I welcome you (finally) to my blog! This sets a new record of procrastination for me, but the important thing is, after a year and a half, she’s up! A place for all those missing reviews and lots of other fun stuff!
I figured my first written entry should be a ‘Get to know me’ sort of post. A few useless facts for your reading pleasure!
1. I eat chocolate everyday because I like being happy
2. I find it very frustrating that people can’t read my mind.
3. Social Introvert
4. Accidental influencer. This wasn’t supposed to last more than 6 months.
5. Cutesy- averse
6. Obsessed with piggies. They make me unreasonably joyful. I don’t really eat pork because of my deep respect for the intelligent creatures.
7. Social Assassin.
8. I love only red and orange gummy bears, which I consume by first chomping off each leg, then the arms, head and lastly the torso. The torso part is always least satisfying
9. Went to a British school through A-levels. Lost my English accent living in the US, but when it creeps back around old friends, I sound like post-Guy Ritchie, Madonna.
10. I seem to give off an appearance of calm and collectiveness. This is always shocking news to me. Inside, I am a bag of exploding firecrackers.
11. My mum is the most tasteful, remarkable woman I know.
12. Tea person. Matcha or traditional, strong English Breakfast.
13. I had years of traveling extensively only to new places I’ve never been.
14. NOT a morning person.
15. Clumsy in a way that seems to delight those around me.
16. Allergic to drama.
17. Sagittarius.
18. The meaning behind,”Gothamista” is explained in the “About Me”
19. Uncontrollable potty mouth. Otherwise, I don’t feel I’ve properly expressed myself.
20. I will never strive for perfection. Unoriginal, overrated and boring AF.
Wishing you great skin health!
Yay! I am so excited to read your blog post and be the first to comment! Wishing you continued success!!!
Yay, thank you, Liane! This is special – first comment!
I hope you printed this out or something to commemorate how lucky you are!
Am always looking forward to your videos! Really love them! Very informative and friendly!:)
Oh my! This made me adore you even more, Renée. As I already commented under one of your videos I have a massive girl crush on you and I feel like we’d make really good friends. Though this won’t ever be possible I keep on admiring you from afar. Keep on being the great woman you are! xx from a 23-year-old from Germany.
Wow, thank you so much!! Social media makes distance irrelevant, friend!
Renee,
I came across your blog just recently as I was trying to learn more about taking better care of my skin in my early 30s. I never really wore make up until the last couple of years, I appreciate the skin care reviews and feedback you provide. Sunscreen is definitely something I was lacking and I was so glad to find out mineral sunscreen actually exists. Now that I am starting to wear makeup, I realize just how important a cleansing morning/routine are. Thank you!! 🙏
Hello Renee!! One more platform to follow ur incredible journy. LOVE it. Wish we knew each other when u traveled the world and visited the dead see LOL
Good luck for this new and delightful blog. Will enjoy it for sure!!
Thank you, for all your support love! I really hope you do enjoy this and I love your part of the world, I hope to return soon!
Congratulations on your blog Renée!! Thanks so much for bringing so much skincare knowledge and sharing your lovely personality through your various channels. Can’t wait to see what you do here! ♡
Thank you so much Mimi!
Love your extensive knowledge on skin care.
Thank you, soooo much!!
YES! YES! THANK you & congrats. Can wait to read
EVERYTHING !
I hope to bring you lots of content that you’ll love!
Rene, this is fabulous! I too feel as though we are sympatico! I love that I can come here as well as your videos for reference. Enjoy the summer!
Thank you Megan! I’m so happy to meet kindred spirits!
Best news ever. I’ve wondered a time or two if you were going to have one more platform to share your incredible knowledge on skincare. Wishing you continued success! You are da best!
Your biggest fan from Nashville, TN
Thank you Sim! Always love seeing your comments everywhere!!
So happy to see your blog has gone live. I’ve been watching your YouTube videos for a very long time. We definitely share #3, 7, 14 and 16. Keep up the fabulous work and thank you for sharing some of yourself with us.
Thank you, Adrienne for watching me for so long! I really appreciate your support!
This is wonderful! I adore your videos and IG posts and this blog will be fabulous. I love your straightforward, no nonsense approach, your dry sense of humor, and your clean, simple style. I also am an eccentric gummie bear eater (sort by color, orange ones first, then yellow, green, red, and save the white pineapple ones for last. Eat the heads first.)
I love it! Thanks Amanda for such kind words and sharing your gummy bear eating sequence! Seriously, does anyone like the clear pineapple ones???
