I am a person that doesn’t make new friends easily…you know the type, right? I have a few close friends from growing up and then from college, but when it comes to making new friends, I turn in to a total geek. I’m what psychologists call an “introverted extrovert.” I’m pretty good in public, or in big group situations, but I’d much rather be hunkered down with only a few people, or even all alone. So, truth be told, I haven’t made a gaggle of great friends in the last 8 years since I moved to Kansas City.
But the ones I’ve made, they are pretty darn rad. That’s one thing reagarding being picky about your friends, the ones you end up keeping are ones you’re really proud to know. Case in point, my friend Lane, who I met at my second (and scariest) job in Kansas City at a PR firm. When you’re spending 10+ hours a day with someone in a very high stress situation, you are either going to become fast friends or bitter enemies. I’m lucky enough to say Lane and I were the former, and have stayed friends throughout the years, as we both changed jobs and careers. Miss Lane and her husband Keegan had a baby girl, Elliott, this past summer, and I feel pretty honored to photograph them. Thanks for being awesome, Odle Family!
http://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.png00Meganhttp://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.pngMegan2012-12-18 07:00:192012-12-17 20:37:22Photoshoot - The Odle Family
Earlier this year I wrote a post explaining how happy I was to turn 30. And so far, I’m still pretty happy about it. At the time, I felt exactly like Jennifer Gardner in “13 Going on 30,” and I knew that being “30, flirty and fun” would be the best time ever. OK, sure, I’m not exactly like the character in that movie. I don’t have a jet setting life in New York City as a magazine editor or anything, but I am digging this new decade. I have a rad family that loves me, a new career on the horizon and a to-do list that’s a mile long (in a good way). And it may sound conceited, but I look pretty damn good these days.
At 20 and even 25, I still had no idea who I was style and beauty-wise. I basically dressed how my friends dressed and wore the same make-up they did (even though I am so pale I’m almost translucent and they look like they came straight from the beach). Around 26 I started to explore who I was in terms of my style and creative tastes, and with that came a whole new outlook on beauty products. My beauty regimin today consists of a few simple things:
– Hair care: Man oh man, did I used to abuse my hair. I have naturally wavy, blond hair, and I spent years straightening it with a hot iron and bleaching it or dying it dark (depending on my mood). These days I stick to drying it naturally without heat and only washing a few times a week. My main products are Bumble and Bumble Curl Creme (for wavy curls), Fekkai Glossing Cream (for straight hair days) and Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo (to extend days between washing).
– Skin care: I confess, I never used to wash my face before bed. I know, so gross! These days I use wet wipes while I’m traveling and when I’m at home I use the Neutrogena Wave system. I really want to upgrade to a better machine (the wave was in my stocking last Christmas) and I’m thinking of either the DDF Revolve System or the Clarisonic (anyone heard good things about either of these?). I’m learning as my skin gets older, I need to invest in better products to keep it healthy. Which, you know…duh!
– Make-up: A few months back I went on a major make-up purge and now I only use a few products on a daily basis. I use tinted moisturizer instead of foundation, lightening concealer to get rid of the dark circles under my eyes (total problem area), mascara, creme blush and a lip tint. It takes 5 minutes, tops. If I’m going out or getting fancy, I add red lipstick (this is my fave), eyeshadow and some powdered eyeliner.
Now for some fun news! DDF is offering Crazybananas readers a special deal on their DDF Revolve 400X Kit. You can get this awesome system for $45 (retail price $98!) with free shipping through Jan 31, 2013. Click here and then use the code DDFMICRODERMA at checkout. And as an added bonus, you can get a second product for half price, with free shipping, through Jan 31, using the code 2013DDFSKIN! Hooray for happy skin!
Have your beauty routines changed as you’ve aged? I’d love to hear any tips and tricks!
