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Coffee Break: Colorful Staples

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File this under “small things that bring you joy and probably no one else notices” — I've been a big fan of cobalt blue staples for a while now, probably going back to the days when I lived around the corner from a JAM Paper Store. I recently had to restock and was delighted to see that the blue staples are available on Amazon — along with a lot of other fun colors, including a really vibrant green, purple, and red. For $11.99, if you have a color that makes you happy, why not? Apparently Swingline also makes some colorful staples; you can find those at Amazon and Office Depot. Pictured: JAM PAPER Standard Size Colorful Staples – Royal Blue – 5000/box

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108 Comments

  1. I have a white and gold Swingline stapler that makes me very happy and looks chic on my desk.

    1. I love me a good fancy stapler. I bought myself a suite of lucite office accessories that make me perhaps too happy…a stapler, a tape dispenser, pencil cup, business card holder, phone stand, and file sorter. Those things being mostly clear cut down on so much visual clutter on my desk, that I want to keep it tidy as a result!

        1. I have a red stapler, but the staples are still silver. The manageing partner does not want me to branch out and get into buying more colorful staples, tho I think that when I am the manageing partner, I will allow others to choose staples of their choice.

  2. Has anyone had experience with the subscription version of Headspace? Do you find it to be better than the free resources out there?

    1. In a word, yes, I find it to be better. I like everything about it: the animations, the different packs of mediations, Andy’s voice, the half-hourly group meditations, the sleepcasts. A lot of this is admittedly down to personal tastes and needs, though, so something free may work better for you. But Headspace is worth the fee to me.

    2. Same for me. It’s the best one I’ve worked with. Also, if you are balking at price – I DM’d them on twitter and they gave me this link and code for 25% off the annual which made it about $53. headspace.com/code and use code B2CCX (this is NOT a referral code)

    3. Same here. I have found the sleep-related meditations to be particularly helpful, as well as the short ones to put me back on track when I’m particularly exhausted. But I haven’t tried other free programs so can’t compare to them.

    4. I pay $60/year for the Calm app and there are weeks when I use it every day and weeks when I don’t but yes the premiums included are great and worth it.

    1. That seems like a rehearsal dinner dress or a dress for a guest of a daytime wedding, not at all something I’d wear to work. I mean, it’s not bad, but it seems more like a social dress than a work dress.

        1. Yes — it’s shown with a clutch and strappy heeled sandals — it wouldn’t look right if she were carrying a laptop tote with something like the Everlane block-heel pumps.

      2. Yeah. I’ll wear almost anything to work, but this seems very “social occasion” to me.

      3. Sigh. That’s how I’m leaning. I think if it was a more sedate print or if it was a sheath shape it might be ok :( It’s so pretty and comfy though…. Thanks for being the voices of reason.

        1. I think it in part depends on your position. If you are a lawyer, no, too “social occasion.” If you work in marketing or graphic arts or a field that’s more creative than this could work. Particularly if you were a receptionist or other public facing role.

          1. OMG yes, the receptionist at the theatrical marketing firm I visited was wearing a leopard-print catsuit and a white fur hat (like one imagines someone in Siberia wearing, only white). She looked incredible.

        2. I’m going to vote with the opposition. Wear it with a black cardigan and black tights and flats and be fabulous. I’m the dressiest person in my business casual leaning casual workplace and I just roll with it. Everyone can deal with my fabulousness, and yours.

          1. I totally agree. But I am also prone to wearing tulle skirts, lace, ruffles and really ridiculous boots and shoes to the office on non-Court/Discovery days.

          2. Yep. This would totally work at my university. It’s definitely a know your office sort of thing.

  4. Welcome to the new year, ladies :)

    I’m anon for this but I am not sure who to ask IRL. DH and I make solid salaries, we pay for monthly expenses/vacations/stuff we need out of pocket and still save a bit and max out our 401(k)s and then save more for retirement. We have a reasonable emergency fund. We don’t have any big expenses coming up.

    Aside from our emergency fund and a smaller savings account, all of our savings is in retirement accounts.

    I received an unexpected $60,000 (post-tax) and I don’t know what to do with it. Vanguard fund or similar? Savings account? Small splurge? Big splurge?

    1. I am so deep into adulting that I’d re-side my house, which cost about 60K more than I have to spend on it. Otherwise, Vanguard account FTW.

