Charlie Tamara Piper

I'm beginning a series on this blog to discuss some of the new (or new to me) beauty products that have been welcome additions to my collection of beauty products. From hair to skincare to makeup, I'll round up the products that have impressed me and that you may want to check out for yourself. First up is Too Faced's Hangover 3-in-1 primer and setting spray. It delivers an ultra fine mist that lightly moisturizes and primes skin, creating a nice base for your foundation and concealer to sit on. I'm not sold on it being a traditional setting spray for locking in makeup for a long day's wear, but it definitely does a fantastic job of making powdered makeup blend into the skin and refreshing makeup to make it look new again. For anyone who found the lotion version of the Hangover primer to be too heavy or greasy, this liquid spray version give all the great moisturizing benefits without any of those downsides. Too Faced's Peaches and Cream Peach Mist...

Earlier this month, I shared how much I've been enjoying my Kate Spade planner to keep myself organized. My only knock on the planner was that it didn't come with dividers to separate the months to make planning even easier. I searched high and low for dividers that I'd like but I realized that the only way to get what I was looking for was to craft it out! This was such a fun crafting project and I am so happy with the end result. Here's how I customized my planner to make it even more functional. Get ready to measure! I had the perfect book of crafting paper to create a black/white/grey/gold color palette for my planner. I cut fourteen pieces of card stock down to the size of my planner by using an original insert as a template. I toyed around with making tabs to create more traditional dividers but I actually preferred going without it. I then laid out my dividers in the order that I wanted to place them in my planner. Time to make the lab...

I fell ill this weekend with a migraine and I'm slowly rebuilding my energy. I've created and prefected a routine that helps me get back on my feet after dealing with the side effects of migraines.  Migraines are extremely painful headaches that are often accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound and nausea. They can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days and can be extremely debilitating. Disclaimer: I'm not a licensed doctor or professional - just a migraine sufferer for the past 10 years. Please consult your doctor before taking any of my advice.  Meet with a neurologist to figure out what triggers your migraines and spot the warning signs that you're about to experience a migraine. When I first developed migraines, I had no idea what was wrong with me. It was a pain like I'd never experienced before and it felt like it came on so suddenly that I couldn't figure out how to treat it. My first step was to meet with my primary care d...

This summer I reviewed the Moleskine planners that I began using when I first got into paper planners a few years ago. I loved how functional, light and easy they were to use. My Moleskine planners served me well and I'd still recommend them to anyone looking for a new planner or to get into paper planning. But as I talked about in my original planner post, finding the right planner is all about analyzing how you use it and how it fits into your lifestyle. I found myself needing a single planner that could store everything - sticky notes, pens, highlighters and additional notes relevant to my planning needs - in one single item so I could avoid carrying a separate notebook and pencil case to keep everything else I needed with me handy. I also wanted to invest in a very sturdy, refillable planner that I could customize to fit my needs as my planning needs evolve. I settled on the Kate Spade New York Grove Street planner  after considering the ways in which I'd ...

Sundays are the last day of the weekend and a perfect opportunity to position yourself for the work week ahead. I've put together a Sunday routine that helps me to enjoy my last day of relaxing and unwinding while also teeing myself up for the week ahead by simplifying the tasks ahead of me and reducing stress by having planned ahead. Practicing self-care is important and taking one day a week to keep yourself organized but relaxed is a great way to make sure you're entering the busy week in the best frame of mind. Survey your weekly calendar and take note of relevant information I spend about 20 minutes with my calendar for the upcoming week and charting out what needs to get done. From there, I create a tickler list of everything that I anticipate needing to be able to finish my weekly tasks and keep it all within my planner so everything I need can be found in one place. So, for instance, I make sure to put aside my dry cleaning ticket and the money to pay for the servi...

My apartment is currently under construction with my landlord repairing my bathroom. And while the finished product is going to be amazing, I’m stuck living with the complications of home renovations - the dirt, the debris, and figuring out how to clean it all up. This week’s blog post is all about how to clean any room in your apartment. From large to small cleaning jobs, if you simplify the process you’ll be able to clean your home in no time - and keep it that way. Pretreat if necessary Before you get started with your cleaning project, make sure to pretreat any surface or item that needs that attention. Cleaning products perform at their best when they’re given the time to penetrate the stain they’re meant to clean up. Be sure to follow care instructions when using your pretreating tools. Put everything back in its place Before you can properly clean a room, you have to make sure you’re cleaning and organizing the things that belong in that room in the first place. We multi...

I'm back from a long break with my latest post all about backpacks! I made the switch from shoulder bags to backpacks a few years ago and have been in love ever since. I love being completely hands-free and my shoulders don't hurt in the way they used to when I lugged around a shoulder bag.  There are a ton of great backpack options on the market these days as backpacks have gone from school kid style to working professional chic. Here are my fave four backpacks for carrying my items in style no matter where I'm going: My floral Eldi backpack by Vince Camuto is my newest addition to my backpack collection but it's earned a spot in the favorites already. It's the largest one that I own but it still manages to retain a slim enough profile to not be too overwhelming. It's got plenty of storage pockets and even a zipped back pocket for storing a laptop or iPad. Plus, the design is colorful and playful enough to make it a really fun accessory on top...