Month: March 2018

Fresh Farmacy Face Styled by Sarah

I put together a quick little post because I wanted to share one of the new face creams that I’ve been using.

First, I just want to start out by saying that the opinions that I post are not in any way related to my pharmacy program or school (although I’m wearing my white coat). I just love the name of this company and wanted to remind people that skin care does align well with my studies (at least the way that I see it). All of these products undergo intensive studies, they’re compounded in a lab, and they’re created by considering many different chemical properties. I honestly love to analyze the ingredients in pretty much anything as I’ve explained before. Fun fact: One of the reasons I decided to go to pharmacy school is because I was always very interested/concerned with what I’m putting into my body. 

Okay now lets dive into this wonderful company. Farmacy Skincare was created by a farmer in upstate New York who discovered Echinacea GreenEnvy™. This patent protected ingredient contains the highest known concentration of the Cichoric acid which is a very strong antioxidant that helps protect and firm the skin by inhibiting the enzymes that break down collagen (#science). Another great thing about Farmacy Skincare is that they only use sustainable ingredients and they adhere to very strict standards. Check out their Formulas page to see how they only use mineral oil free, paraben free, GMO-free, artificial dye free, cruelty-free, and phthalate free processes and ingredients. Not only am I obsessed with their company name and ingredients but their saying is “farmer cultivated and scientist activated” and I just think that is such a great motto.

So, I have their Honey Drop Moisturizer. As its name implies there is actually honey in this product along with Hyaluronic acid complex, Echinacea GreenEnvy™, Echinacea GreenEnvy™ Honey, royal jelly, propolis, fermented soy and cupuaçu butter.  It’s a very watery plump product if that makes sense. When you scoop it and apply it you can tell that it’s filled with moisture. Probably one of my favorite parts of this product is it’s packaging actually. It comes in a really cool box, it comes with a spatula for sanitary application, and the jar is just so amazing. Also, the spatula is magnetized and sticks to the wooden cap which is really ingenious (& a little extra). I definitely want to try more Farmacy products such as their coconut gel mask and their honey savior, an all in one repair salve.

Oh hey another Fun Fact: “Apiculture is the science and art of prolonging, sustaining, and retaining health by using products obtained from honeybee hives, such as honey, bee bread, bee venom, bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly.”

Well, I hope you girls find this interesting and enjoy hearing about the different skin care products that I’ve been trying out. Anyways, happy Friday and enjoy your weekend!

XOXO ~

This post is powered by brandbacker & sponsored by Farmacy.

Reference: Pasupuleti et al. (2017) Pasupuleti VR, Sammugam L, Ramesh N, Gan SH. Honey, propolis, and royal jelly: a comprehensive review of their biological actions and health benefits. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2017;2017 doi: 10.1155/2017/1259510. Article 1259510.

Easter Outfits Styled by Sarah

Dress: Forever 21 ($5) | Blazer: H&M ($10) | Earrings: Best of Everything ($6)

 Any excuse I have to dress up I’ll take it…sooo I’ve been looking around for a nice Easter outfit. Easter is totally one of those holidays where I like to get all dolled up. This year I definitely want to look cute because Easter falls on my birthday!! How awesome is that! The nerve-racking thing is that it’s only 5 days away and I still don’t know what I want to wear!

Below, I’m sharing some of my favorite Easter outfit trends. A few that I didn’t mention but still love include gingham, velvet, pastel stripes, ruffles, and of course bows!

Floral patterns: Okay so this one (or the next trend that I mention) is probably the most common when it comes to Easter/spring but I mean how can you not love it! I’m always on the hunt for the perfect floral dress/romper/top when it turns from winter to spring. I actually just purchased this adorable floral bell sleeve top a few weeks ago for $5 and I’m in love with it!

Pastels: What goes better together than spring and pastels?! Uh, nothing (well maybe spring and florals, lol, still trying to decide what trend takes first place).

Scallops: I love a good scallop hem. It’s simple, yet classy, and very easy to pull off. Also, if you were hoping to wear jeans on Easter the scalloped hem ones below would be a good choice!

