My Basic Morning Skin Care.

Hello!

I've been trying to think of something to post for a couple weeks now, and just decided to go back to the basics.

My morning skin routine.

Now skin care is the most crucial part of good looking skin.
It seems obvious right?
But it's amazing how much we take it for granted.

Whether it's not drinking enough water to keep it hydrated,
laying on the make-up,
not WASHING said make-up off, (a dastardly mistake we make more often than we would like to admit, right?)
or even just not putting on sunscreen when we go out.

It may seem like little things that you're doing, but they add up.
Day after day, month after month, year after year.
It's important to create and maintain healthy routines, and not just for our skin!

I'm going to show you the extremely easy steps I take every morning in my small attempt to take better care of myself.

This is my face before my routine, aside from washing, which I do right after my shower.
I'm not going to try hide my spots and scars because they're there, and the reason for my routine is to try and make it so they aren't!
Hopefully several months down the track I can do an updated one of these and show you how my skin has improved from a daily routine.

(As you can see, I dyed my hair purple several weeks ago. I really should have taken pictures to show you the process, but it'll have to wait for another time! Also I apologise profusely. The downfalls of colourful dye is that it washes out so so so quickly, as you can see in my roots. My hair also grows very fast so you can see the roots coming through.. *sigh* Here's a picture of it when I first did it. )

First thing is first.
Washing the face.
Like I said, I generally do that right after my shower, but I'll show you the face wash I use.

It's the same one from my haul a few weeks ago, from The Face Shop. 

I don't always use this one, but it's my every day wash. 

A couple times a week I will use an exfoliating one, such as St. Ives Apricot Face Scrub, and at night I tend to use an oil cleanser, such as Softymo. 

Next up is a toner. 

I use one of two toners, either a witch hazel, (any brand will do, I personally have not noticed a difference between the higher end brands and drug store brands) or sake. 

(I know a lot of people are going to freak out here because sake is an alcohol and therefor drying, but my skin is never ever dry after I use this, in fact it's quite the opposite. It's extremely soft and almost tacky to the touch for hours. I'm no expert, but in my experience, sake is one of my favourite toners, also the Kojic acid actually works very quickly to lighten scars caused by blemishes.)

The next thing I use is a serum. 

An eye serum would be best, but I make do with this. 

I try not to use it every day, simply because it is anti-ageing, and if your skin is already relatively youthful, anti-ageing products can be counter-productive. 

I don't use it over my whole face, but more under my eyes (but not too close, I don't want to get any of the product in them!) the tops of my cheeks, and work it in a little lower.




Last but definitely not least is my moisturiser.
It's really important to find a daytime moisturiser that includes sunscreen, unless you want to apply that separately, which I find leaves me sticky and blah.
Most moisturisers will contain sunscreen, but it's best to find a natural moisturiser/sunscreen, because non-natural sunscreens are full of chemicals and can instead cause cancer and other problems.

 I think the smartest thing in purchasing skin, or any, products, is to buy things that are as naturally and as simply made as possible.
If we're using 20 products a day, but 15 of them contain chemicals that are known for creating other problems that may lead to the destroying of the very thing it's meant to help, I think it's extremely counter-productive.
When possible, homemade is always best!

Here's my face after the routine.
Aside from the lighting change, nothing really changed, but I promise you, day after day of a healthy skin routine, and you will definitely notice differences.
Even if you only go so far as washing your face every morning and night, as long as you are keeping a strict routine of it, there's no way you won't see improvements.
(Unless of course you're using something incompatible for your skin! Such as a cleanser for oily skin when you already have naturally dry skin. Always research what products will be best for your skin type.)


What is your basic skin care routine?
Do you use more products or less?

Pugs, Not Drugs, Kids.

Hello~

Ah springtime is definitely settling in here.
Or you know, going straight to summer.
I'm not sure Hawaii knows theres meant to be four seasons.

Today was actually still relatively chill, with some nice sun coming in through those everlasting clouds, so I popped down to the pool for forty-five minutes or so.
It would have been twenty times better if I had had this drink while I was down there, but sadly, I did not.
Still, it was pretty nice.

After my refreshing swim and little sit in the sun for my daily vitamin D, I went back to my suffocating cave of a room, and although I'm not going anywhere today, I still put together an outfit of the day.

