lifestyle

lifestyle organization

{You Missed a Spot} Spring Cleaning your Handbags

You Missed a Spot is a new Spring Cleaning feature for the month of April focusing on the not so obvious places you will want to tidy up for the season! Each Thursday visit us for a new installment that goes beyond the how to’s of vacuuming, window washing and laundry!

{Cleaning and Organizing your Handbags}

If your the average woman, you have about 10 handbags in your collection and the average price of those bags is about $150 each. So, I am going to walk you through keeping your handbags clean and properly stored so that you are taking care of your rather large investment because you may not even know your not caring for your handbags properly!

Step 1: Dump the contents of your bag!

You are going to need to make sure your handbag is empty so that you can properly organize it and identify any areas of concern that may need attention.

Step 2: Check the exterior of your bag for tears or stains.

You will want to evaluate your bag to make sure its in good condition. If you find any stains, you will want to address them based on the fabric of your purse and try to get them cleaned off. If you find tears and the bag is expensive, contact the manufacturer to see what can be done.

Step 3: Check the interior lining of the bag for tears.

Make sure the interior lining of you bag is intact. Often times, it can tear causing bits of dirt or even whole objects to disappear into the lining. In most instances you can probably repair the lining safely enough on your own, but if you have questions and the bag is pricey, again, speak to the manufacturer.

Step 4: Organize your bag with care.

At this point, if you bag is clean and in good condition and you want to continue using it (remember, its probably one of ten and you may want to rotate!) make sure to be deliberate with the objects you carry inside it so it is not too heavy or filled with useless items. Also, make sure your makeup is contained in a makeup bag so that powders and lipsticks don’t break or melt on the interior of your bag causing stains or damage to the bag in the future.

Step 5: Properly store your bag(s).

If your bags were designer made, they may have come with a dust bag to use for storage, you should be using these but a dust bag alone doesn’t cut it as a storage solution! You must also make sure to stuff your unused bags with bubble wrap or tissue paper so that the bags keep their shape. You may not think this is necessary, but especially with leather bags, its easy for them to ‘deflate’ in storage, causing the leather to crack due to the lack of structure. Also, make sure to keep the bags in a cool, dry, and dark place. This will preserve color and give the bag longevity.

I guess I will leave you to it! Good luck and happy cleaning!
lifestyle

What’s In my Bag: Birthday Edition

 

Last month was my birthday and I got so many fun new accessories I thought I should share with you all an updated What’s In My Bag to show you how things have changed since my birthday!

The Bag

My everyday bag is still my favorite Rebecca Minkoff Cupid in Pale Grey. Although I switch between a few RM bags frequently, this one is my go to catch all bag that never fails to disappoint.

The New Additions

1. The most obvious new addition to my everyday bag is not exactly what it seems. I am of course referring to the laptop- that’s not a MacBook Air, but instead its my iPad 3rd generation in its new ClamCase Pro Keyboard case. I wrote about this nifty case on The Pink Mac, and made a video review if you care to check it out in greater detail!

2. My new wallet. I am now carrying around a Tory Burch Robinson Smartphone Wallet. This compact case has enough room for cash, change, my important ID’s and credit cards, as well as a special slot for my iPhone. I love this wallet because it doubles as a clutch when I need it to with its removable wristlet.

3. Kate Spade Pavilion Black and White Polka Dot iPhone 4 Case. I love updating my iPhone case and this is one I have been eyeing for a long time. I think the polka dots are fun for spring and the case is very protective, I know my iPhone is secure in it!

4. Grey and Black Skull Scarf. I am very into scarves, but this one is so chic and edgy I feel like a complete rock star whenever I wear it. The pattern is similar to the Alexander McQueen Skull Scarves but this one was so much more affordable off Amazon for under $20 and I get so many compliments whenever I wear it! Now to pin, 1001 ways to wear a scarf…

5. The final new addition to my bag are my wonderful new Sunnies from Warby Parker! Yes, they are prescription sunglasses, which is awesome because I have never owned a pair before and they make a world of difference while driving during the day. This style is the Jules in Stripped Evergreen and I think they are a neutral yet chic addition to my day to day wardrobe!

 
I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into my bag! What’s new in your bag this season? Share with us in the comments below!
lifestyle organization

{You Missed a Spot} Spring Cleaning your Lingerie Drawer

You Missed a Spot is a new Spring Cleaning feature for the month of April focusing on the not so obvious places you will want to tidy up for the season! Each Thursday visit us for a new installment that goes beyond the how to’s of vacuuming, window washing and laundry!

{Organize your Lingerie Drawer}

Your lingerie or underwear drawer is probably the last place you would think to organize, so I figured we should start there! Its not uncommon for people to hoard bras and panties thinking, ‘you can never have too many’ but the truth is, you should be filtering through your underclothing at least twice a year.

Bra’s: You should get fitted annually to make sure you are the correct size or anytime your weight changes significantly. Since we wear bra’s daily for hours at a time, they wear out quicker than you would expect, and you need to know what to look for in order to determine if you should keep or toss one!

