Cassie DeNisco

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At Home Gel Nail Polish Tips & Tricks

Last fall I shared my powder gel polish review but recently I’ve been more obsessed with the simple regular gel polish. I have finally found a good mix of tricks and products to give you the best at home gel nail polish mani or pedi so I’m going to share with you all my secrets.

Nail Prep

The first step is always to remove my old polish and then cut, file, and push back my nail beds. I use this kit from Amazon that has everything I need for this stage. I also make sure to buff out my nails very well. This is probably the most important step so that the polish will adhere and last longer.

Polish

at home gel polish

I actually randomly found these brands on Amazon but they work really well. This base and top coat set is not only inexpensive but also lasts. I usually can go about a week and a half with the polish on. This gel brand, Aimeili, is great because they have colors and have a nice formula. I feel like the polish is the perfect mix and not to thick or runny.

UV Lamp

at home gel polsih

This lamp is honestly what has made such a difference for me. I had a light before this and it was not nearly as powerful as this one is. Not only does this light have different time settings, it’s also big enough for your whole hand to go in at one time. After I cure my base coat, I go in with two coats of my color and finish off with my top coat.

My at home gel nail polish is seriously that simple. I love having my nails done but one thing that this pandemic has taught me is I value my time more. I’ll still get a professional mani pedi for a big occasion but for the other times, I’ll do it at home so I’m comfy and not wasting 2 hours of my day.

I hope this post gave you a few good recommendations to start your at home nail journey. It took me awhile to get good at doing my own nails but once you get the hang of it, you might never go back!

Shop these products:

Dog Treat Brands I Love

I am back again with another post dedicated to our furry friends. Sky is almost 2 1/2 years old and it has literally taken that long to find dog treat brands that I love and trust. She is my first dog on my own so I was starting from scratch when finding products to use.

I’m sharing my top two dog treat brands that are awesome products to feed your pet. One of my major determining factors when choosing treats is if I know all of the products that go into it. The other factor is having minimal ingredients. If I wouldn’t eat it myself, I would never give it to my dog!

Bocce’s Bakery

This brand I actually found on a whim. I was searching through the pet store and just couldn’t find treats that I felt comfortable giving my pup. Once I found this brand, I was instantly obsessed. I was drawn to these in particular beause I knew every single ingredient that was in them and the ingredient list wasn’t long.

The range of treats that Bocce’s is coming out with is also amazing. They have everything from training treats to dog biscuits as well as new wellness lines that they are coming out with. Sky loves literally every kind of treat from them so they get a 5/5 rating from us!

Sky loves these Market Greens bones! Shop them here.

dog treat brands

Full Moon Dog Treats

I absolutely love Full Moon because they are human grade. This is so important to me because I want Sky to be eating quality foods that don’t have weird hidden ingredients. Not only are they human grade but they often have like 1-3 ingredients, the first being the meat.

Sky loves these and so do I. Some of their products are even organic which is another plus in my eyes. They have a wide range of flavors like chicken and duck so you’re sure to find something your pup will love.

Sky is obsessed with these Organic Chicken Sticks! Shop them here.

dog treat brands

With any set of nutrition facts, you always want the first ingredient to be the ingredient the product is supposed to be. This ensures that the largest amount of the product is the ingredient you want it to be and not fillers.

I know this post was short and sweet but that’s how I like to keep Sky’s diet. I’ve tried so many treats with her but keep coming back to these brands because of how great they are. This post was not sponsored so all of these reviews are my own!

If you’re interested in more dog treat posts, check out my homemade dog treat recipe!

Tips for Getting into a Fitness Routine

With summer now over, I find myself wanting to get back into my fitness routine. I usually am much more laid back with workouts during the summer months, really only doing what feels good. Now that I am back into work mode after a relaxing summer, I wanted to share my tips for getting back in to my fitness routine!

1. Cute Workout Clothes

I swear this is a bigger tip than it may seem. I am most motivated to workout when I have something I feel confident. Workout clothes really help not only the workout but showing up for the workout. When I have something fun and cute to wear, I am most likely going to be excited for the workout and keep coming back. I love Amazon for workout clothes. This tank here came in a 4 pack for only 28.99!

fitness routine

2. Pre/Post Workout Snack

fitness routine

I must say, waking up and having my pre workout meal is something I really look forward to. I like to workout mid morning during my lunch break so I love to make a morning smoothie. You can check out my morning smoothie recipe here. Some people wake up and look forward to their coffee, for me I love waking up for this smoothie with my workout gear on. If your a person who workouts out later, you can have your favorite protein bar or smoothie post workout to keep you motivated through your workout.

