03 February 2018

posted by em: . . . . .
On Tuesday, I dropped in to Goodwill to search for some colourful Christmas lights for a photoshoot I did with a friend last Friday (02/02). Normally, I'm able to head straight to where I need to go -- when it's a supermarket with a familiar layout. All of the Goodwills in Indy have different layouts, so it is extremely easy for me to get distracted.

(You, thrift stores, you! I see you.)

It doesn't help that the one I went to on Tuesday, this particular location placed the jeans right smack dab in front of the door.

(Glares.)

Well, I obviously walked straight into the jeans section to see if they had a pair of the coveted mom jeans in my size.

Before we continue, I feel like I have to mention this: I've already tried a pair of mom jeans in my size, and they don't freaking fit at all. So for this trip, I decided to go up a size. I found a pair a size up from what I normally wear and thought, "Hmm, maybe this'll work." Hopped into the dressing room happy that I found a decent pair and slipped into them.

Do you think these fit?

They look like they fit, right? *laughs* They do not fit. That top is hiding the extreme muffin top that I got from squeezing into this quality pair of jeans that I had the hardest time letting go. It fit everywhere else except for around my stomach. These jeans amazed me because even though they were a size larger, they fit like a pair of jeans two sizes below mine.

Those jeans were a major confidence killer for me. I spent the night looking at how to lose the weight around my midsection (even though I already know how) along with looking into where plus size girls like myself thrift a pair of mom jeans. Let me just tell you that it was a major miss. Also, there were some Facebook comments where people said something along the lines of, "Why don't you save money and lose weight?" These types of comments were disgusting to come across, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't glance down at my tummy every now and then.

Despite being low in spirits about finding a pair of mom jeans, I tried again today on First Saturday Goodwill where everything is half off. I found a pair of jeans that were two sizes bigger than me, slipped into them and they fitted. Did they fit well? NO. A large resounding NO. They were loose in the midsection and lacked any definition everywhere else.

Sighs.

 I have lost all hope of finding a pair of mom jeans at the thrift store as a plus size gal. Maybe it's a good thing I'm jump starting my diet and exercise regimen again.

Speaking of which, if you're on Tumblr, definitely check out my food journal where I keep track of what I eat in a day. I'm hoping this will help me make better decisions about what I eat. Check it out here.

To all of my plus size gals out there, do you have any pointers/tips on how to thrift mom jeans?


Till next time,
s.j.
continue reading »
posted by ÀS: em: . . . . .
No comments:
Indianapolis, IN, USA
01 January 2018

posted by em:


So long and farewell, 2017.

 Well, isn't this something?

 I'm writing to you in the last few hours before the new year. By the time anyone reads this, it'll already be the new year -- more than likely. Anyway, I guess I better start this reflection on 2017 before I start rambling more than I should.

 I don't know about you, but I truly get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach every time the new year rolls around while everyone else is celebrating. I feel like I haven't done enough to improve my life. It could be from the littlest things like picking up that sock I left on the floor to saying I love you more often or thank you, and I'm sorry, to bigger things like taking that trip I've been wanting to or taking a leap for a job or internship I'm highly underqualified for but would want to do in order to get out of my comfort zone. (And when I say underqualified, I mean it's completely outside of my degree.) 

 This past year leaves an even deeper pit in my stomach since it didn't turn out the way it should have -- or the way I wanted it to happen. There were more downs than ups for me. I learned that I made the stupidest mistake that I know now has been keeping me back the past few years. The one mistake that I subconsciously repeated (or maybe it was consciously, now that I think about it?) over and over again without realizing that no matter how innocent the intentions were behind it, it was truly awful and damaging to myself as a person.

 But, that said, isn't that also an upside since I figured out the primary reason that's holding me back from my potential? (I'm sorry, but I won't be going into details about it. There are only so many things one can divulge about themselves before she turns into a blubbering mess and the reader is left sinking in that mess trying to figure out what's happening while there's a dolphin jumping about and moaning crab singing about how great it is on the other side.) So if we put it into that context, then a negative in my life is also a positive, which, segway, let's reflect on the positives from 2017!

