February 26, 2025

Top 5 Sunscreens for Oily, Acne-Prone Skin

Finding the right sunscreen for oily, acne-prone skin can be a challenge with so many out on the market. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’ve suffered from acne since I was a teenager. Determined to find the best option for my skin, I reached out to my wonderful Instagram community to compile a list of the top 5 sunscreens for oily, acne-prone skin.

Before my trip to the Bahamas, I ran out of my Hero Force Shield SPF 30, which had been working okay for me. Since I was curious to find a more suitable sunscreen for my skin to take on the trip, I ordered Murad Essential-C Day Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30, based on positive reviews. However, the sunscreen made my forehead red, itchy, and super uncomfortable. I ended up giving to my husband, who I’m envious that he has no skin issues. This led me to crowd-source from my Instagram community after returning from my trip and hundreds of recommendations poured in!

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Top 5 Sunscreens for Oily, Acne-Prone Skin – Instagram Followers’ Recommendations

Sunscreen is crucial to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. Without proper protection, your skin can suffer from sun damage, premature aging, and breakouts. The right sunscreen helps protect your skin without exacerbating oil production or clogging pores — preventing breakouts. Here are the top 5 sunscreens for oily, acne-prone skin recommended by my Instagram followers that have been tried and loved by many.

1. EltaMD UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46

EltaMD UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46 is a holy grail for those with sensitive and acne-prone skin. The formula is oil-free, non-comedogenic, and contains niacinamide, which helps calm inflammation and redness. It blends in effortlessly and leaves no white cast. This sunscreen helps protect against breakouts and is an essential acne sunscreen for those with acne prone skin care concerns. It is lightweight and silky and helps calm and protect sensitive skin types prone to acne, rosacea and discoloration while providing broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays. My Instagram followers rave about how well it works for acne-prone skin, and it’s perfect for wearing under makeup.

Why You’ll Love It:

Oil-free and non-comedogenic
Niacinamide to reduce redness and inflammation
Protects against breakouts
Lightweight and perfect under makeup

2. EltaMD UV Clear Tinted Broad Spectrum SPF 46

For those who want added coverage, the EltaMD UV Clear Tinted Broad Spectrum SPF 46 is an excellent choice. This tinted version of the UV Clear sunscreen helps even out skin tone while offering the same lightweight, oil-free formula that’s perfect for acne-prone skin. The tinted face sunscreen helps soothe sensitive skin types prone to acne, rosacea, and hyperpigmentation.

Why You’ll Love It:

Tinted formula to even out skin tone
Leaves no white cast
Oil-free and non-comedogenic
Great for sensitive and acne-prone skin

3. Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 (Also Available in SPF 50)

Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 (Also Available in SPF 50) is a fan favorite among Instagram followers, especially for those with oily skin. It has a lightweight, velvety texture that smooths over the skin without leaving any sticky residue. It has a mattifying effect, making it ideal for controlling oil throughout the day. It’s also water and sweat-resistant, making it perfect for outdoor activities. *Lots of people also mentioned that Trader Joe’s has a dupe of this that they love!

Why You’ll Love It:

Clear, weightless formula
Matte finish ideal for oily skin
Water- and sweat-resistant
Great under makeup

4. La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60 (Also available in SPF 100)

When it comes to high-performance sunscreens, La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60 is a go-to for oily, acne-prone skin. This sunscreen provides high SPF protection and features broad-spectrum defense against harmful UV rays. Non-greasy, fast-absorbing texture leaves skin hydrated and smooth with a velvety texture. Many of my followers love the fact that it’s suitable for both face and body use, offering SPF 60 (and even SPF 100 for those with extra-sensitive skin).

Why You’ll Love It:

High SPF protection (SPF 60 and SPF 100)
Non-comedogenic and oil-free
Non-greasy, fast-absorbing
Water-resistant

*You may also want to check out La Roche-Posay Anthelios Clear-skin Sunscreen SPF 60 and there’s a tinted mineral version, too.

5. Beauty of Joseon – Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+ PA++++ (Korean Beauty Brand)

For those looking to try something from the Korean beauty world, Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun is a fan favorite. This sunscreen contains rice extract and grain-derived probiotics, making it incredibly soothing and nourishing for oily, acne-prone skin. Fitted with broad-spectrum SPF 50+ PA++++ to fend off UVA and UVB rays, this organic sunscreen comes in a lightweight cream texture that absorbs quickly into skin without leaving a white cast while keeping skin supple and hydrated. Formulated without oxybenzone, octinoxate and animal-derived ingredients, the Relief Sun is suitable for sensitive skin. *A few mentioned to only buy from Kbeauty retailers like Yesstyle or Stylevana, and not Amazon. Look for the white cap, not beige.

Why You’ll Love It:

Rice extract and probiotics for soothing benefits
Contains ingredients of EWG green grade
Lightweight, matte finish
Perfect for sensitive, acne-prone skin

Honorable Mention: Cerave Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Tinted and Cerave Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 30

Cerave offers two great options for oily, acne-prone skin:

Cerave Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Tinted: Offers SPF 30 protection with a mineral-based formula that provides a slight tint to even out skin tone while protecting against the sun.
Cerave Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30: A lightweight, oil-free sunscreen that provides both sun protection and hydration without clogging pores.

Both are non-comedogenic, gentle, and great for those looking for affordable options.

How to Choose the Best Sunscreen for Oily, Acne-Prone Skin

When selecting the best sunscreen for oily, acne-prone skin, here are some key factors to consider:

Oil-Free and Non-Comedogenic: Make sure the sunscreen is labeled oil-free and non-comedogenic to prevent clogged pores.
Matte or Lightweight Formula: Choose a matte sunscreen to control shine or a lightweight formula that absorbs quickly.
Broad-Spectrum Protection: Ensure your sunscreen offers both UVA and UVB protection for full sun protection.
SPF 30 or Higher: Aim for a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher for adequate protection.
Soothing Ingredients: Look for ingredients like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, or rice extract to calm and hydrate acne-prone skin.

In addition to these top five recommendations, some suggested other Korean beauty brands like Innisfree and Purito Daily Soft Touch SPF 50. Again, the suggestions were to avoid purchasing these from Amazon.

