What Living Alone Has Taught Me

What Living Alone Has Taught Me

Posted on by Steph
First selfie at 29 years old.
I have always wanted in one way or another to be independent. When I was in Middle school I dreamed about being able to drive and have my own car. When I had the car I was dreaming about having my own place. Now it has been 6 months since I moved to my apartment, alone, and I have love every moment of it.
I believe this is a part of life everyone should experience in their youth. I feel like I have learned a lot about me and about “adult” life, some positive and some not so positive, but all lessons. I want to share what I consider are the most important.

Stay on top of things

Living alone is just you and yourself, there is no one there reminding you to do things, to keep everything organized or to take care of you. There are small things that can help you feel great, enjoy the moment, and make life easy and less stressful. For example: keep everything tidy, so that you always feel good when you get home; have fast and easy recipes that you can make for yourself, even if you are tired; and set reminders to pay your bills, so that you don’t forget. Do little things like this, that you know will help you feel good.

Self care should always be a priority

It’s easy when you live alone to get home, and don’t do anything, and let the hours pass scrolling on social media, and that is not good. Yes, you could say you are relaxing, but there are better ways to give your self a little bit of love, relax and to give your body some rest. Apart from staying on top of things, have a self care routine, at least a couple of days every month. For a few hours pamper yourself and spend a little bit of time on a hobby or activity that you like and usually don’t have the time to do. I try to have a pampering night routine every week, were I like to read or watch a tv show, but you could paint, write, even take a nap, or do anything else you like and enjoy the moment.

Work hard, but don’t forget to have fun

Now I am enjoying the summer, but from January to May it was hard balancing work and school, and I was getting super stressed, I always was on hard work and productive mode that half way thru the semester my body was not happy with me. This is my most important lesson, be responsible, organized and set a time to have fun during the week. The most important part of it is to enjoy it and don’t feel guilty of the little time you are taking to concentrate on other things. During this time don’t think of the things you have to do, just enjoy it. Be smart about it, which is way I said be responsable and organized, you know what you have to do, so be diligent with your time and everything will be good.
Living alone has definitely made me more independent, has made me feel more confident, comfortable and in control. I am a strong believer that life is meant to be enjoyed and is our duty to live life to the fullest, while we are still accomplishing our goals and responsibilities, and taking care of our selves and our space. Enjoy where you are at life right now and make the most of it.
What lessons the “adult life” has taught you? Leave me a comment, I will love to know, I am still learning and getting the hang of it.
Never stop dreaming,
♥ Steph
Highlights from our Universal Orlando Resort Vacations (Summer 2018)

Highlights from our Universal Orlando Resort Vacations (Summer 2018)

Posted on by Steph

I can’t believe my two weeks vacations has come and go so quickly, but I have to say that they were awesome.

Like I mentioned in my “Looking Back and Forward to Universal Orlando Resort” that you can read here, we decided to go to Orlando again this year, because we loved it there. I will like to share with you my highlights and favorites of the trip with a little summary of each of the 5 days we spent there.

Day 1:

We arrive at the hotel around 10:00 am and they already had our room ready (that was super awesome!). We left our bags at the room, eat breakfast at Bayliner Dinner and went on to explore the hotel.

We played at the arcade, Game-O-Rama and at the bowling center, Galaxy Bowl, were I learned that I am not so good at bowling, and of course Future Hubby won.

Then had lunch, my favorite, cheeseburger with fries and a vanilla shake (I don’t know why, but I was dreaming of having that burger and shake again, which is why I had it in the first day).

After that we changed and relaxed at the Lazy River, my most favorite part of the hotel. There is so much to do, I love this Hotel.

For the evening we took out first Uber ride to Disney Springs, for a bit of shopping and dinner, all because I wanted Millennial Pink Ears for out future Universal and Disney Trip.

Day 2:

We spend all day at Island of Adventures, and when I say all day, I mean ALL DAY. We arrived at the gates 20 minutes before they opened at 9:00 am and left the park at 10:00 pm when they closed. Our first stop was Skull Island: Reign of Kong, since we didn’t get a chance to ride it last year.

