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Alina Avery

A Beauty and Lifestyle Blog

Month: January 2016

My Best Skin Ever

January 25, 2016 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

I’ve made a few lifestyle changes over the past couple of weeks and I’ve had unexpected results.

I made the decision at the end of December to get in shape. I set some goals and figured out a way to achieve them the old fashioned way: exercise and nutrition.

What I didn’t expect was that it would have a profound effect on my skin. Seriously, my face has never been so even or clear and I think it’s a direct result of my healthier lifestyle. Here’s a little look at what I’ve been doing.

 

  1. Exercise. I’m not a dermatologist or a trainer or anything like that, but I try to hit the gym five times a week and sweat. I think the combination of sweating clearing out my pores (that may or may not be a real thing or just something I made up) and the strong desire to wash my face after has really helped clear up any breakouts. Because I get so gross, I do a more conscious, focused job of washing my face.
  2. Water. I drink so much more water. I was hovering around 1 liter a day previously, but now I’m talking like 3+ liters a day. I have a 500ml bkr that I keep at my desk and fill up regularly and a 250ml bkr that I keep in my bag for on the go. The smaller size is lighter and more portable and, let’s just be honest, adorable.
  3. Skincare. Like I mentioned before, I pay more attention to washing my face now and follow that up with a really consistent skin care routine. Honestly, I think sticking to a routine is more important than the products you use, but here are the things I’ve been loving lately.

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In the morning, post-workout, I’ll cleanse with my Clarisonic Aria, which I think is now discontinued and replaced with the Mia3. I prefer to use this once a day and in the morning when I’m not wearing any makeup. It bugs me when the brush head gets all foundation-y and I feel like using it on a face full of makeup just moves things around instead of really cleaning, so I use it in the AM. I generally just reach for whatever cleanser is closest to use with it, my beloved Kiehl’s UFC or some other sample I have floating around. I’ll finish up with an application of the Sunday Riley Start Over Active Eye Gel Cream because it’s cooling and firming for delicate undereye skin, and the ruby crystal retinol hydracreme from dr. brandt (make sure you use a sunscreen with this and any other retinol product)! Then I fill up my bkr and I’m good to go!

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At night, I’ll remove my makeup with a wipe. I know these aren’t supposed to be used daily or in place of cleanser, but lately I’ve found that cleansing more than once a day leaves my skin stripped, so I prefer to just use a wipe before bed. These are from Honest Beauty, but I’m not particular and generally just use what I happen to have on hand. I’ll follow that with the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair which has a cult following for a reason. I feel like it really works for me to even texture and tone and it sinks into skin nicely. I’ll also apply the fresh Rose Hydrating Eye Gel Cream which is refreshing and cooling and a gorgeous thick texture. I find applying this eye cream is more relaxing and the Sunday Riley one is more energizing, which is how I choose which one to use for mornings and which one to apply in the evening.

I’m also eating more greens and veggies which probably means I’m getting more vitamins and minerals and everything, which can’t be hurting my skin! I’m really pleased with my skin care routine and the results I’m seeing currently, which is great motivation to stick with it!

How do you care for your skin? Does exercise help your complexion stay clear?

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Posted in: Beauty, Cleanser, Eye cream, Skincare, Treatment Tagged: bkr, clarisonic, eye cream, retinol, skin care, water

Play! By Sephora Unboxing – January 2016

January 22, 2016 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

The theme for this month’s Play! box is: No Appointment Necessary. The idea is that with these products, you can achieve “salon” results at home. I actually love trips to the salon. A little time to myself to get pampered, relax, and leave looking and feeling my best is always welcome, but at the same time, my schedule and budget doesn’t always allow for frequent facials or blowouts, so an at-home, DIY option is a great alternative.

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Inside this box:

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Sephora eye mask in green tea – This is the “Relaxing & refreshing” scent. Sheet masks aren’t really my thing. I’ve tried a few and I find them uncomfortable to wear, hard to apply, and not all that effective, but I’m willing to give these eye patches a go. They’re smaller and it seems like they’d fit a wider variation of face shapes.

Living proof prime style extender spray – I’ve tried the extender gel/serum and didn’t really see that it made much of a difference, but I generally prefer sprays like this over creams or gels as they’re easier to distribute through hair evenly. Lately my hair washing and styling schedule has been a little off kilter since I’ve been exercising so much. I’m interested to see if this (combined with a generous amount of dry shampoo) can get me through a workout (or two, don’t judge) without needing to shampoo. I usually throw my hair up into a high workout ponytail, so hopefully this can help prevent that dreaded ridge hairties leave.

dr. brandt needles no more – There are dr. brandt products I love and some that I find just ok. My skin has been in tip top shape lately, due to a number of factors, but one of the products I’ve been LOVING is the ruby crystal retinol hydracrème. I’m hoping that I feel similarly about this product. I don’t really have many wrinkles, but I’ve noticed a few around my eyes. If this works, it’s definitely a game changer.

