Review
Get Your Questions Answered by Sabrina | July 2023
Happy Sunday! It’s time for another #AskSabrina roundup! You sent in SO many great questions in my last poll on the blog and on Instagram, I think I have a list long enough to keep this series going on for the next several months! Here are 10 more questions I’m answering today. As always if you’re curious about something personal, my background, etc. you can always click on the #AskSabrina category to read past posts! Even though many of you have been with me from the beginning (ie before I ever showed my face to the world) there are lots of new readers who want to know more about how I started my blog, how to become a beauty influencer/blogger, why we moved to Florida and more. All of these are answered in past #AskSabrina posts, but I’ll elaborate on a few since many of you have asked follow up questions. #Q1Can you tell us more about your upcoming move? Why are you moving again? How can you decide between San Diego or Miami? Andrew and I love exploring and our jobs give us the flexibility to do it! San Diego is still home to me. I have family and friend there although most have moved away over the past decade. San Diego is still a smaller city and a lot of my friends moved to LA or San Francisco for better job opportunities. When the pandemic hit and everything was shut down many of my friends moved to different states to be closer to family. I’m really surprised when people are shocked anytime we move! We might move back to San Diego because of Andrew’s job and my family there. Right now our heart is set on Miami. But we can make either city work. We aren’t in a rush so we are taking our time exploring both options. I’ve always wanted to live in a big city and we both love all that Miami has to offer. It’s significantly bigger than Tampa and whenever we travel to Miami we are always sad to leave. We still love Tampa/St. Pete but we’re ready for a change after being here 6 years. And who knows? We might be back after a year or so! A lot of readers have told me they have places on both coasts. They travel back and forth depending on what vibe they want. Tampa/St Pete is more casual laid back and relaxed while Miami is busier and has more energy. We would love to live in NYC but with the pets we’ve decided it’s not an option. We seriously considered it back in 2018 but ended up staying in Florida. Lucy really loved swimming in the pool and we love having space and a large backyard! Moving to NYC would mean we would probably have to downsize and I really love having a bigger place. #Q2Do you ever regret leaving your 9-5 corporate job? Do you feel your education and background in finance helps you with your blogging career today? I have absolutely ZERO regrets about leaving the corporate world. When I quit my corporate job to blog full time nearly everyone told me I would regret it. There was a short time when I thought I might have to go back. Three months after I started working for myself my top affiliate partner decided to drop all of their partners. My income went from double my corporate salary to almost nothing. I luckily found a different affiliate network to work with and was able to recover within a few months but it was a scary time for me. The last company I worked for was the best one for me in terms of having a good workplace environment, but I still felt limited in what I could do and how I could grow. I was expected to advance to a managerial position eventually and managing people is really not my thing. I could have made it work, but to be honest I don’t think I would have been happy. Going from working at a big company to working alone was quite a shock for me, but I haven’t regretted it at all. All of my experiences, both the good and the bad, have been beneficial in some way. I’ve learned so much over the years in different industries and met many people that I’ve also learned a lot from. I’ve had great managers and terrible managers. You can learn a lot from both. I don’t know that I would say a graduate degree is necessary these days, but I think it really depends on what you want to do. Everything I learned in the MBA program proved incredibly useful. There were a lot of group projects I thought were straight up pointless at the time. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Feasibility studies, market research, business plan development all proved to be incredibly valuable to me. The knowledge and skills I acquired are applicable in any industry. #Q3What is your favorite concealer these days? I still swear by the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer but there are LOTS of great new options out today. My top 2 right now are the Natasha Denona Hy-Glam Concealer and Givenchy Prisme Libre Concealer. Also really love YSL Touche Eclat (best for brightening) and the Armani Luminous Silk Concealer (always a classic). For blending I usually use a beautyblender but my 2 favorite brushes are the Real Techniques 210 Brush and the Hourglass Vanish Concealer Brush. #Q4What is one beauty product you wish existed but doesn’t? I REALLY love that Chanel makeup applicator machine from the movie Fifth Element. Instant look that’s also Chanel? Sign me up! For something more realistic, I would really love it Chanel brought back their best colors they discontinued (ie Nude Lip Liner, Seashell or Glow Glossimer, or any of the glossimers really). #Q5Best wedding lipstick? This would be a great question for me to ask YOU! I’d love to do a poll on what lipstick you wore to your wedding because Andrew and I didn’t have one. We got married at the courthouse in San Diego because planning a wedding proved to be very complicated and expensive. Andrew proposed while we were both in grad school which proved to be very time consuming (we barely saw each other for 3 years!). We had intended on having a big ceremony a year later after graduation when we had more time. But by the time a year rolled around we were both very happily