August Bucket List & Intentions

Happy August! I can't believe the last month of the Summer is already here! Summer has gone by way too fast for me but I'd be lying to say that I wasn't excited for a new season. Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year! There's something about Fall that reminds me of new beginnings & possibilities. Okay, now I'm getting carried away... lets talk about August! 

I've decided to start a new series on the blog and share my "bucket list" and intentions each month! I wanted to call it a bucket list because I want to add things that make me go outside of my comfort zone and be intentional! I added some things to my list that I have wanted to do since I moved to Hawaii and so this month I am being intentional about making them happen! 

A big theme in August for me is intentional. I want to be intentional about my work, my possessions, my friends, my money, etc. This month I want to step back from the hustle, bustle, clutter, and noise to gain clarity and stay focused on my priorities. 

1. Log off all social media every Friday night to Saturday night

This is probably the most important intention I have this month. I LOVE social media but recently it has cluttered my mind and brought too much excess "noise" into my life. I have found that I am most creative when I have time to let my mind wander and so I am committing to a social media free 24 hours every week to give myself time to reflect! It may seem like nothing to you but for someone who works completely online, 24 hours away is HUGE! 

2. Read 30 minutes a day

One thing that I have slacked on in July is reading! I feel the most inspired when I am constantly reading and so I am committing to taking a work break and reading 30 minutes a day even if I have a million things on my to-do list! 

3. Snorkel at Sharks Cove

One thing that has been on my Hawaii list since I moved here is to snorkel at a popular free diving spot outside of Sharks Cove in North Shore Oahu! I'm determined to make it happen this month though because there are no waves this time of year so the water is perfect for snorkeling! 

4. Invest time into new friendships

I have made some amazing friends in our new home but there are still so many people I have met here that I would love to get to know better! This month I want to intentionally plan coffee dates and beach days to deepen friendships and get to know new friends better.

5. Buy Nothing

I would be lying to say that this won't be a hard one for me. If you know me, you know I love to shop! Since I am working on being more intentional with my possessions, I want to spend the month de-cluttering and minimizing things that don't bring me joy and so I am going to make it a goal to buy nothing as it comes to clothes, shoes, etc! The only exception to that will be when I host a Noonday trunk show for a friend later this month! ;)

6. Surf on the South side 

One of the things that my husband has been trying to get me to do since forever is to surf the South shore of Oahu. I have only surfed at one spot on North Shore and I am super timid to go surfing anywhere else! I know that I need to get out of my comfort zone and just DO IT, though, so I'm aiming to cross it off my list this month!

7. Eat greens in every meal

Eating leafy greens is SO important for your health and it's sometimes easy to go an entire day without those amazing nutrients! This month I am aiming to eat some type of leafy greens for each meal, every day. I plan to put spinach into my smoothies every morning and then add greens into salads at lunch and steamed for dinner. 

8. Create a Capsule Wardrobe

I have been watching and observing the capsule wardrobe life for years and have never tried it out myself! Since I am aiming to be more intentional in every area, I want to try out a capsule wardrobe and see what I think of it! Would you want me to write a blog post on my experience? Let me know in the comments! 

Thats it! Those are my intentions, goals, and bucket list experiences I want to accomplish in August! I want to encourage you to make your own bucket list & intentions! Share one of them in the comments below- I would love to know what you are aiming to focus on next month! 

xo,

Lo

I'm Starting A Book Club!!

Hey, friend! A couple weeks ago I asked on Instagram if anyone would want to start a monthly book club and I got an overwhelming response from you all saying that you would want to be apart of it! I am so excited to start this book club because I think it will be such a great way for us all to connect on a deeper level!

Reading has always been a passion of mine. I love the process of falling in love with a book until I can't put it down. I read many different genres of books and so this book club will also offer a ton of different varieties of books! 

In the poll I did on Instagram, the majority of you wanted to read Anxious For Nothing by Max Lucado and so that is the book we will be starting with in August! I actually just started reading this book and have been completely blown away by it. You may know this from my previous post, but I have struggled with anxiety a lot over the past year and this book perfectly explains how anxiety works and how we can overcome it by focusing on growing our relationship with God. Even though this book club isn't faith-based, the first book we will be going through is! 

I am so excited to kick this off with you all on August 1st!! 

Check list before we get started...

