Midweek Skin Pick Me Up

Congratulations. You've made it half way through the week and it's time to treat yourself to a mini spa. You will need 4 things, a face towel, Dr. Bonner's Peppermint Soap, Naris Up Skin Conditioner and cotton pads.

What you shall do is take your shower as normal and add a couple drops of the Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap to the towel and soak and wring out the towel in warm/hot water a few times. Then place the towel over your face and leave it there. When the towel gets cold, soak and wring out the towel again and place it on your face again. You can repeat this as many times as you want, probably should stop before you get too pruney though. Then if you want, you can lightly scrub your face with the towel to wash your face.

Then once you're done with that, pat your face dry and then soak your cotton pad with the skin conditioner and the place the cotton pads all over your face for a quick make shift facial sheet mask like in the picture. Leave the cotton pads on there until it dries. Now your face will feel super soft and moisturized. Then apply any serums you use and moisturize as usual.

Now to talk about some alternatives. For the Dr. Bonner's soap, there are different ones for different skin concerns. I personally like the peppermint one cause it feels so refreshing. If you want to feel more relaxed, there's a lavender version. If you have acne prone skin, there's a tea tree oil version. Same with the Skin Conditioner, there are different ones for different skin concerns. I have the blue one which contains hyaluronic acid which helps to replenish moisture.

Happy hump day! The weekend is almost here.

Got Time, But No Money vs. Got Money, But No Time

Isn't it funny how that works? I remember when school was over and summer finally rolled around, hours were spent rotting at home doing nothing. Why? Because you can't take vacations when you have no money. Yeah, you'd go hang out with your friends and things like that, but it wasn't anything like traveling and exploring far away places. Ironically, that's when you have all the time in the world, no responsibilities or cares, but no money to go have fun. (Before all hell breaks loose, I totally understand that there are activities that can be done without spending a lot of money or any money at all. But what I mean is, hopping on a plane or in a car and going somewhere with all the time in the world.)

Nowadays, there is money in the bank, enough to take me across the world, but no time to go. The joys of being a grown up. I guess another one of those joys is, when you have time, but no one else has time. Sure, I can go explore alone, but it's not as much fun when you're alone. I love to share my experiences with other people because I have terrible memory so I will most likely forget something. And also, when you're able to share your experiences with someone, you have someone to look back with and laugh at silly things you guys might have seen or done, or remember little details that you have since forgotten. Plus, sharing is caring.

Back to these grown up problems. When you have a job, you can't just go, I feel like going to Disneyland today, peace out guys. There are responsibilities unfortunately. Since starting work, I don't think I've taken a vacation where I haven't checked my email or freak out in case my coworker feels like being incompetent that day. And I'm only gone for 2 days. And that's another thing, you can't take real vacations. Think about when you were younger and you and your parents packed up and went on a road trip or on vacation during summer break. You were probably out for a good week. When you're an adult, unless your employer gives you vacation time, you're not being paid for when you're not there. Sucks right?

I guess you have to find that balance as new obstacles are thrown your way. Sometimes you need that break to avoid getting burned out. I remember having to work 6 days out of 7 in a week. That got old real quick. That's why, I give nothing but props to those that work everyday of the week and on top of that, several jobs at once and over 8 hours a day.

At the end of the day, it's about finding that balance. It helps if your mentality is, work hard today so you don't have to work as hard later. I will get there one day. For now, time to figure out when everyone has time to go to Hawaii or something. Sigh. Grown up problems.

Shoe Haul: Never Pay Full Price

I think a good tip when shopping is, never pay full price for anything. Now I totally understand there are some items that just don't go on sale, like certain electronics or items from specialty stores. But for the most part, things do go on sale, especially clothes and shoes. So, welcome to this shoe haul post as well as how to save money post.

As many of you know, normally, TOMS shoes don't go on sale. You can visit your local Nordstrom Rack, and even then they're full price. However, I bet many of you didn't know that every so often, there are codes for $5 off for TOMS from their actual website. Say what? Yup. The last few times I've seen the $5 off, there was free shipping. However, there was one time where there wasn't free shipping. Another tip, wait for free shipping!!! If you take your $5 off, but pay for shipping, it's like you saved nothing at all. Might as well have gone to the store to pick it up. And if you're someone like myself that wears TOMS on a regular basis, it doesn't hurt to grab a pair for back-up. Also, some stores have Friends and Family sales that allow discounts on TOMS. That means time to stock up?? >.>

Now, time for shoes that DO go on sale. Like these Steve Madden KStudd Flats. Originally they're $50 before tax. I was able to get them for $30 before tax. The key here is to WAIT!! And to shop around. I got these from Piperlime which offers free shipping as well as free returns.

This goes for really any type other of shoe brand. Most shoes, with maybe the exception of classics, usually end up on sale. You just have to wait it out. And waiting it out not only saves you money, it also helps you figure out how much you really want those shoes. A good place to find Steve Madden shoes but for a fraction of the price, in stores, are places like Ross, TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack. I've actually seen these flats, but in a different color at Ross for only $16.99. Now that is steal.

For those of you who constantly shop online. Another great way to save is by using Ebates. Ebates is a cashback website that gives you back money as you shop. You only get a certain percentage back but if you do a lot of online shopping, these savings add up. Usually it's only a few percents cashback, but there are occasions where there is double cashback. Or recently, Ebates had their I believe it was 14th birthday and there was 14% cashback. That's crazy! 14% here in San Francisco basically covers tax and then some. You might be wondering, free money? There has to be a catch. Nope, no catch. If you want to sign up, you can click here.

Now to end with a question for you guys. What are some ways you guys save money when shopping?