I am SO excited that you are starting a blog, I absolutely love your youtube channel and keep referring everyone who is curious about Asian skincare to your wonderful videos. And yes, you absolutely do come across as calm and soothing when you speak, it’s really relaxing to listen to your voice. 🙂
Thank you so much! Always tickles me to hear I’m soothing to watch, but if you like it, I’m happy!
This is wonderful. I can not get enough of your skin knowledge!
Thank you!!
Awesome! Congrats on ur blog Renée! keep up the good work! love from Cyprus! xx
Thank you love!
Discovered you a few months ago and was hooked from the first moment. Love love love you. So happy to see your brand new blog, and have already signed up via email. You have changed my skincare life, and I can’t thank you enough!
Absolutely love hearing that! Thank you!!
Hi Renee,
Congratulations on your new blog! Thank you for another platform to learn from you. Love all your skincare reviews and recommendations. Happy Blogging!
Thank you Christine!!
First, I love the look and feel of the blog! The logo is stunning! And I LOVED reading this and learning more about you! #8 made me LOL and #10 definitely surprised me. You always strike me as the epitome of calm, cool and collected. And I’m so happy about #19. Not I don’t have to censor myself when we chat! 😄🤣😘❤️
Aww Vanessa!! You’re the best. No really. Girl, let the F-bombs flow baby, only then will I truly know how you feel. Adore you!
Hi Renee!
Happy to see we can now read you too! Your blog is very beautiful , very tasteful and your signature is so cute! I will be your eternal fan, your advise has helped me to heal my skin and I feel more beautiful with every day. Thank you!
I hope that this new challenge will not prevent you from posting new videos regularly! You have such a charismatic personality, I would miss your face!
You are too sweet, thank you!! Don’t worry, my videos come first!! I’m so happy you like the way it looks!
Oh wow! I’m now inspired to put mine up in public and can’t wait for more recommendations. We’re so spoilt! There’s already youtube and now this! Congrats again, love item no. 1!
Hehe thank you!
Congrats! Been wondering if you’d ever make a blog! Love this! Just so you know, I totally connected with more than half of the things you listed. Haha you’re not alone! And lol’d at your drama allergy. So excited your extensive knowledge is now on print. Sometimes I scramble looking through videos and videos searching for something I wanted to revisit that you mentioned (side effect: I become very calm from listening to your voice… it’s so soothing!)
Thank you so much Christine! You’re right, there are some big benefits to a blog and easy archive access! I really was trying to avoid the extra work, but comments like yours just inspire and encourage me so much!
Hello Renee!!! I always kind of detected a slight accent but I couldn’t quite pin it down. The tea with milk in one of your videos should have given it away though!Potty mouth?!? You are talking to a retired Sailor! I think everyone has a girl crush on you! You are so knowledgeable, sophisticated, and after reading this, now even more endearing. I would love to meet with you if you ever come Seattle way! We can have some tea and chocolate in some cutesy cafe! Anyways, congratulations on your blog launch. I look forward to reading your insights!
Thank you so much, for your support across all platforms! It really means so much to me! I feel like if I’m in Seattle, we’re gonna have to do coffee right?
I WISH YOU HAD YOUR OWN SKIN CLINIC AND I COULD HAVE YOU AS MY SKIN CONSULTANT FOR LIFE.
I just had to type those in caps to express how much I love you and your work. You’re amazing and I don’t think you realize how much influence you’ve had on my and countless other people’s skincare..life <3 how'd you get to be so knowledgeable? I'm amazed
Aw thank you so much. I’m so happy that my musings have had even a small contribution to helping your skin!
I am so overjoyed by the fact that you are a potty mouth!!! I curse like a sailor and sometimes wish I was more “lady like” with the tongue. But only sometimes. Stoked on your blog!
Thank you! Funny, my friend told me there are studies that prove people who curse alot are more intelligent. Haha! I’ll take it as affirmation!
My mouth is like a dirty filthy sewer, I wasn’t raised around bad language, my mother is always mortified
Very much looking forward to reading your posts, I’ve been trying layering toner/skin and the noticed an immediate difference in the hydration of my skin. Me = happy bunny.
Hey Sabrina! I’m so happy the skin method made a big difference for you too!
I can’t wait to read even more of your reviews!
