The NORDSTROM ANNIVERSARY SALE 2023 is almost here starting on Tuesday July 11th with first access for Icon Nordy Club Members. They’ve already launched the preview online so everyone can browse and save favorites to a wishlist.
Here are the dates and info for the NSALE. I am at the Ambassador Level so I’ll be shopping on the 12th.
Icons early access July 11 – 16
Ambassadors early access July 12 – 16
Influencers early access July 13 – 16
Open to Everyone July 17 – August 6
I went through the entire catalog and saved a bunch of favorites I want to check out. I’ve shopped the sale every year for as long as I can remember. I always look forward to their Beauty Exclusives for new launches and special edition sets or colors. I have to say this year I have mixed feelings about the beauty offerings. They seem to have more value sets and discounts on bundles rather than truly new or innovative colors.
I have a feeling that many of these will be on sale during the holiday season so I don’t think there is any rush to go-buy-now unless you already have them on your wishlist anyways. Whether you’re shopping in store or online, PLEASE check out the Gift With Purchase Page before you shop. In store associates don’t always know about the gift offerings and I often miss out and don’t realize that until I get home. Make a list or screen shot the gifts on your phone to show the sale associate helping you. Nordstrom updates the GWP page regularly – right now there isn’t much listed but they always add tons of special offers once the sale starts.
There are some really good fragrance sampler sets from Byredo, Creed, Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Jo Malone – all of which I think are great for those who want to try scents out at their leisure vs splurging on a huge bottle. I have my eye on the Byredo Eau de Parfum Trio (it will be interesting to see how small they are in real life, they’re 8 ml each).
If you’ve had your eye on Vacation Inc Sunscreen, I think this SUNSCREEN Duo is a must.
Shop the Skincare, Hair Care and Fragrance Sets
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ACCESSORIES AND HOME
Barefoot Dreams is on sale and I will be buying a few. The ones we currently own have seen better days, especially since Ollie loves them a lot. It’s the perfect time for me to buy some fresh new ones.
Tons of designer accessories are on sale this year. To be honest the designer sunglasses on sale aren’t always the best quality like the regular offerings, but I have been really happy with previous year’s Celine.
Shop the Sale Accessories and Sunglasses
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WOMEN’S TOPS
Lots of cute tops and sweaters for fall! It’s too hot to think about cozy wear but there are cute options to shop for the upcoming season. It has been a long time since I’ve worn a leather jacket. I never have the occasion to wear one but this nude one from L’Agence is just SO beautiful.
Shop the Post
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ACTIVEWEAR
There are always lots of great deals on active wear. I’m a pretty loyal fan to Lululemon or Vuori for workout tops and shorts, but I also really like Zella and Free People. My favorite New Balance sneakers are on sale too with lots of styles available including the 574 and 327 in different colors.
Shop the Active Wear
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Are you shopping the Nordstrom Sale this year? What’s on your wishlist! I’ll be posting a haul as soon as I can after the 12th!
As always I’m hosting a giveaway as my way of thanking you for following me! I’ll be giving away 1 eGift Card to Nordstrom (US site only). It’s open internationally but know that the gift card will be for the US site. 1 winner will be selected on Friday. To enter complete ALL THE STEPS in the widget below. Partial entries will be disqualified.
Happy Sunday! It’s time for another Ask Sabrina roundup! You sent in SO many great questions in my last poll on the blog and on Instagram, I think I have a list long enough to keep this series going on for the next several months!
Here are 10 more questions I’m answering today. As always if you’re curious about something personal, my background, etc. you can always click on the ASK SABRINA category to read past posts!
Even though many of you have been with me from the beginning (ie before I ever showed my face to the world) there are lots of new readers who want to know more about how I started my blog, how to become a beauty influencer/blogger, why we moved to Florida and more. All of these are answered in past Ask Sabrina posts, but I’ll elaborate on a few since many of you have asked follow up questions.
1. Can you tell us more about your upcoming move? Why are you moving again? How can you decide between San Diego or Miami?
Andrew and I love exploring and our jobs give us the flexibility to do it! San Diego is still home to me. I have family and friend there although many have moved away over the past decade. A lot of our friends moved away from San Diego to bigger cities like LA or San Francisco for more job opportunities. Also when the pandemic hit and everything was shut down many of our friends moved to different states to be closer to family.
