My Skincare Routine
First off, none of this is sponsored. I just wanted to share my skincare routine because I feel like I'm finally at a good point with it and maybe it will help someone else find just the right combo of products to get to a good place with theirs.
First, here is my skin background:
Just as a reference (because everyone's skin differs), I thought I'd give you the background and general texture and traits of my skin. I have always leaned toward the oily side of the spectrum. As I'm getting older, it's falling more between oily and normal, but I'm still on the oily spectrum for sure.
Teens:
Throughout puberty, I'd get an occasional zit or small breakout, but it was always manageable. When I hit seventeen, though, acne hit me. It was bad, but not what I'd call cystic so much as just blotchy. T-zone, cheeks, typical breakouts, all over my face. This is when Proactiv became a big seller, and their system kept my bad breakouts mostly at bay until I was about twenty-one or twenty-two.
Just some under-eye concealer and eye make-up. Those were the days!
Adulthood:
As I entered my early twenties, I really struggled to find the right method for keeping my acne under control, and nothing I used during that time seemed to help much at all. You know how you sometimes switch face washes and your skin clears up for maybe a week, and then goes back to being zitty? That's what my early twenties entailed. It was extremely annoying and embarrassing, and I was also just learning how to use foundation (up until then I got away with nothing but concealer - I wish I had appreciated that more haha!). During our engagement, my skin was at an all time low. It was absolutely covered in zits and small bumps and I was incredibly self conscious.
I went to a dermatologist, and whatever he prescribed did not sit well with me. I got terrible flu-like symptoms and had trouble breathing. Living on my own, I couldn't get to an ER, and sometimes I still wonder how I managed during those horrible 24 hours. I did, however, continue using the prescription strength benzoyl peroxide cream and would slather it on twice a day. This dried my skin out to a crisp and I'll never forget the day Tom noticed how flaky and disgusting my skin had gotten while we walked around a Target one evening (haha so funny).
I didn't catch a break until Tom and I were married and I was on the pill for a while. Not to be TMI or get into that topic, I just want to express how grateful I am for what it did for my skin. It was during this time I really learned the value of moisturizing, because for once I didn't have to tend to my breakouts with drying agents. From that time forward, I've been slathering on moisturizer like there's no tomorrow, and I realize now, how incredibly important and revitalizing it is.
Those stupid zits creams made my oily skin, dry at the same time which gave me combo skin. I realize now the serious mistake I was making, and even though EVERYTHING I read told me to moisturize to even out my skin, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I thought it would make my skin MORE oily, when in fact that dang BP was making my oily skin oilier and dryer and in turn caused me to break out to a terrible extreme. Moisture (and even oily skin) is so beneficial (I think) to your skin's elasticity and longevity and will keep your skin youthful and supple, while drying it out and using something as harsh as benzoyl peroxide will only age you faster. I'm so glad I've realized this.
Now, to get into my current skincare routine. Everyone's routine changes a little here and there, and so now and again I may use a different night time face wash, but I always do these same steps.
Morning/Shower
In the shower, I wash my face with Cetaphil (daily facial cleanser) and every other day I use the the Target or name brand Apricot scrub for acne prone skin.
As soon as I dry off, I use three pumps of CeraVe PM (the AM has SPF and though that's great, it makes my skin extremely oily). A friend showed me this lotion in college and even though I didn't use it then like I should have, it came in very handy when I did start using moisturizer. It's very light and once it soaks in, you hardly know you put lotion on at all - but I always notice when I don't!
The last two photos in this set I'm wearing a thin layer of foundation and some concealer.
Night Time
You should know that I'm insane about washing my face before bed. I don't know why it's always been this way, but it has. Even on my wildest nights out on the town in college, I NEVER went to bed without washing my face! It's just a habitual thing for me - I can't sleep in make-up.
Lately I've been switching between Pond's Cold Cream (the original) and normal face wash every few days.
When using Pond's (which is what my grandmother swore by and she had beautiful skin) I simply take a generous amount to my finger tips and massage it all throughout my face - makeup and all. When I've loosened my makeup (mascara too), I wet a washcloth with hot water, wring it out, and gently wipe it over my face making sure to remove all the most heavily made-up areas until my face looks and feels clean. Then I take another small dab of Pond's and use it as moisturizer.