We also rode all of the rides at Seuss Landing, which I have never ride before, we had a lot of fun.

We spent a lot of time at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmead, where I enjoyed a couple of Butterbeers, I had my first Pumpkin Pasty and I also bought a wand at Ollivanders, I was in Magical Paradise.

But the best part of the day was riding 4 times, 3 of them in a row, our most favorite ride ever, Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, we where definitely soaked. We ended our day at the park watching The Nighttime Lights At Hogwarts Castle.

We finished the night having a light dinner at Bread Box Handcrafted Sandwiches, which we visited last year and I really liked. I don’t remember what I had last year, but this time I had a Hot Turkey Sandwich that had smoked gouda and bacon, it was so good.

Day 3:

Day 3 was on the 4th of July, also know as our Anniversary Day and we celebrated spending the day at Universal Studios.

Our second ride of the day was Fast & Furious – Supercharged, the park newest ride, and sadly our least favorite, we thought it was definitely too fast, as in a very short ride, and we feel like the story line doesn’t make sense and you end the ride feeling confuse, because you don’t know what just happened and can’t believe it’s already over.

We rode Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster and I have to say is close to my favorites, I just love the kiddy rides, please don’t judge, they are super fun, and I prefer to be laughing all the way than to be screaming, in mute, because I am super scared and feel like I am going to die (I am talking about you Jurassic Park River Adventure, don’t ask me what happened, let’s just say the photo of the ride talk a thousand words, thank God we don’t have it).

But I must say our favorite rides in the park are The Simpsons Ride and Men in Black, and we rode them twice. In the last one we met a Future Hubby family friend and talk to him a bit, and let’s just say, working at Universal sounds so fun! I want to work there!

The highlight of the day was, after dreaming about that moment for the past year, having a Big Pink Donut from Lard Lad Donuts. They taste so good, this is a must have if you ever find yourself at Universal Studios.

At the end of the day it was rainy and we were tired so we went to the hotel and had pizza in the room, and it was a great decision, my feet where killing me, but it was totally worth it.

Day 4:

Lazy river, pool, lunch, pool, lazy river, pool; that was our day. I am so happy that we got to use more the pools and lazy river that we did last year. I really, really, really loved floating around the lazy river again and again, it was relaxing, refreshing and just perfect. I wish I could relive this day again and again.

At night we went to City Walk and played at Hollywood Drive-In Golf. We choose the 18 “Horror” holes. There we met 3 friendly guys from Minnesota, we definitely had fun and laughed a lot, specially when they decided to talk in Spanish and started using their Google Translator. Also, I redeem my self from doing badly at bowling, ‘cause I was the winner at the mini golf.

After that we went and had a super delicious dinner at Vivo Italian Kitchen. We made a reservation online for 9:30 pm, we went around 9:20 and in 5 minutes we were sitting at the table and the place was full, so I am sure that walk-in’s had a least a 15 minutes wait time. The food and the service were great, highly recommend it.

That night we tried to go to Voodoo Doughnuts, but the line was long, it was raining and I was tired, so next time.

Day 5:

In the last day we woke up early, prepared our bags as fast as we could and then headed straight to the pool. We spent two relaxing hours at the pool, before getting ready. After that we did some more exploring in the Hotel, which included playing in the arcade again. Then sadly we went to the airport and that is the end.

I think I had more fun this time than last year for two reasons: 1. We didn’t stress about doing every single ride in the parks, we already knew what were our favorites and enjoy those the most, plus we saw a lot of shows, which was great way to take a break and rest; and 2. We spent a lot of time in the pools, which was one of my priorities this year.

I am glad we had this opportunity and that we had so much fun. Of course, you know it, we are already planning our next trip to Orlando, hopefully for 2020, since our 2019 trip will be our Honeymoon I want to do something different and more relaxing and that it doesn’t involve to much walking, so will see.

