Winter Beauty Secrets

Hey Preps!

I hate being cold.  Hate it.  I love snow, and skiing, but I hate ice, freezing temperatures, and everything associated with temperatures below 50 degrees.  So, lucky for Pittsburgh, we got lots of snow...the day after Christmas (weather stinks at timing)...and hear I sit next to my space heater.  Avoiding the lingering task of cleaning off my car from the ice that has covered it.

Another thing I struggle with is the dryness in the air thanks to the cold weather.  Sure, I love the west, and hope to be in California by next fall...but at the same time, dry weather means dry skin...so what's a girl to do when the weather isn't doing her beauty routine any favors?  I have found a few tricks that really make all the difference:

Winter Beauty by pittsburghprep featuring a metal nail polish

1. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream is a life-saver.  It is a moisturizer, evens skin-tone, covers blemishes (without clogging pores), and is a sunscreen.  Although I use a different BB Cream during the summer months, I really like this particular one during the winter.  It is a little bit thicker, and I feel like it is a great alternative to foundation.  As a personal trainer, I am constantly on the go.  I don't have time to always wash my face between classes or clients, and if I were to wear a powder, it would wear off and clog my pores.  This is a much better make-up routine for me that keeps me looking natural and has lots of skin benefits (like preventing dryness). 
2. Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm is great for winter months.  I am one of those people who always seems to be suffering from chapped lips.  Wearing lip stick always dries out my lips, so for the longest time, I felt as if I was limited to just plain lip balms and glosses.  Finally, there is a great tinted lip balm that gives me the extra hint of natural color I need, combined with the moisturizing (and great feeling/smelling) balm that keeps my lips soft.
3. Every girl wants an easy make-up routine that doesn't take all the time in the world to accomplish.  It's easy to accomplish in the summer when we are at the beach with our dewy bronzed suntans and humid weather.  Leave it to winter to destroy our tan and our dewy skin.  Get that natural, summer feel with a light shimmery powder like Stila All Over Shimmer Powder.  I love this duo.  It doesn't drastically change the color of your skin, but is a great way to illuminate your cheeks, and T-zone to give you a natural, glowy, look.
4. Another issue with losing the sun-kissed tan, is the qualities we hate tend to show a little bit more...under-eye circles are no fun.  People think you are sick, tired, etc.  thanks to them and as we get paler, our under-eye circles become more predominant.  Stop that with Almay Under-eye Concealer.  I love it.  I have used it for years.  It doesn't crease or create fine lines after you put it on, and it really brightens up your face.  
5. Another issue with dry weather means, frizzy, knotty, static hair.  I naturally have fine hair, so in the winter, my hair gets tangled easily, and I feel as if I am fighting an uphill battle.  I started using Moroccan Oil a year ago, and have seen a world of difference in my hair.  I just put about a dime size in my hair when it's wet combined with a little leave-in conditioner.  No more split-ends, no more tangles, and my hair feels so soft and healthy.  Moroccan Oil helps protect you hair, and gives back some of the natural oils your hair is stripped of during a shower, and during the winter months.
6. Back to the whole chapped lips thing, I have found my miracle kit in Fabulips Treatment Kit.  It comes with a lip wash, scrub, balm, and plumper.  I use it when my lips get really chapped.  It even tastes good.  The balm is thick and really helps give moisture back to your lips...and what girl doesn't love a lip plumper.
7. Essie is my go-to nail polish brand.  They come out with seasonal colors that are unique, and fun to use.  I am a huge glitter fanatic.  Especially during the winter months, so above I picked one of the colors I have been rocking quit a bit lately, combined with a top-coat of clear glitter.  Perfecto!

Stay warm, and chapped lips free!

God bless y'all!

The Terrible Twos, and the Art of Decision-Making

Hey Preps!

Flying is a win-lose game.

Today I lost...the result?

Taking a selfie for y'alls enjoyment on the plane. 

Decisions.  Every day we make thousands of them whether they are food choices, creating our schedule, or determining what we love/hate in life.  Sometimes we really stink at making them.  We look back at times in our lives and think, "What a doofus! Why did I do that!? What was I thinking!?".

