The Best Face Mask Ever

The Boy Scouts have a motto: Always be prepared. Such an idea translates into so many facets of life — when you have a test, when your in-laws are coming to visit, when you’re awaiting the arrival of your monthly menstruation celebration — it’s human nature to plan ahead. As someone who has experienced adult-onset acne and now wrestles with the occasional pimple, I have found that it’s imperative to have some rescue skincare products in my arsenal. That’s where masks and creams come in. In addition to learning about the conditions in which my skin thrives (moist, humidity), I have also learned which products help to quell the redness and swelling of blemishes. It’s a skincare game plan full of (mostly) natural products that I can (always) count on.

In my latest video (see, I told you more were coming!) I reveal my face cleansing routine, my current favorite products, and my go-to face mask I like to slather on when my skin decides to act up.

CA to NYC

I’m writing while sitting in a freshly assembled Poang easy chair from Ikea (I could sleep in this thing it’s so comfortable) in my new apartment in New York City. This Friday will mark our one-month anniversary of living in the city, and although the feeling of moving here has been exhilarating, the actual physical experience has been a roller coaster of planning, moving, plans falling through, frustration, surprises (some really really good), and general confusion which has already taught me to adopt a more go-with-the-flow outlook.

One of my friends who has called NYC home for almost 10 years passed on a bit of wisdom to me while he helped me move in to my apartment a couple weeks ago: essentially, having a type A personality is a blessing and a curse while living in the city. On the one hand, persistence and an impulse to control your destiny is important in a city of 8 million people. But on the other hand, knowing when to bend and ease up on controlling every situation is essential. I’m learning to draw from these two wells of thought as we slowly piece together our apartment and transform it from a living space into a home. And if loosening the reigns doesn’t work, there’s always puppy videos.

Below is the movie we filmed while traveling across the country last month. I had a great time filming, editing, etc. so there might be more videos in the future. We’ll see!

Snapshot 11/06

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Boots! Glorious boots! I didn’t even consider wearing open toed shoes this week because it’s (finally) officially the season of boots even here in what seems like the perpetual “75 and sunny” Southern California. It may sound like I’m complaining, but can’t a girl pine for actual seasons (especially when I have a shelf of sweaters that have been staring at me since October 1)? I now have my sights set on finding a pair of reliable, wear-with-pretty-much-anything flat black boots. I’m inclined to lean toward a Chelsea-style boot that comes up just past the ankles and tapers into a slight point at the toe. Below you’ll see three pairs that I’ve been eyeing, but I plan on shopping around until I know for certain that I have found the ones.

Where did you find your favorite pair of boots? Suggestions are welcome!

Happy Fri-yay! Have fun!

looks

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Hey! These are on sale!

vibes

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reads

What We Think About When We Run The New Yorker

Springsteen’s Most Anxious Album The New Yorker

I’m on a Tech Detox Man Repeller

Mark Bittman: Why I Quit My Dream Job at the New York Times Time

Episode 35: The Saddest Hello Since Lionel Richie Call Your Girlfriend Podcast

Snapshot at a Pumpkin Patch

Boo! We’re so close to Halloween night, I can almost taste the mini Almond Joys! It’s currently the 29th of October and I’ve made the most of the month by watching Hocus Pocus four times, carving/decorating two pumpkins, working pumpkin into as many dishes as possible, enjoying three different kinds of pumpkin beers, and dressing up as a Care Bear for our company party. For the fourth year in a row we visited the pumpkin patch at Tanaka Farms in Irvine last weekend. What I expected to be a picturesque trip to the farm turned out to be a sweaty, dusty trek in which we waited 30 minutes in the line to park. Don’t let the photo below fool you, the patch was packed. Though it took Michael about 2.5 seconds to find a pumpkin. But, like every year since I have been been old enough to pick pumpkins, Christmas trees, etc., it took me a little bit longer. I take a lot of factors into account, okay? And it’s not about finding the perfect pumpkin – I prefer the ones with irregular bumps and colors. A nice, pronounced stalk is important. And the surface of the pumpkin needs to allow enough space to carve a scene into. This year I carved a “Wavy Ghost.” It’s suuuuuper scaaaary. Michael fancies himself a semi-pro pumpkin carver (I’m kidding …) and always challenges himself to carve something even more technical and impressive than the year before. As you can see below, his haunted castle was a great success.

We’ll be spending a low-key Halloween night at our friends’ house passing out candy to trick-or-treaters, barbecuing, and carving pumpkins. Have a safe, fun, spooky Halloween!

Also, thank you, Tracy Morgan:

Snapshot 10/23

Hello, and happy Friday! I’m going to have to make this short because I just got home from a pumpkin painting party (Halloween!) and it’s a tad past my bedtime. This week, after months of waiting for my BB cream to run out, I received my first order of Glossier products! I have been reading Into the Gloss, their parent website, for a couple years and really respect their approach to skincare and beauty. On any given week they feature a ton of products, but their core message is to love the skin you’re in and embrace natural beauty. That’s why I was so excited to finally try the products in the Glossier line, which were created to offer light coverage and enhance your skin. My order included the Perfecting Skin Tint and the Balm Dotcom and so far, I’m very happy. The skin tint works like a tinted moisturizer, offering just a base coat of coverage that makes my skin look silky smooth and hydrated. Its “barely there” appearance is the thing I like the most about it. I’ve been using the Balm Dotcom on my lips and it has pretty much replaced my daily lip balm. Any lip product that can stay put after drinking a cup of tea is A+ in my book. Glossier, you have lived up to the hype!

We are a week from my favorite holiday, and now, after painting a multi-tiered chevron stripe pumpkin, I feel I am in the Halloween spirit!

looks

Neckerchiefs: wrap ’em, tie ’em, multiply ’em (what?)

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vibes

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reads

The Doctor The Atavist

Oh Boy Podcast Episode 9: Amelia Diamond Man Repeller

Get Up, Stand Up Wired

It’s Millennials’ Turn to Take the Blame for the Downfall of Society Los Angeles Times

The Tell-Tale ‘Gram McSweeney’s

Reviving a Revival in LA Homepolish

Snapshot 10/16

I’m going to write about that heart-stopping, joyful sensation that occurs when you find a perfectly distressed, perfectly fitting vintage piece. That feeling – after flipping through racks, digging through piles, and trying on garment after garment – of discovering something that’s one-of-a-kind. If you’re like me and the idea of mixing vintage and contemporary looks excites you, then you understand the possibilities that finding a vintage wardrobe staple like a pair of Levi’s jeans can hold. Jeans and a t-shirt is an unbeatable combination, but adding high-waisted timeworn jeans that are undoubtedly as rugged as they are feminine to the mix takes it to another level. I have found some pretty sweet vintage pieces in unlikely places, but I have yet to find, yes find (not “find” in Urban Outfitters, which, not going to lie, I’ve been tempted to do) my own pair of vintage Levi’s. In cherishing these timeless jeans (or jackets, or shoes) of the past I feel as though I can bring nostalgia to an outfit of otherwise current pieces that were most likely manufactured in this decade. A pair of vintage Levi’s can stand alone with a modest shirt and not much else and can add something special in their own subtle way.

Cheers to Friday, and have a fantabulous weekend!

My ode to vintage Levi’s jeans