Zaanri.xyz | Lifestyle Blog

How to stick to a morning routine

Mar 2, 2018
By Zaanri

I’ve never considered myself a “morning person.” I was a night owl. During my school career I would sleep the entire afternoon and start my homework at 10pm, even at university I would work straight through the night and sleep in the mornings. When I started working I had to start getting up at 6 a.m and let me tell you… I did not enjoy it at all! I would snooze my alarm six times, get up at the last possible minute, skip breakfast, rush to work, and then feel like I was trying to catch up the rest of the day.

It started to really take its toll on my physical and mental well-being and had a major impact on my productivity.

I’m always intrigued and fascinated with people so I started reading about morning routines of successful people. Did you know Anna Wintour editor and chief of Vogue magazine wakes up every morning at 5:45 a.m and plays tennis at New York’s Midtown Tennis Club for one hour. Scott Adams, the creator of ‘Dilbert,’ designed his morning routine to maximize his creativity he says that the first 20 minutes of his days are exactly the same, every day. Putting his physical body on autopilot “frees his brain for creativity.”

I’m the kind of person who loves planning out my entire day. Following that perfectly planned day is a different story. I guess I just suck at following routines. I decided to overcome my struggle with my morning routine by shifting my mindset, staying accountable and staying motivated.

It’s all in the mind:

I took a look at my day and saw that I have a daily routine without even realising it. I went for a daily run, drank coffee in bed and watched YouTube while doing my makeup. If you look close enough you will start to see that you have a daily routine without even realizing it.

You do you:

I also figured out what I need to keep myself accountable to my routine. After taking the Gretchen Rubin’s quiz I now understand that I am a obligor. Obligers respond readily to outer expectations, but struggle to meet inner expectations. In other words, they work hard not to let other people down, but they often let themselves down. Because of this I find it difficult to undertake habits for my own benefit. The key to sticking to these habits as a obligor is to creating external accountability. You can take the quiz here.

Staying Motivated:

So, I had to ask myself what’s my motivation? Why would I want a morning routine and why should I stick to it? A routine keeps me sane and the perfectionist part of me need some sort of order. I am someone who likes to be in control of everything around me which isn’t always possible. Having a routine in the morning that I can control keeps me sane even if the rest of my day is completely horrible. I can leave the house feeling good and knowing that I was in charge of my own morning.

I am not always perfect when it comes to my morning routine. Sometimes I still mess up and snooze my alarm one to many times. But I’ve been getting better and here’s some of the tips I’ve been using to crush my morning routine

BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF

Not every morning will be 100% the same. Sometimes my hair doesn’t play along or I mess up my winged eyeliner costing me an extra 15 minutes I didn’t plan on. They secret is to not let that get you down. Have confidence in yourself. Do not let the little things irritate you. Just be patient and take a deep breath.

TRACK YOUR HABITS

Lately, I’ve been using a bullet journal and incorporated a habit tracker to keep a record of my morning routine. There’s just something about writing things down that makes it more accountable and binding. Seeing all the checked boxes at the end of the day makes me feel a lot more accomplished and motivated. You do not need to start a journal, there’s lots of apps you can download to help you keep track of your habits.

REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED

In order to stick to something, you need a clear PURPOSE for doing it. If the only reason you’re starting a morning routine is because you saw you’re favourite YouTuber vlog about it, the chances are you will not stick to it. It has to be something you truly want to do for a specific reason. Before starting a morning routine, sit down and write down why you feel it’s important that you have one. Is it to reduce stress, to start your day with more energy, to feel more organised, to be more efficient with your time? Whatever the reason write it down and put it on the fridge so you’ll see it every day.

MAKE IT EASY FOR YOURSELF

Do not be unrealistic with your routine. Do not suddenly thing its going to take you 5 minutes to do your make up compared to your usual 15 minutes. Start off easy and give yourself enough time. You do not want to feel rushed and stressed out in the morning. You can always build up the level of performance that you want once the behavior becomes consistent.

The most important thing is to stay motivated, take it slow and never stop trying. It might not be as glamorous as the YouTube videos, but I can promise you it’s worth it. Leave a comment below and tell me your favourite thing about a morning routine or what you struggle with.

