I Heart Guts Love/Review

 

When I was googling some blogs to read that related to optometry and dental school I found one (that I can't remember now unfortunately) that featured a tooth keychain. I thought it was adorable, and luckily the blogger mentioned where she got it from. That's how I found out about I Heart Guts. I don't see how anyone who's in the health profession can't get excited about all the goodies they have on there. 

My first purchase there a few months ago was the white tooth keychain and two eyeball pins. The keychain is amazing, not gonna lie. I would probably buy one of each for myself if I was in that field. The back of the white one says, "Flossin' Aint Just For Gangstas." How cute is that? The eyeball pin is pretty self-explanatory. The card that it comes on does say, "Party Pupil In The House!" For $4 it is made pretty well. Ever since I've gotten it I've been wearing it on my name tag at work. I've had so many optometry students and coworkers comment on how much they like it. (They usually think it's a sticker before the optic nerve that sticks out gives it away). I bought the second one for my friend, who used to be a coworker but is now in optometry school. I thought it was a good congratulatory gift. 

I had posted a photo on Instagram with my first purchase through I Heart Guts with a caption saying how I wished they had more eyeball related items. They left a comment asking if I had seen their plushie. I had of course, but look at all the teeth related items they have! Okay, maybe not that much more but I would go crazy over an eyeball keychain.

I had always been planning to make at least one other purchase through them and thought when my good friend's birthday was coming up it would be the perfect excuse to do so. Again, since there's only a plushie left I decided to get her the eyeball one ($20). Now she had the matching set! She ended up loving it, but her dog ended up loving it even more. I wish I could post the video she posted on her IG. But basically shows her corgi playing roughly with the plushie. All I could comment with was, "I'm surprised there hasn't been a retinal detachment yet O_O." To be honest I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of it when I received it. It's a good size and made pretty well. I'm definitely going to order one for myself in the future. The other items I purchased was the gold tooth keychain, the teeth pin, and another white tooth keychain. I got the gold one for my supervisor at work who actually used to work at the dental school my boyfriend currently goes to. The back of this one says something different though: "Can You Handle The Tooth?" The teeth lapel pin is probably my favorite out of the bunch though. It's a small size which makes it really cute and not at all obnoxious. And unlike the eyeball lapel pin it's made out of a zinc alloy rather than plastic. My boyfriend currently has it on his school bag and its also gotten a lot of compliments.

My next order will probably include the tooth and eyeball plushies. And I'll have their website bookmarked so I can wait to see if they add more eyeball related goodies.

Desk decorating

 

I've been feeling pretty relieved lately now that I don't have to think about my OATs for a while. But pretty much soon after they told me that one of the surgery staff is going on vacation for two weeks in April. So now the pressure is back on for me to get fully trained in the majority of what she does on surgery days, and on top of that, on non-surgery days (meaning days when they're doing consults and pre-ops). That's one of the reasons they want me to come in on whatever extra days I can to do training (on top of my regular two days a week + whenever there's a surgery = 3x a week typically). This week is the only week since the beginning of the year that there hasn't been a surgery date. So because of that I decided to plan to go in on Friday to get some more training. I actually haven't met the other optometrist yet that does a lot of the consults (and some pre-ops/post-ops) since I'm only there on surgery days. (The chief optometrist is there, but teaching in another clinic, though she'll always drop by throughout the day). 

In the meantime, I've finally organized my desk up to my liking. I can now sit there without feeling anxious about how disorganized everything is and then just give up and start distracting myself on the computer (oops). I picked up a few inexpensive things at Home Goods (had a few good finds, but definitely had to do some digging). Although Target does have great pieces as well, they can be quite pricey for what it is. In general I've been liking the decor items from Nate Berkus' line, but if they're not on sale they can be pretty pricey for what it is. I try to walk at the end of the aisles first since they always leave their clearance items there. That's where I picked up the items pictured above. I was itching to get a desk calendar, but after re-organizing I noticed that it was going to be way too cluttered. (My very first choice was the Stendig calendar but of course by the time I looked into it they were all sold out. Maybe for 2015...). I picked up the 2014 Sugar Paper Calendar on sale for $4. It's a good size and doesn't clash with my desk. I also found these cute greeting cards by Mara-Mi the same way. Definitely have been helping not having to spend a ton to get my place to look nicer. Hopefully I can get photos up once I feel like it's up to my standards.

Workspace Inspiration

Lots of unique knick knacks to personalize the space

Clean desk tops where everything has its place

Nighttime Skincare Routine

You know you're getting older when you actually have a skincare regime. I remember back then when people used to ask what I did I would literally answer, "Soap and water!" My skin has always been sensitive and dry so I didn't mess with what didn't need fixing.

The past year or so I've really changed up my skincare regime. It's probably also due to the fact that since I'm working I tend to wear more makeup. I just don't feel put together or professional without some foundation. I can usually leave out the wipes if it's just a regular day since I try to avoid wearing a product all over my face (except lotion/sunscreen) if I don't have to.

