Gratitude journals are pretty much what they say on the tin, but like most things that I’ll probably love, I avoided them for ages. Two months ago I finally grabbed a spare notebook I had floating around and sat down to write a few sentences about what I was grateful for that day. What a difference it’s already made.
The thing about gratitude journals is that you don’t have to write novels every day about what you’re grateful for. It doesn’t even have to be anything overly special. More often than not I find myself writing about being grateful for Alex, but putting those thoughts down on paper has really changed my way of thinking. I’m actively expressing feelings and emotions, bringing them to the surface, and making them known to myself. That’s caused me to make them known to other people too.
Every night I grab this journal and write a sentence or two about whatever I’m grateful for that day. Just a few thoughtful words and off to bed I head. Yet when I wake up I still remembered what I wrote the night before and I find myself in a better mindset.
Putting gratitude first seems like a no-brainer, but it’s pretty hard to do on a constant basis. The gratitude journal makes it so much easier to keep thankful thoughts coming. Plus it just feels good to write happy things down rather than focusing on the bad things.
So there it is. My “ah-ha” gratitude journal moment and my not-so-subtle push for you to start one too. It’s good stuff, I’m tellin’ ya.
One of the best ways to snazz up a planner layout, journal, or letter is with photos. I’m the pits when it comes to scrapbooking, but adding a few photos into a layout is pretty foolproof and adds a scrapbook element that’s oh so good. There are quite a few portable photo printers out there, but I’m putting the
Polaroid Zip and the
Prynt Pocket* head to head.
Let’s start with packaging. The Zip has a smooth, sleek, and small design that uses bluetooth to connect to your phone to find photos to print. The Prynt is a bigger, bulkier alternative that attaches to your cell phone for printing. Prynt has more color options to choose from while the Zip seems more limited. Both of them use Zero Ink paper, but sadly in two different sizes which makes sharing a paper stash impossible. Both have sticker adhesive backings to their paper to make adding photos anywhere easier. I use the Prynt in
a recent vlog if you want to see it in action.
Both printers use in-phone apps to print photos and I find the Prynt one to be a lot more engaging and fun. Zip’s app is boring and dated and only serves to get the job done. It’s not an experience like Prynt is. Plus I’ve heard updates of the Zip app can be a bit finicky and crash. Good thing I’m terrible at updating my software.
Print quality is where these two really start to differ. The Zip has always printed with yellow tones for me while the Prynt is much more blue toned and more like the original photo. I’ve never worried too much about the coloration of the photos since they more for an added addition here and there, but the Prynt’s quality is definitely higher than the Zip if you’re looking for a closer match.
Yet the most important thing to make this printer worthwhile for use with planners is the ability to add multiple photos to one print. The Zip has a collage function to add as many as nine different photos on one page. The Prynt pocket doesn’t. There’s no feature to add multiple photos to a print to save paper and get smaller photos to fit into planner spreads better. A huge negative in my book.
Now to be fair, the Prynt Pocket is marketed as a tool to turn your phone into an instant camera. It’s not really intended for heavy planner or scrapbook use. It’s more as a party addition to snap some shots with friends and print them out on the spot.
Price wise the two differ about $20 with the Prynt being more expensive. I purchased my Polaroid Zip from the Erin Condren website where
you can save $10 more on the Zip if it’s your first site purchase. A $30 difference would swing my decision one way over the other, definitely when one is tailored more towards planner scrapbooking than the other.
As for which one to buy, it really depends on your main intended use. The Prynt Pocket’s photo quality beats the Polaroid Zip hands down, but it isn’t very planner friendly if you can’t adjust the size of the photos or add more to the page before printing. It is a great party addition though to snap photos with friends and instantly get a copy of them. No one prints photos anymore and being able to turn your phone into an instant camera is pretty cool.
But if you’re like me and really want to add a memory keeping element to your planning, than the Polaroid Zip is the way to go. It’s small, portable, and easy to use despite the lackluster attention that went into the app creation. You can always adjust your photos before printing to make them more true-to-color, but I find that it’s just too much work for such a small photo. The Zip definitely lacks the “instant” quality of the Prynt.
For me, I’ll stick with my Polaroid Zip for the bulk of my photo printing and save the Prynt for my next gathering. It’ll be a blast snapping random photos with friends and giving them a parting gift.
What photo printer would you choose?
I’ve had a love affair with blush since I was a little girl. Clown cheeks were my specialty during dress up time and I rocked the brightest pink shades. Fortunately for everyone around me, I’ve toned things back a lot since then and have a much lighter hand. Blush still is a favorite in my makeup routine and there are five blushes I gravitate towards more than anything else.
I’ll throw it back to my younger days with this first blush. Everyone needs that bright pop of pink in their collection.
Tarte’s “Fearless” has been my go-to for the perfect flush of pinky goodness. Tarte is the brand I compare all blushes to for quality, pigmentation, and lasting power. They’re just that good.
The
IT Cosmetic’s Bye Bye Pores Blush in “Sweet Cheeks” is the newest addition to my collection but instantly became a favorite. It’s unlike any of the other blushes I’ve owned so it had to be included in this roundup. It’s packed full of glitter, but creates this gorgeous iridescent glow on the skin. Slightly on the mauve side, this blush is a fantastic transition from summer to fall makeup as it accentuates whatever tan I managed to get this summer while packing on the dewy radiance.
