We all suffer from it. But we don't like talking about it. Yes, I'm talking about clogged pores.
Disgusting. Gross. Annoying. Nothing's good about them, but now there is a solution. It's not really new, I guess. But I *love* Biore's anti-blackhead self-warming face wash!
I never liked washing my face when I was growing up. Bar soap, the yellow bar stuff specifically, left my face feeling slightly waxy and not very refreshed. When I moved out on my own, I explored different facial care systems. Proactiv worked pretty well, but it left annoying bleached spots on everything, so I kept looking. I used the Biore nose strips as a weekly blackhead treatment, which definitely helped, but I never settled on one face wash.
That is, until I had a coupon for Biore nose strips that required me to buy a facial care product along with it. It sounds cheesy, but that's how I stumbled across this fabulous product. Most of the promo-type coupons and products have been one-shot deals - I never buy them again (Neutrogena, that's you). This one stuck. I'm even expanding my Biore repertoire. I've succumbed to their dual SPF/moisturizer (recommended by Real Simple, I think), and their facial cleanser. I'm almost ready to buy their makeup towelettes too, but I don't wear makeup often enough (yet) to really commit.
I'm eagerly waiting the Drugstore.com box that's bringing more face wash! I ran out last week, and instead of searching high and low for the ONE store that actually carries it, I just ordered it. Lots of it. :-)
Tonight I get to wash my face again!
26 January 2011
24 January 2011
All men dream
Some days the size of what I'm trying to accomplish in grad school seems overwhelming. A giant gorilla sitting on my chest, squeezing the last breath out. I think about what needs to happen and how that still seems so far off, and I get tiny panic attacks.
Other days, the world seems full of possibility, waiting for me to reach out and grasp the juicy success I've been craving.
The rest of the time, I sit at my desk, slogging through the grind of real research and wondering when I will finally get my ticket out.
One of the best realizations in the recent years has been the transfer of theoretical "knowledge" that you just have to "do it" like the Nike slogan says, to the core understanding that the worst thing that could happen when you try something is that it doesn't happen the first time. Maybe that's partly what research teaches you. But it's also what helps separate those who live out their dreams, and the proletariat that watches those people with envy.
"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." T.E. "Lawrence of Arabia"
Other days, the world seems full of possibility, waiting for me to reach out and grasp the juicy success I've been craving.
The rest of the time, I sit at my desk, slogging through the grind of real research and wondering when I will finally get my ticket out.
One of the best realizations in the recent years has been the transfer of theoretical "knowledge" that you just have to "do it" like the Nike slogan says, to the core understanding that the worst thing that could happen when you try something is that it doesn't happen the first time. Maybe that's partly what research teaches you. But it's also what helps separate those who live out their dreams, and the proletariat that watches those people with envy.
"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." T.E. "Lawrence of Arabia"
21 January 2011
I will never have Asian hair
...but maybe my kids will.
My hair can be problematic. It's thick and partially curly. It doesn't like behaving in ringlets or soft curls like my mom and sister, but it doesn't fall completely straight either. Only true magicians have been able to tame this beast. I had a hair dresser back in Houston that I knew could handle my hair. He was the only one to cut my hair for 7 years. He did my hair for my high school prom, and I didn't go to anyone else after that. During my first year of grad school, I even waited to get my hair cut until I went back to Houston. This is one of the last haircuts he gave me. I loved it.
But then he made a fatal mistake. I wanted a bob haircut, which he did. But I have a nice square jaw which does not need accentuating. And he cut the bob to EXACTLY the wrong length. I absolutely LOATHED my hair for almost 2 whole months! It was terrible.
I tried a few salons in Atlanta, but wasn't impressed. Why spend $60 on a haircut when I could pay $20 and be exactly the same amount of satisfied with the results? So I did the grad student thing for awhile. I went to the Paul Mitchell school. Pretty cheap hair cuts, with decently talented folks. But they took FOREVER! The last person who cut my hair took 2.5hrs! For an angled bob!!! I swear he cut each hair individually. I had had enough.
Finally, after months of letting my hair grow out, I got so fed up that I needed to cut it immediately. It was crisis moment! There is a salon near our condo called Salon Red, who had advertised and sent fliers around before but I had just never paid much attention. So I decided, on recommendation from friends, to give them a try. I called to make an appointment, and the only one open was this guy named Tim. He was expensive, the receptionist told me, but well worth it.
I walked in, ready to chop off all my hair, and he talked me off the cliff. I told him I had been trying to grow it out (which I had), but had never gotten much further due to frustration with my hair's shape. No one seemed to be able to get it right. But Tim did. He told me he would just shape it for now, and if I really wanted him to, we could cut it next time. The cut was perfect.
