Friday Five

Happy Friday!

INVISALIGN, PART DEUX
I have the day off of work today and am finally starting my Invisalign refinement trays. I finished my initial 20-tray treatment months ago, but due to COVID-19, there were understandably clinical delays in getting seen again and having my teeth re-scanned. My refinement phase will be treating my overbite with elastics, so quarantine is literally perfect timing for this since I don’t really see anyone and can adjust to having them in my mouth in the comfort of our own home. Today’s appointment will involve putting attachments back on my teeth so I can start my second stage of my treatment. I’m really glad I did Invisalign and don’t mind the process – a year or a little longer for a lifetime of great teeth is worth it! You can read more about my experience here.

THE DOLLHOUSE COMPLETION
I cannot believe I’m even typing this but the dollhouse is DONE! Well…it’s built and the exterior is painted. The interior is a whole other endeavor! When we got the dollhouse kit for Harper’s birthday, the box lay unopened for weeks. Opening that box was overwhelming – tons of wood pieces and an instructional book that can only be described as “glaringly incomplete.”

But I did it and am so so so proud. Of course I had a little help from Kevin, but I did most of it myself and though I never thought I’d finish it after getting frustrated by just the first few steps. I’m not a patient person and this project took every ounce I had – but it’s complete, it’s magnificent and though the project had ups and downs, it was a great distraction and good for my mental health. 

I plan to do some more in-depth posts on the dollhouse eventually, so stay tuned for those! The exterior paint is Sherwin Williams Extra White and the trim is Farrow & Ball Lulworth Blue color matched at SW.

Speaking of DIY projects, Harper’s bamboo dressers arrived this week and I immediately got three quotes to refinish them, LOL. I was going to do it myself, but I wanted a break from painting and I also ended up needing to have the inside drawers clear sealed due to the smell (thankfully just perfumey/musty not smoke or anything) and it ended up being more sanity-saving to pay a pro. They’re being picked up on Monday to get the process started!

I was originally going to paint them a light French blue, but the more and more I thought about it, the more hesitant I became. She already has a white Henry Link Bali Hali dresser in her room and I love it – it’s just not the right size. I got these two pieces so I could have them flank her bed as “night stands” and keeping them white will allow me to add colorful bedding, pillows and art and they can work in any space. I eventually think I’d love to get her an upholstered headboard with a color or print, so I kept that in mind too when I decided to go the white route.
GLOWING SKIN
I shared Supergoop Glow Screen on my feed this week – it’s my favorite facial sunscreen OF ALL TIME. The magic is in the finish – not only does it act like a primer on the skin (wearing well under makeup), but it has a magical pearlescent finish – even with zero foundation, it somehow manages to make your real skin look 100 times better and glowier. It has an SPF or 40 and I frequently wear it both on its own and under makeup. Previously I used Supergoop’s unseen sunscreen and while that is also a great product, I love the Glow Screen way more and will repurchase time and time again.

KATHERINE FREEMAN ART
I got the most beautiful canvas from Katherine Freeman Original Art this week. It’s called “Lemon Drop” and has the most beautiful combination of colors. I’m a huge fan of abstract art (see some of my favorites here) and this piece really completes the space in our game room area that’s right off of our stair landing. Our is 36 x 36. Shop this space here.

RECENT PURCHASES

These vitamins for my kids. I’m very concerned about my children’s immune systems right now. We have been home since March. They have only gone for walks in our neighborhood – no parks, no visits with friends, no public places (we never take them to grocery stores, etc. during this pandemic). Our kids eat well and get sun/fresh air most days, but I figured there was no harm in getting them started on some vitamins.

This lip tint pencil was recommended by Kathleen– she knows I love a cool-toned pink and the color is reminiscent of NARS’s Roman Holiday which I loved back in the day. The color is buildable and easy to apply!

This scalp massager warrants its own post, but here we go. OMG where has this been all my life? This is one of those “meh, I’ll try it!” type of items that after first use I now realize is one of the best darn things I’ve ever bought for my scalp. I feel like it helps loosen up any residue in the hair and really stimulates your scalp. My hair feels SO clean and fresh after using it just once. I applied my shampoo like normal and then used the scalp massager to lather it in. Then I rinsed and washed for a second time and repeated the massage step. I think I will be using this every time I wash (twice a week). I truly think it helps give a more effective clean and helps stimulate the scalp and hair follicles. It’s also super gentle – I was expecting it to hurt a little but the little nubs are flexible and softer so it doesn’t scrape your scalp at all. Five stars.

I got the Apple Magic keyboard last week and got this ombre pink keyboard skin for it. First of all, the wireless keyboard has been a game-changer (see my work-from-home setup, here). I always use a keyboard skin on my MacBooks. I often sip coffee or eat my lunch while working, so it helps keep the keyboard from getting gross. My MacBook keyboards look like nw because I’ve always had a skin on them from day one of use. The skins are made of silicone and washable. so it’s easy to pop it off to clean. No keyboard should be without a skin – the one I use at work at my desktop is gross, even though I clean it with compressed air, it doesn’t get all the gross out.

I got these plate wall hangers so I can display my pretty new plates!

I pre-ordered Studio McGee’s new book, Make Life Beautiful.

I got this ruffle-sleeve swimsuit and will try it on for y’all this weekend! I ordered a small.

These resistance bands that I use for my Melissa Wood Health workouts.

Have a great weekend!