Brrr

Winter is here. This became painfully evident to me last night as I walked to my bus in what felt like 20-degree wind gusts. I immediately was filled with ALL THE REGRET about not wearing fleece tights and a hat. This is my first winter with short hair too - so I feel like I'm at a bit of a learning curve over here. Hats and scarves every day from now on!

This scarf is handmade by a local DC designer, Betsy, CEO and founder of Zophia. I love the frayed edges yet classic pattern is has. Betsy is MAD talented when it comes to designing clothing. She designed the tropical crop top I’m wearing here and here. Who knew that such a statement top would be such a staple in my closet?!

Most times when I’m getting dressed, I plan it around a certain item and then use the process of elimination to help decide the rest. I wore my favorite navy shift dress from another local designer, Erika Schrieber (you can find her stuff at the Sophie Blake Pop Up in Mosaic District) and my FAVORITE marble sneakers from Anthom.

I wore this out for a lunch date with Betsy at my go-to spot, Malmaison in Georgetown. If you haven’t been (see photos here!), I highly recommend it!!

Wearing Zophia scarf, Erika Schrieber dress, Halogen leather jacket, Veja sneakers via Anthom
Photos by Betsy

From the Farmer

Ever since starting my journey with clean eating last year, I’ve been a changed person. My energy levels are higher than ever, I actually CRAVE vegetables, and my skin has become so much more vibrant. Combined with working out, I’ve never felt better about myself.

But the holidays were rough on me. While I still stuck to the core of clean eating, I definitely indulged quite a bit. When it’s cold, out come the creamy mashed potatoes and crock pot mac and cheese. Old habits die hard…and to be honest, I was getting a bit bored of making the same 10 recipes over and over again…

When From the Farmer, a weekly farm-fresh delivery service reached out, I knew they’d be instrumental in helping my break out of my comfort foods rut. Even though you can go online to choose what veggies and fruits you want in your next bag, I wanted to try a little bit of everything they were offering! So in my bag, I got spinach, apples, beets (YES!), potatoes, apple cider (SCORE), oranges, lettuce, stir fry greens, brussels sprouts and sunchokes. Not only that, but they sent the sweetest welcome box with tons of goodies inside like locally made cookies, hand-packed granola (from my good friends over at Greenheart Organic!) and the tastiest jams!

I couldn’t wait to dive into the bag and start playing around with new recipes! Luckily for me, they send out a list of tasty recipes in their weekly emails that include the fruits and veggies of that week! I roasted up some beets with goat cheese and sautéed greens, drizzled some honey on my roasted brussel sprouts and ACTUALLY ate an apple a day (they were the best apples I’ve ever eaten, BTW.)

Aside from the regular delivery, you can do add-ons like fresh meat, eggs and other specialty produce! We ordered the Maple Sage Breakfast Sausage around New Year’s since we were having guests stay at our home and they were FLOORED with how tasty they were (I didn’t get to try any unfortunately since I’m vegetarian, but they smelled so good I almost caved!)

Another thing that really sets this service apart is their huge delivery area. I mean, they deliver ALL THE WAY out to the outskirts of Loudoun County! I don’t know of any other companies who do that.

If you want to try From the Farmer, you can get 20% off your first four deliveries! Just use code:
itsjulien2016

From the Farmer sent me four weeks of produce to try, but all opinions are my own.

New Skincare Routine with Schön

As someone who dabbles quite frequently in skincare products, I’ll admit - I wasn’t always so savvy. Growing up, thanks to my dad’s advice, I used a bar of DIAL SOAP to wash my face. Yes, I can hear you laughing through the screen and I certainly would be too. MYYY how things have changed!

And while I really love trying out products, I was sort of doing so blindly. Face brightening? SURE. Eye mask, why not! So after a lifetime of playing the guessing game, I decided to visit a leading cosmetic dermatologist, Dr. Nicole Hayre over at The Cosmetic Dermatology Center in McLean.

My experience with Nicole was amazing. Within minutes and without any invasive testing, she was able to tell me what she could do to help my skin. Since I’m prone to dry skin and redness in the winter, she recommended a few key items from her skincare line, Schön (meaning beautiful) to help my skin reach its full potential. Here’s what she recommended:

MORNING ROUTINE:
Calming Cream Cleanser
This creamy face wash is the first I’ve tried that doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry. It has no scent (great for my sensitive skin) and really helps with the redness I’ve been experiencing lately.

