goals – Olivia Lagaly

Hopes & Dreams

October 2, 2018October 2, 2018by Olivia LagalyLeave a Comment

The little girl I nanny for is talking about hopes and dreams in her fourth grade class. When I asked what her hopes and dreams are, she said “My hope is to get out of this conversation soon!” Kids are too smart. But this got me to thinking about my hopes and dreams. I’m 23 and living in New York City, but I don’t have a ton of clarity as to what I’m doing with my life.

If anyone didn’t already know, I’m a nanny. I’ve been nannying since February of this year, and I really truly love it. It’s the first job that I’ve done here in New York where I really feel like I’m good at the work I’m doing. If you don’t know, I moved to NYC to work at a PR company here. It didn’t turn out to be exactly what I thought it would, and between a new job, new city, and new apartment, my anxiety got the best of me. I was having panic attacks for like a week straight and I just couldn’t manage them, even with my anxiety medicine. I literally left that job within a month, and quitting a job like that when you’ve signed a year lease in New York City is definitely some scary shit. I hate the idea that people judge me for that or consider me a quitter and not a hard worker. For me, mental health comes first and foremost, because I literally cannot function day to day if my emotions are out of whack. To be honest, I’ve also never really seen myself at a corporate job before. Not to say that I wouldn’t be able to do it or that I might not pursue something along those lines in the future, but ever since I was young I have had this really entrepreneurial spirit.

Have you ever tried to envision your life, and you close your eyes and you kind of just know in your gut how it’s gonna play out? Like you can really almost see it, and all you have to do to get there eventually is kinda follow some steps along the way? That’s what I do. I’m not sure if I’m trying to manifest my dream life or if I’m just psychic and know how things are going to play out for me, lol. But when I close my eyes and envision the life I want, I see myself owning my own company. I get to dabble in photography, write, create things, travel, and have a family. I could almost cry thinking about it! The annoying part is that when I do envision this life, I’m not quite sure what my “business” really is. Sometimes I blog in hopes of turning this into my own small business, but I know that isn’t the greatest idea when I am blogging once a month! My inspiration is someone like Jenna Kutcher. If you don’t follow her, please do. She is a soon-to-be mom and an amazing boss woman. She marches to the beat of her own drum in the most beautiful way, and has a stunning eye for design. She is my ultimate goals!

I know I went off on a tangent here, but I did want to say that if you have a dream, go for it. And if you have a gut feeling about an awesome life ahead of you, keep moving in that direction. A funny man I once interviewed in a journalism class told me this, “Fund your dream until your dream can fund itself.” Nannying allows me the opportunity to interact with kids, one of my favorite things to do. It has also allowed me to start saving up to fund my dream. Although I still don’t know what that is exactly, I have a pretty good feeling about it.

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Self-Care Tips for the Lazy Girl (me)

January 11, 2018March 21, 2018by Olivia LagalyLeave a Comment

Admittedly, I am one of the laziest people I know when it comes to self-care. I am terrible at remembering to wash my face, shave, wash my hair, take care of my skin, etc. BUT I have figured out easy ways to fit some of these things into my schedule…self-care for the lazy girl! Here are my top tips, enjoy 🙂

Moisturize IN the shower– this sounds silly, but I actually just started keeping a small body moisturizer in the shower, so right after I dry off I moisturize right away! Once I get to my room I know I won’t do it, so it helps to do it while still in the shower.
Face Washing Made Easy– This is actually kind of embarrassing, but when I don’t feel like splashing my face with water in the early mornings, I use the Mario Badescu Rosewater facial spray to spritz my face, scrub a little soap, and the spritz again and wipe my face off. Super low maintenance and it helps to wash my face without the mess!
Eyelash Extensions– this is one of those high maintenance/low maintenance situations. Getting eyelash extensions was something that I am still unsure about, but I have found that it has cut my makeup routine IN HALF, and has boosted my no-makeup confidence! I still feel put together with the extensions on but no other makeup. This has also been a blessing for my skin, not feeling the need to wear foundation every day!
Dry Shampoo/Hairstyle Days– I am a huge believer in dry shampoo to get through those days to weeks of not feeling like washing my hair. But I have found that my hair tends to feel dry with the dry shampoo, and it makes my scalp dry as well. Lately, I’ve been washing my hair once every 4 days and just plan my hairstyles for each day! On day 1 I wear my hair down since it’s clean, day 2 I can still get away with it down, day 3 I may do a bun or ponytail, and day 4/5 I wear a hat (lol!)
Make Things More Accessible– I have so many face masks, moisturizers, spot treatments, teeth whiteners, etc. that I always want to try but never get to. I used to keep them in my bathroom, but I realized after awhile this never really worked for me because they weren’t immediately accessible and I was always too lazy to go get them. Now I finally have a nightstand/desk situation in my room where I keep all of my products that I want to try. So when I am having a lazy day/night in bed, I look over and try that face mask or teeth whitener that I’ve been wanting to! This really works for anything you want to add into your self-care routine.

