Friday Favorites

It’s Friday, so y’all know what that means! It’s time to link up with Erika and Andrea to let everybody know what some of my favorite things are right now.

 

 

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THE DRESS IS BACK

BLACK MAXI DRESS

Last week I had three different outfit planning collages featuring this fabulous maxi dress. It finally came in, and I quickly threw it on yesterday to grab a pic for today’s post. If you remember, this dress is ONLY $39! The straps are adjustable, the back of the bodice is smocked which makes it very comfy, and the cut is quite flattering. It’s 100% cotton with a gauzy feel, and it’s got a bit of stretch throughout. Click HERE if you want to see it styled other ways.

And check out my new crossbody bag! It’s super cute and just under $25!

black sundress / denim jacket / green earrings / beaded necklace / crossbody bag / raffia sandals

Here’s an up close of the sandals because they are so so good.

I’m completely smitten with these raffia sandals. The texture! The buckle! The scalloped edge!

True to size for me. They also come in a neutral, a Robin’s egg blue, and a gorgeous orange. The names don’t do the colors justice, you need to click over to see them. There’s also a version with a small heel HERE.

And here’s an up close look at the crossbody bag. The neutral color, the texture, the shape, the crossbody strap, I LOVE IT ALL.

 

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BEACH OUTFIT INSPO

Did you see my SPRING BREAK ESSENTIALS post on Wednesday? I highlighted lots of great items that are certain to get you ready for a spring or summer vacay. So today I’m taking some items from that collage, and I’m styling them into some beach and pool looks.

I always love pink and orange together, and the fun beach bag just ties it all together.

bikini / crochet cover up / raffia earrings / beach bag

This red swimsuit is stunning. I’m smitten with the neckline and the ruffle, and it really is the perfect red. Such a cute look styled with some of my favorite denim shorts (I wear a medium) and some turquoise jewelry. (I ordered the earrings immediately when I saw them. I can’t say no to a turquoise huggie.)

ruffle swimsuit / denim shorts / hat / sunglasses / turquoise huggie earrings (2nd from left on middle row)/ bag

Pink and orange again, y’all. I just can’t help myself! And I think this cover up is incredibly chic. It comes in black too.

one shoulder swimsuit / shirt cover up / beach bag / hat / sunglasses / Lumi Glotion / bracelets / flip flops

Tankinis are my jam, and this is a great one.

tankini top and bottom options HERE / raffia earrings / shirt cover up / sunglasses / hat /Lumi Glotion / bracelets / flip flops

And in addition to the swimsuit looks today, I’ve taken some of the accessories from the swim looks and styled them with this sundress (in 2 different patterns/colorways). SO DARLING! And the dress is under $30.

dress / bag / sunglasses / raffia earrings / bracelets / flip flops

Which dress do you like better? The above pink and coral, or the below blue and yellow?

dress / bag / sunglasses / raffia earrings / bracelets / flip flops

And one more swim look before you go…

I think a black suit with a black cover up is such a chic look. Top it off with gold jewelry and a straw hat and you’re all sorts of ready for pool side lounging. The straw hat has excellent reviews. I’ve never had a hat like this, but the reviews are convincing me I need to give it a try!

The flip flops have been my GO TO summer flops for years and years. They are flexible, water resistant, and all around awesome.

cover up / halter swimsuit / bandeau swimsuit / gold hoop earrings / straw hat / Salty straw tote / flip flops

 

And with summer just around the corner, you need these pool / beach towels. I got them last year and we LOVE them. They are so soft, so plush, and so cute! They sold out last year, so grab them now before they do again. They have THOUSANDS of 5 star reviews.

 

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GREAT CASUAL PIECES

This striped tee is totally up my alley. First of all, STRIPES. Second of all, it’s got a perfect relaxed fit. In addition to how I’m showing it today, it will also look great with denim shorts and with these relaxed fit drawstring shorts I just ordered (in blush tint). For size reference, I’m wearing a small in the tee.

