PROCESSING THE PHOTOSHOOT

I’m still absorbing and decompressing from last week’s photoshoot. Wow a lot happened in six hours! Here are answers to the two most common questions I've gotten since last Tuesday:

1. Yes, I enjoyed the experience. Memories are about the people, and we had really good people. The vibe was relaxed, but focused, and everyone had a good time.
2. Yes, I got the shots I wanted. However, I did wake up at 3am the next morning thinking about all the shots I should have tried or would have done differently. But isn't that true of any creative process? Brien took more than 700 pics, plus we have videos that Johnathan, the videographer, shot too. I love the clean, minimal looks that show off the clothes and their versatility.

Brien, Johnathan, and Dan (jack of all trades) are a fantastic team. You can tell that they are not only good friends but are a great, bro-mance team. Have you ever experienced a photo shoot? There’s so much to set-up and coordinate: lights, walls, camera positions, tons of camera and computer equipment, and just lots of “stuff." We had planned to shoot the video on different “set” but that didn’t work, so we improvised and figured out how to shoot video and photo together. It could’ve been chaotic, but with this great team, it wasn’t, and I'm so thankful for that and for their skills

 

THE SHORTS $85
I like wearing shorts, but I was really tired of running shorts being the only comfy option - especially when I'm not wearing them for running (or, in my case, shuffling). I hate how the elastic gripped my waist and how I had to sit a certain way so I didn't accidentally flash people. No one should have to change how they hold their body to be comfortable in their own clothes!

I designed these shorts to be comfy, versatile and polished. The thigh band shapes to your thigh, so it doesn’t grip uncomfortably, but it also doesn't flip up (so annoying).

I’ve heard so many women say that they don’t wear shorts because they don’t like their legs. Accomplished, smart, well-educated, funny, renaissance women. It’s absolutely important that we feel great in what we wear, but these comments always give me pause. Men wear shorts all the time, and I guarantee they don't think twice about how their legs look. My goal with these shorts is to increase comfort to increase confidence. I hope that shows.

 

EVERYDAY TIPS: SKIN CARE AS SELF CARE

Being Asian and slightly skincare obsessed are not 100% responsible for my clear skin. Pharma helps, and thank goodness for that.

Pre-40s, my skin was a classic T zone. I would get annoying breakouts but managed them without much trouble. But when I turned 42 I started getting epic, painful breakouts. I had just moved to Colorado so I thought the culprit was the change in climate and that I needed to find the right product combo for my new situation. So I bought a ton of expensive products and got weekly facials. Money not well spent, it turned out - nothing helped.

I finally talked to my physician assistant and she thought it might be “hormonal acne” (commonly identified by breakouts around the chin, btw). She prescribed an oral medication, which cleared my skin up within a week! Now, I take my meds, use a Retinoid cream, simple Cetaphil facial cleaner and Cetaphil body lotion (as a face moisturizer). That's my non-secret, skin care "secret" for today. Our skin travels with us through our entire life, and just like other parts of our bodies and our general health it can change, especially with hormone changes. Just like with our hearts and brains and everything else, sometimes medication is the right answer. It was and is for me.