Loving Outdoor Voices New Arrivals

When I visited Austin this summer I went into the Outdoor Voices flag ship store and get their exercise dress for my birthday. I had a few pieces from them but have recently purchased a few new items from them. I noticed some really cute new items that came out I wanted to share. While I don't think I will be purchasing any of these items anytime soon because you know budgeting (ugh) I am loving this sweatshirt and just might have to get it at some point!

 

CloudKnit Shorts // Long Sleeve Wrap Top // Move Your Body Sweatshirt // Relay Shorts // 1/2 Zip Sweatshirt // Athena Dress 

Madewell Does It Again (Mid-Rise Perfect Vintage Jean)

I definitely can get behind the non-skinny jean trend. I have about two favorite pairs of jeans that are my go-to ones and the rest don't really get worn. The two that I have are more on the edge of a skinny jean. I do like the look of more straight-cut jeans but don't like high-rise. I had tried on a few pairs here and there and they all looked so bad on me. I normally end up looking like a boy or they just don't fit right. Jeans are such a hassle. Last month I decided on a total whim to try on this new style of jeans when I was in Madewell. I had a birthday coupon for $25 off my purchase. Which side note if you are not on the Madewell rewards you need to be because the birthday coupon along was such a deal! When I was in the store I didn't really have any plans on even trying on jeans. But this mid-rise pair intrigued me so I decided to try them on. I thought they fit good but kind of wanted to try them one size down which they were sold out of. I ended up ordering them online and went with the original size I had tried on. So I went with the 27 which is my normal size in jeans even though some of the reviews said they ran large. 

I love the wash and cut of them. They fit me really well and are so comfortable. If you have a shorter torso and larger legs these might just be the perfect pair. I will say my mom tried them and actually didn't like them at all. Jeans just vary so much from person to person but I had to share these because I am loving them! 

I also fell in love with Madewell's jean shorts this summer. Read the post here! 

T-Shirt: J Crew Factory // Jeans: Madewell 

Books I Read This Summer (2021)

Growing up I was NOT a reader at all. The only times I would read was if it was for school. Over the past few years, I have started to read a bit more especially in the summer months when traveling and laying at the pool. This summer I did a lot more reading than usual and really enjoyed it. I find that Reese Witherspoon's book recommendations are usually very good! Let me know any books you read this summer I should check out. 

1. Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner // This was the first book I read this summer after finding it at Target and picking it up based on reading the cover. This book did a good job keeping me interested and the ending was not what I had originally expected. This book is part friend drama, part mystery, and part romance. I did enjoy this book but would have to give it about 3.5/5 stars based on the other books I read this summer. 

Summer Favorites

Well, the summer is coming to an end already (insert crying emoji) and I am back in Buffalo for the weekend. I am enjoying the last few days of summer for a friend's wedding. Once I head back to Dallas next week it won't exactly feel like fall which is nice but my summer of travel will be over. It is funny because during Covid I really didn't think I was missing travel all that much but I guess I was. I loved going to new and favorite places and really taking time off to relax. I think I missed traveling way more than I realized. Having things to look forward to is key for me. Even though I am sad to see the summer go I am looking forward to the cooler weather, getting some goals accomplished, and I even head back into the office soon.  

I think the last time I posted my monthly favorites was back in May so I decided to make one list of all my favorite products, food, clothes, etc. from the last three months. As always there is lots of randomness! 

 

Overhyped or Underestimated: Our Place Pan

I am back with another honest product review with an item that has been all over Instagram and social media. If you missed my first installment of this new series I am doing be sure to check it out here. I did a full review of Blue Apron. For today's review, we are going to be talking all about the Our Place pan. I kept seeing it promoted all over and around the holidays I was looking for a bigger pan to cook my Blue Apron meals in. Most of the meals just require one large pan but the one I had was just a bit too small. I did some research on different options but decided to go with the Our Place pan. The reviews were pretty good, the size seemed perfect, and it was a nontoxic nonstick pan.

