friday favorites 11.22

I started off this week with a relaxing weekend with a good amount of cleaning and organizing. It’s amazing what a good nights rest on Sunday can do for your whole week! It’s been a busy few months with work and getting settled in the new house. Jake and I decided to make a dinner reservation on Monday night to start our week off right. It’s not something we normally do and while we were on our date we realized we haven’t been on an actual date since our anniversary trip in August. Geez, it’s been a crazy few months!

I’ve been making an effort to do more after work so my week doesn’t feel like a blur. We organized the basement, did our laundry and I worked on tidying up each room every day. These tasks may seem like the last thing I would want to do after work but it is so nice to come home to a clean house and not that much housework to do during the weekend. At work I am constantly on the go and can sometimes be a little too tempted to sit on the couch after work and not move for the night. I don’t talk about my job here on the job but each day is different and I’m always juggling multiple things at one time. Someone asked a few of my coworkers from my previous team what I did now and both of them were silent for a minute and then replied “everything” at the same time! It’s nice when the people around you see how much effort you put into a job. At times, it can feel like only the things we do wrong are seen by others and not the things we do right. This week I had a few different people thank me or say that they notice how much I do and it meant so much!

I’ve been watching The Crown this week and I’ll watch one episode at night before bed. I’ll straighten my hair at my vanity or flip through a magazine in bed while drinking tea. These new habits at night are definitely helping me unwind at night and more importantly get to bed at a more reasonable hour! At night I will get everything done quickly so I can crawl into bed and treat myself to an episode.

On Thursday, Jake got us tickets to see Frozen II and seeing a movie during the week is something we rarely do. At first I was dreading it because I knew it would be a long night but I am so happy that we went! Frozen II was SO good and I want to say that it may be better than the first one. It was a late night but so worth it because it was fun to make plans during the week. It can get difficult to do things in the winter because of how dark and cold it is when I get out of work.

I definitely treated myself to a coffee on my way into work on Friday. I knew it was going to be a long day and I needed all of the caffeine I could get. Even though we have a nice long weekend coming up because of Thanksgiving, it just means that I have an entire week’s worth of work to get done in a few short days. I worked on charts, emails, confirmed details for next week’s meetings and organized my calendar. After work I rushed home to shower and put on cozy pajamas so Jake and I could order dinner and watch The Mandalorian together. I’m looking forward to a productive weekend with lots of coffee and sleeping late.

A while ago, I binge watched all 4 seasons of Outlander and immediately became obsessed after the first episode. The first two seasons are on Netflix and when I got through them in one weekend, we added Starz to our Hulu account so we could keep watching the show. I was really torn what to do with my life after we finished the show so I needed something good to watch. Luckily The Crown just released another season so it’s been my nightly treat this week. Has anyone else been watching all of the movies on Disney+? I keep saying I will just watch one movie and then I keep finding another classic to watch.

I talked about my new night cream and a new eyeshadow palette I’ve been loving recently! If you didn’t read my blog post about natural deodorant I highly encourage that you do because it’s an easy product to swap out for a cleaner version. I just made another Target order which I’m excited to share but for now, you can see what I recently purchased for fall. Every time I wear one of the pieces to work I get so many compliments and I get so excited to say “thanks, I got it at Target!”

Talking About Why You Need a Night Cream

It’s no surprise that I am a big fan of Olay skincare products. So when I wanted to purchase a good night cream and didn’t know where to start, I knew that Olay would have affordable options that show results. I was looking for an easy product that I could easily add into my nighttime routine which consists of a quick shower, pajamas and like five minutes before my head hits the pillow! The Olay Total Effects 7 In One Night Cream is lightweight and doesn’t feel heavy on my skin. It’s the worst when I put on a product for bed and just feel sticky and dirty. My skin immediately absorbs the cream and feels hydrated right away.

SO why do you need a night cream? A night cream is specially formulated to hydrate your skin while you sleep. When you sleep, this is when your skin is able to hit the reset button and repair. While day creams are light weight and have SPF, night creams are thicker and work while you sleep. Night creams are also great for anti-aging because your skin cells turnover while you sleep so when you use the right products at night, it can help your skin look brighter and more even when you wake up. Instead of using makeup to hide the imperfections, you can use a moisturizer that heals your skin while you sleep so you can wake up looking refreshed.

The Olay Total Effects 7 In One line has seven benefits which is why I wanted to get this moisturizer in a night cream. Not only does it replenish moisture in the skin but it also restores skin firmness over night. My favorite feature is that it smooths and evens skin texture which is important for me because by the end of the week after a lot of caffeine comsumption and not enough sleep, my skin starts to show it! Like no one wears makeup to work so for those days that I don’t wear a full face of makeup, I get a little self conscious about my skin tone appearance. Now when I use this night cream nightly I don’t have to worry about my skin because the moisturizer instances reduces the look of dark spots while brightening my skin.

The price is nice, under $30, and it easily fits into my lazy skincare routine. I am excited to share this product with you all and hope you love it as much as I do!

Downstairs Guest Bath + FALLing in Love With Our Bathroom Theme

I’m back today to share another room in our house that is kinda unpacked and decorated. It’s been a long journey, but I like forcing myself to finish a room so I can share it on the blog. Sometimes you need that extra boost of motivation! I’m trying to spend a block of time unpacking a box or decorating a space each day, but boy is it exhausting!

Honestly, one of the big selling points for this house was the half bath on the first floor. It was recently redone and the perfect size for guests. When my parents visited me while I was at my old apartment, it was a challenge to get ready in the morning because we were all fighting over the bathroom to get ready! Now we have two bathrooms so there is no longer a line for the only bathroom and it’s been useful having a two story house – less steps! There was also enough room to add the small cabinet that I used in my old bedroom to store accessories. Now it has products for guests to use and can hide cleaning supplies so they are out of sight. I am not a fan of clutter so with the little amount of counter space and the size of the room , it actually helps limit how much stuff I can put in there so it’s not too crowded.

