Hello from Chicago! I’m here all week with the New York City Ballet for our performance tour. It’s opening night! I’ve never been before, so I’m excited to explore the city during the breaks; if anyone has any recs, please DM or drop them in the comments! First takeaways: the river is still (very) green, and the people are very nice. It’s going to be a fun week :)
get hot 🔥 (travel edition)
Swollen travel girlies only (kidding).
My sister Lizzy (who I’ll intro soon!!) and I were blessed with pretty crappy circulation. I’ll never forget the time she wore strappy sandals on a flight — you know that Kim Kardashian gladiator sandal photo? Yes, that, but worse. Let’s just say she is a forever plane compression socks wearer, as am I. I remember in my late teens, my grandmother tried to teach me how to massage my eyes in the morning and recommended me look into getting a lymphatic massage therapist for my ankle swelling because it really helped her… I rolled my eyes. Fast forward, here we are — I call in all reinforcements because my body loves to swell! For those who don’t deal with this issue, while I’m envious, you can keep scrolling. Now for some solutions, shall we?
This mini routine saves me from feeling really lethargic and weighed down in my limbs after a flight.
Step one pre-flight, compression! I own 2 pairs of these compression leggings that have lasted me for over 8 years now. They are the absolute best I’ve found, and I’ve tried countless options over the years. They are capris, and I don’t like to play around, thus I also wear socks (hot). This brand is one of the best, and they last a very long time.
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Step two (added bonus!), little hydration glow ;) I call the depuffing eye masks by 111 skin and the Laneige lip mask my dynamic duo when it comes to easy in-flight hydration for your face. The lip mask in Vanilla has been a longtime staple for me. I have not found anything (and I’m a stubborn OG black and white chapstick gal) that works as well to moisturize and recover dry lips than this product. Fun fact, when I use it during the day as lip gloss and when I apply it I use the remaining that left on my finger and cuticle moisturizer and it works like a charm. About 45 minutes before landing, or you can wear them the whole time if you want, apply the de-puffing eye masks. They are easy to apply and are amazing at depuffing the undereye area, leaving you feeling moisturized and refreshed. I use these before an event or a night out.
Step three post-flight, circulation! The goal is to boost circulation and get everything that got stagnant on the flight moving again. This takes about 15 minutes. Two travel essentials for me are a dry brush and this mitt. Both are super high quality and will last you for many years. Using the dry brush, you brush strokes along your limbs directing back to your heart. You’ll instantly start to feel your body waking up. Next, use any moisturizer and this silicone mitt and use those same dry brushing motions with the mitt. Last step, lay down and elevate your legs for 10 minutes. Boom, ready to take on whatever you’ve got planned for your trip :)
get curious 🧴
I’m doing a bit more traveling this month, and it always gets me thinking about my nonnegotiables for packing. One is sunscreen. A favorite podcast of mine, Fat Mascara, had Dr. Julian Sass, who is a favorite skincare follow of mine, on to do a major deep dive on sunscreen. Hence, this timing is perfect.
Simply put, there are two different kinds of sunscreen — mineral and chemical. The main difference is how they handle the sun’s rays. Mineral sunscreen sits on top of the skin and reflects UV rays, whereas chemical sunscreen is absorbed into the skin and by default absorbs the UV rays and changes their chemical structure to reduce sun damage.
I have always had a difficult time finding one that didn’t leave me looking dull, purple, or give me pimples.
If you want a real deep dive, I highly recommend listening to this podcast as it uncovers a lot about the sunscreen industry. I’m sure you’ve realized that most of the best sunscreens are not from the U.S. This is mostly due to the fact that the FDA regulates sunscreen as a drug, not skincare, and it takes much longer to get formulations approved. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but a fact.
In case you don’t want to listen to the whole thing! Sound bites:
25:24 FDA’s new 2019 rule for sunscreen regulation in US
29:00 Why it will be a while until we have more updated formulas like other countries
Dr. Julian Sass has created this insane sunscreen database where you can pretty much look up any formula and see its rating.
My personal top picks for my skin and tone are Beauty of Joseon and Colorescience. Most “top-rated” sunscreens I’ve tried are either fragranced (a no for me), leave a strange cast, or sting my eyes. Both of these solve all of those issues. Oh and fave combo — mix Colorescience with Saie’s Super Glowy gel. It makes your skin extra dewy and fresh feeling.
get cooking 🏋️♂️’
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Double Dark Chocolate Dipped protein bites
Get ripped and eat chocolate? Sign me up! I make these all the time because they're the perfect addition to your fridge for whenever you need a pick-me-up or a sweet treat at night (and an excellent way to increase your protein intake). My team jokingly says that my tombstone will read 'Eat more protein, girls,' but can you blame me? Protein is essential not only for a healthy body, but also for strong muscles. Hence, these are the best of both worlds xxx 😊
Ingredients:
¾ nut butter (I used cashew this time, but any smooth one works)
¾ cup oat flour
¼ cocoa powder
¼ cup almond flour
⅓-½ cup maple syrup depending on sweetness preference
2-4 scoops of preferred vanilla protein powder
Splash vanilla extract
Tiny pinch of salt
½ cup Chocolate chunks/chips
*For the chocolate coating:
¾ cup chocolate chips (I love Hu Kitchen or Pascha)
Microwave in 30 second increments until just melted
Directions:
Place all ingredients besides the chocolate chunks in a large bowl, mix until you've created a smooth sticky dough, mix in your chocolate chunks, roll into tablespoon sized balls. Dip each into the bowl of melted chocolate and place on a prepared baking sheet. Top with cacao nibs and allow them to set in the fridge or freezer!
That’s it for this week! Off to do a little exploring before our first show tonight :) Comment or DM me with questions or something you want me to talk about as I want this to be useful. Talk soon! xxx Jenelle
Thanks Jenelle! Do you have recommendations for fav protein powder?
Just a small correction.....dermatologists equally prefer chemical and mineral sunscreens. Neither is better than the othet at doing its job and being safe for the skin. You should also follow Dr. Michelle Wong! She's my favorite cosmetic chemist and does wonderful breakdowns of skincare science topics on her insta/tt/YouTube. ❤️