You can definitely go down the rabbit hole with this because there are so many sunscreens out on the market geared towards oily, acne-prone skin. If you’d like to do more research, these are ones with multiple mentions:

Conclusion

Crowd-sourcing from my amazing Instagram community, really helped with my research for the top five sunscreens for oily, acne-prone skin. These top recommended sunscreens offer broad-spectrum protection, are oil-free, non-comedogenic, non-greasy, fast absorbing, lightweight and are formulated with soothing ingredients to keep your skin safe and healthy under the sun while preventing breakouts. As for me, I’ll be ordering the #1 recommended sunscreen, EltaMD UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46 and I’ll keep you updated!

A BIG thank you to those that provided their recommendations! Have you tried any of these sunscreens?

—–

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before and after

September 10, 2024

Our Guest Bedroom & Office Using Farrow & Ball Pigeon

Over a year later, we finally painted our guest bedroom & office using Farrow & Ball Pigeon! This is the room where we DIY’d a Murphy bed with built-in inset cabinets (see the tutorial here). I was very excited to reveal it on my Instagram the other day because we are smitten by this paint color! Keep on reading to see the before and after photos, as well as the progression of this room.

Read about how we DIY’d our horizontal Murphy bed with built-in cabinets here

Side note: our projects tend to take longer than what you typically see on social media. We focus a lot on quality and design. Mix that in with work, family and other home projects and it’s a recipe for a long lead time. We try to give ourselves grace on our home journey, especially when we’re doing the work ourselves. I truly appreciate you for sticking it out with us. My intent in sharing is to always encourage, inspire and be a point of resource for this community.

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The guest bedroom & office was put on hold when we decided to add a bathroom inside our loft with Brian’s band practice space. A tunnel was dug up between our garage and house to install a water and sewer line. There was a lot of work happening in our boiler room. Everything in our boiler room had to be moved to the guest bedroom & office. Thus, delaying progress for the guest bedroom & office.

Once we passed our electrical and plumbing inspections for the loft, it was go time! Before I share more reveal photos, here’s a look back at this project after we got done building the horiz ontal Murphy bed with built-in cabinets. Seeing the process always makes us extra grateful for the end result.

Where We Started

This room is approximately 13’9″ x 10’8″ with 7′ ceiling height. It was our dumping ground and an eyesore. It became a bad habit to toss everything on this bed if it didn’t have a place. Kind of like the broken windows theory.

Building the Murphy Bed with Built-in Cabinets

In July of last year, Brian impulsively took apart the bed and entire room. He had this idea to build a Murphy bed with built-in cabinets to make better use of this space and I was totally on board! Taking apart the room was to hold us accountable to follow through.

As a reminder, this room has a ceiling height of 7′ which is why we built a horizontal vs. the traditional vertical Murphy bed. You can read all about the DIY here, including the horizontal Murphy bed kit we used.

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Paint Color Selection

Deciding on a paint color wasn’t easy. Our guest bedroom & office barely gets any natural light because it’s in the basement. There’s an egress window but in the summer time, the hydrangeas out front block most of the sunlight. Our main source of light is the ceiling light. The picture below is from the winter where the snow outside helps to brighten up the room.

We decided to lean into the dark moody feel of this room vs. trying to make it light and bright. Several colors were sampled and ultimately, Farrow & Ball Pigeon was the winner! It’s a blue gray color that feels sophisticated, yet casual all the same.

Level the Floor

Before painting, we decided to rip out the carpet in order to install new flooring. The carpet didn’t do the bedroom & office justice after putting in all that work. However, before we could install new flooring, we had to level out the floor.

We found a pouring company who did a fabulous job! If you’re local to the Twin Cities, I highly recommend them. They were very professional and courteous.

Skim Coat Ceiling, Sand and Prep for Painting

We live in an old house and the walls and ceilings are not perfect. If you look closely at the upper left corner and left side, where the built-in cabinets meet the ceiling and wall, you’ll notice small gaps. To close these gaps, we floated out the ceiling and walls. Then skim coated.

Afterwards, the wood and trim were sanded down. A lot of prep work went into this before we could start priming.

Prime

Now onto the exciting part! For the first.time.ever, we planned on color drenching. Meaning to paint the walls, trim and ceiling the same color. Farrow & Ball was so gracious to send over their recommended primer and paint.

I’ve always admired the color Pigeon from Farrow & Ball. They recommend for color-drenching, to use Dead Flat finish on all the surfaces to give that seamless rich look. And that’s what we did!

The aesthetics of Dead Flat is an ultra-matte look that makes Farrow & Ball‘s rich colors even richer. Also, it’s scrubbable and scuff-resistant which is ideal for high traffic areas.

Install Floor and Paint with Farrow & Ball Pigeon

Prior to painting, we had the floors installed which I’ll save this story for another time.

After the first coat on the Murphy bed, built-ins and doors, I was simultaneously excited and nervous. The color, Pigeon, is a bit of a chameleon. Depending on lighting, it can read more blue gray or taupe gray. I almost second guessed color drenching at this point because I was afraid it would look too dark.

We’ve lived with mostly white walls for so long that going dark, was a little out of our comfort zone. However, our home is our canvas and hope that it’s true for yours. It’s part of the journey to experiment and see every room and corner for its full potential. Thoughtfully creating a home for our family that we love spending time in, is our goal.

After painting the walls, ceiling, trim, Murphy bed and built-in cabinets, the guest bedroom & office started to come to life. We did two coats of Farrow & Ball paint for all the surfaces. Once the doors were installed and the plastic came off, I was in LOVE! I’m so happy we both stepped outside our comfort zone. Here are some before and after photos – enjoy!

Before and After

Before

After

Before

After

Our guest bedroom & office is so much more functional! We only hosts guests a handful of times a year, so a Murphy bed allows us to use the room as an office for our everyday living. Bonus that the built-in cabinets provide more linen storage since we have a small linen closet.

Also, do you see the pipe coming through on the upper left corner in the before photo above? Moving it is non-negotiable. The built-ins cleverly hide them away!

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So what do you think? Would you consider color drenching and could you envision Farrow & Ball Pigeon in your home?

Sources: Artwork is a Facebook Marketplace find | Gallery Picture Sconce

I hope this post has inspired you to make the most out of your space if you have a small guest bedroom like us.