      1. I’ve been mulling over a house project but houses in my neighborhood sell mostly for land value and the few updates I’d make would only be for my enjoyment without a reasonable expectation of return. So I’ve avoided putting money into things that are fine but not to my taste.

        I have serious master bath remodeling fantasies, but current bath is functional and neutral so there isn’t really a financial justification for it :(

        I guess Vanguard FTW

    2. I would do a big house project or three. I always have things I want to do on my house and with $60,000 I could really jazz up the front yard and re-do the guest bath and fix the kitchen lighting.

    3. I’d vote 10% splurge (maybe a fabulous vacation) and 90% Vanguard. Come to think of it, I think $50k is the minimum for Admiral’s shares…

      1. Thanks! I was poking around and it seems that Vanguard dropped the buy in for Admiral’s shares to either $3000 or $10,000 fwiw

    4. This is an aside but I can’t even fathom being so wealthy I wouldn’t know what to do with $60,000.

      1. I mean, I think she has plenty of ideas what to do with it, she just needs help choosing between them. She didn’t say, oh I’m so wealthy I don’t even care about this $60k.

      2. We live well within our means, we don’t splurge, we aggressively paid down debt after school and we have been in the workforce for many (many) years so I don’t really know what I should prioritize. I mean, we could get a new car (but don’t need one, so why) or buy something (but there is absolutely nothing we need in the real sense of needing something), so while I recognize this is a privileged viewpoint, it’s also money that wasn’t planned on so it’s outside of our budgeting.

        If we had debt to pay down or family members who needed help, that would be an easy answer.

        1. I would spend a little (maybe an upgrade to business class for your next long trip) and save the rest in a Vanguard Index Fund account for early retirement. My husband has mandatory retirement at 53 and I would love to be able to retire with him.

        2. I’m not wealthy but personally, I think even I would have trouble deciding what to do with 60k and minimal to no debt. Necessities, debts, bills, etc., all take first priority in spending/saving. So when you don’t have those things immediately eating up those funds, now windfalls come with a lot more decisions to make.

          It’s definitely a privilege to have that “problem” but it doesn’t sound like OP feels entitled–it’s just an accurate assessment of the situation: OP has the privilege of having an advantageous financial situation and they had a large windfall. Doesn’t make OP ungrateful or bad, it’s just the situation. And honestly, it’s a situation I think a lot of people would benefit from striving to be in: rely on normal income, prioritize spending and saving appropriately so that you’re not constantly stuck picking between putting out one fire or another, and then windfalls are able to be used for a wider range of options other than just remedying accumulating financial worries.

          Good luck in making your choices, OP. Sounds like you’re in a good position, and you can’t really go wrong no matter what you do (aside from something crazy like investing it all in becoming a MLM hun, but I don’t think that’s anything close to a real concern).

      3. I know, same. And I don’t mean that to shame OP or anything. It’s just that my life would be SO much better if I got an unexpected $60k. It would literally be life changing.

      4. It’s not that deep, $60,000 is within the realm of a very middle class inheritance, its not that deep…don’t make people apologize for living their lives

    5. I tend to be conservative with money, but I’d put at least 80% of it in index funds (IRAs if you don’t already have those and max them out, regular index funds if you do). Then probably treat yourself 10-15% (for me it would be a really nice vacation) and donate 5-10%. Housing projects always cost more than you think they will, so if I were putting it towards that I would shoot for a $40k budget. I would hate to have to dig into my own savings because the windfall didn’t cover it.

    6. I’d do 10% charity, 10% splurge, and the rest into a Vanguard fund. I like the tax balanced fund if you’re saving outside of retirement.

    7. I love to travel so I’d do a splurge trip or two with like 1/3 to1/2 of it. Make a donation to charity and save the rest. Think like the Arctic or Antarctic or safari etc.

      If travel isn’t your style, what about endowing small prize/scholarship at your college for a issue you care about. Not a ton but something in the $50-$2000 prize range is still enough of a prize to matter.

      1. Thanks, all! I think the idea of splitting across categories is really helpful. It’s much easier than looking for one big spot. charity, splurge, save it is!

    8. Ooh, fun. I would save $30k (future), donate $6K (good person), take an amazing vacation $10K (enriching), bathroom upgrade $10K (comfort at home), $2K on clothes/jewellery (pretty things) and $2K on a party for family and friends (good luck).

  5. for those of your who are married but don’t plan to have kids but do have substantial assets, how do you think about what to do with your assets? I posted on the morning thread about making a will, but now need to figure out who all the stuff will go to….

