Did you know this was a holiday? Sadly I caught it after the fact but it was August 10th! I’m going to act like the date doesn’t matter because no matter the day or time, we all deserve some down time and relaxation in our busy lives according to our own schedules – don’t you agree? Life isn’t always a picnic – even though the idea sounds delightful.

A week ago I wrapped up my summer semester of school and have about two weeks -ish until fall semester starts — hence I’m currently making serious use of all my lazy girl days! This summer semester was intense, as I’ve previously mentioned, and final grades were finally posted today. Ya girl made two A’s, again! Yes I’m bragging because I’ve never felt so challenged in my entire educational career, mentally and physically! When my seizures made their debut, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue the semester – so I asked my advisor. These classes are only offered in the summer, therefore I’d be set back an entire YEAR. No thank you! So I bucked up, prayed for strength, and pretty much focused only on school.

So yes, despite the set backs and new literal brain strain (hah!) I freaking nailed it! And yes, I’m now currently writing this in my bathrobe living my best life. And yes, I definitely cried.

Any who – now that I’ve gone all mushy and in my feels on you – let’s talk about lazy day necessities shall we? Or at least, what I like to do on my down time.

My outfit above: Jumpsuit sold out, similar here, here, and here | Hair Bow | Picnic Set | Phone Case | Austin Eastciders

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Face Mask Central

We all know I love a good face mask and on my downtime I really try to give my skin lots of love and attention. Recently I was introduced to a new line called Graffiti Collective. If you follow me on IG and saw my recent stories – you’ll remember I’ve been RAVING about their line. I’ve tried each mask and absolutely love the result from every single one. If I had to pick a favorite I’d probably go with the Pure Grit simply because it’s also an exfoliant and getting all the dead skin off just makes my face feel even cleaner, ya know? Each jar is 45$ and HUGE! You get so much product for your dollar. I use these 4$ spatulas to spread on my face without getting my fingers all messy. You might cringe at the thought of spending 45$ on a mask but I’ve spent double or more on jars much smaller without as much of a result that I get with this line. Plus you can use code TARA20 to save 20%!

After I mask I always ‘seal the deal’ with a moisturizer at bedtime. I’ve mentioned the Fresh lotus night cream before, and I still love it! Every time I use it I wake up with radiant skin. I keep it in my mini beauty fridge and it feels DIVINE in this summer heat! I also really love the Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask (actually all of their products are sensational) and Colleen Rothschild Intense Hydrating mask (always sells out!). All three of these products deliver so much more to your skin than mere moisture!

Hair Masks

Yep – I make time for hair masks when I have down time, too! I’ve been on a journey this last year and a half to “heal” my hair. I had fully taken out my bonded extensions Fall 2017 and did a pretty big chop to my shoulders. Then, January I had gone to full on pixie mode. I absolutely loved it because it super duper bold – but I also learned I felt more like myself with longer hair and the ability to style it. I quickly started wearing fun wigs, which I still do when I want color or an added flair to my outfit without damaging my real hair. That being said, I’ve taken SO many steps to healing and growing out my actual hair. When I took out the extensions – wow wow wow had my hair thinned like no one’s business! You hear that extensions can be damaging but seeing that shock should be shown to everyone. And I had once had THICK curly hair (Hispanic & Native American=hairy). While I’ll likely go back to extensions at some point again, it’ll never be that type or anything that yanks my hair out. I’m currently researching sewn-in, we’ll see if I make the plunge!

Part of my hair care regimen, among other things, has been incorporating Olapex into the game. I never knew I was missing out on something so essential! Have you tried it? I use the pre-treatment No 3, shampoo No 4, and conditioner No 5- but I also use the leave in treatment No 6 afterwards and rinse it out hours later. I also love that each Olapex product isn’t as expensive as other salon-worthy products! I’ll also use the Pravana purple mask that’s super hydrating and tones my icy blonde away from yellows once a week or so. Another favorite of mine I keep in stock is the Moroccan Oil mask – it does a great job and smells amazing. Wash and rinse your hair like you normally would, then slather one of these on, wrap up in a towel (I love these) and go watch some Netflix!

Bullet Journaling

I had started to get into bullet journaling last summer and then dropped off once I moved into the house and got consumed with settling in. Something recently just decided to get a new journal and pick it back up again. I’m SO glad I did! The thing I love about bullet journaling is that it is completely YOU – your style, your quirks, your system. I’m no artist so I love searching Pinterest for theme ideas. I stumbled across an about me page and loved the idea of little pictures and doodles representing things that I love – so here’s mine.

More than anything – bullet journaling is an escape for me. I get so entranced with creating themes and drawing out the designs that the rest of the world just melts away for that moment in time. Don’t get me wrong, I love love love to read, but there’s something about drawing and coloring that just soothes my soul. My stress melts away like snow in July. I really adore this ice cream stand – I saw the original on Pinterest and had to try to recreate it! Not too shabby!

Now tell me – how do you spend your lazy days?

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