Friday Five
1. If you guys saw my last post you would've probably seen me rant about Eucalyptus and how I'm really digging the trend going on right now. Well, this week I picked some up & I'm going to have such a difficult time picking anything else for next time because these puppies make the house smell SOOOO good. Plus, they remind me of my child hood because my mom would always have these all around the house and she would dry them out using hairspray and hang them upside down in the towel closet, lol, good ol' days.
I paired them with some branches that kind of look like olive branches but the florist said they were something else, "rose"-something... can't remember the name of them for the life of me, way to go Gemary -.-.. you had one job kiddo.
2. My little corner: I got a new vanity! The drawer consists of everything that was in my old vanity, you can see my old vanity tour video HERE. This is actually a mini desk but I decided to make it my vanity to get ready each morning, so it is conveniently next to my bed & it matches perfectly with our nightstand on the other side of the bed. I don't have a chair for it yet so I've been using an old, beat up plastic chair that actually came with the house until I find the perfect little bench/vanity stool that isn't hundreds of freaking dollars.
3. Man, I love Tim Burton and everything he has created... and no, I'm not saying that in a tacky, cult following, "omg I love TB... but have only seen one of his movies" kind of way. I grew up on his movies. My dad & I use to live off of his films. I don't fan-girl over much but I will lose it if I ever meet him.
I watched Edward scissorhands, for like the millionth time, again this week which is what made me include this in this weeks post. Also, I came across this article, which I absolutely loved, where they turned some classic Disney animated movies into a Tim Burton-like cartoon.
4. I feel like I talk about this brand a lot, yes I am a rep for them but I promise you that there is a lot more that compels me to post about Glossier so often. For starters, I cannot resist their packaging, seriously the cutest packaging in the game but most importantly I have not tried a product from them that I do not like, my skin really loves their stuff.
I try something new from them every month so that I can be able to share my experience with you and educate myself a little more on each of their products first-hand & the more I try, the more I fall in love. I almost own every single one of their products, which is a first for me with any brand, and I'm genuinely interested in owning the entire line because they're just that good.
This month I got their super bounce serum and lip gloss, I just received it yesterday so I can't write a review just yet but I already tried the lipgloss and really like the consistency of it. If I end up loving them, which I'm pretty sure I will, then they'll most likely make it to my June favorites video at the end of the month and I'll share my review there.
Get 20% off by shopping through my rep link. HERE
5. If you don't follow fredericforest on IG I think you definitely should. I've never really been into art despite how much I love to draw but recently that has changed & I have really learned to appreciate it. Frederic is part of the reason I have fallen in love with very simple, minimal art like the one above. Everything he represents in his drawings is so unique & beautiful.
Mask 101
My absolute favorite part of skincare are masks. I seriously cannot get enough of them. Technology and science evolve quite quickly & with them so do skincare products, for this reason skincare can get a little overwhelming, everyone is always talking about "the next best thing" & I can see how it can be a little difficult to start a proper regimen on your own following solely the advice of someone on the internet.
My advice would be to understand your skin, don't buy something just because you've heard rave reviews about it. DO YOUR RESEARCH! Educate yourself. Know your skin type and the issues you want to solve on your skin & go from there. The skin on your face is not something you want to mess with. I wish I would've followed this advice years ago prior to giving myself contact dermatitis and slight eczema. Luckily, I have completely reversed these skin issues and I'm pretty happy with the skin on my face today.
I think I have narrowed my skincare down to a relatively minimal, yet effective routine. You can see my skincare video HERE. After using tons and tons of unnecessary skincare products I came to the realization that the simpler your routine the better, at least for my very dry, very sensitive skin.
With that said, I don't believe that there is a single mask out there that does it all and takes care of every single problem you may be having with your skin. This is why even though I try to keep my skincare minimal I always have several masks that I use on rotation depending on what my skin needs at the moment & today I'll be sharing these bad boys with you!
1. Caudalie Instant Detox Mask
- Immediately minimizes the appearance of my pores
- Doesn't dry out my skin
- Really does detox my clogged pores & evens texture
This one is a new favorite and I am so pleasantly surprised every time I use this mask and look at my skin the next day. I noticed that the pores on my cheeks were becoming a little larger and I really wanted to try something that targeted that specific problem. Coincidently, this was part of my Sephora free point perk and after using it one time I knew I had to purchase it. It REALLY does minimize my pores and make my skin look very uniform. I also use this when my skin is congested and it works wonders on my texture. It doesn't dry out or irritate my skin in any way, my skin loves this stuff.. I'm obsessed.
- Peel off mask
- Excellent for fine lines
- Firms my skin and evens my texture
One of my favorites!... I'm sure you've probably heard three million and two people talk about this mask already but it's for a very good reason... It does wonders for the firmness & suppleness of your skin. I have laugh lines that can look pretty bad if my skin lacks suppleness & this just does such a great job at plumping my skin. It also helps my texture... most of these masks help with my texture. Overall, it just makes my skin look very even and cohesive.
3. Odacite Synergie Perfecting Beauty Masque
- Detoxes
- Removes dead skin
- Brightens and evens skin tone
- Firms
This is kind of your one-stop-shop if you want a mask that does a little bit of everything, besides hydration of course. However, even though it doesn't supply hydration it does not irritate or further dry out my skin.
