3 mindset tips to help you practice living in the NOW

This week, I am heading off to Los Angeles to take some meetings for my jewelry biz. As exciting of a time as this is, I have felt even more exhausted and overwhelmed at the idea of leaving town with a to-do list that feels like its 3 miles long.

What I know for sure, is that this overwhelmed feeling is typically a sign that a burnout is around the corner. It’s when things happen like eating easy, unhealthy, take out food. Not taking out the time to meditate and journal. Clutter begins to pile up. Mail goes unopened and I find myself wanting to lose my mind in trash tv. It’s almost like a stress hangover and it never feels blissful.

I have been here enough times to know that this state of being is incredibly draining and doesn’t serve me or my cute little family. Thank goodness, I have learned the wisdom and practical tools to know just when to course correct before I go down the burnout path.

TIPS FOR LIVING IN THE NOW

1. Stop resisting and embrace what is. They say “what you resist, persists” and it couldn’t be more true. It’s the law of energy, whatever you put your energy and attention towards, grows. So, if you can’t help but feel like you’re broke and you need more money….you’ll never have enough. If you constantly talk about how overweight you are…the scale numbers will grow and grow. If you hate the relationship you’re in….your partner will get more and more disconnected from it. If you instead turn things around and embrace where you are now, you’ll find life gets a little bit better everyday. Instead of feeling broke, go spend money on something (it puts you in the frequency of having money). If you feel like your clothes are getting too tight, go shop for clothes to fit where you are now (this puts you in the energy of feeling FANTASTIC about your body right now, exactly as it is ). If your signifiant other sucks, find a way to appreciate them more or exit the relationship. Just stop resisting what is and find a way to embrace it, this practice will change your life majorly. I highly recommend trying this.

2. Own your quirks. I have gray hair and I mean, my gray hair likes to come with a vengeance. The other day, I had to speak at an event in front of over 50 women. All these women were going to be able to see very clearly all of my gray hairs. I kept complaining about it to my friends and of course, they claimed to not even see them. However, for me, It was just bothering me all day long. I can see them, I know they are there and it was annoying to not be able to do anything about it. Focusing on it just kept building up my anxiety before I had to speak. When you are needing to show up in a way that serves others, you can’t be feeling anxious about yourself. Perfectionism is a trap and if you just accept and own the things that make you, you…your vibe lightens up. So at the end of day, I just had to own it and rock my gray hairs like they were made by Coco Chanel herself. I didn’t let my gray hair hold me back from getting all glammed up and walking in like I own the place. I was able to nail my talk and give the women all of me, not anxious, stressed, low vibe me. Sometimes, it’s the small, quirky things that get in the way of you fully showing up as your best self. Don’t let them. Let yourself off the perfection hook and just be YOU.

3. Check in with your feelings. I find that a lot of the time, we get so busy that we blast right past any of those intuitive hits or emotional warning signs that life brings. If we don’t slow down and listen to what our inner world is signaling to us, we allow our life to be run by external circumstances. Our life isn’t mean to run us, we are the ones in charge of creating our life, our lives are meant to be designed! Your life is a masterpiece and the way to create it is to get attuned to your inner self. At any point in time throughout your day, be sure to check in on yourself ( like you would a sick child or an elderly relative). “How does this conversation feel?” “How do I feel about what I am about to do?” “How do I feel when I walk into my home?”. When you take the time to observe and examine your moment to moment feelings, this is when big things begin to open up for you and you can start to see a new way. For example… Ask yourself ”how do I feel washing my face this morning?” Your answer could be, I love washing my face. It feels so good and clean, it helps me to feel like I am really taking care of my skin and my beauty regime. It makes me feel confident and beautiful. (Do you see the high vibrational tapping into the now and how that could change the whole experience of your day) So instead of rushing through an ordinary, everyday activity, you get to use it to pull you up to an elevated vibration. If you tap into something that doesn’t make you feel good, you give yourself to opportunity to course correct and create something new for yourself. Checking in with your feelings is sort of like a GPS map of creating and building a beautiful life…..NOW.

Living in the present is something we can always get better at. So I hope you find these tips practical and helpful. Don’t forget to check out the Bliss Vibes Only podcast where I go deeper into topics like this and more.

Love you, Ashlina

Blissful Beauty: 4 tips for glowing skin

Fun little fact for you: I was a licensed esthetician in the state of California for 4 years. Ever since I was a young girl, I have been obsessed with skin and beauty. All the women in my family were very, very specific about their beauty routines. So, I have followed suit and always been obsessed with mine. When I was living in Los Angeles, I became enchanted by Aveda products which are all based on an Ayurvedic philosophy. I became passionate about the body and holistic skin care practices so I decided to attend the Esthetics program and become very well educated in skin care.

I was always torn between interior design and skincare. Interiors just spoke to my soul.