At the end of the day I'm usually itching to clean my face, but I'm also exhausted and hungry. So I'll quickly take the majority of my makeup off with whatever makeup remover wipes I have on hand. The Simple Radiance Wipes are what I'm currently using, though I do like to try different brands every time I run out. (I haven't found one that I absolutely love yet).

After I've gotten some dinner and feel a bit more human I'll finish up with the rest of my routine before I head to bed. That consists of using Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover to get that waterproof eye makeup that I use off. (I've been using this for years and it's definitely a HG product). Then I'll go in with my Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser to actually wash my face. This is a great cleanser for my skin type since it doesn't strip it of its moisture. Before I put on any lotion or creams I'll wipe my face with a few drops of the The Body Shop's Seaweed Clarifying Toner, mainly concentrating on T-zone. And two new products I've been loving to finish off my routine are from the Vitamin E line, also from The Body Shop. I'll moisturize with the Nourishing Night Cream and add the Eye Cream as well.

Overall still pretty simple compared to some other people's skincare routines, but it works for me. And I can go to bed in peace knowing I'm not leaving any residue from the day on my face.

Doesn't feel like January

 

How crazy to think there's only one more week of January left. I knew it would go by really fast which is why it's a good thing I made my OAT test for later in February since it seemed far away at the time, but now it's almost right around the corner.

Last week's surgery day actually went quite well. Everyone was really nice and overall it was an easier day than the one the week before that. Even without any more formal training I seem to be catching onto a lot of things. I take all different types of phone calls with ease at the front, but even though there are fewer calls at the surgery center I can't help with 90% of them so that's a pain. The couple that I did get last week just wanted more information about LASIK so I was actually able to help with that. After I got off the phone with a girl who had a ton of questions I realized I knew more than I thought. Now if only they'll find time to train me so I can put that to use...(aka start scheduling LASIK consults, surgeries, pre-ops/post-ops, etc). I'm at a point where I've gotten the hang of everything they've taught me and I've find the most efficient way to do the tasks. While my coworker who's been training me was busy with a patient near the end of the day I actually remembered how to close down all the machines and rooms so we were able to leave pretty early! That does help when you have to be at work before 8am. Which reminds me, they only have afternoon surgeries tomorrow so I can actually sleep in! And on top of that the first patient of the day apparently cancelled so I don't have to be in until 12:30.

Here's to hoping that tomorrow will be just as nice as last week (and I won't be sleep deprived).

After Holidays Haul

 

This is a bit late, but I did a little bit of shopping after the holidays. You would think after all the shopping I had to do for Christmas presents I wouldn't even want to think about it. I did have a couple coupons that were going to expire so I decided to stop by the mall.

I still had a few "Christmas" gifts that I had to give to friends (that I just waited to do at the end since I wasn't going to see them till the new year), so I managed to pick up some great 50% holiday-themed gift bags and wrapping essentials. I tried to pick the least Christmas-y ones so I could potentially use them during the year as well. 

I've been wanting to try a few things from The Body Shop so I stopped in. I only wanted to get the Vitamin E Eye Cream and the Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream, but they had a buy-three-get-one-free deal so I ended up with the Tea Tree Pore Minimiser and the Seaweed Clarifying Toner. The last two were recommended by one of the girls working there. She definitely steered me in the right direction after asking me questions about my skin type. I've used all four of the products at least once, but I'd probably need to try it more to get a solid opinion on each. So far I am really liking the eye and night cream from the Vitamin E line.

I also stopped by Bath and Body Works since they were also having a 50% off sale on certain items. My mom is always wanting candles so I mainly stopped by to pick up a couple for her. I picked Party Dress for myself (which I'm actually burning right now) and I might get another one as soon as it's all gone. While I do like BBW's candles they can be quite strong, so as nice as the scent can be in the store it can be overwhelming once you start burning it. This one is lighter and I haven't gotten sick of it. For my mom I purchased Tuscan Herbs (pretty unique and light as well), Lily Ponds, and Villa Bergamot. The last two were strong though and the last one especially smelled like a cologne so might steer clear of those.

Since this "haul" I haven't gotten shopping since, which is probably a good thing since I bank account needs to recover after the holidays. That and I shouldn't be distracting myself when this is supposed to be a hardcore study month for my OATs in February. And like I mentioned in my last post, this month is pretty hectic surgery-wise. The chief optometrist just e-mailed us the other day with a break down of the schedule for tomorrow. I need to be in there a little before 8am meaning that I'll have to be on the train by 6am...This is why I can't get any studying in after I get home from work. After dinner I am passed. out. She did mention that we're having really nice/awesome patients tomorrow though so we'll see how that turns out. Crossing my fingers for no complications and that everything will go according to the schedule.