Get ready with me! – my summer morning skin routine

Summer is here!  Or at least, it’s trying to be?  And with summer comes changes to my skin and skin care routine.  The first couple of weeks of any season seem to me to be the most frustrating, as nothing seems to be working while my skin has a major freak out about the new weather conditions. And while everyone is different and what works for me may not work for you, I thought I’d share what I’m doing daily to ease into our very loved but short season of summer.

Every morning no matter the season I peel myself out of bed at 5:15 AM and manage to get myself to barre class (or maybe kettlebell depending on the day.) It’s all I can do to put my glasses on and brush my teeth at 5:15 in the morning, so my face just gets splash of water at this point to, if nothing else, wake me up!  When I get home I immediately make some coffee (which should probably instead be a fancy green juice or something that will make my skin glow, but let’s be real…) and get on with readying myself for work. Though I cleansed my skin and put lots of good stuff on it before I went to bed,  I always still cleanse my face in the morning typically using something oil based like Julep Love Your Bare Face Hydrating Cleansing Oil.  It’s not super heavy and is hydrating and doesn’t strip my skin of the good stuff that happened overnight.

coffee, coffee, coffee

A couple of times a week I use an exfoliant.  My go to these day is either Dermalogica’s Daily Superfoliant, or Daily Microfoliant. Incidentally, neither of which I can use daily…. my skin becomes too sensitive, but your’s might not – it’s all trial and error and figuring out what works for you.  If I have time to exfoliate, I really hope to have time to mask, which I also turn to Dermalogica for the Multivitamin Power Recovery Mask.  I like to mask after exfoliation because said exfoliation is going to prep my skin to absorb my mask a bit better, but this mask is amazing to use anytime really…. it’s like an ambulance in a tube (think late nights and too much whiskey.) Continue reading

One Year Later–Happy Anniversary To Us!!

Time sure does fly when you’re having fun! It’s hard to believe the earth has traveled around the sun one whole time since we launched Everything and Nothings!

We are grateful to have so many people who want to talk about the same things we do and share your experiences in this thing called life with us.

Looking back at the things we shared, we thought we’d go back and each pick two things that a year later–we are still loving! Continue reading

MeUndies review for you.

Last June, one year ago, I was convinced I had found the best birthday gift for my husband.  I just didn’t know that he had found it first.  It was a subscription to MeUndies (if I’m being accurate, we now had 2 subscriptions, one of which we did cancel).  Anyway, I didn’t know anything about them, I’m not even sure how I discovered them but it seemed fun, and everyone likes a monthly subscription, right?  (I always had felt he was a little envious of my monthly Birchbox)  

One year later and their ads are all over the place.  And though we have since ended his subscription (how many pairs of underwear does a person really need?) they have proven to be selling a really great product.  

So, how this works is you pay a monthly subscription fee of $16.  That gets you one pair of undies a month, and you choose which style you want at your initial sign up – for men -boxer brief, trunk, boxer or brief, and and which color collection it comes from –  the classic solid colors, the bold brighter solid colors, or the adventurous patterns (he went for boxer brief in adventurous.)

Womens cheeky brief and mens boxer brief. Image from meundies.com

One year since his first pair, here are his thoughts:

The first pair still feels good and looks as good as the last pair received.  The fabric is super soft and stretchy, but keeps it’s shape, as does the waist band.  None of the pairs are losing shape or falling apart.  They don’t ride up, and aren’t too tight, nor are they too loose. They don’t have any annoying or scratchy tags. The only con is that some of the brighter color prints have faded with wear and washing, which is to be expected probably.  

Also, in my opinion, they look really good on him.

All in all this was a great investment (and actually, writing this has prompted me to sign him up again!).  They almost make me consider getting a subscription for myself! (TMI – I don’t wear underwear)

*These MeUndies were bought and paid for by me.

My camping essentials.

Camping season is upon us!  Now with more shelter!  My husband and I have always been tent campers, but as fate would have it, this spring we found and  purchased a camper (I don’t mean to brag, but it’s not just any camper… it’s a 1972 Airstream!!!) Tent camping – you’re dead to me.  Even still, many of my camping essentials remain the same.  Here are some of my requirements to survive a long weekend in the woods.

Coffee – More than likely I’ll sleep not quite as good as I do in my own bed at home.  You know….. that bed, that is in a house, not on the ground or a less than comfortable mattress of sorts.  While I love camping, getting a good night’s rest is a challenge for me.  I require lots and lots of coffee in the AM.  We always bring pre-ground beans and a french press, which is how we have it at home.  Just add hot water and you’re good to go.

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Here comes the sun–right?

While its dark and gloomy out today–Memorial Day weekend is upon us–the unofficial start of summer is almost here! Nights on the Terrace, days by the pool, endless glasses of rosé and summer jams on a loop are just around the corner. Summer is definitely our favorite of the seasons and we have vowed not to miss a minute of it this year!

But with summer comes the sun–HOPEFULLY!!–and with the sun comes the nasty damage those warm rays can wreck on the delicate skin on our face.

So here are our favorite ways to keep our faces safe while we maximize the three greatest months of the year!

Our trip to San Juan–where ironically–we all got burned! (we blame surfing)

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Instagram-a-rama.

Instagram happens to be my favorite of the social media apps/platforms.  I don’t like Facebook.  I’m bored (not to mention super irritated) with Snapchat.  I don’t even open my Twitter app anymore at all.  But I could look at pictures all day.  It’s somehow much more soothing to my senses than all of the nonsense I seem to encounter on other social media apps.  Sure, they added the very similar to Snapchat “story” function, which I was kind of mad about at first, but I’ve grown to be ok with with it, and even use it over Snapchat now.   So, who am I following and why?  Here are some of my current favorites.