What I Got For My Birthday & Pictures From The Weekend

For my birthday this year I spent the weekend in Florida with my mom and sister visiting my grandparents! It was the perfect relaxing weekend with a few beach trips, Countryside Citrus orange ice cream, champagne, a homemade charcuterie board, pedicures, and a game of golf. Before I left I filmed this birthday video that I thought I would share along with some vacation pictures. 

Away Bigger Carry-On // Bissell Spin Wave Mop //  Erin Condren Desk To Do Desk Stand // Innersense I Create Hold Gel // Outdoor Voices Workout Dress // Tory Burch Cap Toe Espadrilles (similar) // Chappywrap Blanket 

The Perfect Jeans Shorts: Madewell Relaxed Denim Shorts

I am so excited about this post because jean shorts are impossible to find the perfect pair. They are either too short, way overpriced, not wide enough in the legs...and the list goes on. A ton of people have been talking about the Abercrombie shorts this summer and while I think they may be a good option I never could get my size in stock plus to me, they seemed a bit overpriced. I have a pair of older Abercrombie ones that I do wear often but they are a bit too short. I also have a really affordable pair I picked up from Target last summer. With that said I was still on the hunt for the perfect pair. I tried Loft, Banana Republic, and Old Navy and didn't like any of them. One night I decided to try my luck at another Google search. These Madewell ones came up and caught my eye because of the description. They seemed to have everything I was looking for. They were on sale so I decided to give them a try. I went off the reviews and sized down one size. When they arrived I was in total shock that they even fit and that I actually loved them. I bought them in two different color washes (Style 1 and Style 2) and have been wearing them ever since. Now, these probably will not be the perfect pair of jeans for everyone but if you are looking for what I describe then I would recommend these 100%!

 

Finally Getting Back To It & What I Have Been Up To

I am finally getting around to getting a new post up. Today was just one of those days where I had lots of "adulting" issues with bills, medications, and all that annoying stuff so I thought I would do something fun and finally get a new post up. The last month I had some dog training with Cooper that kept me busy. Then I went home to visit family for the 4th of July and then went on a mini Texas road trip for a summer vacation. I have been meaning to take some new photos for my about page since forever ago and finally got around to it when I was home over the 4th of July. My sister took them and they turned out so good I thought I would put them into a full blog post and also share some pictures of what I have been up to. 

Last month I tried a new pair of jeans shorts on a whim and fell in love with them so I will be sharing that post tomorrow!

May 2021 Favorites

I can't believe it has already been almost three weeks since my last blog post. I have not been that busy recently but the weeks are still flying by. I have a bunch of trips planned in July and August this summer so I am kind of just taking it easy this month.

1. Athleta Warrior Long Line Sports Bra // There is an Athleta store pretty close to my apartment so when my mom was visiting at the beginning of May we walked down to the store. I had not been into an Athleta in a very long time. I was surprised by how many cute things they had. I ended up getting this sports bra in Navy. I don't know why it is so hard to find navy athletic wear. I have worn it a few times to workout and love it. It is long enough that I don't have to wear a tank top over it and it keeps me in place! 

Overhyped or Underestimated: My Honest Review Of Blue Apron

I have had this idea for this blog series for a few months now and am finally getting around to posting the first edition. I have lots of product review ideas but want to make sure that I 100% review and test the product before posting my review. I got this idea because so often I see the same products promoted all over Instagram by the influencers I follow. I always wonder how great the products truly are and if people would actually spend their hard-earned money on the products they promote. In the last few months, I have tried a handful of "popular" products that I wanted to share my true thoughts on. All the products I will be reviewing in the series I have completely bought with my own money. I think part of the issue is with products being promoted on Instagram is there is not enough time to fully try the product out before hand. I am not saying bloggers promote products all the time without testing them out. What I am saying though is that I think oftentimes bloggers will try a product once or twice and really love it. They then promote the item but have they really used it enough or long enough to truly give an honest review? 

So that is where I come into play. Anything I post in this series is going to be items I have fully used many times over and over again.

