With a CH

about 2015

Something I alluded to in my previous post was that 2015 was a rough year for me. My pride would like to prevent me from even typing that out, let alone typing it out on the internet for everyone and anyone to see, but whatever. I have a blog and some parts of my life may be aspirational, but much of it is very real and mundane. I think I’m probably not alone in that.

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2015 was a year of big change for me. I started a new job towards the end of 2014, so I was still getting a handle on that, we bought a house and completely renovated (are still renovating) the entire thing, consequently were sort of “homeless”, and changed jobs. Throw in a new city and I could hardly keep my head above water.

I didn’t miss NYC as much as I missed my friends and the firm ground my feet stood on in relation to my career. NYC was so easy, and here? I was busting my ass and getting nowhere. Worse than nowhere, I was throwing up every day before work and afraid to go in. You guys, if you have ever had a job that you just couldn’t do, I want you to know that you are very much not alone. It can happen to anyone and it isn’t okay. It isn’t okay when you follow protocol and ask for help and none is given. It isn’t okay when you are bullied in the workplace. It isn’t okay when you throw up before work everyday. None of this is okay.

In the middle of that, we were renovating a house against a deadline and shocker, the house wasn’t ready and our lease was up. It was Murphy’s Law in action. If it could go wrong, it did go wrong. And during this entire thing when someone would ask me why I wasn’t blogging I would die a little inside and go home and cry. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to blog, I just literally couldn’t. I didn’t have the mental capacity to hardly get out of bed everyday let alone create content.

Two jobs. Moving four times. Renovating a house. I don’t know how or why I thought I could keep up but in October it happened. I had a breakdown. A very serious breakdown and I thought I needed to be institutionalized. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move, I didn’t know how to think. Everything that I had bottled up in the previous year broke me.

And I sat on the floor in my bedroom sobbing because what the fuck was my life? What had I done to deserve this? Who had I wronged? Was this my comeuppance for everything that I had ever done? When I realized that yeah, maybe I got super screwed over but I needed to take control back. To control how I react to things. How I let things in. Who matters and who doesn’t. Who gets my energy.

That’s where this journey begins.

(Congratulations if you’ve read this entire post, that was a long one and I appreciate you!)

hello, 2016

you were born to be real, not to be perfect

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This wouldn’t be my blog if I didn’t just cut to the chase. I took a blog break but it felt  more like a life break. You know when social media feels like it is too much and all the walls are closing in on you? That is how I would describe 2015. It was a year of a lot of change and I was completely overwhelmed and couldn’t pretend to care about this blog. Or come up with content. Or get off the couch when I wasn’t at work. Or instagram, because after all, who gives a shit about what I’m doing? Judging by my engagement the answer was simple, “no one cares.”

I’ve made a promise to myself this year. More than a promise, more of a manifesto. I need to get my life right. I need to find my “happy”. One thing that has always made me happy was writing so this is me saying I am going to blog. Regularly and honestly. Of course there will be house updates, since I do have a lot on that front to share. But guys, this isn’t Studio McGee, I have a real world budget. I didn’t work with a designer and I’m not one so my house isn’t perfect, and that’s okay. But if you’re looking for that from me, you’re going to be disappointed.

If you’re still reading this, know that I love you. You are the reason that I have a heart for blogging.

xoxo, Gossip Girl…jk…it’s me, Christin!

 

 

easy summer beauty

Much like NYC, the Midwest has its own crazy brand of humidity and oppressive heat. Real talk, I don’t remember the last time I dried my hair. There is no point. Literally none. To complement my DGAF approach to my hair, I have come up with an equally easy summer beauty routine for my face.

Admittedly I’ve never worn much makeup, but there is nothing like a heat index of 114 degrees fahrenheit to make you rethink putting on foundation or doing anything but dying. Here are my tips for summer beauty to look hot but stay cool. See what I did there?

best summer beauty products

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight

Since the beginning of this year, I have been on a total rampage to clean up my makeup kit to only include clean products. If you’re new here, I have an obsession with green everything. I have enough working against me already, and I don’t want to be putting toxins on my skin. Plus, I like being neurotic (kidding). If you’re new to the game you can check out my archives here or check out Credo Beauty’s handy Clean Beauty Swaps.

On your typical day, I’ll conceal my eyes with the RMS un-coverup, fill in my brows, throw on a few coats of mascara and use some highlighter. When I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add some bronzer and blush to the equation. Recently, I’ve been into my first routine with a bright lip because it makes it look like you’re wearing a lot of makeup and that you’ve put some effort in. You don’t need to tell anyone you actually put the lipstick on while driving. That can just be our little secret.

I’m really loving the cream blush and bronzer. They’re super hydrating without making my face feel greasy. Also, since it is so freaking hot, they don’t run or look ridiculous if you’re sweating like a whore in church and added bonus, they look super natural. When you get the hang of applying them, you’ll look like a Victoria’s Secret model.

The best part about this, is that it is easy and combined with my low maintenance hair, I’m ready to go in 15 minutes. Which is good, because this girl is interested in sleep.

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how to: buy a house online

If you’re reading this and you have yet to read this post, please do that first and then the title of this will make a bit more sense. Thank you.

I have had more than a few people IRL and via email ask me how to buy a house online. Or if it is real life. Or what the hell is wrong with us. In fact, people at work call it the “eBay house”. No, we did not buy it on eBay. However, a coworker of mine did buy a house on Craiglist apparently. So there’s that. Welcome to 2015! Back to how to buy a house online…

craftsman house front porch

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Below are the things you will need to make this happen:

  1. Complete and utter disregard for what you think buying a house should be like
  2. All of the money in the world (note: we do not have this so I will let you know how it works out)
  3. Cool as a cucumber attitude (or a good mix of Lexapro + Xanax)

Please note, after having gone going through this process, the three items above are listed on personal experience. I basically fell ass-backwards into this entire thing. I do not recommend that. At all. Ever. (see: #2)

By now you’re probably thinking “okay Christin, how the eff do you buy a house online. Just tell me!” and I’m like “hold your damn horses, I’m about to tell you”. To make this easier, and ensure I don’t ramble on and on, I’m going to follow the list format. So here it goes:

  1. Troll the MLS (you’ll need the help of a realtor) or look at sites like auction.com (not eBay)
  2. Once you find a house you like, you can drive by it unlimited times but you likely can never, ever go inside (see: #2 + #3 above)
  3. Think about committing felony B+E to see inside said home
  4. Participate in online auction by bidding against other people
  5. Win action and wire money to auction.com (not all of it, just some earnest money)
  6. When the auction company sends you the paperwork, find an attorney that costs a ton of money (like we did) to review all the legalese to make sure you aren’t getting completely screwed
  7. Sign paperwork and feel sick
  8. Wait approximately 3 months for closing due to liens on house, etc.
  9. Get a lot of cash (rob a bank, whatever) because you have to pay in cash for an auction house. Yes, just like on those TV shows.
  10. Meanwhile, you go make friends with the neighbors across the street who are so nice and let you go inside their house. While you’re there, get the scoop on the people who used to live in your house. Spoiler alert: even though they’ve been foreclosed on, they still “live” there!
  11. Immediately get insurance since you have “tenants”
  12. Send boyfriend to house to talk to said “tenants” and pray that they simply leave and you don’t have to evict them
  13. Cue three longest weeks of your life
  14. Congratulations! You’ve bought a house online! Since it looks like the inside of an episode of Hoarders, you won’t go inside for a week or so but when you do, you see how much potential your new home has and start pinning a ton.

Are there any questions?