It's Simply Lindsay

12/6/15

How to Treat Under Eye Circles

Over the last several months, I have taken control of my skin by having a consistent routine with quality products that work. One insecurity I have always had, truly ever since I was a kid, is my under eye area. At one point in grammar school I remember putting any product I could find under my eyes, including…wait for it…Carmex. What!? What was I thinking? I was 10-years-old, and I didn’t know anything about products, I just knew it worked wonders on my lips, so why not try my eyes? Makes me shudder to think of it! I’ve always been concerned about darkness under my eyes, and because of the structure of my face, I have a little crease in my under eye area that I have never liked. However, now that I have my beautiful daughter and see that she has that same natural crease, I’m learning to deal with my insecurities. Accepting my eye structure doesn’t mean that I can’t take charge of other issues, such as darkness and fine lines, though. I’m also trying to add preventative anti-aging steps into my everyday skin routine, so I can prevent wrinkles instead of trying to correct them later on.

12/3/15

Boost Your Facebook Reach Organically

Before I started blogging, I never realized that Facebook is a secret mastermind, using thousands of factors to formulate their (semi) secret algorithm that determines what users see on their news feeds. How annoying would it be if your feed included every post from all of your “friends” and pages you’ve liked? Super annoying, that’s how much. While Facebook does not divulge their ever-changing formula in its entirety, we do know several factors that go into it, and in fact, Facebook publishes relevant articles and news specifically for businesses on their Facebook for business page.

If you want to show up on your fans’ feeds, there are things you can and should be doing to boost your reach organically. What does that mean? Facebook is trying to eliminate fake likes; some people or companies have purchased packages of “likes” in order to increase their numbers, look more established, and hopefully entice others to join in their “thriving” community. Instead of amount of likes, you should focus on natural, consistent engagement. Let me share some ways you can achieve this.

12/3/15

How To View Facebook Business Page Likes

If you have a Facebook business account or page for your blog, it can be useful to see who actually likes your page. I don’t know why this was so perplexing to me at first, but for months, I tried searching with no success. In order to run contests or just know more about your audience, it’s necessary to confirm who actually likes your page. Here are two simple ways to view your likes for your Facebook business page. Additionally, you might want to learn 11 ways to increase your Facebook reach organically,

Method 1:

1. From your business Facebook page, click Settings, then People and Other Pages.
2. This will bring up the list of all users who like your page.

Method 2:

1. In the Facebook search bar type ‘people who like [insert name of business].’
2. It will show you the first few, and just click ‘see more’ to view all.

 

12/3/15

DIY Baby Soft Feet

Now that winter weather has really set in, have you all noticed how dry your skin is? If you know me at all, you know I am obsessive about moisturized skin – I mean, weirdly obsessed. I can’t go anywhere without a travel sized lotion, either in my purse or coat pocket, and students in my school know they can always come take a pump of lotion off the massive bottle I keep at my desk. It angers me when I see people with dry, flaky skin, or worse, touch someone with alligator hands – eek, thinking about it makes me shudder!

So when I, the queen of moisture, fell victim to dry, scratchy feet, you know it HAS to be extremely dry conditions. But I wouldn’t let that stop me. I figured out how I could simply get soft, smooth baby-like feet at home in one simple step. I don’t have the luxury of time to soak my feet in epsom salt, brush them, use a callous remover, and lotion – plus, my way is not only quicker, cheaper, and easier, but the results are undeniably more superior! I mean it – baby feet status.

11/30/15

How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

I have a huge confession to make: I am gross. Well, I used to be gross. For years, I complained about my periodic facial breakouts. I hopped from product to product like it was my job searching for a solution. It wasn’t until I started taking charge of my skin routine that I realized a huge, yucky culprit that I rubbed on my face every day – my makeup brushes! I must admit that up until last year, I never cleaned my makeup brushes.I know, ew, but I warned you!

I’m sure I read it countless times in Glamour or Marie Claire but figured it was one of those things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator that didn’t really make a huge difference. Think about it – we’re constantly reminded not to touch our faces because of spreading dirt and bacteria, yet I speculate many people were like me, rubbing brushes on their faces daily without washing them. By not cleaning your brushes, you’re allowing skin particles, dust, old product, germs, and bacteria to grow and transfer to your face and to your cosmetics, and the grimy circle of filth continues on and on.

11/28/15

November fashion (part 3)

Is it just me, or did November fly by? Although the Chicago weather suggests winter, I can hardly believe December is just a few days away. As you may know, I participate in fashion-themed challenges on Instagram. To participate, connect with me on Facebook and Instagram to see the daily themes and join in when you can! Themes are a great way to get dressed with purpose, find inspiration through others, find unlikely outfit pairings, and wear those clothes that are neglected in the back of your closet.

I enjoyed November’s last themes – for houndstooth day, I wore my abstract houndstooth printed Forever 21 skirt. On mustard day, my whole outfit is from…wait for it…Burlington Coat Factory! I love this statement necklace with the mustard fringe top and printed pants. I wore cran on cran for cranberry day and opted for a spring-inspired dress for all zipped up day. On Thanksgiving for the thankful theme, I wore plaid of course, and on Black Friday I mixed a fun printed blazer with a classic black dress.