 Let me say that these are in no particular order... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  1. That stupid mistake. I realized my stupid mistake and I'm going to be more conscientious of my thoughts and actions so I won't commit the same mistake again.
  2. My skin. This year I let my skin heal and breathe after hitting a rough patch with a skincare line and then covering it up with loads of makeup that made the situation worse. My skin is so much better now after letting it breathe! It doesn't look bruised anymore (which it never was haha).
  3. Youtube. According to my friends, my editing has gotten better over the past year. Nour recently told me (so a week ago when we last hung out), that she watched from my very first video to my latest and told me she was impressed with how I've improved. Thank you so much to everyone who supports me with Youtube! I hope to improve in the coming year and produce more content. Keep an eye out on my channel since I'm taking this time off to post all of the content I missed out on (or most of it) since I was sick almost every other month of the year.
  4. Exercising. Okay, even though I'm not at my healthiest, I can say that for once that I made an effort to work out and pretty consistently except for the months when I was sick. Having asthma and getting sick with a cold is never a good mix for me. It tends to get worse even with rest and medication. 😒
  5. Accepting okay. So this might not be obvious, but there are times when I have to be just okay with a situation. If you know what I mean, raise your hand and let's high five. Learning to be just okay is, well, okay! There are some things we can't change, at least for now, but can improve upon in the future. That or we just have to accept and move on and let go. For me, I tossed myself into situations thinking I could sprint when in reality I needed to take baby steps since I haven't exerted myself that much in a long time. (This is metaphoric; I don't do marathons...yet. Now or never -- I dunno, I haven't decided.) And I had to learn to be okay with that as I build myself up to that sprint.
  6. I went to flipping Chicago by myself. That speaks volumes. I want to do travel vlogs badly. No, I just need to travel. I want to spread my wings and learn about the world around me that I've read about in books and saw on the telly. That's daunting and scary, especially to my parents. But, they finally let me go on my own to Chicago so I could take pictures of my niece's first birthday. If you want to see some photos, I'm about to flood my Instagram with them because I finally finally finished sorting through and editing (minor) them so that my cousins could have their pictures after a MONTH. Finally is an understatement at this point. Bottom line: I travelled by myself for once.

There are so many things left on this list now that I'm sitting here thinking about it while listening to Edward Avila's livestream playback on Instagram (@edweird0 -- we don't know each other personally. I follow him and that's it.), but I can't mention all of them. It'll turn into a novel and that's the last thing you need to read on the first day of the new year. I'm grateful I took this time to reflect because, honestly, I was feeling downright crappy about this year passing. I felt like it was completely wasted, but instead I noticed that there was more personal growth than I give myself credit.

As the new year begins in t-minus five minutes, I wish you all the best and brightest new year, the happiest and progressive! May you continue to be you and inspire yourself and those around you. In this coming year, I hope to finally finish the biggest checkmark off my list as well as to stop overthinking everything and just doing. I hope to let myself grow in more ways and I wish the same for you.

Thank you for reading this, and cheers, loves, cheers to 2018!
continue reading »
posted by ÀS: em:
No comments:
29 December 2017

posted by em: . .

Hallo, luverlies!

It's almost the end of the year -- can you believe it? With that said, Cori is back on the channel with me to round up our favourites of the year. We have two videos for you guys to check out, one for makeup and one for skincare! Why two? Well... We can talk a lot, so it felt right to split it up into two videos so we can have that time to talk instead of squashing everything into one video.

Make sure that you've got something to eat and drink or maybe do your daily routine while watching these videos! They're 30 minutes if you watch them back to back, but separately they're 15. You could probably workout to them, now that I think about it....

Be sure to check out the description boxes on both videos for the list of products we mentioned! Cheers and have a great day/morning/evening/whatever!


   

Much love and warm vibes,
SamiJoie

continue reading »
posted by ÀS: em: . .
No comments:
Indianapolis, IN, USA
11 November 2017

posted by em: . . .
Hold on a minute there. Before you lose your mind thinking I washed my face with matcha latte, I'd like to tell you that I did not. But what I did do was wash my face with the star ingredient of that earthy flavoured drink that some people find utterly delicious while others think they're drinking grass.

