Notes + Favorites #4

Yes, I missed a couple of weeks, but I'm still here! These last few weeks have been busy and beautiful. The weather here was absolutely gorgeous last week (it reach 70°F one day!) and I made myself get outside as much as possible. Alas, a storm rolled in and the colder temperatures have returned for this weekend. And that's okay. It was a refreshing change of pace showing what is to come. I just keep reminding myself that January, February, and March are winter months. The world is still resting, and so am I.

What I'm Reading: Atonement by Ian McEwan

Word of the Week: hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia / hi-puh-paa-tuh-muhn-strow-suh-skwipt-a-lee-ow-fow-bee-uh / ironically, the fear of long words

Activities to do with your friends without "going out".

Tips to calm your nervous system.

How to stop reaching for your phone.

Some necklace layering inspiration.

Improve your digestion, no supplements required.

The jeans I'm trying from J. Crew Factory here and here.

Hannah Montana is twenty years old?! Say it isn't so. 

Habits that might be draining your energy. 

Kind of excited about this Blair Waldorf sequel!

Cozy Corners Club

One of my friends and I were looking for a way to see each other more regularly. For us, that looked like a scheduled lunch that was physically on our calendars on the same day and time (relatively). We wanted to make sure we got our face time in, but as content creators, we also wanted to take the time to help each other create content. Initially, we went to lunch every other Tuesday. This was so much fun, but it became a bit expensive. To combat that, we decided to grab a coffee (non-coffee drink for me) instead. 

We call this time our "Cozy Corners Club". I even made stickers for us. Even though it is, generally, an hour every other week, it is scheduled time that we know we're going to see each other. We tend to see each other more, but life gets busy as an adult. Keeping friendships top priority is extremely important to me. Maybe it isn't spontaneous. Maybe it looks boring on the outside, but it is anything but. We catch up on things not in our voice notes. We get to laugh directly to and at each other. We are supporting our local businesses (no Starbucks here). And we ensure we at least grab some kind of content we can share. It's an excuse to just be friends and relax in the middle of a work day. 

As I've gotten older, I've realized I can't just rely on the "hey, let's grab a drink" moment to happen. Plans are made in advance, we have partners or children who also need our attention, and sometimes life is tiring. It's special because we are making the effort to make it special. I think this approach could be used for regular date nights with partners as well. I hope to do this with more of my friends to ensure we get the face time we need and want. Texting and voice notes are great, but there's nothing like sitting across from or next to your friends while sharing updates. 

What I Wore 2.7.26

I am definitely making headway into this little experiment of mine. I can definitely tell what pieces are my favorites, but I'm getting braver at incorporating things I was having a hard time styling or pieces I just haven't worn in awhile. I'm also slowly clearing out some pieces that no longer fit or just don't do it for me anymore. But because I hadn't worn them in awhile, I hadn't thought to toss them. Weirdly, there was a lot of blue this week. While I tend to stick to a more autumnal palette, I'm really digging the blues. 

We had a little get together with a couple friend of ours and their kids. The littles did Valentine's themed paint-by-numbers and the adults painted portraits of each other. It was hilarious and so much fun. This was the perfect outfit. So comfortable and I didn't get any paint on myself!

Definitely a simpler outfit than what I've been doing, but sometimes my brain needs a break. This felt very cool and chic though. A template that I can copy with so many prints and colors, honestly. Shop the look here.

I tried a new way to wear a brooch! and it was really fun! It did catch on a few things, but I think it'll just take some getting used to there. I love how it mimics a French tuck without the bulk. And it's shiny! It just felt so interesting and fresh. Shop the look here.

Officially obsessed with sweater vests over dresses with collars and poofy sleeves. I have limited myself in the past from purchasing items that had more detailed sleeves because I "couldn't wear them under anything". Well. I was quite wrong now, wasn't I? Shop the look here.

I was feeling a little more Spring this day. I wanted to wear a brooch and this spider one was really the only one that made sense. Even though it makes no sense (that might be the point though). The red and blue always makes me feel a bit Snow White. Shop the look here.

