Getting Out Of A Rut

Summer is the time where you can just relax and enjoy doing absolutely nothing. It’s all great, until your doing nothingness becomes a rut. You know, you wake up, watch tv, surf the internet, work, workout, eat, sleep, repeat. 

I have reached my summer rut. I find myself doing the same thing day after day not truly taking the time to appreciate the fact that it might be my last real summer of doing nothing just being at home. I need to remember to appreciate it. To know that school is literally right around the corner and I’m going to be wishing for days of nothing. 

This morning I decided to go watch some sailboats on a little island near my house. You can watch from the cutest little park and it’s so peaceful just to sit and watch the boats pass by. It almost doesn’t even feel like I’m in the same country, let alone the same town. It was a nice little escape to get out of my little rut, even if it was just tan hour of my day and a five minute drive away. Sometimes the smallest things can have the biggest impact.

And speaking of small things having a big impact, my Hawaiin Tropic sunscreen definitely was worn during my little excursion. Just spending the shortest amount of time outside you’re inclined to get some sun, so I made sure to wear my Hawaiian Tropic® Silk Hydration® which offers experiential sun protection by pampering my skin with luxurious moisturization while indulging my senses with soothing scents and exotic island botanicals. Honestly, my favorite sunscreen out there.  You can find out more information about Hawaiian Tropic® Silk Hydration® here! 

I hope you’re all having an amazing summer and are enjoying your days filled with relaxation. 
Thanks for reading! 
xox
Chloe

I’m sharing Hawaiian Tropic in my life as part of a sponsored series for Socialstars™ #AlohaTherapy

Clarisonic : Mia Fit

One of my favorite parts of my day is showering. It takes me a lot of will power to work up the effort of actually getting into the shower, but once I’m there, I could stay for hours. It’s a little mini oasis in the day where you can just get lost in your thoughts and think about everything. 

I’m in a class called Creative Concepts this semester and, like the name suggests, it’s a class based and surrounded by thinking creatively. We have a ton of different projects that really get the creative juices flowing. For example, we had to create advertisements for Tinder, invent three new products (they could be absolutely anything), and also come up with the branding for a new beer. 

Most of the projects are done in pairs so we almost always have a partner to bounce ideas off of. I love working with other people on these projects because it allows me to get to know other people and how creativity works in a way. It’s funny though because when I ask most people when and where they get their ideas they almost always say, “the shower.” 

I don’t know if it’s just a college thing but almost all of us are more creative when we’re in the shower. It might be because this is literally the only time we have alone, but it could be something about the moldy white walls lit up by florescent lighting that really get us to be creative.

When I was sent the Clarisonic I was super excited because it meant that I could have an excuse to stay in the shower even longer than I already do. I used to have a Clarisonic Mia when I was in high school, and I loved it to death. I never had acne and I honestly think I have the Clarisonic to thank for it.  I’ve used the Mia Fit a few times and I absolutely love it. It seriously leaves my face feeling softer and cleaner than ever. I will most likely still be raving about it when I’m on my death bed — I’m that in love. 

Christmas is coming up and if you’re in need of some extra shower time or an acne free face — or both — I totally recommend putting it on your wish list! 

Thanks for reading! 
xox
chloe

Stealthy Skincare

Mom's mentions

I have been having the worst time with my skin lately: sun spots, wrinkles, breakouts and redness. I've been examining all my skincare products to make sure that each is contributing in a positive way and not causing any of the irritation and aging effects I've been having.

The first in line for review, is my sunscreen, since it's a daily necessity and is an enormous cause of frustration for me. Living at a mile above sea level has its problems: dryness and sun exposure at a new level. This year, I've tried at least 6 sunscreens on my face (I kid you not) and each has had its plus and minuses. The biggest plus I'm looking for is whether or not the sunscreen is effective. The biggest drawback I'd like to avoid is causing breakouts. 

I was recently sent a sample of Oclipse® Smart Tone SPF 50, sold by ZO Skin Health, and am truly impressed. 

What I like about Oclipse:

• Customizable color beads with broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection to match any skin tone
• Provides additional protection against HEV light (cell damaging high energy light)
• Anti-redness properties
• Moisturizing
• Vitamin C to prevent sunspots
• Exclusive 12-hour time release antioxidant complex guards against photo-damage

While not a foundation, it does smooth out my skintone and blends into my skin with no telltale lines. It's light and sheer, but provides a small amount of coverage, which I love. I'm able to skip Vitamin C, coverup, and powder! 

