Sexy Skin Secrets

Many of us have routines in our daily lives. Does yours involve a skincare routine? It should. I have tried A LOT of products. and thankfully, I have found a few that work quite well for me. I figured I would share my skincare routine with you.

 It’s okay to be dirty, as long as you clean yourself up: Shiseido  Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam $22.50

  A littler goes a long way with this cleanser. Designed for oily/combination, it has little blue purifying granules, which help to gently remove all kinds of icky things from your pores which can lead to blemishes. – And it doesn’t make your face feel like you just went to Joan Rivers’ plastic surgeon for a facelift.

Keep yourself moist: Your Best Face: Boost $65

Moisturizers can be tricky, especially if you have combination skin, but YBF (a company that you’ll be hearing about a lot) makes a great daily moisturizer that sooths your skin and reduces redness. It has A TON of nice ingredients. As an added benefit; the entire YBF line is focused on anti-aging, so you’ll be keeping that pretty face of yours for a long time!

Touch me here, kiss me there:

Mi-Me Coconut Lip Buffer $16

 The lips are often overlooked when it comes to skincare, and I can’t figure out why for the life of me. This hydrates & conditions the skin. Flakes  are a thing of the past… at least the ones on your lips, anyway.

Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment $25

Everyone wants soft, kissable lips. And if you don’t, you should. This lip balm basically turns your lips into cashmere Don’t believe me? Put some on, pucker up, and ask someone else’s opinion.

Smile with your eyes: Your Best Face: Correct $150

Tyra Banks was on to something when she introduced the world to smizing. There is something to be said for working your eyes. Unfortunately, your eyes are the first thing on your face that show signs of wear-and-tear. YBF’s Correct Eye Cream is AMAZING. Dark Circles and fine lines be gone. Buy this and go smize in a mirror all day. You’ll fall in love with yourself.

 Glam it up: GLAMGLOW Super-Mud Mask $69

 Masks are my newest skincare must-have. GLAMGLOW’s Super-Mud Mask is downright amazing. It claims to (and does) take care of every skincare problem under the sun. It has something called Pore-Matrix technology… long story short, it sucks EVERYTHING out of your pores, and you can see it happening. It’s disgusting and amazing.

Skincare secret weapon: Clarisonic Mia2™ Skin Cleansing System

A Clarisonic is the only power tool I have any interest in using. It cleans your face, and exfoliates dead skin. It’s a little miracle worker, but I feel like Mr. Miyagi when I use it. Wax on, Wax off. 

That's my basic skincare routine for the time being. If you have any product suggestions, or if you try one of these, let me know!

A New Venture Begins

Hi everyone. I know it has been awhile since I have blogged last, but I’m hoping today will be the last time I say that for quite some time.

 I started doing this whole “internet thing” when I was 16 and I have been extremely fortunate to have a small, but extremely loyal audience, (for lack of a better term) for quite some time. Many of you have not only seen, but  have been a part of, me growing up to be the person I am today.

 As I’ve grown and evolved, so to have my interest; one of my biggest being skincare. It may seem odd, but there are a number of reasons I am a little more than slightly obsessed with skincare. It is certainly a well-covered topic, but in all of my reading and research, I’ve realized that there are very few skincare blogs written by guys. That’s why I have decided to start blogging about it.

 Before I go any further, it’s time for the disclaimers:

 I am by no means an expert: As I said, skincare is an interest. I do my best to be knowledgeable and stay up-to-date on the latest and the greatest, but I don’t know everything. I am learning every day and my goal is to share that process with you.

 One size (or product) does not fit all: Skin can be a moody mother… just because a product works for me, doesn’t mean that it’s right for you. Make sure you do your own research before you try a product. And please, if my miracle mask is nothing but a waste of money to you… don’t hate me… it may cause a wrinkle.

 With all of that out of the way, I will end with this… I am really excited to give this a shot. I know it may not interest all of you, but hopefully I can open the doors to an unexplored world of flawless skin and plump lips and maybe capture a few new eyeballs along the way.