We might move back to San Diego because of Andrew’s job and my family there. But right now our heart is set on Miami for our next adventure. We are exploring our options and are are taking our time exploring both.
For our move to Miami, I’ve always wanted to live in a big city and we both love all that Miami has to offer. It’s significantly bigger than Tampa and whenever we travel to Miami we are always sad to leave. We still love Tampa/St. Pete but we’re ready for a change after being here 6 years.
And who knows? We might be back after a year or so! A lot of readers have told me they have places on both coasts. They travel back and forth depending on what vibe they want. Tampa/St Pete is more casual laid back and relaxed while Miami is busier and has more energy.
2. Do you ever regret leaving your 9-5 corporate job? Do you feel your education and background in finance helps you with your blogging career today?
I have ZERO regrets about leaving the corporate world. When I quit my corporate job to blog full time nearly everyone told me I would regret it. At the time I decided to leave I was really torn. It was the first company I worked at that had a good workplace culture and environment. I really loved the team I worked with and the management. All that said, I still felt limited in what I could do and how I could grow. I was expected to advance to a managerial position eventually and managing people is not my thing at all. The transition of working at a big company to working alone was quite a shock for me. It took some time to get used to but I haven’t regretted it at all.
All of my experiences have been beneficial to me in some way. I do think my education helped in many ways. I don’t know that I would call it essential for me now, but I’m happy I went through it.
4. What is one beauty product you wish existed but doesn’t?
I REALLY love that Chanel makeup applicator machine from the movie Fifth Element. Instant look that’s also Chanel? Sign me up! For something more realistic, I would really love it Chanel brought back their best colors they discontinued (ie Nude Lip Liner, Seashell or Glow Glossimer, or any of the glossimers really).
5. Best wedding lipstick?
This would be a great question for me to ask YOU! I’d love to do a poll on what lipstick you wore to your wedding because Andrew and I didn’t have one. We got married at the courthouse in San Diego because planning a wedding was overwhelming. Andrew proposed while we were both in grad school. We had been dating for nearly 7 years and knew we were ready, but school was very time consuming for both of us. We had very busy schedules and I felt like we barely saw each other for 3 years!
We had planned on having a big ceremony a year later after we both graduated when we had more time to plan and have fun with it all. But by the time a year rolled around we were both very happily married, felt like we didn’t need a big wedding and decided to save the $$$ for a future honeymoon trip.
For weddings I’ve attended I actually don’t recall what beauty products I’ve worn, but I feel like for lipstick it would have usually been something from Tom Ford or Chanel. It’s really the ceremony or being there for loved ones that I remember versus what I wore. It’s been a long time since we’ve been to a wedding – most of our friends all have kids by now!
6. What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
Hands down anything sweet. I love Jeni’s Ice Cream and Trader Joe’s Pancake Bread. I also love Swedish Fish and Haribo gummies.
7. Do you like to cook or bake? What are your favorite foods?
Yes, I love baking and cooking! I used to work at Williams and Sonoma and assisted in their cooking classes. I had to stop baking though because it was incredibly unhealthy.
When we moved to Florida we both started cooking a lot to eat healthier but right now I actually don’t cook very much. Andrew wanted to find a way to help cut down on my cooking time so we’ve been trying out some meal plans. If you want an overview or recs I can definitely share them. Finding one we both like has been a challenge because I’m the ultimate picky eater. We’ve tried a lot!
8. What’s a habit you’ve build into your routine?
Both Andrew and I have made an extra effort to improve our health and wellness and it’s made such a huge difference in our lives. We don’t always eat healthy, we still like to indulge, but we’ve made a huge effort to cut down on sugar intake and we’ve never felt better! It’s been a challenge since I have a sweet tooth, but we really make an effort to consume it in moderation.
9. You’re stuck on a desert island, what 5 beauty products do you want with you?
This question always has me laughing because I have follow up questions! Am I by myself? Who else is there? Can I escape or get off the island? If I’m by myself chances are that I really won’t care about beauty products and would rather want something to get me off that island!