If you enjoyed this before and after, you may also like:

PINK BEDROOM MAKEOVER REVEAL FOR OUR TWO GIRLS SHARED ROOM

HOW WE TRANSFORMED OUR BASEMENT INTO OUR DREAM FAMILY ROOM

REPURPOSING AND CONVERTING OUR SLEEPING PORCH INTO THE ENSUITE BATHROOM: BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS

REDESIGNING OUR DINING ROOM WITH SOME FALL INSPIRATION

TUDOR HOME LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER

STUCCO FARMHOUSE RENTAL PROPERTY RENOVATION: TOUR UNIT 1

Product Sources:

paint color: Farrow & Ball Pigeon with Dead Flat finish for all surfaces

Murphy bed kit

ceiling flush mount lighting

mattress

green upholstered armchair

scallop braided jute rug

gallery Picture Sconce

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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Beauty

May 30, 2024

My Acne Treatment Update

It’s been one week and four days since I started my new routine and wanted to give you an update on my acne journey. I wasn’t expecting to give an update this early but I could cry looking at the dramatic difference from 11 days ago! I can’t believe it. I’m sharing the details of my current acne treatment routine, along with what I believe is the biggest factor that has been helping my skin.

Read about My Struggles with Acne here

Before and After

The improvement from May 19th to today, May 30th, is unreal!

It’s not easy sharing the before photo. But I want to provide empathy and encouragement for those experiencing awful hormonal acne. You are not alone. Social media has a way in making us feel like everyone has flawless skin through filters, lighting and layers of makeup. We are constantly bombarded by skincare ads of models with airbrushed-looking skin. But that is far from reality. This is my bare skin with all its textures, uneven tones and bumps.

No one has perfect skin. But for some of us, we’ve had to deal with more chronic skin issues. Cystic acne is painful and can cripple our self-esteem if we let it. I’m mostly a very happy and positive person but can’t deny that I had some hard days looking in the mirror.

When my hormonal acne flared up four weeks ago, I thought the journey to clear my skin would be long, like they have been in the past. If one pimple heals, another pops up and the cycle continues. Typically, it takes me three months to see results. I’m blown away that it’s just under two weeks and the difference is unreal! My skin is still healing but my biggest relief is not feeling pain from those deep cystic acne.

My Current Acne Treatment Routine

If you read my last blog post, you know that I’ve tried everything, even Accutane. I’m so happy to finally have found something that is helping without prescriptions. Here’s what my routine looks like:

Morning:

Proactive 3-Step System: (cleanser, toner and repairing treatment lotion) be consistent. wash using very gentle motion to not irritate active breakouts.
Verse Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Cream: the 3-step system will dry out your skin so it’s imperative to moisturize and I’ve found gel creams to be the best for my skin.
Curology SPF Sunscreen: a bit sticky and I may switch to something later but this is what I’m currently using.
It Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream Natural Matte Foundation with SPF 40: covers the dark and red spots nicely. Read more here on why I picked this foundation.

Night:

Proactive 3-Step System: (cleanser, toner and repairing treatment lotion) double cleanse and use gentle motion to not irritate active breakouts.
Verse Dew Point Eye Cream: moisturizes around my eyes.
CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion Night Cream: feels weightless and helps my skin from drying out.
Acne Patches: Hero Mighty Patch when I notice a whitehead but only if it’s isolated – meaning there’s no cystic acne or other pimples near. Zitsticka Killa patch for isolated cystic acne – they help reduce the inflammation and heal quicker. I’ve gone through a lot of these patches!
Clearstem Hormonal Acne Supplement: take at dinner time

I truly believe that using Clearstem’s Hormonal Acne Supplement is the biggest factor. This is my first time taking supplement for my acne but knew that I needed to clear my skin from the inside out. I’m not associated with this brand but you can read about what convinced me to try it in this post. I was skeptical after first because I’ve suffered from acne most of my life and nothing has worked well without prescriptions. Now I’m a believer. My skin has never healed this quickly after a flare up by solely using OTC skincare and I’m convinced it’s because of this supplement. I would encourage anyone to give it a try if you’re experiencing hormonal acne and feel defeated like I did.

P.S. I used my friend, Megan’s code for a discount. She introduced me to Clearstem. Code is MEGANS for 20% off until Friday and 15% off after that. I stocked up today!

Other Things That I’m Doing to Manage My Acne

In addition, I ditched coffee and have been drinking Honey Chai Turmeric Vitality tea. I add a little bit of oat milk and non-dairy vanilla creamer and it tastes amazing! I’m also consuming more of my favorite foods with probiotic like Kombucha and Kimchi because they support your immune system, strengthen your bones and joints, destroy bad bacteria, and make your skin healthier. They have truly helped my digestive system.

I am so amazed and incredibly thankful by how quickly my skin has improved and hope it continues. If you’re suffering from this right now, I know how it feels. How you want to hide away but I want to encourage you to please keep on showing up. Live your life, meet friends for lunch, schedule a date night, go for walks, etc. I promise, it will help keep your mind in a more positive state and therefore, helping your acne as well.

I am so grateful that this new treatment routine without any prescriptions is working and never want my skin to return to what it was before. Thank you so much for your kind words this week after I shared my last blog post. I’m excited for my niece’s wedding this Sunday. It’s been awhile since I’ve attended a wedding and have not gone wedding guest dress shopping, yet! Wish me luck finding one!

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You may also be curious to read:

MY ACNE JOURNEY TO CLEARER SKIN

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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Beauty

May 26, 2024

My Acne Journey to Clearer Skin

The word “acne” has such a negative connotation to it. Just like with any skin condition, no one really knows the struggle unless you’ve personally dealt with it. For me, it was debilitating, it lowered my self esteem and confidence tremendously. I’ve missed out on so many things because I wanted to hide away. It made me feel like people were judging me as if it’s something I can control.

In this post, I’ll share about my journey with acne, my current hormonal acne situation and treatment plan.

My Journey with Acne

It started when I was about 14-15 years old and has been ongoing. Unfortunately, I inherited my acne-prone skin, so genetics play a big factor. My first pimple was a giant one on my nose and there’s still a pitted scar from it. Every single day, I had at least two pimples. There was not one day that I had clear skin. They were painful and I was so embarrassed by it. I tried everything. My mom finally took me to the dermatologist during senior year in high school. Because of our financial situation, I’m sure that it wasn’t easy because those visits, along with prescription medications were costly.

