Daily Check-in: May 7, 2024 🎀

My *Updated Winter Skincare Routine + Some Tips 🎀

I have tried out some new products and have found some new personal favorite skincare items for the winter! I figured I’d update on my current morning and night skincare routines and add in some tips (based on things I’ve been doing that have been working for me). I am not a dermatologist or professional, these are sino,y my routines and what works for me!

🩷 Morning Skincare Routine

Wash my face with Cerave Hydrating Face Wash and cold water

Pat dry with a paper towel

Apply Jumiso Vitamin C Serum

Follow up with Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Cream

Use sunscreen, Beauty of Joseon Rice + Probiotics SPF 50

that’s my simple little morning routine! I love it so much more for than my super complicated routine because sometimes it’s nice to just get in and get my skincare done for the morning.

🩷 Night Skincare Routine

these two things stay the same every night, but the rest differs by night

Oil cleanse on dry skin with Anua Pore Control Cleansing Oil

Follow up with using the B.Lab Matcha Foam Hydrating Cleanser

Monday/Wednesday/Friday - Exfoliating

Use the Cosrx AHA/BHA Toner

Pat in the Cosrx Snail Mucin Essence

Use the Torriden Dive In Low Molecule Hyalorounic Serum

Next, I pat in the Beauty of Joseon Calming Serum

I use the Cerave Eye Repair Cream on my under eyes

Lastly, I use the Cosrx All In One Snail Cream

Tuesday/Thursday - Retinal Eye Cream Days

I use the Anua Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner

Next, I’ll use the Torriden Dive In Low Molecule Hyaluronic Serum

Then I’ll occasionally use the Skin 1004 Centella Asiática Ampoule serum

Then I Pat a bit of the Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Cream under my eyes

Lastly, I lock it all in with my Etude Soon Jung Hydro Barrier Cream

Saturday - Basic Day

I’ll use the I’m From Rice Toner on this day

Then I’ll use the Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Followed by either the Anua Peach Nicain Serum OR the Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum

I’ll Pat the Cerave Eye Repair Cream into the under eye area

Then I lock it all in with Etude Soon Jung Hydro Barrier Cream

Sunday - Full Self Care Day

Before double cleansing, I use the Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Face Mask (I love her)

Then I double cleanse

Then I’ll use the Anua Toner Pads

Then I use my Cosrx Snail Mucin Essence

Then I use either of my Hyaluronic Serums depending on how I feel

Then I’ll use the Axis Y Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum

Cerave Eye Cream of course

Then I use the Cosrx All In One Snail Cream

Every Night -

I pat a little Hyaluronic acid serum into my lips and seal it with Vaseline

a lot of products, yes, but I went crazy and bought a bunch of skincare and now I’m using it and my skin loves all of it honestly! My skin is not super sensitive so I use everything within reason in a way that won’t irritate it. For me, I know what works for my skin and what doesn’t, and that’s been the most helpful thing. Now, for some tips,

🩷 Skincare Tips

Apply vitamin C to dry skin! I’ve heard this helps with absorption and the way the serum works!

Pat face dry, do not rub! Rubbing irritates the skin and pulling on it aggressively like that isn’t good long term

Use clean paper towels! May be a bit wasteful but it’s a lot cleaner then using a face towel that you wash once a week

Apply Hyaluronic Acid to damp skin for better absorption!

Apply all serums to your clean fingers to pat into skin as dragging the droppers across your skin can collect bacteria and what not

Always use sunscreen! I myself sometimes forget or I skip it and that’s just not good for your skins health long term

drink your water!!! Hydrated skin starts from within, lovelies

Use products that work for your skin type! Avoid fragrances if you have sensitive skin, avoid snail mucin if you have a dust allergy, etc

Cold water in the morning to refresh your skin and wake you up

if I've washed my face + done my skincare the night before, I do not wash my face in the morning. I simply splash with cold water and do my morning routine.

learn your skin type! this will help you determine what products will be beneficial for your skin type and goals. My skin bounces between oily and dry depending on the weather, if I did skincare, if my pillowcases are clean, etc.

don't touch your face, at least not with dirty hands. always make sure your hands are clean before touching your face

don't pop acne! not only with this leave the chance of scarring, but it spreads the bacteria from one pimple to the rest of your face

brush your teeth before doing skincare. when you brush your teeth after, you may rub off the stuff you've applied or mix it in, which is not the best for your skin

those are all the tips I currently use in my everyday life regarding my skin! I hope this was useful!

til next time lovelies 🩷

🎀 Summer Stuff 🎀

I had no idea what to title this, but this is a comprehensive list of my goals, habits, and "dailies" that I am going to accomplish this summer (before I head to Colorado in mid june for 8 weeks of work!)

