The mums, the jack o’lanterns, the homemade pumpkin spice lattes— you name it, there’s something everyone enjoys about fall. October’s cooler temperatures, plant metamorphosis, and the smell of our favorite comfort foods is like a biological signal to all humans that winter is fast approaching and the holidays are right around the corner.
The first holiday to excuse binge eating on sweets is, of course, Halloween. And while I would love to digress about how unhealthy I eat between the months of, oh say late September to early March, I don’t care to discuss that here today.
Instead I want to talk about this little known phenomena called keeping up with the Joneses. It’s this Pinterest-lead lifestyle a lot of girls lead that irks me in this way that I don’t seem to notice until we get around this season. Everyone is Instagramming their homemade apple streussel (of course, made with the apples freshly picked from the orchard). And then there’s the cutesy chevron-painted pumpkin that could have only cost around $20, believe you me.
It’s that pang of jealousy that I get that makes me wonder: should I paint my living room black and orange to celebrate this pagan holiday too?
But wait, Thanksgiving is around the corner and I should probably make those adorable turkey cupcakes, and oh my! There’s Christmas and I think the empty wine bottles could be upcycled into eight tiny reindeer (oh dear, is that an indication that I’m a wino?)
Stop.
That’s what all of us slightly obsessive, detail-oriented, list-making girls (and guys) get antsy and uptight and want to scream when we don’t do it all. I’m not naturally crafty. Martha Stewart is not my alter ego. I aspire to be the artsy girl and end up being the anal one. It’s time to take a chill pill this time. One thing at a time is good enough. Good enough are two words overachievers hate to hear, but it’s okay to sit back and take it all in without doing it all.
It’s cliche, I know. I ended up making a list of all the things I want to do in October. I broke my own rule, but if not making a list is a rule then isn’t that missing the point? Well, the list I made was do-able. And fun. And I’m OK with it if I don’t do everything on it. It’s just a general idea. For example, I want to make one pumpkin dish each week. This week is pumpkin fingerprint cookies. I also want to go to the zoo. I want to go to a pumpkin patch. Give my boyfriend the best birthday ever. And basically just take in the beauty of fall that is around me.
I like to hike and see the trees and the changing colors. The smell of earth and decomposition is heavenly to me. Yes, the caramel apple candle is good but nothing beats mother nature. A new fall wardrobe would be nice, but how about dirtying up my old jeans to the point of no return? And wearing the most uniquely horrifying costume could win you a prize at a contest, but it’s harder to forget how scary it is to walk through the cemetery around midnight without a flashlight.
Tag Archives: beauty
Apple Cider Vinegar
When it comes to skin care, I like to go the chemical-free route. After all, your skin has pores which lead directly into your body. So why would you directly put toxins and other harsh products on your body?
For a cleanser and make-up remover I use UltraBland from Lush. It’s amazing. I went through an acne phase, surprisingly, my junior year of college. I guess I was blessed to not have it in middle school/high school but suddenly my Clearasil wasn’t working any more. I tried Burts Bees and it didn’t do anything for me. I went to Lush and begged the sales lady to please find me something to treat the acne on my face. Oddly, the acne clustered only on my right cheek and chin. She recommended UltraBland (most Lush workers and regular shoppers do). It’s made with bees wax and honey and the smell is a little interesting to get used to at first. All you do is wet your face with warm water, get about a finger tips worth of Ultrabland and spread evenly across your face. Take a wet cotton round and take the product off. Pat dry with a soft towel. Your face will feel instantly soft, unlike many cleansers that leave it dry or tight. At first I thought my face would get too oily, but that is prevented if you use a toner.
The toners I use are Breath of Fresh Air or Tea Tree Water from Lush. If you’ve never used a toner, or are scared it may dry out your skin too much do not worry. Toners actually take off the residue from your cleanser and rehydrate your skin. What’s great about Lush is that they use ingredients, like rosewater, aloe, and seaweed instead of alcohol makes it a perfect product to pair with Ultrabland. What I do is take a cotton round, spritz on some toner, and wipe down my face.
About once a week I steam my face with Ultrabland. I cover my face like a mask with the cleanser and take a steaming hot wash cloth and place over my face for about 2-5 minutes. Once the wash cloth feels cool, I take it off, and splash cool water all over my face. By steaming your face you are opening up your pores and the wash cloth is absorbing the dirt/oil trapped inside that causes blackheads and other skin issues. Make sure to splash with cold water afterwards though because you want to close back the pores so that more dirt/oil doesn’t get back inside!!!
Lush is not instant gratification! I was so disappointed when I walked away with $40 worth of products I thought for sure would be some sort of natural miracle. Little did I know is that, much like eating healthy to lose weight, it isn’t going to go away in a day. It took several months for my skin to clear up. In fact, I noticed little change at all. But, about 9 months later my skin took a turn for the better and I got complimented for having glowing, acne-free skin that still remains today!
But the reason why I wrote this post is for a new part of my skin care routine I wanted to share and it’s probably sitting in your kitchen cabinet. It’s apple cider vinegar and it sounds gross but it’s a really good replacement for toner.
Personally, I only use it once a week. Rumor has it, Scarlett Johansson swears by it every day. But I find that is WAY too much for my skin. Everyone is different though, so do what works best.
So how does it work?
Apple cider vinegar is very acidic and it acts as a pH balancer much like toner.
Just take a table spoon of the apple cider vinegar, and mix with a tablespoon of warm water. Dip a cotton ball or two and use on your face. It smells bad but the results are worth it. Splash cold water afterwards to close the pores.
Other things to keep in mind with skin care is…
- Drink a lot of water! Soda and caffeinated beverages and alcohol are major dehydrators.
- Don’t touch your facade! It’s much too fragile to have dirty fingers placed upon.
- Don’t pick zits. Scars happen and they’re a pain to get rid of. I can tell you how to get rid of them in a future post though.
- Wash makeup brushes often.
- Remove make up every night. I don’t care how drunk you are, just do it.
- Wash pillow cases often. They are just a breeding ground of dirt that can clog pores.
- Maintain a healthy diet. Yeah, yeah, they say diet doesn’t play a role well it does. Fresh fruits and vegetables = yay. Heavily processed foods (including soy for all you vegetarians) = nay. When I was a vegetarian I relied on Boca burgers. Well, I still wasn’t getting proper nutrients through produce and anything that has a list of say four + ingredients probably isn’t doing your skin a whole lot of good. Ever seen a raw vegan’s skin? Yeah, it’s flawless.
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