Almost everywhere, somebody is trying to sell you a 10-step morning routine, a life-altering powder, or a toxic positivity checklist to fix your entire existence. We are all drowning in sponsored content and curated feeds that make normal, messy human life look like a failure.
Even when we know the whole influencer thing is completely manufactured, we still end up clicking the damn links. We can’t help ourselves. We still desperately want flawless skin, constantly searching for products hyped up as The Ultimate Natural Skin-Healer, the aesthetic weekend, and whatever magic shortcut promises to cure that brutal 3 p.m. crash.
We are finally past the brutal jet lag from our trip, so this weekend is all about just hanging out as a family and doing absolutely nothing. I’m fully back in the thick of it with work and client calls, managed to drag myself to the gym a few times to keep from losing my mind, subbed a barre class, and I’m currently scrambling to get a massive project ready to launch.
I’m relaunching my Healing Code program in a few weeks. If you are sick of feeling sluggish and want actual personalized wellness guidance, including custom workouts, macro targets, foundational habit support, and the option to run functional labs so you can finally sleep through the night, stay tuned. All the real, unvarnished details are dropping on June 22.
Also, a quick heads-up: our health planning class is happening next week. If you want to actually organize your life instead of just winging it, save your spot. You can also enter our latest wellness giveaway for a chance to win free gear; check out my full Seoul travel recap or read about my head spa experience if you want to see what traveling across the world is actually like.
Tonight, we have a few plans with friends, and we’re also heading out to see the new Michael Jackson movie later today. I’d love to hear what you all are doing to escape the grind this weekend.
(Oh, and a quick reality check from home: Lola wanted me to let you know that she figured out her brand-new treat puzzle game in about 90 seconds flat… and then immediately got violently sick because she ate too many treats way too fast. There is your dose of real life behind the curtain.)
Anyway, it’s Friday, which means it’s time for another weekly roundup of things I’ve found around the web. No fluff, no toxic positivity, just the stuff I’m actually using, reading, and eating right now. If you have something you’re genuinely obsessed with this week, drop it in the comments below so we can all check it out.
The Stuff I’m Putting On My Face (and My Shoulder)
Summer is hitting hard, and I am entirely done with heavy, cakey makeup that melts off your face the second you step outside into the humidity.
I just re-ordered another round of the best skin tint I’ve ever found. My daily routine for a face that looks human but alive is simple: I slather on the OneSkin tinted SPF first as a protective base, and then I layer this skin tint right on top of it. It gives you that incredibly light, dewy coverage that hides the fact that you only got six hours of sleep, without making you look like you’re wearing a mask.
Now, let’s talk about the bag, because I almost screwed this up.
When we were in Tokyo, I found this gorgeous luxury bag at a vintage store. I stood there, debated it, talked myself out of it, and walked away. The second we got on the plane, I had massive buyer’s remorse. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So you can imagine how shocked I was when I got home and saw that Vivrelle actually had the exact same bag available on their platform.
If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a service that lets you borrow and swap out luxury handbags every month. If you have any summer travel plans, weddings, or big events coming up, or if you just want to treat yourself to something nice without destroying your savings account, it’s a total game-changer. You can use the code GINAHARNEY to get your entire first month completely free. Seriously, thank you to everyone who has already signed up using that link; I genuinely hope you’re obsessing over your bags as much as I am.
My last find is to die for! It’s an affordable eye cream, and honestly, it’s just so amazing for its price. We can also call it a lifesaver. It costs next to nothing but actually works; it instantly snaps my eyes awake and shrinks those massive dark circles on mornings when I look like a total zombie.
Also, I bought some outfits on Amazon a few weeks ago, unplanned, because my Quince package was taking forever to ship. I ended up sizing down to an XS, and honestly, I’ve practically lived in it ever since. It’s just so stupidly comfortable for running errands or throwing on when I’m working from home.
What I’m Distracting My Brain With Right Now
When my brain is totally fried at the end of the day, I need to look at or listen to something that doesn’t require deep, existential thought. Here is what’s on my radar this week:
- A Reality Check: I came across an article asking what random, weird skills are on your special skills resume. It made me realize we all have bizarre talents that serve absolutely no professional purpose, and we should probably talk about them more.
- The Current Book: I finally started reading Broken Country. Everyone on the internet has been hyping this book up for months, and I usually ignore the trendy recommendations, but I totally get the hype now. It’s gripping.
- The Podcast: I listened to an incredible interview with Derek Hough on a podcast this week. If you need some raw motivation or just want to hear a genuinely interesting human talk about grit and creativity, go find that episode.
The 7-Eleven Onigiri Obsession
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you already know their 7-Elevens are nothing like our sketchy local gas stations. They’re a total food paradise, and those little seaweed-wrapped rice triangles, onigiri, are a literal staple of life. We ate them every single day we were there, and ever since we landed back home, I’ve been on a desperate mission to copy them in my own kitchen.
I’m getting remarkably close, but I’ve hit a massive wall with the rice.
I have completely mastered the tuna mayo filling. The absolute secret key is to use the soy-ginger-flavored canned tuna from Fish Wife, add a ton of authentic Kewpie mayo, and then mash the absolute life out of the mixture until it’s completely smooth.
The problem is the rice itself. I went to the local Asian market and bought top-tier, high-quality sushi rice. I cooked it perfectly, but it is still missing a tiny, elusive hint of something. It doesn’t taste vinegar-y, it doesn’t taste salty, and it doesn’t taste sweet, but the ones in Japan had this subtle flavor that made the rice taste like plain rice, only ten times better. If any of you actually know the secret ingredient or the exact seasoning ratio they use for convenience store onigiri rice, please save me and leave a comment below.
Have an absolutely incredible weekend, take a break from the digital noise, and I will see you back here really soon.