(Photo by Christina Gepner)
http://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.png00Meganhttp://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.pngMegan2012-12-17 07:00:282012-12-16 21:20:08Beauty Tips from a Newly Christened 30 Year Old
Tonight is the last night of our very first Hanukkah. If you are wondering when we converted to Judaism, you aren’t alone. We’ve had a few questions about our celebration of the holiday this year, but the best way I can describe it is we’re not a religious crew. Trent and I have very different ideas about religion and God in general, but to put it plainly, I have a very hard time believing in any religion these days. I grew up in a Catholic church and school, studied Islam and Judaism in college, and spent my first few years post-grad as a member of a United Methodist church here in Kansas City. Heck, I even had Lucy baptized. But here is the thing, while I believe in certain aspects of religions (souls, for example) I have a really, really hard time believing wholeheartedly in any particular religion. Basically, where I am right now, is knowing I believe that I don’t know everything about the universe, and it would be quite silly of me to claim that I do. I believe that when my children came into this world, they were gifted with beautiful souls that I saw on the day they were born and every day since. I look at the beauty and love around me every day, and I can’t imagine there is no “God” or spiritual wonderment. I believe in science and technology, doctors and nurses, teachers and leaders. I believe that things do happen by chance, but I also believe you have choices that will change aspects of your life. I believe a lot of things.
So when Lucy asked why we didn’t celebrate Hanukkah, I couldn’t give her a good reason. I know quite a bit about the holiday, so we talked about it, and she asked if we could celebrate it along with Christmas. I said yes. And here we are, on day eight, getting ready to light all the candles on our Target bought Menorah.
Last night, as I watched my two beautiful children gazing at the lit candles, my heart was so very heavy. Like any mother or father, both Trent and I took the news out of Connecticut pretty hard. Lucy is in first grade, the same age as many of the children murdered yesterday, and it took everything in me to not go pick her up early from school and hold her close, never letting her out of my sight again. I can’t explain to her why these things happen…I can’t tell her it’s God’s plan or that this children are in heaven. I just can’t do that. But watching those candles flicker in the dark, I did the closest thing I can do to praying. I gathered up every good thought and beautiful moment I could think of, and sent it out into the ether, hoping if those beautiful souls are out there somewhere, they could feel the goodness. Hoping that those parents and families might feel a touch of it as well, although I’m sure it is much too soon for them to see any good left in the world. I hope that if they are people of faith, their faith will help them through this. I hope other people of faith will find ways to lift them up through their religious beliefs, and leave the ideological squabbling for another day.
Most of all, I hope for love. I hope all the love in the world is put out into the universe during this holiday season. The lights on my Menorah tonight will be a beacon of love and hope in my home. And we’re sending all our light and love your way.
http://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.png00Meganhttp://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.pngMegan2012-12-15 15:23:072012-12-15 15:23:07Love and Lights
Photoshoot – The Odle Family
/2 Comments/in Fun, Photos, Work /by MeganI am a person that doesn’t make new friends easily…you know the type, right? I have a few close friends from growing up and then from college, but when it comes to making new friends, I turn in to a total geek. I’m what psychologists call an “introverted extrovert.” I’m pretty good in public, or in big group situations, but I’d much rather be hunkered down with only a few people, or even all alone. So, truth be told, I haven’t made a gaggle of great friends in the last 8 years since I moved to Kansas City.
But the ones I’ve made, they are pretty darn rad. That’s one thing reagarding being picky about your friends, the ones you end up keeping are ones you’re really proud to know. Case in point, my friend Lane, who I met at my second (and scariest) job in Kansas City at a PR firm. When you’re spending 10+ hours a day with someone in a very high stress situation, you are either going to become fast friends or bitter enemies. I’m lucky enough to say Lane and I were the former, and have stayed friends throughout the years, as we both changed jobs and careers. Miss Lane and her husband Keegan had a baby girl, Elliott, this past summer, and I feel pretty honored to photograph them. Thanks for being awesome, Odle Family!
Beauty Tips from a Newly Christened 30 Year Old
/1 Comment/in Blond, Style /by MeganEarlier this year I wrote a post explaining how happy I was to turn 30. And so far, I’m still pretty happy about it. At the time, I felt exactly like Jennifer Gardner in “13 Going on 30,” and I knew that being “30, flirty and fun” would be the best time ever. OK, sure, I’m not exactly like the character in that movie. I don’t have a jet setting life in New York City as a magazine editor or anything, but I am digging this new decade. I have a rad family that loves me, a new career on the horizon and a to-do list that’s a mile long (in a good way). And it may sound conceited, but I look pretty damn good these days.