I did take a whiff of the Aesop Pet Shampoo but thought the scent was too strong so I didn’t buy it. I could see myself using it, but I felt like it would be too much for Ollie’s nose. If you have tried it on your pet let me know!
Ollie still hates baths so we wash him in the shower which he tolerates.
And yes Ollie and Kitty get along well. They don’t snuggle but they actually play together now and have zoomies where they chase each other. Sometimes the cat is the one who initiates play time with some playful swatting. It’s so cute.
That wraps up this week’s Ask Sabrina series! If you want to share your wedding lipstick in the comments I’m sure future brides would be absolutely grateful to hear what your favorites are! I’ll also do a poll on Instagram this week and share results in my next Ask Sabrina series.
Tom Ford Beauty has some new launches this summer and I think they’re stunning! The recent shimmer eyeshadow quads and Summer Soleil de Feu collection items remind me of what Tom Ford Beauty used to be like! Fresh, glowy, easy to wear with good color payoff.
I also wanted to include swatches of two newer Eyeshadow Palettes in Golden Hour and Hazy Sensuality ($90 each). I bought these several months ago and never reviewed them but I 100% think they’re worth checking out (there are 3 new ones, I bought 2).
Soleil de Feu Eyeshadow Palette
There are two eyeshadow palettes in the summer launch. I picked up the more neutral option Soleil de Feu Eyeshadow Palette in Tropical Dusk. It’s really beautiful and wearable with a soft dusty matte pink, a soft deeper brown, a shimmery copper gold and a sparkling light glitter taupe topper. Colors have really good pigment and color payoff with easy to blend textures. The warmer option Island Haze also looks really beautiful. I was very tempted to buy it but opted to just get one this round.
Soleil de Feu Shimmering Highlighter
We all probably have way to many highlighters at this point. Anytime I find one I’m really impressed with I’m surprised and the Tom Ford Oasis Highlighter is just stunning. It’s a neutral warm champagne gold with slight peachy tones. The shimmer isn’t over the top – it’s smooth, doesn’t emphasize pores and the undertone is just PERFECT for olive skin tones! I’m sure it would also look great on cool tones too.
Texture is almost like a gel to powder. Pigment is easy to control and layer. I really try not to do back ups these days but this one is so perfect, I might order one more before it’s gone.
For the lips there are two shades of the Soleil de Feu Plumping Lip Balm. The stock photos are a bit misleading as these have an overspray of glitter on the outside which make the balms look completely different from the true color. I lots of reviews of these before ordering which saved me money on Sunlight (many have reported it’s not gold, but pale in color almost like a concealer color).
I’m 100% happy that I bought Sun Spark. It looks like a bold orange cherry red with gold flecks. On me it’s SO much lighter in color, almost like a neutral light-medium soft peachy color.
The glitter on the exterior did not show up at all, even on a hand swatch and I’m 100% ok with it. It makes for a really great wow factor when you open the tube, but one swipe and it’s gone.
The balm does seem to have a slight plumping effect but there’s no tingle or sting. On me it’s somewhere in between a balm and lipstick for how it feels. It’s hydrating and comforting on the lips, but it’s not really glossy or emollient like a traditional balm. For me this makes it feel like it lasts longer on the lips. Extremely pricy but I think the color is really pretty.
New Eyeshadow Quads
Last a quick look at the Hazy Sensuality (neutral/lighter tones) and Golden Hour (warmer peachy) Eyeshadow Palettes. Both have that finely milled pressed metallic finish like Nude Dip/Honeymoon. Pigment is on the medium-sheer side but easy to layer for more color payoff. I’ve been wearing Golden Hour a lot this summer.
I give both a solid A+ rating. I actually give everything I bought in this post a solid A+ which I haven’t in a long time (for Tom Ford beauty). Incredibly pricey and expensive, but all the colors perform exceptionally well and as a neutral makeup lover, I think the colors are perfect. They’re wearable but different enough from what we’ve seen lately to give you a fresh polished look.
I did a tutorial with Golden Hour in this Reel below:
Chanel launched a limited-edition collection of colorful accessories in their Codes Couleur Collection. The items launched on Friday and sold out online almost instantly. I shared a look on Instagram stories on Friday and some of you were able to order them before they sold out! I ordered a handful online the second they launched and they arrived very quickly so I was able to swatch them over the weekend. Colors in action here.