List of Prescription Oral and Topical Medications I’ve Been On

Topical Clindamycin (finally had some relief with this and it helped for about a year)
Prescription Strength Benzoyl Peroxide
Tretinoin (worked for a short period)
Topical Erythromycin (helped for about a year)
Accutane (worked well)
Differin (before it was available for OTC)
Spironolactone

List of Over the Counter Topical Solutions *I typically use for about 3 months to give it time to see results

Proactiv
Murad
Clinique
Obagi
Face Reality
Curology
Mario Badescu spot treatment
Neutrogena
La Roche Posay
CeraVe
AcneFree
Cetaphil
Tatcha

The only solution that truly kept my skin clear was Accutane. I was on that in 2009 but the side effects and risks were too much so I stopped less than a year after. I’ve been given hundreds of well-meaning advice. It’s overwhelming and confusing to navigate.

Acceptance and a Miracle

I came to accept my very imperfect, bumpy skin. Then something incredible happened…

During my first pregnancy in 2013, I experienced for the first time, clear glowing skin without medications or expensive skincare! Just naturally clear skin with a simple skincare routine that would’ve never been effective prior. In fact, I could go to sleep with makeup on with no issues. It was pure bliss.

Flash forward, after I stopped breastfeeding my last baby, my skin problems came back. It was 2020 and we all know how awful that year was in general. I tried everything recommended. Expensive treatments with an esthetician, cutting out dairy, not wearing any makeup, not washing my face in the morning, popular skincare brands but nothing worked. I even did silly things like eating fresh garlic and dabbing them on my breakouts which I don’t recommend.

Acne Management

The only thing that helped manage my acne was the Proactive line which I’ve been using on and off since college. Last year, I turned 40 and felt more confident than ever. My skin was the best it had been in a long time so I let my guard down. I wanted more improvement and tried new products.

My skin was responding well until I made the mistake of using a vitamin C serum a month ago. I forgot that my skin doesn’t respond well to that 😔. A combination of this and hormonal changes meant a recipe for painful cystic acne. The skin around my jawline developed tiny bumps. Those tiny bumps turned into big painful cystic acne day after day 😭.

Hormonal Acne in My 40’s

I debated on sharing photos publicly. But decided if it can help someone else who is navigating something similar feel not so alone, that it will be worth it. I’ve felt very alone in this journey. On top of that, since I was young, I’ve been told that my nose is too wide, my skin too dark for being Asian, I’m too short and my skin could be better if I just did XYZ. The media has skewed our perception about beauty. Our physical appearance is too judged by others.

I digress, but here’s what my skin looked like three weeks ago when my hormonal acne flared up and continued to get worse until about a week ago when I started a new skin treatment routine.

my skin 3 weeks ago, when my hormonal acne flared up

My Acne Treatment Plan to Clearer Skin

Now that I’ve entered my 40’s, I’m throwing all the criticism out the door. I won’t let acne define my worth and will be patient as I work to clear up my skin. Here’s my current acne treatment plan.

I’m sticking to my basics of using the 3-step Proactiv treatment, taking Clearstem hormonal acne supplement recommended by a friend, ditching coffee and drinking tea with Turmeric, consuming more foods with probiotic and drinking lots of water.

Proactive 3-Step System: (morning and night) this haș always been the best at helping manage my acne. However, it’s like the poor boyfriend where you think you can do better. I’ve not been consistent with it and have tried other skincare on and off to experiment. But now, I’m sticking to the 3-step system both morning and night. It’s gentle on my skin, exfoliates nicely with the face wash and the toner is the best out of all that I’ve tried.

Verse Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Cream: (morning) the 3-step system will dry out my skin so it’s important that I use a moisturizer. I would use Proactiv’s tea tree oil moisturizer but it’s 3 times the cost and this moisturizes my skin the same. It glides on well and doesn’t gunk up after my 3-step routine. It’s a bit sticky though so I just use in the morning and it actually helps as the base for my foundation.

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion Night Cream: (night) while the CeraVe ace face wash and serums did not work for me, I love this moisturizing night cream. Feels weightless and helps my skin from drying out.

Clearstem Hormonal Acne Supplement: (take at dinner time) knowing that my skin cleared up during pregnancy, hormones play a big part with my acne. My friend Megan has been using this for over two years to manage her hormonal acne, after getting off birth control pills, before she became their brand partner (I used her code MEGANS if you want to try). She shared her journey with me using Clearstem’s hormonal acne supplement months ago but I was hesitant to try. Then when my skin was at its worst, I reached back out and she sold me on it after she texted me her before photo. Social media skincare girlies will proclaim that they’re “experts” but they’ve never actually had bad skin so….

Acne Patches: I have been through so many! I’ve used the Hero Mighty Patch when I noticed a whitehead. However, it can actually irritate my skin with these clusters of deep cystic acne and make them worse. I do use the Zitsticka Killa patch for a stand alone cystic acne and they help reduce the inflammation and heal faster.

In addition, I’m ditching coffee and drinking my Honey Chai Turmeric Vitality tea. I add a little bit of oat milk and non-dairy vanilla creamer and it tastes amazing! I’m also consuming more of my favorite foods with probiotic like Kombucha and Kimchi. Apparently they support your immune system, strengthen your bones and joints, destroy bad bacteria, and make your skin healthier. They have truly helped my digestive system.

I’m only one week in with this routine and have noticed improvement. Typically, it takes me months. My hope is to see more improvement with clearer skin before our niece’s wedding on June 2nd. Countdown is on! Wish me luck!

Read an update on my new acne treatment routine here. Spoiler alert, the progress has been short of amazing!

You may also be curious to read:

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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Beauty

May 25, 2024

Most Recommended Best Concealer and Foundation for Acne-Prone Skin

A few months ago, I asked my Instagram followers for recommendations on the best concealer and foundation for acne-prone skin. Lots of responses poured in! I haven’t used foundation or concealer since high school due to my acne-prone skin. It would feel so heavy and caked on but that may be because it was the cheap Wet & Wild brand. Now that I’ve entered 40, I’m more confident than ever but still have red and brown spots from old acne scars that I want to conceal while out and about.

