Tag: beauty

The Summer of SPF

I’m officially in my late 20’s and can’t deny it anymore– (just turned 27 on St. patty’s day) and I’d like to think I’m not only getting older (sigh) but also getting a lot wiser…in many different ways.

For one, I used to be a fan of a dark ass tan! I mean who in their teen years and early adult years doesn’t want a tan – fake or not- we want it.

I will never forget going to Ann Hope (department store) with my Babcia (grandmother) when I was mmmm maybe six years old and having people grab my cheeks and comment on how “porcelain” (aka the nice way of saying extremely white) my skin was. In middle school, there was that one mean boy who called me Casper (the not so nice way of saying extremely white)

So, at a young age, having my mothers very fair skin and suddenly thinking it was a bad thing, I did anything I could to make it tan- from heavy bronzers, to tanning beds, to baby oil / tin foil in the sun (eeek) I remember saying that I’d rather be burnt than this white!

 And the second scary thing was that I was not alone with those thoughts.I got my share of skin burns but it didn’t stop me from doing the same exact thing the following summer, and hearing and seeing plenty of girls and guys do it too.

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the little boys expression is perfect! Don’t let this happen to you!

Luckily, I realized (before it was too late) that tans fade but the signs of aging and skin damage do not.  I still get carded at the bars when my friends may not and occasionally get carded to see a rated R movie – so I’m lucky I still have a baby face and my porcelain skin remains. However, this is not the case for everyone – I have seen firsthand what excessive unhealthy tanning has done to young girls – leaving an orange tint to the skin with a rubbery, texture – not to mention WRINKLES galore and they haven’t even reached their 27th birthdays yet!   

 Up until recently, I haven’t taken a good approach to the sun and to my skin care.

Last year – on our vacation to Jamaica, I used SPF 30 very very sparingly + no hat on the first day and then switched  over to a SPF 8 OIL. The result: a burn — and a bad one –and major peeling.

This year- on our wonderful vacation to St. Thomas, I used SPF 50 every single day every 1-3 hours + sun hat. The result: hands down- the best natural tan I have ever had in my life. NO peeling (I didn’t think that was possible!)

 I also have been using this Vitamin C serum from Amara Organics every day and night. I have a few sun spots on my right cheek from my years of being a little too crazy in the sun but I am already starting to see them lighten up and faint away.

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It also moisturizes my skin – something all of us in New England desperately need right now with this dry, cold weather… winter is continuing into Spring! why ohh why!!?

I am thankful I stopped going to artificial tanning salons 2 years ago, wasting my money and that I FINALLY understand and believe the dangers of the sun and know how to stay safe and healthy in it! Think: would you rather be a dried up prune or be a smooth creamy coffee ice-cream? I’ll take the ice-cream any day! 

Make this be the summer of SPF for you and your family too! Wait – do dogs need SPF? 

Sidenote: tanning salons may be necessary for someone with Vitamin D deficiency or to boost endorphins during the long winter we’re having.  Be smart and remember, it is never too early to protect, nourish and rejuvenate your skin!

 *Sponsored Post*

One of the best vacation islands…

FullSizeRender (2)Nico and I like to get away at least once a year… to keep us–well sane — and to reward ourselves for hard work. To refresh, refocus and to feel renewed in the one week away.

 We started this the year we met by taking the ultimate new relationship risk and traveling together! We went to Europe to visit family and it was a beyond amazing experience;  not only to see a part of the world and our families, but for us to really understand each other and grow and learn about one another. We traveled from Luxembourg – to Germany – to France (day trip) to Prague – to Poland… most of the time just us two =) 

^I’ll be sharing a post about the EU trip!

 The year after that we took off to Jamaica and stayed at an all-inclusive resort.

However, this year, with a recommendation from one of my long time friends, we decided on Saint Thomas – one of the United States Virgin Islands.  We also decided to make this trip a combination of the first two trips. How?

 Well – for one – we took off to a warm island in the middle of winter here. And two, we rented a car and explored the island life ourselves.

 Between Nico and me, we’ve experienced a handful of islands – but nothing with such a homey (almost European) feel like St. Thomas (& St.Johns!)

 We stayed at a boutique-like hotel, called Mafolie, instead of opting in for a more “standard” hotel — like the Marriott.

The people, atmosphere, food, and weather were magnificent.

Our favorite restaurant, by far, was this small outdoor seating by the bay place in Frenchtown called Epernay. From the very first bite, we were in love and even though extremely full by the end – we made sure to not waste even the tiniest amount of our meals! —the food coma was soooo worth it.

We took the car ferry one morning from the Red Hook area to St. Johns – which is another USVI about a 30-40 min ferry ride over.  We were pretty happy we brought our car, so we could go at our leisure and be able to explore the entire island – which we did. and found this small. somewhat private beach in Cove Bay all the way on the East side of the island.