Onvi, Cavalier Seul, Premiere Dame, Diva and Rouge Noir are available in Chanel Beauty Boutiques so if you have one near you they might still have them in stock. The other colors Ballerina, Immortelle, Fugueuse, Incendiarie were exclusive online. I don’t know if they will restock them at this point. I hope they consider launching these again because the matching sets are really cute!
Each Les Pinceaux de Chanel Brush Trio Brush Set contains the same brushes, the only difference is the color of the case. I’ve really loved the Chanel beauty brushes I own. I’ve purchased many over the years each time they’ve revamped them and all but 1 has held up really well (one fell apart but it was after many years of owning it).
The Brush Set has brushes that seem to be the same quality as the individual brushes:
2-in-1 Foundation and Powder Brush 101 (angled, love this for bronzing creams)
Dior Beauty seems to be reformulating all of their products and the latest I’ve tried is the new Rosy Glow Blush ($40 each). Now available in six shades: Pink, Coral, Rosewood, Cherry, Berry and Mahogany. There are lots of mixed reviews on the new formula. After testing all the colors here are my thoughts. I also swatched the coordinating Addict Lip Maximizers to go with each blush shade. I know the Lip Oils are the more popular lip option from Dior these days but I really prefer the Lip Maximizers for the texture and colors.
I think the new formula performs just as well as the original for most of the colors. Color-wise the Original 001 Pink pulled a deeper more pigmented pink on my skin while the new 001 Pink pulls more true to pan and has a lighter baby pink finish. I think they are both really pretty on the skin. I like to use the pink on top of other blushes to add a pop of color.
Texture and finish depends on the color. I really love the colors Coral and Rosewood. The pigment is easy to control as these blend easily and layer nicely for more color. Coral makes for a really nice peachy summer color and Rosewood is your perfect year-round neutral.
I found the deeper bold shades to be really intimidating in the pan and initially thought Cherry, Berry and Mahogany were shades I would never wear. I didn’t buy them at first, but in the effort to try something new and different, and to give you a thorough review of the formula, I decided to order them anyways!
Cherry was a nice surprise with a red flush. Application is smooth and easy to blend out.
Berry has an intense color very contrasted with my skin but blended out ok. I wouldn’t call the application seamless – it did take some work to blend but it’s workable.
Mahogany was a streaky patchy mess and took a lot of blending to try to even out. Even after blending it still looked very uneven on my skin. I tried it as an eyeshadow and there is something about the undertone that doesn’t sit right with my olive skin.
Overall really happy with Pink, Coral and Rosewood. There are lots of beautiful powder blush formulas that launched this season and I think there is something for everyone.
That wraps up my Dior Rosy Glow Blush review! I think they’re beautiful. I don’t know that I would call them must-haves but they perform well, quality is there and I think the bold colors are fun for a more colorful look. The formula is really nice, but color-wise I feel like I’m more drawn to the Gucci or Armani powder blushes this season.
Have you tried the new blush launches this season? What formula is your favorite? Or are you reaching for colors in your current stash?
I have four of the balms plus the quad that I tested to review. You can find them now at Sephora and Pat McGrath Labs.
Divine Blush Legendary Glow Colour Balm
There are six shades of the Divine Blush Legendary Glow Colour Balm. I was sent 3 to test and purchased an additional shade to try. These are glowy balmy twist up sticks that give a soft wash of color with a dewy glass like finish. I’m usually not a fan of balmy dewy cheek products. They’re often too glossy in finish, have a sticky feel and rarely last long especially in humid weather.
Paradise Peony is a beautiful soft peachy pink
Divine Rose is a soft rose pink
Peach Lotus is a soft peach
Forbidden Fleur is a berry plum
After testing these I have to say that I don’t think they’re for me but they are exactly as described so I feel like I can’t give these a bad review. They’re hydrating and dewy and perform just like you’d expect a balm to. Colors sheer out once blended and give you that radiant fresh glow. Unfortunately on me it’s too glossy and glass like. Texture is on the thicker side which makes them adhere to the skin and stay put much longer than expected. However my hair gets stuck constantly on the cheeks.