4. Jack Black Deep Dive Glycolic Cleanser
- Detoxes, firms, reduces appearance of pores
- Can be used as a mask or cleanser
- Doesn't dry out my already dry skin
- Vegan & fragrance free
EXCELLENT for when your skin is congested and you just need to bring everything to the surface. This can also be used as a cleanser but I have only used it as a mask, and again, even though it is a detox mask it does not dry out my skin, nor does it irritate my skin.
5. Origins Retexturing Mask with Rose Clay
- Removes layer of dead skin including dry patches
- Reveals skins radiance
- Evens texture
This little guy is going to be in my mask collection for many, many years to come because it's one of those masks that you notice a major difference in your skin right away. This mask dries like a regular mud mask but you're left with a sandy texture which exfoliates your skin when you're rinsing it off.
Whenever I touch my face and feel dry patches I use this mask and it takes care of everything. I do not have acne prone skin and I rarely get hormonal acne BUT I do get really annoying texture on my forehead, my jawline & chin. My skin gets clogged and I get little bumps that are nearly impossible to get rid of. This mask does a really good job at clearing that stubborn texture.
- Supposedly great for acne
- Vegan, cruelty free & organic
- Evens out skin tone
Whenever I feel as though my skin is looking a little uneven, blotchy or dull, I pop this mask on and it does the trick. It also moisturizes and brightens my face. Many people who suffer from acne claim that it is excellent for clearing their skin.
7. Murad Rapid Age Spot Lightening Serum
Technically, this isn't really considered a mask but I wanted to include it because I use it as a spot treatment overnight. Whenever I get a blemish I am almost always left with a dark spot and this serum seriously does what it claims to do. I place a little bit of it onto the spot that needs to be lightened with a Q-tip and the next day the spot is much lighter, it usually takes a couple of tries to completely lighten the spot if it's very dark but it still works great none-the-less.
- Takes care of dryness
- Soothes redness
- Minimizes pores
This mask really tones and soothes my skin. It also works really well for minimizing my pores and introducing moisture and suppleness back into my skin when it is feeling dehydrated... which is the majority of the time.
Friday Five
In an attempt to blog more often I've decided to incorporate a series on my blog called the Friday Five. In this series I'll mention five random things which could range from things I'm loving lately to something that happened during the week.
I love reading these types of posts on peoples blogs so I decided to start my own.
1. Was recently sent these headphones from Sudio Sweden & I can't get enough of them. They are so convenient and pretty! I use the beats wireless headphones at the gym which usually stay in my gym bag & I was really looking for cuter ones to keep in my purse or to use for editing & these work so well, plus they are so darn good looking.
SudioSweden was nice enough to offer my followers/subscribers a coupon code for 15% off, any of their products. Just enter "gemary" at checkout & you're good to go!
2. On the hunt for some budget friendly woven wood shades like these for my whole house, I'll probably end up doing the kitchen first & then the rest of the house because, well, ... I'm not made out of money. I've gotten one quote so far from a local company which was ridiculously expensive so I think our best option is to order them online and install them ourselves. Wish me luck!
3. Finally stained the kitchen shelves last week! Woohoooo! I can't wait to finish and be able to show you guys the full kitchen reveal! The before and afters are pretty crazy & I can't believe I came up with the entire design myself *pats own back*... with a little help from Pinterest of course.
4. Throw pillows are going to be the death of me. I'm practicing some hard core self-control by not filling my entire couch up with throw pillows in one shot. I promised myself I would only buy one every 3 to 4 weeks and I'm sticking to it. When you purchase a new house it's so difficult to stop yourself from buying everything you can get your hands on all at once. You have to learn how to manage the crap out of every cent to your name and that means not buying 15 damn pillows for your damn couch, YOU DON'T NEED IT! (do you?)
Here is the first little guy I bought for my accent chair. I'm obsessed with the whole African mud-cloth trend at the moment. I've decided to splurge on pillow covers as opposed to committing to pillows that cannot be changed.
5. I'm pretty good at taking care of my skin, I follow a skincare regimen every single day & I have, without fail, for many years... but when it comes to my hands, I just can't be bothered. The back of our hands are one of the most age-determining features of our body & yet we fail to nourish them as often as we do other parts of our skin. Why? They deserve some TLC too! I received this cream recently & I love it so much.
Part of the reason I am so careless when it comes to my hands is because I hate the feeling of lotion on my hands. This cream doesn't leave any weird sticky or slimy residue! I use this stuff everywhere, I keep it in my purse and even apply it to my legs because 9 times out of 10 I forget to put lotion on my legs prior to leaving the house.
Floral
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| Two-piece set: HERE | Shoes: Steve Madden "Werkit sandals" (old) (similar) | Sunglasses: Rayban |
As I've mentioned before, I'm so picky when it comes to prints but I couldn't pass this two-piece up. I've been looking for a flowy, pant, two-piece set & I finally came across one that I like!
Not only are the roses on this set subtle & beautiful but the color palette is EVERYTHING. Very rarely do I come across a floral print that is not overwhelming & when I do come across one that I really like it's usually SUPER expensive.
The colors are perfect, it has a slit & we all know how I feel about slits, it's flowy & extremely comfortable... I honestly can't get over how comfortable this set is. I'm going to have a difficult time wearing anything else this summer.
