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Skin Care Junkie | Evening Skincare Routine

November 14, 2018 in Lifestyle

In case having an ongoing series titled “Skin Care Junkie” wasn’t a tip off – I love skin care! 馃檪 While I may wish that I had gotten interested in it earlier, I’ve really enjoyed learning about products and trying new brands and creating routines and rituals for myself. I’m always adding in new products and experimenting, so my routine is constantly evolving as I discover what works best for me. Here’s a peek into my nightly routine with an updated evening skincare routine round-up.

First up – Always remove your makeup! Some people swear by traditional makeup removing products, others prefer oil-free. I actually like to start with makeup removing wipes. I really like Josie Maran Bare Naked Wipes and Neutrogena, both work well and are gentle. Plus wipes are great for traveling since there’s no liquid!

After you’ve wiped away all traces of makeup, it’s time for a full face cleanse. I have found a handful of amazing cleansers {check out My Favorite Cleansers for more}, and am currently rotating between Boscia Detoxifying聽Black Charcoal Cleanser and Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser.

Skin Care Junkie Nighttime Routine Evening Beauty San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Food Fitness Lifestyle Blogger

Next is a toner – I like to use witch hazel or Balanced Guru Facial Toner. It’s just a way to calm your skin between cleansing and moisturizing.

In the evenings I apply an anti-aging product with AHAs and/or retinol. These products are great for fine lines and wrinkles that are already forming, or as a preventative measure. Note: These products can cause sensitivity in your skin so you should only use them at night, they can cause your skin to burn if you use them before heading outside. A few of my current favorites are the Farmacy Honeymoon Glow AHA Resurfacing Night Serum, Alpha H Liquid Gold, Ole Henriksen Glow Cycle Retin-ALT Power Serum, and Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid.

Once the AHA/retinol goodness has absorbed, I start moisturizing. First up is eye cream. My current obsession is Dr. Roebuck’s Down Under Collagen Boosting Eye Treatment. This feels AMAZING going on and absorbs quickly, I really love it.

Skin Care Junkie Nighttime Routine Evening Beauty San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Food Fitness Lifestyle Blogger

Second up is skin moisturizer. A few of my favorites are Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, Caudalie Resvertrol Lift Face Lifting Soft Cream, and Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturizer.

What’s YOUR evening skincare routine?

Are you a big fan of skin care and beauty products?聽

Check out some of my other Skin Care Junkie posts: Alaska Glacial Mud Mask, Sibu Sea Berry Seed Oil, Musely Hydrogel Eye Mask, Raw Beauty & Coconut Oil, Natural Beauty & Hair Products, Mix Rx Apothecary聽Collection, Balanced Guru Facial Toner, FRE Skin Care, HerStyler Hair Styling Products,聽Favorite Anti-Aging Products,聽Travel Beauty, Current Beauty Must Haves, Daily聽Beauty Routine,聽Self Tan Luxe Face Oil, My Latest Sephora Order, My Favorite Cleansers, 5 Minute Makeup Routine, and Monthly Favorites.

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Skin Care Junkie | Monthly Beauty, Makeup & Skincare Favorites

October 15, 2018 in Lifestyle

Welcome to a new Skin Care Junkie post! Going forward, I’ll be sharing聽a round-up of a few of my favorite beauty, makeup, and skincare products for the month.

Skin Care Junkie Favorites Essentials Must Haves Beauty Skincare San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Food Fitness Lifestyle Blogger

Are you a big fan of skin care and beauty products?聽

Check out some of my other Skin Care Junkie posts: Alaska Glacial Mud Mask, Sibu Sea Berry Seed Oil, Musely Hydrogel Eye Mask, Raw Beauty & Coconut Oil, Natural Beauty & Hair Products, Mix Rx Apothecary聽Collection, Balanced Guru Facial Toner, FRE Skin Care, HerStyler Hair Styling Products,聽Favorite Anti-Aging Products,聽Travel Beauty, Current Beauty Must Haves, Daily聽Beauty Routine,聽Self Tan Luxe Face Oil, My Latest Sephora Order, My Favorite Cleansers, and 5 Minute Makeup Routine.聽