Signs you need to toss your bra

  • Warped or protruding under wire
  • Limp appearance to cups
  • Stretched out straps and elastic
  • Rough or matted appearance to fabric

Panties: Like bra’s your panties are worn everyday (hopefully!) and worn for nearly 24 hours in most cases! You should make sure to regularly check your underwear to make sure it is in good condition and immediately toss any undesirable pairs and replace them with a few new ones.

Signs you need to toss your panties

  • Excessive stains (blood, sweat, etc)
  • Stretched out
  • Holes or runs
  • Lining in crotch is ripping

Stockings: Stockings may not be worn as often as your bra’s or panties, but they are significantly more delicate in most cases. Its not rare for someone to put a run or a hole in a pair of sheer stockings the moment they put them on, which is pretty upsetting because no one wants to toss something that’s new, but keeping stockings with imperfections, especially those in visible areas, is just not good sense.

Signs you need to toss your stockings

  • Ill fitting, either too loose or tight
  • Holes, runs, tears, etc
  • Fabric is matting up
  • Discoloration from stains or sweat
I guess you’ll want to get to work now! Good luck and happy cleaning!
lifestyle

April Fools!

April Fools Day is synonymous with pranks, but as much as we all enjoy getting a rise out of a friend or loved one, I prefer the harmless type of joking to the annoying. Really, who has the time to cover a co-workers office furniture in jello? And who has time to clean up the mess? So, today I am sharing with you a few simple but delicious April Fools Day meal pranks that will turn heads and leave your pranking victim feeling more amused than agitated!
Vanilla Yogurt with a peeled or canned peach for a yolk like center!
Slices of pound cake toasted and filled with orange frosting!
Scoops of mashed potatoes drizzled with brown gravy and topped with a grape tomato!
lifestyle

Conjuring your Desires: Luck

 

 
Conjuring your desires is a new weekly feature for the month of March that focuses on using your natural power and energy to bring yourself everything you are looking for in your life. Each Thursday visit back for a new installment covering the topics of talismans, love, money, and luck!
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Luck, is it fate or do you make your own? Well, I think its a little of both! So, I have put together a few tips on how to attract luck and opportunity your way. 
  • Luck apparently can smell, because it happens to be attracted by strong, distinct scents. 
  • Mint, ginger, pine and thyme all attract luck your way, so I suggest drinking strongly scented herbal teas and wearing a deep, musky perfume that mimics the odor of the forrest. 
  • Birch, pine, elm, and other tree scents seem to have a way of bringing luck your way.
Luckily for you, April is an excellent month to attract luck and opportunity. Particularly during the Waxing Moon, which occurs during the 7-10th days after the New Moon. 
  • I suggest making a nice little potpourri pocket filled with mint leaves, ginger root, paprika, thyme, and oregano and taking it to be blessed under the light of the Waxing Moon sometime in April. 
  • Obviously, April is not the only time you can do this, but due to certain astrological forces, it does happen to be the best month of the year for this, however, you only have a three day window to take advantage of it! 
  • Just make a little field trip to a quiet place outdoors with your scented pocket during sunset and simply wish on the Waxing Moon, asking for it to bring you whatever particular luck you are seeking. 
  • Be sincere and honest with what you ask and take time to reflect. When you are done, keep your scented pocket in your room in a safe place where you can visit it daily.
With any luck (pun intended) you will attract some good fortune in no time! Make sure to be specific as possible with your intentions and make sure you keep a clear mind or else you may miss the chance to reap the rewards of what you have sewn, remember, opportunities come in many forms, some are not as attractive as others.
 
“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.”
– Ann Landers
 
lifestyle tech The Pink Mac

Unboxing: Wacom Bamboo Capture

lifestyle

Conjuring your Desires: Love

 

 
Conjuring your desires is a new weekly feature for the month of March that focuses on using your natural power and energy to bring yourself everything you are looking for in your life. Each Thursday visit back for a new installment covering the topics of talismans, love, money, and luck!
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Love is all around us, or so they say, but for some of us, love is something that constantly eludes us or perhaps doesn’t stick around. While I firmly believe that love comes to us when we aren’t really looking for it, I also believe that the best way to attract it is with self confidence. You must love yourself first and foremost before you can expect anyone else to love you! So, step one of this whole process will be to help you gain confidence in yourself. 
  • Wear deep colors like bright blue, indigo, mauve and black to release your inner confidence and gold toned jewelry.
  • Eat power berries like blueberries and cranberries which have natural antioxidants and magical properties to release your inner energy. Figs, ginger and grapes also have a similar affect and should be added to your diet as well.
  • Use rose scented perfumes and beauty products. I highly suggest rose salve which can be used as a dry skin cure, lip balm and moisturizer all in one! 
  • Finally, try creating your own self love mantra and repeating it on a daily basis. For more information on creating your personal mantra, see Mantra: Writing on the Wall from Issue 4 of Strange & Charmed.
So, now that you have the self love and self confidence down, you are ready to move on to finding real romantic love. Try some of these tricks to attract love, continuing your self love mantra as well as an added tool.
  • Wear gemstone colors like blues, greens, purples and pinks, and corresponding jewelry.
  • Eat plenty of sweet fruits like apples, bananas, sweet peas, and sweet potatoes.
  • Use a sugar lip scrub to keep your lips in a perfectly kissable condition. I highly suggest Fresh Sugar Lip Polish which is a scrub made from coarse sugar. It tastes great and with daily use you will transform dry lips into plump, pink, perfection!
If you keep it up, these things will help you attract real romantic love, but above all the best advice I can give you is to keep your heart open to everyone who comes into your life. You may think you know who the guy or girl of your dreams may be, but keep your eyes open, there are plenty of fish in the sea! Good luck!
lifestyle

