I've decided that I am going to start taking on a few new challenges in the next couple months. In the interest of having something else to write about another day, I'm just going to share one for now. It's a Beauty Challenge! Gotta love that!
So I got the idea for this "challenge" while reading a blog posted by Bethany Joy Galeotti (of One Tree Hill fame). She talked about an issue that I think a lot of us deal with every single day, and that's oily skin. I don't know about you, but that's something that drives me crazy. Now, I don't have extremely oily skin, I'm a little bit more of combination-skinned myself, but I do get breakouts/blackheads that my normal skin care routine just never seems to be able to really take care of. And honey, lemme tell ya, I've tried everything from the usual drugstore remedies, like Neutragena/Noxema/Clearasil/etc., to ProActive, to perscription Benzacline. Nothing really did the job. So, I'm trying something new.
What's crazy is this skin care regimen is ridiculously simple, and sort of breaks the "rules" of what I thought was proper skin care.
First of all, I'm starting my mornings with simply splashing my face with cold water. Like, icy cold! (Not so fun considering it's so damn cold outside!) But it really does help wake me up in the morning. Plus, it helps reduce any swelling or puffiness, and (according to my grandma, who told me this several years ago) it helps shrink your pores and make them less visible. That's it! No soap. No cleansers. No toners. No exfoliating. Just...cold water.
At night, I am using a cleansing oil. I know, oil, crazy right?! But so far, I really like it, and my skin is absolutely NOT oily! Bethany's blog lists a few recommended cleansing oils, but some of them aren't available in the states anymore, so I did some looking around online and found one that could be found at my local Sephora. Its called Boscia called MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil, and bonus! It meets Sephora's standard of being a natural product. What's nice about having their natural seal vs. one from a government regulated agency is that they actually have standards for what it means to be "natural." Learn more about Sephora's policy for natural products here.
Now, I've stopped using my usual moisturizer because it has SPF in it, and Bethany's blog recommended avoiding using one with SPF in it for the first four-or-so weeks of this new routine. I've yet to get a new one...and I need it! What's surprising is that my skin actually feels dryer than it used to with my old routine--crazy, considering I'm using a cleansing oil on my face daily! But I MIGHT go out for a new/recommended one today (it's iffy...there's ice outside today!!). One of the recommendations for a nighttime moisturizer is actually Extra Virgin Coconut Oil! Sounds crazy again, but hey, I may try that one out, too!
I'll let you know how it goes for me. So far (and its been about 4 days), I've noticed my face gets less oily throughout the day. Plus, the Boscia Cleansing Oil is really great at getting off my waterproof eye make-up AND getting my face clean without having to add multiple products to my routine.
Check out Bethany's blog to learn a little more about the reason why you should get rid of your stripping cleansers and switch to something like a cleansing oil. Here is another blog recommended by Bethany to read for further information. Follow Bethany on twitter, too @BethanyGaleotti
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Oh, hello again :)
So I guess I've been a little absent from this lately...but I just haven't had anything that's really pushed my buttons a whole lot lately. At least not enough to write about :) But there was something the other day that just annoyed the crap out of me, and it's not the first time this particular pet peeve has gotten the best of me.
During periods of my life when I'm single, I tend to talk to just about anybody (well I do that all the time, I'm a friendly person lol), and I don't necessarily mind giving my number to a guy at the end of a conversation...I mean, just cuz I did doesn't mean I even want to even go on a date with them. Honestly, it means I can say no through a text versus face-to-face (I know, lame, but whatever). Anyways! Two of my biggest pet peeves come from new guys trying to talk me up....
#1: I HATE when I get this text: "hi."
Um...hi? WTF do you want me to say? Don't waste my time by sending me a one-word salutation. If I had a limited number of texts per month, that would be such a huge waste and I would be even more annoyed than I am with my unlimited texting plan. And, if you are wanting to strike up a conversation with me, START A FREAKIN CONVERSATION!! "Hi" says nothing to me. "Hi" tells me you don't have the balls to get straight to the point, or enough motivation to direct a conversation with me. If that's all left up to me, I'm already uninterested. You might as well stop trying. If all you say is "hi," all you're going to get as a "hello" back. And probably five hours later. There's probably a reason you are a single man in your 30's, and it's because you have the maturity level of a high-schooler and the conversation skills of a retarded monkey.
