sugary vanilla. Step out the water and into the light with a bubble pop electric fragrance that lingers on your skin long after your bath.

Now this one is a little bit more expected. It's bright and it's described as smelling sweet. Of course, it's easy to criticize this bath bomb for just two primary colors, especially considering the wide range of colors (and styles!) of Harajuku fashion; however, considering how much shade I've seen The Experimenter get, I think this design was for the best.

Who knows? Maybe the idea of a Harajuku-themed line of bath bombs can be expanded upon, even if it's just exclusive to the Harajuku store in Japan.

Sushi

When your skin needs some sustenance, roll into the tub with this fizzer for a creamy, uplifting soak. Sink into soothing, opaque waters while the zesty Brazilian orange and Sicilian red mandarin oil work their wonders on your tired senses. A moisturizing middle sits in the center of this bomb, ready to bestow rich hydration for a silky-soft feeling all over.

Now when I think of sushi, "citrus" doesn't immediately come to mind. I think a green tea scent would've been nice. Plus, it would have been nice if this bath bomb was wrapped in seaweed or even had seaweed pieces inside like a few of the others. I also can't help but wonder what the "moisturizing middle" is made of. The ingredients don't point to any butters or carrier oils.

I think this one would pair nicely with Seaweed Giant Bombshell.

So what are your favorite new bath bombs? What criticisms do you have with this latest batch? What would you like to see in the future? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time.

Love,

Monique ❤️

Giving Blogging Another Try

Hello!

So as the post title implies, I've had my fair share of experiences with blogging. However, consistency has been my major obstacle in keeping up a blog. I'll either blog weekly for a few months and I'll never touch it again, or I'll have bursts where I'll blog (semi) daily and set the blog aside for a few months or even years before I look at it again.

And this has been the case of my weight loss.

I'll start a new diet or exercise regimen with gusto, but burn out with it after a matter of months (although I'll stick with an eating plan a little longer than exercise). I'll lose a few pounds, but after a while, I'll either plateau or gain the weight back plus a few pounds.

But not anymore.

Last year, I started working with a weight loss coach, and she has been such a huge asset to me! In fact, with her help, I lost 40 pounds! Once the program was over, I lost an additional 20, but then I started going into that plateau phase. I reached back out to her again, and now she's helping me to lose these remaining 80 pounds, so pray for me!

In addition to getting on track with my weight loss, I'm also looking to get on track with a skincare regimen. Two years ago, I developed an obsession with Lush. Of course, that too was an on-again/off-again obsession. (It certainly doesn't help that the nearest store is an hour away from me and I'm not willing to pay $5.00 or so for shipping for buying one or two things at any given time, but I digress.) But now that it's on again, I'm looking at Lush and other companies like it to develop a natural skincare regimen.

So come with me as I prepare to go on my journey into health and beauty!

Love,

Monique ❤️