married, felt like we didn’t need a big wedding and decided to save the $$$ for a future honeymoon trip. For weddings I’ve attended I actually don’t recall what beauty products I’ve worn, but I feel like for lipstick it would have usually been something from Tom Ford or Chanel. It’s really the ceremony or being there for loved ones that I remember versus what I wore. It’s been a long time since we’ve been to a wedding – most of our friends all have kids by now! #Q6What’s your favorite guilty pleasure? Hands down anything sweet. I love Jeni’s Ice Cream and Trader Joe’s Pancake Bread. I also love Swedish Fish and Haribo gummies. #Q7Do you like to cook or bake? What are your favorite foods? Yes, I love baking and cooking! I used to work at Williams and Sonoma and assisted in their cooking classes. I had to stop baking though because it was incredibly unhealthy. When we moved to Florida we started cooking a lot more to eat healthier but right now I actually don’t cook very much. Andrew wanted to find a way to help cut down on my cooking time (because it is time consuming) so we’ve been trying out some meal plans. If you want an overview or recs I can definitely share them. Finding one we both like has been a challenge because I’m the ultimate picky eater. We’ve tried a lot. #Q8What’s a habit you’ve build into your routine? Both Andrew and I have made an extra effort to improve our health and wellness and it’s made such a huge difference in our lives. We don’t always eat healthy, we still like to indulge, but we’ve made sure to incorporate physical activity into our daily routines. Whether it’s going for a walk, doing yoga, or going to the gym, we prioritize moving our bodies and taking care of our health. It has become a habit that we both enjoy and it has had a positive impact on our overall well-being. #BeautyBlogger #FashionBlogger #LifestyleBlogger #BloggingTips #ProductReview #AskMeAnything
Happy Sunday! It’s time for another Ask Sabrina roundup! You sent in SO many great questions in my last poll on the blog and on Instagram, I think I have a list long enough to keep this series going on for the next several months!
Here are 10 more questions I’m answering today. As always if you’re curious about something personal, my background, etc. you can always click on the ASK SABRINA category to read past posts!
Even though many of you have been with me from the beginning (ie before I ever showed my face to the world) there are lots of new readers who want to know more about how I started my blog, how to become a beauty influencer/blogger, why we moved to Florida and more. All of these are answered in past Ask Sabrina posts, but I’ll elaborate on a few since many of you have asked follow up questions.
1. Can you tell us more about your upcoming move? Why are you moving again? How can you decide between San Diego or Miami?
Andrew and I love exploring and our jobs give us the flexibility to do it! San Diego is still home to me. I have family and friend there although most have moved away over the past decade. San Diego is still a smaller city and a lot of my friends moved to LA or San Francisco for better job opportunities. When the pandemic hit and everything was shut down many of my friends moved to different states to be closer to family. I’m really surprised when people are shocked anytime we move!
We might move back to San Diego because of Andrew’s job and my family there. Right now our heart is set on Miami. But we can make either city work. We aren’t in a rush so we are taking our time exploring both options.
I’ve always wanted to live in a big city and we both love all that Miami has to offer. It’s significantly bigger than Tampa and whenever we travel to Miami we are always sad to leave. We still love Tampa/St. Pete but we’re ready for a change after being here 6 years.
And who knows? We might be back after a year or so! A lot of readers have told me they have places on both coasts. They travel back and forth depending on what vibe they want. Tampa/St Pete is more casual laid back and relaxed while Miami is busier and has more energy.
We would love to live in NYC but with the pets we’ve decided it’s not an option. We seriously considered it back in 2018 but ended up staying in Florida. Lucy really loved swimming in the pool and we love having space and a large backyard! Moving to NYC would mean we would probably have to downsize and I really love having a bigger place.
2. Do you ever regret leaving your 9-5 corporate job? Do you feel your education and background in finance helps you with your blogging career today?
I have absolutely ZERO regrets about leaving the corporate world. When I quit my corporate job to blog full time nearly everyone told me I would regret it. There was a short time when I thought I might have to go back. Three months after I started working for myself my top affiliate partner decided to drop all of their partners. My income went from double my corporate salary to almost nothing. I luckily found a different affiliate network to work with and was able to recover within a few months but it was a scary time for me.
The last company I worked for was the best one for me in terms of having a good workplace environment, but I still felt limited in what I could do and how I could grow. I was expected to advance to a managerial position eventually and managing people is really not my thing. I could have made it work, but to be honest I don’t think I would have been happy. Going from working at a big company to working alone was quite a shock for me, but I haven’t regretted it at all.
All of my experiences, both the good and the bad, have been beneficial in some way. I’ve learned so much over the years in different industries and met many people that I’ve also learned a lot from. I’ve had great managers and terrible managers. You can learn a lot from both. I don’t know that I would say a graduate degree is necessary these days, but I think it really depends on what you want to do.
