Hi lovelies! Happy Friday! Well … this Friday Five wins the award for the latest Friday Five to ever be posted. I apologize for the delay. I’ve had quite a few things come up unexpectedly this week. Chips bit at battery in one of our remote controls and sustained a chemical burn to his mouth and tounge so I spent a good majority of yesterday going back and forth to the vet. I also had quite a few calls and appointments making it even more difficult for me to sit down and get this post written. BUT, alas, it’s here! I told myself I would be intentional about getting you guys a Friday Five once a month and I am determined to make it happen … no matter what time it gets posted! Ha!
So, anyway, I am excited about today’s Friday Five!
Thank you so much for all of the category suggestions! They’re always so helpful!
Five Things I’m Buying From The Sephora Sale
Sephora’s Spring Sale is underway starting with the Rouge members receiving 15% off starting today! Use code YAYROUGE at checkout!
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette
I’ve been wanting to try out this palette for a couple of months now! I love the mix of warm neutrals and cool tone pinks. I have the Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette, as you may remember from my Top Beauty Products of 2017 post, and love the pigment and formula of ABH’s eyeshadow colors. I’m looking forward to trying these out!
Sunday Riley
Luna Night Oil
I’ve been struggling with consistent break-out’s lately and I’m pretty over it. We’ve all been there, right? I’ve been looking for some new solutions because, for the longest time, TULA was my acne solution. But, in my experience, your skin gets accustomed to products and seemingly becomes resistant to them over time. I scoured Sephora’s skincare section a few weeks ago and found Sunday Riley‘s Ultra Clarifying Facial Oil. My friend, Kaylee, who often shoots for the blog, saw it and went on and on about their Luna Night Oil and said I had to try it! So … here we go!
Summer Friday’s
Jet Lag Mask
So, this is like the IT skin care product out there right now. It was developed by the beauty influencer, Marianna Hewitt, and is said to deliver rich hydration to your skin in just one application. It essentially feeds your skin a nourishing mix of vitamins, ceramides, antioxidants, and gently exfoliating extracts leaving skin looking instantly renewed, radiant, and ready for anything! I can’t wait to try it out and report back my thoughts
It Cosmetics
Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara
A reader reached out to me after reading my Everyday Makeup Routine and recommended this mascara. I’m not necessarily in the market for a new one since I love the Better Than Sex one I use but, my current tube is running on empty so it’s a good time to try something new. Have any of you tried this one?
Tarte
Tarteist Double Take Eyeliner
This is another product that has come highly recommended by readers recently! It’s a waterproof liquid and pencil eyeliner duo that is super easy to use from what I’ve been told! I’m always looking for a handy eyeliner product so I’m really looking forward to trying this one out for myself! I use liquid eyeliner on my lid and pencil on my waterline so it’s perfect – two in one!
Five Fun Stateside Summer Destinations
Rosemary Beach, Florida
Some of my favorite beachside memories over the past couple of years have taken place in a little city along the Gulf Coast Highway, 30A, called Rosemary Beach. It’s a small community located in the Panhandle of Florida, along the Gulf Coast, and it’s captivating. All of it. The turquoise water. The Spanish style architecture. The many tree covered walkways. The “you can’t go wrong” in-town restaurants. The cobble stone streets. The endless number of charming ‘I want to sit right there for a while’ porches. The way you see God’s artistic mastery in the sunset sky each night. The way you feel as you’re standing small at the threshold of his wildly vast ocean. So many little things about this place quickly reminds me of His all-encompassing, charming, beautiful love. Highly recommend!
Nantucket / Martha’s Vineyard / Cape Cod, Massachusetts
So, this little area just outside of the Boston city limits has been on my stateside travel lust list for awhile! Although I’ve never been there, I have read many travel guides and diaries and am convinced that it’d be an amazing place to getaway to for a week or so over the summer. I’m not sure how much time you would need in each place but, I’ve read that it’s pretty easy to pop over to whichever one you’re not staying on. The blooming hydrangeas and New England charm is just so dreamy! Look at this photo I found on Lauren Conrad’s website, who I actually think has one of the best guides for the area HERE.
I thought I was going to be able to check it off this summer but, unfortunately, another trip that is already booked got in the way of an opportunity that would have taken place here. It might just have to have to wait until 2019. Have any of you been?
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
If you’ve been following the blog for awhile, you might remember that I ventured down to St. Thomas last summer and I was captivated by its beauty! There are SO many stunning beaches to choose to enjoy each day and the fresh sea food is so delicious! Everyone is also super nice and there are a couple of neighboring islands that you can take a boat to or a quick flight to! Check out my travel diary for St. Thomas HERE.
San Francisco & Napa Valley, California
This area of the country is one I have been to personally but wasn’t able to spend TOO much time there. I don’t even know where the photos I took while I was there went because I was there with my girlfriends from college before we all went down to our friends wedding down in Palo Alto. Northern California can be known for its chill in the air for a good majority of the year but, if you hit it just right in the summertime, it’s pretty dreamy! Be sure to stop at Frog’s Leap Winery in Napa! Their chardonnay is the only one I like!
