Learning to use actions

I am learning to use actions in photo shop. I have used photo shop for editing photos for years. But actions are something that is still new to me. Here are some of the ones I have done so far.

Here is Mouse on her way to school the other day. I love the way the action really accented her eyes. It also added a nice glow to her skin.  

This one was a mix of actions and brushes. I used a vintage action and then some grunge brushes. The glasses here give this whole picture a 70's vibe.  

This one I used the eye brightener action and another one in combo to bring out the glow and the eyes again. I think my favorite part of this is that Mouse chose to have a pop of color with the red shoes. Not sure where she got the idea from. I also love her casual stance. 

The last picture I used a natural photo enhancer this also gave a vintage feel to the picture. This action I feel captured the image the best. It's a picture of me on our last camping trip. I am sitting out at the rivers edge in my pajamas. It was a great way to wake up.

How do you use actions? How did you learn?

~ Cassi