My Skin Care 101 #LazyGirlSkinCare

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I should have titled this “Easy Skin Care – because I am the laziest when it comes to taking care of my skin (read: I am gaaahhhhhiilllty of not washing my face most nights).

But mid way through the 1st year of the Pandemic I started doing some research on what was required for my age and my skin (spoiler alert: for my skin type it wasn’t much). And then also what tweaks I could make given that I was creeping every so slightly towards 40!

I love this little infographic because a) I am a visual learner and b) it simplified everything for me.

First things first, I made sure I was using products that would: Cleanse, Moisturize & and provide Sun protection (aka Sunscreen).

A tweak I incorporated was: sun protection for the AM but then luxurious moisturizer in the PM.

I use a few different cleansers depending on the time of day, condition of my skin or what I am in the mood for: Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash, Aveeno Daily Cleanser or Cetaphil Face & Body soap (bar). Also on some occasions I will just use water to splash on my face (keep the natural oils on my skin and prevent unnecessary stripping of my derm!)

For the morning I found it easier to combine the moisturizer and with sunscreen protection and my go-to currently is Aveeno Positively Radiant with SPF 30. In the evening after washing my face, I use The Body Shop’s moisturizing night cream with vitamin E. I should also add that I layer Vichy Normaderm underneath my moisturizer on my T zone if I am breaking out (it has 2% Salicylic which targets pimples throughout their lifecycle but is also very hydrating!)

Another tweak I made was adding a serum or face oil depending on the needs of my skin or the time of day.

If I am breaking out/clear up blemishes: I’ll use The Ordinary Niacinamide & Zinc
Every AM it’s all about the Vitamin C: Olay B3 + Vitamin C Serum
PM I’ll use an Anti-Aging Skin Replenish (only twice a week): Pixi Overnight Retinol Oil
Evening Serum on the days I don’t use Retinol: The Ordinary “Buffet”

Lastly, I’ll use The Ordinary “Buffet” on my T zone if I want a break from Niacinamide/Zinc.

And now you may be wondering, what about face masks, exfoliating and eye creams – yes I use all of them too (following the cheat sheet I shared above)!

Now the most obvious questions? Does all this work?

I can say for sure that the anti-acne products do help, but time will tell with the other stuff. For me this has really been about creating a ritual for self care. It feels sooo good to pamper my skin, gave my face a little massage with my finger tips and see the glow on my skin :)

So what’s next / aka v2 for my skin care routine?

I definitely want to convert to clean and cruelty free products. I also want to glow from the inside out. I know I can adjust my food and incorporate herbs/supplements to improve my skin.

Do you have a skin care routine? Do you have products that you can’t live without? Would love to hear more about it in the comments below?

Season of rest

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

We’ve been in this for over a year now. Take this as your sign.

It is okay to have a season of rest.

It’s okay to be feelings orientated if you need a break from being results orientated (or vice versa).

In the old time, the future seemed multifaceted. We had careers, families, personal aspirations, places to go, friends to see, bucket lists – the hum of human dreams we took for granted.

But we were sleepwalking, just one step away from trading all those possible futures for the shared fate of the Freeze.

// Monologue by Melanie Cavill of Snowpiercer

Sitting still and breathing

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I used to think that meditation was about sitting, uncomfortably, for long periods of time. I thought it was mythical and that only a few people achieve it’s intended benefits. I thought it had to be done in complete silence. I thought people who meditated could easily turn off the sounds, sensations around them and thoughts in their mind could be ignored.

I had to let all those ideas go to find my own meditation journey. That said maybe some day I’ll be able to meditate that way. Until then I’ll rely on my favourite guided mediation app Insight Timer.

This app lets you choose the topic of your meditation and a preferred time of the meditation.

My topics of choice are usually: morning meditation, chakra clearing, future self, protective white light, breath work, affirmations or mindfulness. Time wise the sweet spot for me is 7-11 min, preferably 8-9 min.

Now for me the absolute game changer has been to journal after my meditation. I always include a gratitude list but other than that I may journal about what the meditation taught me, what I saw or learned, affirmations, future journaling/thank you letter etc.

I learned this trick after completing the 21 day meditation challenge created by Deepak Chopra and Oprah. It was a whatsapp meditation group (sounds awks – but the community was helpful). And although the meditation topics didn’t resonate with me completely, the practice did (thankfully!)