                  (This is a truly atrocious picture and I don't know what happened, but moving on)

So the skirt is the same skirt I wore in my Shark Outfit from february.
It's just such a simple and sturdy skirt, I really adore it, and if I could, I would definitely buy more.

My shirt was a gift from my grandparents, an addition to my slowly growing pug shirt collection.
(The only other piece being a t-shirt my cousin sent me for christmas that I cut up a bit, which I will post at the bottom!)

It is from an absolutely awesome project that produces and sells shirts that support the artists that created the print.
(Psst, check them out here. The shirts they sell are all super awesome!)

On my feet, which you cannot see, I am wearing my Minho from SHINee socks. 

I just wanted you to know that. 

Anyhow, that's all for today but I hope to see you all again soon! 

Bye! 

As promised, my other pug shirt, featuring my pug, Kaliya.

Nature Republic Given By Nature Tea Tree Mask Sheet

Hello!

So my skin has been pretty dull and pre-breakout mode for a few days and I wanted to try something new to see if I could get it a bit better.

Delving in to my closet of wonders I poured out the contents of the bag of sheet masks I keep.
Rifling past the cherry blossom, and aqua fresh, and equally weirdly named masks, I pulled out this Tea Tree one.

This facial mask sheet keeps your skin smooth and flawless with tea tree extract.

Taking that in to consideration and also being reassured that it was FROM EARTH (thank you for clarifying that, NR. Never can be too sure these days) I decided to use it. 

When I opened it I was surprised at how much liquid was in it. 

This is the first Nature Republic mask I've used, the rest have been Missha, The Face Shop, and other various brands. 

The other thing I noticed is that this mask was very thin, which I really liked. 

It stuck to my face better and for longer than the thicker masks had. 

It was still very oversized but I guess they're just making sure it covers everything right?

(Damn my eyebrows look fine) 

I wouldn't use these right before you go out anywhere, because it does get in to your hair and makes it a little greasy, and you don't want to just wash it out because that would also be washing off the formula sinking in to your skin. 

When it did eventually start peeling, maybe 20 minutes later, I managed to leave it on for another 10 before finally taking it off. 

Now I never really feel like these do a whole lot for me, at least not until much later,  but as I sit here a few hours later my skin really does feel a bit refreshed and less just bad feeling.

My skin still feels a little greasy which is definitely not my favourite, and I'll probably properly wash my face soon.

All in all, surprisingly, this was one of my more favourable sheet masks.
In general I do it for a bit of fun, and don't expect a whole lot of gain aside from being a bit moisturised, but I am actually impressed with the difference this time.
My skin felt fresher, and the redness went down a little.

I will probably buy more of these next time I go to Nature Republic.

Until next time!
bye~

Berry Lemonade Recipe

hello~

This is just a quick post to share my new favourite drink seeing as we're going in to summer.

I wish I had taken more pictures as I was making it but I didn't, as usual.

It's super simple and as someone who absolutely loathes the effort it takes to drink enough water for my health, I find it's a lot easier to help the medicine go down with a spoonful of sugar...

You will need:

Berries of your choice, either frozen or fresh works fine. (I used strawberries and blueberries)
Sweetener (I used maple syrup, but I usually use agave syrup or stevia. Go ahead and use whatever fits your taste.)
Lemons or Lemon juice
Mint (Optional)
Ice

A blender/vitamix/anything that will blend those berries
A cup or something to drink from (I love mason jars)
A knife and chopping board
A sieve or tea strainer
A spoon
Straws (Optional)


To do:

(For a glass of berry lemonade)

In your blender/whatever (I used a handheld mixer thing and cup) add about 1/4th of a cup lemon juice, 1/4th of a cup of your chosen berries, and your sweetener to taste. (I used about two spoonfuls of maple syrup)

After its well blended, you're sure to have a kind of pulpy mix.
Take your sieve/tea strainer and positioning it above the glass, pour it through, occasionally scraping the strainer with your spoon to allow the liquid through.

Once your have your concentrated drink mix in the cup, fill the rest with water and add some ice.
You can add your mint leaves and lemon slices at this point too.

Voila! The perfect refreshing drink.
I plan on drinking a lot of these by the pool this summer!
What drinks do you rely on in summer?

Sunglasses; My Dangerous Addiction.

Hello again!

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted anything! 

This post is just a little bit of fun, seeing as I haven't done anything interesting within the last two weeks, so I thought I would share part of my sunglasses collection.