#2: When said guys text me and try to get me to meet up with them and I can't, or I haven't saved their number yet because A) I don't care to or B) I just forgot to and I can't remember who it is, so I have to ask who it is, their replies are: "I guess I'm not that important," or "I guess you're not that interested." My reply: "Well, if you say so!!" I seriously have had that said to me a few times by different guys already in this new year! When you sound like my high school boyfriend or start throwing yourself a pity party before we even hit it off...I don't like you. You might as well quit trying, again. It's especially annoying when you're 6 years older than me and you sound like you're 16. Barf. Don't tell me how I feel or what I think. I'm obviously still forming my opinions of you...and you just made it that much more easy for me to decide that you're not worth my time.
What's sad is when I see one guy do BOTH of those things...and they do!! I can think of two guys right now that have done that in the past two weeks, and three in the last few months. It. Is. Ri.Dic.U.Lous. I just want to say, "Grow some balls!!" That, and lose my number, haha. I'm sorry if that seems harsh, but I'm not wasting my time on some guys that are going to play games like that. I'm not into somebody who needs a girl to be sympathetic and give them pity attention. Go to your mommy for that. That's not the approach I am attracted to. Be confident, but not cocky. Pursue me, but not stalkerish. Don't even mention stalker-like qualities, or act like one (yes, two separate guys have each done one of those), it takes you from annoying- to creeper-status. Be fun. Be relaxed. Be open to going out with me and my friends, and probably taking a semi-back seat to dancing with them for awhile. I'll come around if you hang in there, haha. And if you don't see me responding to your "moves," take a hint and back off. You will know if I like you. If I do, I will be more forward myself. But, if I'm shying away/giving you a cold shoulder....I'm probably not interested!
Ok, that's my little rant for the week. :) Hopefully I will get back in the swing of things and start writing a little more often.
xo-k
During periods of my life when I'm single, I tend to talk to just about anybody (well I do that all the time, I'm a friendly person lol), and I don't necessarily mind giving my number to a guy at the end of a conversation...I mean, just cuz I did doesn't mean I even want to even go on a date with them. Honestly, it means I can say no through a text versus face-to-face (I know, lame, but whatever). Anyways! Two of my biggest pet peeves come from new guys trying to talk me up....
#1: I HATE when I get this text: "hi."
Um...hi? WTF do you want me to say? Don't waste my time by sending me a one-word salutation. If I had a limited number of texts per month, that would be such a huge waste and I would be even more annoyed than I am with my unlimited texting plan. And, if you are wanting to strike up a conversation with me, START A FREAKIN CONVERSATION!! "Hi" says nothing to me. "Hi" tells me you don't have the balls to get straight to the point, or enough motivation to direct a conversation with me. If that's all left up to me, I'm already uninterested. You might as well stop trying. If all you say is "hi," all you're going to get as a "hello" back. And probably five hours later. There's probably a reason you are a single man in your 30's, and it's because you have the maturity level of a high-schooler and the conversation skills of a retarded monkey.
#2: When said guys text me and try to get me to meet up with them and I can't, or I haven't saved their number yet because A) I don't care to or B) I just forgot to and I can't remember who it is, so I have to ask who it is, their replies are: "I guess I'm not that important," or "I guess you're not that interested." My reply: "Well, if you say so!!" I seriously have had that said to me a few times by different guys already in this new year! When you sound like my high school boyfriend or start throwing yourself a pity party before we even hit it off...I don't like you. You might as well quit trying, again. It's especially annoying when you're 6 years older than me and you sound like you're 16. Barf. Don't tell me how I feel or what I think. I'm obviously still forming my opinions of you...and you just made it that much more easy for me to decide that you're not worth my time.
