It’s been a while since I’ve put together a “Ask Me Anything” summary! The days since summer have passed in the blink of an eye. Time passes so quickly that it feels like the new year will be here in the blink of an eye. Here’s what I’ve been asked a lot lately!
1. Are your moving plans on track? Are you still in the works? Are you staying in Florida? Are we going to stay here indefinitely? Where would you move if not California or Florida?
This is the most common question we receive from you. The move to Miami continues! Life has become very busy with everyday things. This year has been difficult for us, but Andrew and I are coming through strong. We thought we were already in Miami, but things don’t always go to plan and we are at the mercy of it. We are planning to move early in the new year.
2. Are you planning on getting another puppy for Ollie?
The second most common question is about another dog. Many of you are Doodle lovers and send me videos of your Doodle puppies and pets (Doodles, Ragdolls, etc.). I like it very much.
We would like to have another dog as a companion for Olly. He plays with the kitten a lot and likes to chase her around the house, but the kitten is 11 years old so their energy levels aren’t the same.
Our two Jack Russells have been together for 14 and 17 years. We got them in our early 20s, and I loved them so much, but I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot of work and it’s a lot of work that we can do (i.e. Travel, where you can live, etc.) were restricted. They were so crazy that they had to walk separately.
For now, Ollie has received good training and is very well behaved, so we can get by with just one dog. I don’t know if I can handle two. But let’s see!
3. What’s the best cleaning advice for a large makeup collection? Do you ever feel overwhelmed?
Beauty is my job, so there is no best answer. I use far more products than the average beauty enthusiast. Of course, it’s overwhelming, but I’ve been more selective about what I review, buy, and accept these days. Previously he would post new reviews 5 times a week. Nowadays it’s twice a week, sometimes three times a week.
The best decluttering advice I can give is to use up what you have before buying new. Unfortunately, you may not be able to use it all within the expiration date. If you have something clean, like a dry shampoo bottle or perfume, consider gifting it to a friend or family member. Donations are always an option, but are often only accepted for new products.
I know a lot of people use rules like 2 out, 1 in. So, before you buy a new one, make sure you use up both of them completely.
4. Do you have a favorite designer/luxury brand for wallets? Next up, why not add luxury to your wishlist?
I think my top three favorite lines are Loewe, Celine, and Chanel. I’ve been eyeing the Loewe Compact Hammock, the Small Puzzle Edge, and a few Bottega pieces, but I’m at the point where I need to clean up my current collection. I have probably 7 bags and wallets that I haven’t used in months that I would like to sell. I’m debating whether to use a consignment company or do a blog sale.
5. How long did it take you to become a full-time influencer? What has your career journey been so far? What’s next? Do you ever miss your corporate job?
I have so many questions about my blogging/influencer journey! I’ve posted quite a few posts in the past about what I did before I started blogging full time. Simply put, my background is in finance. I have worked in various industries. The last industry I worked in was the civil aerospace industry.
I started blogging as a hobby when I was 27 years old and in graduate school, and I wrote almost every day for about five years until I decided I could turn it into a career. I knew nothing about blogging as a career and rarely received press samples. It’s been 4-5 years since I started, and another blogger taught me about affiliate marketing and helped me get approved to join the network. By that time, I had enough loyal followers and enough traffic to the site that my blog started converting from day one.
My blog grew rapidly and my income increased. Blogging was so time-consuming that I quickly outgrew my company’s salary, at which point I decided to take a big risk and quit my job to blog full-time. I was very nervous. I confided in probably 10 of her closest friends and family about this new business, and 8 out of 10 said I should quit. Almost everyone said I was crazy, so I decided to do it without telling anyone for a while (except for 10 people). I didn’t even tell my company or my work colleagues where I was going or what I was doing (only two people at work knew and they kept my secret). I don’t think I told my father that I was leaving the company until probably a year later. Because I knew that my father would be very worried and ask me every day for updates, asking me how things were going at work. Does he write a business plan? ” or “Are you sure you’re okay?” “Can I ask you to return to your old job?” and “Would you like to come work for me?”
All of this could have gone wrong. However, about 10 years have passed since then, and I have no regrets at all. I don’t miss my corporate life at all. There was a lot of high stress, office politics, endless meetings, and I was always worried about what would happen if I got fired or what would happen if management changed. Work stress is still present in life, but the type of stress is different. I think working for many different companies and people over the years has been extremely valuable for me.
What’s next? I don’t know! I’ve never been the type of person who can answer the question, “Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?” For those who keep asking why I’m not on YouTube, I would love to be on YouTube. I have no choice but to do it. However, shooting and editing video content is not easy. If I were to do YouTube, I feel like I would either have to quit this blog and social media or hire someone to help me manage/edit it.