3. Do What You Love

Let me tell you, this one took awhile to figure out. I absolutely love Melissa Wood Health pilates and yoga inspired flows. They are gentle on my body but I feel so strong after them. I seriously look forward to my workout because they are just that great. You need to find a workout program or class that you love and that excites you or else you won’t want to keep coming back to it. My Melissa Wood Health Review is live here on my site if you want to check it out!

4. Build it into your Schedule

This one is so important for me. I build my day around work and my workout. Workouts keep me energized to get through the day and my mind clear. I like to workout midday so I make sure that I find time for a workout even if it’s only 5 minutes. A little movement is better than no movement so whatever you can get in whenever you have time will make the difference. It’s all about the little consistency that will make habits for you.

5. Don’t Stress!

Missing a workout isn’t the end of the world. I’ve found you just have to listen to your body to see what works for you. I like to workout Monday-Friday and if I’m feeling it, I’ll do a Saturday or Sunday workout too. If I miss one day, I don’t get myself worked up or down because it’s not a huge deal. For me, it’s all about listening to your own body and doing whatever you can to form healthy habits.

I hope these tips for getting into a fitness routine helped you. My perception of working out has really shifted as I’ve gotten older. It’s more about the habit as opposed to the actual work out. You can workout once or twice but until you get a habit formed of working out a few times a week, you won’t stick with it.

For me, these tips have helped me get into my own fitness routine and keep it going all year long. Let me know some of your fitness routine tips in the comments below!

My Veggie Couscous Bowl for Back to School

This recipe is seriously one of my favorites to meal prep. My veggie couscous bowl is so easy to make and reheats well so I love to make this at the beginning of the week. Another great part of this recipe is you can really choose any veggies you like. I picked sweet potato, zucchini, and tomato because they’re my favorite but you can use whatever you like. Here’s my veggie couscous bowl recipe!

veggie couscous bowl

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato

2 tomatoes

2 zucchini

1 box of couscous (I like instant)

Olive oil

Thyme

Paprika

veggie couscous bowl

Directions:

  1. First preheat your oven to 425 then I start chopping up all of my veggies. I dice them into about 1 inch pieces so that they don’t cook down to small.
  2. I prepare 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and place the sweet potatoes on one with a sprinkle of paprika. On the other I put my tomatoes and zucchini with a sprinkle of thyme.
  3. Bake the zucchini and tomato tray until soft for about 15 minutes. The sweet potatoes will need to be in longer for about 25 to get soft.
  4. While everything is baking, I follow the directions on the instant couscous box and then let it sit until my veggies are ready.
  5. Once everything is cooked to how I like it, I stir together and I’m all set!

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was such an easy recipe. The instant couscous seriously makes life easier because you don’t even have to do much to it. I like this as back to school or work meal because it’s somewhat healthy and gives you all the nutrients you need to continue on with your day.

Let me know in the comment if you loved this recipe! Subscribe to the blog for more recipes like these!

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My Dyson Air Wrap Tutorial

I am back again talking all about my Dyson air wrap! Today I am sharing a Dyson air wrap tutorial. This post is about which attachments I use and how I achieve my go to style. I mention in my previous Dyson post that it takes awhile to learn how to use this but once you do, you life is changed! Keep reading to see how I style my hair.

Step 1: Damp Hair

This I find is the most important step. You really can’t just hop out of the shower and try to style your hair. You have to let it dry a bit first before you do anything else. Be sure to use your favorite heat protectant to protect your hair!

Step 2: Brush Attachment

Before the air wrap, I was the gal who straightened her hair before she curled it. With that in mind, it should be no surprise that I use the brush attachment to straighten and dry my hair before I get into the styling. This brush attachment leaves your hair literally so soft and smooth. Most of the time I’ll just stop here. I often don’t need a full on blow out so this still dries my hair and gives it a little style on days I just need to get out of the door.

Step 3 A: Air Wrap Attachment

I decided to mention this attachment because I use it but not often. I originally got the air wrap for this attachment but I just don’t like it as much as I thought I would. The curls this produces don’t hold for me regardless of what I do so my hair just ends up falling after all the work I put into it. I think this attachment would be better on less fine hair so try it out for yourself and see.

Step 3 B: Round Brush Attachment

The round brush attachment has changed my life. I didn’t even use this one in the beginning until I watched a Tik Tok on it. This won’t give you curls but will give you literally the best blowout ever. I am so obsessed with this attachment. Sometimes I’ll quickly go in with this on my bangs to give them some curl and body. Other times I’ll actually wrap all my pieces up and use it as a real curler. Not only does this give you the perfect blowout, it also makes it so easy to do. I never blow dried my hair because it was so hard but this attachment has made it so easy!