🩷 Overall Goals/Habits

Daily movement - morning workout AND/OR a hot girl walk (5k to 10k steps a day is my goal for daily steps)

Spanish study - 20+ minutes a day, have a couple italki lessons (already have one booked!)

Daily reading - 30+ minutes daily, nonfiction and/or fiction

Consistent morning routine - hydration, movement, journaling, skincare, etc

Wake up at the same time everyday - debating between 5 and 6am right now (I'm a morning person!)

Try some new things - watch new TV shows, maybe self learn some kpop choreo, dabble in creative writing, try new classes, etc

Consistent night routine - unwind, read, shower/skincare, journal, etc

Go to sleep at same time every night: 10pm or 11pm

Incorporate more wellness into my days - stretching, meditation, yoga/pilates, fruit smoothies

Keep up with all necessary appointments - doctors, therapist, etc

Maintain a healthy diet - high nutrient (fruit and veggie), high ish protein, moderate carbs, moderate fats, lots of water, limited caffiene, highly limited added sugar (loosely track food intake to be more mindful of my choices)

Consistent cleaning and reset routines

Daily affirmations and work on Law of Attraction/Law of Vibration to help manifest my dream life and cultivate my new identity to live my healthier, happier, desired life <3

I am so excited. Something about this summer feels different. This summer feels like the one for me, like I'm seriously going to have my "that girl" summer that I've been hoping for. Lots of rest, recovery, and renewal.

til next time lovelies 🩷

when you get this, list 5 songs you like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to the last 10 people in your notifs (positivity is cool!!)

Touch by Katseye

1-800-Hot-N-Fun by Le Serrafim

Crazy by Le Serrafim

New Woman by Lisa ft Rosalia

Bellakeo by Pes Pluma ft Anitta

currently about to start reading: No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

need to pick back up on reading: Tender is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

just finished reading: The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

If you see this you’re legally obligated to reblog and tag with the book you’re currently reading

can anyone recommend a good textbook for learning Spanish? I really like studying using textbooks and I have two from when I took Spanish classes but they are the most unhelpful textbooks ever and I absolutely despise using them unless I have no other choice.

preferably I’d like a textbook that focuses on grammar as vocabulary is pretty easy for me to pick up given how widely Spanish is spoken in my city.

I’m also open to any music, song, movie, book, tv show, and any other spanish language learning material! I want to be able to speak spanish with some of the people I work with and I think it’s a great and beautiful language for me to learn overall, and definitely will be the most helpful!

*I am still going to self study Japanese during my six week break from classes, but I am going to try to divide my time between spanish and Japanese with a stronger focus on spanish! May even start a six week language challenge during my break to keep me motivated and accountable!

so if you guys have any recommendations for someone learning spanish (and even Japanese) , please comment/reblog this!

thanks in advance <3

Daily Check-in: April 3rd, 2024 🎀

Today was a weird day. My anxiety was off the walls, and I think it's because that time of the month decided to occur, which is throwing me way off. Birth control has made that not happen for 2 years so, I was definitely caught off guard. (omg I hope that's not tmi, it's just something I gotta deal with again as a woman)

🩷 What I Accomplished Today:

Reviewed Spanish Busuu Chapters 6 and 7

Reviewed all flashcards once fully through

listened to one podcast episode in spanish

completed question set about renal nutrition from my dietitian mentor

met with an advisor regarding adding a 2nd major in finance

met with my advisor and got some good advice before adding the 2nd major

emailed the director of the Dietetic program at my college to schedule a meeting

wrote chemistry notes (need to finish and catch up with this week - I've missed both lectures)

completed a chemistry homework assignment

planned tasks for tomorrow

met with dietitian mentor

scrubbed my toilet clean

🩷 Good Things That Happened:

got an extension on my chem lab report

got confirmation of taking a make up quiz for my psyc class

took an hour nap

got excused from lecture and lab today (going to make it up tomorrow)

met most of my goal tasks

my meetings with the advisors went really well

got to talk to my dad per usual, and he was supportive of the 2nd major stuff

my boyfriend was supportive of my 2nd major stuff

met a super cute blue heeler puppy that was so cute and friendly, tho she did cut my thumb slightly but it's okay cause she's just a puppy

got 7k steps in today

🩷 What Could've Been Better:

could've managed my anxiety a bit better

could've been more productive instead of doing my "productive procrastination"

need to stop trying to do academic things while sitting in bed

need to stop trying to stay awake when I randomly wake up at 4am

need to drink more water, for sure

need to work on better nutrition

Today was a weird day. But that's okay. Weird days do happen. I know now what made it weird, and I'll adapt.

