Eastside Career Chic in The Daily Muse: Is Your Hair in Between Washes? No Problem!

We all have those days when our hair just won’t do what it’s supposed to. Or when we’re so busy meeting deadlines (and, let’s be honest, friends for happy hour) that spending an hour shampooing and blow drying in the morning just isn’t going to happen.

Truth is, we could all use some tips on how to deal with a bad hair day that don’t involve hiding out in a cubicle. So we turned to YouTube’s best beauty vloggers for some inspiration, and found seven styles that’ll spruce up your look and let you get out the door with plenty of time to still grab a latte. But be warned: They’re so awesome, you may want to wear them on good hair days, too!

1. The Simple Updo

This everyday updo, courtesy of Wendy’s Lookbook, requires only a few hair clips and a few minutes! It works best on medium-long, fine hair that hasn’t been washed in a few days—the oils in your hair will give the style more texture, and that “I look cute but didn’t try too hard” look.

Perfect for: Those mornings when you hit the snooze button one too many times.

What You Need: A hairbrush, 2 hair clips, a few bobby pins, and 2 elastic hair bands.

 Read the rest of this article at The Daily Muse

Movie Review: What We Can Learn From Girl in Progress

Thanks to Latina Bloggers Connect I received an invitation to attend a screening of “Girl in Progress.”  It had been a long time since I was so moved by a film and so immediately invested in the characters.  The story demonstrates the complex nature of mother/daughter relationships but it also demonstrates how our relationships with family, friends and ourselves are constantly evolving.  Eva Mendez and Sierra Ramirez gave life to beautifully written characters under the direction of Patricia Riggen.  As a Latina I cannot help but feel incredibly proud of this movie, but the message it leaves the audience with transcends ethnic boundaries.

The movie focuses on a young girl and her desire to separate from her mother by eliciting her “coming of age” experience.  I promised this post would contain no spoilers so I won’t delve into too many details!  By the end both of the women in the film have made progress, but just like in real life, things aren’t perfect.

Looking back, I relate to the naïve precociousness of the daughter in the film. I once thought that life transitions could be uncomplicated and that the ties that bind us to those we love could be easily broken. I  thought that my “coming of age” would bring an end to the confusion, messiness and uncertainty of life. I now know that even when we have experienced our “coming of age” and have transitioned out of our adolescence we never stop learning and we never stop growing.  

This movie allowed the main characters to be flawed, vulnerable and even unlikeable at times which is a rarity these days. A lot of us struggle to achieve a false ideal of womanhood because we are afraid of the imperfections, and flaws lurking just underneath the polished exteriors we work so hard to maintain. I know many times I held my own mother to a very high standard and even now constantly berate myself for all of the things that I am not.

Living up to our own false expectations of what life should look like is sometimes the hardest thing to let go of. When we realize that we are never really complete, that there is never an end to our growth perhaps we will start to appreciate the beauty of being women in progress.

I for one know that I will always be a woman in progress. Watch the movie and you may have an epiphany of your very own.  Take your mom, your sister or your best friend, you won’t regret it.

Xoxo,

Betsy Aimee

Cinco De Mayo Special: Being Mexican is Awesome

Today is Cinco de Mayo and based on the promos and paraphernalia at Party City you would think that Mexican culture is all about Coronas, mustaches and sombreros. Well yes, those are elements of the culture. But there is definitely more to it than that! As a first generation Mexican-American (well technically i'm half as my mother is Guatemalan) I never felt the need to learn about my culture as it was all around me, in fact I spent a good part of my life trying to escape the elements of my culture I disliked or didn't identify with.Now that I am older I have learned to appreciate my Mexican side a lot more. Here are some reasons why Mexican women are awesome:

1) History of Strong Women- I really reject the notion that Mexican women are submissive and bow their heads to their men. Thus I had to search for different role models of what being a Mexican woman was all about and thanks to my mother I discovered Frida Kahlo.