Most of the time, those decisions we thought were such a big deal at that given point in our life, are not as big as they seemed when looking back.  Sometimes those decisions result in a humorous story (even if it wasn't so humorous at the time).

Then there are the decisions we look back and wish we could change them.  I wish I had majored in...(you fill in the blank).  I wish I had moved to...I wish I hadn't quit....
Some decisions are more life altering than we wish they had been.  For example, I often joke about how as an 18-year-old going to college; with all of these ideals of what college would be like in my head, I made a decision to attend a school based off of things that are no longer important to me.

How was I to know that as a young, whimsical, 18-year-old girl?  I couldn't.

We can spend our whole lives regretting decisions we made.  I would be successful if I had done...If I had gone to this school, I would have the ability to do....

What good does that do?

For example, I am currently on a flight back to Pittsburgh, after having an interview at Stanford this past week.  So, if I were to land the job that I interviewed for...I would have a huge life decision of whether to pack up my bags and move cross country away from everything I know or not.  Sure, it's something I am sweating a little bit about...but I know that at age 50 I will look back on the decision and smile either way.

Then I made the decision of climbing on to my plane...and sitting right in front of a terrible two year old.  She has cried, kicked my seat, and pulled my hair for the past three hours.  My decision for an appealing window seat with no one sitting on either seat next to me was too much for my fast decision making nerves in my brain to resist, and without rationalizing the miserable feats of the terrible twos, I slung my bag down and happily plopped into my spacious spot.

A decision I deemed so desirable and pleasant initially has resulted in no sleep, and one heck of an uncomfortable and loud plane ride (also has clarified that I am so far from ready to have any children in my life anytime soon).

Isn't it funny how one teeny decision can result in a festering of ideas, events, and interactions in your life?

I wish I could tell you the magic formula on how to make 'the right' decision, however, I am far from figuring that one out yet myself.  I guess for me, and my random plane ponderings, I have decided that every decision that you make, helps you to grow into a better, smarter, and stronger person.  Who can maybe make better decisions based off of what they have discovered in their past.  Sometimes it's good to reflect on our past and to see how far we have come since then...yet at least for me, I am going to continue to keep striving for an even better future, living in the moment, yet hopefully getting better at planning and making decisions in my life.  I hope you will do the same.

I mean...no one wants to repeat their terrible twos...or high school for that matter....

Keep striving to be the best you can be!

God bless y'all!

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November

To my Fellow Preppy Americans,

Today is HUGE for our nation's future.  As a young adult, I find it shocking as to how many people in my generation not only have no desire to vote, but react negatively to those who are enthusiastic about the election.  I have a job, that I work very hard at.  I have a future in this country, and want that future to continue to hold the freedoms, stability, and hard work that America was founded on so long ago.  It is my American right to vote.  A privilege, and I am honored that I have a small say in the future of America.  Although evident who I am voting for (thanks to the picture above), I will not bash those who have opposing opinions.  America is about having the freedom to state what you believe, we should never belittle those who disagree with our own opinions.  I also feel that as a writer who specifies in the subjects of fashion, college life, and fitness...that it is better that I leave my blog for just that and post my political opinions elsewhere (like my Twitter hehe).  That being said, I will leave you all with a historically famous and moving quote from one of our founding fathers:

‎"Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual - or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country." 

-Samuel Adams

You have a say.  Be heard. Vote!  

Happy Election Day! Have a blessed one y'all!

Workout Wednesday: Success Isn't Straight

Hey Preps!

I LOVE running in the Fall when all the leaves are changing.  Absolutely breathtaking. 

It's October.  That means running leggings, warm gear, and bright clothing to ensure safety while hitting the roads and trails in Western Pennsylvania.  I love my North Face reflective windbreaker.  It's bright and keeps me warm.  

Today I filled in for a fitness class that I usually do not teach.  The instructor was sick, and since I practically live at my fitness center, I was guilted into helping out.  I walked into the aerobics room, and the class members made eyes at one another.  No, I am not being sensitive.  They literally rolled their eyes at the fact that (as someone put it) a 'little blonde barbie' was going to be teaching them.

