Wednesday, November 22, 2017

A hopefully welcome return

It's been so, so long. Life gets a hold of ya, passion ebbs and flows, and other interests peak and wane.

I'm still teaching ninth grade kiddos. I still live in a 34th floor postage stamp in Chicago. I'm still a directionless, yet forward moving millenial. 
I've been some new places (notably, Denver a few weekends ago). I've had some new experiences (who would've thought I'd VOLUNTARILY get dirty during a Spartan Race). I've (hopefully) become a little wiser. 

A post shared by Heather Otto (@xoheatherotto) on

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Oh yeah, I also died my hair pink. 

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A post shared by Heather Otto (@xoheatherotto) on


What's the most newest thing or favorite familiar thing in YOUR life over the last 6 months? 

Monday, August 14, 2017

5 skincare products I can't live without

A few weeks ago, I discussed my can't live without makeup products. Now, I'm talking about my can't live without skincare products. I'm a low maintenance kinda gal, so if it gets a permanent spot in my routine - you know it's good. These products have actually CHANGED my skin for the better. When I'm shopping skincare, I'm asking for a miracle. Here are 5 little miracles that I'm sure you'll love.



1. Simple Micellar Water

It's cheap. You can buy it everywhere. It doesn't irritate the skin. It cleanses the face and takes off your makeup. This stuff is amazing. If you buy it, you can't go wrong. I use it every single morning before my makeup and every single evening when I am taking my makeup off.

2. Lush Toner

My favorites are the rose water and tea tree water. The rose just calms the skin and the tea tree disinfects and controls oil. I use them after cleansing, before makeup, before bed, and randomly throughout the day. Bonus - I use a mixture of the two for a sheet spray!

3. Kiel's Facial Fuel

This is my go to shower cleanser. I tend to cleanse my skin primarily in the shower (like I said - LOW MAINTENANCE. When I cleanse in the morning, I just use the micellar water and toner). The facial fuel line is marketed towards men at Kiel's, but it works great for me. I like this product because it makes the skin feel very clean without feeling SQUEAKY clean and drying it out. Plus, it has a great menthol feeling.

4. Drunk Elephant Framboos Glycolic Night Serum

I've seen everyone talking about this stuff. I know that the Drunk Elephant line is highly regarded as having some of the best ingredients and doing amazing stuff for the skin. For the first time, I noticed that I had little bumps all over my skin and had some general texture all over. Within a week those unsightly little forehead bumps were gone!

5. Sunday Riley CEO Moisturizer

Not only does this moisturize the hell out of your skin without making it feel heavy, the Vitamin C in it gives your skin such a glow when you wake up! Using this stuff has made me not want to wear foundation to cover my natural skin. Yeah, it's THAT good.


Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Things that make you feel good - Volume 1

Sometimes, we need that extra boost mid week. That's why I'm starting a new series called "Things that make you feel good." If you couldn't tell from the title, this series is simply going to be things that will make you feel good (or at least things that made me feel good. I'm not dishing out guarantees here, but I'd put my bets on something like - "9 astute blog readers out of 10 rate this as EXTREMELY feel good!" But I digress). I'll always include some links and a short summary of the link and/or why I included it. Links I love is a series from other bloggers that inspired me to create this one. I hope you enjoy!



Some excellent policing 
A police officer was dispatched for a nuisance call regarding some black kids playing football. Instead of breaking up the game, he used some good human judgement and got out of his car saying, "Where are we lining up?" While playing, his partner playfully teased one of the kids by saying, "Do you want me to write a police report, because you just got robbed!" after one of the officers made a great play. Here is an example of some solid judgement that will have some seriously positive effects on both the officers and the kids.

Ducklings get a 2nd chance at life 
Sometimes the world seems so crazy and out of control that I get overwhelmed and feel as though I can't do anything about it. Sweet stories about controlling the little things give me hope and encouragement to fight the big fights! Read this short article about a mother and her elementary aged children who find abandoned ducklings and go to great lengths to ensure their safety.

In a Heartbeat short film 
Representation matters, everyone! This is a beautiful short film (content aside, the animation is awesome) that features a young boy who is experiencing a crush. Just watch - I promise you won't be disappointed.

Which one was your favorite? Are there any "feel good links" that you've seen recently? Please, share it down below! The next post will attribute the link AND the blogger who shared it.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Five on Friday - Volume 3


1- The Lululemon "Define" jacket

I'll be honest - I don't get the Lululemon hype. I understand that their clothes are of higher quality, but I know of several brands that I believe are totally comparable for half of the price. However, this jacket is killer. Chris bought it for me as a birthday gift, and I'm in love. The seams perfectly shape the body, and it is just beyond flattering. The second I put the jacket on all of my friends reacted with - "Damn, you look good in that jacket." I can't speak to the wear of the jacket with washes as it is brand new, but just know that it is a stunning jacket on the body.