When using face wash (pictured is Burt's Bees Skin Brightening - which I love right now!) I just wash my face like normal, dab dry with a clean hand towel, and use four pumps of CeraVe PM.
The last two photos in this set I'm wearing a thin layer of foundation and some concealer (and Hondo is photo-bombing which is what made me laugh).
Here are the products I use:
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Things Creatives Are Tired Of Hearing
Do you know someone who works in a creative field? Maybe a freelancer or an entrepreneur who works from home? A small business owner? You probably do. And since you do, I would very highly recommend you watch this short video on why asking one of these people for free work is downright crazy.
Now I'm not the "how dare you utter that" police, because people can say whatever they want. In fact, I am actually the queen of foot-in-the-mouth syndrome (it happens to the best of us). That being said, I love a good satire... partially because all sarcasm has a lick of truth behind it and that's the kind of humor I enjoy (aka teasing). My readers today can rest easy in knowing that this is all meant in good fun, but I hope some of these open your eyes to the ridiculous requests people make of creatives. Here it is... a long overdue sassy post:
1. I just have this little project, and it would probably take you five minutes. It'll take me all day! Do you think you could do it instead? Anyways, you like doing it, don't you?
Would you ask your hairstylist to cut your hair for free since it'll only take them five minutes? Especially since they like doing it? How about your plumber? Electrician? Babysitter? Or anyone, really, who offers a service they enjoy doing? Asking a favor of someone because they have a skill (that they're normally paid for) that you don't, makes you look very presumptuous.
2. Do you get paid for that? How much money do you make?
How much do you make?
Yikes. Such private, personal info.
That's rude, guys.
That's a really rude question. And tacky.
3. So is that just a hobby, or a real job?
Did you know that scores of people make over six figures a year from their own home? Of those people, many started their businesses from just a hobby. I know more than a handful of ordinary people who have done this, yet it's often not considered "real work."
Just because someone genuinely loves what they do, doesn't mean it's not a viable job. Also, what defines "real job?" Moms don't get paid monetarily, but I'm pretty sure they have a "real job."
Some of us would rather work to live than live to work, and just because our work isn't defined the way you define it, doesn't make it less than any other "typical" job.
4. I want something new and unique.
This is then followed up with visual examples of 'exactly' what they want. So, actually, you want to plagiarize that person's exact site/product/style? Oh, okay.
5. If you do this and I like it, there will be lots of follow up work and exposure.
Sadly, this happens to almost all freelancers who are trying to get exposure without having to pay an arm and a leg. Schemey people out there know freelancers can get desperate, so they play this line and never hold up their end of the bargain.
6. Please, don't spend more than a few minutes on this.
...until they come back with some "little tweaks" that obviously turn into revision, after revision, after revision. These people are so sneaky!
7. I know you don't do this for other people, but can you make an exception for me?
Nope.
Side note: this is my favorite gif of all time.
8. Don't worry about the cost, I'm willing to pay!
Until they get the bill, and then they suddenly don't remember saying they were willing to pay that much. Or they weren't actually willing to pay to begin with.
Annnnd this is why deposits are the freelancer's best friend. Helps weed people out!
9. Clients who want their freelancers to know every creative skill known to man.
Must be a rockstar at: marketing, social media management, web design, graphic design, photography, Adobe Creative Suite, photo editing, editing, copywriting, coding, UX, content development, styling, PR, email campaigns, sketching, wire-framing, etc...
Word to the wise: If you want someone who is a rockstar at something, they won't be a rockstar at EVERYTHING. Each of the areas I listed above are often separate job titles and specific areas of study and/or expertise. Creatives, like many other jobs, do not know about every other creative function known to man. As they say, "the jack of all trades is the master of none."
10. I don't know what I want, but I'll know it when I see it.
If you can't articulate it, I don't know what you want or where to even start. Please don't waste people's time with this ridiculous phrase. That's like having someone with a different body type go try on wedding dresses for you. It's a waste of not only your freelancer's time, but yours too!
