Season after season, I am constantly adapting my skincare routine. Partially because I am a beauty product junkie (thank you five years in makeup sales!) and partially because my skin changes with the weather. This year I am all about deep cleansing, serious moisture without the greasy feel, and protection from the UV rays. Self tanners are in there as well but they deserve their own post, mainly because I just have too much to say. Almost all of these products can be purchased at my alma mater, Ulta.

Cleansing: As a die hard Clarisonic fan, I never thought that I would make the switch to the Clinique Sonic System. When my Clarisonic Mia broke I had a mini break down and needed to get a new brush ASAP before I left for vacation in a few days. I opted for the Clinique option in all honesty because it was a cheaper option. Thanks to my frugal moment I found my new favorite skincare tool. It is gentle enough for sensitive skin but does the job as far as exfoliation goes. At only $89.50, this brush gives you some serious savings from its pricier rivals. I paired it with the Foaming Sonic Facial Soap which leaves my skin feeling super clean without leaving any kind of residue. My additional "must have" pictured? Coola face SPF. I got it in my Birchbox a few months back and cannot get enough. It is perfectly lightweight and has zero greasy after effects. 

Moisturizing: Bee-cause I am obsessed with honey product right now. This obsession all started when I heard Scheana Shay on one podcast or another raving about her Manuka honey skincare obsession. I began frantically Googling this phenomenon and wondering why I was so late on discovering this miracle ingredient. Thanks to my research I discovered the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects of ingesting Manuka honey. This was a major "aha" moment for someone who a) has an inflammatory disease and b) can't take regular antibiotics.

​At this point, I am in a car for a six hour drive to a beach vacation, mid Crohn's flare up which, of course causes my skin to freak out as well. I frantically Amazon Prime this Manuka honey skin cream to my destination and that was probably the best impulse buy I've made in a while. This stuff literally worked miracles on my skin. My mixture of cystic/hives bump situation was cured within days and my face has never felt so moisturized. My advice is to definitely get this cream if you have any type of skin condition that needs some extra TLC. It is best for a night time routine in my opinion due to the thickness.

To get my daytime honey fix, I've been using the Honey Dew Me Up primer by NYX. It delivers the right amount of glow without leaving your skin looking greasy on a summer day. It soaks into your skin quickly with very little drying time and allows for almost immediate application of your concealer/foundation afterwards. I've not only noticed the increased moisturizing effects but also the stay power of my face makeup has improved as well! For a drugstore brand price point, this stuff definitely holds its own against big name contenders in my book.

Suncare: As a reformed tanning bed fanatic, years ago I could have never seen myself willfully reaching for the SPF. As if all of the increasing articles and studies about skin cancer weren't enough to scare me, one of the side effects of my immunosuppressant is "increased risk of skin cancer". Suncare is clearly not something to take lightly, not only because of cancer risks but because overall you are aging your skin. Your skin is your largest organ so why shouldn't you care for it and protect it like it is.

​Sunbum is my absolute go to when it comes to suncare. Between their face stick to lip balm to easy to apply spray lotion, I am a fan all around. Due to my back to back vacations full of on the go activities these two products have been heroes this season. The spray lotion is easy to apply on the run, stays put through multiple activities, and is gentle on sensitive skin. The Cool Down Aloe Gel is perfect for those spots that may have gotten too much sun by accident or in this case, for my boyfriend who missed getting lotion on an entire arm before our Cozumel boating excursion..... 


If you like what you see shop my picks via the links below:

Clinique Foaming Sonic Facial Soap
Coola Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber
Clinique Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush
​Bee Real Advanced Skin Cream
NYX Cosmetics Honey Dew Me Up Skin Serum & Primer
Sun Bum Premium Moisturizing After Sun Gel
Sun Bum Sunscreen Spray SPF 30 

My friends... It is my FAVORITE time of the year. The Nordstrom Sale is upon us and I have selected my Top 10 Must Haves that I am dying to purchase. This wish list also basically doubles as my birthday list because my birthday happens to fall a mere month after the beginning of the Nordstrom Sale. Coincidence? I think not. I've already perused my local store and picked up a few (additional) must haves but here are my curated favorites that I have put insanely way too much thought into. 

Cue the neutral colors, multitude of textures, and shop my list away.  

It may seem a little cliche for a first post... but here I am! I used to have a beauty blog a couple of years ago that I put all of my blood, sweat, and tears into. This was all amazing until I reached a point where I was finishing college and needed to put my blood, sweat, and tears into establishing an adult life for myself. 

Well.... now I am 24 years old, just moved back to the suburbs. I have an amazing boyfriend and a perfect little puppy. I am working as an IT recruiter for a company that I love and I am finally at a balanced point in my life where I have time for "me" again. This is what I am choosing to do again as my hobby per say.

Why blogging? Why crohnically blonde? 

During the past two years on my blogging haiutus, I not only acquired all of these great, new life milestones I also discovered that I have Crohn's Disease. While this isn't something that I want to say defines me, it honestly does. It is something that very strongly effects how I live my life, my day to day activities, my relationships, my work, basically everything. From when I was first diagnosed with Crohn's I relied on social media and bloggers to learn about their experiences and feel a lot more normal. From their tips, tricks, and inspirations I realized that if I were to start a blog again, I wanted to give back the way that the online chronic illness community has done for me. And the blonde part... paying tribute to my beauty blogging roots of course. And honestly, the name came from watching Legally Blonde after about three glasses of Sauv Blanc. 

This blog isn't only about Crohn's disease, it's going to be about my life. My day to day. Things I like. Things I don't like. My reality TV rants. My Nordstrom shopping binges. My beauty product reviews. Venting about things that my boyfriend is so tired of hearing for the 7,000th time.  The purpose of this blog is to share my story and my opinions and be part of the online community of people that I have so much been a silent part of in the past.

After I get a few posts down I will open up either and email or a forum for questions which I will answer. I know that this first post leaves a lot to be desired as far as back story on just about everything but stay tuned because I promise it will come. In the mean time, feel free to check out my old blog itsalwaysbrunchhere.wordpress.com/ to get a feel for where this all started. 

This is my new chapter, full of adventures and opinions. Enjoy!