Everything I learned in the MBA program proved incredibly useful. There were a lot of group projects I thought were straight up pointless at the time. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Feasibility studies, market research, business plan development all proved to be incredibly valuable to me. The knowledge and skills I acquired are applicable in any industry.
3. What is your favorite concealer these days?
I still swear by the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer but there are LOTS of great new options out today. My top 2 right now are the Natasha Denona Hy-Glam Concealer and Givenchy Prisme Libre Concealer. Also really love YSL Touche Eclat (best for brightening) and the Armani Luminous Silk Concealer (always a classic).
For blending I usually use a beautyblender but my 2 favorite brushes are the Real Techniques 210 Brush and the Hourglass Vanish Concealer Brush.
4. What is one beauty product you wish existed but doesn’t?
I REALLY love that Chanel makeup applicator machine from the movie Fifth Element. Instant look that’s also Chanel? Sign me up! For something more realistic, I would really love it Chanel brought back their best colors they discontinued (ie Nude Lip Liner, Seashell or Glow Glossimer, or any of the glossimers really).
5. Best wedding lipstick?
This would be a great question for me to ask YOU! I’d love to do a poll on what lipstick you wore to your wedding because Andrew and I didn’t have one. We got married at the courthouse in San Diego because planning a wedding proved to be very complicated and expensive. Andrew proposed while we were both in grad school which proved to be very time consuming (we barely saw each other for 3 years!). We had intended on having a big ceremony a year later after graduation when we had more time. But by the time a year rolled around we were both very happily married, felt like we didn’t need a big wedding and decided to save the $$$ for a future honeymoon trip.
For weddings I’ve attended I actually don’t recall what beauty products I’ve worn, but I feel like for lipstick it would have usually been something from Tom Ford or Chanel. It’s really the ceremony or being there for loved ones that I remember versus what I wore. It’s been a long time since we’ve been to a wedding – most of our friends all have kids by now!
6. What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
Hands down anything sweet. I love Jeni’s Ice Cream and Trader Joe’s Pancake Bread. I also love Swedish Fish and Haribo gummies.
7. Do you like to cook or bake? What are your favorite foods?
Yes, I love baking and cooking! I used to work at Williams and Sonoma and assisted in their cooking classes. I had to stop baking though because it was incredibly unhealthy.
When we moved to Florida we started cooking a lot more to eat healthier but right now I actually don’t cook very much. Andrew wanted to find a way to help cut down on my cooking time (because it is time consuming) so we’ve been trying out some meal plans. If you want an overview or recs I can definitely share them. Finding one we both like has been a challenge because I’m the ultimate picky eater. We’ve tried a lot.
8. What’s a habit you’ve build into your routine?
Both Andrew and I have made an extra effort to improve our health and wellness and it’s made such a huge difference in our lives. We don’t always eat healthy, we still like to indulge, but we’ve made a huge effort to cut down on sugar intake and we’ve never felt better. It’s been a challenge since I love sugar but we really make an effort to consume in moderation. During our healthiest years I completely cut out ice cream and cake and snacks. I just love it too much to skip now.
9. You’re stuck on a desert island, what 5 beauty products do you want with you?
This question always has me laughing because I have follow up questions! Am I by myself? Who else is there? Can I escape or get off the island? If I’m by myself chances are that I really won’t care about beauty products and would rather want something to get me off that island!
But I can’t live without baths or showers so I’d want a lifetime supply of good shower gel (if I had to have only one, I’d steal Andrew’s Jack Black Turbo Wash because it will double as a shampoo) and face cleanser (probably First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cleanser). Sun protection in which case I’d have my Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion Sunscreen. Native Deodorant because even if I’m by myself I don’t want to smell bad. A good lip balm, I think the Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter would be my pick. Also I’d probably cheat and ask to be allowed a 6th product which is a really good hair brush.
10. Pet stuff! I’m combining 2 in one. What shampoo and grooming products do you use for Ollie? Do Ollie and Kitty get along?
We started with Earthbath Oatmeal and Aloe Fragrance Free because that’s what we used on Jake and Lucy for over a decade. We’ve since started using the Ouai Pet Shampoo because it smells amazing (available at Sephora and Ulta). We alternate between the two brands.
I did take a whiff of the Aesop Pet Shampoo but thought the scent was too strong so I didn’t buy it. I could see myself using it, but I felt like it would be too much for Ollie’s nose. If you have tried it on your pet let me know!
Ollie still hates baths so we wash him in the shower which he tolerates.
And yes Ollie and Kitty get along well. They don’t snuggle but they actually play together now and have zoomies where they chase each other. Sometimes the cat is the one who initiates play time with some playful swatting. It’s so cute.
That wraps up this week’s Ask Sabrina series! If you want to share your wedding lipstick in the comments I’m sure future brides would be absolutely grateful to hear what your favorites are! I’ll also do a poll on Instagram this week and share results in my next Ask Sabrina series.
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