We’re in month 5 of being at home and by now we’ve all figured out our own self-care routines or have made some impulse purchases to keep our spirits up. This week we’ve included some of the ways team MAA has been treating ourselves.
Oh, and it’s also Restaurant Week and you know we love good food. See below for some recommendations from the team about where to indulge in some delicious meals before the week is up!
Self Care:
Hannah: Candles from my favorite Charleston hotel, The Dewberry, and I’ve also been slowly collecting soft sweaters from my favorite store, Jenni Kayne. For anyone looking for a nail salon, I recommend Blue Bell Nails on MacArthur Blvd. They have put a lot of procedures and precautions in place to make customers feel safe. For those that don’t live in the Palisades/Foxhall area, they also have locations in Shaw.
Jacob: Mi Madre Hot Sauce - I’m not a clothing or beauty impulse buyer, but sign me up for hot sauce! Straight from Puerto Rico, it’s by far my favorite addition to breakfast, and I buy it in packs of 6 bottles at a time!
Lexi: I saw these fancy facial oils from a brand called "The Ordinary" circulating all over social media. Influencers were promoting them left and right, Sephora and Ulta were advertising them, and companies like Glamour and Allure were including them in their “2020 must haves.” The products are supposedly great for all different skin types and have so many added benefits. They’re extremely inexpensive, all organic/natural, and come in eco-friendly packaging…..so.….I bought them all.
Madison - I’ve been making an effort to buy directly from Black-owned small businesses and have found quite a few that I love:
Statement earrings from Abcrete. The owner lives in DC and she donates a part of every purchase to organizations working to decrease the Black maternal mortality rate. She makes everything in small batches, so follow her on instagram for restock updates!
Face masks from Pholk Beauty. All their products are natural and vegan!
Candles from Pretty Honest. My personal favorite is the Green Tea & Lemongrass scent.
Rebecca - My roommates and I are huge fans of Ben Platt. So, when we saw that he was doing a virtual fundraiser for a performing arts school, we signed up. We decided to splurge on the VIP ticket that got you access to a Meet & Greet beforehand. Most of the other attendees were below the age of 12, but it was super cute to see kids that were huge fans talk with him as well!
Haley: I have always hated wearing a lot of makeup, so I have been trying to invest in some nicer skincare to avoid ever wearing it again! Since it can get pretty pricey I’ve been buying the smaller sizes at Sephora so I can make sure I love something before going all out. Here have been some of my favorite things I’ve been loving!
Tula cooling & brightening eye balm – This is basically an eye cream + highlighter all in one. Could not recommend enough!
Tula purifying face cleanser - I’ve tried so many different face washes and this has been my favorite one by far.
LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask – I use this throughout the day as a regular lip balm too – makes your lips so soft!
OUAI Scalp & Body Scrub – This stuff smells like heaven in a bottle. I bought this as a scalp scrub with the intention that if it did not work with my hair, I’d just use it as a body scrub. Now I use it for both!
Glossier Bubblewrap – This is an eye + lip cream that I lasts forever (I do love a good two for one)
Neutrogena Bright Boost Serum - I’ve tried some more expensive serums and found this one was my favorite and it’s only $12!
Jacob - I had Rasika and Bistro Cacao last week and planning for Oyamel this week- all 3 of these are doing take-out for Restaurant Week!
Rebecca - Nina May was absolutely delicious. We did the “Chef’s Choice” special and my favorite item was the Crispy Pork Belly with Fried Green Tomato.
Haley - Zaytinya was incredible! We did the “Chef’s Experience” to go and liked every single item we got.
And for a DIY option… a recipe from Madison!
I got some tomatillos on sale last week so I made salsa verde loosely based on this recipe. So simple and delicious! I used it to make some salsa verde chicken tacos with poblano peppers and all the fixins.