2 Comments

Affordable Makeup Products You Need for a night out {Collab}

Mar 29, 2017
By Zaanri

One of my blogging goals for 2017 was to do a collab and guess what… I finally did it! So this collaborations I’m doing with Burgundy Beauty. If you’re not already following her stop everything you’re doing and click {here}. She runs an amazing instagram beauty blog with daily product reviews and recommendations. Her reviews are always 100% honest and to the point. I absolutely love her reviews and swear by them. Also I did a quick product review over on her instagram so go check it out.

Highlighters:

This is one of the best multitasking make up products to use for a more glammed up look. All you need to do is apply the highlighter to the high points of your face (cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose, just above your cupid’s bow and above your temples). If you want to emphasise your eyes, you can use the highlighter as an inner corner highlight and as a brow bone highlight. For an intense and long-lasting glow, I would suggest applying your highlighter after spritzing your face with some setting spray. This technique prolongs the wear of the highlighter and prevents any fallout. A super affordable and good quality highlighter is the L.A. Girl Strobe Lite Strobing Powder (R149 at Dischem). These highlighters come in a variety of shades so there is one for every skin tone. If you have combination to oily skin, it is best to use a powder highlighter. If you dry to normal skin, liquid and/or powder highlighters will work well for you. The only con with (almost all) highlighters is that they do emphasis texture and blemishes.

Bold Eye Make Up:

If you prefer sticking to nude lips and that ‘no make-up’ make up look, a bold – perhaps colourful – eye look is perfect for both a daytime and night-out look. Here, it is best to choose a colour theme or colour combination. For example, a black and gold smokey eye is always a winner. However, if you want to experiment with colour, I recommend pairing a bold matte eyeshadow (for the crease) and a shimmer or pearlised eyeshadow (for the lid). My current favourite is the Nyx Full Throttle Eyeshadow Quad in ‘Color Riot’ (R164 at Clicks) and the Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in ‘Porter’ ($5 at colorpop.com). For an easy, colourful autumn look, I blend the orange shade into my crease and apply ‘Porter’ all over my lid. To intensify the look, I deepen the crease colour with the red shade in the palette. Another option is to use a loose eyeshadow pigment on the lids. For this, I love using the Nyx Loose Ultra Pearl Mania Pigments on the lids (R49 at Clicks). Pigments can be more difficult to use so I highly recommend using a primer or cream eyeshadow underneath.

False Lashes:

False lashes is great for when you do not have the time (or energy) to blend a million eyeshadows together. Just pop on a pair of your favourite false lashes and it will instantly make your eyes pop. My favourite is the Eylure Volume No. 083 Lightweight Eyelashes (R59 at Clicks and Dischem). Eylure False Lashes are affordable, easy to use and reusable (if you clean them after each use). If you plan to use false lashes, just remember to apply mascara to your eyelashes before applying the false lashes. Also, tight-lining your upper waterline with a dark eyeliner or kajal will help blend the false lashes with your natural eyelashes.

If you are not a fan of false lashes, the Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara (R149 at Clicks and Dischem) is amazing for creating that false lash effect. The mascara lengthens, curls, defines and adds volume to your lashes. What more could you ask for?

Metallic Lipstick

In a rush and don’t have time to do the above steps? Just apply a metallic lipstick! The Colourpop Ultra Metallic Lipsticks ($6 at colourpop.com) can easily take your look to the next level. If you do not have any metallic lipsticks in your collection, you can make your own by mixing some loose eyeshadow pigments with a liquid lipstick. To make this look more natural, I suggest mixing the liquid lipstick and loose pigment on a clear palette and applying it to your lips with a lip brush. Alternatively, you could pair a bold lipstick with a lightweight, shimmery lipgloss. The Essence Cosmetics XXXL Shine Lipglosses are perfect for this. They retail for R39.90 and can be found at Clicks and Dischem Stores.

Don’t forget to follow Burgundy Beauty on instagram and show her some love!

2 Comments

Social Events

My First Bloggers Workshop

Mar 8, 2017
By Zaanri

My first bloggers workshop! On Saturday I attended my first bloggers workshop with Olerato Pharasi from House of OP.It was so much fun meeting fellow bloggers, getting to know them personally and hearing about their experience in the blogging world .

The workshop was held at the Protea Hotel in Port Elizabeth. Olerato took time to familiarize herself with our blogs and each blogger. She gave each one of us specific tips on things we can improve and things she liked about our blogs.

