The art of being a woman, I mean damn, it’s an art. We navigate through life with tenacity and tact, grace and gratitude. So the story goes like this – my insanely talented and driven friend Alexandra wrote a book called The Art Of Being A Woman and I went to her launch party last night, which inspired this post. I was honored to have been on a panel with some pretty incredible talent where we discussed women’s issues, finding balance in life as a woman, and what we believe the art of being a woman means. My quote at the end of the panel was short and sweet, “we’re sexy, we smell good, we’re powerful, and we birth life”.
Among many things I also think ladies can be pretty bad ass when it comes to being savvy with our money and smart about our finances. Bargain shopping, that’s what I’m getting at here folks. You foxy babes will patiently sift and search, until you find the perfect piece . . . just like we find our husbands! KIDDING! In all seriousness though, the money I save bargain shopping is money I save for my kiddo. This write up is really to encourage you to pick up and read Alex’s book for insight and inspiration, AND to entice you with frugality. Because you can’t feel guilty when you shop and saving your hard earned money for a life you deserve is a very real thing. Yes, I am the queen of segues.
Lets be real, you’ll never find me in a high-end department store purchasing shoes that cost more than $50, or having the latest and greatest hand bag, or even knowing what those brands are- that’s just not me (that Tom Ford lippy there, on sale!). I have nothing but love for those of you who splurge on the finer things in life, I’d just rather find them on sale! So I’m gonna share with you my number one secret for this summer . . . having this season’s hottest accessories for literally 95% off. Crazy talk I know.
I fell deep into an Instagram hole, as we all do at 3am … and found so many adorably cute jewelry companies. I wanted these earrings so badly until I found out they were $96 and wanted to chuck my phone at the wall before I remembered that Joe was asleep next to me and refrained. Needn’t worry though, your girl found these (just as beautiful) dupes for $5.90! Forever 21 y’all. Also this is not an ad #ipaidforthis. I swooned and maybe even squeaked a lil over these Circle Cutout Ear Jackets because they’re very similar to their $84 step sisters but for a ridiculously lower price point.
And check it, these Filigree Drop Earrings are only $4.90 compared to the $95 earrings that I was side eyeing because classic, and for less than 6 bucks you can have this summer’s hottest trend- the tasseled duster earrings, which I found for $75+ on other sites. You may think quality above all else but if you’re like me and you lose earrings like you lose socks (where do those lone socks even go?!) than this is just fine for you *snap snap
Insane right?! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE beautiful things and sometimes we just get what we pay for and we wanna splurge on whatever the hell we want. DO IT! But also sometimes not. I’d personally rather invest my money in experiences and traveling with my family. I also want to be out of college student loan debt, I want a house, and I don’t want to worry about my daughter struggling in her future, I want all of that. So I save and I save and this is one of the many ways that I do that. Also, no one will even know that you’re not on brand and if they do they’re standing too close.
So that’s the lesson for today, my Mama Lizama Moment if you will- to run, not walk on over to snag a book from my girl Alex, and to save where you can by indulging on some thangs and not on others. The art of being a woman to me also includes being financially free and dammit if that means I shop sales for the rest of my life so I can have that big ol’ house than I’ll do it! This was a simple trick that I wanted to share with you, a quirky way to be all trendy but not break the bank and I hope some of my ways help you too!
What does the art of being a woman mean to you? If you could describe it in one word what would it be? I should’ve added “financially savvy” to my last quote 😉
Applying a toner to my skin after I’ve cleansed it is a step that I don’t think I started doing until a few years ago because it was under rated. However, toners remove residual make up, dirt, and oil from your face that cleanser left behind. Put some on a cotton round and see the grime that comes off that you didn’t even think was possible. 
Think of serums as the red rope between your products and the deeper layers of your skin. They also contain a higher concentration of active ingredients so it’s like a helpful bouncer that also helps your products be more effective! It’s especially helpful to use a serum if you have fine lines, scarring, or acne. 
After you’ve applied your serum you’ll want to hydrate with a light yet effective moisturizer. I have extremely dry skin so this step is definitely needed for me, but if you have oily or acne prone skin I don’t necessarily think this step is a must for you. Just remember the more you strip your skin of moisture (try not to use alcohol based products), the more it will over produce oil hence causing more breakouts and more oillll. 
The NUMBER ONE contributing factor to premature aging of your skin is the sun. Second is the way you sleep … yaaas I know! More on that later. Remember that UVA protects you from AGING rays and UVB protects you from BURNING rays. So I love using a full spectrum SPF and these are some of my faves: 
Can you tell I’m really all about eye cream?! The eyes have it baby, no matter what, your eyes and your hands will reveal all the things. The skin around our eyes is the thinnest of all our face, hence we age their the quickest, and why we get pesky fine lines and wrinkles there first because, thin skin. The tricky part of using eye cream is to find one that you can use around your entire eye not just underneath it. Most eye creams are designed to thicken the skin which you don’t want to have on your upper eye lid, so either apply it only beneath your lower lashes or use a cream designed for your entire eye like Algenist 360. Remember to use your ring finger (it’s the weakest and has the most padding … go ahead give it a feel) and to pat pat pat, in and up towards your nose. Never drag your skin out and down. Think “defy gravity baby cells”! I know I sound insano but I promise, this is the way. THE ONLY WAY *said in evil voice, but with a smile: 
Ok last one I promise! For now at least 😀 I like to exfoliate my skin 3 times a week. Sounds like a lot but I started off with once a week and then worked my way up to 3. You definitely don’t want to over exfoliate your face but exfoliation is imperative for skin renewal and cell turnover. As we age we lose collagen in our skin (and we produce less of it like why?!), those are the proteins that give us firmness and shape, ya know- taking our raisin like cells and plumping them up into big ol’ grapes!