I know this post was short and sweet but so many of you asked for it! You wanted a breakdown of exactly how and what I use for the Dyson so I hope this helps. I know it’s a huge investment but for me it really has replaced all of my other hot tools.

Let me know in the comments below your thoughts on the Dyson air wrap tutorial and if you have a favorite attachment!

My Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

As summer begins to wind down, I thought sharing my favorite chicken noodle soup recipe is fitting. I love the chillier weather that comes with fall and my go to dinner is usually a soup. I am obsessed with this chicken noodle soup recipe because it’s delicious and filling! Here’s how I make it:

Ingredients

2 cups of cooked rotisserie chicken

1 can of sliced carrots

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 white onion chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2-3 tablespoons of garlic (i love more garlic)

8 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 package of egg noodles

Directions

  1. I start by heating a large pot with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I then place the onions in and sauté until cooked down then add the garlic and carrots and cook until fragrant.
  2. Add the 8 cups of broth, cooked chicken, potatoes and spices to pot and cook for 30 minutes on a simmer covered.
  3. After 30 minutes, I remove the lid and cook uncovered for 10 more minutes with the uncooked noodles. You really just have to make sure the potatoes are soft enough for you and that you boil the noodles to your liking.

This is literally one of my favorite chicken noodle soup recipes because I cheat and use rotisserie chicken. It makes life so easy and the soup I swear tastes better. Rotisserie chicken is a serious life hack because you can get it and use it so many different ways throughout the week!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious chicken noodle soup recipe. Weather you’re trying it out this summer or holding off until the fall, let me know how you liked it! Soup is always a favorite meal of mine because of just how easy it is to make and how yummy it tastes every time!

You can see more recipes of mine here!

My Shower Routine

One thing I can’t live without is my long showers. Showering to me is so therapeutic and I have gotten my shower routine down to a since. I love nothing more than after a long day taking a shower to just get rid of all the stress of the day. This post is dedicated to all of you out there who love the shower as much as me!

The first step to any good shower routine is ambience. I like to turn the lights off so it’s dark. Sometimes I’ll even drop in a few drops of essential oils like lavender or eucalyptus to help me relax. I also have recently been incorporating music into my routine. I got this adorable little water proof speaker and I’ll play some Taylor Swift or spa music to unwind.

After I set the stage for a relaxing shower, I’ll hop in and get to the nitty gritty with my products!

Dr. Teal’s Lavender Body Wash

This is my go to body wash when I’m needing to unwind. Because it’s epsom salt, it relaxes the muscles and the lavender scent just takes it to the next level. I can’t get enough of this body wash and it also makes a good bubble bath soap too!

Shampoo and Conditioner

My shampoo products often switch up during the week. I’ll go in with Olaplex when I’m needing something to help refresh and hydrate my hair. I use the Not Your Mother’s Purple Shampoo and Conditioner when I really need to refresh my blonde. I try to only wash my hair every other day so I will make sure to switch off between these products so that my hair always gets what it needs.

Shower Tools

This is probably my favorite section of products for the shower. I love to use a loofa with my body wash. It helps to really soap up the product and get it into a thick lather. Similar to a loofa, I love this hair massager. It helps to get the buildup off your scalp while also giving you the best scalp massage. My final shower tool is my face brush. This is great to use in the shower because it cleans my face and then I don’t have to do it when I get out.

This was definitely a more up close and personal blog post with sharing my shower routine. I cannot explain just how much I love a good shower so I hope these products and tools help you get the most out of your shower. Let me know in the comments below if you’re a night shower person or a morning. I am definitely a night person!!

You an read about my other relaxing night routine essentials here.

How I Use my Day Designer Planner

With the summer half over, I thought now would be the perfect time to share how I use my day designer planner. Back to school is right around the corner. There is no other time like the present to get your stuff together. This is going to be a bit of a mix of why I love Day Designer and how I use it.

If you know me, I am a huge planner. My resolution this year was actually to go paper less but that just didn’t work out. I need to write things down so that I remember them and see them. My go to planner is the Day Designer Weekly Academic Planner. I have tried so many planners and this is the one that perfectly fits my lifestyle.

The first step in my planning journey is to fill out the month calendar. I like to do this either a few days before the new month or on the start of the new month. I write down all of the events I know of and my work schedule so that there is no need to wonder what goes on. This post is written in July so I don’t have much other then work and a grad party on the calendar!

day designer planner

After I have everything written on the month, I go in to each week and re-add the events the day they take place. This helps to keep me in the loop each day of what is going on. It also ensures I won’t forget anything.

For each week, I actually won’t plan it out until the week of. I sit on a Monday and fill out each day with the tasks I want to get done. Sometimes I will pre-write these things down if I know they are coming up. I use my planner as almost an organized sticky note. I make to-do lists for each day and also have the bigger things like work and events too.

