GOLDEN GLOW

Disclosure: This post is promoted by Jergens®. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author.

 

I love summer in New York and I enjoy having an incredible tan every summer. It makes me look better, appear healthier and when I exercise more, it makes my effort in the gym a little more obvious with the tan. Wearing bikinis to the beach or different types of dresses to concerts, festivals or weddings, the golden glow is just such a nice touch that I can’t live without it in the summer. Unfortunately, winter felt so long in New York, plus I’m a bit pale naturally and sometimes I’m too busy to just lay in the sun for hours, so it’s been extremely difficult for me to get a fast enough tan to welcome in summer.

I recently started using three Jergens® products from their Natural Glow® collection and they’ve solved my tan problem and have allowed me to get that natural glow not only in time for summer, but also all year long. Now I don’t have to worry about the sunless winter in New York anymore. I used three products from this collection and they are Jergens® Natural Glow® Color Primer In-Shower Scrub, Jergens® Natural Glow® Instant Sun Sunless Tanning Mousse and Jergens® Natural Glow® Tan Extender Daily Moisturizer. This collection is the easiest way to achieve beautiful and natural looking colors to enrich the appearance of my skin.

I want to share some tips on how to use these products to maximize results. First step, apply the primer in-shower scrub and it’ll begin to exfoliate rough patches and prime your skin to get ready for the second step. Use circular motions and pay attention to rough skin areas like elbows and ankles. Use sparingly on dry areas like knuckles and ankles. Then rinse them off. Using it once a week is perfect. Second step, pump the mousse into your hand and evenly apply it over your body. It works perfectly with my skin tone to create the natural glow. It takes about 60 seconds to air dry. Make sure you wait before dressing and, more importantly, you need to wash your hands immediately after you apply the tanning mousse. If you want a deeper color tan, you can re-apply it again the next day. I actually applied it again the next day because of my paleness :P  Last step, the tan extender moisturizer makes your tan last longer either from natural sun or from the tanning mousse. Make sure you wash your hands after application and wait for it to dry before dressing. This can keep your tan for up to 7 days.

Do you guys see the glow from my legs after I applied all three products? This is the type of golden glow I want all year long.  Now I don’t have to worry about spending time laying out in the sun and the golden life is just an instant away. When I go to summer events and weddings, everything looks great because of my golden glow. Good laughs, healthy food, beauty sleep, lots of water in the summer and my golden glow make me so incredibly happy. Summer, I’m so ready for you :P

Life's too short to spend hours in the sun. Tan in an Instant with the Jergens® Instant Sun® collection.

CLOUD INSPIRED

Disclosure: This post is promoted by smartwater. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author.

Lately, I’ve been going to the smartwater up up up lounge in the WeWork space in their Gramercy location in New York City on a weekly basis. WeWork is an office space that is rented to different creators and companies. When I visited WeWork the very first time, I remember seeing so many different conference rooms occupied by different creators, companies and entrepreneurs. I was really inspired and it made me realize that in New York City, every day there are so many people that are chasing their dreams right next to me.

Every week I spend a day there to do some engineering work, write up blog posts and brainstorm outfit ideas. The eye catching and pretty smartwater lounge was designed by artist Richard Clarkson. Do you see the fun cloud lamps inside the lounge? These cloud lamps have embedded motion sensors to create unique lightning and thunder shows while providing entertainment and inspiration. It’s also a powerful speaker system that can stream music from any Bluetooth device. This magic is based on sensors and code. What a great marriage of technology and art!

I recently attended a Lunch & Learn event at the WeWork space with smartwater’s design lead, Alex Center and artist Richard Clarkson. During the Q&A session, both Alex and Richard shared their inspiration and step by step journey to success. Success doesn't happen in a single moment and it is filled with countless small steps. Have you ever noticed the clouds on smartwater’s bottle? I learned that smartwater was inspired by the way nature purifies water, it’s pure and crisp, like from a cloud. Likewise Richard’s art work with the cloud lamps was inspired by nature. Richard mentioned that inspiration is everywhere, like your memories from the past, trips you took, small things you notice in life and the people around you. The talk has reminded me to pay more attention to things around me, even the small things. I will especially never underestimate the power of nature.

Alex mentioned that passion is another key to success. It’s something that gets you out of your bed every morning. Passion about what you do can create endless opportunities. I can see passion from everyone at WeWork. They’re not just trying to make a living, but trying to accomplish something much, much bigger. Really trying to make a bigger, better life out of their passion. Curiosity is also another key factor, always be curious about what you can do and explore different areas, materials and objects. Keep pushing your boundaries. It’ll make a huge difference. 

I found my inspiration. How about you? :)

 

This story is brought to you by smartwater, who believes in making progress every day little by little and sip by sip. That’s how you move up up up. 

MAXX LIFE

Disclosure: This post is promoted by T.J.Maxx. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author.

Growing up, my mom always advocated the idea of saving money while still keeping my standards high when it comes to shopping. Being a traditional Asian woman and having her own business has made her pretty savvy in many different ways. At her age, most of her friends have retired already, but she still works a lot and rarely takes a day off. When my Dad asked her to go on a vacation with him and me, she always says to us that she is too busy and enjoys working. I know that she truly enjoys it and she does believe in working hard. These values were indeed passed on to me. Whenever I get to spend time with her, every conversation we have, she still inspires me. I love her and I admire her so much.

Some Sundays we would go grab lunch and spend the afternoon shopping together. I really enjoy spending one-on-one time with her. We browse things together, ask each other’s opinions after trying on different pieces and chat about a lot of things in life too. In the past she has taken me to T.J.Maxx and has told me that I can find great pieces at great prices. She loves picking up clothes, accessories, bags, shoes and home items for friends, my Dad, me and herself there.

While spending time with my Mom in T.J.Maxx, I discovered that I could find quite a few fashionable items that fit me every day for work and yet still stay within my budget like clothes and bags etc. They are actually very stylish and on-trend. You girls know when it comes to style, I’m very picky and specific about what I like. For example, I picked up this work outfit from T.J.Maxx with my Mom the other day, which included a vest, shorts and a clutch. They were great bargains! The vest can elevate your style immediately and is good for both work and going out. I love these cute shorts, which are the perfect length, not too short, great for running around to meetings, going to labs and doing some engineering work at my desk. Foldable clutches are pretty popular these days, I love the style especially the stitches on the side and the color too. I can not just wear this outfit to work, but also can go straight to happy hour after work with this outfit. How awesome!

My last visit with my mom there, I also bought a sports bra, crop pants for the gym and some candles for home. We saw a few very nice ties, so I picked up one for my Dad as a Father’s Day gift and another one for Mr. SF. I can easily find a lot of things I need there at great prices and it just makes my life easier. Do you shop at T.J.Maxx too for a maxx life? :)

maxx savings. maxx style. maxx life