Best Skincare Dr. Jart Cicapair

Korean skincare has been gaining popularity for the past few years and rightly so. With trends in glass skin and dewy natural skin, I’ve been interested in trying out some products, but it’s hard to know where to start.

A brand I’ve seen on Sephora is Dr. Jart, but never purchased any products. But I finally decided to try out the Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment and I’m so glad I did! Not only is it a great skincare product but it also provides the perfect amount of coverage with a natural look. In the jar, the product is pale green, but once it’s blended into the skin, it turns into beige color that matches your skin tone. It sounds crazy, but after seeing the short video on Sephora, I decided to try it out.

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After using it for a week, I was so amazed that I made my sister try it. She loved it so much that I offered to transfer some into a travel container for her, but she refused. She went out the same day and bought her own at Sephora, lol! She tends to have larger pores and the Cicapair blurred the pores and made her skin look amazing. It also has SPF 30 which is always a bonus.

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Cicapair is even better than any tinted moisturizer or BB/CC cream that I’ve tried.  I’ve tried so many, but they’ve always left a slightly oily feeling, gray mask, or not enough coverage to make a difference. Cicapair doesn’t leave any of these! I usually apply my moisturizer with SPF, then apply the cicapair. To set I use a little loose powder and my skin looks pretty good all day.

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Do you have any amazing skincare products you love? Let me know! I love trying new skincare products:)

Planner Update: The START Planner

It’s been a couple of months into the year using the START Planner, and I have to say it has been quite helpful, but also a little distressing.

Here’s how I’ve been using my planner:

  • I write everything I have planned and need to do in black pen. My favorite pen has been the Uniball Signo Micro 207 for a clean streamlined look.
  • Then I go back through and highlight everything accordingly with the Zebra Mild Liners. For example, work items are gray, household and personal tasks are purple, health and exercise are blue, etc.
  • I fill in all the time slots for events that I am certain of the time. For things where I am uncertain of exact time or reminders that don’t need a time, I use the lower portion  with check boxes of the daily lines. Then when the event/meeting occurs, I fill the time slot.

planner pencil

Monthly set-up:

  1. Monthly spread calendar with a notes section
  2. Mini Goals tracker for the month and a detailed Health Check section (includes weight, measurements for chest, arms, waist, hips, thighs and also health mini goals)
  3. Lists and Cards & Gifts
  4. Budget: Income and Expenses
  5. Notes
  6. Weekly spreads with 30 minute increments

The section I find most useful aside from the weekly spread is the budget page. I’ve always wanted to really track how much I spend each month and where I spend it too. At the beginning of the month, I recorded my estimated income and also how much I wanted add to my savings by the end of the month. It has really helped me see just how much I spend because it’s easy to jot down my expenses each day or the next day. Since there is also a yearly budget planner at the very beginning of the planner, I have also set up how much I’d like to save each month to reach my end of year goal.

If you missed out on the yearly START Planner, they are launching the midyear planners today.

I’m really looking forward to meeting my goals this year. What type of planner are you using? Are there any pros and/or cons?

 

 

Comfortable Heels

I’ve been on the search for the perfect pair of all occasion black heels–a pair that I wear for just about anything and still be relatively comfortable. And I have finally found the perfect pair at a fantastic price point ($39.97)! The Vince Camuto Jaynita black suede heels are comfortable and the perfect height.

I am very happy I tried these on in store at Nordstrom Rack because they do run quit big. I am almost always a 7 in shoes, but sized down to a 6.5 in these. I wore them out for the first time to my sister’s graduation at a very large campus with many staircases and found that although my calves did get quite a workout, my feet did not hurt. I will say that I will add padding to the back of the shoe to help them stay put for fast paced walking. I think a 6 would have been too small and walking a leisurely pace would not require extra padding. However when running late and needing a little help to keep the heel snug, I would add the padded backing.

I’m so tempted to purchase them in more colors and finishes. In store and online, they come in matte leather, patent leather, and suede. Colors range from neutrals to beautiful mustard and burgundy.

Laser Eye Surgery

A couple of months ago, I made a semi-rash decision that completely changed my life. I booked an appointment for a consultation for laser eye surgery. It was something that i always thought about in the back of my mind, but never thought I’d go through with. At the end of June, I went to my optometrist and had my annual check up. I’ve beeglassesn wearing glasses and occasionally contacts for about 20 years. Toward the end of my annual check up, I asked my optometrist if I would be a good candidate for laser eye surgery. And she said with my age and nearsightedness i would be a great candidate and also see a huge difference. I’m in my late 20s and my eyes were both at about -6.0 with one eye having a tiny bit of astigmatism as well.

So then about a week later, I booked an appointment at a well known ophthalmologist. Before making my appointment, I made sure to research and find a highly rated and reliable doctor. Although the surgery takes but minutes, I didn’t want to take any chances of ruining my vision.