Til next time lovelies 🩷

Daily Check-in: October 12th, 2023 🎀

Today has been a lazy yet somewhat decent day? There's not much to complain about. Besides the fact that I didn't do a single homework assignment, I'm exhausted, so that's alright. I did do a decent amount of Japanese studying today though I didn't open up my Genki Textbook like I had wanted to but oh well, there's always tomorrow!

🩷 What I Ate Today -

Brunch - Spaghetti with ground Turkey and meat sauce

Dinner - Taco bowl with ground beef, black beans, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream, a small dollop of avocado, and red salsa with 1.5 low carb tortillas

Snack - bunny tracks ice cream, 16oz bottle of Dr pepper

Extra - 4? cups of coffee (or 5, I can't remember)

I was not very productive today in terms of academic progress, but I still feel like I did what I could given my energy levels. (and caffiene intake). Did not eat the healthiest, but I listened to my body, and honestly, not every day will be perfect, and that's okay!

🩷 Personal Achievements, Oct 12th -

cooked ground beef (leftovers woooo!!)

washed dirty laundry

put away all clean clothes

did my therapy phone call

video called my boyfriend

morning + night skincare

completed 2 duolingo lessons

completed 1 busuu lesson

completed 3 kanji lessons

typed up one draft for upcoming blog post

I had heard about an app called Kanji that teaches you kanji based on JLPT Levels, and I actually really like it, so I bought access to all levels for 11$ USD!! feel like that's a fair price for over 2000 kanji, and I'm excited to start expanding my Japanese knowledge. Also, I am trying out the LingQ app. It's pretty interesting and seems useful for reading practice! I don't know why I got such a kick to study japanese but I am not complaining!!

No Academic Achievements for Today

🩷 Personal ToDo, Oct 13th -

Review previous 3 kanji lessons

Complete 1 duolingo lesson

Complete 1 busuu lesson

Continue Genki I Lesson one (?)

morning + night skincare

morning + night journal

morning workout (at home)

make bed

read 1 chapter of atomic habits or other self help book

🩷 Academic ToDo, Oct 13th -

Culinary Chapter 10 Quiz

Consumer Debt Inventory Assignment

Chapter 9 Notes Psyc

Chapter 9 Quiz Psyc

Attend Psyc Lab

Attend Anatomy Lab

Using Credit Personal Finance assignment

module notes fitness health and sport

module quiz fitness health and sport

work on component 2 for psyc paper

Giving myself a lot of school work to complete tomorrow but that's okay because I have the day off from work so I know I'll be able to get a lot of it done, if not all of it! I'm hoping I sleep decently tonight so I can wake up ready to rule the world tomorrow. My goal is to wake up early, workout, shower, do some makeup and get ready, and be on campus early to get back into the school mindset because I know I've been slacking these last two days. I work a double shift on Saturday, so tomorrow is really the ideal time to finish everything as much as possible.

🩷 Song of the Day: Fearless, Jp Version - Le Sserafim

This has been my anthem lately. It's catchy, and I kind of prefer this to the original version in Korean, but that's a bit biased on my end as I am studying Japanese at the moment.

🩷 Tomorrow Morning Workout - Pilates

Even if I only finish the first video, I will be proud of myself. It's the effort that counts, and it's definitely gonna be a start! I will be posting an updated current workout schedule with routines soon!!

That's all for now! I will update tomorrow night!

Til next time, lovelies 🩷

Daily Check-in - July 25, 2023 🎀

Today was a rough day. I had to stay later at work so I didn't get home when I wanted. My roommates ended up making dinner and I over ate a bit because I had not eaten for about 8 hours prior. I'm also completely exhausted so I didn't do my night routine. I did prep myself for tomorrow morning so I have my workout to look forward to!

🩷 What I Ate Today:

Breakfast - A two good anilla Greek yogurt bowl with granola, peanut butter, chia seeds, and a sliced banana, and a cup of coffee.