I have been “studying” a few of your videos to up my skin care game, and I was hoping you can tell me more about the application of acid exfoliant. I think it was annotated in one of your videos that acid exfoliants should always be applied with a cotton pad, but it seemed like you didn’t use a cotton pad when you used The Ordinary Lactic Acid (5%) in one of your routine videos. I use both the Ordinary Lactic Acid and the Paula’s Choice BHA Salicylic Acid exfoliant, so I just wanted to make sure I’m doing the right thing.
xoxo
Hey! I only use a cotton pad to apply acid toners, but acid serums like the ordinary lactic acid, I use my hands!
Hello, fellow social-but-introverted tea person! And yeah, you really do give off a calm vibe. I always assumed you were older than I am because of it, but I realize now that you don’t *look* older than I am (not that that means anything among skincare addicts…).
Hello there! I’ve been meaning to ask you, what’s your go-to tea and how do you take it?
There is a certain charm in minimalism and you are the epitome of it 🙂 Love how you keep everything so simple and straight to the point be it in skincare “education” through your videos or in a post such as this.. Wish you more and more success and thanks for being such an inspiration towards having a healthy skin 🙂 Cheers!!
Hellooo Renée,
I’m excited beyond words on your new venture. Eagerly waiting for all the marvelous skincare education that is in store for us. Congratulations! Wish you a great success!
I have a massive girl crush on you and would love for you to be my friend. Looking forward to meeting you in person one day 🙂 A meet-up in DC, may be? Or may be I will run into you in NYC. *fingers crossed*
My husband jokingly says that a new upload on your YT channel brightens me up and is nowhere closer to when I meet him in the evening after work 😉
Thank you for all the hard work that you put in! My skin health has definitely improved with your product recommendations. Take care, my friend!
So excited for this! One question, pardon if it’s been asked before: where did you get your lovely pig necklace/pendant from?
Hi Renee,
Thanks for sharing so much about yourself. I, too, am an introvert with an uncontrollable potty mouth. I am so excited to see your blog. If the quality of the blog is like your YT channel then I know I’ve won.
Love your content. There is something so mediating in skin care.
Are you in skin care industry in your full-time job?
Congratulations on the blog! I follow you on IG and am learning a lot from your YouTube videos. You posted a marshmallow dessert on IG that led to obsessive detective work. I’m visiting NYC in October and am definitely hitting up Kith. I want a box of Lucky Charms marshmallow only but not out in stores. I definitely would Louis CK.
hi renee, you are so charming and your informative skincare videos are fantastic (…i created a youtube channel JUST to follow you)! i’ve always felt insecure from my acne/acne scars, but my face and confidence has become significally better since i’ve learned about different ingredients, products and the importance of RESEARCH from your videos. you’re my informative skincare bestie!
i’m happy you created a blog + made a *~personal~* post. i’ve been so curious to learn about your career path, college education and background beyond the general information you’ve provided previously. would you ever do a video on this AND create videos around your daily life?
sincerely,
~*~**~a 22 year old southeast asian boy from the midwest who joyfully pesters his pals about the importance of skincare and wearing sunscreen!~*~**~*
P.S do you watch rupaul’s drag race (rpdr)? IF SO, LET’S WEAR FACE MASKS, WATCH RPDR AND BE BESTIES 4 EVER!
So good to see you in this new media! Very happy to see you in your venture and two learn 20 things about you (hello fellow introvert!). Looking forward to your wise skin secrets, any and all recommendations, and (hopefully) many anecdotes. Best wishes!
Hello Renee,
Today is my birthday! My daughter told me your video is up and this was my birthday gift from you! I love all your videos and you voice is very calming and music to my ears! Even my hubby said that too. So happy for your blog!
Yay!! I just checked out your blog and I keep liking your personality and content the more I see it! Granted I’m a male still in college and don’t really wear too much skincare/beauty products, I love learning fron your material! Thank you 😊
Hi Renee, so glad you now have your blog up and running. I absolutely adore your Youtube videos and have learned so much about Korean skincare through them. Love trying out new products on your recommendation. You have never been wrong :-). Now lots more fun with your blog.
You are amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to help educate us. I know you must be busy and it is hard to find time to tend to youtube and your blog. I appreciate it so much and look forward to all of your posts!
Hi Renee,
This was truly amazing. You’re absolutely amazing. Thank you for taking the time out of your lives to make our lives and our skin better! Truly life changing. Also I totally was on the floor laughing at the “inside I’m a bag of exploding firecrackers” haha.
Matcha tea is one of my absolute favorites!!