The first brand I am going to be reviewing is Blue Apron. Once in college, I had tried to order Hello Fresh but quickly got frustrated with it and gave up. Basically, it did not come on the day it was supposed to and I had plans for the weekend but had to wait around for the food to show up, and then the box was damaged in shipment so it never ended up coming. That kind of ruined my experience with meal deliveries as it seemed like a hassle and expensive. My mom started to try Blue Apron a few months ago and I quickly decided to give it a try after she kept raving about out it. I love it because I don't have to find recipes each week, my grocery store runs are for very few items, and I don't have to eat the same thing for a week when cooking for one. I also find that I don't hate the actually process of cooking as much as I used to. I did some research on different meal delivery brands as there are a TON out there. I didn't really want to try Hello Fresh again. I was tempted to try Sun Basket because they had a specific Gluten Free option but the price was not as good as Blue Apron. The only other one I have heard bloggers talk about is Home Chef but I decided to go with my mom's recommendation.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️ (Underestimated) 

Saturday Shopping: Summer Wants

I have been a little MIA on here the last few weeks. My mom was in town the first week in May for her birthday and we had tons of fun. I also have had a few days I have not felt amazing and have just kind of been feeling unmotivated to write a post. I have a few things I have been meaning to post I just have not gotten around to writing them. The weather is rainy tonight so I thought it was the perfect night to work on a new post. I stopped by the mall this afternoon looking for this J Crew tank. I also took a look in Loft and Lilly and spotted a few really cute items so I thought I would put together a summer inspiration board. I am loving all the breezy midi dresses this summer!

 

Tuckernuck Gingham Dress // Lou & Grey Terry Sweatshirt // Lilly Pulitzer Athletic Dress // Target Smocked Dress // J Crew Smocked Dress  // Lilly Pulitzer Pink Midi Dress // J Crew Ruffle Tank Top // Lou & Grey Terry Shorts // Lilly Pulitzer Scalloped Tank // Lilly Pulitzer Blue Eyelet Dress //  Bogg Bag //  J Crew Espadrilles // Loft Tropical Midi Dress // J Crew Striped Linen Shirt // Loft Eyelet Swing Dress

March & April 2021 Favorites

I feel like April flew by because Easter does not feel like it was a month ago. I never got around to posting my favorites for the month of March so I am combining it with April. I think this may be the most random assortment of products to date but I have been loving them all. Can you tell I was in the Spring cleaning mode? 

 

1. Kind Frozen Ice Cream Bars // OMG I think these are the best non-dairy ice cream bars I have ever tried. I found them at Target and tried them on a whim. They come in a salted caramel and peanut butter flavor and are relatively "healthy" for ice cream. You have to give them a try if you have a sweet tooth!

Recent Skincare Tool Favorites & Dupes

In the last few months, I have discovered two amazing skincare tools that are pretty affordable! I bought a Clarisonic way back in the day when they were super popular on Youtube. While I did enjoy using it I hated spending the money on the brush heads. I always kept them probably way longer than I should have. Over the holidays I had gone to Ulta thinking I was going to buy a new brush head. Come to find out the company is now out of business and you can't buy the brush heads anymore. I stumbled upon this Flawless one which looked a lot like the Foreo but way cheaper. I have been using this since Christmas time and really don't have anything bad to say about it. The charge lasts a really long time, it has multiple settings/speeds, it is small enough to travel with, and it has a handle. Plus it is all silicon so you don't have to worry about the brush head getting dirty like the Clarisonic. I think I have charged it once since I got it months ago. While I don't use it every day on my skin it is gentle enough you definitely could. 

The second tool I discovered more recently within the last month. It is this skin scraper that uses vibration to extract the gunk from your pores. I first saw the expensive Dermapore version on a few Instagram stories. Though I was definitely not wanting to spend $100 on a skincare tool that is only used about once a week. I ended up finding this dupe on Amazon that has tons of reviews. It seems to work great and it can be recharged. I have been using it around my nose because I hate how big my pores are. For how often you use it I think the Amazon version works just as well. Let me know if you have tried either of these before and what you think! 

GUGUG Skin Spatula // Flawless Facial Cleaner // Dermapore Pore Extractor // Foreo Luna