Because this post was prepared in June and I didn’t want to write out my whole July to do list yet, I included this picture of my previous planner. This is a day designer mini. When I was in college, this was literally my favorite type of planner. I liked how each day had the times so I could block off what I was doing when.

day designer planner

Now that I am out of school and working for myself, I need to see the whole week. It’s important to just write down a list of tasks. I also needed more room which is why I went up to the next size day designer. I also rarely use the top 3 sections so it was a waste.

If I know anything about planners, its that you really have to try them for yourself. I could tell you all day why I love Day Designer but you just wouldn’t know until you try it. This is what works best for my lifestyle and how I like to plan. It might not work for you but you never know until you try!

Let me know in the comments below how you like to plan.. are you a paper planner or a digital one?

You can read my other planning posts here.

My Summer 2021 Playlist!

I am so happy to be sharing my summer 2021 playlist with you! These posts are always a favorite and I’ve even heard a few of you look forward to them each year. If you’re interested in checking out my playlist from last year, click here!

Each summer I like to make a playlist that has all the latest music on it. It’s always perfect for a road trip or a day at the beach. I am a huge apple music lover so if you want to follow me on there, just check out @cassiedenisco!

Here is the coveted Summer 2021 Playlist!!

Summer 2021 playlist

Here is the link to the actual playlist on Apple Music!

As you can tell, I really have something for everyone. I have been loving Olivia Rodrigo lately and all of her music. She really reminds me of Taylor Swift and as a Swiftie, I love listening to someone with a sound.

Let me know in the comments below your favorite music for this summer. I am literally so happy summer is finally here and this summer 2021 playlist is going to make it that much better!

French Bulldog Products You Can’t Live Without

I’m back again with another French Bulldog products post. You all loved my last one, Frenchie Must Haves for Heat so I thought I would share some more general products. My puppy is now almost 2 years old and I seriously can’t believe it. This is such a magical breed and these dogs have the funniest personalities. Frenchies also can be prone to health issues. Most of these products are geared toward setting them up for success.

Pet Ramp

This ramp was actually a more recent purchase. I noticed Sky would jump off my bed and land really hard. French Bulldogs are more susceptible to things like IVDD and hip/joint problems so I knew we needed to find a solution. I love this ramp, it’s not the cutest in my room but it provides her a gentler way to get off the bed and she seems to be okay with it!

Ear & Eye Cleaner

Finding good products for your pet is literally the best thing you can do. Sky got an ear infection around 6 months old because of those giant and open ears, so we started cleaning her ears out 1-2 times a week. This ear cleaner was recommended by our vet so we love it. We put in in her ear, massage it, then let her shake it out and we take a cotton round and wipe out any excess.

As for eye cleaner, I honestly never thought twice about her tear stains until around January of this year. I noticed they were getting a lot of buildup and even seemed red on the skin. We started wiping her eyes with medicated wipes from out vet once a day. Now, we use these every other day just to keep out infection and bacteria. It’s important to look for eye wipes that are safe to use near the eyes and are anti microbial so they actually work and help to seal out moisture.

Car Seat

french bulldog products

I almost cringe every time I think about how we used to drive with her in the car. I would just let her sit on my lap in the front seat and I now realize how dangerous that is. Dogs really need to be restrained. If you get in an accident, you don’t want them thrown from the car. We are OBSESSED with this Pup Saver car seat. It was pricy but it is actually crash tested and rear facing. I feel so great knowing that she’s as protected as a baby would be. This is probably my top french bulldog products.

Travel Water Bowls

french bulldog products

The one thing I tell everyone is that Frenchies get overheated quickly. I always make sure to have water bowls in whatever car I’m in and fresh water. After going in to a store or walking around she needs some water. I love these with a lid from Amazon. These help to keep the car clean because once she’s done we can cover it up.

Healthy Treats

french bulldog products

This is a big one because Frenchies really can’t be too overweight. It puts a lot of stress on their bodies and can flare up a lot of the health issues we’re trying to prevent. I like to look for low calorie treats that have good ingredients. My favorite brand to buy for her is Bocce’s Bakery. These treats are only 4 calories and have good ingredients that I would eat myself.

Another pro tip that I like to do in the summer is swap out treats for fresh fruits or veggies. I find that things like watermelon and cucumbers help to refresh her in the summer and keep her cool. You can even make your own puppy pops which not only are good treats but can help to keep your pup cool in the summer.

I honestly could go on and on about French Bulldog products. I am obsessed with Sky and am always looking for ways to make her life better. Frenchies are such interesting little characters but you need to make sure you really know what you’re getting into before you get one.

Let me know if you have any dog products you can’t live without because I am always looking to try new things!