11. I'll give you some products in exchange for your services.
Again, would you pay your plumber with a pack of gum? This one happens in blogging particularly often and can be really annoying. The only time I find this one acceptable is when a brand sends you a product with little to no requirement from you. I've received products from brands who are just hoping to get the word out authentically via influencers who may genuinely like something so much they'll share about it. (More on the topic of bloggers + sponsored content coming soon)
12. When the client delays the deadline they gave you:
There you have it, friends. Just a few of the silly things creatives and freelancers hear on the regular. It's okay. We're used to it. And we talk to other creatives and laugh about these silly comments. That being said, keep a few of these in mind the next time you're tempted to ask your web designer friend to "help" you build a website.
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Minimalist Style | 3
I love having a minimal wardrobe and it definitely forces me to get creative, but sometimes I just want to wear something else. Something I haven't worn a thousand times over, and feels "new to me." Well, those are the moments it's nice to sneak into the husband's side of the closet and steal his clothes! Haha - am I alone in this?! Depending on what I steal, he either loves it or gets irritated, but I can't help it - his clothes are the comfiest!
In today's example, I'm showing you how I style a typical men's t-shirt three different ways. It's been a while since I've snuck this particular shirt of his (we used to fight over it, and I finally gave it back up to his keeping), but I just think men's t-shirts are the best for styling purposes.
Minimalist Style | 1
Minimalist Style | 2
Here are my easy outfits broken down:
1. Patterned pants, flats
2. Flowy skirt, necklace, heels
3. Jeans, belt, hat, flats
Boyfriend/husband/oversized tees are so easy and fun to style. You could also throw on a cardigan, shorts, and sandals. Or a maxi skirt, skinny belt, floppy hat, and sandals. So many amazing options out there, but below are just a few to get your wheels turning. Go "steal" that hubby's t-shirt!
Excuse my little photo bomber :) Hope you enjoyed these simple ideas!
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The Great Blogger Bake Along | Finale
Alright, friends. It only took a month for my mom and I to be able to coordinate a good day for this finale, but it's here! Honestly, having...
In case you're not up to speed, this is the tenth and final bake in The Great Blogger Bake Along series. Read about it here.
Alright, friends. It only took a month for my mom and I to be able to coordinate a good day for this finale, but it's here! Honestly, having finished these final THREE bakes, I realize we could have easily done this sooner, but I assumed they would be time consuming and fussy like some of the previous bakes. Surprisingly, I was able to do all three in just a few hours!
The Challenge
Tea Time Scones
Lemon Tart(lets)
Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes
The Outcomes
Like I said, these bakes were really pretty quick. The ingredients were few and came together without fuss. The baking times were short, the prep work was minimal, and the final presentations were easy. Truthfully, anyone could have made these little bakes and I would encourage even the most amateur bakers to give one or all of these a try. The challenge here, was doing all three in an allotted time, I'm sure. However, I had all day, but still managed to breeze through them without a problem.
Some adjustments I made:
- I used a larger tart tin instead of mini ones
- I used a muffin tin instead of perfectly round mini cake tins
- I added sugar and vanilla to the whipped cream (because why the heck do they leave whipped cream plain?!)
- I nixed the chocolate on the lemon tart because I don't think lemon and chocolate are a good mixture.
Would either of us bake these again?
The scones tasted more like semi-sweet biscuits and I found them sort of blah. They are supposed to be served with jam and cream, and without those additions they are nothing to write home about. I think they make a good base for making the more Americanized scones we know (if that's more of what you're looking for). I'd bake again with adjustments.
The lemon tart was delicious. A little rich, so a small piece will do, but very yummy. This was the first tart I've ever made, so I really enjoyed trying my hand at it. The crust was sweet and buttery, and the filling came together quickly, and set into tangy, creamy perfection. I would definitely bake again, and now I want to try all kinds of tart flavors!
The mini Victoria sponges with strawberry jam and cream were delicious as well. This sponge mixture was far easier (and tastier, IMHO) than the sponges of some of the previous bakes. It was denser, a little dry, but the filling evened that out and made it the perfect tea-time cake. I'd bake a different batter altogether, but I love the mini versions and yummy filling.
Here's the glamour shots...
Here's my mom's report
The final bake! In a way I'm happy we are finished, but at the same time sad. When your daughter lives far away it is easy to begin to feel a "distance" that not being in each other's world can bring. What fun this has been. I highly recommend doing something like this if you have someone dear to you living away. We've talked regularly and our FaceTime conversations hashing over our experiences has been wonderful. We are people who find humor in just about everything and laughing with her is frankly, "the best." Love you Joy, Joy.