2 - Tone It Up daily workouts

My workout routine ebbs and flows - sometimes I'm committed and other times I just can't get myself to do it. To remedy this cycle, I signed up for a Spartan Sprint. My friends have been doing these events as a way to stay in shape and keep in touch, but I have sat each one out because I am not in good enough shape. Anyways, long story short - the Tone It Up daily workout is a great place to start when building my daily workout. The website has a page which shows 5 daily moves (and it's free!) targeting different muscle groups each day. It gives me a place to start when I'm standing in my apartment gym and have no idea what to do.

3 - Amazon Prime day

I bought all of the things! Some of my favorite purchases were my Kindle Paperwhite, Harmony Hub, and Adventure collection book set.

My little technology hub
I've been anti Kindle for a while, but I have to say - I was wrong. Having a Kindle has made reading an easier activity. I've only owned this for 3 days, but I've already finished 2 books just via the convenience of having several options at my fingertips.

The Harmony Hub is a really cool device that Chris suggested we purchase. It makes our Google home WAY more functional, by allowing us to connect it with our lighting, television, and sound bar. It allows you to create awesome shortcuts that otherwise would require several verbal cues on the Google home. For example, now we can say "Hey Google, turn on Project Runway" and our Roku, sound bar, and television turn on AND THEN it auto selects Hulu and the episode of Project Runway that we are watching. My personal favorite shortcut we've created is "Hey Google, it's party time" and our favorite playlist turns on along with fun lighting from the Phillips Hue bulbs.

Lastly, we got a great deal on this beautiful set of books. It matches our apartment decor beautifully and would be a great gift for any book loving child or adult.

4 - Dear White People on Netflix



I think this show is a must watch for everyone. It has great messaging without beating you over the head with it. The show revolves around a group of black students on a primarily white Ivy League campus. Each episode focuses on a particular character and delves into the different complexities of being a black student. It is a quick paced show as each episode only runs a half hour long. I will say, the first 3 or so episodes are slow. If you're unsure about this - please give it a shot. It's entertaining, beautifully shot, and one way to start getting yourself "woke."

5 - Loreal Colorista



Guys. I did it. I've wanted pink hair for ages, so I finally did something about it. I picked up the super temporary Colorista dye from Loreal and it worked great! I love it so much that I may try another color and then bite the bullet on a professional job. Why not have fun colored hair if you want it? This color was made for light blonde hair, and my hair is dark blonde bordering brunette, so the color isn't exactly as vibrant as I want it to be. However, that isn't to be unexpected because my hair is clearly darker than the box suggests. What color should I try next - mermaid teal?


Grab button for FIVE ON FRIDAY AT THE GOOD LIFE BLOG
What are your favorite things at the moment? It can be a feeling, an event, a food, a product, or anything that strikes your fancy!


Wednesday, July 19, 2017

5 miracle makeup products I can't live without

Recently, I've been very into minimizing my beauty collection. I had way too many products, some that I didn't love, and my morning routine was just too stressful. Why have many products that I don't love instead of having few products that I adore? Additionally, I'm a low maintenance kind of gal. I want products that perform miracles with minimal effort. So behold - my miracle makeup products that I just can't live without!



Monday, May 1, 2017

20 things I learned in 20 months of teaching

I've almost been a teacher for 20 months. It's hard to believe that I'm coming to a close on my 2nd year in this profession. Below are 20 things I've learned over the past 20 months.


Monday, January 2, 2017

A lovely day at the skating rink and the cutest Kate Spade earmuffs

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm planning to post more recaps and goals later on this week, but I just couldn't hold back with sharing the photos we captured on our last trip to the skating rink AND the adorable earmuffs that I wore that day.

One of the gifts my mom brought me for Christmas was these Kate Spade earmuffs, scarf, and gloves. The scarf and gloves are darling (seriously, the gloves have a little rhinestone ring on one of the fingers), but the earmuffs truly take the cake.

It is no secret that I love hairbows, but sometimes it just isn't appropriate to wear a bow in your hair at all times. These earmuffs are the perfect way for me to incorporate a bow into any winter look!

Sometimes, winter fashion can feel a little blah. That's why I think it is important to incorporate some winter wear pieces that keep you warm AND make you feel like a million bucks!

PS - You can find a very similar Kate Spade style here or the exact style here.




Click to keep reading! xo