COOL SH*T I LOVELOVELOVE – Monthly Favorites, February 2021

This month’s favorites are up a bit earlier than usual since we’ll be spending the end of the week at an indoor WATERPARK with the fam – woohoo! Excited to experience their safety measures and be able to do something that feels “normal” within a safe capacity, so stay tuned for Stories for the real time fun. 🙂 Now holy MARCH – we almost here. This list of favorites has been brewing for a hot sec because I had so many easy no-brainers on the list – so you know it’s a GOOD LIST. From the BEST chips n’ guac at home to two incredible drugstore beauty launches, to new Equilibria CBD goodies, it’s jam -packed with goodness…a whole lotta Cool Sh*t to lovelovelove. 😉 Let’s dive in… 

   

Raise Them Kind sweatshirt

I’m a sucker for sweatshirts. The bigger the better, and you’ll find me fighting “real clothes” in favor of oversized sweats all winter long. I just really dig the acid wash from the bleach on this one, not to mention the message. I sized up one (to a Medium) for a more oversized fit. I have this pink tie dye MAMA sweatshirt from the same small shop – lovelovelove!

RAISE THEM KIND mama sweatshirt - on Coming Up Roses

RAISE THEM KIND mama sweatshirt - on Coming Up Roses RAISE THEM KIND mama sweatshirt - on Coming Up Roses

Pamela’s brownies

If you’ve been looking for the best brownies in the world…no worries. I’ve found them. 😉 This is such a favorite favorite of mine! A sweet reader, Pamela, reached out a few months ago to send us some of her “famous” brownies – which, at that point, were more just “family famous” since she hadn’t started selling them anywhere! Since then, she launched an Etsy shop with SO MANY OPTIONS for insides, and I just couldn’t be happier for her. I bought some and overnighted them from her for J’s birthday in January, then grabbed more for V-Day and was lucky enough to be able to safely meet up in person, which was such fun.

I kid you not, friends…these brownies are where it’s at. They’re deep dish and the perfect combo of rich and fudgey – J and I think they’re best in the freezer! They don’t freeze solid, so they’re just gooooood. My favorite so far are the tart dried cherry!

 

Be Still – 90 Devotions for the Hopeful Heart devotional

Taylor included this devotional in my Christmas package, and it came at truly the perfect time. I had been on the hunt for a good new one to start every morning and as soon as I read the intro I had tears in my eyes and was sold. Would highly recommend for fellow Enneagram 3’s who struggle slowing down and holding hope in harder times. It’s written in a very real, digestible way that hits all the heart strings. 

  

Wet n’ Wild tinted hydrator

My interest was first piqued on this as a potential drugstore dupe to my favorite tinted hydrator from Tarte. Especially since this one is not even $5 at the drugstore, when Tarte’s is nearly $30. And y’all…I am shook.

It’s a FABULOUS, comparable option. It’s oil-free, which I lovelovelove having more naturally oily skin. It’s got Hyaluronic acid inside to be hydrating, provides a pretty buildable sheer-to-medium coverage, and has a semi-matte finish for all skin types. Does not feel greasy at all – is GREAT for lighter makeup days. Absolutely worth grabbing!

Peep my text with Katie below – we were both wearing this week, and she thinks she likes this $5 even BETTER than the Tarte one.

ELF camo cream

My hopes were HIGH when I first saw Camo Cream launch, since it was rumored to be a comparable drugstore option to my very favorite IT Cosmetics CC Cream. And let me tell you – I’ve yet to be let down. This stuff blew my mind; it’s pretty full coverage, color correcting, but not cakey. It’s got SPF, as well as collagen, peptides, and niacinamide to hydrate your skin. Super similar in formulation to IT Cosmetic’s, for $14 instead of nearly $40. So, DEFINITELY worth trying in my book.

Also seems to have a pretty inclusive shade range, which I lovelovelove (and which is looooong overdue in the beauty industry), and ELF is 100% vegan + cruelty-free as a brand, which is awesome.

