My Top 5 Items to Help Me Feel More Put Together

Four days out of the week I’m a stay at home mom & not one of those days do I have my life together. The other three days I’m up & leave for the salon before the little & Mr, & those days I have my outfits planned out down to what color of lipstick I’ll be wearing for the day. For the other four….I fall back on my 5 must have items that have all become staple items. Life with a one year old is hard ( I can’t even imagine having more than one little, so for all those mamas..I’m constantly thinking about you) & these items help me get ready faster, feel more put together, & most of all feel like I can conquer the day.

Item #1- Personalized Bar Necklace

When I was pregnant I called it quits on all jewelry. Mainly because I was so swollen & didn’t need anything else cutting off my circulation to add to the discomfort. By the time Laken was born name bar necklaces become extremely popular & I kid you not, since the day she arrived, getting one has been all I’ve been talking about. I had visited a ton of etsy shops in hopes to find a name bar necklace that was at a good price, but also had a font that I liked & I wasn’t having any luck. Then I found Wickedly Mod & everything on her site is customizable which makes it super meaningful & personal.  I was able to choose the length of chain, the engraving font, if I wanted the back personalized, & even what type of metal. I chose gold filled with a 17″ chain & ‘thin block’ engraving font.

I am all about cute packaging & my necklace came in the cutest turquoise wrapping. The necklace was wrapped up in this brown velvet pouch with care instructions & a cleaning cloth. The creator of Wickedly Mod was nice enough to offer anyone who also wants a personalized name bar necklace 15% off their purchase with the code: KENDRA15 . It’s crazy to think how more put together you feel after putting on something pretty & dainty. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this necklace.

Website : Wickedly Mod – Engraved Personalized Jewerly

Discount Code : KENDRA15 for 15% off your purchase

---

Item #2 – Dry Shampoo

I don’t even think I need to explain myself on this one! lol. I can’t get through a singly day without using dry shampoo!! If you know me you know how much I hate washing my hair. Being a hairstylist you would think that I always want my hair to look good but after a long day of touching everyone elses hair, touching my hair is the last thing I want to do. So, on my four days off, I live off of this stuff. I always have a good stockpile of dry shampoo & of all different ones, too, b/c I don’t discriminate when it comes to dry shampoo. Klorane’s Dry shampoo has probably gotten every other dry shampoo beat b/c this also contains oat milk. The oat milk is extremely soothing on the skin & keeps the scalp from being irritated from all the other product buildup. Klorane’s Dry shampoo also works for all hair types & leaves zero white residue.

Where to buy : Klorane – Dry Shampoo with oat milk

---

Item #3 Braids

There is nothing that makes you feel more put together than having cute hair even when you’re on day 4 with a greaseball of a mess. I’m obsessed with braids. I’m especially obsessed with the big not-so-perfect braids with bed head. Day 1-2 of living off of dry shampoo I’ll do a braid down & pinned back. When it’s day 3+ My hair goes straight into a pony tail with a braid so it looks like I tried. lol. For when my hair is down the braids I go for are the french fishtail dutch braid or the french dutch braid. Both allow you to give your hair more texture & that ‘bigger’ look. When my hair is up I’ll either do a regular french braid down the middle or I’ll do a side dutch braid that’s put up into the pony tail. I always think hiding the ponytail looks classier so I’ll take a piece from underneath & wrap it around the ponytail until covered & will pin it underneath with a bobby pin.  They say when you start putting your hair up it’s time for a haircut & I don’t belive that one bit. I refuse to cut my hair because how else will I be able to hide my hot mess of a hair??

---

Item #4 – Mascara

I hate wearing a full face of makeup. I hate having to sit down for 15 minutes which eventually turns into 45 trying to get a one year old to not put the dog’s tail in her mouth or shoving her finger in the outlet.  If she sleeps I’ll do a quick 5 minute makeup look if we have somewhere to go, but lounging all day or going to the grocery store is only mascara worthy. These two are my favorites! I have super sensitive eyes & certain mascaras tend to make my eyes burn & water throughout the day.  I’m not sure if it’s because Clarins and Elizabeth Arden are mature skin care/cosmetic lines but I’ve had no issues since using them. The brushes on both are so different & give off two completely different lash looks. I use Clarins mascara when hanging around the house or going to the grocery store because it only coats your lashes while giving a small lift. I’ll use the Elizabeth Arden Mascara when I’m planning to see someone or even on a full-face makeup day. That mascara gives extremely lift, volume, & fullness. I may still be a hot mess, but at least I’m a hot mess with mascara on!

Where to buy :

– Elizabeth Arden Lasting Impression Mascara

–Clarins Supra Volume Mascara

---

Item #5 – Textured Shirt

I am alllll about looking like you tried but in reality all you did was throw on a shirt & are wearing the same pair of leggings you’ve had on the past two days. I have been obsessed with textured shirts for that exact reason. They have so much going on themselves that it takes care of me having to try to add more attention to my outfit.  Both of these shirts are plain on the front/back & have textured sleeves. The tan shirt is by HONEY PUNCH & is a little more of cropped shirt. It sits right at the top of my pants & only has the detail on the sleeves. The bottom shirt is from Free People. The shirt has a wider scoop neck for more room. There are buttons up the front & the shirt sits on my hips but is very flowy. The detailed ruffles are all up the sides & under the arms. When it gets colder I’ll be able to throw a cardiagn on over them so that’s an added bonus!

Where to buy :

• Honey Punch
• Free People Beach Collection – This particular shirt is sold out but the ‘Beach’ collection carries a ton of similar styles to this & their line is very basic with texture.

---

xx- Kendra

What are some of your favorite things that you rely on to help you get through the day!