    1. We are leaving stuff to parents (assuming we pass first), siblings and some to charity.

    2. Your husband first, and then split among any siblings and nieces and nephews, with a big cut off the top to charity if they don’t need the money.

    3. Leaving a piece of property to my parents (assuming we pass first). Otherwise, no siblings or other significant family and parents have enough. So we are donating our estate.

      1. This is where I think of contingencies: what is “enough”? My parents are retired, but don’t have pensions. So one big downturn + life expectancies into the 90s mean that they may still outlive their $. Or outlive their liquid assets (and have just a house but not enough to re-roof it or maintain it or maintain themselves in their home, which is cheaper than moving into assisted living). Is a 75% likelihood of having enough for 30 years sufficient? I feel like when people had pensions (from solvent companies, another big IF), that was one thing. When we have 401Ks and nothing else, that $ may be gone in a market correction, especially if followed by a sustained downturn.

        1. At that age, you shouldn’t have that much money in the market. A 35 year old can easily recover from a big downturn, a 65 year old can’t.

    4. We do have a kid, but we plan to update the will once she’s grown and financially independent to leave almost everything to charity. I want to pay for her education and give her the best possible start in life (and my husband and I would help with a low-interest rate loan for a down payment or something like that) but I have no desire to make her an overnight multi-millionaire when we die.

      1. I am sure I am going to be slammed for this but I think that is just so hurtful to your daughter and needlessly mean. Why would you not at least consider a trust for your grandchildren?

        1. Yeah, I totally agree. I’m all for leaving something to charity, but I feel like this is just cruel. Maybe there’s something I’m missing (she already has a trust and this is just on top of it or something).

        2. Why does she need a trust fund? She was born on third base (actually more like 3.95 base, as was I) and even without a trust fund has had so many advantages in life. My parents are doing the same thing and I’m not hurt by it at all. They paid almost a half a million dollars for my education and have given me other financial advantages, including a loan for a house purchase, to say nothing of everything they’ve done for me that’s not financial. Why is it “hurtful and needlessly mean” to not give any more? I think the world would be a much better place if more wealthy people left the bulk of their estate to charity. I will leave her something and if/when she has children would leave something to them too. But I don’t believe kids need to inherit millions when their parents die. And none of this will be a surprise to her – we will talk about it openly just like my parents did with me.

          1. Eh, I would at least leave enough to the kid, in trust, so that she can have a comfortable retirement, take care of a disabled child, or have herself taken care of if she becomes disabled.

          2. FWIW, my parents did this with their will and I was totally fine with it. Charity has always mattered to them, and I’m not entitled to their assets.

    5. Consider leaving some to a favorite charity (or charities!). There can be tax advantages to this for your [human] heirs, too. As a professional fundraiser I plead with you to notify the charities that you’ve put them in your will; they don’t have to know the amount, just that they’re included, and it allows them to do a better job of maintaining a good relationship with you over the coming years.

      1. This is what I’m doing. I’ve named a few friends who have specific projects, etc., they dream of funding, so I’ve divided about 30% between them (equal amounts) and then the rest to a charity. I’m not married and have no siblings or living parents. A small group of my single friends have similar concerns, and we got together one night and talked about making each other power of atty in case of emergencies and discussed what’s in our living wills, etc.

    6. I am just hoping I don’t outlive my money. My mother lived to 95 1/2 and my dad is almost 94 and going strong (and I’m REALLY hoping he doesn’t outlive his money!). The cost of one’s final years can be almost unimaginable.

      1. If we make it that far and need end-of-life care, then I fully expect there will be nothing left of our assets.

        If there is by chance something left, it’ll go to our nephews and nieces (current and to-be).

    7. One kid on the way, but if the three of us happen to all pass away, I think our plan is to give it in trust to nieces and nephews to put them through college. They are great kids; their parents are very middle-class; and an inheritance from a never-married uncle put my husband through college and his PhD, so it would continue a family tradition.

    8. Same boat + we don’t have good relationships with extended family. So all of it needs to go to charities. Thank you for the reminder to look into this! We haven’t really picked charities, and honestly, the family relationships are toxic enough that I would actively try not to have it to go them as a default next-of-kin.

    9. Currently my parents and sibling get everything, and if I die after them, then a split between best friend’s kids and charity.