Now let’s talk about these straight leg jeans. The wash, the fit, the stretch… it’s all great! And the price is right, y’all. These babies are under $20! I’m wearing my regular size 4. Reviewers say that the inseam length is inconsistent, but this pair was great for me.

striped tee / chunky hoop earrings / stone beaded necklace / straight leg jeans / flip flops

And how cute are these mid rise flare jeans?!? I’m 5’4″, and these jeans are just about full length on me with flat sandals. They would be too short with wedges, but I’m going to love them with slides and sneakers. They fit me kind of like a trouser jean with a subtle flared leg. I love them, and I love that they are different than any of the other jeans in my closet. I’m wearing my regular size 4.

striped tee / chunky hoop earrings / stone beaded necklace / mid rise flare jeans / flip flops

Cargo pants are all the rage right now, and these are from one of our favorite brands (Wit and Wisdom). You know they’re stretchy and comfy, and they are also totally on trend. I’m wearing my regular size 4, but they were tight across my middle, so I’m going to try a size 6.

striped tee / chunky hoop earrings / stone beaded necklace / cargo pants / flip flops

These flip flops are what I’m wearing in all of the pictures directly above. They remind me very much of a pair of Reef sandals I had and loved from several years bag. The footbed is padded and comfy, and the wide straps are colorful and darling. AND GET THIS. These are right under $13. I’m imagining these are going to fly off the shelves, so grab a pair while you can. If you’re a half size, I would suggest sizing up.

 

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SOME FAVES THAT I’VE BEEN EATING

If you’re local, the Health Nut Grain Bowl at Local Yocal is delish, and it’s a really smart and healthy option when eating out.  (Smoked Quinoa, Farro, Romaine, Cherry Tomatoes, Roasted Beets, Arugula, Smoked Pecans, Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette, Avocado, and a Fried Farm Egg)

I’ve been eating super healthy and mindfully at home too. One of my current favorite lunches is Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi (I make it in the air fryer so it’s crispy), with some veggies (whatever I’ve got in the fridge), and some of my favorite tomato sauce (also from Trader Joe’s).

Here’s a pic of the sauce I use.

I’ve also been roasting all sorts of different veggies and loving them. Here I roasted squash, zucchini, green beans, and butternut squash. (I roasted them in my very favorite pan that you can use in the oven or as a skillet on your stove top. It’s one of my favorite kitchen tools.) I eat on them for lunches all week long.

I know I’ve talked to y’all about my Our Place Oven Pan several times before, but I feel the need to again tell you THAT I LOVE IT SO MUCH. It is definitely the most used item in my kitchen!

I have an entire post dedicated to the pan HERE, but I wanted to mention it again today because it is THE MOST USED piece of equipment in my kitchen. I use it in the oven alllll the time, but my favorite way to use it is on my stovetop. I fry eggs, cook fajitas, and I love to buy veggie kabobs at Market Street (only $5 for all of these veggies) and take them off the wooden skewers. I spray the pan with some olive oil, and then I sauté them tell they are soft and have some color on them. YUM. I also use it as a roasting pan in the oven a couple of times a week.

Here are some other Trader Joe’s items that I’ve really been enjoying…

Creamy Dill Dressing! It is great on salads, but I’ve also been just dipping veggies in it (like you would do with ranch).

I’ve been eating this Spinach and Kale Greek Yogurt dip with pita chips and with the small red and orange peppers. It’s super flavorful and quite healthy.

And this Chunky Guacamole Made With Greek Yogurt remains one of my very favorite things to grab from Trader’ Joe’s.

 

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HUGE COLLEEN ROTHSCHILD SALE

You can use the code SPRING50 right now to BUY ONE PRODUCT, GET ONE FOR 50% OFF! It’s a great time to replace empties or try something new!