I hope you enjoy this post, I know it was a longer than usual, but there was a lot to tell, and there’s still more, maybe I will do another post about Universal Orlando Resort in the future.

Never stop dreaming,

♥ Steph

Easy Ways to Practice Mindfulness Everyday

Easy Ways to Practice Mindfulness Everyday

Posted on by Steph

Hi there!

If you don’t know, Mindfulness has become an important part of my life, and has helped me a lot (I talk more about it here). I try to practice it everyday, even if I can’t seat and meditate for 5-10 minutes everyday, which is my goal, I have found ways to incorporate it to my everyday life and routine. Today I want to share with you my favorite and easiest ways to incorporate Mindfulness in my life, hoping it will inspire you to do the same, and find ways to be mentally present.

While taking a shower

I have talk about this one a lot, and that’s because is my favorite way to practice Mindfulness. Since I can remember taking a shower has always been something relaxing for me, and since I started been more mindful about it I love them even more. Concentrate on what you are doing, on the sensations it gives you, on how it feels, smells and just take all in and don’t think about anything else, is just you in that moment.

Driving

I notice that when driving my mind used to wonder a lot, and having a stressful lifestyle, the thoughts that usually came where not positive or relaxing. When I am in the car I like listening to podcast (you can read about my favorites here), but sometimes I had to be rewinding because I wasn’t paying attention to what I was listening or my surroundings. Now I try my best to be present in the moment and to pay attention to what I am listening.

In bed, to fall a sleep

I used to not practice Mindfulness Meditation on bed, because I will get sleepy and would spend the 5 or 10 minutes trying to not fall a sleep. Know I do it to fall a sleep, without timer. I am sure I am not the only one that goes to bed and starts thinking of all the things I have to do and gets all worried for things that I can’t do or change at that precise moment. Mindfulness has helped with that. I prefer to concentrate on my breathing, my body, my bed and sheets, and go to sleep feeling relaxed (and also fall a sleep faster), than to fall a sleep feeling stressed and worried.

Mindfulness meditation can be done in many different ways, and it helps with relaxation, concentration, memory and many other things, because you are present in the moment, and not letting worrying, negative or just any thought control you, control the way you experience things and react to them, you are the one in control. It takes practice and hard work, I personally struggle to keep up my practice, but I try my best, because I know that is good for me.

I hope you can find ways to incorporate mindfulness meditation into your everyday life, and that you can enjoy it’s benefits.

Have you tried Mindfulness Meditation? Was your favorite way to practice it? If not, do you think is something you will be incorporating to your daily routine? I will love to know your thoughts, be sure to leave me a comment.

Never stop dreaming,

♥ Steph

Curly Hair: Journey and Routine

Curly Hair: Journey and Routine

Posted on by Steph
Hi there!

It’s summer, which means spending days at the pool, beach or outdoors, and not wanting to spend time straightening your hair or just spending to much energy on it. Today I am sharing my curly hair journey and my easy hair routine.
2 years ago. More wavy than curly, and it looked dry and damaged.

I have natural curly hair, but my hair was more wavy than curly, maybe because I didn’t know how to manage it properly. I used to wash it every day and I started using styling gel on my hair very young, thanks to my brother, (funny story, I wanted to have straight hair and he heavily coated my hair with gel and brush it, yes, it was kind of straight and very ugly). I later went thru a face where I didn’t do anything to my hair, I will only wear it in a very tangled bun, it was not pretty, dark times, I think I was 10 at the time. If I remember correctly, it was in my first years of college that I started using conditioners or creams to style my hair.

Before getting a trim, no curls at the ends.

Since last year I decided to embrace it and learn how to take care of it and make it look more curly and healthier. I started using products for curly hair, like shampoo, conditioner and hair creams. But I think what really made the difference was coconut oil. After I started using it I noticed my hair looked better, moisturized, shinny and healthier, and also it grow out a lot. I use one exclusive for hair and body, but, you can use any organic coconut oil and I am pretty sure it will do the same.