That is all for my self-care tips for the lazy girl! Do you have any fun/easy self-care routines that you would recommend? Comment and let me know! 🙂

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Moving to a New City: Adjustments & Changes

December 19, 2017March 21, 2018by Olivia LagalyLeave a Comment

Life in New York City is so different than anywhere else I’ve lived. From growing up in Ohio to living in South Carolina for four years of school, I felt like I’d already seen a lot! But as most would guess, NYC is completely different than any other city, and rightfully so. If you’ve ever considered living here or are just curious about the differences in day to day routines, then keep reading!

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1. Transportation– this one seems obvious, but it took me the most time to get adjusted to. Taking the subway and walking are what I do most since I’ve moved here, and I’ll admit I do miss my alone time in the car! But it’s so cheap to subway (2.75 per ride) and I always get my 10,000 steps a day with walking everywhere 😂 if you’re visiting NYC and are trying to figure out the subway system, my biggest suggestion is to download the Citymapper app, and to just ask people and read signs! I am one of the most directionally challenged people I know and I still somehow figured out the New York City subway system, so you can too!

2. Food– I’d never really thought about this one before, but grocery shopping can be a real pain in the ass when you don’t have a car to dump all of your shit into! I tend to go grocery shopping for smaller quantities more often, which can get annoying but I’ve gotten used to it. It’s also a great workout carrying your groceries and walking home! 😂 Another thing all New Yorkers seem to do is eat out quite often.

3. Dating– Literally every girl I’ve talked to in New York says the only way to date here is online dating. Obviously in college my friends and I dabbled in Bumble and Tinder, but New York City has its whole own array of options when it comes to dating apps. I’ve been a fan of The League and Hinge!

4. Tourists– I quickly went from being a newbie New Yorker that stopped and stared at everything, to being soooo annoyed by slow tourists that stop in the middle of the sidewalk to take pictures 😂 It doesn’t help that I live on Wall Street down in Fidi and walk out my front door to a sea of tourists that I have to navigate my way through, lol.

5. The Vibes– As fast paced as New York City is, I’ve also found that it is one of the friendliest cities I’ve ever lived in. As surprising as it is, I feel like strangers from the subway to the streets are willing to stop and chat, help with directions, and so much more. I’ve seen a family help an old lady up the stairs, and men helping women carry their strollers down into the subway. It makes my heart so full!

That’s all for now! What have your biggest adjustments been when moving to a new city? Comment below and let me know!

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How to Live in NYC

December 3, 2017March 21, 2018by Olivia Lagaly2 Comments

Hello, blogging world friends! Lately I’ve been getting a lot of questions about living in New York City, from close friends to strangers wanting to know how I managed to move here. While I do often feel like I’m living an amazing dream, moving to New York isn’t actually that difficult or scary to do! Here are my top four tips on how to move to New York City if this is your dream, or even if it’s something you’ve just considered!

Apply, apply, apply: I know this one is obvious, but applying for jobs here is the number one way to get your butt to New York. Once you land a job here, you have an automatic reason to move here! I moved here for an internship that ended up not working out for me, but it got me to this city that I’ve always wanted to live in, so it all worked out in the end! It’s also so much easier to land a job in New York once you already live here.
Don’t be afraid of failure: I think that me, along with billions of other people are nervous to take big leaps out of fear of failure. Moving to New York was scary because I wasn’t sure if I’d like living in a big city or if I could really do this. But for me, “what ifs” aren’t a good enough reason to not follow through with big dreams. I’d also like to say that moving somewhere and not loving your job, home, or situation is not a failure! It is a huge success to take these leaps, no matter the outcome.
Think short term: Remember that you are signing a lease to live here for one year. You aren’t committing the rest of your life to this place, so if you are nervous that NYC may not be the place for you but you’ve always wanted to try it, then give it a go! I always play the “what’s the worst thing that could happen” card. For me, it was coming here and absolutely hating it. This wasn’t the case, but it is nice remembering that I have the option to stay here until July and then can move anywhere else I’d like. You aren’t stuck here!
Fake it ’til you make it: This is the biggest step that I took when deciding I wanted to move to New York City. I literally did everything that I could in pretending that I was already moving to New York City. I apartment hunted online, applied for jobs, read books, read blogs, made dream boards, messaged potential roommates, talked to people who live here…even though my parents thought I was crazy, I literally just went along pretending like I was moving to New York, even though at the time I had no plans to! Even if you’re “faking it” or just going through the motions with no real end in sight, I truly believe that these things really do help you to get what you want in the end.

