Skincare Products to Try

Friday, 23 December 2016Friday, 23 December 2016 Starr3 Comments

Sometimes I shy away from talking about skincare here because I try to keep things gender-neutral for my readers. (Shout-out to my 3 male readers!)
But then I remember that literally everyone has skin, it’s not a gendered organ, whatever.

On Black Friday, I got myself a few early gifts in the form of skincare value sets because I am a complete sucker for value sets. (You get such a variety of products! And they’re small so you can test them while you travel! And you don’t feel as much pressure to use a lot if you don’t like it! Yes, lemme at ’em!) I also received some products as gifts from loved ones, so here’s a quick rundown of what I am excited to try out in 2017 when I return from my holiday:

Tatcha: Beauty Essentials Discovery Set

I have been interested in Tatcha as a brand for a little while. (The branding works on me: I want to unlock geisha beauty secrets!) Every time they offer a value set at Sephora, I have a look, but I usually can’t justify the purchase for such little samples of product. I found this set at TJ Maxx, actually, so I am looking forward to trying out the entire set.

It includes:

Can’t wait to unleash geisha beauty unto my face!

Sephora Favorites: Scouted by Sephora

So… I am a huge sucker for any value set, but I am especially weak for the Sephora Favorites value sets. (One of the single biggest purchases I ever made at Sephora was their Super Stars set a few Black Fridays ago.) There have been a lot of great ones in the past few months, and I chose this one because it’s a dedicated skincare set that covers a wide variety of functions. (Some of the sets are masks only, moisturizers only, etc. I also haven’t been as excited about the makeup sets because I’m usually most interested in the concealer/tinted moisturizer but the only shade offered in the set is too dark for me.) I originally purchased this set a gift, and then circled around the store and grabbed another one for myself. Sometimes you just have to treat yo face.

Included in this particular Sephora Favorites box is:

Cane + Austin Miracle Pad+
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum
Estée Edit by Estée Lauder Pink Peony Overnight Water Pack
Herbivore Botanicals Coco Rose Coconut Oil Lip Conditioner
Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist
Lancer The Method: Polish
Lashfood Phyto-Medic Eyelash Enhancer
Tata Harper Purifying Mask

There are a lot of different types of products in here, including some will be very new to me like glycolic acid pads and the eyelash enhancer, so I’m excited to try this set out!

I also have my free Sephora birthday gift to try out. This year, they had the option of a makeup gift from Marc Jacobs, but I chose the skincare gift from Fresh, which included a small soy cleanser and a rose face mask.

Korean Products from a Friend

Christine, being the darling gem that she is, sent me a package on my birthday! (And it arrived on the day of my birthday, great timing!) In it, she included a card that made me cry alongside 3 of her favorite beauty products.

I’ve actually been waiting to try out the Skinfood mask after I finish up the last of the black sugar mask I have now, and I am really excited to try out these Misscha products because I have actually never used an essence or an ampoule in my skincare routine before! As much as I read about skincare, I am actually not a strict adherent to the many steps of the Korean skin regimen and often get very lazy.

I will be traveling over the holidays, so I’m sure my skin will really appreciate some extra love and care when I get back. These products will be great for kicking off the new year by treating my body’s largest organ a little extra nice!

Happy holidays, however you are celebrating! I am very excited that Chankuah begins on Christmas Eve (great for the Christmukkah celebrants!) and ends on New Year’s Eve this year; it makes the holiday season extra special.

Do you have any skincare recommendations for me? My absolute minimum recommendations to everyone is to use a moisturizer every evening and a light SPF every morning. I may have nagged a male coworker of mine the other day, but I think he knows I push sunscreen on everyone out of care!

White Elephant Gift Guide – Under $10

Tuesday, 22 November 2016Tuesday, 22 November 2016 Starr2 Comments

Secret Santa is fun, but my preferred gift exchange game is White Elephant. It can be a little stressful to get assigned a person to get a gift for, especially if it’s a group like coworkers or a large organization where you might not know everyone that well. Personal gifts are really tricky and you feel like you’re not able to get something a little more generic.

White Elephant is great because you don’t know who is going to go home with your gift. The rules vary from group to group, but it’s a lot of fun to see gifts exchange hands and the different reactions to gifts. What matters isn’t who bought what for whom but the fun in the game.