The Coconut Oil I have been using for almost 2 years.


I’ll tell you what I do and how I do it.

  1. Apply coconut oil to hair and finger comb it. Leave it between 5-30 minutes.
  2. Shampoo hair, concentrating at the roots.
  3. Condition hair, concentrating at the ends.
  4. Detangle hair with a wide comb, while you still have the conditioner on.
  5. Hair mask (every other wash, once a week).
  6. Gently squeeze excess water from hair. (Do not towel dry)
  7. Apply hair cream and finger comb.
  8. Take off excess water and product with a cotton shirt and do scrunching motions to define curls.
  9. When the hair is dry I fluff the curls with my hands to add volume.
The cream I recently started using and really like.

I only wash my hair twice a week. At nigh I do a very high, almost in my forehead not to tight, ponytail and that way the curls don’t break while I sleep. In the mornings I fluff my hair with my fingers, and if I feel like they need more definition or moisture I apply a little bit of hair cream. I usually like my hair better the second day, because is curlier and it has more volume.

My hair now. Curls from roots to ends.
In this past year my curls have definitely become more define and my hair looks healthier, and even more since I got my ends trim. The trick is time and consistency.

I still haven’t find something or some way to style my hair so it doesn’t have frizz, but in the mean time I am very happy with how it looks. If you have master the no frizz look, let me know what you do in the comments below.

Never stop dreaming,
♥ Steph
Mini Sephora Haul

Mini Sephora Haul

Posted on by Steph

Hi there!

Did you read my End of Semester Makeup Wishlist? If not go read that here, what I share in this post has to do with that one, don’t miss it.

Here is what happened… I went to Sephora!

I don’t like waiting… and technically the semester is over… I just have this week of my college practice and I am done until August… It was the perfect time to reward my self, don’t you think? And ever since I went “window shopping” in the Sephora app and created my Makeup Wishlist, I have been dying to try new stuff. So, it happened.

This two first things where not on my wishlist, but they are a necessity. I love this belief The true cream – aqua bomb as my moisturizer for the day. It’s actually not a cream, it has a smooth gel like consistency that I feel my skin absorbs really well and l feel hydrated for the whole day. I wrote about it in my Likes and Dislikes post back in September, you can read it here.

The belief Moisturizing eye bomb I have never tried, but my eye cream was running low and they didn’t have it at Sephora. This one looks like the face moisturizer, like it has the same consistency. I think it feels very refreshing in the eye area, which is a plus with how hot the climate has been. I have been using for a couple of days and so far so good.

The second thing I added to my basket, was this beautiful Gradient Sunlit Bronzer in Sunrise Waves from Becca Cosmetics. And just like I said in my last post is perfect! I have been using it everyday since I bought it and I love it. It gives a pretty, luminous, bronze look. The best part is that it is really pigmented, so you don’t need too much product for a subtle natural look. I know this product will be my favorite this summer.

I had a hard time choosing a bronzer. When I went and swatch the O Mega Coconut Perfect Tan it just disappeared in my skin tone, I was dissapointed to say the least. So I went a couple of times around the store swatching different bronzers, searching for a good one. A employee also helped, he showed me Hoola from Benefit, one I don’t remember from Bobbi Brown and this one, Casino by Nars. Of the 3 I liked the last one better, since I was looking for something more natural to create a perfect summer tan look I chose this one. And it’s just what I wanted. It looks natural, like I am just tan and paired with the Gradient Sunlit Bronzer it looks really good and I obsessed with my cheek combo.

So talking about my cheek combo, I also bought a highlighter. I know, you are chocked. I can’t help it. Highlighters are my favorite product right now. In my makeup wishlist I said I was thinking about buying Moonstone by Becca Cosmetics, but when I was there, and saw Rose Quartz, I fell in love. I so so pretty. Nothing that I could say will make it justice. Just trust me when I say it really is pretty. This last 3 products have me obsessed with my face makeup, it doesn’t look harsh, they look natural all together and they give me a awesome luminous, glittery (in the good way), natural, tan look. Believe me when I say that this are the only 3 cheek products I will be using this summer.