 I have to go moisturize now.

 Until next time.

Equality

It is the 27th of March 2013, and the fight for marriage equality is back in the headlines.

 If you dig through the archives of this blog, you will see a number of posts that talk about same-sex marriage and equality, I’ve made it clear throughout the years that I feel no one should have to fight to be considered equal. I hesitated to write this post for days. I was afraid it would appear as though this issue is the only one that matters to me and that could not be further from the reality. 

 Yes, I am gay. But the truth is, I am far more than just a gay man. I am a son. I am a brother. I am friend. I am a college student who is trying to earn a degree; an intern who makes mistakes every day but is learning along the way. I am just a guy who is trying to find his way in the world; but that is exactly why I decided to write this. 

 As much as it saddens me, there is still a need for me to express my voice. It may or may not make a difference, but saying nothing just feels wrong. 

 I wake up every day with my only goal being to make it through that day and hope I have something to show for it. I’m just trying to live my life. 

 I will admit, I am someone who wants it all. I shoot for the stars, but secretly, I am hoping to be catapulted into the next galaxy. It’s a bad habit. -- I will also admit this; I am that guy who has dreamed about his wedding day. (There’s going to be white roses everywhere and an excessive amount of crystal.) 

 I want that day. I deserve that day.

 I understand that not everyone agrees with, or understands the idea of homosexuality. But homosexuals are not homosexuals... We are people. We are people who experience the same joys and sorrows of life that everyone else does. We do not choose this life. The only choice we make is to embrace who we are.

 My hope is that others will do the same.

The Internship

My biggest goal of 2012 was to find a Public Relations internship. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but it was the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world.  I applied everywhere, even places that didn’t have listings for internship positions.

Most places didn’t respond. Some turned me down. I turned a few down myself.

As December came around, I stared to accept the idea that my goal of finding an internship probably wasn’t going to become a reality. I wasn’t upset or angry. I felt more defeated than anything.

On the last day of the fall semester, I was stuck in traffic on my way home,  doing something on my phone when I opened my calendar. I glanced at it for a second.

“The year is not over,” I said to myself, "I have three weeks to find an internship."

On Wednesday of the following week, I was sitting at my desk, half awake... in my underwear, praying that the cup of coffee I had in my hand would help me feel alive. It was the perfect time to search for an internship. At some point, I stumped upon this very chic, minimalistic site.

I was browsing around the site, trying to learn as much about the firm as I could. On the "About" page, I saw very inconspicuous line of text that said:

“Interested in an internship? Take a number.”

  I stopped looking at the site and immediately started writing an email with my resumé attached. 

  I took my number and I’m now interning with Exposed PR.  

I feel extremely fortunate to have this opportunity. I am learning new things every day, and I work with 3 ridiculously beautiful girls. They are just as smart as they are pretty, which is kind of intimidating.

 We have cool clients too.

I know it’s not nice to play favorites, but... there’s this woman. Angela Lutin. 

She’s a dating guru/relationship expert/straight-up badass. Right now, her life mission is to write a weekly column for Ask Men. We have come up with a Twitter campaign/assault to capture the attention of our favorite Canadian publication.

It’s become my mission in life as well. (FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP.)

 I really do love interning there. That said, I do have a few reservations.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk about them, taking into account the possibility that my boss may see this post. But I’ve always been brutally honest on my blog and continuing that trend is the only thing that feels right.

 My biggest concern at the moment is that I feel like I’m not contributing as much as I should be. I have this anxiety that I am not meeting the expectations of the others in the office.  I could be wrong. I hope I’m wrong. But I don’t really know if I’m wrong.

  I also feel like I don’t fit in, in a way.  It has nothing to do with the people there... I can’t really describe it. It’s kind of like that feeling you have when you’re a kindergardener and you walk into a room of 5th graders and think...

  “Wow! I want to be a big boy one day!”

Everyone just seems so polish and well-put-together. And then there’s me.

 Hopefully these things will work themselves out. But even if they don’t, I can say with certainty that this will be an experience I’ll remember forever.