We also talked about what type of blogger we are and what make us different. She even had some tips for those who would like to monetize their blogs and turn it into a business. Needless to say after 2 hours we were ready for coffee and some eats and treats. We each got to take home a booklet with everything we discussed and more.

During the workshop we also had the opportunity to write down some blogging goals for 2017. So I decided this year I want to:

Collaborate with a fellow blogger.
Post more.
Improve on my blog photography.
Attend more bloggers events.

I was pretty excited for my first bloggers workshop. We do not have a lot of bloggers events in Port Elizabeth and I feel like during events like these you really get to know your fellow bloggers and learn from them. A big thank you to Olerato for hosting such a fun event. I am looking forward to the next one. Let me know in the comments if you’ve attended any bloggers events recently.

8 Comments

Beauty

Tresemmé Heat Protecting Spray

Mar 5, 2017
By Zaanri

So how bad can heat styling be for your hair? The answer is really bad if you do not treat it properly.

If I’ve learned one thing about my hair it is that you have to protect it from heat styling tools. And for someone who straightens her hair every second day, a good heat protecting spray is a must. So while browsing the aisles of my local drug store I came across the Tressemé heat protecting spray. This small bottle is perfect for travelling and retails for about R29 (£1.50) for 100ml.

I’ve been using this spray for about a month now and I absolutely love it. I have very difficult hair. It’s curly but tends to frizz, I have an oily scalp and dry hair so finding the right product isn’t always easy. What I love about this product is that it does not make my hair feel oily or greasy. After towel drying my hair I spritz a generous amount on my hair before brushing it. (I don’t know if it’s just me but it also helps with the knots in my hair!) I then proceed to blow dry and straighten. You can also use this on dry hair without having to worry about any sticky residue.The result is softer and shinier hair. The best part about the product is that it does not weigh down my hair at all. Oh and it smells absolutely amazing!

Quick tip to tell if your heat protecting spray really works:

Spray one of your palms with your heat protecting spray, wait a minute for it to dry, then turning your blow-dryer on high, time how long you can hold it over your hand. Switch hands and hold the dryer over your unprotected one to see how long it takes for the heat to become unbearable. If your heat protecting spray really works you will feel I noticeable difference between the two palms.

Have you tried any heat protecting sprays that you love? Let me know in the comments down below.

6 Comments

Beauty

8 Self TANNNING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

Mar 1, 2017
By Zaanri

I was 16 -years- old the first time I tried to fake tan. We had a Valentines Ball at the school and I was determined to look tanned and toned. Needless to say it was an utter disaster. I ended up with and orange blotchy tan and embarrassed beyond belief (Thanks for the reminder Facebook)

So when I was browsing the isle of our local drug store and saw Caribbean Tan, I just had to try again. I’ve been using it for a month now and though I would share my 8 tips:

Exfoliate before the time: This will remove all the dead skin cells and create a smooth surface on the skin for the tan to be applied to. Try to steer clear of exfoliating products that contain too much oils as these can create a barrier on the skin which will make the tan blotchy.
Shave your legs: Make sure you’ve removed all the desired body hair at least 24 hours prior to tanning. This will give the skin time to calm down and ensure any the cuts will have time to heal.
Moisturize your body: Make sure your body is moisturize before applying the fake tan. Pay special attention to your knees, elbows and hands or any dry areas.
Use cold water: If you’re going to shower before applying your tan make sure to rinse off with cold water. This will allow your pores to shrink and stop the tan from blocking your pores.
Wear dark clothes: Do not wear your favourite white shirt after tanning! Believe me this is not a good idea. The tan takes time to develop and it can transfer to your clothes, so it’s best to wear something dark.
Application: Use a mitt! Pump some product onto your mitt and apply in circular motions working from your feet up.
Splurge: Make sure you buy the right product and colour. Remember the are different types of self tanners out there. Do some research and make sure you pick the right one.
Take care of your tan: Try to use gentle cleansers to make sure it does not scrub the tan away. Make sure to moisturize everyday and stay away from oily products.

Personally I love the Caribbean Tan mousse. It’s easy to use and I do not turn out orange. It is also super affordable and cruelty free.

I am not a professional so these are just tips I’ve used to make sure I look a bit more tanned. If you have any tips or trick leave them in the comments below. I always love trying something new.

10 Comments

Older Posts