Today, however, we're not going to launch into a talk about matcha lattes. Instead, we're going to have a lovely chat about Wishtrend's latest product, the Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash!


The product and concept...

As the name implies, this wash comes as a powder. The granules are pretty big; they're not small and fine like matcha. They're little clusters of matcha exfoliating goodness! The wash comes in a muted pastel green bottle with white text and a flip top cap with a wide opening to make pouring the product out easy. 



The idea behind this product is that it's a gentle, moisturising, low pH scrub. It was made for all skin types, but is especially beneficial for oily and acne prone skin. It's perfect for those who want a gentle exfoliator since it isn't too abrasive in comparison to the dear Klair's scrub.

Note that not only is it a physical scrub, it's also a chemical scrub since it's slightly acidic with a pH of 5.5 These clusters will help get rid of those stubborn blackheads!

What's in it...

Ingredient list: Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder(2%), Lysine HCL, Proline, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Acetyl Methionine, Theanine, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Sorbitol, Papain, Betaine, Cellulose Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate


You can copy and paste the list into cosdna.com or follow the link here for my analysis! In a nutshell, this product is extremely safe to use. In the end, it all comes down to you and your skin and how it reacts to it.

Let's break this list down...

...by the notable ingredients, starting with green tea powder (a.k.a, matcha). We already know that green tea is great for our bodies because it contains powerful antioxidants (we're talking vitamins A, C, and E) that detox our systems. The same goes for our skin! The biggest organ we have is abused daily when it's exposed to pollution. We can help cleanse our skin using matcha because it contains these powerful antioxidants.

The second notable ingredient is papain, an enzyme extracted from papaya that is extremely popular in Asian skincare (not just Korea!) This enzyme breaks down protein bonds that bind dead skin cells along with whatever waste material is accompanying them to your skin. Yuck. 

Sodium bicarbonate, a.k.a baking soda, is the third ingredient and a tried and true one in skincare. This ingredient can go north or south for people, so make sure to do a patch test with this product before committing. This ingredient works as the scrub in this particular wash.

And, finally, the last noteworthy ingredient is an amino acid sufractant derived from coconut! An amino acid sufractant is the cleanser in the wash. An amino acid sufractant's pH is close to skin, making it the ideal cleanser. 

Fun note, the word sufractant is a short term for surface active agent. They work by "degreas[ing] and emulsify[ing] oils and fats and suspend[ing] soil" so that they can be easily washed away (thank you, Paula's Choice!)

Please note that you shouldn't use this with other chemical exfoliants (such as retinols, AHA/BHA, etc.) since this product is one itself.

How to use it?

If you're new to using powder washes, then all you need to know is that it's super easy. Don't over think it. Just pour some product onto your hand, I use about the size of a quarter, and add a few drops of water. It'll be a little clumpy, but that's fine since you want those clumps to exfoliate your skin. It starts to foam as you keep massaging it into your skin.



My thoughts...

When I was asked if I wanted to review this product, I pretty much jumped with joy and knocked a table over in the process. I was sent the ingredient list and the papaya extract spoke to me since that's a popular skin whitening ingredient in the Philippines.

Yes, I'm aware skin whitening is frowned upon (and I agree with it), but as a girl composed of four different shades of tan, I was eager to see if I could lighten my face since it's the darkest part of my body. This does include my hands -- as in, my hands are lighter than my face. Don't ask me how that is, but it is. I dunno. It's weird.

Having green tea as the headlining product was a plus (haha, I know -- where are my priorities?) since your girl loves her matcha frapp or latte!

So what about the product itself?

This product reminded me of Tatcha's Rice Enzyme Powder Wash except Tatcha's is a finer powder in comparison to Wishtrend's. In terms of physical exfoliation, I didn't notice that much of a difference between the two products. What I did notice is that I felt like I needed more of Tatcha's product in order to have enough to exfoliate my skin. Also, it didn't seem like Tatcha's had a lot of foaming action in comparison to Wishtrend's, but that's probably because I didn't grab enough. (I was trying to be frugal with my Sephora sample!)

