A Side of Sweet

How to Fix Tired Skin – Home Facial Masks

Tips on how to fix tired skin, by adding moisture to your daily routine and using facial masks to decrease redness and improve skin tone.

Let’s talk skincare. Traditionally, the quest for better skin has been focused on taking moisture out. We exfoliate, blot and tone, all in the hopes of decreasing shine, taming that T-zone and scrubbing our pores into submission.

I have to admit, this was my strategy for a long time.

A few months ago, I changed my skincare regimen. I started to focus on adding moisture to my skin instead of trying to get rid of the oily spots.

The result has been a total game changer. My skin is smoother. I don’t have that huge shiny forehead patch that I need to remember to blot before photos. That patch of little zits that had taken up permanent residence on my chin has cleared…. Read More »

Life Lately // 02

Hello hello! It’s been a while since I’ve shared one of these impromptu ‘what I’ve been up to’ posts with you. I suppose there are multiple reasons for that, but the main ones are that I’m still sharing stories from our Cape Town adventure with you.If you’re new around here, you probably think that this is some sort of travel-only blog! Fear not, the travel-related posts are winding down, and we will soon be returning to our regularly-scheduled programming. We just had such an amazing time that I’ve been bursting with stories and photos to share.

The other one is that I’m still in residency, even though it’s not something I talk about much around here. That whole full-time doctor thing means that life outside the blog is filled the brim with sick patients and clinic appointments. Residency is done in June (!!), so I’m also starting to think about what life after residency will look like. I had my first job interview last night!

Click to read more, and check out my GIVEAWAY!… Read More »

Choosing the Best Hashtags for Instagram

Hashtags are important for engagement and helping people to find and follow your account. Here are some tips for choosing the best hashtags for Instagram.
I had such an overwhelmingly positive response to my last Instagram Hacks post on how to ‘schedule’ posts on Instagram that I thought I’d share how I choose the best hashtags for Instagram. Hashtag awesome, right? 🙂

You want to choose hashtags that increase your Instagram engagement. By engagement, I mean more people finding your account that don’t already follow you and more likes. With the new Instagram smartfeed rolling out right now, engagement is more important than ever. If people don’t ‘like’ your photo, it will get low priority assigned to it and decrease the chance people will even see it!… Read More »

Table Mountain + Cable Car, Cape Town

Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa was one of my favorite things that we did on our trip there. It’s just as it sounds – a massive rock plateau that looks like a table. It’s right in the middle of the city and is only accessible by a cable car.

It’s also one of those places where it’s better to let the photos speak for themselves…. Read More »

South Africa Garden Route Treehouse Hotel

Teniqua Treetops Treehouse Hotel, located along the Garden Route in South Africa, is a peaceful and romantic place and the perfect escape from Cape Town.

As a part of our Cape Town trip, Pat and I spent a few days driving from Cape Town to Knysna along the famous South African Garden Route. I have to admit, despite meeting so many South Africans who absolutely raved about the Garden Route, we honestly weren’t that impressed. It’s pretty touristy, and most of the drive itself is actually pretty far from the coast. That’s the last you’ll hear about it here, as I only cover things on A Side of Sweet that we absolutely love.

One absolute gem came out of the drive though, that made the 12 hour round trip drive worth it. That was our stay in an actual treehouse at Teniqua Treetops Resort outside of Sedgefield, South Africa and about 15 minutes from Knysna…. Read More »

Healthy Seed Bread Muffins

A whole grain healthy seed bread muffin recipe that is guilt-free and perfect for breakfast or with a meal. Super easy to make and delicious!

One of our favorite things to do on our trip to Cape Town, South Africa, was also one of our favorite things to do here in San Francisco – explore by eating. Cape Town is a total foodie town and we had meal after amazing meal. It was heaven. Seriously, there’s something there for everyone.

I think the best meal we had in Cape Town was at Dash Restaurant in the Queen Victoria hotel, on the waterfront. That’s right I’m naming a favorite out of the dozens of meals that we had!… Read More »