Rachel Shoshanna

I’m going to start off this post with perhaps the most important favorite of The Blogger for this summer is YouTube - I’m finally following through with my desire to make videos, and so far I’m six for six on my goal of one video every Sunday! I’m really proud of myself, and even though the equipment I have available to me is limited, I’m having a lot of fun stretching a more technical part of my brain with the editing involved. Please go check out my most recent video and give me some views!

This consistent YouTubing also means I’m making some changes to the content on here - I’m going to make this blog solely a lifestyle blog. That means books, books, tv/movies, music, and such will be what you see here. Favorites will also probably be here as well, though I may do videos for that every once in a while. My YouTube will host exclusively beauty and fashion content, so if that’s what you’re looking for a highly recommend subscribing to stay updated! Now without further ado, here are my favorites from this past summer.

FASHION

If you watched the video, you should have figured out that chambray shirts, specifically this one from Old Navy, have been my jam this summer. I’ve also been living in these sandals from Old Navy. Maybe I should just say that Old Navy is one of my summer favorites.

I can probably count the number of times I’ve worn a real bra this summer on one hand. I’ve definitely been favoring bralettes in this hot weather, and this one from free people is by far my favorite one.

BEAUTY
I’ve been sticking with really minimal makeup this summer for the most part, so I’ve been using my bareMinerals Tinted Gel Complexion Rescue in the shade birch and the L’Oreal Lumi Glotion in the shade light religiously all summer. And when I feel like experimenting with my eye looks, I’ve pretty much exclusively used my Ace Beaute Paradise Collection palettes - I specifically have Classical Paradise and Paradise Fallen. Also, basically the only blushes I’ve used this summer are the bareMinerals Gen Nude Blush in That Peach Tho and the Burt’s Bees blush in Shy Pink.

I’ve also been loving a really bright pop of color - whether it’s in my clothing (similar to the one I have) or my lips. It elevates a look in two seconds and gives any outfit a bit of attitude.

BOOKS/TV/MOVIES

I read The Husband’s Secret, by Liane Moriarty, earlier this summer, and I loved it. The epilogue was one of the best things I’ve ever read in contemporary fiction. I also read the first book in the Darker Shade of Magic series, by V.E. Schwab, and it’s one of the coolest, most original fantasy series I’ve read in a while. It took me a second to get into it, just because it moved kind of slowly, but it picks up and the ending managed to completely surprise me.

All I’ve got to say as far as TV goes is Degrassi. I didn’t watch it back in the day when it originally aired, so I’ve been binging it for the last week and it’s honestly the best decision I’ve ever made.

A lot of great movies have come out this summer, but one of my favorites was Sorry To Bother You, the directorial debut of Boots Riley. I also had a blast at Ocean’s 8 and Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again.

LIFESTYLE

I started working out again this summer, and I’ve been feeling strong so that’s definitely a favorite. For days when I either don’t have the time or the energy to go to my gym, I’ve been loving the at-home, equipment-free workouts that are abundant on YouTube.

Some of my college friends and I do trivia basically every Wednesday, which is a great time and often the highlight of my week - we go to Amity Hall on the UWS, which in addition to having fun trivia nights, has great food and great drinks to enjoy with friends as well.

I’ve also been exploring New York City a lot more, and found some new neighborhoods that are really fun to walk around and find cool historical things - my favorites so far are Tribeca and the Lower East Side.

I’m going to end this favorites list here, before it gets too long. I hope you found some cool recommendations! Until next time 😁

New video is up on my Youtube channel! It's quick little tutorial on one of my favorite makeup trends this summer, just because it's so dang easy. I'd love it if you gave it a watch!

Up until my senior year of college, I had pretty well behaved skin. On the oily side, sure, but only the occasional pimple or two around my period, or a little bit of texture. Then, almost out of nowhere, I started getting hit with adult hormonal acne. My oil levels stayed about the same, but they started to exacerbate the difficulties I was already having with my skin.

The acne I was getting wasn’t your typical blackheads or whiteheads, either. It was deep, cystic stuff, that even when a breakout seemed like it was on it’s way out, I knew I would get another in the exact same spot within a matter of weeks because the root of the problem, underneath my skin, just wouldn’t go away.

While I was working as a sales associate for The Body Shop, I slowly found a routine that worked for me, with products from the store and other brands, that minimized the breakouts I was having, as well as the redness and minor scarring they would leave behind. For a while, it worked pretty well for me - the discoloration never went away completely, but I was maintaining my skin the best way I knew how.

Then a few months ago, I went back on the pill.