My only complaint is the price at $70.00. I'm interested to see how long my sample lasts and if it's a good while to make the high price tag justifiable, I will be restocking my Oclipse and discarding the rest of. It's that impressive.

What sunscreens are you using on your face? I'd love to hear.

Micellar Water: lazily clean

Mom's mentions

I'm not lazy when it comes to working out, getting work done, or powering through a Netflix series, but I'm incredibly lazy in my skincare routine. If it's not easy, it's not happening. In the past, I usually went to bed with my makeup on. But I've found a miracle, a remedy for both my laziness and my skincare issues: Micellar Water. It deserves all the one-swipe hype it's been getting. 

Simple | Yon Ka | Lotus Aroma  | Vichy | La Roche-Posay

Micellar Water is the coconut oil of face cleansing since it does more than you ever think it could:

• it take off makeup
• it tones
• it hydrates
• it clears pores
• it doesn't need to be rinsed off

I just take a cotton ball, rub my Micellar Water over my face and I'm done cleansing.  This simple addition to my beauty routine has changed my skincare for the better. Now that I've found a simple way to cleanse, I'm even moisturizing. Unsurprisingly, I have less breakouts, and I'm noticing my skin is brighter and clearer. Simple, fast and effective, I think I've found my beauty bff in Micellar Water.

XO ~Kim

to shave, or not to shave

A few days ago, Man Repeller posted about waxing (like removing body hair kinda waxing) on her blog. At first, I thought it was weird and something that shouldn’t be shared with thousands of people on the internet. And then I stepped back and thought about it. Why can’t it be shared? Every single human has hair on their body, and most women remove most of their hair. Do we do it for ourselves, for significant others, for our friends? Who knows, well we each personally know, because we each have our own preference. Which is kind of cool to think about. 

via

There are the girls who shave everything, every where, everyday. 

There are the girls who shave most places, occasionally.  

There are the girls who shave some places, for special occasions. 

There are the girls who don’t shave at all, unapologetically. 

I’m more the first named category. I was the girl in third grade who was made fun of by the boys for having hairy legs. In fact, I think I had more hair on my legs at the time than they did. I should’ve probably responded with a, “well you’re a boy, why don’t you have hair on your legs.” But I was confused and insecure so I started shaving when I was in fourth grade. Ever since then, I’ve been a nightly shaver. I’ve lost the insecurity aspect of hairy legs, but I’ve become accustomed to the smooth leg kinda life. 

There’s definitely not anything wrong with having hairy legs, or unshaved legs (however you want to phrase it). I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think it’s interesting how each person has their own preference, and there’s nothing wrong with each preference. You do you, you know? 

So now that my shaving cycle has been released upon the internet, feel free to share your thoughts on shaving. I’d love to hear the reasoning behind it as well! 

xox
Chloe

MOROCCANOIL DRY SHAMPOO

I’m a sucker for good packaging. I am the kind of person that will buy something solely because the packaging is aesthetically pleasing. I think it’s my inner graphic designer wanna-be coming out, but regardless of the reason, I will buy something once just because it’s “pretty.” 

When Moroccanoil reached out to me to ask me to test out their new dry shampoo I was beyond excited. I have been a fan of their products for the longest time, not to mention their packaging is 100% on point. The turquoise and orange just vibes with me, ‘ya know? I, of course, jumped at the opportunity to test the dry shampoo and I’m so glad I did. It smells like summer in a bottle, it blends into my hair better than any dry shampoo I’ve tried (all it takes is a few shakes and rakes), and it looks pretty sitting on my bathroom sink. 

I actually loved Moroccanoil’s dry shampoo so much that I let me friends try it out and they ended up fighting over the bottle. What’s interesting is that my friends and I all have pretty different textures and styles of hair but this dry shampoo worked for all of us. And not only does it work on all textures and types of hair, but they’ve developed two different products, one for light tones and one for dark tones. Pretty sweet if I do say so myself! 

Need a touch-up between shampoos? If so, be sure to check this amazing product out:
Dark Tones
Light Tones 

If you end up trying this dry shampoo out, be sure to tweet or Instagram proof of how much you like it!

XOX Chloe