The Outside & In

I feel like I just finished wrapping up my November favorites and now here we are at the beginning of January. How was your Christmas and New Year’s? Ours was great. Full of the traditions and family gatherings we look forward to every year. Also, no one woke up at 3am to start scoping out what Santa brought, which was also a win for this year 🙂

I’ve been pondering a few of the intentions and habits I would like to adopt in 2017. The ideas are still floating around in my head, but I am pretty certain my best bet will be to keep it simple. Because if there is one thing I have learned about myself by now, it’s that I have a low threshold for busy and overwhelm. The last thing I need is to bring it on myself with a lot of resolutions.

Here’s a recap of some of things I was totally into last month.

Photo by Amy Bartlam. Design by Blackband Design.

December Favorites:

Earlier in the month Blackband Design posted a reveal of a recently completed home renovation they worked on. Project Back Bay turned out SO SO good. Especially the main living area. I pinned pretty much every image of their living room and kitchen.

Are you familiar with “The Minimalists”? The founders, Josh and Ryan, have created a movement that I am totally into – creating a meaningful life with less. I am not sure how I was introduced to them, but I have been listening to (and loving) The Minimalists Podcast for the past 6-8 months now. Josh and Ryan’s message is brilliant. Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things just came out on Netflix a couple weeks ago and I couldn’t WAIT to see it. The movie totally lived up to my expectations and then some. I cannot recommend it enough.

The sofa we ordered from Article finally came in this month and it’s a keeper. I was a bit worried ordering a sofa online, sight unseen. But it turns out I love the way it looks and lightens up the living room. The size is perfect for what we needed. And now we can spread out and lay down even more for family movie night – win!

We got Max THIS duvet cover for Christmas and it makes me so happy! It suits his taste and personality perfectly.

One of the people I have learned so much from over the past few years is Tim Ferriss. Are you a fan too? I just picked up his new book, “Tools of Titans” and I am devouring it with joy. Last week Tim did a recap and post-game analysis of his year on his podcast that was really good. In the episode, “What I Learned in 2016” , he talks about what he felt he did well and what habits he adopted that got him there.

So how was your December? Any favorites that you gifted or were gifted? Are you making resolutions or participating in any challenges?

Posted by Ale & filed under Learning. This post has no comments yet.

My friend Emma decked their house out for a Christmas historic home tour and I wanted to share the pictures with you. Emma has been decorating and preparing their home for the historic home tour since the day after Halloween. You’ll see all her hard work paid off in their beautiful home.

Emma’s family lives in a historic house a couple blocks down from us. Her husband Chris is a builder who has been transforming this house over the past few years. Their most recent renovation was the addition of the entrance foyer and portico. I always enjoy seeing their improvements because they are so well done and blend seamlessly with their historic home.

Grab a cup of cocoa, put on some holiday tunes and enjoy these festive rooms!

Entrance & Foyer:

Dining Room:

Living Room:

Kitchen:

Sunroom:

Pool House:

Didn’t Emma do a great job decking the halls for Christmas this year? I know she was ready to kick up her heels and relax after the tour was over. How much decorating are you doing this year?

Posted by Ale & filed under Home Tours. This post has 2 comments.

I am glad to be finally posting a recap of our time in the Peruvian rainforest a few weeks ago. Before Christmas gets here I wanted to share some pictures of where we stayed, what we did and some overall thoughts on the experience.

How did we end up in the rainforest over Thanksgiving weekend? Well, first, I am from Peru and still have quite a bit of family living there. My aunt Pierina and I were talking last year, and she thought the boys would really enjoy the rainforest. She invited us to come along with her and we jumped at the chance for a new adventure with one of our favorite people.

3 Nights in the Peruvian Rainforest - The Outside & In

All geared up and ready for our flight

Preparing for our trip:

Even though we had booked our travel 6 months earlier, we really didn’t start preparing much until 3 weeks before we left. Pierina had booked our stay at Inkaterra’s Hacienda Concepción Lodge, which I will tell you more about in a little bit. Since they were taking care of all of the food and activities, there just wasn’t that much to do beforehand except pack.

When it came to packing, I did a few online searches to see what people were bringing to the Amazon jungle. A few things were apparent: it would be hot and there would be mosquitoes. Sounded a lot like Florida in the summertime. Hmmmm…

The main concern I had was trying to discern which element (heat or mosquitoes) I would want to avoid more. I assumed it would be mosquitoes. There is nothing more exasperating than itching. So we brought long sleeves and pants to protect us from getting bitten. We also got these mesh sweatshirts type things. Brian treated all of our clothes with Permethrin before we left. He also brought THIS mosquito spray which was a lifesaver.