There are a few approaches to White Elephant. Some folks play the variation my friends call “Pass the Trash”, where you bring in a gift that maybe no one wants. This can result in some troll-tastic gifts. It’s also a great place for rejected gifts from past years to show up. One man’s trash can be another man’s treasure, so this could be great for some folks! It also results in a lot of laughs. Some examples I’ve seen from this variation include a $20 bill superglued in a mason jar, a signed photo of another participant, and the leg lamp from A Christmas Story.

I don’t like playing that way and try to think of something that people will like and have a fun with. (Just not a lot of troll in me…) Here’s three suggestions to help you think of things to pick up for a White Elephant exchange you might be doing that has a spending cap of $10. Remember, with a lot of deals coming up on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you might be able to make that $10 stretch quite far!

FUNKO POP! VINYL TOYS// Funko makes cute vinyl figurines for every franchise you can think of. Disney? Superheroes? Video games? TV shows? Movies? They’ve got ’em, usually for a little over $9. They can be tricky for White Elephant because Funko Pop! toys are one of my go-to gifts for friends who are in fandoms, and it’s harder to have any one toy appeal to every person participating in the gift exchange. You can pick something that most people are interested in — like a movie or show or game the group has discussed often — and hope that one of the folks who has an interest in it either chooses the gift or steals it! These can be purchased from a bunch of online retailers like Amazon or ThinkGeek and at physical stores like Hot Topic and Barnes & Noble.
Screen Shot 2016-11-21 at 11.34.34 PM.png
FUN DRINKWARE // A lot of us have too many mugs and cups, SO if you are able to find fun drinkware, this works out great! Again, this could be tricky because it can be easier to get a mug or cupfor a specific person, but you are free to be a little more broad here. For example, if your Greek organization is participating, you can get a tumbler with your letters on it. Some fun options include those heat change mugs and cups that have a special shape to them, if you don’t want to risk it with the text or design that is printed onto the item itself.

NOVELTY CANDY // Along with that book, I felt the need to beef up that gift with some Pop Rocks, which, for the record, are always a lot of fun to watch people open up and eat and share. Things that fall into this category are sweets that you wouldn’t ordinarily get but are super fun and enjoyable anyway, maybe for their novelty. Other examples include Japanese Kit-Kat flavors you can’t find in your usual grocery, astronaut ice cream, and anything that tastes like bacon. (Why is there bacon-flavored everything??)

Before this post gets too long, I think I just want to say that White Elephant gift exchanges should not be stressful. If you get anxious trying to pick out the perfect gift for a specific person, this format of gift exchange should relieve a lot of that anxiety. As long as the recipient(s) can tell that you got the gift with their enjoyment in mind, they’ll have fun with it!

(And if it’s better than the box of condoms and can of Spaghetti-Os I once received, you’re solid.)

Note: Links in this post are affiliate links.

What’s the best and worst White Elephant gift you’ve ever received or seen at a gift exchange?

3 Northern Virginia Ramen Spots

Tuesday, 25 October 2016Monday, 24 October 2016 Starr2 Comments

Ah yes, the cooler months have finally arrived (after a second summer heat wave…), so you know that means I will be all over that noodles in hot broth game. I have been living in Northern Virginia for a little bit, so I thought I’d take some time to talk to you about the ramen options you have in this region. And we’re not talking about ramen the instant noodle, but rather that picturesque big ol’ bowl of noodles, an umami-licious broth, and yummy toppings. (Not knocking the instant variety of ramen!)

This kind

Not this kind

MARUMEN // 3250 Old Pickett Rd Fairfax, VA 22031 // (703) 352-6278

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Marumen is one of our go-to spots when we are craving ramen. It is not the most expensive option of the ones in the area, the broth is always on point, and they give all the toppings I want in bowl of ramen. Taste-wise and value-wise, this is the spot I most recommend to folks. They also do tsukemen (dipping-style) ramen, with fun names: Astro Boy, Ultraman, and Godzilla. Bonus: Complimentary edamame at the beginning of your meal and free iced/hot black tea.