5 Must Have Beauty Time Savers

Doing your makeup in the morning can be a time consuming task, especially when we all have a multitude of items that are for this or that area of your face or body. To save yourself some time, try using to double duty products that will slim down the size of your makeup bag and make getting ready for your day a breeze!
 
1. Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Polish
When I first bought one of these cute little nail polishes, I will admit, it was because they reminded me a lot of the Chanel Nail Varnishes, but these budget friendly polishes are actually so much more than your standard nail color. They are actually a base coat, color and top coat all in one, so no need to waste time with different nail products. This will definitely cut down on your drying time!
 
2. Victoria’s Secret Make it Last Prime & Set Makeup Spray
I have never been one to use a makeup primer let along a separate spray for finishing, however, when I came across this two in one primer and set spray, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a whirl and I am so glad I did! I was actually very impressed with the staying power of my makeup when I used this spray and I love that is does double duty so I don’t need to use two separate products to get all day makeup coverage. 
 
3. L’Oreal The One Sweep Eye Shadow
It’s true, I am a makeup neophyte! I cannot for the life of me get my eye makeup to look right unless I am using a product that tells me exactly what to do! This all in one smokey eye shadow pallet has a brush that will apply all three colors at once in one sweeping affect so that even I can’t mess up my eye makeup! Perfect everyday smokey eye makeup in one second, check!
 
4. NARS The Multiple
To be completely honest, I am not the type of person who buys a lot of department store or designer brands of makeup. After years of using the “good stuff” I figured out that it wasn’t any better than many drug store items I could find for a fraction of the price. But one brand of designer makeup I do repeatedly purchase is NARS, and specifically, the Multiple. This stick of color can be used in more than one way (hence, multiple) so that it can be your blush, lip color, highlight and eye shadow all in one! For all the items of makeup it replaces for me, I figure its well worth the price, not to mention a major time and space saver in the morning!
 
5. Rimmel Scandaleyes Flex Mascara
False eyelashes can take ages to apply in the morning and I personally have never had the knack for it! Admittedly, a lack of lashes has never been a problem for me, but I do tend to adore that false lash look! So, I like to use a buildable mascara like this Rimmel Scandaleyes that actually contains lycra that will help enhance your natural lashes to appear nearly false. Its probably the next best thing to false lashes and its much quicker, thats for sure!
 
So, do you have any favorite beauty items that do double duty or help save you time in your morning routine? Let us know in the comments!
lifestyle

Conjuring Your Desires: Money

 

 
Conjuring your desires is a new weekly feature for the month of March that focuses on using your natural power and energy to bring yourself everything you are looking for in your life. Each Thursday visit back for a new installment covering the topics of talismans, love, money, and luck!
________________________________________
 
Money is an easy thing to acquire but not an easy thing to keep, which is why we need a constant and steady stream of it in order to balance our lives. When it comes to conjuring money, you need to take into account not only the receiving of money in one form or another, but also the respect for money. “Waste not, want not,” is a sure quote to live by when it comes to cash, but there are a few easy things you can do to attract money to yourself and a few not so easy things to do to get it to stick.
  • Wearing and displaying gold will help to attract money to you. 
  • Cinnamon sticks and orange peels also attract money. Try drinking orange tea with cinnamon or keeping those scents around you. 
  • Burning sandalwood incense on Sunday morning an hour after sunrise and doing a simple meditation will also help bring money to you. Sit quietly during this time and reflect on what your monetary needs are and how you will honor and respect that which is given to you.
While trying to attract money it is very important that you also respect it or else you can scare it away. 
  • Do not make any frivolous purchases, make regular deposits into your savings account and keep your wallet and purse in order. 
  • File receipts, keep clean bills in your wallet and make sure to store your change with care. 
All these things will help to attract money to your pockets! Once you begin to see that you are attracting money into your life, make sure to continue to practice respect towards it. Money is fickle and will stay away if you waste it!
lifestyle tech The Pink Mac

An Apple Genius Broke my Macbook Pro Parts 1&2