Friday Five

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a Friday Five…the holidays, family sickness and my site being wonky AF (there is no other way to say it) have placed this series on the backburner…but I’m excited to bring this post to you today! 

O  N  E
I shared a karaoke machine our kids love on Instagram stories this week and so many of y’all have asked where you can buy it! My in-laws got it for Harper and Lincoln as a gift and I found it here. It comes with the Frozen CD, but you can buy a ton of others. We have several CDs that have both the lyrical and instrumental versions of favorite Disney songs as well as nursery rhymes so the kids can sing along. Sometimes, they just loudly scream into the microphones, making me have flashbacks of the emo/screamo concerts I attended as a teen. Oh boy.

T W O
Y’all LOVED the bow flats I shared on IG this week – my photos don’t usually get 900 likes but these flats caused many of you to double tap the heart – and I know why – they’re adorable and perfect for the office or to wear with jeans. They’re on mega sale right now – buy them here (use code SALEONSALE for an additional 50% off) or buy them here and do the live chat to get Nordstrom to price match them for you. I have the nude ones and ordered the navy today – they fit pretty TTS but if you’re between, I would go up a half size if available.  I’ve also linked some other bow flat options, here.

F O U R
I had the blue light filter lenses added to my Warby Parker glasses this week (see them here) and I can’t wait to experience a reduction in eye strain. I look at screens a lot for both of my jobs and I’ve been feeling a ton of discomfort and experiencing even more light sensitivity than usual lately.

I used to have blue light glasses from amazon that had a yellow tint to the lenses, but my optometrist told me those actually block out all blue light, even the beneficial kind, so it’s best to get clear lenses (or your regular prescription) and add the blue light coating. Not only is it clear (no yellow tint) but it blocks out only the type of blue light that causes eye strain (mostly from digital and LED sources). They’re more expensive, of course, but a very worthwhile investment for me. BTW, Warby Parker doesn’t offer the blue light coating (I called and checked), so I got my lenses done at my optometrists office).

You can read more about digital eye strain, here and here. I also love this infographic for all of us 9-5ers and others who use computers a lot. I cannot stress enough how much wearing these lenses can make a difference. One more tip: you can use the “Night Shift” setting on your iPhone to help protect your eyes when looking at your phone when it’s dark (settings –> display and brightness –> night shift).

F I V E
I have loved the scalloped Marysia swimsuits from the moment I saw them but the price tag is…steep! I saw this lace-up scalloped bikini top recently and it had me at hello. I’m starting BBG with some of my co-workers on the 15^th and hope to reward myself with this when I’ve met some of my goals – do you like it? The resort 2018 swim collections are beautiful this year – see more here. You can also find these scalloped styles here and here are some more affordable options.

As many of you saw on IG stories, I cleared out our home office to turn it into a workout space. We never used it as an office and it became a glorified storage closet. I hate clutter and having spaces in our home that aren’t designated for a certain use. Since I found waking up at 5 to go to the gym several days a week to be unsustainable, I’m hoping having a dedicated space at home and being able to sleep an hour longer will finally be the push I need to get back into it. Truly, though, I think having accountability partners is the best route. You can join a BBG accountability group on Facebook, here, and I also encourage you to involve IRL friends to do the challenge with you. You can read what inspired me to try BBG, here.

R E A D E R  Q U E S T I O N S
 Thank you to those of you who submitted a question in my Google form! I’m picking a couple of answer each week and thought I would answer this hair-related one here since I’m having my hair colored soon. You can submit your question here. 

Hi Veronika, what do you ask for when you visit the hairdresser and do you bring any pictures with you? Your hair always looks amazing! Thanks!
I always bring photos because “blonde highlights” or “chocolate brown” can mean 100 different things for different people. I usually find images on Pinterest and Instagram and screenshot or save them in my Instagram “saved photos” section.  Keep in mind that it’s important to bring photos that focus not just on color, but on color placement. For example, I sometimes find photos of women with blonde hair, but I really love the way the color is blended or the width of her highlights – even if you aren’t blonde, those kinds of color placement photos can give your stylist a better idea of what you’re seeking. The other thing I do is also show photos of hair color/placement I DON’T want. It’s a helpful way to provide your colorist with a visual confirmation of both the look you’re going for and what you absolutely want to avoid. 

I advise showing the photos on your smartphone versus printing them as the color will be more true to life this way.  In terms of what I ask for when I get my hair color done, I like to darken my base color (my natural color) by about 2 shades (I find when I go darker it looks richer and more vibrant) and then I ask for subtle, blended highlights just a couple of shades lighter than my natural color to frame my face and some of the sides/back of my hair also. I always have the highlights start away from my roots – in fact, they start a good 5-6 inches down my hair for the most part. I find this gives a more sun-kissed look. My ends have actually gotten too light for my liking so I’m having my hair totally darkened at my next color appointment to break up some of the pieces that are too light and too thick/ 

One last tip – if your colorist is on Instagram, you can DM him or her some photos you love prior to your appointment so they can prepare and you can arrive and immediately discuss the plan for your color session.

I recorded a video for my YouTube channel several years ago about this exact topic – watch it here (OMG I look so young and sweet Lulu is in this video).

What Hoover do you use? I thought I screenshotted it when you put up but I must have forgotten, thank you!
Ahhh the famous vacuum question. By now, we’re all joking that I’m an online vacuum salesperson and I say that with pride! Any time I can introduce y’all to a game-changing product that makes your home life better, I feel all the happiness in my heart. I actually wrote an entire blog post dedicated to my beloved vacuum, but I’m not publishing it until my site is operating smoothly. The vacuum I love is actually a Shark vacuum, and you can buy it here. 

 Happy weekend!