Frida Kahlo: 

Frida sufferred a terrible accident at a young age that could have destroyed her spirit but her will to live, love and succeed was stronger than the pain she lived with as a result of the accident. She managed to seduce and marry Diego Rivera, a man who could have easily overpowered her physically and professionally. Even after his infidelities, Frida stayed true to herself and got even (watch the movie or read this book to know more), she wasn't afraid to live on her own terms, have controversial beliefs and be sexually liberated at a time when most women didn't dare to. While she loved Diego in the end her she got the last laugh as she eclipsed her famous husband and has become the most well-known and revered Mexican artist. LOVE HER!

Maria Felix: 

The biggest star of Mexico's Golden Age of Cinema, Mari Felix, was the Mexican Liz Taylor. She married 4 times, and always personified a strong, indomitable women on film and in real life. She also happened to be incredibly beautiful and proud of her Yaki Indian ancestry. She also wore Christian Dior and was featured in best dresses lists throughout the world.

Her personality and spirit are demonstrated in this quote: 

"I cannot complain about men. I have had tons of them and they have treated me fabulously well. But sometimes I had to hurt them to keep them from subjugating me."

2) Fearless Fashion Sense-Have you ever watched a Latin award show? Mexican women are not afraid to flaunt their curves and bring on the color and the bling. Look at Friday Kahlo and Maria Felix (above) does it look like they were afraid to accessorize?  Here's one of my favorite Mexican actresses, Jacqueline Bracamontes in Oscar De La Renta. She's the epitome of refinement on every occasion and she has the most amazing hair. It's also always great to see a red carper filled with with women that are not primarily thin, blondes. 

What do I wear on Cinco de Mayo? Now that you know why Mexican women are awesome. Here's a Cinco de Mayo Outfit for you to flaunt out on the town tonight! Notice the bold color in every piece and the statement necklace. The point is to incorporate elements of the colors associated with the Mexican flag, not to actually look like a flag. Of course these pieces are versatile enough to be worn after tonight too.  All of these items can be found at Forever21.com

So let's not forget that I was born and raised in the U.S and like any real American I will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo tonight with a shot of Tequila. Being bi-cultural provides you with SO many drinking opportunities. How do you observe the day? What are your favorite things about Mexican women? 

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! 

xoxo

Betsy Aimee 

Peplum is for Everyone!

When I first saw the peplum trend I did not think it could be for me, as extra attention to my hip area does not favor my body type. But I changed my mind about the trend when I realized that peplum accentuates my waist too! Then I saw that one of my favorite bloggers Tanesha from Girl with Curves rocked it and looked absolutely beautiful! I have since been looking for my next peplum top. Here are my favorites as of lately, all for under 100 dollars...

These can be worn with denim jeans (extra points if they are colorful jeans), your favorite pencil skirt, or shorts in the Summer months! Throw a belt on for extra emphasis on the waistline. It's flirty,feminine and an easy way to incorporate trends into your Spring/Summer wardrobe.
What trends are you afraid to try?
Happy Weekend!

Betsy Aimee

Eastside Career Chic in The Daily Muse: How to Deal with Depression at Work

Source: repinly.com via Betsy on Pinterest

Read my newest post for The Daily Muse a publication for smart young professional women

A few months ago, I told you how a quarter-life crisis catapulted me into a severe depression, and my story of recovering. The response I received from that piece since tells me that I’m not alone in this plight, and that many of us have experienced a similar personal crisis. And a recent article onForbes confirmed that more millennials are suffering from depression, anxiety, or some other form of mood disorder than ever before.

One of the hardest parts of my ordeal was that, in the midst of it all, I still had to be a functional adult and stay on top of my job responsibilities. And while there are many great books online about how to deal with depression or anxiety at work, I also want to share some suggestions based on my own experience for making it through—and even thriving.

Follow the link for tips! 

