What Was The Best Part of Your Day?

What was the best part of your day? Really, I want to know 🤗

This weekend’s collective joy was one for the books. Seeing so many people laugh, dance, scream out in relief, and honk in celebration was so wonderful to take in. It was as if everyone had been holding their breath for months & was finally able to breathe.

I’ve been doing my best to soak up everything. All the joys, all the tears, all the laughs. the anger, sadness, and grief attacks, too. My grief counselor recently told me that working to find the little joys helps to rewire our brains - it changes the grooves (so to speak) & teaches us how to navigate & process our new lives.

Last weekend’s joy is one that I think we all very much needed. This year has been a hard one for us all; but, just as I was reminded to find the joys, I’m extending that reminder to you, too.

Consider the daily practice of asking yourself (& each other), “what was the best part of your day?” and watch as the grooves in your brain flow towards joy over time.

Here is a photo of one of my recent “bests” - getting this cute happy face nail art from @saundersandjames. I cannot help but smile every single time I see these tiny smiley faces on my hands (& getting a safe + much-needed mani/pedi after monthhhhs also felt really good, so there’s that!) 🙃

Beauty Bites: Whole Foods Market's Beauty Week

Earlier this month, I attended the most incredibly produced brunch by the Whole Foods team. You already know that I am a Whole Foods fanatic. I love their fresh quality food and their warm service. But, did you know that Whole Foods carries some of the best clean beauty items around town? They've got everything from skin care (think face and body), hair care, and makeup! And, better yet, their Beauty Week starts now! As in today through March 27th. During this time, you can score 25% off skin, hair, and cosmetic products. After the jump, dive deeper into which products I'm currently trying and love, and feast your eyes on the amazing set up that I was fortunate enough to experience at the Fioli Gardens.

Beauty Bites: Seed Phytonutrients

Last week, I had the pleasure of being introduced to L'Oréal's new incubator beauty brand, Seed Phytonutrient. I know what you're thinking (because I was, too) - another beauty brand? Do we really need one? Probably not, if it's just another brand. But after spending the day with the Seed Phytonutrient team, I quickly realized that they're far from that. They're a brand ready to change the sustainability sphere and are already sparking conversations to help make sure that we, as consumers, are, too. Intrigued? I thought you might be. Read on to hear about my day and this new brand that you need to know about.

Beauty Bites: Masks of the Moment

If there's one thing you must know about me it's that I'm a skincare junkie. I turn 30 next year, but I'm trying to keep my skin age 18. Luckily for me, most people still think I'm in my early 20s (which used to bother me), but now I don't mind at all. One secret? Masks. I love a good mask. My ideal Sunday evening is spent in a good mask (or two!), with candles or sage burning, and Friends playing in the background. So, as someone with a bit of an obsession with masks, I decided to do a round-up of my current faves and must haves.

Beauty Bites: Clarins Spring 2017

You know that my love for Clarins runs deep. I look forward to the brand's spring launch every. single. year. (See here and here, if you don't believe me.) This year was no exception. Probably the biggest reason why I have loved Clarins for so long is their mission to constantly innovate and improve upon skincare. The brand evolves products and doesn't settle when it comes to good skincare solutions. This spring, I was delighted to find that the same thing still rang true, both with new products and improvements upon old favorites. After the jump, take a look at some of the brand's new spring standouts and see which products I've found myself keeping in my makeup bag ever since receiving them.

Beauty Bites: #zeninthebu with derma e

Ah, summer, you sweet, sweet thing. To say it's been a chill summer would be somewhat of a stretch. I've been putting in several hours at the office and all of my vacation time has been saved up for the last quarter of the year. Luckily for me, I was able to skip town for a few days to join derma e for their #zeninthebu Malibu escape. If you know me, then you know I love the sun - combine that with hours of yoga, beach time, poolside tanning, swimming, delicious (and healthy!) eats, massages and flower crowns, and you've got yourself a very, very happy girl.

Beauty Bites: COSMEDIX

I've been trying to make more time in my week for the stuff I love - yoga, blogging, weekly bouquet runs - aka "me" time. Different from my last dose of "me" time, the things I'm doing now are less about mindless relaxation (otherwise known as vegging out, or Buffy marathons on Netflix) and more about personal productivity and overall zen. In that "zen" bucket includes elusive massages (counting down the days until my next one!) and pimping out (yes, I said "pimping") my beauty routine. And what is more "pimp" than a fabulous facial? Not too much. So, when COSMEDIX invited me to try their customized facial at SenSpa, it couldn't have come at a better time.

For those who may not be familiar (and truth be told, I wasn't until my facial), COSMEDIX is a skincare brand that focuses on using "the science of nature to deliver results." Their tagline, "Clinically smart. Naturally beautiful," best describes their science + nature duo.

Beauty Bites: A Date with Dior

It's not often that you're offered a date with Dior. So when Christian comes a-calling, you gotta answer. The day after I returned from my Coachella / SoCal adventure, I got in a car and made my way down to the new Dior Beauty boutique at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara. It's actually one of three brand new boutiques solely dedicated to beauty opening up this year - meaning makeup, skincare and fragrance all in one place. Oh, oh and did I mention the boutique is the largest one in the country? Yeah - endless cosmetics, you guys. Starting this month, they'll even have a private spa room for facials, so you can get that full beauty game going in a day's visit. So, you can see why I didn't want to miss out on previewing the new space, right?

Beauty Bites: VERB Hair Products

One of the trickiest things about having naturally curly hair is finding the proper products to make it shine. I have my set of favorites, but every now and then I love testing out some new stuff to see if there's anything else that will give my hair life. Earliest this month, I was introduced to Austin-bred hair care brand, VERB. I've been using the brand now for about a month and can't say enough great things.