Lunch - A salad topped with sliced bits of sharp cheddar cheese, chopped carrots, and tuna mixed with avocado oil mayo and two grapes that a coworker gave me.

Dinner - Two servings of homemade Spanish rice, and one burrito with ground beef, shredded cheese, homemade refried beans, sour cream, and salsa.

Snacks - Bowl of watermelon and one babybel cheese.

Other - One cup of coffee with French vanilla creamer, one bottle of water with a dissolved electrolyte tablet

Water : 65oz water not bad but could've definitely been better

🩷 Workout - Lower Body Pilates

I only did this one this morning as I did not sleep well last night but still woke up early to get some movement in. I absolutely loved this workout, though the glute bridge parts hurt my lower back a bit, so I need to work on my form. Wish it was 20 minutes fully, tho. Overall, 9.4/10

🩷 Habits I completed today:

Morning guided journal

Made my bed

Morning skincare

Workout

Didn't accomplish much today but tomorrow will definitely be better! I'm also super excited for tomorrow because one of my Yesstyle skincare packages that I ordered weeks ago is finally going to be delivered tomorrow!

🩷 Song of the Day: Rich Girl by Gwen Stefani, Eve

I'm trying to manifest some more financial stability and cash income so this song has definitely been a repeat in my playlist. I've also been listing to Money by Lalisa and 7 rings by Ariana Grande because I could use the increase cash flow coming my way.

That's all for today! I'm so sorry if this seems rushed, I am exhausted and litteraly going to fall asleep after I post this. I'll see you guys tomorrow!

Current Japanese Study Routine + Resources 🎀

As you all may know, I am currently self studying Japanese and Spanish, though I am putting Spanish on the back burner for now so I can focus more on Japanese as that is where my passion lies at the moment. Lucky for me, there is a Japanese language and culture club on my university campus that I am (hopefully) going to join next week or the week after, given how busy my schedule ends up being. I thought I’d make a little post about my current routine that I use to study and what resources I am currently using and am planning on purchasing to use in order to build my proficiency in this beautiful language!

Current Resources 🩷

Apps - I am currently playing around with several apps to see which ones work for me, so here is all the apps I currently have downloaded to my iPad/phone

Duolingo - this has been a go to for all language I’ve ever tried to learn, it’s useful for me as a basic introduction to vocabulary, sentence structure, some grammar, and I just like how it involves typing, speaking, listening, and reading.

Drops - this one is just a fun little 5 minutes gamified way to learn vocabulary for me, it’s definitely a go to on my lazier language learning days

Bunpo - I like this for learning the kana but I didn’t realize it costs money to use fully so I am debating purchasing a subscription to the paid version

Write Japanese - this one I’m using to learn the correct stroke order for the kana and I like it for the most part

Renshuu - I just signed in to use this one last night and it looks interesting. I’ve seen it recommended by several blogs and even when google searching language learning and watching YouTube videos so I’m excited to try it out!

NHK for School - I saw someone recommend this on their blog and I remember using the website version in the past so I know this will be helpful when it comes to reading

Jisho - this is a dictionary app that I’ve seen recommended on so many platforms and I’m always open to a good dictionary!

Japanese - this one was recommended on a blog post and it allows you to add vocabulary and interesting phrases so I thought it’d be useful once I start on learning sentence structure and grammar

Italki - this one is the one I’m most excited to use. It connects you to people who speak and teach your target language for a set timed lesson, and it does cost money but you pay by lesson, not on a subscription basis. So if you do one lesson the first week and then another lesson in three weeks or something, you only pay for those two lessons. I’m really looking forward to trying this one out in the future once I get more comfortable with speaking.

Anki - a flash card app I am using to currently learn hiragana and will soon use for katakana and eventually kanji and phrases. I was gonna use Quizlet but I ended up liking this one better for my current needs.

LingoDeer, Memrise, Babbel, HiNative, HelloTalk, Hey Japan, Busuu, Kanji, Kana, Sensei - apps that I have and have not tried yet. I really like the ones I’ve already tried so I’m not sure if I’m going to use these ones soon but if I get bored of current apps than I at least have alternatives to turn to to continue learning

Textbooks/Workbooks/Materials - I currently own two workbooks but will include the resource I am planning on buying, as well as any stationery material I am also using!

