Finding Greener Pastures with Allbirds

March 25, 2018

Finding Greener Pastures with Allbirds

The new Allbirds tree runners arrived on my doorstep earlier this week and the sun shined down from the skies above onto my poor, tired, worn out feet.

Allbirds is known for creating shoes that are extremely comfortable while maintaining high standards of sustainability. When it came to sustainability, it was pretty easy for me to see.

Their latest collection is made from ethically sourced FSC-certified Eucalyptus fibers via a 3D-knitting process (here's where your mind is blown). Eucalyptus tree fibers use only 5% of the water and 3x less land, and have an overall environmental impact that is 17x smaller than conventional materials (here's where your mind is blown again).

But how about comfort? That I would have to put to the test myself. So, Jeremy and I decided to spend our Sunday journeying from Long Island City, to Greenpoint, to Williamsburg, and back...all by foot and ferry. Let me tell you, Allbirds doesn't kid around with comfort; from their wool soles to their lightweight materials, my feet babies were walking in Cloud 9. Screw it, Cloud 10.  I could have walked twenty more miles in these two tree runners and still not be sore.

We spent our entire ferry ride from Long Island City to Greenpoint fighting the strong East River winds (most of the photos were outtakes with my hair straight up in the air). Then once we stepped off the ferry into the graffiti-covered streets of Greenpoint, we found ourselves fighting the wind tunnels that formed down the larger avenues. Finally, we found cover at Baoburg and stuffed ourselves with the most delicious shrimp dumplings, roti with curry, and pork belly bao buns that left us with a spicy kick to the stomach.

With full stomachs, Jeremy and I proceeded to stop by Fox & Fawn Vintage for some afternoon browsing before walking through McCarren Park towards North Williamsburg. Williamsburg always tugs at my heartstrings because the amount of dogs populating the streets is through the roof; enough so that I can ignore the hipsters lining the streets and learn to love the neighborhood. We sped walked through women in ironic camouflage jackets and men with silver hair and blue tips, making our way back to the waterfront to catch a final ferry ride back to Long Island City.

And all this time, my feet were majoring kicking the butts of those Brooklyn streets. Now how will I ever go back to wearing heels? Allbirds, you are here to stay, my friend. 

This post was sponsored by Allbirds. 
Thank you for supporting the brands that support this little space of mine on the interwebs. 

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The White Stripes

March 22, 2018

The White Stripes

I bought this dress for an upcoming trip, but I still have a month and a half until I jump on a plane. So here I am, impatiently wearing it and trying to make it work for these winter temps with layers of clothing. Soon enough I can wear it alone in all of its sleeveless glory. SOON. Until then, my “always-growing-but-never-fully-complete” sweater collection will step in and do the trick.

These days I feel like all I can think about are bachelorette parties, whether it’s in anticipation of my own upcoming trips or the three I’m either planning or helping to plan. If I have to look at another “Same Penis Forever” banner my head is going to explode (just kidding, keep them coming, penis jokes are forever hilarious). It’s the first time in a long time where I’ve had to plan weekends so far in advance - I pretty much have my entire year booked up - and I know more weddings are yet to come in 2019. Now I know why my friends used to complain about wedding season so much in the past. Actually, it’s more like a decade from the looks of it, rather than a single season. Gotta BRACE MYSELF. 

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Ride It Like a Motorcycle

March 15, 2018

Ride It Like a Motorcycle

I’m starting to feel super, super antsy this winter, especially since the rest of March is stuck in those 30°F temps. Usually we try to plan a lot of weekend trips but lately, since we’re saving up for the wedding, an epic honeymoon, and other people’s weddings, we’ve been opting to stay at home base in Astoria. But there’s still a little part of me that’s like, fuck finances - let’s jump on a plane! If I indulged that little part of me though every time it made a fuss, I’d be broke in no time, heh.

In the meantime, Jeremy and I are trying to catch up on all of our travel guides that we just put off writing for so, so long. I mean, there’s still Portugal and the Azores posts from December 2016 that we need to publish (speaking of, shout out to that one Azores itinerary getting all the love on Pinterest). Then our Japan trip from almost a year ago. And our adventures in Copenhagen and the Faroes last September. Hopefully we’ll take our Netflix down a notch and get back on track while we’re hibernating. Whoops. (c" ತ,_ತ)

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Weekends Are For Lovers

March 9, 2018

Weekends Are For Lovers

I love how graphic tees are making a comeback since it’s been about ten years since they were last “in” in my book (where fashion mainly consisted of what was sold at dELiA*s, where I worked at the time). But now instead of weird obscure illustrations and vintage brands, it’s all about typography and badass phrases, and I’m 100% here for it.

