I’m back! I haven’t written in eight months – yikes. This year…this last year and a half…what a scary/crazy/sad time to be alive. I’ve had a lot of highs and a lot of lows. And zero inclination to write about any of it. But I’ve been feeling the pull to share some of my favorite new things from the last eight months and decided it was time to come back to this space! I have no idea if I’ll start writing regularly again, but here we go for now – FRIDAY FAVORITES!
Rainbows
Yes, this is a favorite (lol). Originally I decided I was only going to have rainbows in my sewing room, since that made the most logical sense. And what I could get away with as an adult woman. But then I started rearranging all my bookshelves by rainbow. And now the rainbows are totally taking over my living room as well. I even added a very colorful quilt to our bed – a room that has always just been blue and gray. I don’t think I’ll spread the rainbow much further throughout the house, but…you never know. They just make me so dang happy! This corner is obviously my favorite.
Farmacy Beauty Very Cherry Clean
I’ve gotten really into skincare this year when I realized in some of my selfies last fall that I looked like I was aging quite a bit. It seems like one of the most basic things you can do for yourself is properly take off your makeup each night and this has become my favorite way to do it. The cherry scent is my absolute favorite, but I’m currently using their newer apple scent which is really nice as well (and great for fall!).
When I remove my makeup at night I smear the melting balm around my face and then wet one of these palm sized remover cloths and use it to wipe away the makeup. It works perfectly and feels so much better for the environment than disposable makeup wipes. Technically they claim you only need water to remove even eye makeup completely, but I like to use the balm for an added measure.
Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask
I have tried out so many nighttime facial creams and serums this year and I keep coming back to this one. I was only using a smaller sample size from Sephora but decided it was time to purchase a larger container since I liked it so much. And of course I was THRILLED to go to their website and see they have a pride edition! š The formula is super creamy and has a very pleasant scent. I still experiment with various serums, but this dream mask is my go to pretty much every night.
CoTz Face Prime & Protect Tinted Sunscreen
I keep hearing that sunscreen is the number one most important thing you need to be using to protect your skin and prevent aging. But I hate sunscreen. Even the mineral kinds meant for your face just feel like they’re smothering me. I got a sample of this one recently and fell in love with it. It’s a sunscreen, but also a primer. The tint is a pretty good match for my skin tone as well. I just purchased a larger size so I’ll be ready for all my outdoor fall adventures.
Dae Shampoo, Conditioner, and Leave In Conditioner
I am ALWAYS looking for new shampoos and conditioners that will actually clean my hair and make it look nice all day. If it has a great scent, that makes it so much better. I picked these up from Sephora a few months ago and just finished up the bottles today. I almost never buy the same shampoo and conditioner twice, but I’m definitely going back to this one again in the future. It has a delightful citrusy scent that feels so luxurious. The leave in conditioner is also wonderful. I started adding that to my hair care regimen earlier this year when I was desperately in need of a hair cut, but didn’t want to make an appointment. Now I use it every day whether my hair is long and tangled or not!
Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle
I don’t use dry shampoo that often because I do wash my hair every day, but I like to have some on hand since my hair is super oily and if I’m going out in the evening for some reason I can give myself a nice refresh. This has been the best I’ve used and highly recommend it. I actually bought this sample set first which has three different types of dry shampoo – perfect for traveling!
Made by Mary Mini Lucky 7 Rectangle Necklace
Made by Mary is currently my favorite jewelry shop. I have so many of their pieces and absolutely love all of them. But this lucky #7? My all time favorite. I wear it all the time. Seven is my favorite number, my birth date, and the number of people/pets in our family. I just love the style of the 7 as well. This is the jewelry company that converted me into a gold lover!
You already know I’m obsessed with throw blankets. I’m always on the lookout for brands I haven’t heard of before. I stumbled across Sunday Citizen and immediately ordered one, and then another, and then another. They have single thickness blankets which are nice (I have a coral colored one on my bed for naps), but the double thickness throws are incredible. So soft, so warm. I can’t wait to snuggle up with them all winter. The pets and children already snuggle with them every day. That rainbow striped blanket on my sewing chair is also from Sunday Citizen, but was only available during June. These are definitely an investment, but they seem to be of great quality and I think they’ll last for a long time.
Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour
My brother and his family were in town for a couple of weeks and requested that I make my homemade pizzas for his birthday celebration. I found myself wasting some time at a specialty grocery store and happened to see this bag of artisan flour. Knowing I needed to make a bunch of pizzas I decided to try it out. And? I will never go back to regular flour for my pizzas. Never. This crust is INCREDIBLE. I just followed the extremely easy recipe on the back of the bag. I made it again earlier this week just to make sure the first time wasn’t a fluke and they turned out just as delicious. I really like my homemade pizza again! I’m going to be ordering this flour in bulk from now on.
Cheesy Poblano and Corn Enchiladas
We’ve been trying to eat more meatless meals lately, so I’m always excited when Tieghan at Half Baked Harvest puts out a new option that intrigues me. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this recipe. I’m going to make it again and again and again. Serve it with some Mexican rice, sour cream, and hot sauce and it’ll be your new favorite meal too. You will never miss the meat!
So I FINALLY went to the podiatrist about my foot pain this summer and got the much expected diagnoses of planter fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. The only real way to fix those problems are to stretch a lot and wear supportive shoes all the time. I was forced to go on a shoe buying binge so I’d have a variety of options for both indoor and outdoor footwear. I thought these sandals looked fairly ridiculous when I first got them because they’re so thick and bulky, but I actually really love them. They’re my go to indoor sandal. They’re comfortable, supportive, and stay on my feet really well.
Birkenstock Tulum Soft Footbed Leather Sandals
This has been my favorite new shoe purchase for outdoor sandals. You need to have “member access” to buy this particular style – but that really only means that you sign up for their newsletter. Birkenstocks are of course one of the best shoes you can buy for great support, but the majority of their styles don’t have a back strap. I have serious issues with my inability to walk properly if a shoe isn’t tightly secured to my foot, so all those options are out for me. This style, though? They’re perfect. They’re so soft and comfortable and I think they look really nice too!
I have never been able to find a sports bra that fits me – until Fabletics. I’m clearly not a hard core workout person, but I do like to wear them (under my shirts!) when I go biking in the morning. Every style I’ve gotten from here has fit me so perfectly and I just adore all the fun styles of straps in the back. Even if nobody sees them, I still feel sporty and fun. I love Fabletics leggings too, but it feels more monumental that I’ve finally found a source for great sports bras.
I also now have a go to source for underwear. Sorry if this is TMI, guys, but I’ve searched far and wide for underwear that’s comfortable AND cute. I love the options from Cacique, and I really love that they come out with new colors every few months.
Because my list of ailments never seems to end anymore, I’ve started having some major sciatica pain this past month. I’ve been doing a lot more stretching to try and fix that problem, but massage is also a huge help. I purchased this massage gun and wish I had gotten one years ago. It feels SO good. In every sore muscle I have. It really felt great on my feet too (until I got steroid shots in them a few weeks ago, finally taking away most of the pain!). But it was so perfect for the sciatica issues.
It was a long time coming, but I finally broke up with Fitbit. After much research I decided to give the Garmin watch a shot. I’m SO happy I did. I absolutely love it. It tracks so many more additional things and is perfect for recording all my bike rides and walks. My only complaint is that it won’t track naps as sleep. And I take a nap almost every day, so it sucks not to have that part of my stats. Supposedly there is a way to do it manually, but I’ve yet to figure it out. Besides that, though, I am seriously thrilled to have this thing on my wrist every day.
Tea Lattes
This is hardly a new invention, but for some reason the idea of it always grossed me out. But I recently found myself with a bunch of black flavored teas, which really aren’t my favorite (but I’m trying to up my caffeine intake). I decided to give them a shot by brewing them quite strongly and then mixing in a good amount of frothed pistachio milk. And they’re delicious! Also, pistachio milk is pretty awesome. It froths better than any other milk type I’ve tried. The only downside is that you can only order it in bulk online.
I started ordering from Bouqs this spring when I needed some flowery cheer. It made sense to try out the subscription service because you get 30% off a bouquet each month, free shipping, and you have a lot of options to change which bouq you want, when you want it, and where you want it shipped. You also have an additional discount each month to use for another bouquet – something I’ve taken advantage of often, sending flowers to other people. I’ve gotten so many gorgeous bouquets and it’s relatively inexpensive compared to most online floral companies. I also think the flower combinations are so much prettier than what you can find in most stores. The only thing better is picking out and creating your own bouquets from Trader Joe’s! But my TJ’s is an hour away, so it’s not something I get to do very often.
