Gardening in High Heels

cultivate a beautiful life

Sunday Lately, 82

Sunday Lately is a weekly link up brought to you by the Blogger Tribe. Link up and see what's been happening lately!Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (which is being fearlessly lead by Meghan, Nicole, Katy, and myself). We e-hang out every Sunday, sharing a small glimpse into the last week of life in our own worlds. We’d love if you could join us!
This week’s themes: Doing, Appreciating, Designing, Humming, Expecting

Gorgeous flowers in a garden in Colonial Williamsburg.

Colonial Williamsburg has the best flower gardens. There were marbled and spotted cockscomb and I’ve only ever seen solid colors!

Doing

I did a lot of driving this week. There were meetings and events and such and then I drove all the way to Virginia to see my mom. It’s a long drive, so I like to put on podcasts (usually that’s when I listen to Nicole Antoinette’s podcast, which is fantastically insightful if not a little long) and at least it feels like someone else is there talking to me so I don’t zone out.

Appreciating

I’m very much appreciating social media right now. I got a second forward helix piercing (it’s like the picture below, but now I have two). I went to Six16 in Lawrenceville and had the best experience. No pain, no redness, looked wonderful. Last night, I noticed it was a little swollen. This morning, it’s gone. I can’t see it. Not like it’s so swollen, I can’t see it, but it isn’t there. I can feel it, but I can’t see it. So thankfully I can DM a picture to Nick, the awesome dude who runs the place and be like, “WTF do I do??”

Designing

Finally, I think I’m getting around to making some shirts I purchased from Patterns for Pirates (cough) last year. I can’t wait to see how much of my sewing skills I still have.

Humming

Last night, we went to an organ recital – just about an hour of organ music, which is oddly nice. I’ve been to these in Williamsburg before and it almost always puts me to sleep. Last night, though, was a little more lively, which was a nice change, and a few runs are still stuck in my head.

Expecting

I’m not sure what to expect. I expect this week will be busy. There.

What have you been up to lately? Link up with us and share!


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Get your glow on with The Estee Edit

I’m going to start this by saying I’m not a fan of glowing makeup and excessive highlighter. Why? Because I usually have so much oil on my face within about 10 minutes of applying makeup that adding additional shiny stuff is basically redundant. Also, most highlighter has some color or glitter to it and I’m not about looking like a disco ball.

Okay, now that I’ve said that, I love the Estee Edit makeup I was sent by Influenster to try out. It has a primer/face color stick, lipstick/balm, and two highlighting products. I’ve been using it for about two weeks and I really like the results. The highlighting products I received aren’t glittery (mostly) and they really aren’t tinted, so they look natural and work with the rest of my makeup instead of against it.

Highlighter junkies, rejoice! The Estee Edit has amazing products to get your glow on any time of the year. These products are so flattering for summer, though! Can't wait to try them!

Pore Vanishing Stick

The Pore Vanishing Stick is possibly one of my favorite items I received in the Estee Edit box. This is a miracle stick (heh heh, dirty) with a color core and mattifying primer ring that blurs the look of pores and minimizes oil and shine. While they recommend using this as a primer, solo as your face color, or over makeup, I prefer it as a primer. It really does provide a nice, matte base that allows the rest of the illuminating products to do their job without extra help from oil on my face. I pay special attention to places I want to stay matte when I use this and not worry about even coverage since I put foundation over top.

The Estee Edit Pore Vanishing Stick is a miracle worker! It keeps you matte all day and provides an aweome primer base for makeup.

Beam Team Hydrate + Glow

The Estee Edit says Beam Team Hydrate + Glow is an illuminating, hydrating lotion with a touch-on shimmer concentrate. They recommend using it any time of day for an extra glow boost. Usually, I’ll mix the lotion into my foundation to make it more like a BB cream. Even though they say it can be worn alone for a healthy glow, it’s very sheer and doesn’t provide coverage. The “color payoff” is slightly golden; I mostly notice that it gives me a nice, vibrant beam and not color.

The glow boost in the cap is a little different. I thought I could just swipe it on from the container, but the cap gets in the way. I felt very smart the first time I tried to do that. This part does have some glitter in it, so I usually don’t reach for it daily, but I’ll bring this into the game if I want a bit of an extra highlight.

The Estee Edit Beam Team Hydrate + Glow is a beautiful hydrating lotion that illuminates and comes with a concentrated highlighter in the cap for spotlight highlighting!

The Estee Edit Beam Team Hydrate + Glow is a beautiful hydrating lotion that illuminates and comes with a concentrated highlighter in the cap for spotlight highlighting!

The Estee Edit Beam Team Hydrate + Glow is a beautiful hydrating lotion that illuminates and comes with a concentrated highlighter in the cap for spotlight highlighting!

