Happy Friday! Here we go…
O N E
I’ve mentioned countless times that my eyes are really sensitive to light. I wear sunglasses to drive and always when outdoors, I wear blue-light blocking glasses almost all day and night to prevent digital eye strain (here are my frames) and overall, my eyes are just super sensitive to all forms of light. I recently got a couple of PR packages in the mail and they happened to include sleep masks along with the skin care products I was sent. I’ve never worn a sleep mask before and to be honest, thought they were kind of silly.
But guess who is their biggest fan now? Yours truly. I sleep so much better with a sleep mask on – I guess I’m one of those people that loves a pitch black room. A sleep mask is part of my nightly routine now, and I like silk ones the best. See a few fave options here, here and here.
T W O
So far, I’ve been loving my Drunk Elephant products (the nightbright duo and rise + glow duo) and I know I’m going to bite the bullet and buy some of the full-sized versions. As a style and beauty blogger, we are sent so many products to try, so I’m often mixing and matching so many different skin care lines at once. I committed to only using Drunk Elephant for the entire week (the morning and night serums) and my skin feels so soft and supple in the mornings and looks incredibly smooth (and my Botox has pretty much worn off, so I know it’s not that…it’s time for a touch-up!) I still use my SPF moisturizer and my usual face wash, but the actual serums have all been the Drunk Elephant ones.
I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by all of the products I receive, but of course I’m beyond grateful for them. I have gotten to try so many new-to-me lines (like Dermalogica and Tata Harper, for example) that have become favorites in my skin care routine. I have also been able to try out a lot of makeup products, which I love because my goal is to help you make buying decisions based on my experiences with various products. Though I purchase most of my skin care and cosmetics myself, the ones I am sent allow me to review and share even more with you (by the way, if you see me share a PR package and I never talk about it – I either didn’t like it, it wasn’t a fit for my skin type or tone or I never used it).
I get asked sometimes what I do with all of the products (that I don’t use myself) – I give them to friends and co-workers! I have a “beauty drawer” in my dresser and that’s where I store products I have duplicates of, shades that don’t match my skin, products that don’t work for me/that I don’t like the smell of, etc. When I have friends over, they go through the beauty drawer and take what they like and I also bring bags of products to work. It’s a win-win!
T H R E E
Do you have any favorite summer vacation spots with kids? We’re wanting to plan a fun/relaxing trip this summer but aren’t sure where to go. We will be going to San Diego later this year so probably not California, but open to anywhere else in the US with lots to do for kids and families. We would love to be near a beach – please share your destination + hotel recommendations.
F O U R
I shared these on my Instagram stories already, but I found a $13.99 version– they’re basically identical. Mine are the gold ones! You can buy them, here.
F I V E
Spring is around the corner…here are a few pieces I’m loving…some splurges + saves
karen walker sunnies | white boho pintuck top (this is a cute $22 option) | bamboo earrings | light tan jacket | gingham top with peplum ruffle hem (another cute option here) | pink bag (under $40 option here) | cay eye sunglasses | greece slides | AG jeans | llama slide-on shoes
L A S T L Y…
Closing out this Friday Five, I want to mention a few food things I’m loving lately! I’m newly-obsessed with the cauliflower crust pizza from Trader Joe’s – it’s 730 calories for the entire pizza and Lincoln adores it too (like more than regular pizza even). Another Trader Joe’s obsession – their Mexicali salad. I have a TJs on my way into the office, so I’ll stop there every once in a while to pick up some faves – please let me know what you love from TJs so I can check it out the next time I’m there (but no sweets, please, don’t tempt me, haha!) Speaking of sweets, they do have a large selection of dark chocolate – I get a lot of my bars there and eat a square or two instead of the sweets I used to eat.
This honey balsamic chicken recipe is out-of-this-world amazing. I’ve enjoyed it so much that there are days I eat it for lunch and dinner – it’s incredibly flavorful and the vegetable medley is such a good mix of veggies that complement one another beautifully.
Boom-chicka-pop sea salt flavor popcorn is my favorite snack and I just noticed you can buy them in a 24-pack snack size (our kids love it too!)
TJ favorites: Red Curry Sauce (add to veggies/chicken/shrimp), they have a ton of frozen grain and vegetable medleys that I love, including a stir fried cauliflower rice. They also have fish burgers (salmon, tuna, mahi mahi) I love to grill or pan fry one and put it on top of a big green salad. I am sadly, often disappointed in their jarred red sauces as many have added sugars.
I LOVE their cauliflower rice!!!
Chicago in the summer is amazing! So much great stuff to do outdoors with kids and the lake has beaches which are awesome! (Plus no worries about sharks and other ocean creatures!)
I know you said US, but the four seasons at Punta Mita is amazing! There’s a lazy river and is a super kid and family friendly resort. It’s only a short 2 hours flight into Puerto Vallarta.