What's sad is when I see one guy do BOTH of those things...and they do!! I can think of two guys right now that have done that in the past two weeks, and three in the last few months. It. Is. Ri.Dic.U.Lous. I just want to say, "Grow some balls!!" That, and lose my number, haha. I'm sorry if that seems harsh, but I'm not wasting my time on some guys that are going to play games like that. I'm not into somebody who needs a girl to be sympathetic and give them pity attention. Go to your mommy for that. That's not the approach I am attracted to. Be confident, but not cocky. Pursue me, but not stalkerish. Don't even mention stalker-like qualities, or act like one (yes, two separate guys have each done one of those), it takes you from annoying- to creeper-status. Be fun. Be relaxed. Be open to going out with me and my friends, and probably taking a semi-back seat to dancing with them for awhile. I'll come around if you hang in there, haha. And if you don't see me responding to your "moves," take a hint and back off. You will know if I like you. If I do, I will be more forward myself. But, if I'm shying away/giving you a cold shoulder....I'm probably not interested!
Ok, that's my little rant for the week. :) Hopefully I will get back in the swing of things and start writing a little more often.
xo-k
Friday, December 17, 2010
'Tis the Season!
Once again, Casey, my friend...your blog inspired me! I started to post a comment on a few movies you didn't have on the list --and definitely should see if you haven't yet! :) -- and then I started thinking about all my favorites....
I love the holidays! And I looooove my Christmastime movie and tv specials! Here's a list of a, um, few (lol) of my all time favorites! Ok, 25 of them, roughly listed from most to least favorite! After 10 it all really gets a little fuzzy :D
I was going to write a little bit about each one and include some visuals...but there are 25 movies, and I think most of them are pretty self-explanatory as to why they are so great. Some are just plain awesome, some are reminiscent of a younger, more innocent time in life, and others are time-tested classics. Hope you enjoyed my list and maybe discover a few to add to your own! :)
xo-k
I love the holidays! And I looooove my Christmastime movie and tv specials! Here's a list of a, um, few (lol) of my all time favorites! Ok, 25 of them, roughly listed from most to least favorite! After 10 it all really gets a little fuzzy :D
1. White Christmas ( <3 Bing Crosby!!)
2. Polar Express
3. Christmas in Connecticut
4. Elf
5. It’s a Wonderful Life
6. A Charlie Brown Christmas
7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original tv special)
8. The Santa Clause
7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original tv special)
8. The Santa Clause
9. Home Alone
10. Glee’s Christmas Episode
11. Santa Baby (ABC Family Movie)
12. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (the old, awesome claymation-style one!)
13. Frosty the Snowman
14. The Holiday
15. The Family Stone
16. The Muppet Christmas Carol
17. Meet Me in St. Louis
18. Hallmark’s Christmas in November
19. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (movie)
20. A Christmas Story
21. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (made the same way as Rudolph)
22. Miracle on 34th Street (1947, 1994)
23. A Christmas Carol (1951, 1984 tv)
24. The Nutcracker (1993, starring Maculey Culkin)
25. Disney’s Fantasia’s Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy
I was going to write a little bit about each one and include some visuals...but there are 25 movies, and I think most of them are pretty self-explanatory as to why they are so great. Some are just plain awesome, some are reminiscent of a younger, more innocent time in life, and others are time-tested classics. Hope you enjoyed my list and maybe discover a few to add to your own! :)
xo-k
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Dick-Move of the Day
Wow! Really?! The following video is a clip from last night's Jets/Dolphins game. An assistant/strength and conditioning coach for the Jets (Sal Alosi) INTENTIONALLY tripping a Dolphins player (Nolan Carroll) while running along the sideline.
I seriously can't believe that happened!! I mean really?! C'mon people!! That coach should be FIRED! He could have ended that player's career! Alosi's lucky it looks like a "clean" trip and Carroll sustained no significant injuries...that could have ended up much, much worse!
What kind of person does that, though!? I get that as a coach (and probably former player), you are still very apart of the team, you get really into the game/wish you were on the field, and your emotions can run high...but none of that excuses Alosi's actions! Just absolutely ridiculous...had to share!
I seriously can't believe that happened!! I mean really?! C'mon people!! That coach should be FIRED! He could have ended that player's career! Alosi's lucky it looks like a "clean" trip and Carroll sustained no significant injuries...that could have ended up much, much worse!