Eastside Career Chic in Office A La Mode

On a daily basis how many negative thoughts about your body go through your mind? Are there any types of clothes you are afraid to wear?
See my curvy girl confession in Office A La Mode:
Follow the link for more

How to Put Your Best Self Forward

Welcome to my newly re-designed blog. I am so excited that my friend was willing to help my blog put its best face forward! I love her. Sometimes we know that something is great but intuitively we know that it could be even better.In life and in blogging there is always room for improvement. Thus now that my friend took care of the blog I have dedicated these past few weeks to reflect on life and rid my mind of clutter to put my best self forward. Here's how you can do it too!

1) Search the Internet for Answers: 

Source: marthastewart.com via Lizbeth on Pinterest

Penelope Trunk saved my life, I found her through HuffPo and we have been in a relationship ever since.She doesn't know it, but she planted the seed for this blog and my journey as a writer, influenced my last salary negotiation and has played a role in my marriage. She shares intimate details of her life and inspired me to share my own story without fear of judgment.

Her advice led me to discover other quarter-life crisis self-help gurus like Alexandra Robbins who wrote a book on how to survive and conquer your quarter-life crisis. These books gave me hope in some difficult moments and so did Penelope.  Finding Penelope Trunk on the internet changed my life. If you are strategic you too can find life altering sites on the internet! It''s very silly advice but it's also very easy to do.

2) Shake Things Up:

You cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different outcomes. I know this because I have tried it and trust me it FAILS every time. When I was depressed, sulking around at home and complaining about my life did not make things better. What made it better was seeing a therapist, getting a dog and doing a series of other things that did not just occur as I slept in till 2pm on a weekend. If you feel lost you will need to make an effort to find whatever it is you're looking for, a new job, a new relationship, a new apartment, etc.

You can start small, for example in the past few weeks I cut inches off my hair, and tried to change my hair color. I didn't say you had to go crazy here, baby steps are fine. I also decided to spruce up my social life by attending events I would normally not attend because i'm too tired, too busy or too lazy to attend.  I attended the FAWN You Tube channel launch and a movie screening for Girl in Progress (which you really should see) At the second event I even networked and asked someone to meet me for coffee! Step out of your comfort zone, you may meet  people or get a cool gift bag filled with fun make-up!

Here I am shaking things up at the You Tube channel launch with my shorter hair, and hot pink pants (an unusual wardrobe choice and yet another way I was shaking things up) See I have proof that I am taking my own advice! 

3) Focus on the Positive: 

I was in the middle of March Madness (the work kind not the basketball kind) and I noticed a crazy increase in my blog's traffic. I then realized the Forbes.com had picked up my latest article for The Daily Muse!! Here was my advice on Forbes.com. One year ago, I wasn't even writing and now here I am on a major site that was accomplishment HUGE for me. It also proves that searching the internet for answers and shaking things up really does make a difference when you're lost. I started this blog to shake things up and challenge myself and I did it by searching for cool bloggers on the internet. I have encountered so many amazing people and really discovered a whole new side of myself, the writer. I usually look at past blog posts and focus on typos or how things could have been phrased differently. I am now trying to focus on this small victory and using it as motivation to keep writing. (Just found several typos here too, Ugh)

4) Don't Worry About Feeling Lost:
These past few weeks have been crazy and I have been reflecting a lot about what I want for this blog and for my career. Whenever this happens I usually turn to the Patron Saint for Lost 20 Somethings, Penelope Trunk. She writes eloquently about being lost and urges readers to embrace being lost because personal growth looks a lot like being lost. I have felt lost so many times I am now in the running for a lost 20-something medal of honor for personal growth, and it is VERY frustrating but I try to remember this little nugget of advice I found on my new obsession Pinterest.

Source: coolmemories.tumblr.com via Betsy on Pinterest

So go ahead and embrace the discomfort of being lost and put your best self forward!
How are you shaking things up this spring? When was the last time you felt lost and what did you do about it?

xoxo
Betsy Aimee