On the lips they’re lovely but I prefer her other lip balm formulas for the lips instead. You can see them applied in action below. For skintone reference I’m wearing the Skin Fetish Foundation in Light Medium 14 (reviewed here). It’s still one of my favorite foundation formulas for a classic medium coverage finish.
Colors are absolutely beautiful and very wearable. The finish is just not for me, even if I layer a powder blush on top.
Luxe Eyeshadow Quad in Passion Fleur
I ordered the Luxe Eyeshadow Quad in Passion Fleur and absolutely love it. I am not a fan of purples on me but the matte eggplant is really pretty and very wearable as a liner or crease color. I think the other shimmers in the palette are just breathtakingly beautiful. They are very sparkly but they’re not glitters. Lasting power is excellent and the shades layer beautifully together. A solid thumbs up and I kinda like that it’s not the traditional bronzey or peachy eye palette you usually see for summer (even though I live for those kinds of shades).
I do think if you’re a fan of dewy cheek products (I know a lot of you are) that you will really enjoy the balms for Pat McGrath. I can see myself maybe wearing one layered with powder for a nice evening out if I want to look fresh and glowy. But for everyday they just aren’t my cup of tea.
You can find them now at Sephora and Pat McGrath. Have you tried these yet? Are you a fan of cream or balmy cheek products?
Happy Monday! Doing another round of Q&As for my Ask Sabrina series! I think I might do this every other week going forward! Also hosting another giveaway!
1) Do you ever wish you were in a different line of work? If you weren’t a beauty influencer/blogger what would you be doing today?
Yes of course! There are some days when I wish I was doing something different but I am really happy being my own boss. I left the corporate world when I was 33. I am grateful everyday that I found something of my own to do and that I can make a living doing what I love. Being self-employed has a lot of challenges and as a team of 1, it can get overwhelming. I’ve been doing this full-time for 9 years now and there have been lots of ups and downs. Things have changed so much since I started blogging but I think every industry goes through lots of changes.
If I weren’t a beauty influencer today I have no idea what I would be doing. When I left my corporate job I was actually interviewing for several other finance positions in other companies. I ended up withdrawing my applications after several rounds of interviews to pursue blogging full-time. A lot can happen in 9 years. If I weren’t a blogger I might still be working in a corporate 9-5 type job but then who knows? I might be doing something completely different too.
2) Do you have packing tips for city trips? What about European travel?
I think packing tips depends on the city. Every city I’ve traveled to is so different! For summer trips I would recommend packing comfortable walking shoes (ie New Balance or APL sneakers are my favs right now). I love the Celine sneakers I splurged on last year, but they are leather so they can get hot. They are really comfortable though and there was no break in period. They only have whole sizes and as a true 6 and a half/36.5 I went with the 36 and they fit perfectly.
A good crossbody bag or tote is essential for me. I’ve been loving the Loewe Puzzle Bag (in small) and love it as an over shoulder bag. I like that it has a zipper closure at the top so you can keep things more secure. Summers are usually hot everywhere but some areas have chilly nights so I’d recommend packing layers like a lightweight denim jacket or sweater. I love the Jenni Kayne Cropped Cabin Sweater. The AG Robyn Denim Jacket is one of the softest jackets I own. It runs very fitted though so I’d recommend sizing up 1-2 sizes.
It’s been so long since we’ve traveled to Europe! I really want to go back. In 2015 we did a month trip to Europe covering 10 cities (I think). If you’ve been a long-time reader you may remember Andrew allowed me to bring 1 backpack for travel. Yes, it was pure insanity, but we made it work. His logic was that since we were going to Paris, Rome, Athens, Istanbul and a Mediterranean cruise and back to Paris that we were going to be in and out of lots of airports. Having a back pack would shorten our travel time and be more convenient than having to check luggage, wait at baggage claim etc.
We traveled in the summer so I rolled everything as tightly as I could and packed tanks, swimsuit, shorts and maybe 2 pairs of shoes (plus the ones I wore on our flight).
I don’t think we’ll ever pack that light again. We had lots of fun but had to buy extra luggage for our trip back because I did some shopping and we didn’t have enough room in our backpacks to bring souvenirs home. I guess the short version is that I don’t have good packing tips for Europe. Backpacking is do-able but I did not look cute the entire trip.
