The beginning of March is always an exciting time for me. It starts the countdown to my birthday (April 1st!) and to springtime and the new month helps me shake off the funk of winter. Of course, there is still snow on the ground and the temperatures will continue to be below freezing for at least another week, so it is important for me to find the little things in my day that make me smile. Some of the things that make my day better are fun and others are practical, but all of them make my day a little bit better.
I have mentioned before on the blog that I love tea. Taking fifteen minutes in the middle of the afternoon to relax over a cup of tea lets me take a deep breath and regroup. Although I have a cupboard full of tea options, my go-to flavor is Licorice Spice from Stash Tea. It's a caffeine-free herbal tea so I can drink it before bed or whenever I need a little bit of downtime and has a lovely sweet aftertaste (no spoonful of sugar necessary!).
Not every part of my day can be completely relaxing, but I like to make my chores a little nicer. I live in a very small apartment so my kitchen does not have a dishwasher. I'm sure that I am not alone in saying that I dislike handwashing dishes because by the end my hands look like prunes and my skin gets dried out from the hot water. I finally broke down and picked up a pair of dish gloves and it has changed my life this winter. I splurged and got the ones with aloe vera so my hands are soft when I finish doing the dishes. I still don't love doing dishes, but I no longer dread doing them.
I always feel better when I look good so the first thing I do after getting out of the shower is to add a few drops of argan oil to my hair. It helps to control the frizz, adds a healthy shine, and makes my hair feel incredibly soft and smooth. I rarely am on top of beauty trends and I stumbled across argan oil completely by accident. A couple years ago I was visiting my sister in Atlanta and decided to get my hair cut at a salon there. The stylist put a wonderful smelling gel in my hair and it turned out to be argan oil! It is the quickest way I have found to make my hair behave and that puts a smile on my face.
One of the easiest ways to improve my mood is with a bit of sugar, but I have been trying to cut back on how much dessert I consume. My solution has been cinnamon almonds. They are satisfying without making me feel guilty about indulging and that makes me feel good.
In the past year and a half since I started a Birchbox subscription, I have started playing around a lot more with makeup and have discovered that red lipstick is a huge mood-booster for me. I used to only wear a bright lip color when I was going out to do something fun with friends, but I have decided that any day is a good occasion to wear something beautiful. Plus, it is hard to frown when you catch a glimpse of your bright red lips in the mirror.
Not every part of my day can be completely relaxing, but I like to make my chores a little nicer. I live in a very small apartment so my kitchen does not have a dishwasher. I'm sure that I am not alone in saying that I dislike handwashing dishes because by the end my hands look like prunes and my skin gets dried out from the hot water. I finally broke down and picked up a pair of dish gloves and it has changed my life this winter. I splurged and got the ones with aloe vera so my hands are soft when I finish doing the dishes. I still don't love doing dishes, but I no longer dread doing them.
I always feel better when I look good so the first thing I do after getting out of the shower is to add a few drops of argan oil to my hair. It helps to control the frizz, adds a healthy shine, and makes my hair feel incredibly soft and smooth. I rarely am on top of beauty trends and I stumbled across argan oil completely by accident. A couple years ago I was visiting my sister in Atlanta and decided to get my hair cut at a salon there. The stylist put a wonderful smelling gel in my hair and it turned out to be argan oil! It is the quickest way I have found to make my hair behave and that puts a smile on my face.
One of the easiest ways to improve my mood is with a bit of sugar, but I have been trying to cut back on how much dessert I consume. My solution has been cinnamon almonds. They are satisfying without making me feel guilty about indulging and that makes me feel good.
In the past year and a half since I started a Birchbox subscription, I have started playing around a lot more with makeup and have discovered that red lipstick is a huge mood-booster for me. I used to only wear a bright lip color when I was going out to do something fun with friends, but I have decided that any day is a good occasion to wear something beautiful. Plus, it is hard to frown when you catch a glimpse of your bright red lips in the mirror.
What are the small things in your life that make your day a little bit better? Share your ideas in the comments!