DSC_0854We also found a trail on the side of the beach which ended up having multiple trails: Salt Pond, Drunk Bay and then a longer trail leading up to Rams Head – which is where I took these awesome pictures!

drunk_bay_mainDSC_0836The colors and view speak for themselves. I have never done a hike in my bathing suit (+ my Nike Free run sneakers) and …well… I LOVED it…DSC_0830On our second to last day, we found a small island –off the island– where the locals say they go when they want to “get away” Its about a 10-15 mins boat ride over there, called Water Island. or you can borrow someones dinghy if you’re lucky enough!

When you get there, you can rent a golf cart to drive around the area or walk to the beach called Honeymoon beach (which is what we did)- about a 10 min walk.DSC_0917There are 2 outside beach bars there: Heidi’s and Dinghy’s. We sat at the Dinghy bar area on the chairs provided for “patrons” only. So we naturally bought some drinks from the outside bar and enjoyed the view.

DSC_0913We went over to the opposite end and tried out Heidi’s for lunch and some more drinks —– wow. The food was outstanding. I mean Nico had a cheese burger— but no joke; it was one of the best burgers we’ve ever had. I had a Cesar salad with grilled chicken. The chicken was so tender and flavorful and the dressing was home-made and just the right amount of creamy.

People who live on that little island would come and go with their dogs for a quick swim – made me miss Freddy – of course!

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We WILL be going back again… we’re hoping as early as October with some family members (including Freddy).. it was that great!

 

 

Organic Matcha: Start the New year on a healthy note.

New Year-New Habits? Or maybe just restart those habits that may of subsided around the Holidays — Kick start the New Year with healthy options!

Like this Organic Matcha! I always get a Green-Tea-Soy-Latte from Starbucks and after it racking up my weekly coffee-run limit, I decided to try and make it at home — Well, I have had no luck finding  green Matcha powder (Starbucks uses it in the drink!) My sister was able to find me a tiny amount in a small store in Chinatown (Boston), but it was pretty bitter(& pricey) and I couldn’t master making the GTSL I love from the bucks!

Recently, stores like Whole Foods have caught on and began filling their bulk sections with Matcha powder – However, my favorite thus far is the one from kissmeorganics.com. 

Did you know having just 1/2 tsp a day provides you with loads of health benefits? I drink tons of green tea, but this Matcha gives me about 137x more the amount of antioxidants.

You can only get it on Amazon.

photoHere is the Green Tea Latte I can make myself now! (using Starbucks reusable go-green cups)

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Fake looking lashes without the glue!

I am sure by now most of you have heard about the new beauty craze. It’s called 3D Lash mascara! I was skeptical myself. I mean I have tried Sephora’s “best seller” extension fiber mascara and all I got was a clump of white specks. 

However, this mascara has BLACK fibers.. genius, right? I don’t know why people made white fibers to begin with? Anyways, if you know me, you know I wear minimal makeup and the only time I wear more makeup is if someone is applying it for me! ahhh those runway days…. BUT if I can apply this mascara and make it look like I have full amazing lashes- then you better believe you can too! This is my first try – I hear it gets easier and more amazing with a little bit of practice… and practice I will —for all the Holiday parties I got going on =)

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 www.lashesbymelanie.com to get your own!  She can give you some expert tips too 😉  Coconut oil as a makeup remover? uhm yes!

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video tutorial coming soon!!

xo,

K

KISS InstaWave Hair Curler- so easy to use!

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Just tried this out and I took it with me to Mexico for the wedding and I was able to get my hair done really fast. The video is my second time ever using it (and my first attempt at taking a beauty video), so I will admit it takes a little getting used to (the tool and my bad video), but before I became an expert, I wanted to just show you my first experiences with the InstaWave and how I still got great results! 

Sidenote: What are being using to take those great beauty videos? I know lighting is probably one of the most important factors…sigh

 p.s. This is a a great gift idea =) 

 http://www.KISSInstaWave.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Things to come…just in time for Holiday Shopping

Hola!

I’m back from Mexico and have a million things to catch up on with work, emails, getting Freddy back!!(he’s still at his grandparents house), unpacking, picture uploading, etc etc…..but I just wanted to write a quick post because I’m super excited about some of my upcoming posts!  For one, the KISS InstaWave Hair curler (which I took with me to Mexico) helped me to do my hair in 10 minutes from getting out of the shower- amazing – Ill be posting a video to show you how easy it is!
Also, I have the 3D mascara coming to me soon so I can’t wait to show you how that works- hey, I cant wait to try it out for myself first! – because I’m pretty close to treating myself to lash extensions, but if this can achieve that in a fraction of the cost- I’m all for it.
I have some amazing candles from Old Factory Candles coming my way too!- perfect for holiday gifts! There is something magical, yet simple about coming home and having the rooms lit up with candles.
Oh, and I’ll be sharing the most amazing pictures from the wedding- I swear the background looks photo-shopped- its that breathtaking. Here is a sneak peak: 

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Xo,
Karina