Now to the bake. These final three were very easy. The instructions were simple and the ingredients not unusual.
The mini Victoria sponge. The sponge actually tasted like I think a cake should be. While they were fresh they were delicious, but I think as they cooled they became dryer. This has been typical of most of the British sponges. DRY. The moisture of the jam and cream helped. I used mini muffin tins. I had home made jam already so I got to skip that step.
Lemon Tartlets. These were surprisingly simple. I've always wanted to make these and was happy to discover how easy they really are. Joy told me she had trouble rolling out the dough. Once I began I could see what she meant. To solve the issue I rolled mine out between two pieces of Saran Wrap. Beautiful, and problem solved. I will make this again only with different filling. While the lemon was very good, it would not be the pick in this house. Neither one of us garnished with chocolate as we didn't like the pairing of those particular flavors.
Tea Time Scones. Simply put, not a fan. Too dry.
Thanks for coming along with us on our Great British Baking Show challenge.
This entire challenge has been such fun. Expensive at times, and very frustrating at others, but worth the funny FaceTimes with my mom as we laughed over every hilarious misstep. As she mentioned, this series has been a great way to remain close even though we're far apart, and I couldn't agree more. I love talking to my mama regularly, but being able to enjoy one of our favorite hobbies together from miles away is extra sweet. And geez, we needed the "extra sweet" from all the annoyingly bland bakes we did!!! Haha!! I'm sad it's come to a close, but hopefully we can continue this tradition annually. Perhaps we'll even come back with our own showstoppers with the new techniques we've learned (and failed at!). I hope you all enjoyed this series as much as we did.
BIG thanks to Cameron, our Star Baker. She did an incredible job and her writing skills are just as beautiful as her bakes. If she gets a blog going, I'll be sure and let you know!
Do you have a favorite bake from this series? I'd love to know which ones caught your eye!
Don't forget to follow me on social media to stay up to date and connected. Feel free to message or email me with any content requests, ideas, or collaborations!
Home Office Inspiration
After we finished our kitchen reno (over a year ago already!), I think the DIY bug felt... satiated? Haha - hey, it was a LOT of work! But now that we've had a break, I've been feeling like our spare bedroom could use a purpose. It's been used as a storage room, a second guest room, and (don't laugh.. okay.. fine go ahead) Hondo's room.
We put up a wood accent wall that I think we are already tired of, but I do like the texture of it. I want to rough it up and perhaps paint it something sort of moody and fill the room with lots of natural wood, white, and functional pieces.
The challenge in this project, is that I'd like it to serve both Tom and I. He works from home occasionally, and I work from home all the time. It would be nice to have a place where our work stuff can gather and we can close it off from the rest of the house. Right now, Tom takes early morning conference calls each week from the couch in the living room and this means Hondo can't be disruptive and I can't make any noise either. So the current situation is not very conducive to work/life balance in that sense.
However, we do use this spare room as second guest room fairly often, so I also want to create a super functional room with desk space for two with the ability to turn it into a welcoming guest room when needed. This will be a big challenge since this is the smallest of the bedrooms, but I think it would be an awesome and unique way to liven up the space.
Here is my office inspiration board on Pinterest. I want to keep the cool tones we have throughout the rest of the house consistent with this room, as well as add our modern/mid-century flare.
My favorite image of the set, is the one with the navy wall, wood shelves, and rattan chairs. It's seriously giving me ALL the heart eyes!
Here is what that room looks like currently (when it's set up for guests):
We liked the idea of the wood wall, but quickly realized it's far too warm for our taste. I want to paint that puppy navy right this second!
To remedy the issue of needing this office to transform into a guest space, I thought it would be awesome to add a sleeper sofa. It would make a perfect spot for lounging if we wanted a break from the desk (and could even give us seating for small meetings) and would help create a space we'd enjoy working in.
via IKEA
I think with a couch in the room, we'd have to get a little creative with the use of space in terms of desks, but it would a fun challenge. I thought perhaps lining a couple of the walls with fold down desks would be nice for stowing them away when guests came to town. Or placing them just so, so they'd become side tables for the bed.