Guess What?  I kicked their bums.  Instant respect from them.

Not only did I kick their tooshies, but specifically explained each exercise and why we were doing it.  After class, they told me they never knew why they were doing certain exercises.  They were impressed.

The lack of confidence in me they had when they initially met me diminished as they got to experience my teaching.  Trust me, it's not the first time I have had to prove myself.  Throughout my entire life I have had to prove to people that I am not the typical stereotype they initially view me as.  Being a biochemistry major taught me that it's best to wear glasses the first day of school.  Professors see a blonde girl, and think she's incapable of getting an A in their Advanced Organic Chem class.

Now, in the real world, I meet with a new client or a new class, and if they don't know me or my resume; they automatically think I am too young, inexperienced, skinny, blonde...little do they know that I gained 30lbs. my freshman year of college.  That I since have lost it all, and have made fitness and nutrition a priority in my life.  They don't realize how many certifications I have and long weekends I have spent researching everything on the fitness spectrum to be able to put together a program that works specifically for them and their needs.

Sure it's frustrating.  I don't appreciate being underestimated, yet at the same time it gives me a determination in my spirit to prove them wrong.

Many of you who have e-mailed me are frustrated.  You want to achieve a fitness goal whether it's running a 5k or a marathon, losing weight, even competing in your first triathlon.  You aren't seeing the results you thought you would, and you want to give up.  I have totally been there.  It took me over a year to lose the weight that I gained my freshman year of college.

It was frustrating to see girls skinnier than me at the cafeteria eating pizza and french fries, while I ate the same salad and self-made sandwich every day.  I didn't lose the weight over night.  There were many days (and still are) that I wanted to eat a huge bag of peanut butter M&M's.  It takes discipline, time, and the understanding that success doesn't happen over night.  It is a process, but I am telling you...that even if you fail once or twice, you can reach your goals if you set your mind to them.  If I can...you can.   I promise.

One of my favorite illustrations of success is shown below:

We all want instant results when we put in effort.  I am telling you right now, that is not the way life works.  It takes perseverance to reach success.  There will be times where you find yourself back peddling, or having to start over again.  That's okay.  You will get there.  I am a firm believer that those who work harder to succeed, appreciate their success more.  Don't be discouraged if you aren't reaching your fitness goals right away.  Use your disappointments as leverage to prove yourself and others wrong.  Once you reach your goals, you will look back and appreciate the time and work it took to get there.  Keep pushing guys.  Make it happen.  Only you can achieve your own success.  

Stay tuned for a Workout Wednesday Circuit that I will be filming in my boot camp tonight!

Have a blessed day y'all!

Workout Wednesdays: The Killer Core Circuit

Hey Preps!

Did you guys know that you are awesome?  I have been LOVING the e-mails that many of you have been writing me about reaching your fitness goals, and how I have inspired you to get back at things.  Several of you have been asking me how I get a defined core.  So, I have decided to start a new series called 'Workout Wednesdays' where I will film myself doing one of the circuits that I often do with my Personal Training clients or Bootcamp members.  I know it can be hard to get back into exercising, but hopefully this will inspire you do keep at it.  This is an advanced circuit, but don't let that scare you, I promise you can make it through, and that if you do this circuit three times a week, you will start getting that rockin' core you are striving for!

When it comes to some gym motivation, I love looking cute at the gym.  I think when you feel good about the way you look, you have more confidence to get in the gym and work your cute little bum off.  So I put together a few things that I have been reppin' at the gym lately.  What motivates you to get to the gym?

Workout Wednesday Gear of the Week by pittsburghprep featuring nike

1. Asic's Zip-Up Running Hoodie.  I love zip-up warm up sweats.  I am naturally freezing all the time (unless I'm mid-workout) so anything that keeps me loose during my workout and is easy to remove works well for me.

2.  Nike Shirt.  I love shirts that are motivating.  What is more motivating than Nike's classic slogan...Just Do It? Stop making excuses.