Beauty Bites: Beauty Packing List with Ulta

When it comes to packing for trips, I've always tried to get everything I need into one carry-on and tote bag. Past years have taught me that no one wants to be that person with the huge suitcases trying to navigate from point A to point B. So, along with cutting down on my clothes, I've also tried to be very smart about my makeup stash. Luckily for me, skincare and beauty products are so tiny, I can always get away with packing jusssst a little more than I should. But, for those quick weekend trips and shorter summer getaways, there's a few things you will always find in my bags.

Beauty Bites: Clarins

It's no secret that I'm a Clarins lover. Ever since being introduced to a selection of their products a year ago, I've been hooked. So, I decided to take the next step and I scheduled my first facial at their Bloomingdales spa location. Truth be told, I've always been reluctant to try facials, as I'm very particular about who touches my face. But, because I'm such an avid user of Clarins products, I knew I'd been in good hands with their team. After answering a few questions, we decided on a moisture-replenishing treatment for my skin, where my aesthetician focused on my problem area - my eyes. I've always had bad bags under my eyes, so I was really looking for some pointers on how to get rid of them. During the treatment, my aesthetician did gentle massages around my eyes to help with blood-flow and reduce puffiness. Results? 50 minutes full of bliss and relaxation. And because Clarins was offering a gift-with-purchase that day, I couldn't help but leave with a few goodies to round out my collection of skincare items. To see my current rotation of day and night skincare products, click for more.

Beauty Bites: Nude Skincare's ProGenius Omega Treatment Milk (and giveaway!)

Earlier this year, I let you guys in on some new skincare products in my beauty rotation (namely, Nude Skincare). Remember when I raved about their face mask (which I still love, by the way)? Today, I'm back at it with the love for Nude and introducing you guys to my new daily moisturizer enhancer.

Beauty Bites: bareMinerals' Complexion Rescue

It's that time again - another Beauty Bites post, y'all ready? Here we go. I recently had the pleasure of partnering with bareMinerals to test out their new Complexion Rescue Tinted Gel Cream, which launched just last week. I was really excited to try this because as someone who doesn't use powder or foundation, a light, moisturizing tinted cream is basically about as "foundation-y" as I will get. I know that sounds a little silly, but it's true! While I love what powders and foundations do for the skin, I personally tend to overheat (seriously) when I wear them, so I stick to moisturizers (or BB creams, if I am feeling especially fancy). So, when I was invited to try out bare's newest product launch, I thought it couldn't have been a more perfect fit.

Beauty Bites: NUDE Skincare

I'm pretty serious about my skincare routine. Last year, I started to up the ante on what I put on and how I take it off. If you must know, I've recently become obsessed with researching and trying new products, and with the cold weather creeping in and out, I've been looking for some gentle products so as to not dry out my face. My latest must-have that's now found a prime spot in my bathroom cabinet? NUDE Skincare. Full disclosure, I've tried two of the three products shown above, but both have made my skin feel and look great. For those of you who may not have heard of NUDE, get ready to for me to give you the 4-1-1.

New Year's Eve Beauty with MAC Cosmetics

New Year's Eve is right around the corner, and I don't know about you guys, but that's pretty hard for me to wrap my mind around! I have always been a last-minute-kinda-gal when it comes to the holiday. The dress, hair and makeup - those are the easy parts. The plans? Well, that's always been the kicker. And this year isn't any different. I may not know what I'm doing just yet (will I be dancing all night long with my gal pals, enjoying a night in with my besties, or something more?), but I at least know that I'll be looking my best, all thanks to my pals at MAC.

The Perfect Honey Brown Highlights by Sassoon Salon

After I cut my hair back in April, I decided that I also wanted to lighten it. I've never completely never dyed my hair, so highlights have always been my only option. After getting my hair highlighted by Sassoon Salon's color specialist, Nathan Booth in July, I decided to head back in and get my hair done one more time in August. What came about was the perfect honey brown color I was looking for. (You can see it even more so in this set of photos.) I had a chance to ask Nathan a few questions about achieving the perfect shade for every hair color. Click to read more!

Dream a Little Dream

I've always been a gal chasing dreams. Ever since I was younger, I've been a goal digger -- listing out my dreams one by one and crossing them off, line after line. I'll admit that sometimes I get caught up in trying to make my dreams come true and forget to enjoy the journey that goes along with it. Luckily, sometimes there are outside signs that find you and remind you that the journey to the dream is worth slowing down for.

Beauty Bites: Tried & True (Love)

It's time for another stack of Beauty Bites! This time around, we're talking about some things I've tried, some things I love, and some things I can't wait to restock. You might remember my last Tried & True (Love) post, here. Okay, let's dig in!

Beauty Bites: 100% Pure Cosmetics (and Giveaway!)

100% Pure Cosmetics c/o; Break-ups To Makeup Clutch & Tee c/o

I'm all about trying out new beauty goodies, and this week, it's 100% Pure. For those who may not be familiar, 100% Pure lives up to the name in every sake - it's 100% green (all the packaging is made from recycled aluminum and paper and all the printing on the packing is even made from non-toxic soy & vegetable ink!), it's 100% cruelty free, and all the products are made from 100% biodegradable formulas. Needless to say, 100% Pure is healthy for us and the earth. Not bad, right? So, it's no surprise that I was pretty excited to try out some products from the line.

Barneys New York SF x Givenchy Beauty Event

All photos by: Melissa de Mata

I recently hosted an event at Barneys New York SF in partnership with Givenchy. It was an evening filled with makeovers and some of my closest blogging buddies. I tried out a darker nude lip, something I wouldn't normally put on myself, but loved that I was able to experiment with colors outside my comfort zone. It was even more fun to watch each gal transform and take on a new look -each look was different from the one before.