The Face Oil #9 used to be too much for my skin, but now I can’t imagine it not being a part of my nightly routine. Colleen touts it as the ultimate in skin luxury, and I have to agree. It improves radiance. RADIANCE! Who doesn’t want to increase their radiance?!?

I put 1 full pump in my hand with the Extreme Recovery Cream (also seen below) and apply it all over my face and neck. It hydrates and plumps like nothing else I’ve ever used. The Extreme Recovery Cream is thick, rich, and ultra-creamy. My skin absolutely drinks this special little cocktail up.

And I’m not the only one that swears by it in my family. My mom and sister do as well. Actually, they are both devoted users of many products in the line. My mom did a full review of her favorite products awhile back, and you can click HERE to read all of her thoughts. She’s added in new products since then, but it’s a comprehensive review of her routine at the time. My mom is in her mid 70s and looks AMAZING, so copying her skincare routine wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

And really, if you haven’t tried the CR hair care products yet, NOW IS THE TIME!

I’ve never really battled super dry or brittle hair; however, after having Carter my hair did change a bit and was not nearly as shiny or healthy as I felt it had been pre-pregnancy. It was then that I ditched the drugstore shampoo and conditioner that I’d been using my entire life (with no problems at all), and I started investing in better products for my hair. The beauty store products I started using back then definitely helped, and I was happy with my hair. I definitely thought they were worth the higher price because hair is important to me, y’all. Haha!

I love all the hair products except one. I just don’t love the shampoo.

I know people that do love the shampoo, but I personally prefer a shampoo I’ve been using for a while now over the CR shampoo

I’m crazy passionate about all of the products below!!!

Smooth and Shine Hair Serum / Quench and Shine Restorative Mask / Replenish and Shine Daily Conditioner

The Daily Conditioner is their newest hair care product and it’s fantastic.

The REPLENISH & SHINE DAILY CONDITIONER is enriched with Baobab and Ivy Extracts to help protect and repair, transforming dull, brittle strands into strong, healthy hair. Starting at application, a complex blend of nourishing plant oils, including Poppy and Sacha Inchi Oil, offers instant slip and a daily infusion of hydration. The lightweight formula never feels heavy or weighed down.

I. LOVE. THIS. CONDITIONER.

It doesn’t weigh my hair down, but it still manages to be incredibly moisturizing. All of the products in the bundle work together to give you incredible hair, but even if you didn’t use any of the other products and only used this conditioner, you would still notice that the conditioner alone makes your hair shiny and soft. I’ve only been using this for a couple of months, but I’m already loyal to it.

And I know this shouldn’t really matter, but I happen to love the pale pink packaging. The products look pretty in your shower or on your bathroom counter, and I appreciate that!

Next up, the hair mask!

The QUENCH & SHINE RESTORATIVE MASK is a color-safe conditioning treatment to soften, detangle and revive all hair types without weighing your hair down. An ultra-rich blend of Kokum, Shea, Capuacu and Bacuri Butters quenches thirsty strands, enriching hair with nourishment and hydration. Argan and Moringa Oils smooth unruly split-ends and deliver a healthy-looking shine. Improved hair elasticity and strength help reduce frizz and texture, resulting in supremely soft, irresistibly touchable hair. This mask can be used daily as a conditioner or as an intensive weekly treatment.

So before they came out with the conditioner, I would use small amounts of this mask as my daily conditioner. In fact, I loved how my hair felt so much after using it that I was pretty sure I wouldn’t love the conditioner as much, and I would just continue to use this mask as my conditioner.

HOWEVER, I fell in love with conditioner too, and now I use the mask more as an intensive hair treatment. My goal is to use it once a week, but the truth is, I just use it when I have some extra time to spend in the shower. Instead of using just a tiny bit like I used to, I now use a good amount, massage it all over my head, and I like to leave it in for a bit to get the full benefit. I like to leave it in for a minimum of 5 minutes, but a couple of times I’ve even been known to get out of the shower and vacuum the house or something with it in before rinsing it out.