1. Join our Private FB Group!! We will use this group to connect, share, and have weekly live chats! 

2. Get the book! You can borrow it, buy it, listen to it, whatever you would like! I'm a hardcopy kinda gal and so I just bought my book from Amazon! 

3. Invite a friend!!! Once you've joined the FB group and ordered your book, invite a friend to read the book with you! 

My first FB Live chatting about chapter 1 will be on Thursday, August 2nd! Before then, grab your book and a friend and start reading Chapter 1! See you on the FB page!!!

xo,

Lo

Summer Travel Beauty Essentials

I have traveled quite a bit this Summer and so I've spent a lot of time packing, unpacking, and re-packing my cosmetics bag! I think I have finally narrowed it down to my tried & true favorite products to have on hand while I travel! I like to keep it simple, especially while traveling and so I try to keep it pretty minimal while packing my cosmetics. Here are the top items that I think are crucial to have on hand while traveling! 

My Must-haves: 

1. Mineral Powder to keep you matte all day

This is probably my must-have #1 because there is nothing worse than having to reapply makeup throughout the day! If you have followed me for long then you know that I am obsessed with this Mineral Peptide Powder and I hardly ever use any other face makeup! It has SPF in it, protects my skin from the environment, and gives great coverage!

2.  Life-proof Mascara

When you travel, you need a mascara that can withstand long days in the sun, adventuring around a new town, and to make it through happy hour! I have tried a ton of different mascaras and Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara is by far my favorite. I love the volume it gives to my lashes and the tube lasts me such a long time! Totally worth the price, in my opinion!! 

3. A Moisturizing Deodorant

This may seem strange and TMI but when I travel to dryer climates, my arm-pits sometimes get irritated after shaving!  I'm not sure if this happens to you too but Native Deodorant is my all time favorite deodorant and its super moisturizing while also sweat resistant! 

4. Eye serum (ain't no one got time for under-eye bags!)

There's nothing like jet lag to bring out those under-eye bags. my Bright Eye Complex is my #1 skincare item when it comes to travel because it instantly brightens my under-eye and gets rid of any dark circles or puffiness! 

5. Self-tanner 

Since sun-protection is really important to me, I use R+F's Sunless Tanner to keep my tan game strong all year round. I often travel because of a wedding, special event, or a work function and so I keep self-tanner with me to help me get ready for an event! 

6. Dry Shampoo

I have been using Dry Bar's Detox Dry Shampoo recently and am LOVING it! Also- this is currently on sale for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and so if you were wanting to try out a new dry shampoo or texturizing spray you have to get this bundle before it sells out!! 

7. Hair Detangling Spray

My hair is hard to manage. It's like a lion's mane and taming it is out of the question. I've tried so many different brands of detangling spray and it's been so hard to find one that works but doesn't weigh down my hair! I just picked up this Verb Leave-in Mist from Sephora and have only used it a few times but I am already OBSESSED. It is so lightweight, doesn't have a heavy scent, and makes my hair so smooth and easy to comb! 10/10. 

8. Neutral eye-shadow

When I travel, I like to keep my makeup pretty simple and no-fuss. I always have a neutral eyeshadow palette with me s that I can still create numerous looks but don't have to think too hard! I am currently LOVE this Nordy Girl Matte Face & Eye set from the NSALE! I'm not sure how much longer it will be in stock but $44.50 for $202 value?! That's insane!!

What is one of your favorite products that you can't travel without?! 

Your friend,

Lo

How Setting Goals Will Change Your Life

Many of you may know this but I lead a team of over 200 skincare consultations for a living. It is the best job I could have ever picked for myself and I am honored to be able to grow such an amazing team of micro-entrepreneurs! One of the biggest topics we talk about as a team is setting GOALS and so I thought I would share my philosophy on goal-setting here and how it can truly change your life. 

Let’s start with at the beginning. 

A goal is a dream or wish you PLAN to attain. Notice my verbiage there. A goal is not something you WISH to attain, it’s something you PLAN for. A goal is something that takes planning and preparation. I think a lot of times we get our aspirations and our goals mixed up. For example, stating that you would like to run a marathon is an aspiration; actually training for that marathon, is a goal. 

I think a lot of people think that they have goals, but they really just have aspirations. Dreaming and aspiring to do great things really is awesome… until those things never happen because you lack preparation and planning. Through owning a business and building a lifestyle brand, I have learned the power of goal-setting. There truly is so much power in writing out your goals and working hard to achieve them! 