3.  Kettle Bells.  They rock.  My bootcamp uses them on a nightly bases.  They are great for high intensity/full body workouts (I will show ya one some Wednesday).

4. Ironman Timex Watch.  I love mine.  I can wear it in the pool, on my runs, and use it a ton when I am timing my speed-work intervals, or keeping a class I teach on track.  My watch has a heart rate monitor with it, and will beep at me when I am not in my target heart rate zone.  It's so annoying that sometimes I work harder so it doesn't beep at me.  

5.  Nike Crop Capris.  Listen, I have always been a running shorts person.  I have a tiny waistline and muscular legs, so capris never fit me right because they are always too loose in my waist.  These Nike ones fit me perfectly, and I think they are a cute girly accent you can rock when at the gym.

6.  Yoga mat.  How many times do you go to a gym and there are gross people all over the exercise mats?  If I'm at a huge gym and don't know the last time something has been cleaned, I whip out my own yoga mat.  That way I can ensure I am not contracting someone else's skin disease. Ewww.

7.  Nike Sports Bra.  Colorful sports bras are so fun.  You can always see a little bit of yours if wearing a tank top.  Why not wear a cute one?

8. Asics Gel Kayano 18 Running Shoes.  These are my babies.  We ran the Pittsburgh Marathon together.  I have flat feet, and the Asic Kayanos have the perfect amount of stability that correct my over-pronating flat-fooded stride.  I used to struggle with shin splints, but since I have been rockin' these digs (for four years now) I have had zero problems.  

9. Running Socks.  I love em.  I especially love my Injini Toe Socks, but I highly recommend investing in a few pairs of breathable, padded, running socks.  They feel so much better than normal athletic socks.

Loosen Your Grip

Hey Preps!

Type AAA personality.  Ashamed to admit it sometimes, but that's me.  I set my mind on something, and I want to achieve it.  I dive head first, and I refuse to fail.  Yet, it is impossible to be perfect at everything...and everyone fails at some point in their life.  Why are we so ashamed when we do?

Perfect example was today, I was teaching a Silver Sneakers fitness class (for Senior citizens) and we were working on a drill to help with finger strength (grip).  As we get older arthritis and years of picking up heavy items can lead to the loss of strength in our digits.  So, to strengthen that, the drill we do involves a small inflatable ball.  Holding the ball, we extend the arm out; hand placed on top of the ball, and squeeze and release our fingers to exercise that finger strength.

Someone always looses their ball.  It goes flying the other direction and everyone stares...the person who lost it, rushes over to claim the ball, and looking completely defeated sulks back to their seat.
Who cares!?  I couldn't tell you who lost their ball this morning, even though I know someone did.

Yet, how many times are we completely embarrassed by our faults and cannot seem to acknowledge them, learn from them, and get back up and start fighting again?  Seriously guys.  Stop trying to hold on so tight to your life that you are unable to grow into a better person.

We really do take life too seriously.  Just like my Silver Sneakers take their grip exercises.  Little do they know that if they just loosened up their grip a teeny bit, that the ball would be easier to hold on to. When you grip the ball too tightly, the pressure in the ball is compressed, making the probability of it shooting out of your hand far greater when you go to slightly release that tension.  Just like in life, the more pressure you put on yourself to be perfect, the harder it will be when you fail.

So that is my psychological advice to you today, now for some fashion advice...

It is now officially fall, and almost October, and in Kalyn terms, Pennsylvania is officially too cold.  All weekend it rained, which is tough when I just returned from sunny California.  So, what is a girl to do if she wants to be fancy and practical huh?

For all those college girls in cold climates; what I have found is that there are many fun ways you can pair rugged pieces with classy essentials to put together a perfect casual outfit for class.  I used to see so many girls wearing pumps and 'clubwear' to class...and then turn the corner and see girls in sweats who clearly didn't even brush their hair that morning.

I am telling you first hand, professors aren't diggin' the clubwear or the "I never try" look.  You should always try to look simple, classic, and clean (at least clean for goodness sake).