Uh-oh, right? I had tried one that didn’t work for my actual period, and my gyno prescribed me a new one that she thought might work better. And it did, for my period. But after a couple of weeks, I noticed that my acne wasn’t exactly going away the way I was used to it dissipating. After another couple weeks, I realized I was developing even more cystic spots. It took me a little too long to figure out that it was probably the birth control messing with my skin, but as soon as I did, I went off it, to see if it helped at all. What do you - I stopped seeing new cysts develop. But I needed a way to get rid of what had already occurred, without clogging my pores even more.

I slightly altered my skin care routine, eliminating my favorite, thicker textured moisturizer in favor of an oil, and found a dermatologist to prescribe me a topical cream. After some research, I also decided that a chemical exfoliating toner might help aid in my cell turnover, to help with the cysts. I’ve been on this new regimen for about three weeks now, and my skin is already looking better than it has in the last year.

I’ll get the boring one out the way first - this is the prescription topical cream I have. I briefly made the mistake of using it every night for a week (this shit is STRONG) and had to do some damage control, but once that was dealt with I began the every other night application I’ve been doing, and it seems to be working well so far. It’s keeping my pores clear and the cysts from getting any bigger, so I count it as a win.

This Pixi Glow Tonic may be favorite part of my new routine. I use this on the nights I don’t use the prescription stuff, just so I don’t overload my skin with too many chemicals, but using this I’ve found my skin feels much smoother and less texturized. I’m also convinced it’s helped my cystic acne get smaller and draw closer to the surface. It definitely feels like it’s helping at least, though that may not be based in any kind of skin science. To use it, I put some on a cotton round and slowly massage it into my skin, focusing more on spots that have breakouts.

This rosehip oil from Acure is my new moisturizer, and I could not be more pleased with how this is working. The moisturizer I was using before was the Korres Wild Rose Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial, and as much as I loved what it did for my redness, I was concerned about the texture defeating the purpose of using heavy duty products like the two listed above. I did a lot of research on oils suitable for oily, acne-prone skin, and rosehip was one of the first ones to come up. It makes sense - rosehip oil is known for it’s anti-redness and anti-aging properties, both of which are helpful for people who have acne and are using intense products like the other ones I do. The texture of the oil is also ideal - it’s a fairly dry oil, which means it absorbs quickly, and doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy before I go to sleep. The redness of my acne and scarring was the first thing I noticed starting to dissipate when I started this routine, and it’s only kept progressing. I also feel like I’m finally giving my skin the moisture it actually needs with this, because I’ve actually been finding my skin isn’t as oily at the end of the day anymore.

This moisturizer/mask is a lifesaver and I use it every night as a mask. When I use the prescription stuff, I put this wherever I haven’t put the tougher stuff, and on the nights I use the Glow Tonic, I put it all over my face and relish it. It’s a very gel-like texture, with a ton of aloe vera and some salicylic acid in addition to the tea tree oil, so it deals clogged pores and acne while also soothing and moisturizing. I love this stuff (myskin really loves tea tree oil and responds well to it) and it’s one of the products from The Body Shop that I still use.

Obviously skincare is a really personal thing, and everyone’s skin reacts differently to products like the ones I use. If your skin is oily or acne-prone like mine, I hope this helped you some, or at least gave you some direction if you’re looking to change up your routine.

I also just want to say that even you are acne-prone or have acne scarring, please don’t feel obligated to try intense treatments to help fix them, or to go to extremes to cover it. I do it because I’m an actor and don’t want to cause more problems with my skin because of the makeup I have to wear fairly frequently. But acne and the scars that can come from it are nothing to be ashamed of; so many people have acne, including the celebrities you love that look like they have perfect skin. Going to drastic measures to change your skin honestly isn’t always worth the time, energy, or even the money; you only get one skin - it may be hard sometimes, but it’s far more worth that time and energy to spend it loving the skin you have.

Black Friday sales are always tempting, whether or not you're someone who usually partakes in Black Friday. I'm not, typically - frankly, I think it's evil and exemplifies the worst of capitalism, but that's a post for another day. However, sometimes a good sale is too hard to pass up, and the one I let myself indulge in was ColourPop's. I got my hands on a few things from their current holiday collection, and after playing with them for a bit, I feel like like I finally have my thoughts thoroughly collected.

After watching ThatGirlShaeXO's haul video detailing the new releases, I decided on the Dusk 'till Dawn SuperShock Shadow Collection, containing six new shades, and two of the Ultra Glossy Lips, purely because of the fact that I didn't already own anything like these colors. Here are swatches of all of them.

Before I get into these specific shadows, I want to preface this with the fact that I already love the ColourPop SuperShock formula. The texture, as I'm sure you all know, is a really cool almost cream-to-powder, in that it feels sort of wet when you touch it, but blends out as easily as regular powder shadows do when it's on your lids. They tend to work best with a synthetic brush or finger - typically, I use a finger to apply mine. All in all, they are a really easy shadow formula to work with, and you can create any kind of look, from an every day one-and-done kind of deal to a super high fashion/editorial look.