  6. First day back from a long break. New folks in the office following a merger. First meeting as ‘senior leadership’ in my department. Did my hair. Wore my new favorite top. Feeling it. Have an allergic reaction to someone’s perfume and cough so hard in my boss’s office I peed myself. Anyone else having a good Monday?

    1. Haha, I’m laughing in painful commiseration. I have a bad back, too, so every time I sneeze, I both hurt and leak ? I’m sure your new top is outstanding!

    2. Aw honey! That is awful.

      My worst issue right now is that I don’t want to eat the healthy lunch I brought, and I don’t want to call this guy I have to call because he’s a pain in the ass.

      Also, poise pads are your friend, if this is a thing that happens when you cough. I wear the pantyliners, THANKS KIDS!

    3. Couldn’t find a check. Apologized profusely to the writer of said check (known crank). Arranged to have him rewrite. He said he wanted to wait a few days. Fine, sorry again. Find the check two hours later.

      HR called another member of my team to her office with no explanation, then asked for help unsticking her cleaning wipes from their pull-through thingy. 10-minute walk for my coworker.

      1. I don’t usually pee myself when I cough (not yet, at least) but I just might if I got a context-free call to HR.

    4. My company fired a coworker today because she couldn’t flawlessly perform the jobs of several people, then thanked the rest of us for being willing to step in and do all of those jobs ourselves for the foreseeable future, since this is the 5th person who has left that role in the past 3 years.

  7. Any Instagram/blog recommendations for plus size women for focus on business casual/formal dress? I need to up my game and am having a difficult time after weight gain.

    1. not super business focused, but i do love @katiesturino – she has a lot of good suggestions of stores that make larger than a size 12.

    2. I like Curl with Curves – definitely not business formal, but business casual, weekend and wedding outfit inspo for sure.

  8. So it’s hard to believe that it’s time to think about summer care already (ugh), but I’m curious what other parents of school-age kids would do in this situation.

    DS (10) has participated in the program for school-age kids at his sister’s daycare for the past few years. The first year, he had a great experience. Last year, the program was structured differently. The daycare took on more kids and he got grouped in with the incoming 2nd and 3rd graders, instead of the 4th/5th grade group, because of some social/emotional challenges that accompany his ADHD. The director talked to DH & I about it first and we were on board because the older group included a kid who’d picked on DS the whole year of elementary school. Anyway, that group placement turned into a Total Thing that DS griped about the whole summer. He felt left out and excluded from the older kids, even though his group did 90% of the same activities and field trips as the older group. There was a pack of just … really unruly boys from the 3rd-grade group who he complained about constantly, and frankly, I don’t think the teachers (who we know and love!) ever fully got a handle on that situation. So DS doesn’t want to go back. But, the teachers know DS well, and despite his complaints, we consistently received feedback about how well he was doing in the program.

    There is another full-day STEAM camp run by our public school system. The program only in its third year, so I don’t know a ton about it, but the activities seem right up DS’s alley. The cost is the same as the daycare program. Dropoff would be a few miles away from the daycare — not really on the way to work, but not so far out of the way that it’s insurmountable. Since it draws from multiple schools, he may or may not know anyone. It could be awesome but there are a lot of unknowns. (Like, will the social situation really be any better than last summer? Will the camp be properly staffed with grownups? I cannot abide by the ones that are practically run by teenagers who know zilch about managing large groups of kids.)

    Given DS’s personality and ADHD, he does much better in a structured setting with clear expectations, which is the main reason why we’ve ruled out trying to cobble together a new camp every week. I have considered a babysitter but have some concerns about how well he’d use that much free time, if winter break is any indication. I think he’d be bored out of his mind after 2 weeks.

    I don’t know. I’d like to try out the STEAM camp, but it’s more logistically complicated and I am operating on pure faith that it would be a better fit. There is a lot of comfort in having teachers who know him, particularly because he’s not the type of kid who blends seamlessly into a group setting. Plus — and I know this is terrible — but having only one dropoff for two kids is so.much.simpler. for us as parents. I know DH will lobby hard for sticking with the daycare program.

    Unfortunately, we’ll have to make a decision soon. The daycare requires a commitment by the end of January, whereas registration for the STEAM program (and every other summer camp in town) doesn’t even open until mid-February.

    1. I hear you! I already pulled out the calendar for the summer, which seems so far away in my very frozen state. First question, what is the cancellation policy for daycare? What would happen if you committed, had time to ask more about and see who is signed up for the STEAM camp, and then decided to switch? Could you split the summer between daycare and the STEAM camp?

