How To: Surviving Allergy Season..

Surviving Allergy Season... by hchdesigns featuring Bumble and Bumble

It's the most wonderful time of the year... where all glamour goes out the door and I'm surrounded by tissues & allergy medicine.... If you could hear my voice right now it sounds a bit like Meg Ryan when she was sick in You've Got Mail.... Growing up I never struggled with allergies and honestly had little compassion for those who did... Big mistake HUGE..  now since moving to Northern California where nothing ever really dies in winter.. like clock work I will have a month of seasonal allergies! Ugh... So how's a girl supposed to stay sane in this wretched season, let alone look chic??? Well I'll tell you...

• Stay comfortable but do not live in your PJ's... repeat after me.. I'm adult and only babies wear PJ's all day... Over-sized tees & boyfriend jeans are a fantastic option! 
• Since your not feeling well, skip the stilettos.. I know, I know, we love em but honestly if your drugged up on NyQuil & Allegra you probably shouldn't be driving 5 inch heels... they should put that somewhere on the box... go for an endlessly classic sneaker like these White Converse! Be sure to have the jeans rolled up showing some leg, ooh la la... this will help balance your proportions... 
• Accessorize!! It's the magic dust of any look, nothing fancy just a watch, earrings & sunnies.. this will help make you look like you actually tried to get dressed in the morning.. which isn't that the point? 
• Makeup.. this is naturally the easiest thing to skip when not feeling well, however it is one of the MOST important and will do wonders for your mood! Keep it simple, mascara, lips and a little glow for the cheeks... Just because you feel like you shouldn't see the light of day doesn't mean you should look like a vampire... Think Bella from Twilight and just say NO! I love the Nars Illuminator in the color Orgasm... I wear it everyday! 
• Hair, again very easy to skip but I promise you'll physically feel better if you feel you look good... so wash it, spritz it with a texturizing spray like Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray... easy peasy...  and you look great! 

Let's be honest, nothing quite says "Ooh la la" like Vapor Rub and a box full of tissues.. it's not a glamorous time but there are some things we can do to help. In my experience if you are just feeling icky, take a little time to give to yourself, you will feel a world of difference! Even if it is just to run to Walmart for more cough drops.... Because if there is anyone who can make cold & allergy season ,chic, it's you!

Glamping: My Overall Lack of Roughing It...

Glamping by hchdesigns featuring maybelline mascara

"I'm what you call indoorsy" -Jim Gaffigan

So... my husband and I are going on a little camping trip with my sister and her husband to Yosemite National Park at the end of May... It's going to beautiful and I know and we will make memories... here's my problem... I kinda hate camping.... shhh... don't tell... I mean think about it, you spend hours setting up camp, to sleep on the ground to then cook your food in the pioneer way and then smell like campfire for the rest of the evening and then wake up at 5am because that's when the sun comes up... and that's if you slept because you had to pee in the middle of the night and you didn't want to leave your tent for fear of walking to the bathroom alone... And all that is if it doesn't rain... Sign me up!  I couldn't agree more with Jim Gaffigan's thoughts on camping...see here..
But being that I am a nice wife and I desperately do not want to be one of those women who is so high maintenance that I can't go on a little camping trip with my husband... So I'm putting my game face on and I'm determined to make it awesome!  Glamping.. (Glam-Camping) I've looked at a couple of sites that give tips and one thing is for sure.. it's all about making it fun... So.. Here are my list of "must haves" for my version of glamping...

1) Wine.. I can't stress this enough...
2) Games to play when your drinking the wine... Everything is better with wine..
3) Gourmet Food... No, to all hot dogs.. Yes, to soft cheese and bread... goes great with the wine...
4) Twinkle Lights & Lanterns...
5) Battery Powered Fan... Can't sleep without it...
6) Citronella Candle... Mosquito bites are not chic...
7) iPod/iPhone for an impromptu dance party at the camp site...

Then here are some practical items... because I refuse to be high maintenance... well kinda...

• Face wash & lotion to help feel fresh...
• Hand Sanitizer... not coming home with the flu...you can't make me...
• Makeup essentials, tinted moisturizer, mascara & lip gloss... will help you stay fresh...
• Baseball hat since the hairdryer is staying home... have to draw the line somewhere..
• Basic jewelry... We are not barbarians people!
• Sunnies! To help hide the bags under my eyes...
• Sea Spray... does wonders for hair that wants to throw a fit... 
• Yoga pants...perfect for hiking... or looking like I've been hiking..even better..
• Reef Flip Flops... best $30 I've ever spent...

You would think it was going to be for a week or something.. nope just 2 nights.. big eye roll... I'm amazed and quite frankly embarrassed at my lack of "roughing it" skills... It was much easier when I was 18... but that was 13 years ago and I've gotten accustomed to electricity and running water.. it's the little things in life..