Oh man, it got crazy around here. I've been neglecting this blog sorely in the hustle and bustle of scurrying to do makeup work, get my work in, and get some work done ahead of time so that my Thanksgiving weekend won't be filled with non-stop homework. But I went up to Boston to visit a friend at MIT and it is so pretty here, if extremely cold. What can I say, I have such a fondness for red brick buildings. (My friend disagrees...she says everything breaks. Oh dear!)

But the cold has highlighted the importance of something in my wardrobe...or rather, something that my wardrobe lacks.

EARMUFFS!!

A Bryn Mawr friend has this pair from Uniqlo:

And at $12.90, they are a steal! Not to mention in honor of Black Friday, Uniqlo is offering a free gift with every purchase.

A Princeton friend of mine once very sadly announced that it was so cold he was reduced to using his headphones as earmuffs...and man, they were not effective at all. Well I would offer to him these (only slightly girly) earmuff + headphone combination pair from Target:

But what's really catching my eye...are these panda earmuffs from JCPenney!

They are so perfect for me that I can't take it! Its little mismatched eyes...but if pandas aren't your thing, they offer a number of other options, like sock monkeys, koala bears, lions, and kittens. Either way, how adorable are these?

True...you could just clap a hat on over your head to keep your ears warm, but where's the fun in that? This way you can look cute AND prevent hat hair from sneaking onto your scalp.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!

About a year ago, I started hearing of this bizarre thing called dry skin brushing. It sounded (well, let's be honest) incredibly hokey and about as legit as all the other New Agey beauty treatments. But people were swearing by it, so I added the Yerba Prima Tampico Vegetable Fiber Skin Brush to my Amazon wishlist and moved on.

Well, now I have one!

AND IT IS FANTASTIC.

The love of my life

The idea behind dry skin brushing is that it removes dead skin cells without touching the body's natural oils, cleaning without drying, and helps new skin cells to regenerate. Essentially, it's a form of dry exfoliation. It's a recommended part of the detoxification process and stimulates blood circulation and the lymphatic system. It's even said to help you lose weight because it breaks up cellulite. Personally, I have no idea about how true any of this is, but I have noticed that my skin is much clearer and more even all over, and I never get ingrown hairs anymore (aughhh bane of my existence). I suffer from keratosis pilaris on my arms and legs (chicken skin, if you want to be mean) and ever since I started dry skin brushing, they've all but vanished. It's a Thanksgiving miracle!

So now that you've run out and bought a dry skin brush of your very own (based solely on my testimony!), here's what you do:

Before you shower, start brushing the soles of your feet in the direction of your heart, slowly moving upwards. Brush either in short strokes or in small circles, whichever feels most comfortable. If this is your first time, don't brush too roughly. Over time your skin will get stronger. Avoid bruises, scratches, and other irritated areas.

Put one arm up and brush gently towards your armpit, then do the same with the other arm. Don't forget to concentrate on your armpits, where there's a whole host of lymphatic nodes just crying out for attention. 

Brush up your belly towards your heart, then do the same with your back and butt (this is where having a long handle on your brush really comes in handy). Brush over your neck and shoulders, as well as the underside of your chin.

Be careful to avoid brushing your face! You need a specialized, softer brush for that. Clean your brush gently with soap and water every week or so.

Doesn't this sound crazy? But I'm a total believer now! When I'm done, I just hop in the shower and wash off any remaining dead skin cells. My mom asked what the giant brush in my room was for and totally laughed at me. But this shall help me to remain young and beautiful foreverrrr... or at least until marriage when it's too late to run away! (True fact: I sometimes wander around my dorm halls with grayish-white clay smeared all over my face, looking something like a geisha ninja in pajamas. I am an attractive person!)

What are your totally weird skin secrets? Or your not-so-weird ones? Share in the comments below!

Unfortunately...I have a nail biting habit. Not very classy, cute, or sexy, right? But luckily for me, my habit isn't so strong that I have to go out and buy some sort of nail cream to condition myself out of sticking my fingers in my mouth all the time. Instead I just wear nail polish!

Nail polish is pretty much my favorite thing in the world. I used to match my purple nails to my sweater and luggage whenever I traveled...perhaps a little matchy-matchy, but I loved it, so who cares?

(apologies for my messy desk)

Despite being such a nail polish fan, I don't have a lot of colors. But whenever I go somewhere new, I like to pick up different shades from brands that can only be located in that area...for example, although the Maybelline polishes are from the Rite Aid ten minutes down the street, the dark green (second from the left), the sea green (third from the right), and the orange (very right) are all from Korea. The sea green I got from the Daiso in my neighborhood but both the dark green and the orange are from Nature Republic, who have yet to make it across the pond into America.

PS: The orange is my favorite! It's so pretty I can't take it. It's so perfect for the summer.

But wearing nail polish all the time can damage your fingers pretty badly, so that's where base coats come in, so I always make sure that I have enough on hand. I've gotten really into crackle nail polish though (god I love trends) and I picked up the sparkly top coat in Korea where it fast made its way into my heart. Glitter nails are the best, guys.

My favorite combinations:

Blue + silver crackle (perfect for winter)
Black + silver crackle (the classically edgy look)
Orange + glitter top coat (perfect for spring and summer)

Anyway...what's a girl without colors to do?

Have a nail polish party of course! My friends and I like to get together and combine our nail polish collections. We paint our nails together and do designs and borrow each other's colors, while (classily!) swigging X-Rated Fusion Liquor which is, in honor of the occasion, bright pink and super sweet. If you do have a nail polish party, don't forget to crack a window, those fumes can get mighty nasty.

Links:

• How to Get Swirly, Tie-Dyed Nails - water marbling is the big new nail trend to hit this year. It's super hard to do and I've never done it before, but I may try it my next free weekend. Look at how fantastic those nails are!
• Cupcake Nail Art Tutorial - if you're into nail art on fake nails, this tutorial is amazing! Her nails look delicious. I don't wear fake nails but these make me want to try...
• True Metallic Nails - nevertoomuchglitter uses foil to create fantastic looking party nails.
• River Rock Nail Decal Technique - A DIY method of making nail decals, inspired by New York Fashion Week.
• Purple Gradient Nail Art Tutorial - Jen is one of my favorite beauty bloggers, and not just because we're both Koreans. Her purple nails straddle the line between edgy and girly effortlessly!
• Sweet Mani - Even though Halloween is long past, these candy corn nails still totally work for fall.
• Fall/Autumn Themed Nail Art - The video is rather poorly shot, but the nails are gorgeous and the instructions are clear enough. I don't have any colors that work for this, but her nails look so beautiful! This video definitely is not for an amateur though, it's one of those tricky 3D nail art tutorials.
• First Snowfall - Even if you live somewhere without snow, you can still enjoy these gorgeous nails with snowdrifts painted on them. I am definitely going to try these over winter break. They even have little rhinestones for maximum effect!