The Weekly Edit: Pretty, Reckless
Apr 17, 2018
Can we talk about all of the things we do to look pretty and feel good about ourselves? We started one heck of a discussion about personal maintenance over on the Facebook group page, and it got me thinking about how much time, energy, and money I spend on grooming.
Admittedly, I spend far less now than I did when I lived in D.C. full-time, but you don’t get to be a Sephora Rouge member by being frugal with your beauty budget.
That got me thinking about the things I do to take care of myself. Whether it’s personal maintenance, the buzzy “self-care,” or the guilty pleasures I indulge in when Kyle’s not around, trying to keep myself looking and feeling right is a lot of work.
My Nana turned me onto drinking apple cider vinegar with hot water a few years ago. I struggle with digestive issues and the vinegar helps tame some of that. So when I spotted this Pok Pok Sohm drinking vinegar in the cocktail section at the grocery store, I thought it was worth a try.
I bought the traditional apple flavor and it is much better than the other apple vinegar I was drinking. I checked Amazon and they also offer a lot of great flavors like this three pack of pineapple, pomegranate, ginger. This brand has made drinking my daily vinegar and hot water much, much easier to bear. I also think it might be helping my skin look a bit clearer and brighter, but I have no science to support that.
I bought this micro-roller at Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale and I adore it. (You can read my original review, here.) The roller helps your serum penetrate deeper into the skin, it increases collagen production, and I think it reduces the little lines on my forehead. I had to stop using it for a few weeks to give a breakout time to heal, and when I picked it back up, I fell in love all over again.
The GloPro Roller is $179 at HSN right now, which is a discount from the normal $199. I know this is a splurge item, but if your spending good money on serums it makes sense to give them as much oomph as possible. If it’s out of your comfort zone, this manual ORA roller is $26 and will give you similar results.
The older I get the harder it becomes to try new makeup looks. Lisa Eldrige is the genius who teaches me how to do something different without looking like I’m doing makeup for a community theatre production of RENT. Her videos and tutorials are absolutely the best.
I loved her Low Key, Laid Back Glam look because it is a chic makeup look with no highlight or contour. And her Buy Nothing, Every Day Makeup tutorial is one that should be required viewing for all working women. (I also just love how her British accent says “mask-aw-ra.”) If you struggle with your makeup or just want to try some new looks, hit up her channel.
Cellulite. We all have it. We all hate it. But there isn’t much you can do about it. You can buy all the fancy creams and gels you want, but their effects are mostly in your head. To even minimize the appearance of cellulite, the most effective treatment is to massage the area to drain the collected fluid and minimize the bumpiness of the fat deposits.
This Aromatherapy Associates dry brush is my favorite because I never drop it in the shower. A friend of mine has very sensitive skin and will.not.drybrush. Instead, she uses one of those spiky massage rollers on the back of her things. She says it works wonders after a long day of sitting to just roll the area before bed.
When Kyle heads off with his pals on Friday nights, I take a little time to mask, order takeout, read magazines and watch “one of those shows that’s teaching you how to kill me and get away with it.” He does not understand my obsession with true crime television. I watch so much of it that I’ve gotten to the point where I already know most of the cases on 48 Hours, Dateline, 20/20, etc..
That’s why A Crime to Remember is such a great show. The cases are from decades ago, so the material is mostly new to me, but still crazy interesting. Like the woman who kept her lover stashed in her attic for 7 years and then convinced him to kill her unwitting husband for her. It’s one of my favorite indulgences.
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I have found a lot of health benefits from drinking vinegar, especially for blood pressure and cholesterol. I found an Italian balsamic apple cider vinegar which tastes really good mixed with water.
How much do you actually drink each day? Also how is it different than just putting a vinaigrette dressing on Your salad? I’m kind of a skeptic, but on the other hand I also believe in the importance of good gut bacteria and that vinegary/fermented foods help with that, but then again I also suspect that drinking something terrible tasting has a pretty good placebo effect.
I’m trained as a statistician so the student in me hears you on the placebo effect. But now that I’m older and think a little more practically, if something inexpensive and not harmful makes you feel better, the placebo effect is totally worth it.
I do think there’s something to drinking it on it’s on when you’re not mixing it with other food.
I love derma rolling but am currently out of my most potent serum. What’s your fave??
I am currently obsessed with Night is Young from Aphorism. My 2nd favorite is Ole Henriksen Night Gel.
I was thinking about this the other day when someone asked me how I looked so young for 36 and I answered “Good genes!” of course, haha. No one would want to listen to my self-care routine on a lark, especially not a 22 year-old recent college grad who has all of this to look forward to. Also, I love Lisa Eldrige’s videos, especially her no-makeup makeup one!
I promise I’m not trying to arm-chair diagnose, or push this on you, but I just wanted to share with you what helped me with my years-long digestive issues. In case it helps you or someone reading.
My issues were severe indigestion, severe bloating, constant stomachaches, (Sorry gross) bowel movement issues, the list goes on. It affected my daily life, my psychology and my emotions. I was crabby all the time because I was constantly in pain/uncomfortable. I tried all sorts of things and spent thousands of dollars on doctors, both western and eastern.
What helped my symptoms were HCL pills combined with Papaya enzyme chews when eating anything with protein, and a daily probiotic. While this minimized the symptoms, my problem persisted.
I know this is super gross and perhaps controversial, but what FINALLY solved my problem was hydrotherapy (colonics). I tried this as a last ditch effort during the holidays when I absolutely felt terrible. Within 3 sessions (cost me $300 total) – OMG I feel like a brand new human!
The practitioner also instructed me to drink a very good quality fiber drink every morning (life changing), and to practice a self massage to close my ileocecal valve. (Turns out I also have/had a leaky gut).
It’s been 4 months, and 2 months since my last session, and I am (mostly) symptom free (except when I drink and eat unhealthy, oops). My mood has seriously improved, as well as my daily routine.
I know it’s super gross and personal, so I hope it’s ok to share. But OMG the difference has been night and day for me. Best of luck to you! I hope you find something that works.
Beware- 18 grams of sugar in one ounce of that apple cider vinegar. Daily recommended sugar intake for a female is 25g.
heads up- i bought those drinking vinegars and they are mostly sugar. i like them as a soda alternative (carbonation gives me digestive issues) but theyre really not a health option!
Hahaha. I saw that Crime to Remember episode, too. Well-done show.
I’ve been drinking Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) for decades. It’s TERRIBLE but IT WORKS. I still reach for it when I’m feeling a cold come on.
I buy Bragg’s Organic unfiltered, it settles in the bottom so you have to shake it up but that’s where all the good healing stuff is. I’m skeptical of a cocktail mixer having that many health benefits. I like my ACV with ginger ale to help the taste. But yes, it’s still not very palatable.
I also use ACV with the Aztec Secret Healing Clay that you turned me onto years ago/ (I’ve tried sooo many masks and this is still one of my favorites!)
Have you read “Gulp” by Mary Roach? It’s a great read and helped me get a better general background on some of the current research on guts. I have an angry stomach too, and it really helps me to eat something fermented every day, whether it is yogurt, kimchi, pickles, etc.
If you are worried about sugar content in your drinking vinegar, it is really easy to make your own! Shrubs are fun, I’ve been playing around with them over the last year. It’s amazing what you can make with your own fruit scrap trash.
The dry-brushing freaks me out…I think my skin would absolutely hate it! Thanks for the link to the massage roller though, I’m ordering it right now. (My poor boyfriend who ails with back issues will probably like it too.)