That is honestly the only way I'd apply these particular shades. Feel free to pick up a brush to blend out edges once they're on, but for the best payoff of color and sparkle, just using your finger is optimal. Don't mistake this for me disliking the shadows, though. I really, truly love every single one of these shades - I think it's just a matter of figuring out how they are best used. 

I feel like this collection lends itself really well to more editorial eyeshadow looks. Any of them would look extremely high fashion just smeared all over the lid and through the crease. I don't know that they all qualify as duochrome, but all of them have a base that is one color (or not much color at all, as is the case with New Magic and Goodish), and sparkles that are one or more other colors, creating a really dimensional, reflective look. New Magic is one of my favorite shades because of this - the base is a very translucent white, with blue and green reflect in it, but all over the lid it almost has a glossy effect that is really striking (also, it can even look pink at certain angles?? I'm still trying to figure it out, it's beautiful). Another favorite for this dramatic all-over-the-lid look is Half Light - it has a maroon base, with a ton of green and gold reflect in it, so much so that it can look straight up metallic green in some lights and angles, and mostly red with a ton of sparkle in others.

However, if you're more into a classic halo eye, or some other every day , you can still come up with some really great ideas when you use these with some more matte shadows. I would classify Stargirl, Half Light, Babykins, and Slay Bells as all-over-the-lid and outer corner shades, as they are the colors with stronger bases. Stargirl is an elevated rose gold, Babykins  is a brownish red with a ton of purple and pink reflect, and Slay Bells  is a deep chocolate with red and gold reflect. New Magic and Goodish would be what I consider shadow toppers, or even inner corner highlights, because of how translucent their bases are, though where New Magic is white, Goodish is a pinkish lavender. The sparkle in them is honestly incredible and brings any look to another level.

Honestly, the only negative thing I have to say about what I got is that the glitter kind of gets everywhere, but when you use products with glitter in them, that's sort of what you signed up for. I don't regret spending any of my $$$ on these products, and I've already gotten a couple really cool looks out of them. I used them for a performance I just had, and I'm using them again next week for a Christmas party, and the excitement is real.

Until next time, and happy holidays!!

As you may or may not be able to tell from the photos, my favorite beauty trend at the moment is big lashes and a bold lip, with really fresh and natural skin. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy drama in my makeup when the situation calls for it, but most days, I let my skin breathe by just using concealer where I need it and a light dusting of powder. I like my drama to be in the eyes and lips. Clearly.

Reviews.com kindly sent me an extremely thorough guide to share with you about picking the right mascara for you to achieve a statement lash look. My favorite on the list is the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1, and, seeing as my current mascara fave is another Lancôme mascara (the Monsieur Big listed above), I’d say the Lancôme Definicils is another safe bet - Lancôme is kind of known for really taking care with their mascara formulas and wands, so everyone can find a mascara that works for them. If you’re looking for more budget friendly options, my favorite drugstore ones are the L’Oreal Lash Paradise and the L’Oreal Telescopic mascaras. The Lash Paradise is great for both lengthening and voluminizing, and the Telescopic is perfect for those of you looking for some extra length.

Moving on from the fashion/beauty side of things, I have quite a few TV favorites. Of the things that actually started streaming this fall, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Stranger Things 2. While I think that narratively, it wasn't quite as tight as the first season was, I still really enjoyed it and the new characters (minus Billy. Gag me.) (Justice for Bob!) Also, though it's not exactly a new show, the US Netflix recently added the Australian Zumbo's Just Desserts to their lineup, and it's a trippy, fun, very delicious baking competition show that's worth watching for the overdramatic cinematography alone.

I also know that I'm very late on this train, but I finally watched Big Little Lies about a month ago, and let me tell you. It was easily one of the best television shows I've ever seen in my life. I just started reading the book, too, so we'll see how the two compare.

Music I'm enjoying right now that's new, or at least new to me, is reputation, the new Taylor album, and Kacey Musgraves. I'm also having a good time listening to some old favorites, like The Lone Bellow and Fleetwood Mac.

As far as fun things to do goes, there are two truly incredible exhibits open at the Metropolitan Museum of Art right now that anyone who is in NYC should try to go see. One of them is a Michelangelo and contemporaries exhibition, and the other is a David Hockney exhibition. It would be well worth your time to go check those out. Here are a few postcards I got of my faves from the David Hockney gift shop, as well as some photos I took in the Michelangelo showing.







As a bonus, I just saw the new Thor movie and had a blast. 5/5, would see again, for sure.

I think I'll leave this post here, before it gets too long. Hopefully you found some wardrobe or beauty inspiration going into the winter, and if you haven't already seen the shows or exhibits I mentioned, then you should, uh. Get on that.

I hope everyone's fall has been treating them well! Until next time 😊