My Natural Skincare Routine

Hello, darlings!  Hands raised, who else gets totally dried skin in the fall/winter season?  It seems to be a recurring issue with myself every year, but this year I am confident that it might be a little different.  I have recently decided to try to switch to all natural skin and hair products, and I feel like it is the right decision for me.  I must admit I am still in the process of the full switch to strictly all natural, but I am using a few products now that are halfway there.  In this blog post, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite skincare products that I use every night.

I reverse different nights between these two products, but both work equally as good as one another.  I am not sure if this is a great way for cleansing your face, but I initially wanted to test them, and they both feel oil-free, smooth, and are quality products that I love.

Clarisonic - Refreshing Gel Cleanser

This facial cleanser is really green for oily skin, and since I suffer from this, it’s the perfect match for me.  This gel feels incredible on my skin, and is probably the best gift I received last Christmas.  It contains both green and white tea in it, and it honestly feels very natural on my skin.  Since I was a kid, I have always had a bad acne issue, and it made me feel awful about myself for years.  When I began high school, I started to use the ProActiv products, and my face suddenly became much better.  There was however, one remaining problem: my face was still oily.

Ever since I began using Clarisonic’s product, my face began to feel much better.  I put this gel on every night, rubbing it on each section of my face for about 10-15 seconds each.  When I wake up in the morning, I wash it off with a hot rag (sorry, I can’t do a cold one in the morning!), and my face feels great for the whole rest of the day.  This gel is so refreshing for my face, and I am so glad I came across it this year.

Purity - One Step Facial Cleanser

One of my family members actually loaned me this product, and I have loved it ever since.  This cleanser is really terrific for cleaning everything off of my face.  It removes oils, dirt, and makeup after a long and tiring day.  This product contains natural extracts to help clean and moisturize the skin.  I won’t lie, this cleanser isn’t the greatest scent in the world, but it works just wonderfully.  I was initially nervous to use it, because sometimes new products can give my face a slight rash (I do have sensitive skin), but with relief it didn’t.

Purity has been a more recent discovery of mine, and I am really glad that I found it.  It feels refreshing and smooth on my skin, working wonders every time I use it.  To apply it on my face, I do the same exact steps as the Clarisonic gel!

It is a safe note to make that both of these products have also really helped my acne a lot.  I still get it now and then, but since using these products, I rarely use ProActiv as much as I used to.  

You can purchase both of these products here:

Clarisonic - Refreshing Gel Cleanser

Purity - One Step Facial Cleanser

Why I'm Taking a Style Leap of Faith

For a long time now, I've been struggling with finding my own kind of style that I am comfortable wearing.  I had an idea what kind of style I wanted to do, but the problem was, I think of others opinions too much.  Which is not a bad thing by the way, because when you think of others opinions you also start to care for your own self worth.   Although, having the fear of others judging you for something you would like to do, is not a good mindset to be at.   This is how I have been feeling lately with finding my own style that I would love to rock myself.  

I would say I have a more modern yet retro style when it comes to how I pick out clothes and outfits.   I love putting a vintage touch on every outfit I wear as much as I can.  However lately I've really been adoring Diane Keaton's style.   If you've read my Q&A then you should know that Diane Keaton is probably my biggest fashion inspiration of all time.   Just from the way she is so daring to the way she is extremely confident in anything she wears.   Not to mention the woman rocks every single outfit she wears, ever.  Diane start of the style of women wearing men's clothing.   Should be in the style in Annie Hall, which to this day is her own style.  I don't want to do the whole style completely but I would love to do it halfway.  The only thing in my way, is the fear of being judged.  

I know some of my friends and my family find my sense of style very odd at times so it makes me venture out a lot less.  However I recently had a change of mind, and I decided why not.  Over the past weekend, I was shopping at Forever 21, when I got caught up in the clearance aisle (which by the way, was filled with so many cute and cheap clothes!).   I made the leap to buy a blouse, and I'm going to try it out.  This is an essential piece in having this kind of style, and I am so glad to finally on a piece to try out! I'm honestly very proud of this decision to buy the blouse, because it's giving me my own reassurance of confidence my own style.  It's so important for me to develop my own sense of style that I am comfortable with.  I am not trying to full on copy Diane's style, but to borrow some of it, because she really has inspired me fashion wise.  I hope I can one day be as confident with what I am wearing as she is.

So with that said, I'm extremely excited to try out the style and see if it works on me.  I think I'm more excited at the fact that I've become and confident enough to buy the pieces, than even wearing them yet.  I think everyone needs to develop their own sense of style, even if it's something really little one plane.  So I hope this post could encourage you to venture out and try new things, especially those pieces of clothing you'd love to try.  

Ultimate Broadway Ticket Guide

Whenever I hear of any friends or family who are going to see a Broadway show, my immediate question is "how exactly are you buying tickets?".   Broadway is a very expensive business as a whole, and I mean it should be, it's how the actors get paid and, often times the money is worth it.  There are however, many cheap ways and tips on getting around this.  Over the years, I've seen over three or four shows a year on tour, excluding the shows I see in New York.  I've learned the best ways and websites over the years to score the best discounted tickets, and with great seats, too!  

Planning an entire trip to the city can and will be hectic, thus it is better to know the easiest ways to getting those awesome tickets to your favorite shows.  I'm glad to share my tips with you today, and feel free to send me an email or comment if you have questions about a particular show.  Here are some of my tips and sites on getting those cheapest tickets, enjoy!

01. TheaterMania
TheaterMania is both a Broadway news source and ticket source.  They usually have discounts for numerous shows, and their discounts are often great.  They also have an email list that you can sign up for, and get the latest list of show discounts. Back in August, I purchased a ticket to Waitress through TheaterMania's discount.  I got a 60% discount for front mezzanine, talk about a deal!  I would highly recommend giving their site a look!

02. BroadwayBox
BroadwayBox is in fact a very similar site to TheaterMania, and they will often have some great deals on shows as well.  This site is a great way to also find mostly videos on shows, that way you can get a good glimpse of the show before you decide to see it!

03. TKTS
TKTS is a very famous source for purchasing tickets to shows last minute.  They are more of a "day of" system, and only have discount listings for the current week.  They usually have a 50% discount, which is an awesome deal on any shows.  

04. TodayTix
TodayTix is mainly used for Broadway Lotteries.  These are when you can enter a lottery for a show a day before or day off, and luckily win for as low as $20.  You can also purchase through them with others discount codes.

05. Rush
Rush is when you go to the Box Office when it first opens in the early morning.  You can get cheaper tickets the day of the show for usually great seats, mostly orchestra even.  This is a great way to also get Standing Room, where you can stand throughout the show, but for a cheaper price!

06. SRO
Standing-Room-Only is only offered at Broadway shows that are sold out, just throwing that in there.  They're tickets you can purchase where you get to see a show while standing in the very back on the orchestra.  You won't have a seat at all, but sometimes it's worth it!  For instance, if you can get your hands on a SRO ticket for Hamilton, that's especially worth it.

Now I won't lie to you, sometimes you may simply not be able to find discounted tickets.  You might very well have to pay full price.  I had to pay full and normal price for my orchestra seats in Anastasia recently, which weren't bad seats at all.  Sure they were pricey, but I waited literally my whole life for that Broadway show, so it was worth it.  If it's worth the better seats, go for it if you can!