At 20 and even 25, I still had no idea who I was style and beauty-wise. I basically dressed how my friends dressed and wore the same make-up they did (even though I am so pale I’m almost translucent and they look like they came straight from the beach). Around 26 I started to explore who I was in terms of my style and creative tastes, and with that came a whole new outlook on beauty products. My beauty regimin today consists of a few simple things:
– Hair care: Man oh man, did I used to abuse my hair. I have naturally wavy, blond hair, and I spent years straightening it with a hot iron and bleaching it or dying it dark (depending on my mood). These days I stick to drying it naturally without heat and only washing a few times a week. My main products are Bumble and Bumble Curl Creme (for wavy curls), Fekkai Glossing Cream (for straight hair days) and Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo (to extend days between washing).
– Skin care: I confess, I never used to wash my face before bed. I know, so gross! These days I use wet wipes while I’m traveling and when I’m at home I use the Neutrogena Wave system. I really want to upgrade to a better machine (the wave was in my stocking last Christmas) and I’m thinking of either the DDF Revolve System or the Clarisonic (anyone heard good things about either of these?). I’m learning as my skin gets older, I need to invest in better products to keep it healthy. Which, you know…duh!
– Make-up: A few months back I went on a major make-up purge and now I only use a few products on a daily basis. I use tinted moisturizer instead of foundation, lightening concealer to get rid of the dark circles under my eyes (total problem area), mascara, creme blush and a lip tint. It takes 5 minutes, tops. If I’m going out or getting fancy, I add red lipstick (this is my fave), eyeshadow and some powdered eyeliner.
Now for some fun news! DDF is offering Crazybananas readers a special deal on their DDF Revolve 400X Kit. You can get this awesome system for $45 (retail price $98!) with free shipping through Jan 31, 2013. Click here and then use the code DDFMICRODERMA at checkout. And as an added bonus, you can get a second product for half price, with free shipping, through Jan 31, using the code 2013DDFSKIN! Hooray for happy skin!
Have your beauty routines changed as you’ve aged? I’d love to hear any tips and tricks!
(Photo by Christina Gepner)
Love and Lights
/1 Comment/in World /by MeganTonight is the last night of our very first Hanukkah. If you are wondering when we converted to Judaism, you aren’t alone. We’ve had a few questions about our celebration of the holiday this year, but the best way I can describe it is we’re not a religious crew. Trent and I have very different ideas about religion and God in general, but to put it plainly, I have a very hard time believing in any religion these days. I grew up in a Catholic church and school, studied Islam and Judaism in college, and spent my first few years post-grad as a member of a United Methodist church here in Kansas City. Heck, I even had Lucy baptized. But here is the thing, while I believe in certain aspects of religions (souls, for example) I have a really, really hard time believing wholeheartedly in any particular religion. Basically, where I am right now, is knowing I believe that I don’t know everything about the universe, and it would be quite silly of me to claim that I do. I believe that when my children came into this world, they were gifted with beautiful souls that I saw on the day they were born and every day since. I look at the beauty and love around me every day, and I can’t imagine there is no “God” or spiritual wonderment. I believe in science and technology, doctors and nurses, teachers and leaders. I believe that things do happen by chance, but I also believe you have choices that will change aspects of your life. I believe a lot of things.
So when Lucy asked why we didn’t celebrate Hanukkah, I couldn’t give her a good reason. I know quite a bit about the holiday, so we talked about it, and she asked if we could celebrate it along with Christmas. I said yes. And here we are, on day eight, getting ready to light all the candles on our Target bought Menorah.
Last night, as I watched my two beautiful children gazing at the lit candles, my heart was so very heavy. Like any mother or father, both Trent and I took the news out of Connecticut pretty hard. Lucy is in first grade, the same age as many of the children murdered yesterday, and it took everything in me to not go pick her up early from school and hold her close, never letting her out of my sight again. I can’t explain to her why these things happen…I can’t tell her it’s God’s plan or that this children are in heaven. I just can’t do that. But watching those candles flicker in the dark, I did the closest thing I can do to praying. I gathered up every good thought and beautiful moment I could think of, and sent it out into the ether, hoping if those beautiful souls are out there somewhere, they could feel the goodness. Hoping that those parents and families might feel a touch of it as well, although I’m sure it is much too soon for them to see any good left in the world. I hope that if they are people of faith, their faith will help them through this. I hope other people of faith will find ways to lift them up through their religious beliefs, and leave the ideological squabbling for another day.
Most of all, I hope for love. I hope all the love in the world is put out into the universe during this holiday season. The lights on my Menorah tonight will be a beacon of love and hope in my home. And we’re sending all our light and love your way.