UM, EXCUSE ME. How the *heck* is it the last day of July already?!?! How is August tomorrow?
Halloween is basically next week.
It’s already 2019.
Happy New Year.
LIKE, WHAT.
I’m convinced the days are getting shorter or time is speeding up. Either way. It’s time for another Monthly Favorites roundup! Woo! ICYMI, the series formerly known as “Cool Sh*t I Lovelovelove” that was a total hodge podge of #AllTheThings has now been broken up into 1.) weekly Weekend Reading posts + 2.) Monthly Favorites. So, here we are! Diving right in with this month’s top 10 favorite things…
1.) BABY G!!!!!!!!!!!
This month we announced…our family is growing! I don’t think “excited” really adequately covers this one. But, of course, Baby G is Favorite Numero Uno this month – and we cannot thank you guys enough for all of the sweet messages, comments, + general lovelovelove that was sent our way upon announcing. Like, WOW. As if I didn’t already know it, you guys are DA BEST.
This woulda/coulda/shoulda been in a Favorites post for months + months at this point…it now feels like a Ghost of Favorites Past since it’s been circling in my head + routine + product drawer for-friggin-ever. But, better late than never amiright???
Chances are, if you’ve been around these rosy parts for more than a hot sec, you’ve seen me mention Tula.
Tula has been one of my favorite (if not THE fave) skincare brands since I first discovered it in 2016 (literally almost two years ago to the day was when I placed my first order – hooked ever since!). Tula’s big “schtick” is that their products are all made with natural probiotics + skin “superfoods,” so they’re really formulated on avariety of skin types since they work with *your* specific skin and meet you where you’re at. They’re got no phthalates, parabens, toxins, carcinogens, mineral oil, sodium laurel sulfate, or harmful preservatives. They’re cruelty free.
This cleanser in particular is literally good for ALL skin types (seriously). It’s gentle, yet effective. Tula is *always* the brand that I consistently return to, especially if/when I’m experiencing more problematic areas from testing another brand or product (cos ain’t nobody got time). I could write a BOOK about Tula (it’ll probably be a full blog post someday? Ha!), but I’ll try to keep this short n’ sweet n’ focused-ish on the Purifying Cleanser itself.
It’s a probiotic gel cleanser for all skin types, meant to be strong enough to get rid of impurities without stripping your skin of the good, necessary stuff. It’s got lactic acid to naturally cleanse/exfoliate for radiance, chicory root as a natural anti-inflammatory to make skin look firmer, turmeric root as a powerful antioxidant to reduce signs of inflammation, blueberries for tons of antioxidants against free-radical attack, + probiotics for hydration and moisture lock-in. Phew.
Can’t recommend more. I have 3 tubes at my house currently.
ALSO ALSO ALSO, their team is A+ and passed along a code for you guys to get 20% off, if you decide you wanna try anything! Just drop code COMINGUPROSES at checkout. 😉
3.) Summer Boardwalk Bath & Body Works Candle
You know it’s a good candle when you go back and buy 4 more so you never run out. #guilty. This smells like a straight up dream. It’s a combo of scents: Caramel-Glazed Popcorn, Warm Taffy-Apples, Salty Sweet Cream. You would (or might) THINK upon reading that list that it’d be this sickly sweet concoction of scents – but it’s not. It’s just so yummy and cozy and perfect.
4.) Louis Vuitton Petis Mochette bag
FUNNY STORY…I bought this bag by accident. I KNOW I KNOW, how the heck can anyone buy a friggin’ Louis Vuitton bag by accident?!?! Apparently, I can. Because I’m an idiot. But a good idiot, because it turned out to be a happy accident in that this bag is AWESOMESAUCE.
But. The story.
So I had just found a new-to-me online auction site for pre-owned, authentic designer bags. I had been on the hunt for this specific LV bag for months to no avail – so when I found it on StockX, I was stoked. I had no clue how the website worked or anything, so I was playing around on it to get a lay of the land…and ended up (intentionally) placing a bid. The thing was, my bid was so far below the asking price for the bag slash true value of it that I figured there was NO WAY in you know where that it would *ever* be accepted.
Sure enough, minutes later I got an email…someone else outbid me.
And this is why I shouldn’t be allowed at auctions.
Because my winner instincts took over. And I placed another bid. We went back and forth 2-3 times before I called it quits – and I figured I was outbid, especially since the seller had lowered the asking price to outright buy the bag, but only by a hundred bucks or so.
A few weeks later, I got an email – my bid was accepted.
UM WHAT.
I didn’t even know I was the highest bidder. And my bid was HUNDRED of dollars less than the bag’s value.
So…that was awk. And also great. But mainly awk. And WHOOPS.
5.) Edge brownie pan
If you’re on team brownie edge (versus team brownie middle), this is for you. It is exactly what it says it is – a brownie pan that just makes edge pieces. I’m that girl who will eat around the pan just to get the crunchiest, chewiest pieces, so this is my JAM.
And it works like a charm. They come out perfectly gooey + chewy + yummy.
6.) Secret Clinical Strength deodorant
Another longtime favorite here – I’ve been using Clinical Strength since literally the 6th grade. Super distinct memory here, too. I remember having…a sweating problem. I would just get REALLY sweaty, guys. And I’d always feel super self-conscious – especially as a middle schooler, because hello worst-time-in-one’s-life – whenever I’d start to get sweat stains on my clothes or have wet armpits in class. Gross, but TRUE and #RealTalk.