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October Intentions | Goals + Plans

October 2, 2018 in Lifestyle

As I mentioned in my Project Comeback post last week – This Summer was amazing. Filled with weekends away, events, weddings, and fun with family and friends. That being said, as we head into Fall I’m not feeling my best. It’s been a wonderful few months of fun, but I didn’t do a great job of taking care of myself this Summer. Enter – My October Intentions!

Fall is my favorite season and I have plenty to look forward to the rest of this year – So I want to feel my best so that I can truly enjoy every minute.

October Intentions Goals Plans San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Food Fitness Lifestyle Blogger

  • Tone It Up Fall Fitness Challenge: I’m looking forward to this 31 day challenge with the lovely ladies of Tone It Up. I downloaded the app (there’s a deal on the first three months now!) and have day one under my belt. Follow along on Instagram, I’ll be sharing my workouts and thoughts on the experience.
  • Nighttime Routine: Perfecting my nighttime routine has been a goal of mine for the last few months, but I tend to fall off track on weekends or when I travel. This month I want to focus on sticking to my routine each night. This often includes a bath, a 10-15 minute yoga routine, 3-5 minutes of guided meditation, and no phone in bed.
  • Self Care: When I’m busy and stressed, I have a tendency to forget to take care of myself. The little things – Like drinking enough water, writing my daily affirmations, and getting adequate sleep – Tend to fall by the wayside. This month I will make a conscious effort to spend a few minutes each day checking in with myself and seeing how I feel and what I might need.
  • Train: With all the travel this Summer, I haven’t been consistent with my running. I’m tackling the Golden Gate Half Marathon the first weekend of November, so I need to log some miles this month to prepare myself. I don’t do traditional training programs, since my body can’t handle that much running, but I need to do better than I have been doing lately.
  • RELAX: While I love Fall and look forward to this season all year-long, it’s also a very stressful period. Q4 in the financial world is a rough one, and work has already started to pick up. So, with that mind, I’m going to put some time and effort into relaxing each day. From bathes and yoga to getting enough sleep and reading good books.

What are YOUR intentions this month?

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Getting Fit | Daily Habits

September 4, 2018 in Lifestyle

Once you’ve kickstarted your healthier lifestyle and you’ve learned what to expect, it’s time to update your daily habits to set yourself up for success.

Here are a few little things that you can do every day to help you reach your goals.

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  • Start the day with water – I keep a full water bottle on my bedside table and right after making the bed, I start drinking my water. I have a full water bottle before I leave for work each and every morning. Especially if you’re someone who has trouble drinking enough water every day, this is a good way to kick off the day. Still having trouble getting enough water each day? Try a spa or infused water. My favorite combination is lemon, ginger, and mint!
  • Affirmations & Gratitude – If your morning routine includes a positive affirmation or a few moments of gratitude, you’re setting yourself up to have a positive outlook for the day. No more waking up on the wrong side of the bed, and this can help you greet each and every day with a good mindset. If you’re not sure where to start, check out this blog post – Affirmations & Gratitude| A Beginner’s Guide.
  • Get Enough Sleep – Everyone has a different optimal amount of sleep, some people need more, and others need a bit less. But if you’re waking up tired every day and crashing at 2pm, odds are that you need to schedule in bit more. I’m on the higher end of the scale and really do need to get 7 to 8 hours a night to feel my best. If you’re having trouble getting to bed early or getting quality sleep, check out these blog posts – Tips to Decrease Stress & Help You Sleep, Calming Night Routine, and After Work Routine | How to Destress.
  • Make Working Out Non-Negotiable – My biggest trick to get myself to the gym when I’m not in the mood is to simply not give myself a chance to question the habit. The gym is on the schedule every day, no matter what. No negotiations. Stop thinking of working out as something that you do if there’s time or if you’re in the mood – And start making attendance mandatory. That doesn’t mean you need to spend an hour at your gym, just make sure that you’re moving. Take a class, go for a walk, take a bike ride after dinner.
  • Meal Prep – This may seem daunting or unappealing, but truthfully, meal prepping can be the thing that makes or breaks your healthy lifestyle on a day-to-day basis. Why? Because when you’re hungry, tired, or stressed after work or school, you want food and you want it now. And if there’s nothing healthy to reach for, you’ll reach for what’s convenient, which is often not the healthiest of options. Meal prepping doesn’t have to be hours of work, try some of these quick and easy tips –聽Weekend Meal Prep, Sunday Preparation, and Meal Prep for Two People.