3) Favorite luxury purchase this year?
Oooh tough one! I’ve been really loving the Chanel Coco Crush ring and necklace I splurged on. You can see them here.
4) Best bronzer / your fav right now? One cream, one powder.
Another tough one! I would say Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream in 392 is my favorite for cream and Gucci Eclat Soleil Luminous Bronzer Shade 3 is the one I’ve been reaching for in terms of powders. Also really like the Patrick Ta Major Sculpt Crème Contour and Powder Duo which has both cream + powder in one compact (I like She’s Sculpted).
5) What are the top 5 beauty products you cannot live without?
This changes all the time, but right now: 1) Dior Lip Maximizer in 038 Rose Nude 2) Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch 3) NARS Orgasm Blush 4) Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder 5) Patrick Ta Major Dimension Eyeshadow Palette
6) Best summer perfumes?
This will be a dedicated post! I’ll share my top 3 though: Celine Parade, Loewe Ibiza Eclectic, Creed Virgin Island Water
7) Botox update please! Do you still like the results? Any regrets? Will you do it again?
I’m at the 1 month mark and have so much more movement in my forehead. I can raise my eye brows now a bit and my 11s are coming back. My deep forehead wrinkles are still not fully back yet but I’m starting to see them re-appear. I have no regrets. I will 100% do it again. I don’t know that I will get the same areas done and for sure will ask for fewer units.
When I did my first update 1/2 of you told me you get it done every 6 months. The other half said that was insanity and that it only lasts 3 months. Based on my experience I do think I will need it ever 3 or 4 months for a refresh which means the next appointment will be in August.
8) What’s your summer skincare routine?
I feel like this could be a full blog post too! I haven’t changed much in my routine except I haven’t used retinol or acids as much because of increased sun exposure with it being sunnier right now.
Summers in humid areas are brutal on skin! On one hand I get sweaty and oily when outdoors. My skin also becomes dry with the constant air conditioning or extreme heat from outdoors.
I rarely use anything at night because I like to let my skin breathe. I still use Sunday Riley’s Good Genes but in moderation since it’s an acid.
9) Are you a reader? What are your favorites?
I am not a reader. It has been a very long time since I’ve read a book (longer than I care to admit). I do like to listen to podcasts or watch them on YouTube while I’m editing photos. I feel like the older I get the less patience I have to sit and read. I know it’s terrible but reading takes so much time (I am not a speed reader) and I would much rather watch or listen to something. If you have any books you absolutely loved please let me know. I might pick up one or two to read.
10) We love Ollie! Did you put him through training? He’s so well behaved! Does he sleep through the night? Did you crate train? Does he have separation anxiety?
We put Ollie through a 2 week board and train when he was 5 months old. It was life changing. They were so good to him and he learned so much. He learned to listen, sit, lay down, stay, walk without tugging or impulsively jumping and lots of obey commands even with distractions. We are thinking of sending him back for a refresher soon.
For crate training we failed. We did keep him in a crate for as long as we could but he just never stopped crying. When he was around 4 and a 1/2 months he started sleeping with us. He has a little bed in the corner of our bedroom that he sleeps on sometimes. But he also jumps up and likes to sleep on my feet. All of the pets we’ve had decided they like to sleep on my feet, or on my head lol.
He does sleep through the night but he has night time zoomies and it doesn’t matter how much activity or exercise he’s had in the day, even with evening walks, he spends at least 30 minutes to an hour going nuts before he goes to sleep and it’s only at night. It’s like he doesn’t want to miss out on anything.
Doodles seem to have a lot of separation anxiety and Ollie does since he’s half poodle. He’s getting better though. When he was a puppy he would follow us everywhere around the house and would not let us out of his sight. Andrew likes to bring him with us everywhere we can. We can now leave him at home for short periods of time. He has kitty to keep him company at home. They play with each other all the time and it makes my heart melt.
That wraps up this week’s Ask Sabrina! I’m giving away one box of beauty goodies to one reader! Open to US and Canada readers 18 years or older. To enter complete ALL the steps in the widget below. I’ll pick a winner on Thursday 6/29 and email them directly. Not sponsored or affiliated.