Flash Illuminator

The Flash Illuminator is another illuminating product (no shit) and claims to be “your best light in a bottle.” The Estee Edit says it’s a high-impact highlighting cream that instantly illuminates skin and provides hyaluronic acid and other skincare ingredients. There are five shades ranging from Spotlight (the one I have here) to Night Light, a darker golden brown shade.

Again, I like to mix this in with my foundation if I haven’t already added the Beam Team hydrating lotion. I’ll also use this as a highlighting cream on my cheekbones (what little of them I have) and down the bridge of my nose.

The Estee Edit Flash Illuminator packs so much glow! It's great on its own or mixed into foundation for a beautiful, vibrant glow. So pretty for summer!

The Estee Edit Flash Illuminator packs so much glow! It's great on its own or mixed into foundation for a beautiful, vibrant glow. So pretty for summer!

The Estee Edit Flash Illuminator packs so much glow! It's great on its own or mixed into foundation for a beautiful, vibrant glow. So pretty for summer!

The Barest Lip Color

No surprises here, the The Barest Lip Color lipstick is my favorite item from this box. It’s a lipstick/lip balm hybrid that uses muru muru butter and real flower petal waxes for softness and shine. You can apply this sheer or layer it up if you like to live in full color. There are a range of shades, like the Flash Illuminator, though they’re all pretty much brown-nudes with a hint of pink. I have In the Buff, a nude mauve shade that’s rosy when sheered out.

I love the scent of this lipstick (true Estee Lauder lipstick that reminds me of the 90s and my grandma) and how it wears. It feels really nice, too, and moves with your lips; not that it travels, but that it doesn’t just cake onto your lips and then crack when you try to talk. Ugh, that’s the worst feeling.

The Estee Edit The Barest Lipcolor in In The Buff is a super hydrating lipstick/lip balm hybrid. What a gorgeous dusty mauve shade for summer! Definitely a switch from my bright pinks!

The Estee Edit The Barest Lipcolor in In The Buff is a super hydrating lipstick/lip balm hybrid. What a gorgeous dusty mauve shade for summer! Definitely a switch from my bright pinks!

I’m pleasantly surprised by this box of goodies from the Estee Edit. I’m actually using everything provided, even though two of the items are highlighting/illuminating products. Like I said before, while I’m not about that game, I am so about the vibrant glow they give me.

What’s your favorite way to glow?

**These products were provided complimentary by The Estee Edit and Influenster, but the opinions are my own forever and always.

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Patience. Or: How to be Patient

“Angelica, patience is not our virtue,” is something I heard a lot when I was growing up. I was always told I’m not a patient person, so I believed that story: You aren’t patient. You have to work at being patient. It’s a mantra I got from my mom.

Trust me, there are tons of times when I see lack of patience showing through. Goals for me are big-time patience-killers. I want something right now when I decide to put my mind to it. Not that I don’t work hard for what I have or expect things to be handed to me. I expect immediate, visible change. Exercise is where it really shows up for me. I ran 5 miles today, why don’t I have awesome legs and killer abs??

Remember my body image issues?

So there’s something I’ve been wondering a lot recently. When does patience turn into passivity? At what point point do you just let people walk all over you at their own pace in the name of “patience”?

When does patience turn into passivity? At what point point do you just let people walk all over you at their own pace in the name of "patience"? The answer is boundaries!

I fancy myself the strong, silent type who doesn’t make waves but still speak up for herself when necessary. A quiet leader who doesn’t need fanfare. But in reality, I’m not living that image of myself. I let things happen to me, especially when I think that presenting a strong opposing stance (in my best interest) will change the other person’s perception of me as the “nice girl.”

Something I admire greatly about my best friend is that she decides what she wants and makes the decision for herself to get it, do it, be it. She will think about others, sure, but her ultimate decision is in the best interest for what she wants to accomplish in her life. She doesn’t wait for the right time, or let someone dictate the terms of her life. She’s another person who wants that immediate result, so she makes it happen.

It goes back to boundaries, like I wrote about last week. Boundaries are tricky but a solid indicator of what you will and won’t stand for. It’s your guiding light.

Man I love when shit ties together like this.

When do you think patience turns into passivity?

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Sunday Lately, 81

Sunday Lately is a weekly link up brought to you by the Blogger Tribe. Link up and see what's been happening lately!Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (which is being fearlessly lead by Meghan, Nicole, Katy, and myself). We e-hang out every Sunday, sharing a small glimpse into the last week of life in our own worlds. We’d love if you could join us!
This week’s themes: Planning, Loving, Reading, Wishing, Feeling

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We’re doing Sunday LATEly around here today. And we’re doing it fast.