    2. If those are your only two options, I’d pick the STEAM program. Often real teachers work there as their summer job, or at least they do in our district. You can ask, no? Some of last year’s teachers may return or they can say where they hire from (likely district employees, then college students).

      My kids have liked outdoor Y camps (but not the indoor ones) and some kids’ theater / kids’ science museum / tennis camps at our pool. It is hard. My older kid ages out of some of them after this summer, so it is a constant re-juggle.

      And I have a kid with ADHD (but a girl) and repeating camps in the summer and from year to year helps with the structure issue b/c they know what the deal is at Camp ABC vs Camp XYZ. I don’t think mine would like all summer of the same camp — it is often the same thing each week, not a new thing each week.

    3. I would do the STEAM camp if you think you can swing the logistics. You should be able to ask the camp if the teachers are teenagers or adults. It’s true that the social dynamics are unknown, but I think that’s better than returning to a social situation he didn’t like. You may be surprised at how well he does in a group situation where he shares common interest(s) with the other kids. I was a very nerdy, painfully shy kid and the best social interactions I ever had were STEM-themed summer camps. Worst case, you can go back to daycare next summer.

    4. Well, he hated the daycare so I don’t think that’s an option. I’d go with the program at his school. And I’d check the judgment about teenagers unless you want all summer camps to cost tens of thousands of dollars.

      1. I mean, it’s nice to consider your kids’ feelings to the extent you can, but sometimes kids have to do things they don’t like. If he’s safe and well-cared for there, which it sounds like he definitely is, then it may be what he has to do.

        1. It isn’t though. It’s a few miles. He was lumped in with younger kids because no one could be bothered integrating him into his peer group.

        2. I would be concerned that the teachers weren’t 100% telling the truth about how he was doing if they were embarrassed about not having a handle on the rowdy kids. They may have been truthfully saying that he was doing great but leaving out “all things considered.”

    5. FWIW, I never do more than two weeks at anyone spot as I find my kids get tired of it. So it’s like 2 weeks city day camp (close to my house, good quality, kids like but don’t love it), 2 weeks nature camp at local botanical gardens (they love it but hours/location are a PITA so I can’t manage more than 2 weeks, then 2 weeks family vacation, 2 weeks swim camp and last week at city day camp again.

      Does your DS have any friends in his class? What are their plans for the summer? Otherwise I’d probably do a month at each camp but insist that for the daycare camp that he’s put in with the older kids. Daycare should be able to tell you if the troublemakers from last year are back and you can decide what to do then. They would be 4th graders this year so in your DS’s group.

    6. “and I know this is terrible — but having only one dropoff for two kids is so.much.simpler. for us as parents. ”

      This is not terrible. Parent needs matter too.

    7. What does DS actually WANT to do? You say he griped all summer about being in the younger group even though both groups did 90% of the same things and that he “doesn’t want to go back.” But you don’t say that DS suggested or expressed any interest in this STEAM camp, what does he think? Did you tell him the STEAM activities and did he seem to want to go? Does he want to go back to day care but be in the other older group? Even at 10 years old, griping all summer about something isn’t great, does he have suggestions?

      1. This.

        One summer I hired a teenager to be my kids’ summer babysitter and it was their favorite summer ever. After that I stopped with the summer camps permanently. I’m a big proponent of down time for our overscheduled kids. What does your son want to do?

        (PS my older child is now in college and my younger is a straight A high school student, so if this strategy failed them, it hasn’t shown up yet.)

        1. Yup. In our town there are a couple of pool/tennis clubs. They allow anyone over 12 to be there without an adult all day, and anyone over 14 is an adult. The Thing to do is hire a college or high school kid to hang with your elem/middle schoolers there all day. They are staffed with a ton of lifeguard and have tennis lessons and swim lessons and whatever. It’s all free with a family membership.

          The wait list is approx 6 years deep for every club and we get in next year. My kids will be 4,6 and 8. I cannot wait. My 15 year old neighbor is already booked as our “adult.” My preschooler will be in day camp 9-1 then meet her big sibs at the pool club where they will stay until 5.

      2. I haven’t brought it up yet because I know that he will always have a preference for what’s new and shiny, versus what’s tried and true. I need to get clear on my own preference first (and honestly, I still feel like this is my choice to make as a parent, keeping his interests and needs in mind).