Essential Eye Complex
As I’m getting older, I’m starting to notice laugh lines and dark circles popping up more prominently. To remedy this, Dr. Hayre recommended this eye cream. After cleansing, I massage this thicker lotion around my eye area. It’s only been a month and I have already noticed less darkness under my eyes!

Intensive Hydrating Balm
This stuff is like my skin shield. I feel like I’m giving my skin a gulp of cool water when I use it - not only does it hydrate your skin, but it helps reduce redness, reduces the amount of oil production and improves skin tone with the Vitamin B in it. Even after a busy day commuting in the harsh winds, my skin is STILL supple by the end of the day.

Sheer Signature BB Cream
I’ve been on the hunt for a BB cream for a while now and finally found one I really love. This tinted BB cream is the perfect skin protector and is filled with anti-oxidants and SPF. It blends into my skin perfectly and really evens out my skin tone.  It also prevents premature skin aging (yes please!) This might be my favorite item Dr. Hayre recommended.

EVENING ROUTINE
Cleanser
Essential Eye Complex

Advanced Anti-Oxidant CE Ferulic Cream
My last step before going to bed each night is using this super hydrating cream. The Vitamin C and other anti-oxidants both brighten and smooths the texture of my skin. I always feel like I’ve just come back from the spa after I use this and my skin is SO SUPER SOFT in the mornings. I almost feel bad taking a shower because I don’t want to wash it away haha!

TWICE DAILY
Complexion Brightening Pads
Funny story - I never noticed that I had skin discoloration until I walked into a skincare shop and the sales lady offered to show me where the skin discoloration section was. I was SO offended! But I forgot about it. Fast forward to my trip to St. Lucia - I was talking a selfie with some macaroons (as one casually does) and it was THEN that I saw it. My tan had amplified the darker skin tones above my lip! THE HORROR. Even though I’m semi-mortified admitting something like that to the world on this blog, I’m obsessed with the results I’ve gotten with these complexion brightening pads. I thought I was basically doomed forever, but by using these once a day in that particular area, it’s evened out SO much!

ONCE A WEEK
Weekly Retexturing Treatment
Sunday is typically my beauty day. I do my nails for the week, treat myself with a Drybar hair mask and exfoliate my skin with the retexturing pads. It helps improve my skin’s texture (something that became not-so-great after all the holiday treats…) and smooths everything out. It's amazing.

If you’re looking to improve your skincare or develop your own skincare routine, Dr. Hayre’s office (The Cosmetic Dermatology Center) is located in Tysons at 8405 Greensboro Drive, Mclean, VA. You can call to make an appointment at 703-827-8600.

Thanks so much to Dr. Hayre and Schön Skincare for partnering on this post and helping me develop healthy skincare habits. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Nod to the Nineties

Today’s outfit is a big ol’ dose of nineties goodness. This jacket? Inspired by the nineties. But this dress? ACTUALLY FROM THE NINETIES.

Let me explain - I’ve had this dress for a long time. Like, wore it for my 5th grade graduation party old. Not kidding.

I decided on a whim to browse through my old closet at mom’s house a few week’s back and found this LBD hiding in the very back. If you wait long enough, things always come back in style.

At first, I was hesitant to accept that the nineties had come back (I had JUST thrown out my last pair of flares), but now I can’t get enough.

Since this is kind of a fancier dress, I decided to dress it down with a button-up, jean jacket (another nineties staple) and my very favorite Everlane loafers. Of course, nothing other than a brown lipstick (another nineties fave) would do. This is my new favorite shade - it’s a little nude, a little brown and a lot of awesome. ;)

Long live the nineties!

Wearing A.Byer dress (similar), H&M blouse, J.Crew jacket, FLOW scarf via The Odivo c/o, Everlane Loafers, MAC lipstick in “Velvet Teddy”

5 Ways to Make It Through The Post-Holiday Blues

Get organized
Nothing stresses me out than not having a game plan. Set yourself up for success this month! A few tools that help me accomplish this? A desktop calendar so I can see the entire month in advance. I write down things like meetings, lunches and conference calls so I don’t overbook (or overwhelm) myself. I love the GSD Master List from Meg Biram - it allows me to categorize the most important projects I’m working on!

