Regrettable Purchases of 2017 & Lessons Learned

Hello friends, Happy Friday!

Sorry for MIA, I caught the flu that everybody has last weekend, but finally got over it! I might have gone a little crazy with all the supplements at Costco, which went something like this:
Vitamin C? Duh! Zinc? Yes! Turmeric $5 off? We'll take it!
After taking all these supplements and water with ACV every morning, I feel much better this week!

I've previously written about My Best Purchases of 2017, but I think it's also interesting to look back on my regrettable purchases and what I learned. After years of shopping, I can tell pretty quickly whether or not something is going to work for me, so we are not talking about items I've returned. Rather, we are talking about items I thought I would get a lot of use out of, but didn't, or things that are just not worth it in my opinion. Below are 5 things I regret buying that are fashion, beauty, and lifestyle-related, since I tend to spend quite a bit in that category ;). I hope you can learn from my experience and let's get started!

1. Henri Bendel Marquis Tote Bag:

You might remember from my Instastory a while back that I got my very first Henri Bendel bag when I visited D.C. I wanted to do a handbag reveal, but never did. Well, because I never used it!

5 Winter Beauty Favorites

Hello friends, Happy Tuesday! How was your weekend?

Can you believe it? I finally went to Six Flags! I've had my annual membership (same as annual pass, except you pay monthly) for about two years now and I didn't go once! Terrible waste of money... But every time I thought about canceling, I would tell myself, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go. And I didn't... Anyways, it was great to be back, although my tolerance for roller coasters has decreased significantly - I was screaming like a baby! We also didn't check park hours, since it usually closes at 9PM on Saturdays. Turns out, they closed at 6PM, so we only went on 4 rides. Good thing they are now open every day this year, so I guess I'll have to hold on to my membership a little longer to go on more rides, right? ;)

Although it rarely feels like winter in So-Cal, my skin seems to demand more attention this time of the year. So today, I rounded up 5 beauty favorites that keep me moisturized and glowy in the winter months. Btw, if you haven't read last week's posts on beauty lessons I've learned in my late 20's, you can scroll down the page or click to read Part I and Part II here!

Beauty Lessons I've Learned in My Late 20's (Part II)

Hello friends, Happy Friday!

Today, we are chatting more about beauty lessons I've learned in my late 20's! If you haven't read Part I on skincare, you can scroll down on the page or click right here! Some big, some small, here are 8 beauty lessons I've learned on makeup, hair, and body.


My mom is the kind of person who spends so much time on skincare, but rarely wears any makeup. I didn't get into makeup until college, so hello Sephora and goodbye savings... Looking back, I've had my fair share of streaky foundation looks, unflattering haircut/color (and a Freshman 15!), which I've certainly learned from. I understand not everyone wears makeup (props to you for going au naturel!), but for many of us, makeup does help us look more polished and feel more confident. As Charlotte Tilbury puts it:

Credit

I didn't start filling in my eyebrows until after college. I obviously had more brow hair back then, but I swear as you get older, parts of your eyebrows just don't grow back anymore! While I'm comfortable leaving the house without most makeup, I HAVE TO fill in my eyebrows. Eyebrows provide definition and structure to your face and make you look more polished instantly. In terms of products, I've used and enjoyed Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz ($21) and Brow Definer ($23) over the years. Now, I mostly use Benefit Cosmetics Goof Proof Brow Pencil ($24), which gives you a little more product for the price. In short, never leave the house without sunscreen and fill in your eyebrows!

Beauty Lessons I've Learned in My Late 20's (Part I)

Hello friends, Happy Tuesday! :)

Anyone else feeling like staying in bed all day in this drizzling rain? I sure wish I could!

This week, we are chatting all about beauty lessons I've learned in my late 20's. I had originally planned for this to be one post with 8 - 10 points, but once I started writing, the list just kept growing. So instead, I'm splitting it up into two parts. Today, we are focusing on skincare and on Friday, we'll talk about makeup, hair, and body. So without further ado, here are 6 skincare lessons I've learned in my late 20's.


Getting a facial felt like such a splurge in my early 20's. I could only afford to get them a few times a year, but I LOVED how clean my pores were, how smooth and glowy my skin looked after. I promised myself that I would get them reguarly once I started working - Except I cringed every time I wanted to go in; I could buy a new dress or another pair of shoes with that money! (Can't you tell I love shopping?) So I only got them when my skin desperately needed a deep clean. A few weeks later, it would end up looking the same, even though I exfoliate and apply masks regularly.

Two years ago, I got to know this older Taiwanese lady in the lunchroom who always brings and eats so many fruits. She is always so happy and friendly and offering fruits to others. We chatted a few times in Mandarin and I started to sit with her and others from her department. One day, she was telling the group that she's thinking about retiring next year. Retire?! She literally looks like my mom's age! She winked at me and whispered, "I don't spend much nowadays, but I get a facial and a massage every week!"

So that's the secret? I shared the story with my mom that night. She was not surprised at all and said, "What's the point of buying another dress or shoes (clearly knowing what I spend money on...), if you are going to look wrinkled in it?" Ever since then, I try to get a facial every 4 - 6 weeks and it's worth every penny! I definitely notice a difference when I go in regularly versus occasionally.

PS: So many places have introductory offers and packages, which makes it a little more affordable!

10 Tips for Starting & Maintaining a Healthier Lifestyle

Hello friends, Happy New Year! :)

Who else found it hard to be back at work this week?

Adopting a healthier and more active lifestyle is one of the most popular new year's resolutions every year. While we start with the best intentions, we often find ourselves back to our old habits when work or life gets hectic. This was also my goal last year, but once I really committed to this lifestyle change, I lost almost 10 lbs!

Today, I'm sharing with you 10 tips that really helped me start and maintain a healthier lifestyle and kept the weight off last year ;). I'll cover how to stay healthy on the road in a separate post, since I also traveled a ton last year. So without further ado, let's get started!

Whatever your health and fitness goals (no matter how small) are this year, be as specific as you can. Your annual health screening results can be a good place to start, if there's something specific you need to work on this year. Better yet, write down all your goals and keep them accessible. This will help hold you accountable. 

Breaking up end goals/results into smaller ones can make them more manageable. I know wanted to lose at least 5 lbs last year (end goal) and I put it into smaller goals such as exercising 15 - 20 min every day, only allowing one fast food per week etc, which ultimately gave me the results I wanted. Your goals don't have to stay the same throughout the year, so keep tweaking them to make it challenging and fun for you!

I like visuals, so I put healthy food and the flexed emoji on my vision board last year, as shown in the Mid-year Update on my 2017 Goals. I also started following Tone It Up and Katie Austin on Instagram, whose workouts I already follow on YouTube. Seeing their feed every day makes me excited for my workout and what to eat after. The shopaholic side of me certainly gets motivated by cute workout clothes, haha! I love Zella from Nordstrom, which makes such cute and comfortable workout clothes. You can also find them on sale at Nordstrom Rack sometimes!

Btw, have you seen the new Tone It Up workout gear at Target? I love the rose color of this water bottle! You can't have too many water bottles, right?!