Author: Sarah

Professional Passion & Life Update Styled by Sarah

I haven’t sat down to write a blog post in almost a month and let me tell you I miss it! I love reflecting on my life and talking about the things that I love. Until very recently, I felt like I didn’t even have a second to breathe. I felt like I was running my body into the ground, running on too little sleep and too much coffee. It all pretty much started with prepping for finals, then actually taking finals, then traveling to Hilton Head for a conference, and then sitting through a 2-day immunization course back in Boston the day after we landed.

I’m excited to finally have some time to myself & to spend time with my family. Looking ahead, I feel like I won’t have a stable routine until maybe next summer when I start working full time and that stresses me out a little. However, I’m going to spend the next year learning as much as I can and making the most of my clinical APPE rotations.

Anyways, in this post, I really want to focus on the conference that I attended. First off, I HAD THE BEST EXPERIENCE EVER. I used to attend quite a few conferences before starting college including Peoples to Peoples, Junior National Young Leaders, HOBY, Future Business Leaders of America, and a few others. However, throughout my college career, I didn’t attend a conference until I went to the Independent Pharmacy Conference in Hilton Head. I honestly forgot how much I loved attending conferences and now I’m hoping to attend at least another one before I graduate.

The conference was 2-day /3-night conference and yet I wish it lasted a whole week. Not only was the weather perfect in Hilton Head but the people were even better. The staff members at the Independent Pharmacy Cooperative (IPC), along with the pharmacy owners, were all so welcoming and friendly. It was also really nice to connect with other students who had a similar interest as myself. In pharmacy school, we’re somewhat encouraged to pursue a residency and continue our clinical education instead of “settling” for a position in a retail pharmacy (this doesn’t represent my opinion but instead an overall view that I’m used to hearing). However, I’m passionate about independent and community pharmacy so it was nice to see that the independent spirit is very much alive and flourishing.

At the conference, we sat through CEs, listened to inspirational speakers, and attended a tradeshow. We learned a lot about finances, inventory, reimbursement, specialties, and constructing a convincing business plan. Sitting through the classes and continuing education sessions didn’t feel like a “lecture” at all. Instead, every activity at the conference was very interesting and inspiring. I honestly love learning about balance sheets, regulatory changes, and the future of pharmacy. I know they say that what you do for a career shouldn’t take over your life but you definitely should be passionate about what you do and always look for ways to learn and improve.

I cannot speak highly enough about both the members and staff at the Independent Pharmacy Cooperative (IPC). They treated us students with much respect and made sure we didn’t have to spend a penny of our own money the whole trip. The fed us amazing food, provided us with two really awesome books (Profit Mastery & The Seven Figure Pharmacist), and even gifted us each a gift card for our night out on the town. Additionally, they were very approachable and they shared valuable pieces of advice whenever they had the chance to. For the amount of pressure and responsibility that these people carry they also really knew how to relax, have a good time, and enjoy life (& made sure that we did too). The first night we spend a lot of time chatting with new friends at the poolside welcoming party and then on the last night we spent the night dancing and singing along with TSoul (from The Voice) under a beautifully decorated tent at the Port Royal Golf & Racket Club. I’d say we were pretty spoiled this trip and it really reminded me to give back to students/the younger generation when I’m able to.

Overall, what I really took away from this experience is we should do whatever we can to better ourselves, take the amazing opportunities that are offered to us even if they seem a little overwhelming (it was quite overwhelming to fit this trip in between finals & immunization training), and be passionate about what we do! Also, if you get the chance to attend a professional definitely say YES. They usually allow for quite a bit of personal and professional growth in such a small amount of time.

Just a little bit of quick background info: IPC provides buying power as the nation’s largest group purchasing organization for independent pharmacies. This basically means they provide services and products to independent pharmacies and advocate for them so that they are able to sustain success and compete with larger chain pharmacies.

XOXO ~

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.  ~Steve Jobs

Beauty in Bloom with Jan Marini Styled by Sarah

How lucky am I…this is my second time getting to work with Jan Marini. As you may remember from my last Jan Marini post this isn’t my first time using their products, they were suggested to me many years ago by a wonderful esthetician. This month, I’m partnering with them to talk about skin cancer awareness and promote their Beauty in Blooms event.

This actually came at the perfect time… its Skin Cancer Awareness month in May and I recently came to the realization that both of my daily moisturizers don’t have any SPF in them. Growing up, I always had a moisturizer that had SPF in it. My mom always stressed how important it was to wear sunscreen as much as I could and to stay protected even when I didn’t think that I needed it. Luckily, skin cancer doesn’t run in my family however my skin is somewhat prone to burning and I’ve always been super conscious due to my many freckles. I also obviously want to avoid wrinkles and early aging as much as I can so I feel that it’s very important to wear sunscreen every day with or without makeup.

The Jan Marini Antioxidant Daily Face Protectant SPF 33 is a lightweight and moisturizing formulation that can be worn under makeup or alone. One thing that I really like about this product is the scent. It’s the same exact scent as the Transformation Face Cream! Also, if you’re worried about sunscreen making your face too oily this would be a great option for you because they formulated it with microscopic particles so it’s fast-absorbing and provides additional oil control. This sun protectant has both UVB and UVA protection (just a little side note that I learned in class last semester: UVB rays are the rays that penetrate into the epidermis and are more likely to cause skin cancer, burns, wrinkling, photoaging, and elastosis). Additionally, to help with premature aging along with sun protection they added in two antioxidants: phytomelanin and beta glucan 1,3. Phytomelanin acts like human melanin and as a free radical scavenger, it can help fight off things like lipid peroxidation, erythema, and inflammation. Beta glucans are usually taken orally and act as immunomodulators, lipid-lowering agents, and may even help fight off cancer (they’re honestly really interesting and robust compounds that I’d love to spend more time researching) but in this form, I’m guessing that they’re being used for their skin protection and healing properties.

I hope you liked learning about this product and I also hope that you will consider wearing sun protectant daily if you don’t already. Just remember skin cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer! If you want to learn more about skin cancer awareness month then click here. Also, look into registering for the Jan Marini Beauty in Blooms event by clicking here. Locate a Beauty in Bloom National Skin Care Event and enter for a chance to win weekly prizes!

XOXO ~

This post is powered by brandbacker & sponsored by Jan Marini.

References:

Majtan, J., & Jesenak, M. (2018). β-Glucans: Multi-Functional Modulator of Wound Healing. Molecules, 23(4), 806. doi:10.3390/molecules23040806

Choromanska, A., Kulbacka, J., Harasym, J., Dubinska-Magiera, M., & Saczko, J. (2017). Anticancer Activity of Oat B-Glucan in Combination with Electroporation on Human Cancer Cells [Abstract]. Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica, 74(2), 616-623.

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.