6. Can you follow up with me on meal preparation and meal planning?
Ah, that’s right. I was planning on doing a full review on this. Andrew and I have tried so many meal prep plans. We’ve tried pre-made meals, prepare-your-own meal plans (so everything is measured), and our own meal prep recipes. I have yet to find a plan that I like and don’t get tired of.
Do-it-yourself plans like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh took too much time. It may have improved over the years, but when we tried it (this was when we were in San Diego, so maybe 10 years ago) the recipe wasn’t easy and didn’t save much time. It didn’t.
Finding the right plan for your diet needs can be difficult. There are many “healthy” options that don’t taste good. I have a lot of picky eaters, so it has to taste good in order to last a long time. I tried some of the pre-made ready-to-eat meals and there were some really good ones. The problem is that the quality isn’t always consistent (sometimes it goes bad before the expiration date), and even though there are so many different types of foods and meals, you can get really bored if you eat it every day. Here’s what we tried and liked:
element
Cook Unity
Gourmet
Fit Life Foods (this may be local to Tampa)
I know it’s very popular, but we didn’t like Sakara Life. Now I’m back to cooking for myself or eating out. Make eggs for breakfast and add avocado, toast, or sausage. I love cottage cheese and a little jelly or granola for breakfast. I fell in love with making smoothies again. We had Jersey Mike’s for lunch. For dinner, I usually eat something simple, like something I bought at Trader Joe’s with lots of fresh steamed vegetables.
The easiest meal prep I’ve ever done is make a week’s worth of ground chicken meatballs and steamed vegetables (you can also use ground turkey).There are lots of great recipes online, but I honey sriracha glaze meatballs. I tried a few recipes and really liked this one.
7. Personal question: How old are you? How tall are you? Do you have plans for children? what does your husband do? How long did you two date before getting married?
I am 42 years old and 5 feet 3 inches tall. No kid-friendly plans (maybe just more fur babies). Andrew is a lawyer. We dated for 7 years before getting married. You could say it was 7 years minus 3 months (lol), but we broke up once in a very short period of time at a very early stage.
8. Do you have any travel plans this vacation?
I’m not sure. Back in August, we had plans to go back to California for a month and then travel for the entire vacation. Work (and life) suddenly became so busy for both of us that we simply didn’t have time. I might travel again for Christmas like I did last year.
9. What is your must-have winter skin care routine for mature skin?
This winter is the first time that my skin has felt unusually dry and sensitive (due to dryness). Florida is humid compared to other places, but we don’t get much rain in our area, so everything is very dry. I had to use rich creams, hand creams, Vaseline, etc. My skin is definitely maturing, but I think skin care recommendations depend on type and age.
However, my favorites so far are:
Prequel Barrier Therapy Skin Protectant For face and body, it is ideal for skin irritations. A few weeks ago, I had a really bad eczema flare up on my hands (it was so painful I couldn’t sleep). This was very helpful.
Chanel Louise Vanille Body Massage Oil It’s my favorite body oil. It’s so big that it feels like it will last forever. Very expensive, but 100% worth the splurge.
La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream It’s my favorite as a moisturizer.As something richer, I really like it Augustine Bader The Rich Cream or Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Firming Oil.I just started testing Caudalie Premier Cru The Rich Cream It’s very luxurious ( this trio set).A little rich for my skin type but very moisturizing and has a nice texture so I might give it a try Premier Cru The Cream version.
vaseline cocoa butter for lipps is one of the best things you can buy for lip hydration. The only thing I don’t like is the way it’s packaged, it’s so thick that I don’t think it would work in a squeeze tube format.of sugar cookie flavor Holidays are also very fun.
i really love it too bobbi brown extra plump lip serum (On sale at 30% off) ulta beauty right now). The plumpness is minimal and not very strong (no tingling). It’s a subtle plumping sensation with a smoothing effect and really good hydration. I’m on my third tube so I’ll be stocking up on some during the sale.
I think even if your skin is dry, it still needs some kind of exfoliation or acid treatment.To swear Sunday Riley Good Gene 1-2 times a week.
10. Best beauty splurge I’ve ever made, I can only pick one.
This is tough!The best beauty item I own is Dyson Airwrap (original version). This was a gift from Andrew. A few years ago he asked me what he wanted but he wouldn’t buy himself. And that was it. Having already splurged on Supersonic a few years ago, I had no intention of buying one. I use Airwrap almost every day.
But when it comes to choosing the best beauty products my money has bought…I really can’t choose just one. I have to say that there is a three-way relationship between the two. Hourglass face and eye travel brush set, La Mer Treatment Lotion Sheet Mask And a large 5-wick outdoor candle that I bought diptyque.
That concludes this week’s Ask Sabrina series!
