gml approved | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

Hi dolls! Is it seriously already Monday…?! The weekend flew by, but that’s probably because I had such a great one Yesterday I spent the day downtown visiting my friend Sara (who just so happens to be my supervisor at work too, haha). Isn’t she lovely?

You know, I’ve lived outside of Philadelphia all of my life, but the amount of time I spend in the actual city is seriously lacking. I live right near one of the greatest cities in the county, and I really want to start taking advantage of that. Not to mention that with amazing restaurants and specialty food markets on every corner, it’s pretty much foodie-heaven.

We met at her place (which, is in thee most fun/adorable neighborhood) where I also met these little rascals.

First Sara and I headed to her favorite local cafe where we got coffee and caught up for a bit. I ordered an iced coffee.

And then…we were off! Sara showed me around her neighborhood…aka where all of the best shopping is We went in a few amazing thrift stores and walked away with some great finds. I also picked up these fun feather earrings from a store on South Street.

We also stopped at Phileo Yogurt for my very first pimped-out-fro-yo experience.

I must admit that I’ve envied other bloggers for the longest time because these fro-yo joints just don’t seem to exist around me. My exact words to Sara: “Wow, I feel like a real food blogger now!” haha My bowl contained peanut butter and cupcake batter yogurts, topped with fresh fruit, cookie dough, and coconut.

This might not seem like the best of flavor combinations, but it was. Trust me.

After some more shopping and meeting up with Sara’s roommate Elya, we headed to an early dinner. We went to Alma de Cuba, which is arguably one of the best restaurants in the city. Elya is actually a server there, so we didn’t need much help deciding what to order. We ended up getting a hodge-podge of appetizers, each of which were to die.

Truffled Guacamole - Guacamole with red onions, chives, black truffles and plantain chips:

Lobster Ceviche - Pickled coconut and kaffir lime-coconut puree:

Smoked Marlin Tacos - Iceberg, pickled jalepeno and malanga:

Empanada de Verde - Red kale, manchego cheese and artichoke escabeche:

Yellowtail Kingfish - Yuzu, Thai basil, sweet soy glaze and sichimi togarashi:

Royal Palm Dates - Almond-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon with cabrales blue cheese (my favorite!):

Rainbow Ceviche - Tuna, salmon and black bass marinated in lime juice and jalapeno with roasted sweet potato slices:

We also munched on this killer bread. It was crumbly and sweet, and also happens to be gluten free.

This was hands down some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. If you’re ever in the Philly area, you must go to Alma de Cuba!

We rounded out the day with some even more shopping, and then I headed home. All in all it was a really great day I’m definitely going to make it a point to go downtown more often!

Have you ever been to Philadelphia?
What city(s) do you live near?

Hello, my little tan-free beauties! It’s now week two of National Skin Cancer Awareness Month. I’ve got quite a loaded post for today’s Tan-Free Tuesday, including two readers’ stories, so let’s get started!

Melanie’s Story

I recently just canceled my tanning membership for various reasons. I’ve been tanning since the age of 19. I’m a Hispanic American and as you may obviously know, many Hispanic people are naturally tanned. I was an exception and am pale as a ghost…or I was. My entire family has the “natural” glow so I was always made fun of for being “white” by my family, my friends, and just random people. I felt the need to keep up or try to live up to them. I wanted to fit in because being “white” was not cool. After I started tanning, some of my family members would tell me that they didn’t like my tanned skin and that they loved my “porcelain” skin. WHAT?! You call me names and then say you miss my “white” skin??? I’m 22 years old now and I’ve quit tanning FOR GOOD. Why? Because I don’t feel the need to live up to my family and friends. My health is far more important than to please them. I quit because I don’t want that risk of getting skin cancer (I KNOW IT CAN HAPPEN TO ME OR TO YOU…SCARY), I don’t want to wrinkle/age faster than what I should, and I never really know if those tanning beds are really clean. Not only that, I have freckles and when I tan they come out even more… I just want people to know that there REALLY are light skinned Hispanics and I’m one of them. I’ve learned to embrace my skin now because it’s beautiful and clean and taken care of. Now, I’m the “white” family member or friend and I’m totally okay with it.

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Michelle’s Story

I started tanning when I was 17 and worked at a hair salon that had a bed and a hex (stand-up tanning booth). I first went for my senior homecoming dance because all the other girls were and it was free since I worked there. I’ve always been freckled and very pale, and even though I didn’t get very dark from the tanning it gave me a burst of color that made me much more confident. I got so many compliments and felt so much cuter that somehow a few months turned into 9 years.

My first year of college I got a job at a tanning salon and went to tanning seminars and learned a lot about different lotions and different products to better enhance tanning. I never even thought about my skin being damaged really I wasn’t worried about it. But in the back of my mind the fact that I couldn’t be honest about my tanning to my mom or my little sisters that looked up to me I knew it wasn’t a good choice. Yet that still didn’t stop me. Even as a very poor college student I still continued paying a monthly fee to keep up my tan.

Then last year I got a random text message from my mom saying “do you still tan” and the fact that it was just an something that was never talked about it really startled me. She then sent me an article on new facts about tanning and skin cancer and how it was just as bad as smoking for your health. For some reason that one article helped me to completely stop I went that day and canceled my package. I haven’t tanned in over a year. Several times in the last year I’ve thought about going again and honestly its been hard. But my skin is much more soft and healthy and I’m actually starting to like my true skin color. I know that my future self will always thank me for quitting when I did.

- MKG from MoveLoveCook

Reader Tips: Self Tanning

Some of you left comments with great self-tanning tips last week, so I wanted to take the opportunity to share them!

Tracey @ I’m Not Super Human - I pick Jergen’s Natural Glow, since it builds over time. Here’s a tip, though: If you’re fair-skinned, stick with medium. The pigments in it are better so you don’t turn orange. It’s much more natural than the light version.

Alison - I used to use Coppertone Endless Summer self-tanner and loved it. However, it’s super hard to find nowadays! I haven’t used self-tanner at all this year and am learning to embrace my pale skin. It’s easier said than done!

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Jessica Lee @ Living in the Kitchen, Gym, and Mall - I have used Clinique self sun and it works great!! I also get Mystic Spay Tans They are WONDERS on me.

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Lily @ Lily’s Health Pad - I am naturally fair skinned and freckly. I used to apply self tanner all the time. But A couple years ago, I gave it up. I’ve come to appreciate my natural color, and I don’t mind rocking the white- even in the summer!

Nicole @ Making Good Choices - I love Jergens for everyday use..I usually just use that on my arms though and it leaves a nice amount of color all year round (I like to think anyways!)

Michelle @ Give Me The Almond Butter - I like Nivea sun-kissed products. They dry really fast and don’t have the icky smell of Jergens natural glow.

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Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine - favorite self-tanner is L’oreal sublime glow mist. it’s a gradual tanner, and it’s super easy to apply!

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Thanks so much, lady loves!

Must-Reads

Alex from I Eat Asphalt commented last week, and I was excited to hear that she actually works for a dermatologist in nearby Philadelphia! She gave me the link to the American Academy of Dermatology Fact Sheets, all of which are incredibly helpful and interesting. Some of my favorites are:

Thanks Alex!! That’s it for this week’s edition of Tan-Free Tuesday. If you’d like to share anything for next week, please feel free to leave a comment letting me know!