Okay, surprise revealed, y'all! My "fancy" new series is one that happens on a monthly basis and takes a look at the things I thoroughly enjoyed throughout the previous month. It isn't a super complicated (or new) concept, so let's just get into it. Here are the top 10 things I loved in August:
1. iPhone X
Recently my iPhone 6 went off the rails. I would dutifully charge it to 100% and unplug to be able to move and use my phone at the same time (a #concept) and then five minutes later I would get the "your phone has under 20% charge left" notification. If I was taking a video on Snapchat to share the #witty antics of my summer it would take 10 minutes (I kid you not) to get the video to run normally. I had had it with my phone--it was time for an upgrade. And upgrade I did! I went 6 to 100, y'all. (Or, I should say, my parents assisted me in going 6 to 100.) I got an iPhone X! How exciting and fancy does that sound? I sound like a bona fide A-Dult. And boy did it live up to my expectations. The biggest upside to the phone is the camera. Oh my god, the camera!! I cannot tell you how amazing it is--Canon, who?
I am part of an amazing program called PinchMe in which I get sent products every now and then (for free) in return for an honest review. Truly, I could despise the product and give them my true tea (I've never had to, because I've loved all of the products I've received thus far) and still get another item to try later.
The latest thing I was sent to try was the Garnier Fructis 1 Minute Hair Mask. To be quite honest, I don't typically do anything with my hair, much less take the time--a whole minute, peeps--to stand for a minute doing nothing in the shower with a hair mask on my head. But try it I did. And life changed was I. The second I washed the coconut extract (that's the specific flava I tried) out of my hair I could feel an instant change: my hair was smooth and soft. So much so that I added the hair mask to my "to-buy" list the second I wrapped my towel around myself. This product is amazing, affordable, and lives up to its hype. If anyone is on the fence about hair masks, I would recommend starting with this one.
So I'm a Bullet Journal fiend and have spent the last three weeks crafting a personalized bullet journal for one of my favorite people (s/o to Anna). As fun as it is, it would not be going as *smoothly* if I did not have my trust Staedtler pens. I have the 36 pack (linked above) which not only gives me tons of color options, but also gives me different shades (can I get a yee haw?). In addition to the amazing variety of colors, the pens write so smoothly on paper and don't smear--perfect for creating "elaborate" bullet journal layouts.
4. Savers Reusable Bag
I go thrift-shopping at least twice a month (another series, anyone?) and definitely did not do anything to decrease my environmental impact with the amount of plastic bags I accrued after each trip. But, on one of my most recent trips to Savers, I learned that they have given up plastic bags! As sucky as it was to find myself with no bags, four shirts, and six books, I was still ecstatic that Savers is truly doing #themost to help the Earth. But then it got BETTER! The cashier told me that they were offering reusable bags for one dollar. And now that, my friends, is a price this girl can afford. I jumped on that offer and ran out of the store with my new A-Dult purchase. As excited as I was after that purchase, it turned out that was just the beginning: the Savers reusable bag is massive and incredibly durable. I can use it for holding/carrying nearly anything: case in point, it is holding my collection of 30 used books purchased from Savers right this moment and has not broken yet.
I am a sucker for guided journaling. And, boy, this is peak guided journaling, y'all. A few weeks ago I took a trip to the mall with a few co-workers and, naturally, stopped by Barnes & Noble to check out the clearance rack. And as I was perusing the products that just barely fit in my budget, I found this gem: a journal that asks you a large variety of questions that helps you, quite literally, write your own autobiography of sorts. And, as a future English teacher, I can use some of the prompts for writing exercises in my classes--a win win, I would say.
As much as I didn't used to indulge in taking care of my face, I took care of my face. I have lived with acne of every single kind on every single surface of my face for as long as I can remember. The bigger whiteheads on my chin and forehead have been such a constant for the past 7 years that I have become desensitized to the presence of them on my face. But, as my awareness of those has decreased, my noticing the blackheads taking up space on my nose has increased. I had to take action immediately, and the natural first step was doing a pore strip (a strip you stick to your face with water and then rip off in order to remove blackheads from your face). But, of course, the popular brands were expensive for a college student. So, what did I decide to do? Buy house brand, of course. And Target did not disappoint. Pro tip to all pore strip users: don't drop major cash on the name brand strips, save yo money and buy house brand (honestly, a pro tip for any product, let's be real).
A few days ago Rochester bid adieu to the Herberger's that took up residence in our local mall for a hot hot second. And with that came a plethora of sales and markdowns (we're talking like 90% markdowns, peeps, of course I was there) that I shopped more than one time. The first time I went with my Nana and had plenty of time to dig through the discounted makeup boxes positioned at the front of the store. And take my time I did. And find a gem did I! Of all the things I got at Herberger's during my various trips my absolute favorite item I purchased was a tube of Kiko lipgloss. To be honest, I had never heard of the brand until I found myself digging through a bin full of their products. But that didn't stop me from buying and trying their lipgloss in a pink shimmery shade. And it did not disappoint! So much so that the next time I stopped by Herberger's I picked up a shade of purple--a color I never thought I could pull off on my lips, but that Kiko helps me rock.
8. American Eagle White Striped 2-Piece Set
As I mentioned earlier, I went on a shopping trip with my amazing Nana a couple of weeks ago. She graciously offered to help me out with purchasing a few items for college. But during our trip we stumbled across something we just had to get. The reason? Just because we wanted to (a huge daily mood, me thinks). That fun piece? A 2-piece white and black striped set from American Eagle. I have seen people rocking them on Instagram (yes, I'm #basic) and desperately wanted my own 2-piece set, but, unfortunately, could not spare 30 dollars for the top and 45 for the bottom. And then, a miracle happened. We, by chance, stopped by American Eagle. And, naturally, I beelined it to the clearance rack. And there, in my size, was one last set, on clearance. After trying it on, I knew it was a match made in heaven. And it feels like I'm wearing pajamas, so win win win win.
Planners are my ultimate weakness. The second I see a cute planner it is added it to my Amazon wish-list or mentally noted for future years. I love lists. I love stickers. I love planning things out. Hence, my love for planners in purely natural. In January of 2018 I found myself in need of a new planner (I have a bad habit of buying planners that expire half-way through the school year, this year being no exception). And, a familiar character (my Nana), offered to split the price for one--seeing as I wanted a nicer one that would hold up in my cramped backpack and in the college setting, so I settled on the "2018 Do-It-All Planner" at the calendar store in the mall (a place that I make out to be one of the places I spend all of my time in this post, but truly I go about twice a year). And it has exceeded all expectations. There are monthly spreads. There are weekly spread--dailies included. There is a layout called "Year in Pixels" in which you color in a box for every day corresponding with how the day went. There are "Bucket List" spreads. And I just cannot get enough. If you are looking for a smaller, do-everything planner, this one is for you--keep your eyes out for the next version dropping (probably, I'm not sure why I'm acting like I know when it is being released) in December/January of 2019.
I'm truly surprised that there aren't more books on this list. But, I suppose we'll have to make do with just one, and a fantastic one at that. I'll keep the synopsis short, seeing as I don't want to ~spoil~ anything about it. This story follows Michelle McNamara's obsessive journey following the footsteps of the Golden State Killer (a name which she coined, fun fact) in pursuit of catching him. Unfortunately, Michelle passed away before the GSK was caught. But, the fact that it was written under the pretenses that the vile GSK was still out there made it even better. 13/10 would recommend (and SSDGM).
