How To Save Money

With the holiday season fast approaching, it is more than ever necessary to save and use our money wisely.

Tips To Save Money

• Open a savings account with a high interest rate. Forget about opening a savings account at banks like Chase or Huntington Bank unless they offer excellent perks (usually not). Online savings accounts are where it’s at. HSBC currently offers a 4.5% APY on online savings accounts. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see my $1,000 savings yield $50 in interest rather than $2.
• This is probably one of the hardest things to do, but quit spending on fast food and cappuccinos everyday. At least tell yourself you’re not going to, and try to stick to it. Even limiting yourself to three Starbucks treats a week can save up to $10. That’s money to be saved for a rainy day, or put toward something more worthy! (…Like a bill).
• Shop around for deals. Amazon and even EBay for example are amazing when it comes to scoring awesome deals.
• Buy off-season. Don’t shop for fashions right when they hit stores, when prices are highest. New spring/summer styles may appear in March, but don’t buy until May when a lot of it goes on sale.
• Buy in bulk. If you drink a lot of diet soda, buy six packs or cases rather than buying individual bottles.

See! You can be frugal and remain fabulous.

My Evening Skincare Routine

A few have inquired about my skincare regimen and the products I use on my skin. Here goes!

To describe the calamity that is my skin, it is combo-oily with a tendency to shine and break out on random occassions. Breakouts leave discolorations, so at its worst my skin lacks that glowing, radiant look. This is the routine that I use in the evenings to beautify my skin before getting that much-needed beauty sleep! On top of a healthy diet, of course.

Cleansing

First, I drink a tall glass of water and take an omega-3 pill. Drinking water throughout the day will purify your skin and body of dulling toxins. Omega-3 moisturizes skin from the inside. In front of my mirror, I cleanse away my makeup using a gel cleanser. My favorite is Lancôme’s Gel Clarte Cleanser. It leaves my skin clear and smelling fresh. Every once in a while I will use St. Ives Apricot Scrub for a more deep scrubbing clean. After I’ve washed my face, I apply a toner such as Lancôme’s Bright Expert Toner using a cotton ball. This lifts away anything that cleansing missed and helps to brighten my skin.

In the shower I like to do a brightening mask; Clinique’s 15 Minute Facial, as the rest of the Clinique’s Turnaround line, has done wonders for my complexion.

Tip: If you haven’t been wearing makeup, a great, gentle way to wash your face is to gently buff your skin with a very warm washcloth. This opens up your pores and allows them to breathe while cleaning your skin. Afterward, pat your face with a cold washcloth to tighten your pores for a perky complexion.

Pampering

To prevent undereye bags and dark circles, I like to treat my eyes to a rich eye cream. Currently I dab Clinique’s All About Eyes cream around my eyes. By tomorrow morning, the bags are gone. Next, I slather on a brightening serum to baby my complexion. Clarins Bright Plus Serum is amazing: it makes my skin look and feel flawless. To finish off my PM beauty routine, I apply Smith’s Rosebud Salve to my eyelashes and lips to condition my lashes and soften my lips.

Spritz some lavender oil on my pillow and say my prayers and I’m set for the night!

Voila! New layout; what do you think? I’m still adding some things.

Frappelattes Reader Requests

Currently I am working on a new theme for Frappelattes as well as a completely new site. Details on that later! This blog will be taking a slightly different direction. It will become a little more personal – surprised? – without taking focus from beauty, fashion, and fitness. Afterall, it’s my lifestyle! Reason being for this change is because I’ll be focusing on loading the new site with content and I’ll be able to use this for more personal space.

It’s time for Frappelattes reader requests again! Absolutely anything you would like to read/see on this site, let me know in the comments. Posts, content, personal questions, anything. I’ll try to incorporate as much as I can!

By the way, thanks to everyone who contributed to dishing your favorite beauty products! It was really fun and it inspired me to have more video posts and discussion in the future.