If I cannot live by the ocean and surf daily, I guess living the beach life vicariously through @roxy is going to have to be enough.

@roxy

Claire Marshall, @heyclaire, is an amazingly talented, smart and beautiful makeup artist turned vlogger.  She has great style, awesome tattoos and a cute cat.

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Rub some dirt on it

Face masks can feel like one of life’s greatest luxuries. A blast to your skin to let it know you mean business. Especially when your skin feels like it’s holding on to 20 lbs. of dirt and regret. Or when your pores looks like pods appropriately sized for living creatures to nest in. Or when it’s not enough to try to deal with life’s stress, but you need that extra fun of wearing it like a badge across your face in the form of breakouts.

Ya feel us?

Here are some recommended mud, clay or charcoal masks for when the wounds of life are deep and all you can do is rub some dirt on it.

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Three things.

I was scrolling through my Instagram feed one day and came across a text only post.  It said “NAME THREE THINGS YOU LOVE ABOUT YOURSELF”  My mind went blank.  Seriously. Blank. So I took a screenshot of the post and thought, I’ll think about this and get back to you, Instagram post.  And then I promptly forgot about it.  Today I was scrolling through my photo reel and there it was. Staring me in the face.  I wish I didn’t feel like it was mocking me, but I did.  Why couldn’t I just come up with three things, like, it should be so easy, right?!!  But also, if I did just spout off three things that I love about myself, don’t I then sound sort of conceited?  Why is it so hard to practice self love?  I know, this is a beauty/lifestyle blog…. so forgive me for getting all deep on you, but I feel like this is a big deal.  And if I couldn’t just very simply come up with three things, surely I am not alone?  Hello?  Anyone there?  Even as I write this, the struggle is real. So today, at the risk of feeling a little bit vulnerable, I will share with you three things I love about myself.  Will you share three with me?

  XO – Pamela

instagram screenshot from @thedetoxmarket

My type A tendencies

It seems that often, people will start speaking of someone in terms of being type A or type B when they feel they need to point out something they see as a personality flaw.  But are these tendencies really flaws either way?  I love to feel organized.  I like to have my time efficiently planned out.  I like making lists.  I’ll read the whole owner’s manual for our new truck so I know what everything does, before I start just pushing all the buttons.  Am I a bit of a control freak?  Sure.  Do I lack patience?  Yeah, sometimes I do.  Do I get things done?  Hell yes.  And at the end of the day I don’t feel bad about any of it.

My strength

Strength or being strong, can mean so many things.  I am specifically talking about my personal physical strength.  Now, don’t get me wrong….. I’m not someone who lifts weights or competes in fitness competitions, or can even win at arm wrestling. But ask me to hold a strong plank for the length of a song, and I will own that.  I can wall sit all day (well, probably not literally all day.) My job requires a certain amount of physical strength, and I do a pretty good job at my job. Are there a million people out there one billion times stronger?  You bet.  But I feel strong for me.  I think it’s pretty great to feel strong.

My hair

It feels a little weird to admit to loving one of my physical features….. it seems like pure vanity.  I do though.  I’ve always been really lucky to have a great head of hair.  I can wear any style with ease and I feel like I’ve had it all.  From super short pixie, to really long all one length.  Bangs, or no bangs.  It all seems to work for me.  It’s super thick, which sometimes feels like a curse, but I know it’s probably a hair trait coveted by many.  These days the gray hairs are far beyond a few, but I don’t mind terribly when they start to show…. besides, my husband thinks they’re cute.  I’ve never wanted to be blonde.  I love being brunette.  Like anyone, I do have bad hair days, but in the end I really love my hair.  (It doesn’t hurt that I have an amazing stylist as well – Sherri, owner of Epic salon in downtown Neenah, for any of you Fox Valley ladies who are looking for a fantastic salon.)

 

 

 

First impressions: Girlfriend Collective leggings

I’ve mentioned before that I rarely go on Facebook.  Maybe once a day.  And I certainly never click the ads when I’m on FB.  But then there was this “free leggings” ad.  Free leggings from Girlfriend Collective. The ad looked nice, pleasing to the eye.  The leggings pictured looked flattering and actually like they could be kind of expensive – like the original Nike legends or Lululemon wunder unders – both of which I have had in the past and loved.  But ok, free?  What’s the catch?  So I clicked.  I proceeded to read all about these free leggings.  They’re eco friendly (made from recycled plastic bottles.) High waisted (12 inch rise that sits above your bellybutton). Shaping with a perfect amount of compression, but comfortable as the fabric responds to your body heat and molds to your body.  All this with a high end look and feel.   Ok, but still what’s the catch?  Their retail cost is $70, but during this pre-launch campaign they’re FREE with a shipping cost of $19.95.  Ahh…. ok.  So, not free.  Why $19.95 shipping though?  Because this pre-launch batch of leggings is coming directly from their factories in Vietnam.  Ok, seems legit.  I was intrigued, so I kept reading.  They have a serious amount of very specific information on their website!  And I suddenly found myself convinced that they were going to be the best leggings I’ve ever owned.  And what’s 20 bucks anyway?  Add up the cost of all the stupid leggings that I’ve gotten from Target and Forever21 that fit like crap and are faded and gross…. and that equals WAY more than $19.95.  So I pulled the trigger.  The thing is though, it would take about three months to get them. So three months went by, and yesterday I finally got them!  And I wore them last night to yoga.  Not to practice yoga but to teach, so basically I was walking around in a hot room wearing them.  Having worn them for only just that one time, allow me to share my thoughts and feelings…..   Continue reading