When I was growing up in the 90s, and reading the teen magazines of the times, I had a narrow definition of beauty for women: very thin, trendy clothes, clear, wrinkle-free skin, and perfectly styled clothes. All of it was very visual and one dimensional. What I've found is that as I get older, and live more life, my understanding of beauty keeps expanding. Now I see beauty in every woman, and see it in myself too. I see how each woman is beautiful in her own way and in how they are different from other women, not because of... Read more →

My pregnancy is drawing to a close and I'm reflecting on the things I've loved these last 40 weeks. From maternity clothes to foods to books there have been some stand-out favorites that I'd love to share with you... My maternity wardrobe is bigger than these eight items (one not pictured) but these are the things I'm reaching for on a near daily basis. Honestly it's kind of been the capsule wardrobe of my dreams. I love not putting much thought into what I'm wearing for the day but still feeling pulled together and comfortable. As evidenced by bathroom mirror... Read more →

One of my favorite podcasts lately is the Happier podcast and on a recent episode Gretchen and Elizabeth discussed the concept of a signature color. A signature color is a color that makes you happy just looking at it and that feels like "you." A signature color isn't necessarily the color you most love to wear, although it might be. It's the color that you choose when faced with two hundred different options for cell phone covers or the pop of color that shows up throughout your home. Maybe it's the color of your car or of a favorite clutch.... Read more →

During the 2016 Year of Kelsey I am vowing to get serious about taking care of my skin and finding a makeup routine that works for me. If I start a great skin care routine now I'll look amazing when I'm older! And having a reliable routine of great makeup products is definitely something I want in my life. My skin care routine is inconsistent but since January I have been wearing sunscreen nearly everyday, a habit I have been wanting to adopt. In the makeup department my goal is to have a simple makeup routine that leaves me feeling... Read more →

We all know that the secret to keeping your skin health and looking young is to protect it from the sun (not to mention to prevent skin cancer). Despite knowing this my habit of using a daily sunscreen was, until recently, a B- at best, maybe a C. Starting in high school I would occasionally get into a habit of using a daily moisturizer with SPF although it never seemed to stick, I think because I never found a product that I loved. But I live in Arizona where we have 300+sunny days per year. Even if I'm just driving... Read more →

Part of my Year of Kelsey goal is investing money in creating a capsule wardrobe. My definition of a capsule wardrobe is a collection of essential wardrobe staples that are well-made, fit wonderfully, make me feel great, can be mixed and matched and won't go out of style. Along with excellent fit and quality another consideration for my capsule wardrobe is how the clothing is made. I want to support brands that adhere to responsible labor and environmental practices. A few of the brands I've found that have statements about these things include Everlane and Boden and The Art of... Read more →

Recently, I've become more conscious of buying household and personal products that are certified "cruelty-free" or that state "not tested on animals". The cruelty-free certification is something that a brand can obtain by working with the animal rights organization PETA but my understanding is that it is similar to a product claiming "not tested on animals". Animal welfare is very important to me and to our family. It's a big part of why we chose to eat a vegetarian diet and try to limit our consumption of animal products (we do eat eggs, yogurt and cheese). Ideally I'd like to... Read more →

I have a bad habit I don't think I've mentioned: I pick at my cuticles. It's something I do absentmindedly but mostly when I'm stressed about something, usually work-related. As far as bad habits go, I suppose it's not terrible, but it drives me crazy. It leaves my hands looking unpresentable and it makes me feel unprofessional and unfeminine to have hands I want to hide in my pockets. One funny/interesting thing about this bad habit is that it seems to run in my family! It's something that my mom, sister, uncle (my mom's brother) and cousin all admit doing,... Read more →

Since I'm growing out my hair I'm always looking for ways to keep my hair at its healthiest. I use natural hair-care products and have even tried out some homemade hair masks like avocado+olive oil and coconut oil. My latest favorite treatment is Moroccan argan oil. I've seen several bloggers mention this stuff lately so I couldn't help buy some at Walgreens a few months ago. It's the Organix brand Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Weightless Healing Dry Oil (how's that for a name?!). The directions suggest spritzing the oil on your towel-dried hair and spritzing over dry hair as well.... Read more →

Since the weather is heating up here, it seems like an appropriate time to talk about…deodorant (if there’s ever an appropriate time). Lately I’ve been trying to transition to as many natural body care and home cleaning products as necessary. I have no idea why it took me so long but I’ve finally discovered all the amazing natural body care products out there. Given my vegetarian/vegan eating habits, commitment to composting, and buying local and organic it seems like I would be just the type of person to be using natural care products. I was thinking about this and realized... Read more →