Japanese for Busy People I - This was the workbook we had for the Japanese class I took at my university while in high school. My dad ended up buying it for me if I promised not to take Japanese classes once I went to college. (My parents don’t believe it is useful to know and they are helping pay for my education so I didn’t have a choice.) I haven’t started reusing it yet but once I am comfortable with the kana then I will resume using it.

Let’s Learn Katakana - this is a katakana writing book my older brother bought for me (he is supportive of everything I have an interest in even if he doesn’t understand it himself) and it is really useful for learning and practicing writing katakana. However I am still focusing on relearning hiragana so I will return to this workbook after I solidify my hiragana knowledge.

Genki I and Genki II textbook/workbook + answer key bundle - I am planning to buy this off of Amazon as I have heard from most people who are learning Japanese on their own that this set is really useful for self studying so of course I am going to invest in it once I get paid next week.

I am also looking for a hiragana, katakana, and kanji writing workbook to practice those skills.

Free Online Resources -

YouTube!

Anime!

Music

Manga

Anything free I can find online when google searching resources

Stationary Supplies -

Kokuyo Campus Smart Ring Binder in pink

Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens in black

Index cards

Pilot g-2 fashion pens

Zebra mild liner highlighter/markers

Papermate Mechanical Pencils

Mini notebook to carry around for vocabulary

My iPad + Apple Pencil + Goodnotes 5

My Chromebook

A lot of resources but I am trying to stick with this for the long term. A few years ago, I self studied Japanese everyday for about 2 years and gained a good understanding but fell off from studying Japanese when I went to university.

My Current Study Routine* 🎀

*when I have more than 30 minutes to study, if I only have 30 minutes or less I just mess around on my language apps

I currently do not use any workbooks or textbooks as I am trying to re familiarize myself with the language. Here’s my current study routine!

Practice Anki flashcards 3 times or until I get 85-90% correct

Practice hiragana writing in Write Japanese app (~10min)

Duolingo lessons for 10 minutes

1 Japanese language Drops lesson

Use Renshuu until I get bored (~10-15min)

Watch an episode of anime as a reward (Japanese audio with English subtitles)

I will switch this up to a more structured way of studying once I start using my textbooks and workbooks, but for now this relaxed style of learning is working for me time wise and attention wise (ADHD brain right here).

I also listen to Japanese music throughout the day and try to recall hiragana characters correctly in my head when I have the time. I also sneak in some practice when at work on my apps and whatnot. I mentioned in my last daily check in some of my favorite Japanese artists, and I also love Japanese versions of K-pop songs too! I’m currently watching Bungou Stray Dogs on crunchyroll right now, and I’m open to any recommendations for what to watch next!

If anyone has any language learning tips or resources they’d want to share, feel free to comment! It would be greatly appreciated!

Til next time my lovelies 🩷🤍

Winter Break 24' Goals

My winter break is quickly approaching as the fall semester is coming to an end. I will be getting time off work as well, due to the semester ending, so that gives me about ~5 weeks to basically do whatever I want! Which I am so excited about <3

Here are some goals I am going to accomplish over this long, much needed break:

learn + practice more crochet 🧶(I can do a chain, but a single crochet is difficult for me right now)

workout at the gym 3-5x a week 🏋‍♀️

begin running again 🏃‍♀️ (I'm taking a running class next semester, so I want to prepare myself for it)

study japanese 3-5 days a week + take 2-3 italki lessons 🌸 (I'm also taking a Japanese class next semester so I want to know more than the basics)

study Spanish 2 days a week minimum 🇲🇽 (another language I know a little bit of but want to get better at)

complete watching 2-4 unfinished anime 💻 series (I always stop with a few episodes to go, need to break that habit)

consistent self care + begin a few healthy, consistent habits 🎀 (meditation, journaling, skincare morning + night, stretching, etc)

visit my boyfriend ❤️ (aiming to do so in early January!)

start drawing or at the very least, coloring, again ✏️ (very fun, very creative, very stress relieving, but I won't be mad if I don't hold myself to this)

meal prep 2x a week for lunches and dinners 🥗

on that note, learn a couple new recipes for lunches and dinners! 🍜

finish reading two books at minimum, three if I really work at it 📚 (going to finish What Alice Forgot, then going to move on to Girl In Pieces and If He Had Been With Me [or No Longer Human])

I will truly begin these on December 13th, and begin my daily updates soon too. Will Reblog this around Jaunary 13th to see what I actually did!

what are your guys goals for the winter?

til next time lovelies 🩷