A couple of days later, I went in for my consultation and was met a very professional staff who addressed all of my questions. By the end of the consultation, I decided to book a date and time for my surgery for the following week, just 7 days away. I was able to do so because I’m almost always wearing glasses, so I didn’t have to wait a certain amount of time. Depending on the type of contacts worn, you have wear only glasses from about 3 days to sometimes 2 weeks so that the shape of your eye goes back to the natural shape.

So I was back 7 days later on a Saturday at about 7:30AM. I definitely chose an early time because I knew that if I had to wait all day or even half a day, I would be sick. (I would like to be honest: the night before the surgery, I did have a slight breakdown from a combination of personal issues and fears that the surgery would not go well.)

The Surgery

Before the surgery, they did apply a couple of different drops, the man one being numbing drops. I was also given the option of taking a relaxant, but chose not to so that I would be completely aware of everything. During the surgery, there were two steps requiring two different laser. The actual name of the procedure is called SBK, Sub-Bowman’s Keratomileusis. It’s the new standard for laser refractive surgery, and just as quick and painless as LASIK, but with less risk.

All that was required of me was to keep my head still and my eyes open. I had to stare at a light and the laser took care of the rest. I was reassured that the slightest movement of my eye would stop the laser and nothing would would happen.

First “the flap” of the cornea was cut, then lifted. I think it was this point where I smelt something like burning hair. I was informed this would happen before hand and not to be alarmed.

Next, the second laser was used to the corrective part of the procedure.

Then the final step was to move “the flap” back into place.

Post Surgery

After the surgery, I was so surprised, that I could see much better than before, but with a little blurriness–like I was underwater to looking through a stained glass. Then for the next 6 hours after surgery, I had to try to keep my eyes closed, but stay awake, wear sunglasses, and use artificial tears every 15 minutes. So I went home, laid down and set a timer on my phone for every 15 minutes. There were also a couple of other drops I used a couple of times throughout the day for the next week. I continued to use the artificial tears throughout the day, a couple of times an hour. The next morning, I went back for my post check up and everything was looking good. I will say that about 1-2 hours after my surgery, the numbing drops started to wear off and my eyes felt very scratchy. The scratchiness extending into the day after surgery (Sunday), but by Monday morning I was back to work.

A couple of things to note:

  • The surgery was very quick!
  • Often times, one eye will heal faster and therefore have better vision, but after a couple of months, everything will be okay
  • I was directed to cover my eyes with protective gear while sleeping at night, just to make sure I didn’t rub and move “the flap”. So because I was extra worried, I continued to use the protective gear for a couple of nights.
  • No make up, moisturizes, creams, or anything should be used on the day of surgery. So because I am paranoid, I didn’t wear any eye makeup the week leading up to the surgery and no makeup the week after surgery. #thankfuliworkfromhome
  • The surgery is really expensive but it lasts for decades. The insurance I have reduced the price by 15 percent, and I made sure to use my HSA funds as well and use non-taxed money from my paycheck, which really made a hug impact.

Let me know if you have any questions:)

International Flight: Carry-On Bag

Packing always stresses me out and yet I seem to always put it off until the last minute. Granted, I do attempt to make lists of everything I need to pack, but almost never pack until the the night before. I am determined to have at least my carry-on bag packed at least a day before my next trip.

I will be using my Longchamp Le Pliage Large Tote in navy. I find that it is large enough to fit all of necessities and has a great strong zip. I’m always afraid that things will fall out of my bag.

For this trip, we will be traveling for over 24 hours on three fights and a couple of layovers–so I will be needing a little more than I would for a domestic flight.

I will be bringing:

  • laptop- MacBook Air
  • small crossbody bag
  • passport, visa, pen
  • phone and charger
  • ear buds
  • small makeup bag
  • neck pillow
  • change of clothes

I was able to fit all of this in my bag, yes, including my regular sized neck pillow. It’s just something about having the pillow flop around so many different surfaces while traveling, then having it so close to my face that grosses me out.

After a couple of international flights, I have learned that your luggage doesn’t always make it to the final destination the same time you do. So it’s always good to pack at least one change of clothes for emergencies and accidents.

New Year! New Planner!

With the start of the new year, I am also starting a new planner I haven’t tried before– the Start Planner. For the past couple of years, I have attempted to bullet journal and document my days in a blank notebook…and it has not been going well. I find myself trying to live up to the beautiful journals I see on YouTube and Instagram and it honestly causes me more stress which is counterproductive to the goal of bullet journalling. I find myself keeping a regular planner, then transferring my day into the bullet journal after. Then, I also practice the set up of the bullet journal in another journal before transferring the layout into my actual bullet journal. It just became too time consuming for me so I just stuck with using a regular bargain planner from TJ Maxx.

Start planner

The Start Planner I’ll be using this year is the Hustle Weekly Planner in Linen. The spread includes a full week on two pages with each day divided into half hour increments starting 5:30AM until 7:00PM. The planner also starts with so many organizational sections that help with goals, financial tracking, cleaning schedules, vacation planning, and so much more.