And there you have it, this is what I have bought myself from my makeup wishlist. The Vault Collection from Morphe X Jaclyn Hill was not available on the 26 of June like they first announced it, because they identify some inconsistency in the palettes, so I am still waiting for that to come out. And the other product I haven’t bought is the Vitamin Enriched Fase Base Moisturizer, of course I swatched it when I went to Sephora, and it definitely felt moisturizing and good for the skin, but it will have been too much that day, so that one is in the getting soon list.

Have you treated yourself with something you really wanted recently? If so tell me what it was. If not, tell me whats on your list of things you want to do or buy just because you deserve it.

Never stop dreaming,

♥ Steph

PS.

Today my summer officially starts, which means my count down to going on vacation is on.  If you want to know where I am going and my favorite things about the place, go here to read about it.

End of Semester Makeup Wishlist (June 2018)

End of Semester Makeup Wishlist (June 2018)

Posted on by Steph

It has been a while since I haven’t made a Makeup Wishlist. I usually do them at the start of a semester as motivation, and I tell my self I will buy something from the list if I believe I performed at the best of my abilities. This time I didn’t do one in January, but I strongly believe that this semester I did a great job joggling everything from my clases, my college practice, my actual work, writing for the blog and my social live, so I have earned one makeup product, or more, for my hard work.

As motivation for the last weeks of June I decided to go on the Sephora app to make my wishlist of things I want to buy for myself. And since my birthday is next month, I have the perfect excuse to splurge on my self. I will definitely not buy everything, at least not for now, but this are the products that have caught my eye and that I want to have.

The first thing on my list isn’t from Sephora, but is at the top of my list, I don’t even think I will wait until my birthday. The new Vault Collection from Morphe X Jaclyn Hill has me all excited! I love my The Jaclyn Hill palette, the shadows are great quality, super pigmented and just beautiful and versatile, and looking at the new shades I know this ones will become a favorite as fast as the first one. Click here to see her swatching the different shades so that you fall in love like me.

I have heard great things from this Vitamin Enriched Fase Base Moisturizer by Bobby Brown. This is one of the products I want to try for myself. I am looking forward to using this as a primer before my face makeup. It says it moisturizes and protects from environmental damage. Of course I want that for my skin.

This Gradient Sunlit Bronzer in Sunrise Waves from Becca looks like a perfect summer dream. I can wait to play with it and create bronzy summer makeup looks with it. Plus the highlighter at the conners is Opal, which is one of Becca highlighter that I have been wanting to try.

My go to makeup usually consists of contouring with a matte bronzer and adding highlighter and thats all for the cheeks. So I want to try a new one. Browsing on the Sephora app I found this one, the O!Mega Bronzer Coconut Perfect Tan, and it has all 5 stars reviews, I immediately went to YouTube to see reviews and all I found where good ones, and of course now I want it. I think this bronzer paired with the Becca Bronzer will look amazing!

Of course a highlighter had to made it’s way on to my list, this one is a Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter Moonstone. And of course it had to be a Becca Cosmetics one. Since my Rose Gold Becca Highlighter died, I clumsily dropped it to the floor and it shattered (it was so sad), I have been wanting to try another one. I love my Champagne Pop by Jaclyn Hill (yes, I love her) highlighter and this one looks like it a bit, but it’s lighter, more neutral, so I think I may go with this one. No matter the shade, my next highlighter will be a Becca one.

And there you have it. The month of July will be for treating myself, having fun, and also for doing stuff and purchasing things that I really want and enjoy, like for example conquering my Summer Bucket List, that you can read here, and purchasing some (or all) things in my Makeup Wishlist.

Have you tried any of this products? What makeup products are you excited to try or own? Let me know in the comments below so that I have an excuse to go “window” shopping on the internet.

