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

Slow Cooker Quinoa Turkey Chili

This chili is incredibly delicious and incredibly EASY! When it comes to dinner, I truly believe the simpler the better. Since I have been aiming to cook more at home, I have found myself gravitating towards simple recipes with clean ingredients. I love a good crockpot recipe and i'm not going to lie, whenever I use my slow cooker, I feel so "domesticated" ha! 

Even though we're in the middle of the hottest part of the summer, I will never turn town a good chili! I made it this week and paired it with a super simple salad! What I love about this recipe is that there will be so many leftovers! Thankfully my husband likes leftovers because we've been eating this for three days straight. ;) You can always freeze the extras as well and you'll have another dinner prepped and ready to go! 

Quinoa Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

- 1 pound ground turkey

1 can diced tomatoes (get the kind with green chili's in it for an extra kick! I love Ro-tel)

1 can tomato sauce

1 can pinto beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 cup quinoa

1 tsp sea salt

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon turmeric

1  teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon red chili powder

2 cups chicken or veggie broth

Optional: 1/2 chopped white onion and cheddar cheese for garnish

Steps:

1. Cook ground turkey on the stove until its browned (about 7 minutes)

2. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth to slow cooker

3. Rinse the beans & quinoa and add them to the slow cooker

4. Add ground turkey 

5. Cook on low for 5 hours or cook on high for 3 hours!

Let me know what you think of this recipe! I hope you can add this easy recipe to your dinner rotation like I have! #cookingwithlo

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

My Free Skincare Guide is Out Now!!

You may or may not know this but I run a skincare business and I get questions about skincare and how to take care of your skin almost on the daily! I am SO passionate about skin health and taking care of your skin! Did you know that 80% of your skin health is up to you and your daily habits? Only 20% is up to your genetics! This means that if you take good care of your skin, you will be setting yourself up for beautiful skin for years and years to come!

I truly believe that skincare is a part of self-care. Whether its using a body brush, exfoliating, giving yourself a weekly detox mask, or sticking to a skincare regimen, taking care of your skin will make you glow from the inside out! You are worth it, girl!

Since I get so many questions about skincare, I decided to create a free skincare PDF guide with my five top tips for glowing skin and a radiant complexion! I hope that this guide leads you on the right path to find the best skincare routine that works for YOU and brings you confidence in your skin from the inside out! 

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