I have long been on a mission to find a physical face sunscreen that doesn’t make me look like a ghost. I’ve found one.
Continue reading “Fuck, It Works: A Review of Dermalogica Invisible Physical Defense Sunscreen”
I haven’t blogged for three months. I moved to a different state. My very anxious dog made it through a six-hour drive. I have a new home. Yet, this post is about… Glossier Skin Tint.
Continue reading “What Is Glossier Skin Tint “Dark” in the New Shades?”
Ever since we found out we’re moving, I’ve been very, very excited to decorate our new place. I’ve also been telling myself that I’m not going to give up on projects I want to do in the apartment — like, potentially paint — because I either think we aren’t going to live in the apartment very long, or I wait too long to start and then feel like it’s not worth it. I put off a lot of projects in our current apartment and now we’ve been here for nearly three years. The crappy paint job the previous tenants did still bothers me.
Continue reading “White, Pink, & Green Bathroom Ideas”
Hello! Check out how the pics mildly improve when I get a new phone on this episode of Shit I’ve Been Wearing Recently: December Edition.
Items that are still available are linked
#1
For: Working in a coffee shop
Wore: Forever 21 coat (via Poshmark), K-Mart sweatshirt, Old Navy jeans, Vans
#2
For: Tom and Ariana from Vanderpump Rules book signing lol
Wore: H&M sweatshirt, Zara jeans, ASOS boots
#3
For: Can’t remember. Probably working at coffee shop
Wore: Mango coat (similar), Zara jeans, old Walmart sweatshirt, ASOS boots, Alexander Wang bag
#4
For: ???
Wore: Mango coat, Gap jeans, Gap sweater, ASOS boots, Alexander Wang bag
#5
For: Christmas Eve
Wore: Thrifted jacket, Gap jeans, very old thrifted holiday-themed sweatshirt, Vans, Alexnader Wang bag
#6
For: New Year’s Eve
Wore: Target dress from Buffalo Exchange, sash from a differ dress tied around head, ASOS boots
I’m back and keeping up with one of my goals from last year. Just kidding. I didn’t do so well with writing on the blog last year, so here we go again.
Last year I posted that my three resolutions were to blog more, meditate more, and wear spf consistently. I didn’t do so great with the first one — I only wrote 13 posts last year. So, blogging more is one of my goals again for this year. Things have changed some with my work recently, so I’m hopeful that the refresh there will help me write more here.
As far as meditating more, I did do that last year. But still, the consistency wasn’t there. I’d have a month of doing it every day, and then stop, only starting again when I was feeling particularly anxious or stressed out. The idea of meditating is, for me, for it to help me not get to that point in the first place, so, again, I have “meditate more” on my list for 2020.
Lastly, I was supposed to wear spf more regularly, and I did do that. Was it everyday? Nope. But I was particularly good about putting it on before walking to the gym, which is one of the times I’m in the sun for the longest stretch.
In addition to carrying over blogging more and meditating more, I’m adding that I’d like to read more books. I’m really awful about finishing books and making time to read besides when I’m on the subway. Also, I’d like to try yoga, because I’ve been really stiff and achy recently.
And this isn’t really a concrete goal, but I want to stop holding myself back from doing things because I’m waiting for the “right” moment or for things to be perfect. I do this in pretty much every aspect of life. (In fact, I was recently reminded of this by our dog trainer. My first session with her felt like therapy for me, though she couldn’t have known that. Just a lot of things she said, I could easily relate to other areas of my life.)
That’s all for now. I’m letting the fact that this one took only a few minutes to write be an inspiration for me to do this more.
If there’s one blog-related thing I’ve been keeping up with recently, it’s taking a pic of my outfit in my (poorly lit) mirror. So, I’ve got another week-ish of outfits! And I’m not even going to be unnecessarily long-winded before getting into the pics this time. (This doesn’t count.)
Items that are still available are linked
#1
For: A press junket for work
Wore: Gap blazer (similar), Bershka T-shirt, ASOS boots, Gap jeans
#2
For: Getting a drink with Michael
Wore: Thrifted jacket, Gap sweater, Gap jeans, Steve Madden boots, Rebecca Minkoff bag
#3
For: Seeing Parasite
Wore: Uniqlo sweater, Gap jeans, ASOS boots, Rebecca Minkoff bag
#4
For: Regular day stuff, then dinner with a friend
Wore: Madewell jacket, H&M sweater, Gap jeans, Vans
#5
For: Same as above, but with different friend
Wore: Madewell jacket, J.Crew shirt (via Poshmark), Gap jeans, Vans
I recently started posting my outfits on Instagram, with the idea being that if I like looking at other people’s outfits on Instagram so much, then why shouldn’t I join in? That’s how I got into this blogging thing the first time around (way, way back when) and used to post on things like My Style Diary and Lookbook. Instagram is just weird, though, because it’s not specifically for that, so it feels like I’m also showing pictures of my outfits to friends who were just expecting my dog or random life stuff. It’s a different audience, in a way? I think this whole fashion blogging thing just takes me back to the old things are more anonymous on the internet days, so it feels like things should be more separate, even though they shouldn’t necessarily.