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What are YOUR favorite healthy habits to incorporate daily?

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Skin Care Junkie | 5 Minute Makeup Routine

August 17, 2018 in Lifestyle

The beauty hack that I’m most proud of聽is that I’ve perfected my morning makeup routine so that it’s only 5 minutes long! I get up before 5am so a long, drawn-out routine isn’t in the cards. Hair gets pulled up into a bun and some basic, but effective, makeup is applied in a few hurried minutes.

Here are my favorite products, all of which I highly recommend and have been using for months or years. They’re all from Sephora as well, it’s my go-to for makeup and skin care {check out this post for more}. I love their website, plus there’s a store across the street from my office. 馃檪

Skin Care Junkie 5 Minute Makeup Routine San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Food Fitness Lifestyle Beauty Blogger

First up, the most important product – Concealer. More specifically – Tarte Amazonia Clay Waterproof 12 Hour Concealer. I use shade light {yes, even in Summer} and it’s a really great consistency. The product is thick and good for coverage, but is well absorbed so that it doesn’t cause lines or fill in your wrinkles. I was a long-term user of the Laura Mercier Secret Concealer, but I’ve worked on swapping out my products for those without parabens. There’s no denying that it’s a really great product though, I recommend Laura Mercier as well. And how do I apply my concealer? Either with finger tips or with a baby beauty blender.

One of my favorite “new discoveries” from earlier this year {is it still new if it was five months ago?} is Tarte’s Hamptons Weekender Contour Palette. This is a gorgeous collection of colors – A highlighter, blush, and contour palette all in one. And the bonus is that they’re such pretty, versatile shades, that you can use them on your eyes as well! So this one $23 product takes care of my eyes and contouring my cheeks. Thumbs up!

While I use the Contour Palette on my eyes and my cheeks, I use different brushes – The Classic Double Ended – Shadow & Precision Brush and the Too Faced Kabuki Brush respectively.

My long time eyeliner love is Kat Von Dee Tattoo Liner. I’ve probably tried dozens of black liquid eyeliners and I always go back to Tattoo Liner in Satin Black. Simply put, it’s just the best out there.

My most recent mascara obsession is from Benefit, like my last few, and I’ve been using their Roller Lash Curling & Lifting Mascara since December. Since I starting using Rodan + Fields Lash Boost my eyelashes have gotten really long and a bit unruly, this mascara helps keep them in order and looking their best. Paired with the聽Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash Curler of course!

My eyebrow pencil is another LONG TIME favorite. As I mentioned above, I have used and loved Laura Mercier for years, and her eyebrow pencil is another favorite. In the last ten years my hair has been everything from fire engine red to platinum blond – And throughout I have been loyal to the Laura Mercier Blonde Eyebrow Pencil. It’s neutral but effective, and universally flattering.

Powder – I don’t use pressed powder on a daily basis, but I do keep it around for blotting or touching up midday or after work before an event. My go-to is Tarte’s Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Tinted Pressed Finishing Powder. It’s lightweight, easy, and has no sulfates or parabens.

Now it’s confession time. Tell me the truth – How long is YOUR daily makeup routine?

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