Polka dots: If you like to be a little different then polka dots are a good fun way to go. It’s also a good way to rock black on Easter if you’re not exactly ready for those bright spring colors.

Lace: For all of you girly girls who really like to dress up this is probably the way to go.

Lilly Pulitzer: Okay so I couldn’t help myself and had to add this one in here. Lilly actually doesn’t have that many patterns that are good for Easter right now but honestly if you have good retro Lilly patterns that work for spring then I say why not break them out of your closet and throw them on for old time sake!

 XOXO ~
*Some of the links may be affiliate links *
A big thank you to Divyanka Gupta Photography for the pictures!

Spring Break Recap Styled by Sarah

Man do I wish I was still in Florida right now. Here in Boston we’re supposed to get around 10 inches of snow, the wind is blowing like crazy, and it’s so freezing out. I’m just thankful that we haven’t lost power yet and I’m honestly praying for another snow day tomorrow…

Anyways, I enjoyed my time in Fort Myers so much and had the opportunity to visit many fun places so I wanted to share them with you!

Where to stay:  I’ve been visiting my sister in Fort Myers for the past three years so I feel that I have a pretty good understanding of the area. My sister used to live on campus at FGCU (they have a beautiful campus) but now she lives closer to downtown.

  • Downtown Fort Myers: This area can be a little sketchy but there are many nice restaurants and it’s so beautiful by the water/marina. If I was staying downtown I’d probably stay at Hotel Indigo. I’ve been wanting to go to their rooftop bar!
  • By the beach: If you could rent a house along Estero Blvd I think that would be so fun whether it was on the canal side or beach side! You could also stay at one of the famous hotels like Lani Kai or in Time Square but this area reminds me a little more of Old Orchard Beach (loud, crazy, and very touristy).
  • Naples: This is where you can find me! Naples is much more my speed (aka grandma speed). I’d say Naples is a little more upscale than some areas of Fort Myers but they still have fun places to go and plenty of beach accesses.
  • Sanibel: I love the laidback island life on Sanibel and Captiva. Many people ride bikes/drive golf carts here and there’s an adorable little Main St area (on Periwinkle Way) filled with unique little eateries & shops on (even the Dairy Queen and Chevron Gas are unique & cute). There’s plenty of hotels and resorts on the island. I actually explored the Casa Ybel Resort when I was there and was very pleased with how many accommodations they had.

Where to eat/drink: I love to visit new restaurants & bars wherever I go. This area has a plethora of options so there’s always something new to try. This is a list of places that I’ve been but there are SOO many other places that I still want to try.

  • Ford Garage
  • Downtown Social House (SoHo)
  • Society
  • Yo! Taco
  • Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
  • Skybar
  • Capone’s
  • Daruma
  • Fifth Avenue Coffee Company
  • Lani Kai
  • Blu Sushi
  • Twin Peaks (Lol my sister works here!)

What to do: Beach, beach, beach pretty much says it all. That’s pretty much all that I do when I’m there but there are some other things that I’ve been wanting to do like kayak/paddleboard, go on a boat ride, go to a spring training game, visit the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, and hike/walk the trails at the preserves & state parks. Here’s a list of places that I’ve been to and would highly recommend:

  • Fifth Ave in Naples (free parking garage and nice public restrooms in Cambier Park)
  • Naples Beach and Fishing Pier
  • Lover’s Key Beach
  • Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve
  • Barefoot Beach
  • Lighthouse Point on Sanibel
  • Sit on the beach at Fort Myers beach and visit the bar at Lani Kai
  • Walk the trails at FGCU
  • Also, remember a drive up to Clearwater or Tampa isn’t that far at all! We’ve done that before!

If you have any questions about visit the Fort Myers area please feel free to ask me! Also, if you have any suggestions for my next visit I’d love to hear them.

Below, I’m going to list a recap of my Spring Break Series. The text has links that will take you directly to the posts if you happened to miss them and wanted to read them now. Thanks for following along!

 

XOXO ~