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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Dynamic Duo: 6 Years Later

February 27, 2018

Dynamic Duo: 6 Years Later

 

It's been approximately eight years since Jasmine and I published our first ever Dynamic Duo post and it all started with a little white bow and a giveaway.

Fast forward to today (past some cringe-worthy outfits) and here we are, still on opposite coasts but rocking completely different styles and living completely different lives. It's been a while since we last did one of these for many reasons (busy schedules, less frequent blog posts, a changing blogger arena), but we're throwing it back and styling up the same item, this time choosing the same Kent Cardigan from Madewell (albeit in different colors).

I'm getting major inspiration from Jasmine and I'm about to wear every single one of my damn graphic tees with this cardigan next. And really, every single item I own in my closet, if we're being honest. This shit is DELIGHTFULLY soft.

Shop My Look

Shop Jasmine's Look

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A Week in California

February 22, 2018

A Week in California

It's still an adjustment for me, a few years later, to remember that I no longer have a home in New Jersey to go back to. So every time I visit my parents' new home in the Californian suburbs, I make the effort to just wander around the town, looking for little areas to photograph like I used to in Jersey. When I went to visit this past January, I managed to come across a little fence literally just off the side of the road along a new development (they're building like crazy over on the West Coast) and screeeeched the car to a stop in order to grab some shots. Worth it.

Our second day in California, my dad planned for us to make a day trip out to Half Moon Bay (apparently it's soon to be taken up by tech bros in the next couple of years). We grabbed some sweet, sweet seafood over at Sam's Chowder House, with views overlooking the bay, and then walked along the Half Moon Bay Jetty during low tide. Felt like a scene out of a Rom Com wearing my black midi dress and this cozy knit sweater from Tobi.

Gave my Presence Tee some love on our third day in California, which started off super slow and involved a lot of detours as we looked for hiking areas nearby that weren't blocked off by construction. Then we just ate a lot of food and lounged around like a bunch of bums. More days need to filled with absolutely nothing.

The next day we paid a visit to UC Berkeley and wandered around the campus grounds, taking in the incredible architecture and the grounds, which featured big ass plants like the one I'm hiding behind. I affectionately call them dinosaur plants because I'm pretty sure these were around in the prehistoric ages. This look was definitely my favorite of the bunch - do you ever have an outfit that just feels 110% like you? This was one of those outfits.

On our second to last day, I made Jeremy and my parents grab lunch at In-N-Out burger to confirm that Shake Shack is indeed better (although to be fair, I don't think they should be compared  because they are NOT in the same realm). We got some shitty fries covered in crap and deliciously cheap burgers - same as always. Then my dad decided to surprise us and drive us all to The Mystery Spot - insert ooh's and aah's (read more about it and shop the look in this post).

On our final day in California, we made the trek up to San Francisco and spent a day in the city, which was a bit nostalgic because I lived on the outskirts of San Francisco for two years when I was much younger. It's the first time I've been back with my parents since the age of 7. We wandered around Chinatown in search of bubble tea and then made the drive up to the fog-covered Golden Gate Bridge. I'm already itching to go back again next year and these concrete streets of New York City have me dreaming of California vibes and sunshine.

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The Year of the Dog

February 16, 2018

The Year of the Dog

I'm super excited to ring in the Lunar New Year tonight with Jeremy. Since my family is on the west coast (and my extended family even further beyond that), we don't really do anything huge to celebrate. However, I'm going to whip up a hearty bowl of noodles (which represent longevity) and I'm going to try to convince Jeremy to watch Mulan with me for the seventieth time. Oh, and do a load of laundry. Boy, this celebration is going to wipe me the fuck out.

Speaking of Lunar New Year, it's the Year of the Dog (my dad's year) and I'm pretty bitter that there's no year of the cat - considering that I'm now a cat person. There are a ton of stories out there to explain why, but my favorite one is the one that blames the rat. Having ridden the New York City subways for one too many years now, I'm well accustomed to those bastards. Legend has it that Buddha was having a meeting to give all the animals a year in the Chinese zodiac; the rat didn't bother waking up his friend, the cat, and so the cat missed the meeting. This not only explains the lack of cat in the zodiac, but also why cats hat rats, the shadiest of all specimen.

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Rainy Sundays in Astoria

February 12, 2018

Rainy Sundays in Astoria

This past weekend was full of rain showers, which made it hard to want to leave the apartment, but I couldn't be too mad about it because it was also warm enough to be bare legged for the first time in months. I'm starting to think our national treasure, Punxsutawney Phil, is just full of shit and there won't be six more weeks of winter. Screw you, you troll of a ground hog. Well, unless Mother Nature has a trick or two up her sleeves and she's the real troll here by trying to get our hopes up and Phil is just trying to warn us. Or maybe, just maybe, I'm overthinking all of this.

Jeremy and I grabbed our cheap corner store umbrellas and headed up to Ditmars, the more widely known area of Astoria, to stop by an open house for a co-op apartment. I always loved looking at different homes for some reason - a trait I think I got from my dad, as he’s always getting us to go to open houses just for fun. After pretending to be rich enough to buy in the city, we grabbed a quick brunch at Flattopps, the coolest restaurant-dance club I know. I mean come on, there was a live DJ playing sick remixes at 12:30 PM. INTO IT.

Also, HELLO CIRCLE BAG. It's been a hot second, yeah? As the weather warms up, this circle bag will be starting to make more and more appearances again and take back its reign from the always present red beanie on my Instagram. Prepare yourselves.

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Channeling my Inner Cool Mom

February 11, 2018

Channeling my Inner Cool Mom

This week I tried to channel my "I'm not a regular mom. I'm a cool mom" vibes, ignoring the fact that I don't qualify to be either since I'm not a mom yet...unless my cats count as kids, and I don't want to go down that path (for now). I've got that turtleneck on which shows I'm cozy yet practical and those flare jeans that I kept from my "younger, crazier years" that still fits with the fashion that the kids are into these days.

Well, at least this is what I hope I'll look like as a mom, as I have a feeling I'm going to be the type that lives in her sweats, forgets to wear a bra, and throws my hair into a top knot. Wait, never mind, that sounds like my Sunday night going out to the movies.

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