Read: Part. 

I actually own quite a few more pairs than I'm going to show, but they're either just plain simple pairs, or pairs I have yet to retrieve from various friend's houses thanks to my habit of putting them in someone else's bag when I'm not using them! 

Almost every time I go shopping I buy at least one new pair of sunglasses, if not more. 

They're just so versatile and can make looks complete. 

Not only that, but the mixture of my having extremely sun sensitive eyes, on top of living in Hawaii where sunglasses aren't just a fashion statement, but a necessity, it's easy to get caught in the wave of $5 sunnies in all kinds of colours and styles. 

Let's start shall we?

(Disclaimer: Oh lordy lordy lordy I should really work on my camera skills any angles shouldn't I. These are pretty awful.)

To be honest I don't even remember where I got these from. 

I've had them for at least two years, and I used them a lot more back when my style was a little more eclectic like this. 

I loved wearing them with a white shirt and a bright orange pair of shorts which I still have somewhere in my wardrobe. 

I got these from a local surf shop here for about $25. They're Crush which I think is also a local brand. 

I generally wore these when I was going off to the beach for the day and would wear them in to the water so the look wasn't as important, but still wanted a generally slim line and high UV protection pair. 

I got these for $5 from somewhere but I really can't remember where. I want to say Charlotte Russe but I don't know for sure. 

They aren't actually a bright orange, but a turtleshell colour, with turquoise ends. 

Again, these were another one of my summer go-to's. 

I actually bought these the other day at Charlotte Russe for about $6. 

I've yet to wear them out, but I'm super excited to. 

These are something I would wear more in the winter/colder seasons. 

I love pairing things like these with my all black or very monochrome outfits, for that little pop of detail. 

I got these at the same time as the ones above, and haven't worn them either.

I'm saving them for summer, because I aim to have a easy breezy almost spring like look this year. 

They're absolutely adorable and remind me of something a pin up girl might wear with her big flouncy red dress. 

These are actually pretty old but they have served me well!

You can see a few scratches, but I still like to wear these on a casual day out. 

They were given to me by a friend with a similar sunglasses addiction, right before I visited California for the first time. (Speaking of, I'm planning another visit in the near future! I can't wait to take pictures and post them up here ^^) 

These have the same rose-viney detail as the round pair above, but were $24 at Aldos. 

I wore these almost non-stop when I got them. I love how fancy it makes a simple black outfit look. 

Now these are actually one of my favourite pairs. 

They're a little bit mannish, but that's what I like about them. They kind of add an edge to my outfit. 

This is another older pair, as you can see from the scratches, which I got for $3 at a thrift store. 

I wore these a lot a few years ago too. They gave me a more sophisticated feel to my otherwise simple outfits. 

Ok lately I have been obsessed with the round glasses as you could see from my recent purchases. 

These were $5 from Forever 21.

I just think they're so odd that they add such an interesting aspect to so many outfits.

Whenever I feel like adding that little street style pop, I will wear a pair of my round frame glasses. 

This pair is a little warmer so it's good for more coloured outfits. 

These are pretty much the same as the ones above, but a little edgier. 

$15 at City Mill which is a really weird place to find sunglasses but hey. 

And I absolutely love the little arrow details on the side. 

I prefer darker lenses in general, mostly because people can't see my eyes and I have a tendency to zone out, but with dark lenses, they will never know!

I wear these with "colder" styled outfits. 

With less colour and more sharp lines. 

These next three are just silly ones that I have for fun. However I have worn them on several occasions! 

This lenseless pair was given to me as a christmas gift by one of my friends who has a matching pair. 

I don't think I've worn these anywhere aside from the house. 

I got these last summer when my cousin came to visit and we went a little nuts shopping. 

$5 from Forever 21. 

I wore these to the grocery store once, and actually got a girl around my age say as she passed me "Nice glasses."

However I'm not sure if she was making good-natured fun of them or actually insulting me... 

This is the last pair, something I bought for fun at Pricebusters for $3.50.

I wore these in our 4th of July parade last year. 

Look at that bow! So cute heheh. 

And that's all I have for today!

Give me a few more months and I'm sure I'll have more to show you, but for now, I hope you enjoyed having a peek in to my collection. 

What kind of sunglasses do you have? Do you wear them often? 

Thanks for reading!

Bye~