While massaging it onto your face, your nose is immersed in the smell of matcha. It's matcha heaven, but on your face. Because of it's earthy scent, I felt somewhat grounded. I know, weird, but for some people, skincare is a ritual, and I totally felt that way when using this face wash. It's the perfect scrub to use in the evening when you want to scrub away the day's stressors.

After rinsing it off, I noticed that my skin didn't feel dry or tight. I believe that's because of the amino acid sufractants since they help retain moisture. (If not, please comment down below. I'm a new student in the world of skincare.) My skin definitely felt a lot smoother and looked better overall due to the superstars of the wash, papain and green tea. The next day, however, I noticed that the skin on my nose was flaking, so I would be careful with this wash. Definitely go by the recommended usage on the box which is 2-3 times a week especially for those with thin, sensitive skin. This amount, though, is the typical amount for any scrub anyway!

As for the whitening aspect of this wash (really, papain is to help with skin tone, let me make this clear), I didn't notice that much but I haven't used it for long! We shall see how this works out after continued usage.

Final verdict.

All in all, I really like this product! I love the idea of using a powder that turns into a foam wash especially in terms of transportation. I don't have to bring a full sized pump bottle if I'm travelling. Instead, I can bring a little packet of this powder and I'm good to go! (Although, I might bring the bottle in order to avoid odd looks at the airport.) I also LOVE that it has the detoxifying properties of green tea, moisturiser from coconut-derived sufractant, and enzymes that rid the face of blackheads and dead skin cells. It's such a triple threat, and I love that!

And the final kicker is that it's a fraction of the cost of a popular powder wash (*cough cough*look above*cough cough*), so you're not kicking yourself after going on a shopping spree!


TAKE MY MONEY!

Starting yesterday, Friday, 10 November up until Thursday, 16 November, 2017, you can get this wash on Wishtrend at a special price of $17.60 USD instead of $22 USD (click the first image below for the wash only.) 

Yes, it's an affiliate link (the first image, not the last two)! It would be a great help to my blog and channel if you use it since any revenue from it goes back to them which in turn goes to creating awesome content for you.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can always opt for one of the sets that Wishtrend came up with composed of products that work well with this wash (click the second or third image below).

[BY WISHTREND] Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash
Special launch price $17.60 USD (original $22)

[BY WISHTREND] Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash + Vitamin 75 Maximizing Cream
Special launch price: $37.49 USD (original $49.99)

BY WISHTREND] Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash + Vitamin 75 Cream + 21.5 Enhancing Mask
Special launch price: $55.29 USD (original $78.99)



Disclosure: I was sent the product in exchange for an honest review. If I don't like a product, I will tell you straight up, and if I love it, I'll do the same. Just bear in mind, everyone is different and that's why I will still post the affiliate link(s) because it's up to your discretion if you want to try the product or not. 💙
continue reading »
posted by ÀS: em: . . .
No comments:
Indianapolis, IN, USA
03 November 2017

posted by em: . . . . . .

I can't take mirror selfies, but samsung selfie cam sucks so...

Hallo!


I hope you're doing well and staying warm now that it's fall! It's that time of year again where we all love to layer up -- the perfect time to show off as many fashionable items we can put on without being thrown off balance just so that we can post an envy worthy photo to the 'gram.

I joke, I joke!

No, really...

BUT if you're in Indiana, then you know that we had fall weather for about a week or so before returning to summer-like weather and then plummeting into winter. That was a wonderful shock to my immune system. (Yes, I am rolling my eyes.) Despite this, I'm still chugging along thanks to the miracles of vitamins and hydration.

Sort of.

For the past few days, it's been raining and gloomy which means I'm pretty much alive as a zombie. I'm honestly dead. Gloomy weather is my kryptonite. It drains me and puts me to sleep, so the past few days haven't been productive. Actually, when you put it into perspective, the past month wasn't productive in terms of keeping my social medias up to date but that's because I started volunteering at the hospital again and that was a completely different shock to the system.

