Style Snapshot: Rachel

Today we are featuring Rachel, from San Diego, who perhaps is one of the most fun girls on the planet. I have known her since we met on our floor Freshman year at University of Arizona (Coronado to be exact). Though her style has changed throughout the years, she has always been a tried a true West Coast girl with a radiant positive spirit that is infectious. She got married to a handsome Aussie and had her baby boy almost two years ago and has since been making a home for herself and her family in Solana Beach. Her laid back style and approach to beauty pays off, as she needs very little to look gorgeous. Here is a glimpse into her closet, style, some homemade beauty products, and how she keeps balance in her life.  

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Balance and what keeps me sane:

I feel out of balance when I have too much going on.  To keep myself sane I try and keep my life as simple as possible in terms of scheduling, and not over commit to too many things.  I'm also really practical with time.  For example if Jae’s music class starts at 10am and it's 20 away, I'm going to leave 25-30min before it starts so I have time to get there, find parking, and change a diaper if need be. This helps to eliminate the need to rush which I was doing ALL the time.

I was rushing to squeeze in one more errand, rushing home for Jae's nap, rushing home after my mani pedi because I feel guilty I've left my son and husband on a Sat afternoon. Several months back I found a sitter that Jae loves and I totally trust- this changed my life!  She comes over once a week to watch Jae for about 4 hours so I can run errands, or go to yoga, or get a mani pedi, or shop, etc.  Side note: my family is close by and super helpful, but I was still rushing around when family had Jae because I feel like they're doing me a favor and I don't want to take advantage of it by being gone too long.

I hate to admit it but I'm a routine kind of gal.  I feel more balanced when there's routine in my life.  For this reason (and because it's good for him) I keep Jae on a consistent nap and bed schedule.  We just switched to a one a day nap schedule and it's been awesome.  Jae naps at 11:30am and goes to bed at 7pm.  Thankfully my son is a super good sleeper so when he goes down at 7 I know that he’s down for the night and my husband and I can make dinner and drink beers together. (Yes, I drink beer every night).  

Since most of my days are spent hanging out with my little dude, my style is pretty casual.  Having worked at Nordstrom for many years, I learned the importance of dressing for my specific body shape.  This came in handy since my body has gone through many changes before, during, and after pregnancy.  I love showing off my shoulders- I think it’s a sexy body part without trying too hard.

My skincare routine is currently under a dramatic change….  Last year I was diagnosed with stage 1 melanoma in my breast.  A quick outpatient surgery was performed to remove it but I obviously needed to make some changes.  I began using sunscreen immediately.  The sunscreen I use on my face is Chanel’s UV Essential with an spf 50.  It’s extremely lightweight so can be added to any face routine.  On my body I use Aveeno’s Active Naturals SPF70.

Last week while applying my antiperspirant I realized how neglectful I was being to my body.  I was continuing to put a known cancer causing substance only inches from where the cancer was found in my own body.  I quickly began searching online for organic deodorants and was shocked to see how easy it was to make your own, so I gave it a whirl!  The next day during my son’s nap I made a deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, and face scrub all with ingredients I had in my kitchen. 

Shampoo - one cup of water and a tablespoon of Baking Soda. 

Conditioner - one cup of water and a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar. 

Deodorant - 6 tablespoons of Coconut Oil, 4 tablespoons of Baking Soda, and 4 Tablespoons of Corn Starch

Face scrub - 2 parts coconut oil to 1 part Baking Soda

If you look online there are TONS of different recipes, I just used the easiest one for my first try.  The hardest part was figuring out the containers to use for each of these.  Please keep in mind I am in the VERY beginning and experimental phases of this but I really want to make it work.

For make up, I keep things pretty simple. My favorite product is my Chanel foundation. It is super easy to apply )I mix it with SPF and apply with my fingers) and it is the perfect amount of coverage (light to medium). I have also been using the Nars blush in Orgasm forever. Then I swipe on some Bobbi Brown mascara and that is it for every day. 

If I have more time or going out, I like Bobbi Brow's long wear gel eyeliner (5) and Eye Corrector (4) for dark circles. I rarely wear eye shadow, but Laura Mercier's in guava (3) is a good daytime color and brightens my face a bit. Nars makes a great highlighter (2) and the Chanel Correcteur Perfection (1) works great as a concealer. For my brows I have a few Anastasia products.  I use their “brow fix” clear wax pencil (6) to keep my brows in place, then fill them in with powder (8) , and finally use their highlighting duo pencil/illuminateur crayon duo for underneath my brows (7).  This whole process which only takes one minute would only happen if I’m getting fancy. 

I get my hair cut and colored by Yadira Hood in Carlsbad.  If I show her a picture, she can nail any look.  I’m super lazy with my hair routine so she makes sure it looks natural and can have a good amount of growth before I need to come back. My look would be described as ombre- natural color at the top but gets pretty light by the ends. 

I just finished my laser hair removal package at Laser Away in Hillcrest.  I got my underarms, bikini line, and upper lip done.  I’m pretty happy with the results on the armpit and bikini line but my mustache doesn’t seem to want to go away.  They said this is because lighter hair is harder to remove than darker hair. 

For my mani/pedi I get the same thing almost every time.  I do a bright color on my nails (yes, even in the winter) and I do a French manicure on my toes.  I like the French on my toes because it lasts forever and looks clean.  

I do not wear perfume, but I do keep lavender oil in my purse so I can apply it if I am feeling tired or anxious. It helps a lot. 

Though I like to stay active,  I hate to say that currently I’m not doing much of anything.  I try and walk or ride a bike as much as possible.  We walk or bike to the park or beach almost every day and I try and take Jae to the zoo once a week which is a ton of walking.  But I am cognizant of my activity level, like I try to take the stairs instead of the elevator or park farther away in a parking lot than I need to.  Or sometimes while I’m watching TV I’ll do leg lifts or use my 3lb weights.  About once a month I make it to yoga.  Before I got pregnant yoga was my go-to workout.

Because I worked there, Nordstrom is really where I do most of my shopping. Though there are a couple of cool boutique's down the street, The Pink Lagoon and Cedros Soles. They carry great maxi dresses and tanks that I tend to gravitate to. 

Lately, my day to day uniform has been torn up Rag & Bone skinny jeans, a white tee (Alexander Wang is pricey, but the best), and flip flops.  

1. T by Alexander Wang / 2. Rag & Bone / 3. Vince / 4. Haviana 

For shoes, I really live in my flip flops. Honestly, new kicks are the focus of my next shopping trip, I need something day-to-day to wear other than flip flops! One of my favorite pairs of shoes are my Vince nude leather flats, but I rarely wear them. 

Thank you for sharing, Rach!  

xo

Erin