BEHIND THE SCENES

It ain’t pretty, but you babes have been asking for a bit of Behind The Scenes action so here.it.is. The good, the bad and the nitty gritty!!

Here is the TRUTH: I work three days a week. I have a nanny who comes to my home and watches my kiddos while I get crap done for you guys 🙌🏼 I am not pretending that I do this alone and I have found that both my kids and I benefit from having separate activities during the day!! As soon as my son gets home from school I am ready to hang, boss around that homework life and cook {or order out} dinner. I TRY to be as present as possible when I am with my kids and although that is a balance I am still finding it helps for work to have my undivided attention for a bit so I can focus on family later. I have a house cleaner who comes once a month to deep clean our home and I love having her. I CANNOT emphasize enough : it takes a village! I am a “one-woman show” around here but nothing would get accomplished if I didn’t have help from so so many.

PHOTOS

I take all my own photos and so that means props, set and products live in my bedroom – tbh, it’s terrible. I have a system that works for me, but some days (most days) my man has to endure walking around piles of lipstick and my daughter is pulling apart my accessory “organization”. Here are the tools that I have grown to love and that make my life a tad easier when it comes to getting the right shot 👌🏼

BACKGROUND : I came across this trick about a year ago and it has since become my signature. I simply ordered adhesive film and applied it to a foam core board! It stores easily and looks like actual stone, but weighs virtually nothing!

CAMERA : I know there are a lot of cameras to choose from out there, but I have found that I don’t need anything SUPER fancy to get great photos. I have used this camera with the kit lens for years and years and never thought to upgrade because it performs, even in video mode 🙌🏼 TWO things to ensure great photos : a high quality storage disk and a great case! This will not only make sure your pictures look crisp, but that your camera stays in great shape forever.

RING LIGHT : I buuuunch of you ask about the ring light that I use for my videos and a few of my *late night* stories! This is the only one I have ever used, but it has adjustable settings/lighting levels and after reading a million plus reviews it has not disappointed me.

REFLECTOR : I have found that in order to get a really bright crisp photo this tool is a MUST. I use it on the white side to keep things looking natural, but it stores up compact and out of the way.

ACCESSORY SOURCES : I buy a lot of crap to style my photos with – earrings, rings, makeup bags, magazines, books, combs, clips and all things girly and faaaaabulous. I snag most of my jewelry from ASOS or Forever21, my makeup bags come from H&M as well as ASOS and anything quirky usually comes from Urban Outfitters. ALL of my books I use to style come from Amazon along with most of the little trays that I use.

ACCESSORY STORAGE : The earring situation is next level, but I am suuuuuuper happy with this storage that stacks and stays out of my way!

PRODUCTION

Once I’ve got the images I must keep my productivity flow!! These are the gadgets and apps that I need to ensure that I keep my head on straight and keep pushing out great content to you babes!!

PHONE CASE : I have owned a LoopyCase since they launched their Kickstarter and BOTH my man and I are obsessed. Snag one, or five 😘 for 10% off with code BEYOUTY10!!!

PHONE HOLDER (car) : You babes request this after every.single.video I post in my car and I am thrilled with how convenient and simple it is to use!!

PHONE HOLDER (in home) : I SWEAR by this phone holder because I can charge whiiiiile using this tool. It adjusts very easily and is super durable!!

EXTERNAL CHARGER : I just bought another one of these because it is SO SIMPLE to use and charges SO FAST. We keep it plugged in when we aren’t using it and my husband and I actually prefer this to our wall chargers. No need for an extra cord either 🙌🏼

PLANNING APP : I have been using Planoly for YEAAAAAARS, but just figured it out to really werk for me! I shoot A LOT of product at once and then upload the pictures here (after editing) and write the captions at my leisure. I can schedule for the post to push through to Instagram whenever I please and then look at the line up for the week in advance!

PLANNER : I bought this planner because it was beautiful, but I adore it because it is functional. I love seeing the entire week in advance and having plenty of room to fill up my time 👊🏼

PENS : I realize this is a geeky thing to love, but these pens are THE BEST. They never fail me, always write beautifully and are the perfect shade of pink 💁🏻

STORAGE

NOOOOOOOOOW, where do ALL the products go?? Great question. The answer is, everywhere 😫 we are bleeding beauty goods over here. I have linked my favorite makeup storage containers before, but for the sake of keeping it all together, lets go over it again, shall we?