Jeremy took one look at this shirt, pointed at himself, and went, “That’s us.” I’m taking that as a sign of approval. This weekend the two of us are heading into Jersey to celebrate his mom’s birthday and visit both of his brothers’ new homes. One of them just got two little bb kitties that look similar to Jeff Goldblum (the cat, not the actor) so I’m unofficially dubbing them his cousins. Bubba’s still the weird, old, grumpy uncle of the family who’s got outdated views of politics.

On Sunday we’ll be topping it off with a trip to Medieval Times for a friend’s birthday. I’ll just ignore the fact that I went just two weeks ago with my friends from work and do it all over again. When it rains [knights], it pours, m’ladies. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What are you guys up to this weekend?

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Radley's Got My Back

March 5, 2018

Radley's Got My Back

It's been on my mental to-do list to invest in a high-quality, black backpack (something I consider a staple piece) for the past five years and somehow I've never gotten around to it. I've been using the same black, fabric backpack from the sale section of Urban Outfitters for the longest time and it's become a sad, worn out clump of fabric. Don't get me wrong, being someone who hoards everything for the "nostalgic value", I love that little backpack to death. But is it going to last? Absolutely not.

So when this Radley Backpack showed up at my doorstep, my heart skipped a couple of beats and I fell to my knees and praised the backpack gods. Just touching both the smooth and textured leather and seeing the rose gold details...I knew this was a relationship that would last me years and years and years. And surprisingly enough, even though this guy looks so thin, it's able to fit my DSLR without bulging at the front which is so hard to find in a leather backpack. Guys, that's huge for me. 

Radley, I'm pretty sure you and me are going to get along just fine. 🖤 Get ready to see this guy all over my Instagram feed in 2018.

Post in collaboration with Radley. 

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My Korean Skincare Routine

March 2, 2018

My Korean Skincare Routine

Throughout my life I've been battling the asshole known as hormonal acne (oh hey, oily skin) which has led to my current day battle with its cousin, acne scars. I've tried countless face washes over the years where salicylic acid was my best friend and  I've been to the dermatologist for prescription creams. A lot of these would work for short periods of time before my hormones realized what was up and started fighting back. So finally, fifteen years after puberty first started kicking in, I've gotten my skin into a pretty consistent place of being relatively clear for an extended period of time. How you ask?

👏🏻  KOREAN 👏🏻  SKIN 👏🏻  CARE 👏🏻 

I know almost everyone and their mothers are slowly jumping on the bandwagon here, but I can't stress enough how much these products have actually changed my skin for the better. Reading through countless articles to learn more about this phenomenon, a few things stuck out to me: (1) Korean skin care philosophy focuses on prevention instead of quick fixes and (2) Korean consumers are willing to spend so much money on skincare products which in turn brings in more $$ for research and development...bringing their innovativeness to the forefront.

While the typical Korean skincare routine involves ten total steps, I started off small, focusing on my main problem areas:

1. Grain Ferment Cleansing Water ($15) - I use this to take off my make-up for the day and duuuuude it's incredibly lightweight, not oily at all (which is a problem I've had in the past), and so damn effective. 1-2 pumps of this water on a cotton ball gets my whole face make-up free without having to vigorously rub my face. 
2. Tea Tree Balancing Foaming Cleanser ($22) - Next, I clean my entire face with this cleanser, which is incredible for my oily T-zone. My face feels dry afterwards without being dehydrated and the tea tree helps mildly treat my acne. 
3.  Snail Recovery Gel Cream ($14) - To treat my acne scars and help diminish their appearance over time, I apply a thin layer of Snail Recovery Gel cream (it's not gross - I swear - the snail extract works wonders). 
4. Clinique Moisture Surge ($12) - This might be the only product that's not Korean Beauty (although I'll probably swap it out over time), but a tiny bit goes a long way and these help moisturize my dry cheeks. 
5. Acne Spot Dots ($5) - For any active breakouts, I'll smack on these acne dots overnight that'll treat and reduce inflammation within hours (and also keep me from picking at those nasty buggers).

2-month results: I get breakouts less frequently, redness in my t-zone has decreased, and most of my acne scars have faded away. I'm also able to control my oil better throughout the day which in turn helps my foundation stay on my face longer. Korean skincare, I give you ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Bless you.

My go-to retailers are Botanic Farm and Peach & Lily (click here to get $10 your first order), who make it so easy to figure out the right combination of products for your skin type. If you try it, let me know - I'd love to hear about your Korean skincare journey too and exchange tips!

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