Nashville, Tennessee
If you are a country music lover, like myself, I’d highly encourage you to venture to the Music City this summer! Nashville is full of creatives, dreamers and entrepreneurs as well as unique restaurants and shops. The city has been seeing an increase in popularity over the past few years and has been trying to figure out ways to accommodate all of its new residents. So, if you are thinking of going up to experience the live music and honky tonk’s for yourself, be sure to expect crowds and do your research on where you want to eat ahead of time! I can’t encourage this enough, especially if you’re going during CMA Fest! [photo credit]
Five TV Shows, Podcasts or Books I’ve Been Loving Lately
• BOOK: Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss
I’ve been blogging for five years now but I feel like there’s so much to the business side of things that I could be much better at. I’m challenging myself to learn more from people who have much more talent and experience in business. My brother recently recommended I read this book by Chris Voss because it’s about negotiating. Although the author is a previous FBI crisis negotiator, which I do find very interesting, he also shares his insights into how to negotiate your way through a lot of situations.
• TV SHOW: Big Little Lies on HBO
Aside from having an all-star cast, the story line of this short HBO series is not only important but so relevant to the issues that our country is facing right now. I found it to be heartbreaking, honest and empowering all at the same time. I cannot wait for season 2!
• PODCAST: Oprah SuperSoul Conversations – Tim Storey: How to Turn a Setback into a Comeback?
I actually had never heard of Tim Storey before listening to this episode of one of my favorite podcasts and now I want to read his book. He has so much knowledge and insight that I felt like I just really needed to hear. He talks about struggles that we face, how to overcome setbacks in life and how we are predestined for a particular purpose. It was really, really good. I need to listen to it again to really get it all, you know?
• PODCAST: Jenna Kutcher ‘The Goal Digger’ Podcast – The Vulnerable Side to Being Successful
I’m a new to Jenna Kutcher’s podcast but not new to Jenna Kutcher. If you don’t follow her on Instagram, you should! She started off as a photographer but has built a brand that is geared toward helping other creatives and entrepreneurs who might still just need a little help getting their footing on some things. She is a sweetheart and absolutely killing it right now! It’s been really cool to watch her business grow. This episode that I listened to the other day was an interview she did with her friend, Caitlin Crosby, who founded the The Giving Keys, a company that employs men and women transitioning out of homelessness to make jewelry out of repurposed keys. Each key has a word on it so you’re supposed to buy a ket with a word that means something to you with where you’re at in life and, eventually, you gift it to someone who needs your word right now in theirs. I’ve always loved the concept and was intrigued to listen to a successful entrepreneur open up about the tough side to her journey. Caitlin said so many things that just resonated with me. I am not the most successful blogger out there but I have experienced success in a way that I never would and, just like with anything else, there are some sides of that that are hard. I sometimes wonder why this gift was given to me. I’m scatterbrained and inconsistent. I get distracted easily. I am terrible at prioritizing tasks because everything is really important to me. Literally, everything. I’m probably SO frustrating to work for sometimes, hah! ANYWAY, I’m not looking for a pity party and I’m not upset or beating myself up over here. It’s just that, when you work for yourself, sometimes being ‘in charge of it all’ sheds light on so many things that you don’t feel good at … yet everyone expects you to be good at them. If that makes sense … and this podcast just kind of made me feel like it’s normal to feel the way I do sometimes … which was nice. 🙂
• TV SHOW: Victoria on PBS
So, this might not be up everyones alley but, most of y’all know my obsession with the U.K., the British monarchy and history so it shouldn’t surprise you I am nerding out over this. This series is a couple of years old I think but it was put on by the same people that did Downton Abbey so I was sure it was going to be good. It’s essentially a modern depiction of the life of Queen Victoria, who became the Queen of England in 1837 at the age of 18. She married her cousin, Albert – I know, weird – and they are both celebrated all over London, With that said, I wanted to understand more about the legacy they left and what they did for the country and city that I obviously love to visit so much. It has been very interested and well done. The actors are all amazing. The guy who plays Jasper in The Holiday plays Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister and it’s a role that has redeemed my feelings for him after how big of a jerk he was to Kate Winslet. Anyway, if you’re a history nerd or Downton Abbey lover like me … I would definitely recommend this show!
Five Shopbop Sale Picks Under $100
SALE DETAILS: 20-25% off with code EVENT18
I brought this striped backpack with me last year on some of my travels and it reminded me how nice it is to have your belongings secure while your hands are free. These earrings would be so cute with a pastel dress. I’m not usually a fan of cold shoulder sweaters but I think I can get down with lightweight tops that are. I am excited to wear this one next week. Don’t wait on these! The sale ends on Saturday evening!
Five Spring Nail Colors I Recommend
My go-to Spring and Summer color has been ‘Mod About You’ by OPI for years but, I eventually got tired of always getting the same color so I started venturing out of that when I was living in London at the end of 2016. Lately, I’ve been loving Essie’s “Go Ginza”. It’s such a pretty light lavender color. You may have noticed that I wear white nail polish a lot this time of year. I also opt for mint colors from time to time but I’m really picky about which ones I’ll choose. Sometimes I find them to be too green. ‘Mint Candy Apple’ is one that I love but I recently found this one called ‘Gelato On My Mind’ and I can’t wait to try it. Hope these help give you some good nail color inspo for this season! 🙂
And that does it for this Friday Five! I hope you guys had a great week! xo.