I explain goals to my team in this way: If you don’t have goals, you are like a fish swimming in a fish bowl. You may swim round and round and round but you will never really get anywhere. When you have goals for yourself/business/family/ etc. you are like a fish in the ocean. You have SO much more opportunity ahead of you because you have a road map. 

Setting goals for your life can be simple, they don’t have to be extreme. Simply setting a goal to drink more water is a great place to start… And then actually come up with a game plan on how you are going to drink more water. ;)

Below I have my fool-proof goal-setting strategy. If you set these parameters around your goals, I truly believe you are setting yourself up for future success! 

MY GOAL-SETTING STRATEGY

This is my system on how I effectively set goals: 

1.    Write out what you would like to achieve, get better at, accomplish, or excel at in life

2.    Write out what you are already doing to achieve your goal

3.    Write out what you could be doing BETTER to achieve, accomplish, or excel at your goal

4.    Plan out specific times in your calendar that you will be working towards achieving your goal

5.    Lastly, give yourself a time limit on how long it should take for you to achieve your goal 

When you set goals this way, you are planning for success. You aren’t leaving your goals up to chance or luck, you are MAKING THEM HAPPEN with your action! This is how goals can be truly life-changing!

Obviously, things don’t always go as planned and so if you don’t reach out goal at your allotted time, don’t beat yourself up about it! The most important thing is that you are working towards what you want to achieve in life. If your goals are worth it enough to you, you will do what it takes to achieve them! Remember, effective goal planning is only the first step. After you make your goals, it’s time to turn your plans into ACTION! 

It’s time to RUN after your dreams! I truly believe that you can create massive change in your life by setting goals & working hard to achieve them! 

Comment on this post and share one of your goals with the community! Let’s all help motivate each other to effectively plan and reach our goals!!

Your friend,

 

Lauren

Life Update: My thoughts & new direction on Live Well With Lo

I am SO ECSTATIC to be launching my new site! This has been a long time comimg and I just wanted to take a moment to share my heart on this launch, where the blog is headed, and what the future of Live Well With Lo holds. 

Where do I even begin?! Well, I have been blogging since high school and I’ve started and stopped too many blogs to count. I have had photography blogs, Christian blogs, personal blogs, fashion blogs… you name it, I’ve done it. I LOVE sharing my heart with the world because I truly think that when we share our lives, we are able to inspire others. I get SO inspired by reading blogs and following people I admire online. 

The problem I have always faced with blogging is that I get bored of just writing about one thing. One of my biggest strengths ( & weaknesses) is that I am extremely multi-faceted. I am passionate about SO MANY things. In an ideal world, I would be able to write about cooking, holistic health, self-care, fashion, faith-based content, relationship advice, productivity, motivation in the workplace, and everything else in between. I love to share what I’m passionate about and while sometimes that stays the same, my interests also change as I continue to grow as a person. 

Basically, since I have started laurenkissee.com which is now livewellwithlo.com, I’ve struggled with the identity of the blog. What are my main categories? How do I stay on topic but also share what I am really going through in life? How do I maintain a cohesive brand when I want to share ALL THE THINGS?!

-Insert Epiphany-

I don’t have to be like anyone else. I don’t have to have a food blog or a fashion blog or only do health coaching. I don’t have to talk about the same thing all the time. I am allowed to grow. I love seeing what other people love and so I realized that it’s okay for me to share what I love with the world even if it is always evolving.

I am so excited about my new site re-build because it has all the functions I need to be able to talk about anything and everything! On the blog you will now be able to find specific topics much easier and as I keep adding more categories, the content produced on here will become even more diverse! 

I realize that there is a big risk involved in shifting my branding to have an all-inclusive focus. I know I have many friends who really only like to see wellness & recipes and I have others that love work-related topics and motivation. My hope is that you will find so much value in all of the topics I want to share about! I hope and pray that this little space on the internet will inspire you in life, in relationships, in fashion, and in health. I hope you will see this blog as a one-stop hub to elevate your lifestyle and encourage you in your everyday life. 

Are you sticking around?! I would love for you to be on this journey with me and I would love to hear what you are most excited to read about in my upcoming posts! Write me a comment and share your thoughts!! 

Your friend,

Lauren