I’ve compiled the most recommended concealer and foundation from my community and you can read until the end to see what I ended up buying!

Most Recommended Best Concealer and Foundation for Acne-Prone Skin

Two Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Concealer

Rated: 4.3K stars (4,761 reviews)

Price: $36 for Size 0.45 oz / 13.5 ml

Coverage: full

Description: A hydrating, full-coverage, weightless, four-in-one, concealer that conceals, contours, highlights, and retouches in a wide range of flawless shades.

Where to Buy: Sephora

Tower 28 Beauty Swipe All-Over Hydrating Serum Concealer

Rated: 4.3K stars (1,324 reviews)

Price: $36 for Size 0.45 oz / 13.5 ml

Coverage: medium

Description: A hydrating, non-comedogenic concealer that glides on like a serum and has the medium-buildable coverage power to instantly cover dark circles, redness, and blemishes.

Where to Buy: Sephora

Mac Pro Longwear Concealer

Rated: 4.2 stars (1092 reviews)

Price: $31

Coverage: full

Description: A liquid concealer that provides full matte coverage for up to 24 hours. A lightweight, liquid, long-lasting concealer with a comfortable matte finish. This pro concealer gives a smoother, flawless look to skin. The full-coverage formula helps to conceal blemishes, dark spots, skin discolouration and undereye circles

Where to Buy: Ulta, MAC store

Clinique Even Better Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Foundation

Rated: 4.5 stars (3,872 reviews)

Price: $36

Coverage: moderate

Description: Clinique Even Better Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Foundation. Dermatologist-developed liquid foundation visibly reduces dark spots in 12 weeks.*

Where to Buy: Ulta

Bare Minerals Loose Powder Foundation SPF 15

Rated: 4.6 stars (14,763 reviews)

Price: $39

Coverage: buildable sheer to full

Description: BareMinerals ORIGINAL Loose Mineral Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 is a lightweight, talc-free, skin-improving foundation made with only 5 Ingredients. It provides sheer-to-full, all-day coverage with a naturally luminous finish, while minimizing the look of pores and imperfections.

Where to Buy: Ulta, Bare Minerals, Sephora

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation

Rated: 4 stars (17,325 reviews)

Price: $40

Coverage: full

Description:A soft-matte, long-wearing foundation with climate-adaptive technology to fight heat, sweat, and shine—available in a wide range of shades.

Where to Buy: Sephora, Ulta

Merit – The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick

Rated: 4.3 stars (6,108 reviews)

Price: $38

Coverage: light-to-medium

Description: It’s not a foundation or a concealer, but it’ll replace both in your makeup bag. It’s breathable, conditions skin and locks in moisture, helps diminish the appearance of pigmentation and dark spots and doubles as a contour. Formulated without acne-triggering ingredients.

Where to Buy: Merit Beauty

Ilia True Skin Serum Concealer with Vitamin C

Rated: 4.2 stars (1,854 reviews) on Sephora.com and 4.5 stars (4,656 reviews) on Iliabeauty.com

Price: $32

Coverage: medium

Description: A creamy, ultra-lightweight serum concealer that evens and brightens the look of skin over time with vitamin C—now available in a range of shades.

Where to Buy: Sephora, Ilia

Laura Geller Baked Balance-n-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation

Rated: 3.6 stars (37,321 reviews)

Price: $36

Coverage: light to medium

Description: weightless formula is baked for 24 hours and hand-finished in Italy, giving you the easy application of a powder with the benefits of a cream. Color correcting swirls of pigments make shade matching a breeze!

Where to Buy: Laura Geller

It Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream Natural Matte Foundation with SPF 40

Rated: 4.5 stars (2,502 reviews)

Price: $47

Coverage: full

Description: A full-coverage matte foundation for oily skin, skin-balancing serum, and broad-spectrum SPF 40 sunscreen in one.

Where to Buy: Sephora, Ulta, Target

Jane Iredale PurePressed Base Mineral Foundation Refill

Refillable Compact Sold Separately Here

jane iredale PurePressed Base Mineral Foundation Refill #1

Rated: 4.7 stars (2,727 reviews)

Price: $46

Coverage: medium to full

Description: Jane Iredale’s #1 best-selling PurePressed Base Mineral Foundation Refill is a one-step foundation, concealer & sunscreen that blurs lines and nourishes skin with weightless, medium-to-full coverage and a second-skin finish.

Where to Buy: Ulta

What I Bought

I decided on the It Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream Natural Matte Foundation with SPF 40 and really love it! I’ve been using it for over two months now. I like that it has SPF 40 and has a very natural coverage that glides on easily. The matte finish is perfect for my oily skin. I’d recommend for acne-prone skin. And I’m so happy to have this on hand because three weeks ago, my hormonal acne flared up on my jawline! It’s the worst it has ever looked in a really long time but this has helped cover up the redness.

Before and After (prior to my hormonal cystic acne flare up)

*I realized I didn’t capture a before picture until I had dabbed on the foundation

After is with the It CC foundation (in Neutral Tan), Merit flush balm, Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm, Benefit Mascara, Loreal Eyeliner, Benefits Eyebrows

*Tip: I used the beauty blender (first time) and would highly recommend for application

I’ll share more about my acne journey in an upcoming post. While I’ve definitely entered my confident-than-ever era, I’m still hoping for clearer skin. For those suffering from skin issues like acne, remember that it does not define us. YOU are beautiful!

Shop All The Most Recommended Best Concealer and Foundation for Acne-Prone Skin Below

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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Lifestyle

May 21, 2024

April 2024 Favorites

April Favorites: The most loved items from last month.

Directly Click on Image or Scroll Below to Shop the Favorites

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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design

April 19, 2024

Beautiful Ceiling Lights for a Girl’s Bedroom

Not too long ago we installed a beautiful new ceiling light in the girls’ pink bedroom which has made a big difference! It gives out more light and the scalloped detail is so darling. I wanted to share all the ceiling light options we considered for the girls’ bedroom before deciding on this flush mount one.

READ: PINK BEDROOM MAKEOVER REVEAL FOR OUR TWO GIRLS SHARED ROOM

Bedroom Sources:

Beautiful Flush Mount and Semi-Flush Mount Ceiling Light Options

It was so hard to decide because the girls loved all four lighting but option A won their hearts.

a) Scalloped lighting we installed are sold here and here. It frequently goes out of stock though!

b) Madelyn Capiz Faceted Flush Mount

c) Petal Flush Mount

d) Lotus Flower Ceiling Light

What’s Next for the Girls’ Pink Bedroom?