Plan a vacation
This is HUGE, you guys. Nothing helps cure the winter blues more than a long weekend in the sun. Around this time of year, flights to Florida can be crazy cheap too. Also getting away to a new destination enables a certain part of your brain to become more active (and THIS is why I’m not a scientist haha!) Plus, the anticipation of going somewhere warm gives us HOPE!! Our body needs that Vitamin D.

While we usually drop off our fur baby at my in-law’s home, I’ve heard awesome things about the Old Towne Pet Resort! Have any of you taken your pets there? You can even watch them on live video cams!! Rates start at $60/night for dogs and $30/night for cats. They even have a spa, grooming area and boot camp for your pets to pamper then while you’re away! (And I thought our pup was spoiled at Mimi’s and Grampy’s!)

Clean out your closet
I’ve mentioned this quite a few times, but I felt like a new person when I went through all my clothing and only kept the things I loved (per Marie Kondo’s advice in “The Life Changing Magic of Tiding Up.” I got rid of about 2/3 of my clothing, which unfortunately, did leave a few gaps that required me to do a little shopping (OOPS!) Of course, since I’ve given up on fast fashion (for the most part), the things I really love and want to invest in are far more expensive.

To try out something before I decide to invest, I love using Rent the Runway. It allows me to give certain trends a trial run before I decide if I should spend the money on a piece. Questions like, “will this edgy jacket become a staple or a one-time wear?” and “Is this designer bag big enough to store the things I need on a daily basis?” won’t be hard to answer when you’ve been given time to try it out! Trying new things on also helps refine your signature look (something I’ve been working on for years and finally feel like I’m figuring out!) Their PRO program is under $30/year and gives you free shipping and insurance on all orders. PLUS you get a free birthday dress! OH AND DID I MENTION that they're is having their clearance sale right now? Best get to it!

Exercise
Getting your endorphins going is going to help with the winter blues more than anything. I focus a couple days a week on strength training and then do cardio for the other few. Although I love running (read: slow jogging), it’s terrible on my knees. Lately, I’ve become OBSESSED with Soul Cycle. This is so embarrassing - but I was totally nervous before my first class. Was I going to pass out in class? Was I even ready for this endeavor? WAS I GOING TO SURVIVE?! All these questions melted away when the instructor starting talking about the experience being different for everyone - that we were there to ride OUR ride. I was surprised at how spiritual the experience was! I felt like not just my body, but also my mind was totally renewed after the class. Call your nearest studio for your first ride free until January 18!   

Eat right
I’ve been totally slacking off in this department over the last couple months (totes blaming the holidays) and this week I’m getting back into the swing of clean eating. Most of the time, that means cooking veggies, eating brown rice and getting back in the green smoothie grind. However, I was recently introduced to Sweetgreen (yes, I know, late to the game as usual) and I’m in love!! It always leaves me feeling amazing afterwards and the food is AMAZE. I always get the Harvest Bowl - it has apples, chicken (but I get tofu instead), wild rice, sweet potato, kale and goat cheese. And I get the bread slice on top because calories smalories…worth every bite.

BONUS (YET MANDATORY) TIP

Treat Yo’Self
One thing that easily goes out the window when things get busy around this time of year is taking care of myself. I’m really making an effort to focus on my daily skincare routine and treating myself to little things here and there. Last week, I splurged on the new Olivia Palermo X Ciarte nail polish (you can find it here.) If you’re not great at doing your own nails (I AM LITERALLY THE WORST), I had an awesome experience at Varnish Lane, which is just a short walk from the Friendship Heights metro.

And next week, I’ll be trying out a new service called ZEEL that’s basically like an uber for massages. They come to your house (perfect for the busy girl in all of us) on-demand when you’re in need of a little pampering. You can choose whether you want a girl or guy and what type of massage as well. And the app is super easy to use too and you can get $25 off your first massage with code:  BLDC25

Do you guys have any more tips on how to make it through these next few frigid months? Here are a few more ideas I shared last year about how to beat the winter blues.

Images via Jen Eun, myself, Soul Cycle, Sweetgreen