It took us awhile to get here and we’re still not technically “done” decorating (we want to hang more art, mostly!), but I can finally say that our living room and kitchen are fully set up! Today I’m sharing my process + home inspo to piece together a room without it looking like a bunch of pieces randomly thrown together. We moved 2.5 months ago after buying this house, but it took a full month for the movers to even arrive with our stuff, we had lots of expenses with more urgent homeowner things

Buying a house for the first time can be such an overwhelming, confusing process — it’s hard to know where to even begin! I’m answering all your FAQ’s here, like how much of a deposit we put down, how to figure out your home-buying budget, what to know about the real estate process, unexpected costs, getting a mortgage pre-approval, the pros and cons of renting versus owning, and so much more.

Hilariously enough, I can’t believe I’m writing this and that we actually did it. We closed on the house TODAY!

I think in the blur of the last 2 years of the housing market frenzy that came with the way the panini changed a lot of our priorities and day-to-day needs, it seemed like a “we bought a house!” announcement was popping up on my Instagram feed every other day— from IRL friends, to influencers, it felt ubiquitous, and also a bit difficult to watch when we were sharing 600 sq ft of space and WFH 24/7.

Over the last 5 years, I’ve been actively making more sustainable lifestyle changes— everything from using reusable tote bags and produce bags, bringing reusable tumblers with me, reducing usage of single-use products, altering my buying habits and supporting sustainably-made products. Then Covid hit, and a lot of our lifestyles changed. I was no longer running around the city all day for work, we were having to order groceries for awhile for our safety, and having more things delivered to our home in general. My waste footprint shifted, with more packaging used through deliveries and groceries and single-use items for sanitization protection, so I started thinking about ways I could up my sustainability efforts at home with this new lifestyle. Here are the 5 eco-friendly quarantine trends that showed up in 2020 that I hope to continue (and have other people do the same!) this year:

Where to begin?! It is actually insane how much I’ve learned in the 3.5 months we have had Benny. I will start with saying that I would say the overwhelming majority of people do not understand the amount of work / time that goes in to properly raising a puppy and how much your lifestyle changes. This guide will save you that time / research, and will make you feel as prepared as possible for when your baby comes home. It will be an overwhelming time, regardless, but this will make your life easier.

Now that we are all living in comfies and rightfully given up on real pants, I feel as though many of us still want to look like we put in a *bit* of *effort*🤣and not look too sloppy. Because while yes, I fully support wearing comfies 24/7 aka “house clothes” as we Koreans call it, there is indeed a difference between wearing your old high school sport team teeshirt/sweatpants that have a worn out elastic waistband and a cute and comfy loungewear outfit— at least mentally, I still feel put together when I’m wearing cute comfies! I’ve rounded up an assortment of cute sweatshirts + sweatpants (all under $100 + many on extra sale!) that you’ll be excited to wear around the house.

Linking all of my products mentioned in my IGTV video showing you my latest skincare favorites!

I asked you guys over on my IG Stories who you needed most help shopping for— I got a variety of answers for definitely had some high requests for certain people, so I tailored these gift guides to that. There are a LOT of gift ideas in here, so make sure you don’t miss any in each section and check out other section’s recommendations, as there are definitely gifts that will work for multiple people!

Every time I share a pourover video or WFH snap on my Instagram (which is indeed, often), I usually get a few DM’s asking where my ceramic mugs are from or what ceramic makers I like— so I’m gathering my current favorites here to share with you!

I’ve been asked many times from followers, media outlets, and friends about what my thoughts are on certain diets of the moment (paleo, keto, IF, etc.) and trends (bulletproof coffee, adaptogens, and now the infamous celery juice). I decided to put this blog post together to hopefully clarify my perspective that really applies to ALL trends, no matter the year— a perspective of understanding based on my education and experience over the past nearly 7 years in this industry. I am always a proponent of providing tools to people for them to make the right decision for themselves, rather than encouraging them to do or not do something….

One of my most requested blog post topics, hormonal acne has also been one of the harder things for me to talk about. Not only because I’ve had quite the ups and downs with it and that it has been an emotionally difficult issue for me over the years, but also because it’s still an ongoing journey for me.

So for me, I struggled with the insecurity and discomfort of sharing my past and current photos of my skin, but also a bit of “imposter syndrome;” as in, how could I talk about healing my hormonal acne when I still have skin that is far from flawless? Then I realized that mentality is exactly what I fight against when it comes to speaking about body image issues, so why should this be any different? If anything, those of us who have dealt with problematic skin are usually far more well-versed in skincare than those with not many skin issues because we’ve had to figure things out!

My favorite city in the world after NYC, Paris is actually as magical as they say. There is something there for everyone— knockout food, amazing wine, stunning architecture, art for days, famous sights, shopping, design, oh là là! I wanted to create this post for you guys because I have sent these recommendations to about 15 of my friends now— everyone has said how helpful this guide was because it’s honest, written from a local city-girl perspective, and it’s organized by arrondissement (district/neighborhood— Paris has 20 arrondissements), so it’s easier to plan a more efficient trip rather than having you bounce between 6 neighborhoods unnecessarily in a day. Plus, I have all the highlights of where to get the best croissant in Paris, the best gluten-free food in Paris, and streets to stroll to make you feel right at home.

One of my most frequently asked questions on my Instagram is what type of camera and lens I use to create my blogging content, what editing apps I use, how I learned photography, and now most recently, why I started shooting film and what that’s all about.

SO. I’m writing this post for you guys to answer all those questions honestly, help you guys level up so you can go kick ass by providing some insight into my journey and tips with photography, and then share more about my current stage of photography aka my love affair with film photography because I am seriously obsessed. Side note, all the photos in this blog post (except the cover photo) are shot on film.

It’s that time of the year! Holiday season is upon us, and it’s time to start thinking about how you can show the people in your life the love and gratitude you have for them. While I’m not the most shopping obsessed of people, I have always actually loved getting gifts (and always writing cards!) for people. It’s a little chance to not only show that you cared enough to get them a little something, but showing your relationship with them and how well you know them.

Why did I switch over to non-toxic, clean beauty? I got slammed with my autoimmune diagnosis and after desperately researching for anything that could help ease the massive load of stressors on and symptoms of my body, I dismayingly realized just how INSANELY toxic some of these ingredients in these products are. The BIGGEST thing is how it affects your endocrine system— aka your hormones. I wanted to make this super comprehensive guide of recommendations and helpful links to help you guys find the best non-toxic, clean beauty products (bodycare, haircare, oral care, everything!) for YOU.

I don’t think I ever thought I would be wading in a cranberry marsh, but holy cow was that cool or what?! My job takes me to some pretty cool experiences I wouldn’t have otherwise, and this trip to Wisconsin with Carmex was no exception. I truly love brand trips because they’re such an immersive, personal experience that allows you to get to know the company, the people behind the product, and the product itself in a way you just can’t from email exchanges.

One of the most emotionally frustrating parts of my Hashimoto’s and hormonal imbalance issues has most definitely been the onset of hormonal acne. I know at first glance, it can seem like an insignificant thing compared to some of the more dramatic physiological symptoms I’ve experienced— but having skin issues can be something that really impacts your self-confidence, causing more stress, which then just makes your skin even worse. It can be a nasty cycle that can feel really hopeless in a lot of ways.