I went back the next month to get my bangs trimmed - which was probably half the battle anyway. Most of the time, once my bangs had grown out, I got frustrated with the look of my hair. Trimming up the bangs really solved that. He shaped it again in December, just in time for one of the Christmas parties, and I felt fabulous! He has my business now until I leave for Boston, but I might try to export him to the Northeast!
My hair can be problematic. It's thick and partially curly. It doesn't like behaving in ringlets or soft curls like my mom and sister, but it doesn't fall completely straight either. Only true magicians have been able to tame this beast. I had a hair dresser back in Houston that I knew could handle my hair. He was the only one to cut my hair for 7 years. He did my hair for my high school prom, and I didn't go to anyone else after that. During my first year of grad school, I even waited to get my hair cut until I went back to Houston. This is one of the last haircuts he gave me. I loved it.
But then he made a fatal mistake. I wanted a bob haircut, which he did. But I have a nice square jaw which does not need accentuating. And he cut the bob to EXACTLY the wrong length. I absolutely LOATHED my hair for almost 2 whole months! It was terrible.
I tried a few salons in Atlanta, but wasn't impressed. Why spend $60 on a haircut when I could pay $20 and be exactly the same amount of satisfied with the results? So I did the grad student thing for awhile. I went to the Paul Mitchell school. Pretty cheap hair cuts, with decently talented folks. But they took FOREVER! The last person who cut my hair took 2.5hrs! For an angled bob!!! I swear he cut each hair individually. I had had enough.
Finally, after months of letting my hair grow out, I got so fed up that I needed to cut it immediately. It was crisis moment! There is a salon near our condo called Salon Red, who had advertised and sent fliers around before but I had just never paid much attention. So I decided, on recommendation from friends, to give them a try. I called to make an appointment, and the only one open was this guy named Tim. He was expensive, the receptionist told me, but well worth it.
I walked in, ready to chop off all my hair, and he talked me off the cliff. I told him I had been trying to grow it out (which I had), but had never gotten much further due to frustration with my hair's shape. No one seemed to be able to get it right. But Tim did. He told me he would just shape it for now, and if I really wanted him to, we could cut it next time. The cut was perfect.
I went back the next month to get my bangs trimmed - which was probably half the battle anyway. Most of the time, once my bangs had grown out, I got frustrated with the look of my hair. Trimming up the bangs really solved that. He shaped it again in December, just in time for one of the Christmas parties, and I felt fabulous! He has my business now until I leave for Boston, but I might try to export him to the Northeast!
05 January 2011
The Year of Fabulous!
Some of my friends have already declared 2011 to be the year of being fabulous. I think that mantra really resonates, so I am embracing it too! Here is to being the best, feeling the best, and most of all, looking the best I can in the next 365 days!
One of the goals - like many people's - is to lose weight. I realized, looking back at pictures from my first year in graduate school, that I have packed on the "grad school 15". I was the skinniest and most happy with my body when I moved to Atlanta. Stress, and a comfortable, stable relationship will really help pack on the padding. Luckily, I have started an accountability email system with one of my best girlfriends. She and I both have weight loss goals, and there's nothing like thinking, "I have to tell S about this cookie tomorrow" to make it not seem as tasty! Plus, I have my 10-year high school reunion coming up in May, and a looming #29 birthday, so there is no time like the present to get back to a fabulous body!
Another thing I want to do this year is to commit and do some of the things that I have wanted to but have lacked the courage to complete. Like giving blood, which I conquered in October (and December!!!), I want to embrace the things that scare me.
In this case, it's mostly about putting myself out there for the job I want. It's nerve-wrecking to know you want something, but not know exactly how you will get it. But it's all in the mindset. I am reading Dale Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people" for just that reason: to prepare myself in the best way possible to face those opportunities. This year, I will go forward with confidence and do all the necessary preparation I can to get what I desire!
Here's to you, fabulous 2011!
One of the goals - like many people's - is to lose weight. I realized, looking back at pictures from my first year in graduate school, that I have packed on the "grad school 15". I was the skinniest and most happy with my body when I moved to Atlanta. Stress, and a comfortable, stable relationship will really help pack on the padding. Luckily, I have started an accountability email system with one of my best girlfriends. She and I both have weight loss goals, and there's nothing like thinking, "I have to tell S about this cookie tomorrow" to make it not seem as tasty! Plus, I have my 10-year high school reunion coming up in May, and a looming #29 birthday, so there is no time like the present to get back to a fabulous body!
Another thing I want to do this year is to commit and do some of the things that I have wanted to but have lacked the courage to complete. Like giving blood, which I conquered in October (and December!!!), I want to embrace the things that scare me.
In this case, it's mostly about putting myself out there for the job I want. It's nerve-wrecking to know you want something, but not know exactly how you will get it. But it's all in the mindset. I am reading Dale Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people" for just that reason: to prepare myself in the best way possible to face those opportunities. This year, I will go forward with confidence and do all the necessary preparation I can to get what I desire!
Here's to you, fabulous 2011!
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