        1. Does he have to do one or the other? You could break up the summer with some weeks in the daycare program and some in the STEAM program so you can have a few weeks with just one drop off but he can have variety. TBH, I’m having trouble imaging any daycare program that would be fun for a 5th grader. I also agree with a prior poster who suggested talking to his friends’ parents about their plans. Maybe you could swing a week or two at a specialty camp with shorter hours if you all coordinated on carpooling or went in on hiring an afternoon babysitter to do pick up.

        2. I agree with you that it is “your choice, keeping his interests and needs in mind.” But how will you know if he’s interested in the STEAM program if you haven’t talked with him about it or proposed the activities to him? Most of your discussion was about his griping/not wanting to go back to daycare and ADHD/social issues just one small part about convenience with you for dropoff so you seem to be most concerned with having a happy kid this summer, so discuss the activities with him to take his temperature on STEAM, and if you aren’t satisfied with his level of interest /the adults supervision running STEAM, enroll him in the daycare again and try to mitigate last year’s issues (consider putting him in older group and giving him tools to deal with the one kid who pick on him). If you feel you can swing logistics + DS shows high interest in the activities + adults supervision up to your standard, enroll him in STEAM. You got this.

    8. You say you worry how he will spend that much free time. Does it really matter? I guess part of being an 80’s kid was my SAHM was perfectly happy with me sleeping in, watching too much tv, reading books, and lounging in our above ground pool.

    9. It’s totally fine to switch to the STEAM setting. At school age, there is an understanding that kids will look at other options for the summer, and making summer-camp friends can be A Good Thing, and it’s tougher to do if the kids are younger and have an established group. We have experienced at a lot of places over the years.

      What will change with the daycare? If there are new, better people than last summer, that’s one point. Is there any new buddy for your son that keeps it fun? Can you commit to just a few weeks?

      For logistics with two – can you split pickup? Work out what pickup or dropoff looks like with bad traffic if it’s not your typical commute.
      Location matters, so sort dropoff, and pickup windows, as well as if aftercare is involved.
      Look at the actual camp schedule – will there be weeks that you need to use the day care summer options – if so, commit for those weeks.

    10. If the STEAM camp is Camp Invention, I highly recommend it for quality of program, structure, involvement. Not sure about the ADHD component (they don’t seem to stay in one spot in the daily rotation long enough for boredom to set in for my kids), but our local version is staffed by teachers and they may be better-equipped to spot and head off interpersonal issues quickly, especially if you give them a heads-up.

      $30 off Camp Invention before 2/11 with INNOVATE30.

      Can’t praise that program highly enough.

  9. I am looking for a recommendation on a soothing, very moisturizing overnight treatment or mask for my facial skin.

    I’m already extremely well exfoliated (thanks Retin-A, Sunday Riley Good Genes, and Tinkle razor) so I don’t want anything with a lot of actives, especially anything with glycolic, salicylic acid or the like) but something that will be non-irritating, creamy, and potentially plumping would be nice. I feel like my skin is craving a treat.

      1. Oh that’s so funny! My name is Rose. I pretty much have to get the I’m Rose mask, don’t I?

    3. Where do you incorporate Retin A and Sunday Riley into your regimen? I’m new to Retin A and have been using it a few months and have worked up to a place where I can use it everyday without irritation. Should I alternate nights between Retin A and Sunday Riley? Use together? I’ve been at a loss as to how to incorporate other products.

      2. I use Good Genes about once a week (I do their recommended thing where I apply Luna oil 10 minutes before) at night, and that night I skip the Retin-A. It really is a good combination.

    4. I honestly love Olay Regenerist. It is creamy and cooling and super hydrating. I also like Darphin Hydraskin but it is a lot more expensive.

      1. does this have a scent? I’ve been wanting to try it but sometimes find drugstore scents too strong/offputting…

      2. Scents do not bother me so I have never really noticed…but it probably does.

    5. The Farmacy Coconut Gel Sheet Mask – Hydrating does WONDERS for my skin. My Sephora is always either sold out or almost sold out, so I know others agree! Their brightening mask (which is always in stock – ha!) is nice too, but doesn’t beat the hydrating one.

    6. I would focus on ingredients to recover and strengthen your skin barrier. Personally, I like Physiogel cream (amazing ingredients list, non-irritating and a God send when on Retin A), Cerave, La Roche Toleriane (day&night) or Cicaplast (especially as night treatment), Paula’s Choice Resist Clear Skin Moisturizer. I also like Isis Sensylia 24hrs cream, but it may be difficult to buy outside of Europe.

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