You are just amazing! Thanks for sharing these! The more I learn about you the more I adore you! (not like a creeper) 🙂
Hi Renee you are a doll. I’ve been in the indrustry all my life (I’m 58) yet in spending money on great products because of you! You are an inspiration to all. It’s a kniwcfact that American woman would rather spend $ on makeup to cover up bad skin then to buy these tested products and save $ hummm your beautiful and thankyou fir your videos and blogs
Author
Wow, thank you so much for your flattering words! I would say I definitely used to spend more on covering up but was quick to realize, it really did make things worse!
love love LOOOOVE that you have started this blog page for all your skin journey travelers!!! thank you so very very much renee!
Hi Renee! I just found your youtube videos and blog, and I’m LOVING it!! I have about 1,000 questions for you on a daily basis. Learning so much! What you’re putting out there is so great. Thanks so much!!
Author
That means so much to me Carrie, thank you so much!
Yay, I absolutely love your videos. I devour them every night at the moment watching some over and over again for the information to sink in. I have started writing up a book called “skincare bible” with all your tips and gems and a huge wish list of products I want to try. I clicked on one of the links on your YouTube channel to look at an item and ended up purchasing several items as they shipped to good old New Zealand, the site was YesStyle. I see from some comments from other viewers that OhLolly seems to be a great site to order from. Would you recommend that more? I would rather pay extra for shipping if company is more reliable. Congratulations on the blog it looks amazing (of course) I love your aesthetic. Looking forward to following you on every platform and appreciate the hard work you put on to helping us all have better skin health. I along with a lot of others have a girl crush but I am more of an old lady xx 🙂
Author
Angela, you are so lovely! Thank you for your kind words and I can’t wait for your ‘Skincare bible’! I think YesStyle is reliable, I’ve always had a great experience with them and Ohlolly has a soft space in my heart because they are a small company that give such wonderful, fast service with the personal touches and big heart. I love supporting companies like that!
Omgosh, Hi Renée!
I discovered you on YouTube a couple of months ago, and I think i’m 90% through with watching every video you have posted on YT! You are such a pleasure to watch/listen and have taught me many things, especially regarding skincare.
I feel that if I met you, you would be one of those people that you just feel like you’ve known them FOREVER. And like you, people say that I’m always cool, calm and collected but I, too, am a bag of exploding firecrackers, lmao.
Anyway, I’m definitely a fan and am so happy to have found your website as well. I wish you the best and thank you for all you do to share your knowledge and insights on what you’re passionate about.
XO,
Cristina
Author
Thank you SO much Cristina! Always wonderful knowing another calm, collected bag of firecrackers! Your support means so much!
hey! I really enjoyed this post, and I love your videos I’ve been a fan for a while now. Hope you continue the journey with everyone. Thank you
Love this post! We feel like we “know”you through your videos but truly we just get a glimpse. Also, I can relate to #10 SO much. I’m always shocked when people tell me I’m one of the calmest people they know. Ha!
Author
Thank you, Sara! Haha, yes! Another calm bag of firecrackers! The other one I find shocking is that I have a soothing voice. When I hear my own voice, it sounds cringeworthy and jarring!
Renee, I JUST read your blog and saw this post. HAHAHA! Absolutely love the detail about the gummy bear. Straight up savage dude! hahaha
Just to engage with your points:
1. Amen sista, totally feel you on the chocolate. I need my secret stash every now and then.
2. I know right? You’d think that with all the latest innovations popping up there would be a mind reader somewhere..though I think that Mr. Zuckerburg is looking to develop this technology *cue twilight zone soundtrack*
3. Admittedly, I’m a dog perso, just cause when I was younger I was allergic to cats though I did have the opportunity to get acquainted with the sweetest black cat called Mew for half a year and that was super healing. Now I’d consider myself just an ‘animal’ person haha.
4. Hahaha! Surviving on skincare products, yeah agreed they don’t taste all that good, even the ones that look like macarons! XD
5. Totally get you on this. Most of the time cutesy stuff make me cringe, but there are exceptions.
6. You know, ever since I saw how pigs can be pets as well and are just as smart or smarter than dogs, I started feeling less inclined to eat pork and meat in general. And if I do eat it, I eat it very consciously. Just wish there was more awareness on this, cause if people were to know how intelligent these creatures are, they’d be horrified that they are being slaughtered by the masses.