I’m sure I will decorate this bathroom some more in the coming months but it is so nice to have a room in our house that feels finished. I added some fall decor for now; the llama soap and hand towel were a must have because of Jake’s love for all things llamas! Both of these were TJ Maxx finds! My plan is to swap out fun decorative hand soaps and hand towels for each season. Easy updates to make to the bathroom and I’m sure our guests will enjoy them too! Next step is to go through the artwork I have in the basement and decide if I can use it or if I need to buy some new frames for the space.

Oh! And I have to point out our towel hook because the bathroom didn’t originally have one. The sink just looked so sloppy with a hand towel on it and I didn’t want to put any holes in the walls. One night I was browsing on Amazon and did a quick search to see what I could find. On a whim, I bought this adhesive towel ring and had to share it because it’s really good quality!

Bathroom Details

llama hand towels // llama hand soap (TJ Maxx) // flower arrangement (similar)

My Experience with Natural Deodorant

My decision to switch over to natural decision is because my mom told me to and honestly, isn’t that the best answer? LOL! My mom had finished up at a doctor’s appointment and called me to tell me that at every doctors appointment she goes to, the doctor asks what deodorant she uses. Isn’t that a bizarre question to ask again and again? One would think so but there is a lot of science backing up the persistent questioning. My mom called me that day to tell me to throw out my deodorant and switch to a natural one because it wouldn’t have aluminum in it. There is a lot of information out there about the pros and the cons along with the recent trends of using natural deodorant. But this became personal for me because it is an easy product swap for me that I know I will appreciate that I did down the road.

I’m that weird person that has more than one deodorant – one at work, one in the bathroom, one for traveling and one in my car. All different brands but all of them had one thing in common – aluminum. Some research suggests that aluminum may contribute to the development of breast cancer. After all, it is a chemical that we put on our body directly every day for basically our entire life. Whether you believe in this research or not, what is the harm of using an aluminum free deodorant? For me, it was a personal choice and it brought me some peace with the current situation in my family right now. I haven’t shared it on the blog or told many people, but if using another product decreases my chances of breast cancer, I’m gonna do it.

Some of my thoughts while using schmidt’s natural deodorant so far…

You still can sweat… It can be confusing but antiperspirant and deodorant are two different things. Aluminum is in antiperspirant and that is what prevents us from sweating. I have a pretty good walk to the train station every morning and have to walk quickly if I am running late which then causes me to sweat. It’s been weird feeling sweaty because it’s not something I experienced before.

Sweat stains are real…. So now that I’m sweating, I’ve noticed some sweat stains on my white tops. For days that I wear white to work, I admit that I use my old Dove deodorant to prevent sweat stains. I have a large pile of laundry right now with a few sweat stained tops so we will have to see how easily everything washes.

I check if I smell…. again, I’m now sweating again so now I constantly check to see if I smell. I keep a small bottle of perfume at my desk so as an extra precaution I will spray myself once I get to the office. I’m told I don’t smell but I still worry.

I can tell there’s less chemicals in my natural deodorant…. from the way that it looks to the way that it glides. Which only confirms that I made the right decision of switching over to a product with less chemicals.

pumpkin spice and everything nice collection

Sharing a recent purchase today on the blog! For a limited time, you can buy the Too Faced Pumpkin Spice eyeshadow palette and it’s just as amazing as you would expect! I’m trying to cut back on the eyeshadow palettes that I have because they can accumulate really quickly but I had to buy this one because of the extras it came with. The special edition collection comes with 16 pumpkin spice scented eyeshadows, a brush, Better Than Sex mascara and a Pumpkin Spice Ultra Plush lip gloss. You can get everything for only $49! The mascara alone costs $25!

The packaging is amazing! It has the perfect assortment of fall shades and I’m excited about the mascara and lipgloss that came with it. You cannot beat this price with everything you get in this collection. This palette is going to be my go-to for fall and I’m so excited about it!

Or if this is your first time ordering from HSN, you can use promo code NEW20 to get $20 off your order!

Who knew Target had such cute clothes?

I like to take advantage of Target’s free shipping and the endless options the store has to offer. While browsing for some essentials, I started to look at the new fall collection that was just released. And oh my goodness – who knew Target had such cute clothes???

I immediately scooped up this houndstooth tie front top because it looks so expensive but it’s priced for Target. The joke is that if something has a bow, I need to have it so this top easily became one of my new faves. This top is something I wouldn’t normally wear, but the bow kinda sealed the deal. It’s work friendly paired with a black skirt and screams fall with jeans and brown riding boots.

blazer | flats

This blazer is worn on repeat because it is so easy to throw on with any outfit to dress it up. I wore it with jeans one day and then the next week I wore with black pants and a sweater tank for a partner meeting. I’m wearing a size 2 and it’s still fitted. Also, the price is even more amazing! My loafers are new and I’m not sure how I ever lived without them! They have quickly turned into my most worn shoe because they are comfy and go with everything.

This skirt is not something I usually wear but I immediately fell in love with the pattern! It’s been easy to wear to work with a simple black long sleeve top or colored tops that match.

plaid pants // poncho // tory flats

These pants are surprisingly stretchy and are really comfortable. I’m wearing a size two and are the perfect fit. The poncho is a bit large, but it is a one size fits all so that is the look. It’s nice for work because it’s it’s long in the back so I can get away with a legging that looks like pants and it covers the booty!

I thought I was done shopping until I found these pajamas and was so excited to see that my fave pajamas are in a new pattern! As long as Target keeps making these pajamas, I plan on buying them in every color 🙂