Perfect skin. Everyone wants it. Celebrities seem to have it nailed, but let’s be real: single girls like us don’t necessarily have the money to blow at a dermatologist’s office every month, or even on high-end skincare lines! As a pre-teen and teenager, I battled acne while having super dry and sensitive skin. I’ve burned through it all: Proactiv, antibiotics, birth control pills, fancy moisturizers, and almost every drugstore brand. After a lot of TLC, trial and error, multiple prescriptions (sorry, Mom!), and doctor’s visits, here are a few of my favorite budget-friendly and easy-to-find products to get you on your way to flawless, glowing skin!
Yoga Teacher Megan D’Amico presents six yoga poses to awaken your body, begin your day, and welcome spring
Change your morning routine, and you will change your life. Just because you’re not like your “gym-rat” co-worker who is on mile five while you’re pressing snooze for the third time doesn’t mean you should give up an active morning routine altogether. Even adding something as simple as three minutes of conscious breathing can make a world of difference.
When we sleep, our muscles are in rest and recovery mode. They go cold because they are not being used, which explains why most of us wake up stiff and sore. Getting up like this and continuing on your day would be like microwaving a frozen Hot Pocket for 30 seconds… all kinds of wrong.
Instead, we should be actively waking up our bodies by doing postures that stretch and activate the muscles, circulate our blood and pump oxygen to our brains. By accelerating the natural wake-up process, you kick those morning blues to the curb and allow yourself to function at full capacity at the very start of your day.
When you first awaken, resist the urge to hit the snooze button. This simple decision sets the tone for the rest of your day. Take 3 huge inhales through the nose, exhaling through the mouth. Reach your hands above your head and stretch as far as you can, pulling your lower body and upper body away from each other, and begin your morning routine.
Coachella’s in the air. I can feel it, I can smell it. (Yes, there’s a distinct scent that I can’t quite describe, but it’s similar to how you can smell the sugar-coated air in Disneyland). Even if we are over 2,000 miles away from Indio, everyone’s caught festival fever, myself included. The overall atmosphere is shifting here in Manhattan; with the weather slowly reaching the perfect spring (ideally April 25th) temperature and the sun shining brighter than usual, everyone is noticeably happier. It’s that preeminent shift from winter to spring that sends me and so many other New Yorkers into a constant daydream of being outside—frolicking the festival grounds, being surrounded by our best friends and favorite bands. There is nothing more exciting to wait for (other than Christmas).
In high anticipation of those first weeks of April to finally hit, I’ve been prepping myself for the past month on the festival’s entire line-up. Coachella is a great opportunity to discover musical artists you would never think to see otherwise and, of course, a chance to see your current obsessions perform in front of the perfect desert backdrop. Narrowing down your top picks for the weekend is a grueling process; after perusing my overly-extensive Coachella playlist, the process has become even more stressful than necessary—especially knowing that I most likely will not make it to half of the acts I’d love to see.
So this year I’m trying something different… Here are five of my favorite up-and-coming-non-top-40 artists (hey, I work in radio, I hear enough of that) that I simply cannot miss, with a fun Single Diaries spin. The result is my shortlist of Superbly Single female artists whom you MUST see at Coachella… no question about it (unless they’re scheduled at the same time, in which case we’ll just have to flip a coin).
The Single Diaries’ list of essentials and top tips for Coachella newbies (and experts who want to brush-up)
PHOTO: Courtney Mitchell.
In just a couple weeks I will head to Indio with thousands of the wristband-clad from all walks of life for my very first Coachella experience. I’m lucky I’ll have uber veteran Colleen by my side to show me the ropes, but if this is your first time as well don’t fret… The Single Diaries has your back. I chatted with my girlfriends who’ve frolicked Coachella Valley more than a few times and gathered top tips (including ways to save money) and an essentials packing list to help you plan your weekend more efficiently. If you’re camping, we have a special must-read section just for you. With our Coachella prep guide, there won’t be nobody dope as you… You’ll be just as fresh as the veterans dancing without a care in the Sahara Tent.
5 Sites to Turn to When You Need a Little Life Advice
While we’d like to think The Single Diaries is the only source you’d ever need to get your fill of great stories, awesome inspiration, and expert advice we know it doesn’t hurt to have a few back ups. Since we’re entrenched in the blogosphere we make it our mission to scour the web for the best advice out there for our fearless female readers. There are countless sites we turn to each day for everything from words of wisdom to tips on mastering our manicures.
We know you ladies are out there ruling the world and might not have the time to hunt down the best of the world-wide web. That’s why we’ve decided to take the burden off your shoulders and do the heavy hunting for you. In our newest series “Single Girl Sources” we’ll share roundups of the sites we recommend you turn to when you’re looking for a great e-read.
To start things off we’ve got a list of 5 sites we can’t live without when we need a little life advice. Check these out and make sure to add them to your bookmark bar (right below The Single Diaries of course!) (more…)