My mom, being the A+ mama that she is, did some research. And Clinical Strength had literally first launched riiiiiiight around that time, I think. It’s unique since it’s an antiperspirant/deodorant, and not just deodorant – meaning, it works to help you sweat less, instead of just covering smell. Since she’s THAT PERSON who actually reads the instructions on everything (bless her heart), my mom had me using Clinical Strength at nighttime before bed instead of in the morning. Fun fact: Your sweat glands are less active at nighttime, so it’s easier for antiperspirant to kick in + clog your ducts (since that’s what it’s doing to essentially stop you from sweating like cray during the day). You don’t need to reapply in the morning (actually, you don’t need to reapply ANYTHING in the morning if ya don’t want to, although I do personally just out of habit), since your ducts are still clogged and won’t perspire.
Clinical Strength is actually formulated to work for 48 hours, so you technically don’t even need to reapply.
Recently I had the chance to meet with one of Secret’s PR teams again in NYC (I hung out with them in Cinncinatti back in February and got to go into the labs to see how the deodorant is actually made – and even make my own – which was THE COOLEST THING OMG). And it was a very necessary reminder that I have gone actual YEARS of loveloveloving this stuff and not mentioning it to you guys specifically. So, here we have it. Secret’s Clinical Strength. Pick it up, yo.
As seen in this blog post on setting sprays for summer! I had a whole SLUE of setting sprays on my “to try” list, but my best friend was at my house and said this one was great for oily skin (which she and I both have), was actually mattifying, + just worked like a charm. AND SHE WAS RIGHT. Especially for being a drugstore spray, I’m so impressed. It’s a *lightweight* mist, but it’s really effective – and it smells amazing, so there’s that. I finish every look – especially in summertime! – with a few sprtizes of setting spray. Makes a big difference!
This baby was a favorite from the SECOND I put it on.
And then my mom put it on…and it became her favorite, too. So much so that she ordered one on the spot after saying, “OH WAIT, you didn’t buy this for me?!?” Ha!
I had heard the hype – there was a LOT of it. Everyone and their mom was obsessed with Barefoot Dreams. And year after year in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, a few Barefoot Dreams pieces would be included, and folks would lose their ISH because holy moly, apparently it’s like the holy grail of comfy clothes. Any y’all know how I feel about comfy clothes.
So this year, I bit the bullet.
Actually, I bit three bullets. Because I bought one Barefoot Dreams cardi, and it came and was lovelovelove.
So then I bought another.
And then I was in the store and just so HAPPENED to be passing the display, and there just so HAPPENED to be one left on the rack in my size on sale…so I had to have that one, too. SEE HOW THIS HAPPENS. 😉
So now, I’m the proud owner of three Barefoot Dreams cardigans, and they are what I shall be living in from November through April (if April is anything like last April, Lord help us all amen). Bless my mama, who then bought me the Barefoot Dreams throw blanket that’s in the sale, too, as an early Baby Shower present. BLESS BLESS BLESS.
9.) Urban Decay Born to Run palette
The pigmentation of this palette is just out. of. this. world. I mean, every Urban Decay palette is just bombdotcom, I think – but this one really takes the cake for summer! And if ya caught my husband unboxing this bad boy on Instastories (FYI, they’re all saved under my Unboxings with J highlight on my profile, so you can binge ’em all!), you’ve seen the pigmentation in action firsthand. On his face. ALL OVER his face. Oy vey. Anyhoo.
There are 21 shades, ranging from modern neutrals to rich jewel tones, and I’m here for it.
Super creamy, super blendable, super versatile – especially since the colors included really do run the gamut from being more wearable everyday options to more BA BAM statement shades.
10.) Lush ribbed body-con dress
Oh, I’ve only mentioned this dress 32 times already – like here + here – only makes sense it made it to the Monthly Favorites list! 😉 This is hands down one of my top 3 favorite purchases of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale this year. First off, the fit. Y’all, it is SO flattering…on, like, everyone. Whether you’re thinner or curvier, it looks oh so good. This is because of a few things. 1.) All of the “lines.” The neckline is one where smaller + bigger boobs alike are highlighted nicely without drawing too much attention for better or worse at your chest. The hemline is long enough that it doesn’t ride up all over the place when you walk. Which is something that drives me BONKERS in anything “bodycon.” 2.) The ribbing. While it IS a “bodycon” dress – so, tighter + snugger all over, conforming to your body’s shape – the ribbing breaks it up so that anything that you DON’T want showing through won’t. IE., panty lines, or a bra roll, or anything of the sort.
Second, the versatility. I LOVELOVELOVE VERSATILE THINGS. So much so that I needed to shout it. 😉 But really tho, the more ways to mix + match, the better in my book. And this dress can be dressed up, dressed down, worn now for summer, worn later for fall, worn later later for winter even – the options are near endless.
Lastly, it’s on sale for $29.90. So really, it can’t be beat. #AddToCart, in both colors. 😉
C U IN AUGUST.
Have you tried any of my Monthly Favorites yet yourself?
What have been YOUR monthly favorites lately? I WANNA KNOW. 🙂
P.S. ICYMI and wanna get caught up on Weekend Reading and/or last month’s favorites, just click here!