Planning

I bought a new Happy Planner for the rest of 2016 and 2017. It was half off at Pat Catan’s, so for $14, how could I not? I really do want the new rose gold horizontal layout, though I went with the Sugar & Type style since they didn’t have the rose gold (and won’t for a while since Hobby Lobby has exclusivity.)

I also really want a Get to Work Book for 2017, so who knows what planner I’m planning to stay with.

Loving

I turned on the air conditioning in my house yesterday for a mastermind group (normally I just sweat it out) and I was loving not sweating in my house. I had it on for a bit today, too, but the weather doesn’t seem to be as humid as other days here. I do like that the weather has been making my flowers thrive. How pretty are my violas?

Pretty violas! Great potted flowers for summer in such vibrant shades!

Reading

I should get started with Doing Good Is Simple by Chris Marlow. I was sent it for review. I’m in the middle of Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (it’s the Create Lounge book club book this month) and I’ve been stuck on a Netflix kick so reading isn’t happening much.

Wishing

I wish for just a little bit more mild weather. At least for the humidity to back off a bit. Today felt really nice not to deal with it.

Feeling

I’ve been feeling a little off. I’ve also been feeling the pressure to come up with an awesome (and easy to DIY since I’m broke) nail art look for an event I’ve been invited to on Wednesday. It’s called Gemstones and Gelato. I want an opal-ish mani so I can try on some opals and eat some pastel ice cream and I can entirely match.

What have you been up to lately?


Need Boundaries? Ask Yourself This.

This week on Sunday Lately, I wrote a bit about boundaries and how they felt limiting. I’ve always thought that having boundaries meant you said no a lot. And in a sense, that’s true, but so much more goes into it than just saying No.

Oooh, I can hear you now… “Angelica, how much more?” I’m glad you asked! Why? Because I have struggled with setting boundaries (I have an aversion to the word no) and just a little mindset shift has been helpful for me so maybe it’ll be helpful for you, too.

Setting boundaries doesn't have to be a hard and fast yes or no. It's all about honoring your intentions and asking yourself one simple question. So helpful to look at it this way!

First, a little backstory.

I used to think that boundaries were constricting and that it meant choosing myself over everyone else in a greedy way. When presented with the option, I always picked everyone else over myself. It’s just how I am. I’m a people-pleaser. And it got to the point of resentment. I’d feel resentful for doing things for others. That’s not cool, man. I wanted to help.

It goes hand in hand with not asking for help. I see asking for help as a sign of personal weakness, that I’m admitting defeat and saying that I can’t handle it, which is another conversation straight from Daring Greatly by Brene Brown for another day.

What were we talking about? Right, boundaries. I’ve noticed that I’m most resistant to things that I know will take a lot of work but will also help me the most.

Setting boundaries in and of itself felt constricting, like I always had to say When presented with Situation Y, I must always answer with Z. And I didn’t like that. As much as I like plans and order, I want to have the ability to change my answer. But you can’t do that when you think boundaries mean always answering the same way (no) to certain requests.

See my conundrum now?

My question up until recently was: how do you hold yourself to (seemingly inflexible) boundaries while wanting to be able to change your mind?

It isn’t about asking What would make me happy? which, I mean, is a valid question, but that’s so vague and takes a lot more work to get to the heart of why you’re saying yes or no.

Instead, ask yourself: what will make me feel comfortable saying yes to this request? Repeat that with me, chickadess. What will make me feel comfortable saying yes to this request?

Kinda like saying yes to the dress. But not. Because this isn’t a dress. Anyway.

Re-framing how you look at boundaries as This is how I want people to treat me feels better. It’s not no, it’s I’d appreciate your understanding that I cannot do that right now, but I can help you this way. You’re still saying no to the request (really, still saying yes) but doing so in a way that feels more comfortable.

And of course, that also means that you get to say yes to other things, too. Like projects you want to do or collaborations that really excite you.

It’s all about honoring your intentions and your values. What do you prioritize? What will make you feel in control? What will make you feel like yourself?

As a recovering people-pleaser, I’m always trying to figure out how to value others’ requests while still making myself feel free and giving of help.

To get a little woo-woo here, setting boundaries teaches the Universe what you truly prioritize, too, and lets it know what opportunities to send your way way. For example: if the Universe knows I’ll say yes to anything, it’ll throw anything my way. If it knows I only want to be open to work on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, it’ll send quality opportunities to me on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. Cool, right?

To recap: life with boundaries looks like more intention, more flow, more flexibility. Life without boundaries looks like resentment, restriction (ironically) and constriction. Oh, and constantly feeling like you need to please everyone before you can start on yourself. Life without boundaries seems kinda like the loser here, no?

Where do you feel like you need to have a few more boundaries but are stuck putting them in place? Let me know if this trick worked for you!

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