Turns out the spray was so effective that as long as we used it when we were on our excursions, the mosquitoes would not bite us. Score! After we realized this, we were able to go out in shorts and tanks with no problems. That was a big relief, because it was pretty hot. So if you go, just remember to get a potent high quality mosquito spray and leave the long sleeves at home.

Getting there:

When you fly to Peru, you will be flying into Lima, the capital. This is where all of our extended family lives. After a day in Lima, we flew to Puerto Maldonado, the little town closest to the lodge. The flight from Lima stops for a layover in Cusco, where Machu Picchu is. After the layover in Cusco, we continued on the flight for 15 more minutes. This is why I highly recommend if you ever plan on going to Machu Picchu, you should definitely include the rainforest in your plans. It’s only a 15 minute flight once you get to Cusco! And probably 80% less tourists.

Arriving in Puerto Maldonado, we got off the plane runway-style. It was a small airport. The hostess from Inkaterra’s Hacienda Concepción was waiting for us with a sign along with several other guests arriving with us. From there, we got on a small bus. The bus took us through the small town of Puerto Maldonado until we got to the river. We hopped on the boat for a 20 minute ride that would take us to the lodge. There are no roads leading into the jungle. The river is the only way in and out.

When the boat dropped us off at the property’s dock, all you could see was a path through trees. Our hostess, Rina, said we had a 3 km hike to get to the lodge from there – she must really enjoy seeing the scared look on the guests’ faces when she says that because she quickly follows it up with a “just kidding” and a laugh. Phew!

The boats that took us to the lodge upriver.

Hacienda Concepcion:

We stayed at Inkaterra’s Hacienda Concepción Lodge. Inkaterra is an eco-luxury resort chain in Peru with 5 properties. Three are near Machu Picchu, and two are in the Amazon rainforest. The sister property in the Amazon is called Reserva Amazonica. Pierina stayed at that resort 6 years ago and loved it. We stayed in Hacienda Concepción because she wanted to try a different one, plus it was the newest property. We stayed for 3 nights, and I would highly recommend the same if you can too.

Every structure on the property has thatched roofs and has screens instead of windows. This means you have a symphony of birds, monkeys and bugs playing for you at all hours of the day. It’s such a tranquil and meditative experience. The main lodge is where you would eat all of your meals and where we liked to hang out in between excursions. The first floor has the dining area and bar, while the second floor was filled with places to sit and relax.

The food was very very good at Hacienda Concepción. Every day they would serve the meals in the dining room and you had “your” table. Breakfast and lunch were served buffet style, although you could order hot a la carte items, like eggs or pancakes for breakfast as well. Dinners were sit-down, candle-lit and very tasty.

Pierina and Brian celebrating at the lodge after the hike to Lake Sandoval.

The cabins:

The cabins were rustic but beautiful, spacious and extremely clean. The four of us were very comfortable in one. They have a sitting area at one end of the space which was completely open to the jungle, separated only by a screen. One morning there was a capuchin monkey playing in the trees that we could see without stepping out. The beds have mosquito netting, which is pulled down during the turndown service in the evening.

Our sleeping cabin for 3 nights.

Nap time in the cabin

What we did in the rainforest:

Inkaterra truly excels at planning out your stay at their properties. The first day we arrived, we met our personal guide, Mirko.Throughout our stay, he was so friendly and eager to share everything he loved about the rainforest with us. That first night we met Mirko, he talked to us about all of our excursions and answered any questions we had. I could go on and on about the excursions, but will let the pictures do most of the talking. Here’s the quick rundown of what they were:

Twilight river cruise – looked for night creatures on the banks of the rivers. Saw lots of caymans, but our highlight was the pack of wild hogs

National Reserve hike & Lake Sandoval canoe trip – We hiked through the Tambopata National Reserve. As we hiked, our guide would teach us about the different plants and animals we would see. At the end of the hike, we hopped on canoes for a tour of the wildlife of Lake Sandoval. We found giant river otters and all kinds of cool birds.

Right before our potentially muddy hike through the Tambopata National Reserve – the resort lends you the boots 🙂

Learning about the leaf cutter ants from Mirko

Leaf cutter ants doing their thing.

Canoeing to Lake Sandoval surrounded by monkeys

Lake Sandoval

Giant river otters

Checking out some sleeping bats on a tree

Walking jungle night tour – This guided walk with our guide took you into the rainforest at night to see the creatures that they could find. I knew this would include frogs, so I passed on this one.