2021 Words of Intention

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I used to be really big into new years resolutions (see here and here). I mean I still am into making resolutions but they don’t need to be beginning at the start of the year. I set goals or dream big any time of the year, month or given day. Continuous improvement is just that – continuous!

I still have a few goals but they are ongoing/refreshed from things I was working towards last year.

I was journalling the other day and 3 words came to me:

Joy

Expression

Transformation

I want everything I do this year to be an embodiment of these words.

If I go for a run, I want to stop and take some pictures of me and my surroundings be cause that is an expression of my joy.

As soon as I have an idea for a post whether it’s on the blog (here or here), LinkedIn or Instagram, I am not going to sit on it – I am going to immediately express it.

If I need to upgrade, change or create something – I am going to make that transformation happen.

I think using words as intentions for your year is a great tool. They can be easily reminders providing quick ways to act.

Do you set resolutions at the start of the year?

Have you tried using a words as intentions for your year?

Start the new year with a run

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

So thankful I was able to get out for a run on the first day of the year. Running in the colder temps is a new thing I started doing and I never want to look back.

The dreadmill is near and dear to my heart but winter running, snow, bare trees and crisp air has it’s own charm. And 👏🏽 I 👏🏽 am 👏🏽 here 👏🏽 for 👏🏽 it!

How to find your why + a small exercise!

Posted on December 27, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

You might have heard the popular sayings:

Come back to your why!

What’s your why?

Find your purpose!

I’ve been hearing it for years. But I’ve only recently made the connection. This is the way I see it: Passion is a day dream, but purpose is a S.M.A.R.T goal on your “life’s to-do list”. Passion is about doing something because you have an emotional connection to it. Purpose is direction and the reason for which something is done. Purpose is fuelled by reasoning and usually the reasoning is the answer to a why question.

It’s the answer to your why aka your why statement that gives you motivation to do what you do. Your why statement will be the reminder you need to keep moving in the direction of your purpose. For individuals your why statement is not only your purpose, it’s who you are, your cause, what you stand for or your belief. Of course many companies and organizations identify their why statement as a way to keep employees motivated in their work. So why shouldn’t individuals have a why statement for their lives?

Your individual why statement is evergreen. That means it makes sense and is applicable to any part of your life, whether that’s your career, your hobbies or your life overall. It is simple, actionable and expressed in affirmative language that resonates with you.

Employees who have identified their why statements are clear in their direction and therefore are more inspired to do the work they feel compelled to do.

Organizations who see this as a win will support employees and employees will be more engaged at work. I recently participated in an innovation program at work. The experience was both challenging and awakening.

Part of that awakening was determining my why statement. Here is an EASY exercise to find yours.

Tools: poster board, post its notes (standard size & few different colours), permanent markers, chart paper.
You don’t need any of these tools, but using actual paper products, pens and a wall helps your body and brain align and really get into this activity.

Step 1: Think about your life and brainstorm 5-10 times you felt most successful and then felt most challenged. Once you have these memories are listed (on your post it notes, piece of paper or word doc), review everything and try to notice any patterns. You may start to see some themes pop up like “team work”, “technology”, “lack of control” or “creativity” – the number of themes doesn’t but finding the themes does.

Step 2: Based on your themes, take note of your motivators. This will help you understand what your contribution to others lives will be and the value of those contributions

Step 3: Write your why statement with this format “To ____, so that _____”. The first blank is your contribution and the second blank is the impact of that contribution. This should come easily but also may be an iterative process (ie: write down your statement, then tweak it a bit, write it out again, change a little something and write it again – continue this process until you have something you feel good about).

Step 4: Share your why statement. Share it with your partner, your kids, your friends, your co-workers. Share it on twitter, on blogs, on IG and in whatsapp/teams/webex chats! It will be easy to share your why statement because it’s all you so there will be a level of pride and excitement.

And in the spirit of sharing, this is my why statement:

To create and lead an agile team, so that we build transformative solutions, achieve goals and inspire people.

Also it’s okay if you aren’t ready to share it or if you feel like the wording is a little off. Keep at it, you’ll get it to where it needs to be and be thrilled to share it with the world!