I hope this gives a little insight into the mentality and approach I took when deciding I wanted to move to New York City, and how to get here! This could really apply to anyone looking to move to any city, but I’ve been getting a lot of questions specific to New York so I thought I’d share 🙂 Comment with any other New York questions or New York post ideas, I’d love to share what I’ve learned so far!

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Updated Makeup Routine: Everyday Full Coverage

October 30, 2017March 21, 2018by Olivia LagalyLeave a Comment

Hi friends! I’ve actually been getting some questions about my current makeup routine, usually from customers while I’m at work or people while I’m out running errands. The main questions I get are about my eyelashes and my foundation, so I figured why not do an updated makeup routine on my current favorites!

Moisturizer- My all time favorite moisturizer is THIS Clinique one, it gives such a healthy glow under my foundation.
Foundation- I use this Estee Lauder foundation religiously. I’ve used it in the past, stopped, but I’m hooked again. It’s just too good, and the coverage can’t be beat.
Concealer- This IT Cosmetics concealer is EVERYTHING. It looks like natural, glowy skin and honestly provides the best coverage.
Powder- I use this Estee Lauder duo powder/highlight mix on top of my concealer and foundation. It gives extra coverage, but the mix of the highlight gives another nice healthy glow (I HATE being matte!)
Brows- This is my favorite brow gel, I don’t have a favorite pencil at the moment because I always feel like I’m overdoing it when I’m filling in my brows completely! This one looks natural but makes your brows fuller.
Lips- This NARS lipstick in Sex Machine is the best color and consistency. It isn’t longwear which is definitely a con, but the natural plump pink look it gives to my lips is great for every day.
Mascara- THE HOLY GRAIL. NOTHING CAN BE BEAT. FLY LASHES, FLY.
Eyeliner- This Stila eyeliner will literally not move, and I’ve had the best luck at creating wings with this. Pricy for an eyeliner, but it’s staying power is really what you’re paying for.
Blush- This blush is so perfect, natural and glowy. I love all of the baked products from this brand!
Bronzer- I actually don’t have a bronzer that I love at the moment! I was using the Too Faced bronzer and still do occasionally, but it just is starting to look a little matte and muddy for my liking. If you couldn’t tell, I really like “natural and glowy”, lol.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog! If you have any favorite products that I should try, comment below and leave the link! I also love following other new bloggers so let’s connect 🙂

Olivia

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it’s time!

June 8, 2017by Olivia LagalyLeave a Comment

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It is officially time to start my blogging journey! For the past 5+ years I have wanted to start a blog, but have never had the motivation, time, support, resources, etc. Well, guess what? I currently have all of the above, and I am out of excuses! I just graduated from college, am currently unemployed (so I have time), my parents are helping me in whatever path I choose to take (I have support), and I have a computer and the internet (resources). The only factor that I was missing to start this blog was the motivation part. Then I read THIS BOOK.

This book has not only inspired me to write this post and start a blog, but it has inspired me to have a completely different outlook on life. Today, I have made the decision to live my absolute best life possible. And there are a few ways that I am going to do this.

Dream the Dream- As the CEO of my life, I have made the executive decision to dream a little bigger and set some freakin goals for myself already. Blogging has been a goal of mine for so long, and guess what? It takes about 5 minutes to start a blog. So here we go. Some other goals of mine include moving to New York, working in fashion and beauty in some way, bringing out my inner creative, and eventually becoming an entrepreneur and starting up my own thing. I don’t know what that “thing” is yet, and that’s ok. Let’s start small and see where things take us.
Positivity- I have decided to start looking at life a little bit brighter and happier. My favorite quote from the book was this: “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” Damn Lao Tzu, givin me the feels tonight !! I love this quote because it reminds me that I don’t have to focus on anything but the here and now, and that’s pretty cool.
Connecting with Inner Me- No, this isn’t what you think it is, get your mind out of the gutter. “Inner me” refers to my higher self, or my subconscious mind. We don’t have to get all hippy dippy here, but when I meditate and listen to my inner self and higher being, I get some pretty solid answers that seem to make more sense than all of the blabber that is usually running through my brain.

So that’s all I’ve got for now! If you want to connect on wordpress or follow my journey, I would love to stay in touch. If you have any life advice, let’s connect. Or if you want to bask in our unknowingness together, that works for me too. Let’s do this.