Clinique chubby stick sculpting highlight – “Strobing” is still a major trend. I like the idea of a stick highlighter, since it can just be thrown into a makeup bag for touchups on the go, and the formula here is great. It blends nicely and the finish is smooth and satiny, but the “illumination” is a little too subtle for my tastes. I like a bold highlight! This might work well to layer under a powder highlight for a dramatic effect. I’m also not 100% sold on the color. It pulls pretty cool on my skin, like a silvery pearl, where I tend to prefer more golden, warm highlight shades.

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Dr. Dennis Gross alpha beta peel – I already own, use, and LOVE this product. It’s price-y, but so worth it. It makes my skin super smooth and glowing and it’s a fast and easy treatment. I generally go for the extra strength version and this one is the original formula (there’s also a new gentle formula out!) so I’m wondering if this might be a little more gentle for every day. I typically use the extra strength ones less often since they’re pretty aggressive and I don’t want to over-exfoliate and they’re so expensive!

Finally – Tocca Isabel fragrance – I love the Tocca Stella scent so I’m open to trying other fragrances from the brand. This one is described as “classic floral” with Spanish rose, bergamot and Mediterranean orange. It smells mature and fresh to me. I wish it had a spray nozzle, but I’ll give this one a go as well.

This box was heavy on the skin care, but I don’t mind as I’m definitely trying to be good to my skin this year. I also like that there are newer and higher end products included which is fun to see.

All in all a pretty good box. I’ll use most of the products included, and they’re either new to me or products I already love, so thumbs up all around!

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Posted in: Beauty, Fragrance, Makeup, Skincare Tagged: beauty box, play!, sephora, Sephora Play!, unboxing

Snow Day Style

January 19, 2016 by Alina Avery 1 Comment

It finally snowed in Boston. I’m anticipating a lot more snow this winter and the novelty has already worn off, but like my rainy day style, there’s something kind of magical about cozy snow day outfits.

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I’m fully embracing “athleisure”, and since becoming actually more active, I’ve been working a lot more active wear into my daily wardrobe (more on that later!) I’ve been obsessed with leggings from Beyond Yoga recently. They’re so soft and thick and flattering, both polished and comfortable and plenty warm. Totally worth the somewhat outrageous price tag since they can go to yoga or barre class, to brunch, to work, to the gym. As soon as I learned of impending snow, I decided it would be a legging day.

To make things a little less casual for work, I paired them with a denim button down layered with a structured white sweater. And, of course, you can’t go out in the snow without boots on! These are from Sperry and I snagged them from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale in July (yes, July! I wanted to be prepared!) I love the short height and the neutral color. They’re also a bit more slim fitting which is a lot nicer than having bulky boots on all day, and they zip up, which makes them a breeze to get on and off.

Finally, my usual bling, which adds a bit of sparkle without going too over the top. This CC Skye necklace and the Gorjana earrings are both from a recent Rocksbox!

Obviously, top everything with a coat, hat, scarf, gloves, etc. if you’re going outside. Or don’t go outside. I mean, there’s snow out there and coffee in here. Seems like a no brainer!

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Posted in: Fashion Tagged: fashion, ootd, outfit, snow, snow day, weather

My 27th Birthday

January 14, 2016 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

I’ve taken a bit of a break from blogging, but I have a lot of fun content ideas so I’m trying to get back into the swing of it!

Yesterday was my 27th birthday (#old). It was a fantastic, relaxing, celebratory day and I documented the whole day via snapchat story!

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We kicked off the day at Tatte for breakfast, where I had their amazing Shakshuka. After a few hours at work (where my amazing coworkers gifted me flowers and cupcakes!) I took a lunch time barre class at Bar Method followed by some shopping and a quick stop at Petco to get catfood (life doesn’t stop). FYI, Bar Method is offering their normal new client special, $100 for 6 weeks of unlimited classes, for just $85 during January! And Club Monaco’s sale section is an extra 30% off! What a time to be alive.

Finally, I had a long shower and some pamper time before heading out for dinner. While we were living in NYC, we ate at each of Daniel Boulud’s restaurants, working our way up to the night we got engaged at Daniel. So for my birthday this year, Matt took me to dinner at Bar Boulud in Boston. We ordered an outstanding bottle of wine, shared charcuterie, and devoured our entrees.

A little drunk and very full, we headed home for some lounge time on the couch with Bisous before bed.

I love birthdays as a time to both celebrate and reflect. I’ve had an amazing past year – I got married, moved to Boston, started a new job, learned a ton – and am so excited for what this next year will bring!

The festivities aren’t over, by the way. 90s dance party tomorrow night, anyone? #yes.

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Posted in: Fun, Lifestyle Tagged: birthday
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