JINYA // 2911 District Ave Suite 140 Fairfax, VA, 22031 // (703) 992-7705

Jinya is one of the newer ramen joints in the area and is the first DMV location of the trendy California chain. When you walk in, all the servers in their plaid shirts shout… something. (I still don’t know what this is.) I really like the flavors of their ramen bowls here. They have some unique flavors and will give you a jar of garlic cloves and a garlic press – free of charge – if you want to add some freshly-pressed garlic puree to your bowl. I also like their combos, although we’ve had some issues with the appetizer part of the combo coming out before our ramen. They also have an extensive drink menu and are in the poppin’ Mosaic District in Fairfax.

KIZUNA // 8221 Leesburg Pike Vienna, VA 22182 // (703) 442-7888

kizuna-ramen-2048x1371

Kizuna was the most convenient option for us to visit and their happy hour often appealed to us. You can get sushi, a sake tasting, and just a plethora of options, really. There is also a super lovely outdoor seating area when the weather is nice! However, I’ve found their bowls to be very hit-or-miss. My first visit here almost made me not want to come back. We visited several times after, but then one of the last times I went, the ramen simply didn’t taste good. I’m also a little salty that they don’t include the egg with a standard bowl; I don’t think this is an optional topping! Still, you can’t beat their happy hour options.

I haven’t tried all the options in DC yet, but I am making my way through a few of them.

What DMV ramen spots are your favorite that I should try?

Free Ingrid Michaelson Concert

Friday, 5 August 2016Thursday, 4 August 2016 StarrLeave a comment

Last week, I was able to see Ingrid Michaelson perform some of her fan-favorite hits and never-before-performed new songs as the concluding concert for the 2016 Summer Fest concert series.

Absolutely free.

It was an incredible opportunity that (luckily?) not many people knew about. Tyson’s Corner Center had been holding a summer long concert series, featuring a variety of acts, from American Idol contestants to a “Kidz Bop” concert that I spotted on the schedule a while back. The grand finale was this performance by Ingrid Michaelson, who has a new album coming out soon and will be returning to DC for her tour in November. (I posted clips of her concert on my Snapchat if you saw ’em!)

Tommy McFly introducing Ingrid as she walks up to the stage

Tommy McFly from 94.7 Fresh FM’s the Tommy Show was there to introduce her, so of course my friends and I got a kick out of seeing one of our radio DJs in person. (You never quite know what to expect just hearing their voices for several years!) He introduced Ingrid, who came out looking like… the cool girl that you wanted to be friends with and weren’t too intimidated to make it so. I’ve always liked her songs on the radio, but I never sought out listening to any of them, so I never paid her much mind.

But the girl can sing…Read More »

New Apps, New Me

Friday, 4 March 2016Friday, 4 March 2016 StarrLeave a comment

I am a bit of a latecomer to the smartphone game. Even as everyone around me actively tried to convince me to get one, I stuck by my slider phone to the bitter end. All I needed was phone calls and text messages, with the occasional blurry photo. I really did not want to be connected to the world 24/7, and plus, those smartphones were not going to fit in the sad excuses for pockets that clothing companies sew into women’s pants.

But alas, even my trusty slider phone couldn’t hold out forever. Around the time that I had my wisdom teeth removed, my phone stopped working and our provider offered to give me a new smartphone for free because I had not upgraded my phone in so long. When I tried to replace my phone with another not-smart phone, I was asked to fork over money. 😦

So, fast forward 2 years to the present day. I am still using the same phone but my phone habits have changed a lot. I use Twitter enough to have downloaded the app. I have several photo-taking and -editing apps. Some apps have been with me since the beginning, but yesterday, I decided I needed a change.

Previously, I was using WeatherBug for my weather, Any.DO for to do lists, and Cal (by the makers of Any.DO) for my calendar needs. I still like them, but I found myself wanting something different (and – dare I say – just a bit better?) by means of UI (user interface). WeatherBug had a great widget and notifications bar status, but the app was starting to feel cluttered to me even though it had a lot of information. I had recently switched to Any.DO and Cal about a year ago because I liked the design, but I was tired of it and getting frustrated with some of the features or lack thereof.

So, a few months ago, I decided it was time for a change. Here are the apps I’m using and loving right now that replaced the above 3 (which I would still recommend, by the way):Read More »