Skin Care Essentials

 

 

I'm a recovering product junkie and I love to try out a new product ever so often. I also have problem skin. I basically have adult acne from stress and poor cell turnover.  At least that's what I've decided. ;) I've had pretty clear skin for the past few months which is awesome! This post was not sponsored in any way, I just wanted to share what works for me right now. I have a slight olive undertone and can scar easily. Unfortunately, almost all of my blemishes leaving scarring so my skin care regimen is very important to me!

 Night and day I use this cleanser. followed by a makeup remover on my eyes. I don't have a favorite makeup remover, I just use whatever is cheapest when I go to Target. In the mornings I always use the Cetaphil  Moisturizing Lotion. Nights are a different story. One to two times a week I use Epiduo which was prescribed to me by my dermatologist. The only thing I don't like about it is it seems to make scarring happen more often as your skin is thinner (and I'm prone to scars). However, it has really helped me keep my acne under control. I don't use moisturizer after. On the nights I don't use Epiduo, I wash my face and put on the truth serum which helps my skin be brighter and for scars to fade. Then, I wait about ten minutes and put on my Cetaphil lotion. On Fridays I use my Clarisonic followed by the serum and lotion. I try to use the Epiduo during the week so that my skin isn't aggravated when I use my Clarisonic. I highly recommend my Clarisonic and Purity face wash. I also am obsessed with the Truth serum but my mom and good friend both hated it. I almost can't believe them! ;)

What are your favorite products?

Best and Worst: Emmys

Best:

Photo Credit

Taylor Schilling of "Orange is the New Black" stunned in her simple white gown that draped in all the right places. Plus her hair, makeup, and jewelry were completely on point. This is a win in my book!

Worst:

Photo Credit

Lena Headey of "Game of Thrones" takes my pick for worst dressed. This is so trashy. I'm guessing it's a new trend as my favorite Julianne Hough also wore a "it looks like I'm wearing underwear and a lace curtain" look. I think Lena is a beautiful woman and I wish she would have chosen better.

Who was your best/worst dressed?

Dream On

       

Bag  | NY Map Scarf | Paige Straight Leg Jeans | DV Boots

It wouldn't be fall if I didn't post my wish list! Unfortunately I didn't snag a Powerball ticket last night so it looks as if all of these items won't live in my closet unless they go on sale. I'm obsessed with the DV boots! They'd look adorable with a skirt, dress, or skinny jeans and a chunky sweater. I have a feeling I would grow out of them by next year so I'm on the fence about actually purchasing them or just staring at them on my computer screen. What do you think? What's on your wish list?

Eating Italy

On our last day in Rome we went on a walking food tour called Taste of Testaccio by a Roman food tour company called Eating Italy.  I had been looking forward to this tour for MONTHS. I'm a huge foodie and Italian food is my absolute favorite. If I could get away with eating pizza and pasta every day I would. I blame it on my Italian roots. My fiery great-grandma was from southern Italy. Testaccio is an old neighborhood that is off the beaten path and not touristy at all. Our tour guide, Beau, was an American living in Rome and extremely knowledgable. I learned more on that tour than I had anywhere else! We tasted pizza, gelato, two different pastas, bruschetta, cheese, caprice salad, tiramisu, and fried risotto balls. I have never been that full in my entire life. Had I not been in one of the best gelato shops in Rome, I would have declined the last tasting. We also stopped by the most beautiful and serene botanical protestant cemetery where the English poet John Keets was buried. It's also home to a cat sanctuary where I snapped that last pic. I had to post it for my fellow cat lover and loyal blog reader Alex. I would have loved to take more pictures but I didn't want to be disrespectful. You can learn more about the protestant cemetery here if you're interested. It was one of the most stunning places I saw there. If you find yourself in Rome for a few days, definitely consider taking this tour.

Gladiators.

Happy Friday! My Europe recap posts are coming to an end soon. Aren't you sad? The Coliseum and the Roman Forums were definitely a highlight of our time in Rome. I'll never forget seeing them for the first time, it was truly breathtaking. In true nerd fashion, Jeff and I watched Gladiator on his iPad that night in the hotel room. I think here is where I write "When in Rome" and then it makes that whole going to bed early in Rome thing okay. Did you see my hair up there? You can just call me Alfalfa from now on. I don't mind. Seriously. Have a great weekend!

Vatican City

Jeff and I toured Vatican City and also walked past it a few times during our stay in Rome. I was surprised how central it is in Rome. We did the ill advised thing and bought our tickets to tour the museum and Sistine Chapel online last minute. We had zero lines! Maybe we got lucky but it seems like doing the afternoon tour was less crowded. The museum had so many Egyptian artifacts which I was not expecting. I love everything ancient Egypt so I was really excited. My favorite part about Vatican City was definitely the Sistine Chapel. Whether you're religious or not, it's a stunning and peaceful building. It's absolutely gorgeous and the emotion jumps off the walls. Some of my favorite Italy photos were taken at Vatican City!

In Memory of 9/11

Photo taken during my New York City trip last year

"An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind"-Ghandi

Target Wedding! Be Yourself, Together.

I love gift giving but I really try to buy a gift that the recipients will use and truly enjoy. Why buy something that's just going to sit in a closet, right!? When the gift occasion is a wedding it can be especially challenging to find a gift that expresses both the individuality of each person but also celebrates them as a couple. That's why I was pretty excited to team up with Target and their Wedding Registry theme "Be Yourself, Together". I think it's really important to have different and common interests in a relationship.

Two products that would be a fantastic gift and are probably on many registries are the Weber One Touch Grill  and Threshold Kayden Flatware Set. This flatware set is gorgeous, sturdy, and perfect for entertaining, impressing family and your girlfriends with your domestic skills! The Weber grill is easily portable and gets the job done for a barbecue with the boys in the backyard or patio. The separate interests of home decorating, entertaining and masterful grilling come together for the perfect September get together. Make sure to follow the Target campaign by searching #TargetWedding.

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target.
All opinions are my own. 

Last day in London!

One the last leg of our tour we visited the medieval town of Lacock (where portions of Harry Potter were filmed!) and had lunch at a pub that held England's first liquor license in the 1300's. We also visited Bath, England which was by far my favorite part of the day. Had I know how beautiful and quaint it was, I would have stayed the night and a full day there. We didn't have enough time to tour the ancient Roman spas and frankly, I wanted to explore and grab some ice cream! Guess I'll have to go back some day ;)

Have you ever been to Bath?

Windsor Castle & Stonehenge

Happy Friday! I'm going to split up our last day in London into two posts because we did a bus tour to four equally amazing places and I just can't force myself to put it all in one post! So today I want to share some photos from Windsor Castle (the Queen herself still lives there!) and Stonehenge. Both sites are completely different and I couldn't choose which I liked more. The mystery surrounding Stonehenge rings true when you stand next to the rocks and see how HUGE they are in real life. And I'm a royalist (ha!) so going inside Windsor Castle to see artwork from the monarchy is something I won't forget. Have a fantastic weekend!