We plan on doing little updates to their room here and there. I’ve been on the lookout for a stool to go with their antique desk and found one on Facebook Marketplace that I’ll share next week!

We’ll also be swapping out their white curtains (these are from my old apartment) for something that adds more character.

Vintage Rug | Bed Frame (Similar Here) | Voile Quilt and Shams | Wicker Shade Lamp | Desk is Vintage

These are the two curtains that I ordered. There’s a sale on the striped curtain and the other one is already at a great everyday price.

Option 1: Pieced Stripe Curtain – at time of post is on sale for $84.60

Option 2: Embroidered Edge w/ Attached Valance Curtains 52 x 84

Modern Faux Linen Embroidered Edge With Attached Valance Window Curtain Panels Dark Linen 52X84 Set, 1 of 7

If you need more sources for the girls’ room, please see here. The girls love both so stay tuned for what they’ll pick!

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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family

April 12, 2024

Our Spring Break Trip: My Guide On Family-Friendly Things to Do When Visiting San Diego

We had an amazing spring break and per your requests, I put together a guide on family-friendly things to do in San Diego based on our trip! It was our first time to America’s Finest City and it definitely did not disappoint! So many fun things to do as a family. I’m sharing our Airbnb, theme parks we visited, leisure activities and restaurants we dined in. Along with what I recommend and one thing we wished we did if we could go back.

TOP RECOMMENDATIONS ON THINGS TO DO WHEN VISITING CHARLESTON

5 FUN WINTER ACTIVITIES & EXPERIENCES AROUND THE TWIN CITIES

Where We Stayed: Our Airbnb

We rented an Airbnb in the vibrant North Park neighborhood. We loved that it was walking distance to some great restaurants but not too far of a drive to the theme parks and beaches. *This is not sponsored – we just love using Airbnb or VRBO on family vacations.

The craftsman style home was cozy, clean and we felt right at home. Here’s the listing for our Airbnb along with images from the site.

Tour our 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom Airbnb

My Guide to Family-Friendly Things to Do in San Diego

Where We Ventured: Theme Parks and Zoo

*Note, we visited when most schools in San Diego were also on their spring break which meant the parks and zoo were busier than usual.

Legoland: while we’ve been to a few theme parks, we’ve never been to Legoland. Because it was spring break, the very long wait times for rides and food did steal some of the fun. But overall our kiddos were troopers. This park is catered towards younger children so we wanted to visit before Ava (our soon to be 10 yr old) grew too old for the rides. While most said the long wait times are normal year round, someone shared that they went a week before Thanksgiving and the wait times were much shorter. All in all, we’re glad that we went because our kids are Lego fanatics. It was really neat to see all the things built out of Legos!

San Diego Safari Park: I polled my IG community between the Zoo and Safari Park after our visit and more than 6o% said they preferred the zoo over the park. We went to the park and while some things were really neat to see, we felt a little underwhelmed. We paid an extra $95 a person for the safari tour but our kids actually loved the free Amtrak tour much more. The big difference was that we got closer to the animals with the paid tour. If you’re on the fence about the extra cost, I would opt out. The good thing is that we felt at least our money was going towards conservation so it wasn’t a lost.

SeaWorld: this was all three of our kids favorite out of the four. The lines weren’t bad at all. There was so much to do. I, unfortunately, didn’t get the full experience. For our first ride, the kids voted on the Tidepool Twist. PSA – if you get motion sickness like I do, DO NOT go on this ride! I was so excited about being here that I completely didn’t realize how badly this ride would take me out. However, I made the best of it and Brian being the amazing dad he is, took the kids on all their requested rides. I still can’t believe that our little Livy (7 years old) went on the Manta! A few recommended their waterpark, Aquatica, but it closed in 2021.

Belmont Park: this was a quick stop as we passed through to Mission Beach. It’s a super cute historic amusement park where you don’t have to pay for entrance but rather buy tickets for the rides. It was fun to walk around.

*tip for all any amusement park and zoo visits. Pack lots of snacks and water to keep the littles occupied while waiting in lines and bring your own lunch if possible!

Where We Ventured: Leisure Activities

Balboa Park: great place for kids to play and picnic between the museum hopping.

Air and Space Museum: there are lots of museums around Balboa Park. This was our top pick and the kids loved it! A great place to explore and learn. Brian majored in aviation so our kiddos are obsessed with aviation and space.

Old Town: if you want great Mexican food, stop here! There are lots of Mexican restaurant options with high ratings so you can’t go wrong. We had lunch at Miguel’s and the fresh chips and salsa were the biggest reward after a long day of exploring – we were hungry! It’s a great place to walk around, shop and grab coffee or ice cream.

La Jolla Cove and Beaches: we loved this area! Minus the “stinky” sea lions as Jack called them, everything about this town was so dreamy. The scenery, shops, restaurants and beaches will make you fall in love with it. We’d moved there in a heartbeat if we could snag that dream $17M home overlooking the ocean that we saw in a listing 😉

Coronado Island: this is another dream town. We visited when it was raining off and on. I wished we stopped in at the Hotel Del to explore but didn’t have time. However, we did walk around the little downtown, strolled along some quaint streets while dreaming about buying one of the homes and had an amazing lunch at The Henry.

Mission Beach: it was very chilly when we stopped here but the kiddos loved walking around the beach searching for shells. There are lots of little beach shops with very affordable shirts and sweatshirts if you’re looking for that kind of memento.

Little Italy: after our Mission Beach adventure, we arrived in Little Italy. Parking is pretty tough so I’d recommend the public parking. After circling around, we decided it was smarter to pay $22 to park at a nice public parking ramp. Of course, there are lots of Italian restaurants. If you’re around on Saturday, I hear that their farmer’s market is a must!

North Park: this was our Airbnb’s neighborhood. There are lots of amazing restaurants along 30th street. We enjoyed the walkability and cute homes.

Gaslamp District: we drove by on a Friday afternoon but it was pretty quiet. While I can see the appeal with all the different shops, bars and restaurants, a lot of you said it wasn’t very kid-friendly.