ANYWAY, that’s a long way of saying: Here are some recent outfits I wore. This is more like some outfits over two weeks-ish, because I waited too long to post, then got sick.
Linking the things that still exist:
#1: Levi’s shorts (Urban Outfitters’ Urban Renewal line), Old Navy button-up, Vans, Chloé bag
#2: Thrifted T-shirt, Old Navy jeans, Kork-ease sandals, Forever 21 bag
#3: Dash T-shirt (RIP), H&M shorts, Target slides, Rebecca Minkoff bag
#4: Thrifted jean jacket, H&M tank top, Aerie leggings, Adidas slides
#5: Mango “coatigan” (similar), Norma Kamali x Walmart sweatshirt from 11 years ago, Michael’s old gray H&M T-shirt, Gap jeans, Vans
A year ago, I wrote about my experience using natural deodorant, and things have changed a lot since then. (I also can’t believe I wrote that a year ago.) So, I thought I’d share an update since I’ve tried a couple more options and like what I’m using now a lot more than what I was using then.
After I last ran out of my Crystal roll-on, I decided to try Schmidt’s when I saw one in Marshalls’ big discount beauty products section. I’d heard good things about it, so I picked up one in Rose + Vanilla. The scent didn’t end up being my favorite thing ever once I started using it, but I did notice that it actually kept my armpits dry. This was quite a revelation after I’d basically accepted that using natural deodorant meant not being smelly, but still being sweaty.
And then, I started getting a rash on my armpits. Things got kinda… red and peel-y. (I’m only describing this in case other people have a similar symptom.) I couldn’t know for sure, but I suspected that I was having an allergy to the baking soda, as I’d read that some people react poorly to it as a deodorant ingredient. So then, I saw that Schmidt’s does a sensitive skin formula and when I saw it in the store I noticed that it has less ingredients and doesn’t include baking soda. It was time to test this out.
I got the sensitive skin formula in Geranium Flower a couple months ago, and so far, I love it. My armpits aren’t soaking wet! It’s a miracle! The scent is nice, but a little stronger than I’d like. I picked up a Coconut Pineapple one when I saw it on sale recently, and at least from smelling it in the container it seems like it will be lighter than the Geranium. (Gonna use that one up first before I start the new one.)
Another thing I noticed throughout this is that a couple of my white shirts started getting a little yellow in the armpits. As I noted in the previous post, with Crystal deodorant, I didn’t have any issues with staining, but since switching I’ve noticed it staring back up again. Schmidt’s isn’t supposed to stain (since it doesn’t contain aluminum), but since it is happening, I’m now wondering if it was the original formula, the sensitive skin one, or both. Will have to keep watching on this point and report back. For now, I’m glad to have found this sensitive skin formula of Schmidt’s that’s keeping me dry — At least in my armpits. Boob sweat abounds! — in this very hot summer weather. I hope a year from now, it’s still working out.
When it comes to changes I can make in my life to be more eco-friendly, something I keep in mind is just going ahead and doing things that are already going to be pretty easy. (This is was also my thought process when I became pescatarian.) And one change I made last year was to start buying package-free bar soap for the shower.
(I always feel the need to disclaim this stuff — which in itself is probably a bigger issue for another day — but I am just a regular person who is trying out stuff and learning. Anyway…)
Michael and I had already been using bar soap in the shower — often Dr. Bronner’s — but it was when I remembered that Whole Foods sells Good Soap without any packaging that I decided to just keep up with buying those. They’re three for $6 (this last time I got them, they were on sale for only $1.50 each), and you can put them in one of the little paper bags the store supplies — or not. I’ve been taking back the same bag since I just kept them stored in there under our sink, anyway. The soap comes in a wide variety of scents, including cucumber, lavender, and lemonade. I usually go for coconut, because I usually go for coconut in everything.
Related: I also have always liked Sappo Hill soaps — especially the almond one — and they don’t have packaging either.
I am not someone who can preach a package-free life AT ALL. AT ALLLLLL. And, as far as showers, specifically, go, I do still keep around a bottle of this Aveeno body wash since I get really dry, itchy skin in the winter. (I’ve had the bottle I have now for two winters.) But, again, this was just a small place where I was easily able to be more mindful and I feel like that’s where a lot of change could add up. After all, things that don’t need to have packaging… shouldn’t have packaging. (This also feels like where I would naturally launch into my rant about biodegradable chip bags, so I’ll leave things here.)