Never stop dreaming,

♥ Steph

Looking Back and Forward to Universal Orlando Resort

Looking Back and Forward to Universal Orlando Resort

Posted on by Steph

Want to know what was my favorite part of summer last year ? Our Universal Orlando Resort Vacations!

I don’t even remember how it all came to be, maybe Future Hubby remembers, but on January 2017 we went to Travel with Sears to booked our first vacations together that summer. We chose Universal Studios Resort, because those are my favorite parks, and we wanted something fun, it was the perfect choice.

The best part of everything is that we are going back this year! I am so happy Future Hubby liked the parks as much as I do. So today I want to share with you my favorite rides, food and experiences from last year and what I am most looking forward to this year.

Faves From Last Year:

Cabana Bay Beach Resort – We chose to stay in property, first because it was my first time going to Orlando without my dad and I wanted to make things as easy and relaxing as possible, and I didn’t want to worry about transportation from the hotel to the parks. And then we learned that we could enter the parks an hour before it opened and we were sold. But besides that, this hotel retro look is beautiful, colorful and fun. My favorite part was the room view to Volcano Bay and the lazy river.

Toon Lagon at Island of Adventures – This are my all time favorite rides at Island of Adventures. I love everything that has to do with water, so I fine this rides extremely fun. In my opinion this are the perfect ride to do at the middle of the day when the sun is out and you are feeling super hot. My favorite is Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, where is almost guaranteed that you will come out of it soaking wet. (Tip: bring a pair of flip flops to switch to when you are going on this rides, there is nothing fun about walking the rest of the day in soaking wet shoes)

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios and Island of Adventures – Of course I had to mentioned Harry Potter. Since last year I have been obsessed with Harry Potter. Before it I hadn’t seen the movies, but decided that I wanted to understand The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the parks, and so I saw all of them, and to my surprise I loved them. My favorite rides are the ones in Island of Adventures, Forbiden Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff. Walking thru Hogsmead and Diagon Alley with a Frozen Butterbeer in hand is perfection. My favorite stores are Honeydukes in Island of Adventures and Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes in Universal Studios. (Tip: the perfect place to cool off in Universal Studios is at Knockturn Alley, is shaded and it has A/C, yes please!)

Springfield at Universal Studios – I love The Simpsons Ride, I think it may be because is my Dad’s favorite, but I enjoy this ride so much.  This year since I spent more time in the parks than in previous visits I got to explorer a bit more and, apart from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, this is my favorite part of the parks.  The food is really good, I am all in with the carnival games and of course, last but not least, The Big Pink donut, OMG! If I have to choose an area of the park to live in for a week, without going anywhere else, this will be it.

The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen – Of the places we went to eat at City Walk, I will say that I like this one the most.  The service was great, we had a bit of trouble getting a table, but they made up for it with the service once we where seated.  The food was really good, specially the chocolate bread, the place looks so nice and the chocolate store is to die for.  They also have a milkshake bar, where you can go and get one, without having to eat at the actual restaurant.  I tried the Red Velvet Shake it was so yummy.  We wanted to try more, but so many things to see and try we didn’t find the time to go back.

The Cowfish – This one was my second favorite place to eat at City Walk.  We got a table at the terrace with an awesome view to City Walk and the parks.  The service was great, and the food was really good.  My favorite where the fries, they were so good! The hamburgers, mine had peanut butter were so yummy.  This restaurant has a cool concept, they specialize in burgers and suchi, and since Future Hubby loves burgers this one was a must, and I can speak for both of us that we do not regret this choice.

Our To Do List this Summer:

We didn’t get to do everything we wanted to last year, and there are other things we want to do again, which is way we are going back this year. Here is the list of the things we want to check off the list this time around.