7. Me Me Me Me Me 🙋🏻
8. As I mentioned before STRAIGHT SAVAGE DUDE. I have the hardest time to chomp the arms off tho, takes skill.
9. When I hang out with my UK friends, I start catching British accent feels and suddenly feel like I’m the next Austin Powers. 🙄
10. HAHA! I asked my good friend to do my chinese birth chart, and apparently that’s the exact description he said, calm and collective on the surface but there’s so much fire inside waiting to explode XD perhaps we share the same elements 🤷♀️
11. I love and respect my Momma so much too. I remember back in the day I used to write poems to her and just be mesmerized by her beauty and presence. I had to tone it down over the years cause it was getting borderline obsessive haha
12. Tea person – earl grey/jasmine ☕️🍵
13. It’s great that you carry the principle of making sure to visit new places you’ve ever been, especially now given the widespread fear of all the unpredictable attacks going on such as the case in Syria. Bless all going through these unfortunate circumstances. 🙏
14. 🙋🏻 🙋🏻 🙋🏻 Just had my coffee to kick start my day. 😴😴
15. HAHAHA I can relate. Though, due to way too much bruising I had to curb being the source of constant entertainment for family and friends.
16. Preach girl, preach 😤😤☝️☝️
17. Where is the yin & yang emoji when you need it?
18. You know when I first read why you called yourself Gothamista I was genuinely surprised and knew that there was something more about you then I was initially lead to believe 😏 there’s so many layers to you girl! You’re like an abyss! haha
19. HAHA. Just had my very religious uncle visit from overseas this weekend, and I did happen to let a few swear words slip here and there, while getting dagger glares from my mom and big sis XD XD🙊🙊
20. I love that you said that. Perfection is something that I’m trying to let go of, but my OCD self just can’t leave it alone! LOL #goals
Author
Elizabeth, this is AWESOME! HAHA! I love it. Thanks for giving me a compelling, entertaining read in the morning while I’m getting ready! You’re the BEST!
Hi Renee!!! I am so thankful I have found your channel on YouTube. M a mum in my early 30s. You have no idea how obessed I have been watching your videos on YouTube. And now I’ve started with the blog. Wish I found your channel long ago. Only when I turned 30 that I started to seriously care about my skin all thanks to you. Your skin, your reviews are my huge inspiration. Xoxo
Thank you, so much Jessie! It’s never too late to start, at least I feel like I’m a late starter too! I feel like I never had good options before! We are on this journey together yay!
I am a late discoverer for this beautiful blog by my beautiful friend Renee!
Love your sense of humor 🙂 and this is awesome!
Love, S
I’d love to hear your british accent! What A-Levels did you do?
love from London!
So happy to have found your YouTube channel and now your blog. The blog is a great alternative to videos, especially when I need another dose of your skin expertise! Keep it up, I truly appreciate your thoroughness and dedication. Stay grounded in the new year!
Dear Renee.
Your blog is the first and the only one I’ve ever subscribed to (sometime after subscribing to your Youtube channel). You do give off an appearance of calm and collectiveness, and also an intelligence and style, which are for sure not just an appearance.
Your videos on Youtube and articles here are most helpful being very informative and on point.
You are a very impressive person in general, and, despite the age difference, and different countries we are from, you seem close to my feelings and views, as far as I can recognize.
From the 20 things you chose to share, I’ve related the most to “I get very frustrated that people can’t read my mind”. Even though with the years passing I’ve come to realize that it’s just how it is, still frustrating :-).
Best,
Marina
Author
Aww thank you SO much Marina! Your words are so flattering and mean alot to me!! I feel like as the years pass, I may even be getting more frustrated that people are not ‘getting it’ 🙂
OMG! It’s 2018 and I can’t believe I just recently stumbled upon your YouTube channel. Believe me when I say I don’t have much patience watching videos on Youtube, but girl, you definitely turned that all around. Now, I can’t go a day without watching you!!! You are an absolute girl crush! (I hope that doesn’t freak you out lol) I just adore everything about you and your videos. There’s no drama, very straightforward, not boring, really informative, your voice is calming, you have cute dimples, you’re simple yet classy. In short, I just want to be your sister. Haha! But srsly, I have a notebook where I write everything that I learn from you. And if there comes a day when Instagram would limit the number of people you follow to only ONE, it’d be you I would choose to follow. You are such an inspiration and I hope more women would be inspired by you.
Much Love from the PH.
Author
OMG Lyle. This comment makes my heart glow. Thank you so much for your kind words, you have no idea how much they mean to me!! You’ve inspired ME!
So happy to find you and your blog. Hello from Big Cold, Canada!!!
I am very happy I stumbled upon your videos and blog. I’m in my 30’s and it’s only now I am taking care of my skin 😔. Thanks to you, I don’t need to try everything out and experiment with my skin. I loooooove all your videos!! I’m bingewatching now. 🤗
Love lots,
Amor
Author
Thank you so much Amor!