What kind of person does that, though!? I get that as a coach (and probably former player), you are still very apart of the team, you get really into the game/wish you were on the field, and your emotions can run high...but none of that excuses Alosi's actions! Just absolutely ridiculous...had to share!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The "Infinite" and the "Unexplainable"
So this morning I was watching The View (judge me if you want, but I love their Hot Topics lol), and they said that scientists have recently made some discoveries that suggest the universe is three times bigger than we originally thought it was. I wish I could find a clip to put in this post, but I watched it twice to make sure I heard it right. Well, naturally, my question was: How can something we believed to be "infinite" suddenly be "three times bigger" than what we currently thought?
It's been on my mind all afternoon while decorating for Christmas around the house. I couldn't understand why people just HAD to know the answers to everything, and they "whys" behind all the mysteries of life. Why can't people come to a point where they accept not EVERYTHING can be explained, and that maybe those things that are hard to figure out are better left to accepting as something bigger, outside the realm of human understanding, and possibly divine?
So anyways, I decided to do a little digging and look for some articles about the topic. What I found was that the actual article from Yale (found here) really says that there are three times more stars in the universe, specifically red dwarfs, which in turn increases the number of possible planets in the universe, leading to the possibility of more "Earths" and life similar to our own out there--except they'd be far more "evolved" because their galaxies are apparently older than ours. Anyhow, I thought it was just interesting, even if finding this article kinda killed my whole train of thought on people saying the size of the universe multiplied, haha.
xo-k
It's been on my mind all afternoon while decorating for Christmas around the house. I couldn't understand why people just HAD to know the answers to everything, and they "whys" behind all the mysteries of life. Why can't people come to a point where they accept not EVERYTHING can be explained, and that maybe those things that are hard to figure out are better left to accepting as something bigger, outside the realm of human understanding, and possibly divine?
So anyways, I decided to do a little digging and look for some articles about the topic. What I found was that the actual article from Yale (found here) really says that there are three times more stars in the universe, specifically red dwarfs, which in turn increases the number of possible planets in the universe, leading to the possibility of more "Earths" and life similar to our own out there--except they'd be far more "evolved" because their galaxies are apparently older than ours. Anyhow, I thought it was just interesting, even if finding this article kinda killed my whole train of thought on people saying the size of the universe multiplied, haha.
xo-k
Monday, December 6, 2010
Day...5?
Ok, just to be holding myself accountable...
Friday's workout: Wii sword fighting w/Truman (my kindergarten-aged neighbor lol. he's tough competition!!)
Saturday: Technically, I gave myself Sat/Sundays off...but if you count dancin my ass off at P&L...lol
Sunday: Coach vball. Yeah, I play and do some workouts w/them, too! They def worked harder though, haha!
Monday: P90X Cardio workout (43 min)
So far...on track!! :)
Oh, minus the getting up earlier part...oops! Weekends will do that to ya! :)
Friday's workout: Wii sword fighting w/Truman (my kindergarten-aged neighbor lol. he's tough competition!!)
Saturday: Technically, I gave myself Sat/Sundays off...but if you count dancin my ass off at P&L...lol
Sunday: Coach vball. Yeah, I play and do some workouts w/them, too! They def worked harder though, haha!
Monday: P90X Cardio workout (43 min)
So far...on track!! :)
Oh, minus the getting up earlier part...oops! Weekends will do that to ya! :)
Thursday, December 2, 2010
My 30 Day Challenge :)
So I guess a lot of people that blog/use facebook/twitter do these 30 day challenge things...and I thought, hmm...sounds kinda fun! But, I'm doing my own little twist.
See, lately I've just been feeling so tired, sluggish, lathargic...just plain blah! I know my lifestyle doesn't really help much...I have such odd hours with work: Some days I open at 9am to get the office stuff ready. Some days, that's it. Some days I stay and work the floor, opening the bar from 10-11am, which includes sweeping, washing windows, cleaning tables...just getting the bar ready for customers to come in starting at 11am. Days are slow, so I'm usually cut by 2:30pm. Some days I do non of that can come in around 4:30 for a night shift, which is much busier, and can last til 1:30-2am if i'm the closer. So I don't really have a regular sleeping pattern. And as much as I want my rest, and I require a lot of it each night (lol), I hate sleepnig in late. Even if I'm not scheduled to work the next day til the night shift, or not work at all, I just feel like it wastes the day.