  • King Kong Ride at Island of Adventures – since this ride was new last year the wait line was impossible and this is the only ride at both parks, apart from rides only for children, that we didn’t ride.
  • Get a wand at Ollivanders – I was so close to getting one last year but didn’t and I regret this decision so much, this year is one of the first things I will do when I get to the parks. 
  • Have a cold Butterbeer – I always go for the frozen version, but I decided this year I want to try the cold one to see how that tastes. 
  • Play at Hollywood Drive-In Golf at City Walk 
  • Play at Galaxy Bowl Restaurant at Cabana Bay Beach Resort
  • Go pool hopping at the different hotels – When you stay in property you can visit the other hotels, and this is something we didn’t know last year, so I want to take advantage of it this year.
  • Eat at Voodo Doughnut – Donuts! Do I need to say more?
I am so excited and counting the days until I get to have all kinds of fun at Universal Studios Resort Orlando.
What are you most excited for this summer? Have you been to the parks? If so, what are your favorite things (food, rides, show, etc.?  If you haven’t, what has gotten your attention the most out of what I shared? I will love to know your thoughts, so leave me a comment below.
Never stop dreaming,

♥ Steph

Summer 2018 Bucket List

Summer 2018 Bucket List

Posted on by Steph

I love summer, I love the pretty sunny days, the good weather, the beach and the days spent outside doing fun stuff. So, today I want to share with you the things a want to do this Summer, apart from traveling (that is already booked, more on that later).

Throwback to a beautiful sunny day at Old San Juan by myself

Spend a day at Old San Juan

Old San Juan is my favorite city here in Puerto Rico and it has been a long time since I haven’t had a nice day exploring it. I want to fly a kite at El Morro, have ice cream at Sr. Paleta and just walk and explore.  It makes me happy just thinking about it.

Eat at Cheesecake Factory

In the list of things I want to do this year is to eat at Cheesecake Factory, and I think Summer is the perfect time for it. Can’t wait to have a nice dinner with Future Hubby and a delicious cheesecake for dessert.  If you have been to Cheesecake Factory, leave your recommendations of what I should get in the comments below.

See a movie at Fine Arts

I have always wanted to visit Fine Arts Cinema. Is a more “elegant” and “fancy” movie theater, where they show independent and international films. I made Future Hubby promise to take me there this Summer, I’ll let you know so keep an eye at my social media.

Have a date with Myself

I love having days to myself where I take my self out to have dinner and have fun, and I love it. I wrote a post about this, you can read it here, and of all the post I have written that one is my favorite. Knowing how to have fun by yourself is important, so I challenge you to take yourself on a date too.

Journal at least once a week

I enjoy writing, which is way I have this blog, but I am bad at keeping a journal. At the beginning of this year my goal was to journal every week, but somehow I stoped doing it. Now I want to start again, specially because I want to document all my Summer adventures and of course all the wedding planning process. I like journaling as a form of mindfulness meditation, where I write about anything that comes to mind, and I also use it as a tool to manifest and bring good and positive things to my life.

And there you have it, my Summer Bucket List. I can’t wait for July to come! Apart from July being my birth month and that I will be going on vacations with Future Hubby, I know that in this crazy busy year, that is the month I will have more free time, which means time to accomplish everything in my list. So July, please come already!

Let me know in the comments what are the things you want to do this Summer? Do you, like me, have a seasonal bucket list, or just one big bucket list? Tell me something you will be crossing of that list soon. Also, leave me recommendations of things I can do at my date with myself, I will love to read your ideas, since I don’t have anything planned.

Never stop dreaming,

♥ Steph
My Pampering Night Routine

My Pampering Night Routine

Posted on by Steph

If you are a normal person, chances are your days are busy. We often forget to take time to relax, to enjoy and pamper ourselves. This should be important, taking care of ourselves should be a priority. I used to feel guilty of taking time to relax, but I have learn that it does more harm than good. Feeling calm and refreshed will help you be more productive and focused, and at night it will help you have a better night sleep.

Today I want to share with you my special pampering night routine. I do this the nights I need to recharge my batteries and give myself some extra love, and I wish I could do it more often. I hope this post inspires you to do the same and create your own special routine.

