This month flew by! (Do I sound like a broken record?) I can’t believe we’re already counting down the last three months of 2018! I love this season. There’s so much energy, excitement, and celebration. I’m looking forward to our big trip this month, Thanksgiving and Christmas, annual parties, and all the good food that comes with them! Until then, here are a bunch of stories I was captivated by and wanted to share.

Refined
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. It’s a beautiful analogy for life, and how broken pieces can be put back together even more beautifully than before. Read more here.

FOMO Factory
Did you see my post about the FOMO Factory? It’s a new immersive art space in Austin, here until the end of the month. I’m a little iffy about these types of things because of crowds and the self-indulgence, but it proved me wrong and was a lot of fun. I was inspired by the creators’ creativity and the little world they built in the building.

$41.6 million
That’s how much money the JJ Watt Foundation has put to work in Houston for Hurricane Harvey relief. You probably remember the commendable fundraiser the football player led a year ago, and now, that money has helped rebuild homes and businesses and provided meals and health services to so many. See the full update here.

We Are Bristol Bay
How do you protect the world’s largest wild salmon fishery? Tell stories to celebrate the goodness the bay provides people. Read all about Bristol Bay in Southwest Alaska here.

Finding Joy Where You Are
This advice column response was a good read. Here’s the big summary:
“There are just too many ways to mess this up. But you have to embrace this tangled mess and trust that you’ll find a way forward. There is no way for me to lay out a specific path for you that’s better than the one you’ll decide on yourself. But in order to decide, you have to stop hiding and trying to escape. You have to live where you are and work with what you have.”

Birth Problems
The rate of severe complications when U.S. women give birth has tripled between 1993 to 2014. The reason? Women are getting pregnant at older ages and more likely have health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. Here’s the long read.

How Do You Find Your Passion?
This is a big question among people of all ages. I liked this response to the question.

Women Deserve Better Pockets
This article detailing pocket sizes and more is so interesting! Why is it that men get bigger pockets?

Natural Beauty: SOCO Botanicals
I went to SOCO Botanicals complimentary media event for their Grand Opening and am so enthused about it! You may remember me talking about trying to find safer and more natural skin care products. Founder Scarlett Olson and her team have been perfecting their non-toxic, oil-based products for over five years and the quality really shows. It’s also a local Austin company. Our favor bag had samples of the SOCO Symphony Elixir (the signature product), SOCO Citrus Gem Essential Oils Gel Cleanser, and SOCO Black Lava Scrub. I’ve tried them all and am really enjoying them. I’ll keep you updated!

Being Your Own Boss
Being your own boss is a dream, right? Making your own schedule, doing work you love, and having so much free time are all benefits, right? Maybe, but you may also work non-stop and have to pay attention to things you don’t enjoy like accounting or marketing. Jules from Om & the City will give you some real talk about being your own boss and why the grass is not always greener.

This Does Not Define Me
This account of all the harassment this woman has received is sad and hard to read. It’s an example of what women go through. You should also look at this list and conversation of ways men and women avoid being sexually assaulted. Spoiler alert: the world is more unsafe for women.

Obesity
About 80% of American adults and a third of children are overweight or obese. The way I understand this eye-opening article is that our bodies have adapted to what we eat and while we may be eating less, people are still fighting a losing battle when it comes to losing weight. Foods that are high in sugar, low in fiber, and packed with additives are the majority of what we eat, and we must start focusing on health instead of weight and support instead of shame to make positive change.

10 Life Promises
One of my favorite bloggers posted about the life promises she and her husband made on their honeymoon and an update about them 12 years later. It’s so interesting and sweet.

Value Perception
Let me nerd out a little bit. Value perception is so interesting to me. It’s based on our own experiences and observations and how our minds work. For example, I experience this when I’m parking downtown. I can’t find street parking but a parking lot spot will cost $20 for a couple of hours. Do I value the money or the time to find a spot? If you want to learn more, here’s an informative article.

Old Shoes
What do you do with gently worn shoes that you no longer want? I run into this problem with running shoes. They’re nice shoes but they no longer feel good when I run in them. Donate them to Soles 4 Shoes who provides them to people around the world! The easiest drop off is a DSW store near you but you can also ship them.