So what did we miss?

These were other recommendations of things to do in San Diego from my IG community:

- Cabrillo National Monument/Park
- Seaport Village
- Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma
- Hotel Del Tour
- Torrey Pines State Park
- San Diego Zoo
- USS Midway Museum

Restaurants: Where We Ate

In & Out: does this count as a restaurant LOL? We had to introduce our kiddos to this California staple. They liked it but didn’t think it was as good as Culver’s.

Bangkok Spices – Thai food in North Park: loved the food and cozy atmosphere. Highly recommend the fried rice – one of the best I’ve had!

Miguel’s Cocina Mexican food in Old Town: they brought out baskets of fresh tortilla chips and salsa right away so we knew it was going to be good! We all loved our food, even picky eater Jack!

Blue Ocean/Harumama – Japanese food in La Jolla: the food was good but the great ocean front view made it better. It’s all indoors so you won’t get a whiff of the sea lions.

Bobboi Natural Gelato in La Jolla: the gelato was excellent!

Encontro – American food in North Park: very kid-friendly and we enjoyed the food and service. Brian was asked “does anyone ever tell you that you look like some actor?” She was referring to…you guessed it, Paul Rudd haha

So Saap – Lao food not too far from North Park: this was off the beaten path but worth it if you’re looking for authentic Lao food. Our family pretty much had a feast and I’m still dreaming about their spicy papaya salad (tum mak hong).

The Smoking Goat – French-American food in North Park: we went for dinner and the food + service was excellent! We enjoyed the atmosphere and even indulged in three different desserts!

The Henry – American food in Coronado Island: the space was beautifully designed and the food + service was really amazing! I had the most delicious refreshing salad with the Seared Tuna Chop. Even the kids menu had great options. Jack ordered the buttered noodles with roasted chicken and 10/10 recommend.

Sogno Di Vino – Italian food in Little Italy: obviously, there are tons of Italian restaurants in Little Italy. We didn’t make reservations ahead of time and they were all booked. However, we were relieved to book one at Sogno Di Vino with a 4.5 star review. When we entered the restaurant, it looked like chaos and the atmosphere was very underwhelming. To our surprise, they took us through a hallway into another part of the restaurant that looked better in scenery. The food was good but next time, I’d love to book another highly rated restaurant in advance. But overall, this is a great family spot. *Tip: make a reservation!

Little Italy Food Hall: it was cold when we visited Little Italy and our reservation wasn’t for another 1.5 hrs. We stumbled upon this food hall off the common area. It was the perfect place to sit and order some drinks while we waited. They have different food options as well if you’re not in the mood for Italian.

Salt & Straw – handmade ice cream in Little Italy: this was recommended to us so we stopped in and the kids thoroughly enjoyed their ice cream!

Snooze – breakfast food in Del Mar Heights: while this is a chain restaurant, they always deliver in service and great breakfast! Very family friendly. Their Bloody Mary’s are some of my favorites, especially the Thai Bloody!

Other Restaurants My Instagram Community Recommended for San Diego

Underbelly
Cuatro Milpas
Puesto
Menya Ultra – Ramen
Mikes Tacos
Colimas
Wise Ox

One of my followers was very passionate about San Diego restaurant recommendations but I wasn’t able to read it until we were towards the end of our trip. So I want to share it here because I really appreciated it:

Pacific Beach

Costa Brava $$- pb I think maybe I took you there Spanish tapas
Miss Bs coconut club $$- brunch
Oscars Mexican seafood $- tacos
Fig tree cafe $$- coffee/brunch

Ocean Beach

Mikes taco $- best tacos
Wonderland $$- view and sunset cocktail

Bankers Hill/Mission Hills/North Park

Trust $$$- upscale traditional food
Fort oak $$$- steakhouse
Menya ultra $$ – best ramen
Extraordinary desserts $$ – cake
Azuki sushi $$$
Wolf in the woods $$$ – small wine bar/share plates
Great Maple $$ -brunch, maple bacon donuts
Buona forchetta $$- Italian, Naples style pizza
Piachere mio $$ – Italian best pasta (my wedding dinner location)
Wise Ox $ – this is a butcher but fresh meat great sandwiches and breakfast sandwich
Black market $- coffee/ chocolate raspberry scone
Mr trustee $- homemade ice cream

Little Italy

Kettner exchange $$$ – rooftop share plates, great cocktails
Born and raised $$$$$ – dress code,steakhouse, could go just for happy hour
Craft and commerce $$$ – craft cocktails, go in the back for a speakeasy
Bencotto – $$$$ fancier Italian
Further: oceanside
Wrench and rodent sushi
Jeune et jolie – $$$$$ Michelin star excellent food

I also created a highlight on my Instagram profile of our trip. The one place I wished we toured was the USS Midway Museum but other than that, I think we hit up as much as we could in one week. We truly had the best time and would love to visit again. Hope you enjoyed reading and found my guide of family-friendly things to do when visiting San Diego helpful!

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy reading these:

TOP RECOMMENDATIONS ON THINGS TO DO WHEN VISITING CHARLESTON

5 FUN WINTER ACTIVITIES & EXPERIENCES AROUND THE TWIN CITIES

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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design

March 19, 2024

Glass Vases and Vessels for the Dreamiest Flower Arrangements

Who doesn’t love fresh flowers? They add life to any space and spark so much joy. I tend to put them in my earth tone vases but recently, pulled out my old glass hurricanes to use as vases. And wow, I feel like glass vases and vessels make my flower arrangements look even dreamier!

See my favorite neutral earth tone vase round ups here

ball footed vase | short footed vase with fluting | turkish hand towel | copper pepper grinder | oil rubbed bronze pulls | oil rubbed bronze knobs

Glass Vases and Vessels Round Up

I bought a couple more for my vase collection. The footed and fluted details are my favorites! I also like seeing the water which reminds me to change it more often and keep my flowers alive longer.