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The Start Planner comes packaged in a box that can be used as a memento box for the year. Because I pre-ordered the planner back in November, it also came with a pen encased in a sleeve. The current special deal is free shipping on orders over $100, which is really good because I paid $16 shipping for two planners.

Start planner weekly

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I’m so excited to START filling in this beautiful planner. I’ll be adding more reviews throughout the year:)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Disney Holiday Popcorn

For the winter holiday season, Disney has come out with one of the cutest popcorn containers! Pluto with a holiday scarf:) The Pluto container is $15 with popcorn and $2 for each refill. We also discovered that different areas of EPCOT have different flavors of popcorn too! When we brought Pluto on a second visit, we were able to try the maple popcorn in the Canadian Pavilion and it was delightful! We also saw that the American Pavilion has buffalo flavored popcorn, but we will save that for next time.

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The Pluto container can be used for refills through the beginning of January. We hope to find out if the other parks have more flavors too!

 

“No Makeup” Makeup Look

Trying to achieve the perfect just “woke up like this” makeup look has been a goal of mine for awhile now. But I always ended up adding just a little more of well everything–especially mascara…

I’m happy to say I finally felt comfortable with a minimal makeup look, but it really was due to the fact that I did not have a choice…it was because of my decision to get laser eye surgery. For about a week before and after the surgery, I did not wear any eye makeup, in fact I did not touch my eye area because I was terrified of moving “the flap” (let me know if you’re interested in learning more about laser eye surgery)

Due to keeping my eye area makeup free and consequently the rest of my face mostly makeup free, I lucked out on simultaneously achieving my “no makeup” makeup look.

Foundation: Mac pressed powder

Bronzer: Benefit Hoola Matte (mini size currently on sale for $12.50!)

Blush: Bobbi Brown cream blush

Highlight: Becca pressed powder in opal (this to-go set is $20 and comes with the liquid and powder highlight!)

Lips: Burt’s Bees tinted balm

Makeup

Bicester Village

After seeing haul after haul of designer and luxury pieces from Bicester village , we wanted to see if the deals were really that great. During our last trip to London, we decided to take a train, about 45 minutes fro London to Bicester to see if we could get any deals.

Transportation: We bought our tickets before even arriving to London to get the rest prices. Getting to the station and getting on the train was no problem. The main problem was actually getting a seat on the train. Every seat was taken so many people had to resort to standing in the aisles for the entirety of the trip.

Arriving to Bicester Village bright and early was a great idea because the shops were just opening and there were no lines or crowds of people. We saw all of the designers stores: Prada, Gucci, Celine, Chloe, Dolce and Gabbana, Burberry, and many others. Although many items were discounted, we did see any deals that were close to the ones we’ve seen on youtube hauls. Some of the items, in Gucci for example, had a reoccurring print/pattern that is not normally sold in their regular stores. Although we did not purchase any super high end designer things, we were able to pick up a few pieces at more affordable places. The stores with deals we loved were Longchamp, LK Bennett, and Jack Wills. For many British or Europeans, theses brands may not seem exciting, but for us, it was pretty exciting to see such great deals. Where we are from, Longchamp and LK Bennett items rarely go on sale. As for Jack Wills, it was an unfamiliar brand and great as gifts.

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Overall, it was a fun experience, but I suppose our hopes were set a little too high…On the bright side, we did download the Bicester Village app before hand to get a free latte from Cafe Wolseley and it was delicious. The Pret a Manger was huge so we were able to grab some food and rest our feet before heading back on the train.

The Things I’ll Miss

I cannot believe my life as a student will be ending so soon. At first I could NOT wait to get through everything to become an adult and leave school forever! But now looking ahead, graduating and starting a job feels daunting and overwhelming. These past few months especially have been filled with anxiety of not knowing what will happen after graduation. I am thankful that I was able to attend job fairs and to get my resume out to employers in order to have a job lined up after graduation, but the time, effort and worst of all–socialization–was worth it. Being an introvert, talking, specifically about my abilities and knowledge of what I can bring to a company was one of the most difficult parts of the interview process.

Although I cannot be any happier and so thankful knowing that I finally have a plan after graduation, there are s few things that I’ll miss about college:

  1. Creating my own schedule- Making the perfect class schedule was always a true highlight when it worked out.
  2. Amazon Prime for Students– having FREE two-day shipping for pretty much everything at a discounted price was amazing! All I needed was a school email to sign up. I will admit to forgetting to order books and study guides until the last minute…but Prime shipping definitely helped!!
  3. Late mornings- Knowing that I will not be able to stay up late binge watching shows while study is bittersweet. Sometimes the binge watch was due to all the shows available with the Amazon Prime for Students…
  4. Free events on campus- Free events for homecoming week, and just random free things like tee shirts, reusable bags and bottles will also me missed!