Now Listening

• Happier by Marshmello ft. Bastille
• The Greatest Showman soundtrack – I just watched the movie/musical and loved it! Here’s the song Rewrite the Stars.
• Lucky You by Eminem ft. Joyner Lucas (NSFW) – I’m not usually an Eminem fan but this song is impressive. Is he breathing when he’s rapping so fast??

What’s got you captivated lately?

P.S. I loved this post about Childhood Food Memories this month!

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The post Captivations v51: Kintsugi appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

I’m excited to tell you about the glam makeup party from this past weekend! My friend Ashley, who you might remember from our yoga party, now sells makeup and asked me to host a makeup party to show us the products and try them out. It was a fun afternoon! We sipped mimosas, ate breakfast tacos, and played with makeup.

Makeup and skin care are things I’ve figured out on my own since high school. Little by little, I’ve learned about products and techniques through friends, articles, and YouTube videos and added to my routine. With makeup, I think it’s less about covering up imperfections and more about enhancing your positive features, like making your eyes sparkle. It’s all about showing your inner confidence outward. With all the products available, it’s also a lot of fun to experiment!

Ashley! And some of the colorful and fun makeup and skin care products she sells.

One of the first products from the Royalty skin care line we tried is one of my favorites of the bunch. The detoxifying mask has charcoal in it and putting it on for five minutes had immediate revitalizing effects on all of us.

Charcoal Masks are revitalizing our faces!

The rest of the Royalty line is magic too. The Instant Lifting Serum gives you immediate wrinkle restoration while the Uplift Beauty Serum gives you more long-term effects. There are products for every step of your skin care routineFor my eyeshadow I decided to try something a little crazy and bold since I usually use neutral colors. Ashley did a halo effect on my right eye and a three-tone mermaid effect on my left eye. (Check out the mermaid eyeshadow tutorial here.) There are many beautiful eyeshadow colors, in shimmer and matte, cream or loose. The eyeshadow palettes are fun too. Either of these two eye looks would be a fun for a night out! (I also tried the liquid foundation and the peachy lipliner.)

Ready for some tips? I like things simple when it comes to makeup and skincare. I’ll all for a 10-minute makeup application in the morning and quick skin care before bed. Here are my five go-to tips to put on my best face!

1. Always remove your makeup before you go to bed.
Throughout the day, dirt and bacteria build up on your face, in addition to the makeup you put on. Cleansing helps clear your pores to keep your skin healthy, wrinkle-free, and blemish-free. I wash my face with face wash and then use a makeup remover wipe if there’s leftover eye makeup. Every once in a while, I use an electric two-speed cleansing tool (similar to a Clarisonic Mia) to get a deeper clean. (While you’re at it – be sure to clean your pillowcases regularly too!)

2. Use night cream and eye cream.
After you wash your face, revitalize with a night cream, aptly named for its application before you go to bed. Night creams are meant to hydrate, fight wrinkles, firm, and restore. Don’t forget to apply it on your neck too! Similar to night cream, eye cream focuses on the areas around your eyes to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, relax puffiness, and fix dark circles. This is usually applied as part of a morning routine before makeup.

3. Always apply SPF in the morning.
Our faces are exposed to sunlight, directly and indirectly, every day. To prevent sunspots and wrinkles, I use a BB cream with SPF daily. If I know I’ll be outside for a long period of time, I make sure to use sunscreen because a sunburnt and peeling face is not fun!

4. Wash your makeup brushes.
Just as your face builds up particles every day, so do your makeup brushes. Washing them every other week or at least monthly would be ideal. This will give your face the best look and help maintain the quality of your makeup.

5. Pamper and Experiment!
This party was a good reminder to take better care of my skin and not be afraid to experiment with products and looks. We all need a little pampering sometimes. Applying masks, like the charcoal mask, twice a week can make you feel good inside and out. Taking care of my skin will have long-term positive effects and trying new makeup is all about learning how to enhance your look and having fun. This is an investment that’s worth it!

If you’re interested in learning more about makeup, Ashley posts tutorials and tips every week on Facebook. Here’s an example below. Check out the private VIP Facebook group here.

If you want to check out the makeup and skincare products, check out my virtual makeup party here until September 28. After September 28, check out Ashley’s website.

What are your go-to skin care and beauty tips? Any products you LOVE?

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I’m on a mission to throw 12 celebrations in 2016. This is #8 of 12. See all of #Celebrations2016 here!

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