May Favorites

It's been so long since my last blog post. I have been mostly posting on Instagram, so if you are following me you may have seen my style, my favorite skin care products, brands, from swim wear to casual wear. I'd like to share you guys what i have been loving at the moment. First, skin care... Florida summer can be really intense and i like to switch my skin care routine to even protect my skin from sun damage. Here's my current favorites:

SHOP THE POST

1. Fresh Soy Face Cleanser

This cleanser is amazing! It has a very light scent, keeps my face soft, and doesn't dry my skin. I like to switch my face cleanser depending on my skin condition but have been using this one almost exclusively since January. As long as i don't have an issue like acne or dryness... i stick  with this cleanser!

2. Fresh Rose Floral Toner

I love using this in the morning after cleansing.  It feels so cool and refreshing once i spray it on my skin. I let it dry first and then apply my moisturizer.

3. Fresh Youth Preserve Moisturizer

This is a cream formula that feels very light on my skin. I love the feel of it even before applying my makeup. 

4. Fresh Seaberry Skin Nutrition Cleansing Oil

This is my absolute favorite for removing waterproof eye makeup. It even removes waterproof mascara yet is very gentle on my skin. I love the light, clean, fresh scent of this oil as well. I highly recommend trying it if you are looking for a cleansing oil.

5. Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream

This is my night time moisturizer. Just like the Preserve Moisturizer (i use for daytime), it feels very light on my skin.  I love how it makes my face feel really soft and not at all oily when I wake up in the morning. 

6. Fresh Preserve Rescue Mask

I use this mask once a week or whenever i need an extra deep cleansing. It is made up of tiny little beads that i gently rub in a circular motion all overy my face.  The beeds are not very rough and feel wonderful on my skin. I use them at night with Preserve night cream.  They have been part of my nightly cleansing ritual for several months.

7. REN Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic

I use this product occasionally when i have dry spots on my face. It keeps my face moisturized and smooths my skin quickly. This product doesn't leave me with a sticky or oily sensation.  Rather, it makes my skin feel firm, soft, and smooth!  Ultimately the product makes my face look shiny and glowy, yet healthy!

8. Estee Lauder Advance Night Repair

An absolute favorite night serum. Whenever i feel i need extra skin care after traveling or using makeup, i apply this product after i cleanse my face.  I then follow it up with Fresh Night Cream. 

9. AHC Aqualuronic Serum (Daytime)

I purchased this one while i was in Manila Philippines. One can also purchase it at some Target stores.  I had heard so many good things about this product that i had to give it a try! I LOVE this serum! It has a very light fresh scent and makes my face look glowy and soft.  I apply it along with my favorite daytime "Fresh Moisturizer". I strongly recommend trying this one as well! Hopefully your Target store carries it!

10. REN Renewal Body Serum

This Body Serum is AMAZING for my dry legs and arms. I have serious dryness especially on my legs but this stuff works really well (i use it with REN Magnesium Salt Anti-Fatigue Exfoliating Body Scrub, not pictured) I use both approximately every 2 weeks.  There are instances when I use them even more like when I need to get rid of hair on my legs (i use an epilator). 

Thank you for reading my blog today and happy long weekend! Who is excited to do some self-care this weekend? Let me know in the comments section below where you are from and how the COVID craziness is going in your area. Be safe everyone!

Iceland Trip

Have you ever felt like you are on a different planet and having the most wonderful adventure? I had this feeling the entire time my husband and I were on our recent trip to Iceland!  It is was one of my favorite places! We saw a crazy amount of out of this world spectacular landscapes including amazing waterfalls, black sandy beaches, crystal ice caves, mountains covered in snow, and hot springs peeking out of glaciers! It was an out of this world experience! In this blog i will share the sights of our amazing adventure in Iceland!

DAY 1

02.22.2020 | Saturday

ARRIVAL

Our adventure starts from sunny warm Florida to Reykjavik (Keflavik Airport) in Iceland. We arrived the following day, 02.22 at 6:05 in the morning on Saturday. We rented an SUV and soon entered a snowy winter wonderland! From Keflavik airport we drove to the Blue Lagoon hot spring for an 8:00am reservation.  We spent a couple hours relaxing and exploring the lagoon.  The excursion included theraputic face masks and refreshments while we relaxed in the hot spring! We followed that with lunch at The Lava Restaurant that overlooks the Lagoon.  Both of us had a traditional Icelandic fish entre that was delicious!  It was really cool to watch the snow fall in the lagoon as we ate our lunch!  We got back into our SUV and began our 45 minute drive to Reykjavik.  My husband drove and had to stick his head out the window to stay awake after more than 24 hours with no sleep.  We arrived in Reykjavik and checked in to the Reykjavik Residence Hotel.  After a short siesta we did a little exploring around our hotel and ate at a local Scandinavian restaurant.  Later we met up with some friends and went out for a northern lights sightseeing tour.  From everything I've researched it looks like seeing northern lights is an experience of a lifetime.  However, if the likelihood of seeing the lights is less than 3 (on a scale of 1-9) and the concierge does not look real enthusiastic about your chances of seeing the lights DO NOT waste your time and money! You will just end up riding an hour and a half on a tour bus to get cold, tired, and bored!   

Place to stay: 
Reykjavik Residence Hotel is 45 minutes away from Keflavik airport. We stayed here for a couple nights. The room was nice, cozy and clean and the nespresso coffee machine was pretty nice and the coffee was really good. The bathroom sink is very tiny but the bed and the dining area was pretty good size.  Beware that there are several Reyjavik Residence Hotel units and it took us a few minutes to find the one to check in.  They also do not have there own parking but we were able to park right across the street from our unit.  There is also a paid parking lot not far from the hotel.  We had to pay to park on the street but it was not very expensive and there are parking machines that take US credit cards close by. 
Place to eat: 
Scandinavian Restaurant and Smørrebrød. Our first evening, we had a delicious authentic Scandinavian meal. 

DAY 2

02.23.2020 | Sunday

Tour of The Golden Circle (Self-Drive)

First Stop: Thingvellir National Park

It snowed heavily and was quite windy most of the day.  It felt like I was in a gigantic snow globe.  We had several days like that and after living in the Philippines and Florida it was a super cool experience for me!! We parked at the Visitor's center and immediately went hiking around the park.  In addition to some spectacular views of the nearby snow covered mountains, rivers, and an ice covered waterfall, we were able to see some of the first parliament buildings.  My husband also went on a snorkeling tour of the fissure that separates the European and North American techtonic plates.  I was more than happy to just walk along the fissure!

2nd Stop, Geysir

About an hour down the road we parked at Geysir.  This is a geothermal park kind of like Yellowstone with several geysirs and hot springs.  The main attraction here was a geysir called Stokar that spewed water and steam every few minutes.  We were able to get some of the Stokar eruptions on video that was super cool!!

3rd Stop, Gulfoss (golden waterfall):

Another half hour down the golden circle road we came up to one of the highlights of our trip.  It is a multi level natural waterfall that has more energy and water volume than Niagra Falls.  My husband insists that it is more spectacular than Niagra Falls!  It was slated to be modified for hydroelectric power but fortunately has been left untouched.  In spite of the blowing snow (that made it look even cooler) we were able to walk close to the top and bottom of the Falls and get some great pictures and photos of it!