Cachuela clay lick – This was the only excursion we did that was not included in the price of our stay. We left at 4:30am by boat to get to the Cachuela clay lick, were hundreds of parrots gather at dawn to eat the clay. After seeing the birds, we had breakfast on the boat before heading back to the lodge.

Sunrise on the river

Tree Canopy Walk – The canopy walk was a series of hanging bridges at the top of the trees. The perspective was cool!

Heading up to the canopy walk

Visit to a local farm – Our guide brought us to a nearby farm where they grow all kinds of produce. We walked through the fields while grabbing fresh pineapple, sugar cane, cacao, and bananas to eat along the way.

Botanical garden – We toured the onsite botanical garden with our guide. He showed us all the different plants and shared their traditional medicinal properties. The boys’ favorite part was learning about the Brazil nuts and cracking them open.

Our awesome guide, Mirko

Max cutting open a sugar cane.

Fishing for piranha – One thing Brian and the boys were super excited to try was fishing for Piranha. They did catch a few, which the kitchen friend up for their dinner that night 🙂

Fishing for piranha

Ben hamming it up for the camera with the piranha he caught.

Overall Impression:

Our visit to the Peruvian rainforest was so much fun. We really had very little expectations coming into it, and all of us came out extremely satisfied with with our experience.

A big part of the positive experience had to do with Inkaterra and how awesome their lodge was. Kudos to them for making us feel extremely comfortable in what could have been an uncomfortable environment. If you are ever considering visiting Peru, I highly recommend setting aside a few days to visit this amazing place.

Posted by Ale & filed under Travel. This post has 6 comments.

I’m a complete skincare minimalist. It’s not that I don’t think taking care of your skin is a good idea, it’s more that skincare doesn’t really fit on my plate of priorities. Up until a few months ago, I knew I needed to be be doing “skin stuff”, I was just not willing to put in the time to learn what I should be doing. As you dewy, pristine-skinned people probably already know, the lack of care and attention starts becoming apparent at a certain age. I started noticing sunspots, fine lines and a duller tone. Hmmmm…

The time had come to do something. The problem was, I had no idea where to start. My logic was that I stopped reading magazines like Allure about 15 years ago. I have missed out on 15 years of information. Where could I go for the Cliff Notes version?

Right around the time all these thoughts were swirling through my head, I had the fortune to meet Beth Casse, the owner and founder of Beyond Skin here in Ocala. A friend gifted me with a 1 hour facial with Beth. Based on past experience, I saw facials as a relaxation procedure where the aesthetician smothers creams and wipes them away for an hour. I usually get antsy and want to jump out of the chair after 30 minutes. My session with Beth was so surprisingly different! She started addressing problem areas right away (hello, sun spots). Her approach was therapeutic, which made the time feel productive. I also picked up that she is on the same wavelength regarding health and wellness, which put me at ease that I was in good hands.

Ever since then, I have been trying to visit Beth once a month for half hour session. I got several gift certificates for my birthday in August and have been using them for these half hour treatments. I feel great afterwards, and always learn a ton. Beth is so patient with me as I ask her all sorts of questions.

When I asked Beth if she would be willing to share her wisdom on the blog, she happily agreed. The interview below is just a handful of the questions that I have been itching to ask. If you are anything like me and are curious about all these different products and which ones are right for you, I think you will get something out of it as well.

Meet Beth

Tell us a little about what you do and how you got into this line of work.
I provide what I would consider to be high-tech facials, a happy medium between a visit to the dermatologist and a spa facial. I suddenly began struggling with my skin when I turned 19….hormones and diet played a factor but I didn’t know that at the time. I went through doctors and aestheticians and I felt like there was a missing link, thus began my so far 13 year expedition into the skincare world and most recently the opening of Beyond Skin. Ive evolved into a Skincare professional and it has taken years of training, trial and error to be able to confidently call myself one.

Have you always been interested in skincare/beauty?
I was a bit of a tomboy growing up and really into sports. The struggle with my own skin at the age of 19 peaked my interest.

What is your unique philosophy and approach to skincare and beauty?
What I’ve learned in the 13 years practicing in this field is that education is not a destination, but a life-long journey. I work with my clients to develop a program designed for long-term skin maintenance, a lifestyle of healthy skin preservation, and most importantly: results. I believe that skin is as unique as the face it covers and that one formula or regimen does not fit all. That’s why each treatment is custom tailored to fit my client’s needs. My multi-dimensional approach incorporates the most advanced skin solutions that include LED photomodulation, dry and wet dermabrasion, enzymes, radio frequency, pure oxygen and more. I can effectively reverse the physical manifestations of aging and repair damaged skin by stimulating cellular regeneration from deep within the tissue. The result is hydrated, healthy and radiant skin.