This coffee from Dunkin is also giving me life.
Anyway, I thought I would post about a lippy that gave me life yesterday. Before I ran out the door, I managed to grab Nyx's soft matte lip cream in Ibiza. If you're familiar with this color, then you know that it doesn't exactly scream fall. Being a rosy-coral color, it's very much a spring shade. Despite not being a fall hue, this was the perfect pop of color to bring my sickly face to life in a pinch. That and moisturising my lips with EOS lip balm prior to putting it on and whenever my lips needed some TLC throughout the day.

Lemme know down below what's giving you life these days whenever you're a little under the weather! 💙



EOS lip balm (mint), Nyx soft matte lip cream (Ibiza), and stains.

continue reading »
posted by ÀS: em: . . . . . .
No comments:
02 August 2017

posted by em: . . . . .

Naturally, after spending many nights staying up late studying (emphasis on dying), my immune system took a hit. I started coughing a bit here and there accompanied with sniffling. So when I was did my grocery shopping a few days ago in the produce section, the juices called out to me. I wandered over to them and saw Suja's display, something I've been eyeing for a while. I remember I looked them up a while back and discovered that they were a juice cleanse, and that piqued my interest. Anything and everything "healthy" piqued my interest when I started taking care of myself better!!

The thing is, though, I didn't remember that it was a juice cleanse a few days ago.

That said, when I was figuring out which one to get, I decided that I needed one with a lot of vitamin C, one that would cleanse my system. The fact that it has probiotics and the all natural cleanser, lemon, called out to me. I grabbed a bottle of "Pucker Up" and a bottle of a sweet one to chase it with since it has cayenne pepper in it. (Although, I haven't touched the sweet one yet!)

This drink contains water, pineapple, lemon, maple syrup, and cayenne. I love the fact that the naturally acidic fruits didn't cause my stomach to act up! (Especially since the day before I had two-thirds of a litre of lemon water that did a number on my system.) And it wasn't overly sweet; you could taste the sweetness of the maple syrup as it balanced out the acidity in the drink. The cayenne pepper, on the other hand, burned as if it were cleansing my esophagus! Oh my gulay, it was intense and worrisome since I was on the rebound after drinking too much lemon water. In the end, I had to drink it little by little until I finished it.

I'm glad I picked it up and tried it! I definitely feel a wee bit better after drinking it, but I think I would have to drink it consistently in order to stay better in the short-long run. Would I buy this again? I don't think so. A bottle of this cost $3 -- THREE DOLLARS. I could use that money towards my ultimate baeverage, coffee! Yes, it's a baeverage because it keeps me running.

Anyway, have any of you tried this? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!
continue reading »
posted by ÀS: em: . . . . .
No comments:
Wisconsin Dells, WI, USA
01 August 2017

posted by em: . . .
Hey hey, everyone!

I know I'm supposed to come back with a follow up on my graduation skincare, but the thing is that I can't find the pictures that I took! I've honestly searched through all of my folders multiple times and I cannot find them. This saddens me, but we've gotta move on. (Just know that my skin started healing after I reduced the amount of acne products I was using to just one and combining that with moisturising products.)

As the title says, my family and I spent 24 hours in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It was a spur of the moment family trip so nothing was planned to us prior to arriving -- not even our hotel was booked. We did the booking when we were halfway to Wisconsin and found an awesome condo at Tamarack Resorts. The condo was a short 5 minute drive from all of the waterparks and had everything and more that we needed for our two night and one day stay. (Except for proper AC in my room, but I was able to go without it since all I did was sleep in there.)

So if you watch my vlog about our 24 hours, you'll see that we did two activities minus eating. The morning was rough since it took us half a day to get up there due to traffic. Our day didn't start until 10 am. We took a two hour boat tour (none of the crazy ones) of the Dells. It was extremely relaxing although just a little chilly, but that was remedied with two stops where we would walk on land to see some points of interest. That and buy food, drinks, and souvenirs.

Let me tell you, water never tasted so good after being on a boat for a while.

Anyways, check out the video down below!


continue reading »
posted by ÀS: em: . . .
No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

back to top
This is What She Saw .
blogger theme by gbml