Fall Practicals by pittsburghprep featuring slim pants
1. Excursion Quilted Vest by J. Crew
2. Oxford Button Down from Lands' End Canvas
3. Matchstick Cord by J. Crew
4. Large Le Pliage Femme Bag by Longchamp
5. Duck Boots by L.L.Bean

One of my favorite outfits to wear in the fall/winter months is a pair of Duck Boots combined with a polished pair of corduroy skinny pants.  I like to keep the chunky theme in place by adding a loose-fitting oxford button down shirt, with a quilted down vest.

If you get too warm in class, the vest is removable, and you still look polished.  So, ladies and gents...stop trying too hard with you wardrobe (or not trying at all) and loosen up that grip on life while your at it.

Everything turns out okay.  I promise.

Bright! for Fall

Hey Preps!

Always have been a huge fan of bright pants...one of the 

many reasons I am looking forward to fall

Have you ever walked into an elementary school art class?  Some kids are chatting as they sloppily swipe paint brushes loaded with unimaginable amounts of paint onto some thin piece of paper.  You hear kids complain about having to endure the torture known as 'Art Class'...as if it were some type of prison they couldn't break out of.  

No offense to any of my art teachers, but kids just never took art seriously.  There was always a detention given...always that kid in my high school slinging wet clay at another person when they weren't looking...and...wack! Clay to the back of the head.  Detention for both.  

Then there was Kalyn.  Perfectionist.  Overly creative.  Those two things just don't seem to mix when I test my hand at any form of art.  I would develop these dramatized, extremely detailed, images in my head of something I wanted to create...and it just never seemed to turn out the way I had dreamed.  Would you believe that Ceramics class was one of the only quarterly B's I received in high school?  Why?  Because I would spend the whole class trying to create a clay sculpture the quality of Michelangelo's and somehow my skills just didn't seem to compare...and that resulted into mass frustration...which lead to me ferociously squishing the wet clay back into a blob.  

No. I never threw clay at anyone...but the perfectionist in me and the time constraint given for the class caused me to not complete a project on time.  B on the report card.

It doesn't mean I don't love art.  Matter of fact, art history intrigues me.  I may be a perfectionist, but my creativity does allow me to color outside of the lines a lot of times.  I love photography, writing, acrylic painting, I play the piano...the list goes on...however something somewhat unique is that I need color.  

I am not a black and white person.  I hate textbooks that have no pictures.  I hate taking notes without a hot pink highlighter...and I would chose a blog post with a big colorful picture on it over one with just words.  It's just who I am.  I am visual...I love and appreciate the colorful beauty that surrounds me.  

Just like the way I tend to lean towards colorful media...I also love colorful clothes.  I think you can make a huge statement with a pair of simple bright chino pants...and when I think of richly colored chinos....I think of fall.  

Sure, this spring and summer's fashions have been pastel colored pants...however Preps have been doing colors for a long time.  Most predominantly shown in fall fashions.  Pastels are exchanged for rich purples and burgandys, mustard and canary yellows, royal blues, Nantucket reds, and deep oranges.  Oh, you bet I am in heaven.  

So, the other day I was browsing Land's End online...and discovered all of their new corduroy crop pants and chino pants in a vast variety of beautiful colors.  I really don't even have to mention that I bought a few pairs.  

Fall Chinos by pittsburghprep featuring slim fit pants

So, if the trees are changing colors this fall...why shouldn't we?  Show the inner artist off and be bright in some colorful chinos!

Finally, I will leave you with some words of wisdom from one of my favorite music artists, John Mayer:
Life is like a box of crayons. Most people are the 8-color boxes, but what you're really looking for are the 64-color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. I fancy myself to be a 64-color box, though I've got a few missing. It's ok though, because I've got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. I have a bit of a problem though in that I can only meet the 8-color boxes. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean there are so many different colors of life, of feeling, of articulation.. so when I meet someone who's an 8-color type.. I'm like, "hey girl, magenta!" and she's like, "oh, you mean purple!" and she goes off on her purple thing, and I'm like, "no - I want magenta!"

Be your own color! Color outside of the lines!

Have a blessed day y'all!