Cleansing

Let’s start with the basics. How many times a day should someone wash their face?
It’s never to late to start practicing healthy skin habits. Cleansing your face twice a day is an essential starting point.

Describe what I should be doing when I clean my face. And what type of products should I use?
First, pre cleanse to get rid of makeup and anything else on top of the skin. Use a cleansing balm or oil ( oil attracts oil), wipes or a makeup remover, really work it in there and then rinse with warm water. I recommend using a fresh clean white washcloth for every cleanse, this is also a great exfoliant. Now you are ready for the second pass. Use either a gel, foam or cream cleanser ( gel or foam is for normal to oily, cream is best for normal to dry) work it into the skin for a minute or two and then rinse.

Ok, I washed my face. What am I supposed to do afterwards?
In the morning: cleanse, tone, eye cream, serum, SPF. Then, in the evening: cleanse, tone, eye cream, serum, moisturizer

What am I looking for in a serum or moisturizer?
A serum or moisturizer can be a Retinoid, Retinol, Vitamin C, hyaluaronic acid, AHA/BHA. It depends on your skin type and the season. I recommend evaluating your skin when you are done using a product to ensure you still need it. If a problem is corrected, then get on a healthy and clean maintenace program.

Cleansers, serums, moisturizers, face oils, eye cream, night cream, day cream – so many things! How should someone prioritize what they do?
I always ask what the client’s biggest concern is and go from there. If it’s something like melasma, hyperpigmenation, acne, wrinkles I tend to get the client on a 2 month transformation system with products and suggest services, once the concern is corrected we maintain with very simple and clean products. If a client simply wants to rejuvinate their skin and postpone any further cellular damage, I try not to overwhelm them. I’ll suggest ONE product that I know will give them the results they are looking for. From there we prioritize.

Skincare Products and Ingredients

I keep seeing hyaluronic acid mentioned. It sounds scary. What is it?
Hyaluronic acid is a component of your own skin tissue but in skincare products it is a synthetic version. It will boost skin’s moisture content, reduce inflammation, and help prevent moisture loss.There are a few types of hyaluronic acid. Some companies use just one, some use a few. Keep in mind it is just one ingredient and the skin will benefit from a variety of ingredients…but this is a great ingredient to look for in your serum or moisturizer.

What are some of the latest products on the market that you are liking?
Right now I am loving One Love Organics. Their products are clean, eco-friendly and cruelty-free. I’ve also been digging Korean beauty products lately. I follow the blog, The Klog, which is all things Korean beauty. I am constantly sampling new products from Birchbox and NewBeauty TestTube, two companies that offer incredible home delivery service of skincare/wellness samples.

What about exfoliation? Good/Bad? How often should one exfoliate?
There are two common types of exfoliation. The first is physical or manual: scrubs, microdermabrasion, washcloth or my least favorite…the Clarisonic. Exfoliation with a scrub can be done 1-2x per week. The second type is a chemical exfoliation which involves enzymes, beta or alpha hydroxy acids. These chemical exfoliations can come the form of a toner, serum or cream. Chemical exfoliators can be used almost every night.

Skincare Treatments

What about chemical peels? Who are they good for?
The older we get, the less frequently our cells naturally turn over. A regular monthly chemical exfoliation will lift away dead cells and trigger a chain reaction. A few days after a peel is applied, the topmost layer of the epidermis sheds and signals the living cells below to multiply and move up, increasing collagen production, creating more hyaluronic acid, hosting only healthy oils and low bacteria. I offer about 20 different types of chemical or enzyme peels and customize the blends specifically for the clients needs and skin type. It’s a great non-invasive option that results in brighter, refreshed skin tone.

What procedures have you seen make the most impact on skincare minimalists?

Micro-needling with radio frequency with PRP (platelet rich plasma). I could write a novel on the benefits
Radiant Peel by Axia Medical. This may be hands-down the best medium depth chemical peel I’ve come across so far.
LED light therapy by LightStim. This therapy benefits mostly every client as it kills bacteria, enhances blood flow and accelerates healing time by mimicking a process similar to photosynthesis.

What products or procedures do you feel people go overboard with?
Laser. I believe in a long term approach versus the trauma of laser. Between frequency based treatments, microneedling, and monthly customized facial treatments you can get the same results at 1/2 the price. And hardly any downtime. If someone is a canidate for laser I will refer them elsewhere.

