Dry Skin Necessities

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If you live in a climate that takes no prisoners when it comes to winter, you definitely have experience with dry winter skin. And since Boston can’t get its act together in terms of the temperature, my skin has been battling everything from bitter cold snow days to weirdly humid 65° days mid-winter. All these weather changes take a toll on your skin, and if your number one concern (right after hoping the JoJo will be the next Bachelorette) is preventative skin care, winter is the perfect time to up your game.

           I have “genetically confused” skin, which is my way of wondering how I inherited my grandma’s problematic skin type, while my mom’s healthy, smooth, young-looking skin didn’t make the genetic cut. For as long as I can remember I’ve battled sensitive, dry and itchy skin, especially in winter (which makes me pause and wonder why I moved to Boston?) so I’ve developed an arsenal of products to get me through.

      This is one of my favorite body scrubs, for obvious reasons. It’s made out of coffee grounds, and it sloughs away dead skin while keeping you moisturized. This in-shower lotion is made to be applied then rinsed off, while in the shower. I’ve been using it for several months now and love it.  It’s great if you don’t have the time, or motivation, to apply after-shower lotion, but if you’re like me and your body needs every bit of moisture you can get, I always apply this after showers.

     My lips are the first to show signs of being dry, so when they feel tight I reach for this, but when they’re cracked and need extra care I grab this, which I have been obsessed with since I was 13 and my dermatologist determined it was the only thing that wouldn’t give my skin a bad reaction (every preteen's dream).

       I always try to carry a facial spray in my bag, and was given this one recently and really like it. It’s a running joke in my office when I start misting my face mid-day, but a girl’s gotta keep her skin hydrated!

Thanks for reading!

Kristine

Winter Lips

 I can pinpoint the exact moment I became an adult to the first time I reached for a lipstick instead of a lip gloss. That's a pretty defining moment for a girl who spent a lot of her formative years wearing sparkly blue eye shadow.

Anyway, now that I've grown into a more mature makeup style, lipstick is my #1 go-to when I need to look put together.

A great lipstick is like the LBD of the makeup world- always in style, easy to pull together, and can cover a multitude of sins.

Seriously, swipe on some lipstick and your coworkers will all be commenting on how chic you look and will never suspect you took National Wine Day a little too seriously. 

These are my favorite go-to's right now:

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These colors are deep enough for the winter, but their bright hues can carry you right into spring. This plum lipstick goes on glossy and is moisturizing with a more sheer, but buildable color. I put this on my girlfriend a couple of weekends ago and it made her green eyes POP!

This is my current favorite red lipstick. My skin's naturally pale with cool undertones, and this red-orange shade is super flattering.

Finally this cult-favorite is a great little multitasker. It has blue undertones which means it looks great on fairer skin tones and those blue tones make your teeth look whiter. It's also super pigmented and the shade is deep enough to work regardless of the season. (It is a semi-matte lipstick, which tend to be a little more drying, so double up on the lip balm with this one).

Thanks for reading!

Kristine

2016

Lately

Bracelets | Watch | Sweatshirt: H&M: not currently online | Pillow | Cactus Candle Holders | Prints: Donut Worry; Bless This Mess | Scarf | Ring

       After a lot of midnight breakdowns and revisions of my cover letter, I landed a post-grad job. Any semblance of a lifestyle I may have had quickly deteriorated into a wash, rinse and repeat cycle of coffee, work, wine. Sometimes (often) I’d sneak pizza into the mix.

       Finally I feel like I’ve gotten the handle on the 9-5 lifestyle. (This is a myth. I do not work 9-5. Who tricked us into thinking we would all get to leave work by 5pm??) But it turns out that although landing a job is tough, adjusting to a job might be tougher.

        After a long work week, it’s hard to convince yourself that leaving your sofa is necessary. But it is easy to convince yourself that paying a $15 delivery fee for pizza and wine is reasonable and something that you should definitely do.

        Now that I’ve been thrust into the real world for over a year now, I’m starting to find that balance between work and life, and for me a big part of that is getting back into my hobbies outside of work.

        A hobby sounds like such a weird thing to say; how often do you get asked about your hobbies anymore? (unless you’re at some weird work ice-breaker activity, which we all know are the worst)

So, what are your hobbies?

10 year old Kristine: “Reading, dancing, gymnastics, drawing, arts and crafts, riding my bike, playing with dolls, Neopets, writing, chain-emails, shopping… ”

24 year old Kristine: “Mostly just eating and thinking about my next meal. Oh and I also watch the Bachelor”

But I want to get back into my hobbies. For me it’s easy to get into a slump of just getting though my days, but I’m a lot happier when I take the time to get back into the things I love to do. So I’m making an effort to do just that, which means I’ll update this blog instead of going home and watching Jeopardy in my yoga pants. Or maybe I’ll find the balance to do both.