Face Mask

What is a pampering night routine without a face mask? Since lately I am not wearing to much makeup (you can read about it here) I want to take better care of my skin. I really like face masks, but living days in a hurry has made it difficult to take the time to do them. I try to do this routine at least twice a month, but the ultimate goal is to do it weekly. Lately I have been enjoying this face mask by GLAMGLOW it leaves my skin feeling fresh and extra clean.

Lemon Water

I love ice cold lemon water. I don’t have problems taking my daily intake of water, but when I want to feel extra fancy I add lemons, and it makes it tasty yummy and it looks pretty. I don’t know why but lemon water in a mason jar makes me happy, so why not make it part of a pampering night routine, right?

TV Series – Nashville

Because I was born in San Antonio, Texas, I have a strong believe that there is some “country” in me, which is the reason for my love of country music. When the series first came out I loved it, but I am very bad at keeping up with series just watching once a week, so recently I have been catching up in Hulu. This is the perfect time to enjoy yourself while you enjoy your favorite series or movie. *I will love to have new recommendations, let me know your favorite series or movie in the comment section below.*

Shower

Ok, ok! You already know how much I like my showers (I have talk about them here and here and a couple of other posts, I am sure). But taking time to have a relaxing, not in a hurry shower, with your favorite products and really be present in the moment is truly magical. This is one of my favorite ways to practice mindfulness. Of all the things in this post if you only can do one, this is it, trust me.

Read and No Technology

Even if I wanted, I don’t have much time before going to sleep, but reading something light, like this Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (which is a good read for anytime of the day, inspiring stores of strong and awesome females, yes please!), and avoiding technology while in bed helps me fall a sleep faster. If you make it a nightly habit, your body will know that when you go to bed and take your night time reading book, that is time to sleep. But specially avoiding technology at least 30 minutes before going to bed will help you have a better night sleep. So even once in a while, when you are having a hard and stressful day implement this to your night routine. Another tip is to incorporate 5 minutes (or until you fall a sleep) of mindfulness meditation in bed when you are ready to sleep, will help you calm your busy mind.

Going to Bed Early

This is the best part of my special pampering routine. Going to bed early is something I want to do everyday and almost never do. Making it part of this routine helps me to accomplish this at least a couple of times a month.

There you have it, my special night routine. I hope this post has inspired you to take a bit of time for yourself, to help you recharge and refresh your mind and body.

Do you have a night routine? What would you add to the things I mentioned? I will love to know your thoughts, so leave me a comment below.

Never stop dreaming,

♥ Steph
My Everyday Royal Makeup Routine

My Everyday Royal Makeup Routine

Posted on by Steph

Hi there!

Today I want to share with you what has been my everyday makeup routine, which my coworkers wouldn’t consider makeup, but I do. I got inspired to share it with you after watching the Royal Wedding. I am a makeup lover, but watching the simple makeup look that Megan Markle wore, left me feeling good about what has become my daily makeup routine.

Source: People

Like I have talk in recent posts, this past couple of weeks have been intense, so I have swap my 10-15 minutes of doing my makeup for a bit more of sleep.

Not doing my makeup started as a way to have more time, but as the weeks have passed I have learn to love my skin just the way it is and also to take better care of it and now it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice, and I skip it because I enjoy my bare face. I know it may be strange for people who are used to see me with a full face of makeup to now see me with barely nothing on, but to me it feels refreshing

Of course that doesn’t mean I will stop using makeup, I still love doing my makeup, and I still enjoy catching up on youtube videos while doing it, is just that for now I will keep doing it in the weekends, when I feel I have more time.

So my makeup routine consists of me doing my brows and whichever shade of lipstick I feel like wearing and then I am ready for the day.

If you are a makeup lover like me, have you have periods of not wearing makeup? What do you think of Megan Markle’s wedding makeup? I will love to know your thoughts, so leave your comments below.

Never stop dreaming,

♥ Steph