 

Equilibria CBD Indulgence collection 

OK SO, I’ve mentioned my Equilibria CBD journey before. My lovelovelove for Equilibria as a brand runs deep; like I’ve said before, they’re the only CBD brand I trust and that I will use myself (or recommend to you!). They recently launched the Indulgence Collection around Valentine’s Day, with three bottles of Daily Drops in the most DELICIOUS flavors: peach gelee, mint chocolate truffle, + strawberry shortcake. And let me tell you. If you’ve ever struggled with CBD that tasted too “earthy” or herbally, you HAVE  to treat yo’self to the Indulenge Collection and live a little. Truly, DELISH. My favorite  is the peach!

Personally, I start my day with my Daily Drops and put a dropper’s worth under my tongue, hold for around 60 seconds to let absorb, and then spit any excess oil (since there’s no absorbent benefit from swallowing – it won’t make it to your bloodstream that way!). 

ALSO you can get an Equilibria discount anytime with code ericaligenza at checkout.

Letter ledge in family room

I had been looking for the *perfect* piece to add to our family room wall beneath the stairs and knew it couldn’t be photos since I didn’t want anything competing with the big gallery wall living the staircase. My girl Taylor has one of these letter ledges in her own living room and I’ve always been a fan of it, so I decided to try one of those on this wall. Totally lovelovelove how it turned out, and the fact that I can change it up with the seasons – and also love that it’s from a small shop!

 

Hard boiled egg cooker

I bought this thing on Amazon FOREVER ago after seeing it come highly recommended, but it sat in a cabinet for far too long. Recently we re-discovered it and gave it a go, and WOW WOW WOW learn from my mistake, add to cart and use it STAT. It’s a great little hard boiled egg cooker that does six eggs in 16 minutes. They’re done perfectly every time, and it’s such a great, healthy, high-protein snack to have on hand in the fridge, to use for egg salads, etc. You don’t even have to worry about timing – there’s a cute little song timer built into it that I literally wish could be my ringtone. Ha!

Amazon headband pack

I’ve always been a big headband girl – I still have a few in my collection from high school that were really quite Blair Waldorf-y. That being said, I’ve also gotten RID of a lot in my collection that were just not comfortable for all-day wear, because ain’t nobody got time for pain or headaches when there are enough other headaches in the world. 😉 This pack piqued my interest since it’s every color under the sun for such an affordable price. And turns out, it’s a winner winner chicken dinner.

You get 18 colors for about $20, and they’re actually the MOST comfortable headbands I’ve found. So if you’re someone who needs a color for every occasion, don’t sleep on this steal!

 

    

Kirkland guacamole packs + bulk tortilla chips

Kirkland is a Costco brand! This snack has been on REPEAT in our household for months. Now, for context, we take our chips and guac VERY seriously. Even Liv, who knows SO WELL that “abo-cabos” make “guacy-molee” and will never turn down a chip with dip. Simply put, Costco’s are the best. In both tortilla chip AND guacamole packs. More specifically, they have a bulk bag of tortilla chips and a multi-pack of individually-packaged guacamole servings, both under the Kirkland brand, that are phenomenal.

The chips are juuuuust salty enough and the guacamole doesn’t have raw onion in it, which I wholeheartedly appreciate since raw onion gives me indigestion (and so many guacamoles have it!). Plus, it’s really the perfect serving size, so you don’t have any overripe guac, either.

 

HAVE YOU TRIED ANY OF MY MONTHLY FAVORITES YET?

And what have been YOUR Monthly Favorites? Would lovelovelove to know! Let me know if you try Equilibria CBD (make sure to use my link/code for your discount!!!), if chips n’ guac is on the menu, or if you’ve tried the Wet n’ Wild or ELF launches lately. 🙂

P.S. ICYMI and wanna get caught up on or last month’s favorites, just click here!