Another twofer Friday! There's something so fun about an outfit change from a Friday day to a Friday night. Another sweater vest. Another puffy sleeve. The day look was super fun for me to style. For the evening, I was heading out for a Galentine's Day outing. I wanted to wear red, but wanted to experiment as well. I am loving the icy blue with reds/maroons and the tones did not disappoint. To make it more interesting I wore the cardigan and necklace backwards. Kind of awkward, but the visual from the back from fun (the front felt boring). Shop the look here.

Empties #2

 

It's been a little over six months since I emptied my empties bag. It filled right back up, so here's another empties round up!

Not a lot is different. I did get through a couple of makeup items (this is very rare for me). I noticed I used a lot of moisturizing products between my skin and hair. Winter is far from over, so I expect to see a lot in my bag again. Since I've cut my hair short again, I haven't needed to use the hair mask from Prose quite as much, but I'm digging into my hair oil because of static. 

I am very much a "tried and true" kind of person. I don't try a lot of new items because I know what works for me. It has taken me years to figure this out and I'm glad to be on the other side. I am realizing there are some different products I would like to add into my regime, but we'll see when and if that happens!

Hair:

• Prose shampoos
• Prose conditioners
• Prose hair masks

I have had a lot of product adding up from Prose. I forget to pause my subscriptions often and don't use as much as the time frames given. My hair was feeling super dry and brittle, so I was using the hair mask two to three times a week. I'm barely using it once a week now. Frequent trims are best for my hair to keep it looking and feeling healthy. 

• Redken acidic bonding treatment

Body:

• Lubriderm: I always buy the biggest bottle. I slather my entire body in lotion every single day. For my skin, I find this helps lock in the moisture without leaving me feeling greasy. 
• Dove sensitive deodorant: I find this really helps keep my skin smooth and free from razer burn.

Face:

• Olay cleansers
• Regenerating Cream Cleanser
• Detoxifying Pore Scrub

I find Olay is the most gentle on my skin, even the detoxifying pore scrub. Each morning I use the pore scrub and at night I use the cream cleanser. I keep the pore scrub in my shower and once that goes, I switch to the cream cleanser. 

• Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting Cream
• Olay Vitamin C Lightweight Moisturizer
• Rosehip Seed Oil 
• Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water
• Thayers Facial Toner

Makeup:

• Wet n Wild Megaglo Highlighting Power: I've had this for years. The lid had completely separated from the bottom. It's not expensive and gets the job done. I did buy another.
• Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara: This is my favorite mascara. I don't always buy it because I find it to be a bit too expensive for makeup. But, sometimes I enjoy a little splurge. 

What I Wore 1.31.26

Have I peaked? I truly feel like I outdid myself with most of these outfits. They were so good. I'll be thinking about Thursday's outfit forever I feel like. 

An easy Saturday look. This skirt is so comfortable and paired with an oversized, cozy sweater? Cannot be beat. I napped, went out to dinner, and played Mahjong in this. 

I wanted to be whimsical this day and I think I succeeded. I always consider getting rid of this corset top (I hardly wear it), but then I pull it out and love it. I was very cold, yes, but it made me feel like Spring. The sun was shining, dang it! 

I just really wanted to wear this skirt again. It feels so dressed up, but I'm also just wearing a simple black tank top under the jacket. I was comfortable and felt so stylish. Shop the look here. 

These colors!! Yes, I added a second exclamation point to that. So, so good. I had watched a video of Julia Berlozheimer that morning and I fell in love with the colors in her outfit. While I couldn't do it quite the way she did (I much prefer the green under the red), I thought this turned out quite well! I'm honestly trying to do less copying and more abstract inspiration. Shop the look here. 

This was a good exercise in abstract inspiration. I saw an image on Pinterest of a mustard yellow and plum/purple outfit. I had none of the pieces to create an outfit that looked even remotely similar. And I pulled this together! I honestly surprised myself. I feel like something is still missing. Maybe more jewelry. But this was such a fun look. Shop the look here.

I don't know where to go from here. This outfit was the culmination of everything that I've been working towards this year. I didn't even use Pinterest to get inspired! This outfit just came to me! I felt so amazing in this and it felt so me. How can I ever top this?! Shop the look here.

I used up all my creative energy... Kidding (but also not). I knew I couldn't beat the outfit before, so I just went with comfortable and polished. I love this necklace stack (I've worn it multiple times). We were also going duckpin bowling and I didn't want to think about multiple outfits. This is my casual. Shop the look here.