If you’re looking to add more elegance and romance to your flower arrangements, I’ve rounded up some glass vase and vessel ideas to help you achieve the dreamiest look!

click on photo to shop or see links below

Shop Glass Vases and Vessels

$39 Loman Handmade Glass Table Vase
$46 Orsay Handmade Glass Table Vase
$29.95 Venus Fluted Glass Hurricane Candle Holder or Vase (I have the 9.5″ but comes in various sizes)
$29.95 London Clear Hurricane Candle Holder or Vase
$80 Lyngby Glass Vase
$14.95 Dina Fluted Glass Vase
$19.99 | sale for $9.99 at time of blog publication | Clear Footed Glass Vase (I have the 10″ but comes in various sizes)

Happy spring!

If you enjoy this post, you may also like:

Shop My Kitchen

Our Christmas Kitchen

Stucco Farmhouse Rental Property Kitchen

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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Lifestyle

February 5, 2024

January Favorites

January Favorites: The most loved items from last month.

Directly Click on Image or Scroll Below to Shop the Favorites

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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DIY

January 30, 2024

DIY Horizontal Murphy Bed for Our Guest Bedroom & Office

We finished building the DIY horizontal Murphy bed for our guest bedroom & office earlier this month. It looks amazing! There were a few setbacks. In addition to uneven walls and ceiling, the Murphy bed and custom built-in cabinets were beyond Brian’s carpentry skillset. But he persevered and did an incredible job with the seamless design in this 7′ tall room in our basement.

* Update: see the fully painted guest bedroom & office here

DIY horizontal Murphy bed and built-in cabinets located in our guest bedroom that doubles as an office

Project & Room Sources

The hard part is done (hopefully) and next up is choosing the paint color! Before I jump into my next blog post with color options, I want to share the resources for the Murphy bed and built-in cabinets to give some guidance to those who are eager to tackle it.

BEFORE

The bed constantly became a dumping ground taking up unnecessary space when we weren’t hosting. We would tidy up when guests stayed over and as soon as they left, it was an invitation to collect things.

One day, Brian was tired of his office space looking like a cluttered mess and impulsively took the bed apart to commit himself to building a Murphy bed. That’s how the wheels were set in motion!

PROJECT PLANNING

When we started planning out the Murphy bed and built-in cabinets, we taped off the design to help visualize. I highly recommend doing this to solidify your design before the build phase.

This room’s ceiling is about 7′ high which is why the Murphy bed had to be mounted horizontally. There are lots of inspiration/examples for the typical Murphy bed vertical setups but not much for horizontal setups. However, we came across this one from Lumber Jocks that sparked an idea for the inset cabinet design.

Images via Lumber Jocks

We knew the inset design would be the most challenging but agreed it was the right look for our home. Once we decided, Brian started researching for the best DIY Murphy bed kit. We landed on this one. It had amazing reviews and excellent customer service by answering all of our questions.

BUILDING + MOUNTING THE MURPHY BED

Murphy Bed and Built-in Cabinet Tools and Materials

The kit has really great instructions. A lot more informative than what I can share here so I’d recommend following their plan for safety and structural support.

Step 1: Build the Murphy bed frame

We used pine lumber following the plan in the Murphy bed kit.

*Tip: you’ll want some clamps on hand to make the job easier

Use preglued wood veneer edgebanding to finish off the wood edges by simply ironing on.

Step 2: Mount the Murphy Bed Frame

If you’re building offsite, like we did in our garage, make sure you’re able to transport your bed frame to the room you plan on mounting it in. We had a tough time maneuvering it down our tight basement steps – queue the pivot scene from the show, Friends! We eventually got it down.

*Tip: Re-locate any outlet that may be obstructed by the Murphy bed or cabinets. Use a license electrician.

Locate and mark wall studs for securing the bed. Follow the detailed instructions on the Murphy bed kit to mount into place.

INSTALLING BUILT-IN CABINETS

Step 1: Build cabinet boxes

We used a mix of maple and birch wood – whatever was available at the local home improvement stores since we knew we were going to paint the Murphy bed and built-ins. There’s a lot of stain wood throughout our old home so this is a great opportunity to incorporate color. Also, cabinetry of this level is beyond Brian’s skillset. He’s a perfectionist but couldn’t get certain parts to the standards of a professional woodworker and used wood filler to achieve the look he wanted.

*Tip: you may need to remove nearby trim to slide the cabinet boxes into place. We had to remove our window trim to squeeze in this upper one.

Trying to get the boxes to fit as perfectly as possible was very challenging. Brian had to do a lot of re-cuts so don’t be discouraged if you experience the same.

*Tip: use a long level to check that boxes are level and plumb

Step 2: Install face frames

After boxes are installed, for inset cabinets, you need to include face frames.

Brian testing out the Murphy bed 🙂

Step 3: Install doors, faux doors + drawers

Once the cabinet boxes and face frames are installed, you’ll need to cut doors, faux doors + drawers to size. Be prepared for several rounds of tweaks.

Install doors. Like Brian’s band practice space, we used the Kreg Concealed Hinge Jig to make perfect circles for the hinges.

Product Sources

It took a lot of patience to cut the doors. You can see wood filler where we had to touch up. We also decided to cover the radiator which I’ll touch on in another post.

Step 4: Build drawers

Time to build the drawers. Brian has been very happy with his new table saw and highly recommends it for this project.

Pocket screws and dado were used to construct the drawers.

Step 5: Install drawers and hardware

We opted for soft close drawer slides and installed these antique brass knobs which are the same as our ensuite bathroom vanity but in a larger size.

BEFORE & AFTER PHOTOS

Not only does this built-in design look amazing, but love that we can fold away the bed and created extra storage space to help minimize clutter. The best marriage of form and function!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Patti Wagner | Home & Design (@patticakewagner)

We are very happy with how it’s turning out so far. Next step is to paint it. We have tested nine paint swatches and reviewing them throughout the day. I think we have a winner but want to wait a few more days to finalize our decision. Make sure to head to my Instagram to cast your vote! * Update: see the fully painted guest bedroom & office here

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy reading:

How we build our knee wall cabinets in our garage attic

How we transformed our basement into our dream family room

Tools & Materials List

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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design

December 27, 2023

Holiday Decor Storage and Organizing Solutions

If you’re like me, you look forward to decorating your home for the holidays but don’t want the stress of storing them away after. Having good holiday decor storage and organizing solutions are key to making clean-up less stressful. Here all the essentials that I recommend. Coordinating color is a bonus for those who fancy form and function!

See here for my 2023 Holiday Round-ups

See here for my Holiday Movie List