My mom loves the mask too. She absolutely SWEARS by this product and the serum that we’re going to talk about in just a minute.

Here’s my mom’s story with the hair products….

A couple of years ago she started noticing that her hair was “getting old” – her words, not mine. 😉

My mom has always had great hair, but she said it had all of a sudden started to become dry and brittle.

WELL. She swears that the mask and the serum completely revitalized her hair.

I called her yesterday to hopefully get a couple of quick quotes from her for today’s post and she went ON AND ON! Haha! I actually asked her “So you really think these products changed your hair too?” And she was all “I KNOW they changed my hair.” 🙂

She told me how before using the products she had noticed a while ago that “a chunk of hair on the left side of her head” had become “extra dull and dry”. She said that she started applying small amounts of the mask to her dry hair at night (specifically just to the patch that was giving her trouble), and when she would wake up in the morning the patch would be more hydrated and more manageable!

She also said that she when she first got the mask that she was using it every single time she washed her hair, but now she doesn’t have to use it nearly as often because her hair is in so much better shape now! She truly feels it has REPAIRED her hair. It doesn’t just LOOK better, but it IS better. It’s healthier!

Just look how thick, rich, and creamy the mask is.

And listen, the hair towel is NEXT LEVEL.

If you’re like I was, you might be like “It’s a towel. I have towels.”

Maybe so.

But you don’t have this towel.

And if you don’t have this towel, you need this towel.

The SUPERLUXE MICROFIBER HAIR TOWEL lessens the amount of damage we place on our hair by cutting down on dry time. By removing excess moisture before styling, hair can be smoother, stronger and shinier. Benefits all hair types and textures.

I don’t know how or why this hair towel is better than other towels.

BUT IT IS.

And just like the package says, it’s QUICK DRY, GENTLE, LIGHTWEIGHT, it REDUCES FRIZZ, and its ABSORBENT.

If you’ve never used a hair towel, it’s simple.

And I’m telling you, this towel is SERIOUSLY incredible.

After getting out of the shower, I brush through my hair a couple of times and wring out any excess water, then I wrap my hair up in this towel while doing my makeup. LADIES. The amount of water it absorbs out of my hair is shocking. It’s going to take tons of moisture out of your hair, but it’s not going to leave it frizzy.

It’s a game changer.

It stays in place so much better than a regular towel, and it dries the hair so much quicker and more thoroughly. And it definitely cuts down on the time you are going to have to use your hair dryer.

Time for the last product, which many of you might think is the star of the show.

The SMOOTH & SHINE HAIR SERUM helps banish frizz, tame flyaways and quench dry ends with the light-weight, transformative power of Cotton Seed Oil. Essential nutrients from Neem Oil and Hibiscus Oil help strengthen, protect and nourish hair so that it feels soft and looks amazing!

When I asked my mom how often she uses the serum, she said “I use the serum alllllllllllllllllll the time.”

When I asked her if she used it on damp hair or dry hair, she said “YES TO BOTH”! Haha!

She uses it on both damp hair AND dry hair. Like me, she uses it on her damp hair before drying it, but she also uses it on her dry hair after styling it.

I wash my hair every couple of days, and my favorite way to use the serum is to run it through my hair AFTER I’ve styled my hair with my rollers and /or a curling iron. It smells great, it tames fly aways, and it adds SO MUCH SHINE! My mom said after getting older, she now washes her hair much less frequently than she used to have to, but she says “the serum livens my hair up between washings and gives it the sheen that it needs.” But yes, she also works a little bit through her damp hair before she dries it with her hair dryer.

 

 

These products are the way to SUPER HEALTHY, SUPER SHINY, and MORE MANAGEABLE HAIR!

It’s time to GET OUR SHINE ON, Ladies!

Smooth and Shine Hair Serum / Quench and Shine Restorative Mask / Replenish and Shine Daily Conditioner

 

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That’s it for today, y’all! Have a wonderful weekend with your people!

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