Anyway, so here's my challenge to myself: I'm going to work out every day of the "normal" work week (Mon-Friday) and have weekends off. I'm not going to give myself any strict rules as far as what i'm going to do each day, or how long I'm going to do my workouts. Sometimes I think that defeats the purpose. My minimum workout time is 20-30 min though, since I have a couple dvds that fit that criteria.
I started today already actually! :) So here's what I did:
PS- I started my day with an energy drink (NOT like Red Bull! ick!) It's called Spark, by Advocare...its supposed to be a healthier version. Comes from a powder mix, NOT a carbonated pop can. And I followed my work out with a post-workout recovery powder (chocolate flavored!), but instead of just mixing it w/water I mixed it in with my peanut butter-banana smoothie (banana, spoonful of natural creamy pb, organic non-fat skim milk, and crushed ice)--so good!
OOOH, and my goal is NOT weight loss. It's to GAIN energy, and to tone up. I also hope to start doing the exercises earlier in the day/mornings...which I hope will help regulate my sleeping pattern somewhat. I just want to feel GOOD again. So naturally, I want to clean up my diet a little, start avoiding the little things that i've let slide lately (like snacking on french fries in the kitchen at work, lol, and avoiding so much fried stuff/cheese). More veggies/fruit, more lean/white meat vs. red (though I will NOT turn down a steak if I want one!)...stuff like that!
Ok, that's it, just putting this out there to hopefully help hold me accountable in some way. :)
See, lately I've just been feeling so tired, sluggish, lathargic...just plain blah! I know my lifestyle doesn't really help much...I have such odd hours with work: Some days I open at 9am to get the office stuff ready. Some days, that's it. Some days I stay and work the floor, opening the bar from 10-11am, which includes sweeping, washing windows, cleaning tables...just getting the bar ready for customers to come in starting at 11am. Days are slow, so I'm usually cut by 2:30pm. Some days I do non of that can come in around 4:30 for a night shift, which is much busier, and can last til 1:30-2am if i'm the closer. So I don't really have a regular sleeping pattern. And as much as I want my rest, and I require a lot of it each night (lol), I hate sleepnig in late. Even if I'm not scheduled to work the next day til the night shift, or not work at all, I just feel like it wastes the day.
Anyway, so here's my challenge to myself: I'm going to work out every day of the "normal" work week (Mon-Friday) and have weekends off. I'm not going to give myself any strict rules as far as what i'm going to do each day, or how long I'm going to do my workouts. Sometimes I think that defeats the purpose. My minimum workout time is 20-30 min though, since I have a couple dvds that fit that criteria.
I started today already actually! :) So here's what I did:
- Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, Level 2 (20 min)
- BeachBody's 10 Minute Trainer, Cardio (10 min) & Yoga Flex (10 min)
- Karen Voight Yoga & Sculpting, Abdominals (10 min)
PS- I started my day with an energy drink (NOT like Red Bull! ick!) It's called Spark, by Advocare...its supposed to be a healthier version. Comes from a powder mix, NOT a carbonated pop can. And I followed my work out with a post-workout recovery powder (chocolate flavored!), but instead of just mixing it w/water I mixed it in with my peanut butter-banana smoothie (banana, spoonful of natural creamy pb, organic non-fat skim milk, and crushed ice)--so good!
OOOH, and my goal is NOT weight loss. It's to GAIN energy, and to tone up. I also hope to start doing the exercises earlier in the day/mornings...which I hope will help regulate my sleeping pattern somewhat. I just want to feel GOOD again. So naturally, I want to clean up my diet a little, start avoiding the little things that i've let slide lately (like snacking on french fries in the kitchen at work, lol, and avoiding so much fried stuff/cheese). More veggies/fruit, more lean/white meat vs. red (though I will NOT turn down a steak if I want one!)...stuff like that!
Ok, that's it, just putting this out there to hopefully help hold me accountable in some way. :)
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