Of course another Tarte blush had to be added to the lineup. No shame. “
Peaceful” is a much more neutral shade I tend to wear on light makeup days to add a little bit of dimension to my face. It also has bits of glitter in it, but they never translate to the skin. Just a good ol’ fashion peachy blush shade good for all year round.
theBalm’s Frat Boy takes “Peaceful” and injects it with a bit of “Fearless” and probably is my oldest blush. I can’t ever seem to part with it though as it’s still going strong. The best summer peachy shade to add warmth to the skin while looking natural and effortless. It’s oh so good.
Urban Decay’s “Video” blush has been sitting quite on my shelves this summer waiting for its time to shine once fall and winter roll around. It’s the best colder month blush I’ve found for adding color back into my skin without looking too out of place on my pale winter face. It can be worn lightly or really built up to its fullest potential.
These five blushes cover all the bases, You’ll never be without the perfect shade and your blush collection will thank you for keeping it to a minimum. They’re all incredibly pigmented, long-lasting, and downright gorgeous. Add two or all of them to your collection. Go on, I won’t tell.
With fall beauty launches starting to drop, I’ve shook up my everyday makeup routine for a super dewy, radiant, no-makeup look.
No Kayla makeup routine starts without first using the
Stila One Step Correct. I’ve used my fair share of primers trying to find one that rivals Stila’s, but to no avail. This truly is the best primer I’ve ever used. It’s hydrating like a moisturizer while having no silicone. Man do I hate that weird satin finish of silicone primers. This reduces redness while sinking quickly into the skin so I can move on to other steps in my routine.
I’ve been testing out the
Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfecter* (phew!) lately and find it to be quite like the It Cosmetics CC Cream. It’s quite a sheer coverage base, but it’s perfect for an everyday makeup look where I don’t need too much coverage. Its finish is incredibly dewy and leaves a nice highlight to the skin making it look like I’ve spent my summer days at the beach rather than hunched over a laptop.
Next is brows and I used up my It Cosmetics
Universal Brow Power Pencil so I’ve moved on to the
Brow Power Powder* and am peeved I haven’t tried powders sooner. Although I do love a good brow pencil, powders are so easy to just quickly fill in my brows without fuss or worrying about brush strokes. Plus the color is a fantastic match and doesn’t budge all day. Huge fan.
Most days I can’t be bothered with eye shadow so I head straight to mascara.
Urban Decay’s Perversion* is my current favorite for bold, thick lashes that hold a curl all day long. My lashes are seriously sad so anything that can keep them upright and voluminous throughout the day is a winner in my book.
For blush I’ve been using the Sephora’s birthday gift from
Tarte in “Paaarty”. Luckily the have this in a full size because I’ve been going through this deluxe sample like crazy. It’s the perfect summer flush to the skin that leaves me looking warm and gorgeous. I’ve also been dabbling in a little bit of bronzer (I know who am I) as summer starts to wind down. Got to give the illusion of a sun tan somehow right? The
Urban Decay Beached Bronzer* is just the right light shade while still adding color and glow to my face.
Lipstick is another product I just slap on without much thought of color, but I have been finding myself reaching for
Bite’s “Pepper”* more than most shades in my collection. It’s a bit more on the purple side of mauve than my usual “my lips but better” shades, but I’m loving it to add a bit of depth and tone to my otherwise bright and poppy look.
Regardless of whether I’m going out all day or staying in to work, I love finishing off my makeup look with the
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. It’s just so dang refreshing on the skin that I just can’t help but spray a few spritzes on to the skin. I’m still working through my backup collection of old packaging and can’t wait to get one of the new, sleek black bottles.
All in all this look takes about five to ten minutes to slap on my face in the mornings and makes me feel ready to take on whatever the day has to offer. What’s your usual makeup routine look like?
Life lately has been filled with a lot of dogs. We’ve been watching my parents’ two dogs during the work week for about five months now and it really has been enjoyable having pups around. It’s made us rethink getting one for ourselves though since it feels like quite the full house as it is. Although I loved the idea of having a corgi to snuggle with, Tardis the cat demands more of the spotlight.
We’ve also been doing a lot of decorating in our place lately. Furnishing and decorating our house is something we didn’t want to rush in the first year since we had to get used to a lot of new expenses. Plus a wedding thrown in there really dampens the decorating budget. We finally finished up organizing the sand collection and are working on adding more
everything to our bedroom. A neighborhood friend built us
a lovely TV stand and a new desk is in my future!
The rest of our days have been filled with working, family time, and a lot of robe wearing. So much so that I wrote
an ode to this Erin Condren robe. You know it’s serious when it gets its own blog post. I’m sure you’ve gotten the vibe that change is in the air at the Benda household and we’re just weeks away from finally sharing everything we’ve been working on.
If you’re ever interested in more life updates, we post vlogs fairly regularly on our
vlog channel. Prepare yourself for a lot of messy hair, un-showered Kayla footage.
What’s been going on in your life lately?