What do you recommend for someone who is a skincare minimalist (or lazy)?
Come in for monthly treatments and let me do the work 🙂

What types of non-cosmetic things have you seen make a big impact on someone’s appearance?
Hydration, sleep, mental wellness.

Isn’t it crazy how knowledgeable she is? I really hope you have learned as much from Beth’s passion and experience as I have. If you already knew all this, then at least you can laugh at how clueless I was!

If you are local to the Ocala area, give Beth and her team at Beyond Skin a call to schedule an appointment. I promise you will not be disappointed. And…if you still have some people on your Christmas list, they would probably really love a gift certificate!

Let me know if you want to learn more from Beth in the coming months. While this blog is not going to turn into a beauty blog anytime soon, I will certainly take you along for the ride as I learn.

Posted by Ale & filed under Learning. This post has 5 comments.

Hi! It’s been a little while, hasn’t it? I just got back from two weeks in Peru. The visit was full of new places and lots of family time, which was fantastic. I’ll definitely post a few pictures and details from my trip next week. As a routine-lover and homebody, I am happy to be back though.

Since we left before Thanksgiving, I am feeling a little anxious about being “behind” on Christmas preparations. Normally, we use the Thanksgiving weekend or the weekend after to decorate the tree, do cards, etc. There are only about 2 1/2 weeks before Christmas now. I think I need to put some thought around dropping some things this year, or going full force and trying to catch up. I’m leaning towards simplifying for the sake of enjoying the next couple of weeks instead of stressing. I’ll fill you in next month to see if I was able to do it 🙂

Now on to my favorite things from November…

November Favorites

Have you heard of the One Room Challenge? I am a big fan of this online room makeover series that is now on it’s tenth season. The way it works: bloggers sign up to refresh/makeover a room in 6 weeks. Every week leading up to the reveal, they post on their process and progress. At the end of the 6 weeks, all of the participants post a reveal. I love seeing all the final results. To make a drastic transformation to a room in 6 weeks is hard work! This year’s One Room Challenge reveals happened in early November. There were so many good ones, but my two personal favorites were the ones by Driven by Decor and Coco Kelly. Aren’t their new rooms beautiful??

I absolutely love and highly recommend THESE Athleta pants. Especially for travel. I got a pair in black and a pair in green for our trip to California last summer where I got quite a bit of use out of them. I brought them back out for my trip to Peru and again, I was so happy I had them. They are extremely lightweight and are stretchy. So it feels like you are not wearing anything. These pants are the most comfortable thing you can wear and still look a little more put together than wearing yoga pants.

Before we left for Peru, I picked up Mindy Kaling’s most recent book, “Why Not Me?”. I remembered enjoying her first book, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns” . “Why Not Me?” did not disappoint. It is light, funny and entertaining. I finished it by the time we arrived. Weirdly, I have never even seen an episode of “The Office” or “The Mindy Project”. I know very little about her – but I really love her writing style and the personality that shines through in her books. If you are going to be traveling during the holidays or will have some downtime, pick up one her books. You will definitely be smiling and chuckling all the way through.

Something else we did in November: we finally ordered a couch for our living room! It was something we have been needing for a few months since I sold our other chairs. Our plan was to find a camel leather couch for the space. After months of searching, we had it narrowed down to THIS one and THIS one. To decide on the right one, I Photoshopped them into the empty space in our living room and realized…I didn’t like how the leather looked in the space! It sort of muddied and darkened the space. Just for kicks I then Photoshopped THIS one which you can see is not leather but it looked really good. So, we veered from the plan and went ahead and ordered it. Article is a newish online furniture company that is getting lot of great buzz. Plus, they offer a 30-day no questions asked return policy just in case. Fingers crossed we don’t need to return it.

So those are some of my November favorites. What have you been into lately? Do you have any go-to gifts you are giving? Please share because I need ideas!

Posted by Ale & filed under Learning. This post has 2 comments.

December Favorites

December Favorites:

Emma’s Christmas Home Tour

Entrance & Foyer:

Dining Room:

Living Room:

Kitchen:

Sunroom:

Pool House:

3 Nights in the Peruvian Rainforest

Preparing for our trip:

Getting there:

Hacienda Concepcion:

The cabins:

What we did in the rainforest:

Overall Impression:

Beyond Skin Basics with Beth Casse

Meet Beth

Cleansing

Skincare Products and Ingredients

Skincare Treatments

November Favorites

November Favorites

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