That didn’t mean I quit my passion for skin. I just became very obsessed in my own life. I am committed to my beauty rituals, they make me feel so blissful. I also do it right. I am not a wash-my-face-last-minute kind of girl. I do it up. I put on a long luxurious feeling robe. I put my hair up in a bun and cover my hairline with a turban situation so as to not get product on my face. I intentionally make skin care fun and fabulous so that the whole experience feels like a spa.

Every time I get asked about skin tips, I feel compelled to add in the entire beauty routine because here is the deal, It isn’t just about the moisturizer you wear. It’s about what you eat, what you do, your mindset, your stress levels, hydration, supplements, EVERYTHING. I do so much more than just creams and serums to have great skin. It would be unfair of me to rob you from knowing that a good skin care regime is a full on commitment to your skins glow.

Okay, so here are my 4 tips for glowing skin:

1. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. This isn’t some big surprise here. We all know how important it is to hydrate yourself for a healthy body. But I really want to stress the importance of consistent hydration. One of my more specific hydration hacks is having a large hydroflask next to my bed at night so that I hydrate well before bed. A lot of our cells in the body are rejuvenating at night and it is so important that we are well hydrated for all the work our body is doing during our sleep. I also take really hot baths, which are incredible for tricking your body to release toxins rapidly. Before I get in the bath, I have my water bottle next to me. I drink it throughout for like a double detox flush. It’s soooo good for cleansing out your system.

2. Commit to routines and rituals. I stick to a morning and evening beauty routine and I am committed. Every so often, I’ll miss a night or two but I always regret it. I can totally tell if I am not up on my skin routine because a new wrinkle will pop up or maybe a blemish. Do your best to make 5 out of 7 days of week of a full on skin commitment. It’s so so worth it. My nightly beauty routine is really where I get into it. I always like to start with a hot washcloth to steam my face and get it nice and steamy Then I’ll use my MyChelle Fruit Enzyme cleanser to was my face. 2-3 nights a week, I will swap this cleanser for a deeper scrub, Ole Henrickson Facial Sauna Scrub. Omg, this scrub is so divine, it smells like a pure magical eucalyptus steam room and feels so refreshing. Then I prep myself by using a brightening toner. I do 8 sprays, I really like a wet face. Anything with Vitamin C is going to be brightening for the face, hydrating and really help you get a glow. After that I wait about 10-15 minutes. (this is typically when I take my vitamins which are very helpful for skin. I always have a biotin vitamin in the mix. always.) After the toner has sunk down into the skin, I grab this incredible budget buy, a CE Ferulic Acid Serum that has completely changed my skin. I use about half the dropper full amount. I rub it it my hands and pat, pat, pat it into my face and neck. Then I grab my Rose Quartz roller and roll it all in. I really work my jaw and the perimeter of my face because I hold a lot of tension in my jaw and shoulders. At night, I finish off with ROC restoring night cream. I have combination skin and tend to get oily so I have to be very specific with my creams. This one feels nice and thick but doesn’t clog up my pores or make me feel to greasy. I also do face masks like once a week. My #1 staple is the AZTEC mud mask, I’ve never been exfoliated so well. In the morning, I gently wash my face with in the morning. I never do too much of a harsh cleanse or scrub because all the products from your sleep are most likely still at work in the morning. (If you are feeling lazy, I love these Incredi-peel pads) If you are keeping with your night routine, your face should look dewy and glowy in the AM and you will look and feel fabulous. I do use a SPF 50 moisturizer that is freaking amazing. It has a little bit of a tint that makes me glow. I don’t like BB creams or even foundation because I hate the way it changes my skin color, but this SPF is incredible and blends into the skin like it is your own specific color. Trust me, you will love it!

3. Dermaplane your face. I will never forget the first time my esthetician shaved my face. It was before a laser treatment, she asked me how I felt about shaving all of the baby hair off of my face like it was going to be an invasive surgery. At first I was super hesitant and scared but once she explained all of the benefits, (like helps skin care products work more efficiently and penetrate the skin better) I couldn’t resist trying it. It sounds so weird and feels awkward when they are doing it but after your face is all peach-fuzz-less, it feels incredible. When products goes on your face, it glides on smooth and easily. It just feels so great. So, I started shaving my face at home in between facials with a cute little pink hair remover. When you can keep your skin as smooth as a baby’s bottom, you glow better. I’m obsessed.

4. Supplements. I love supplements. It always makes me feel like I’m super charging my wellness when I get to take my vitamins. Anything with Biotin in it is great, I have always taken gummy hair, skin and nail vitamins. I will link the exact ones below. I also make sure to add a lot of spinach to my diet, greens always help you to glow.

Okay babe, there you have it. These are some of my most trusted skin tips. P.S. The biggest thing I have learned about skin, is stay out of the sun. In my youth, I was a sun kissed goddess but that isn’t cute anymore. So, I wear hats a LOT and very big sunglasses. And I am always looking for products with Vitamin C.

Benefits of Vitamin C:

*Promotes Collagen

*Brightening

*Photoprotection

*Wrinkle reduction

*Firming

*Reduces dark spots

Keep that skin dewy girl.

MY GLOWY SKIN ESSENTIALS: