Summer Favorites & Essentials

Summer is halting to a close and instead of doing a blogpost on August Favorites, I decided I'd instead make a summer favorites post, similar to what I had done towards the end of spring. Once the end of August hits, it's officially fall time for me! So long summer, I definitely will not be missing you :)

Here are some of my favorites for the summertime, all the way from fashion to beauty to food to everything in between! I organized it a little differently than my Spring favorites, so I now I have something from each category represented :)

Favorite Body Wash: Bath & Body Works Bali Mango Shower Gel

Favorite Hair Product: Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum

Favorite Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Favorite Mascara: Maybelline Volum'Express Pumped Up Colossal Mascara 

Favorite Blush #1: Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Berry Pop

Favorite Blush #2: Milani Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro

Favorite Lipstick: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart

Favorite Lip Balms: Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Quartz and Rose Rush

Favorite Lipgloss #1: Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Pango Peach

Favorite Lipgloss #2: Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Hoola

Favorite Lipgloss #3: Maybelline Color Elixir in Rose Redefined

Favorite Nailpolish: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nailpolish in Speedy Sunburst

Favorite Fashion Item: Maxi Skirts

Favorite Accessory: The Sak Crossbody Bag
Favorite Jewelry Piece: Target coral dangle earrings
Favorite Food Item: Smores!
Favorite Drink: Gloria Jean's coffee
Favorite Memory: Trip to NYC and DC!

I ♥ Summer Tag!

I've been on a kick with these tags lately, so here's another one! Less beauty related, more random bits and bob type of questions. :) Plus I was bored and lazy sitting in bed, wanting to update my blog after my crazy long vacation last week, so here's a nice relaxed post! 

1. Favorite bronzer for summer?
I don't really wear bronzers since I'm already so tan (and get tanner with the summer)! The only bronzer-esque product I do use on a more regular basis is my Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess, which I use more as a highlight or a natural-hued blush.

2. You're relaxing in a hammock, on a tropical island. What are you sipping on?
Probably an iced coffee! I'm not a huge fan of sugary drinks, so my answer would either have to be an ice cold cup of water or some form of iced coffee drink. I really like the Iced Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, so I try to get that every once in a while. I also just like plain old iced coffee from a coffee shop when I'm treating myself to a drink. I don't really like making iced coffees at home, although I have been quite obsessed with the International Delight ready-made iced coffee drinks!

3. Favorite summer lip product?
Anything glossy! I love wearing sheer lip glosses during the summertime because they're so easy to pop on and are quite low maintenance. One of my favorite lipgloss brand for the summertime are The Body Shop glosses that smell like fruit, which makes them a fun, yummy summertime makeup product especially because they're so juicy and give the most flattering natural wash of pink-red to your lips. I also really like the Benefit Ultra Plush glosses because they're so glossy, but lightweight and smell faintly like peaches. My favorite color from this line would definitely have to be Hoola, a gorgeous and versatile bronzey-nude shade that looks absolutely amazing on its own or paired with a heavy eye look.

4. Pool or Beach?
Probably the beach because it feels so nice and calming to put your feet in the warm sand and stare out into the ocean. The ocean sounds are so incredibly calming too, especially early mornings and late evenings when it's quiet and calm on the beach! I also really like strolling along the boardwalk and taking a peak at all the wonderful shops along the way.

5. Summer = crazy hair! What's your must-have styling product?
The only thing that seems to tame my frizzy mess of hair is the Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum. It combats frizz amazingly well, but with the downside that it tends to weigh down your hair due to the rich oils in the product. I don't use it nearly as much as I should, but when I need something that will calm down my frizz effectively, I definitely reach the most for this product!

6. Sun bathing or fake tan?
Neither :) Natural tan, bitches! If anything, I try to avoid the sun at all costs to avoid getting darker, haha.

7. Favorite summer nail polish?
I love neon nail polishes during the summertime, so I rotate between bright oranges, pinks, purples, even yellows! My favorite one (since my fave color is pink) is the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nailpolish in Speedy Sunburst, a beautiful hot neon pink polish. Perfect, perfect, perfect color for the summertime and looks stunning with a tan on both fingernails and toenails!

8. Any summer traditions?
Hmm no real major traditions, but my family always takes a road trip during the summer. This year, we went to Washington DC over Memorial Day weekend. We also try to go to our favorite local summer spots, like Moraine State Park, Oglebay, and Stonewall Resort in WV. Me and my brother also try to make as many indoor s'mores as possible over our little gas stove at home! Summer traditions for me are all about spending lots and lots of quality time with the family :)

9. Favorite summer scent?
I like fruity scents during the summer, especially mango, watermelon, and strawberry. I don't tend to burn many candles during the summer, but strawberry candles seem to be my favorite. I detest coconut scents however, so anything coconut or "island" scented is definitely not my cup of tea. As far as body spray scents, I gravitate towards my fruity PINK body sprays. At the moment I'm using one called "Sweet & Flirty", which is a mix of sugar berry and pink grapefruit. Smells aaamazing and fruity, perfect for the summertime!

10. Favorite BBQ food?
I would have to say some form of marinated chicken or my favorite picknicky-BBQ food....POTATO SALAD! I'm not a huge burger person, but I love marinated chicken breasts such as the one my dad often makes during the summertime. Also, I gotta eat potato salad at least once during the summertime or else it's a fail of a summer for me!

11. What's your favorite summer-proof product?
Hmm not quite sure about this one....I would have to say deodorant since it combats any sweatiness or smelliness I may develop throughout the day, haha. I sweat A LOT during the summer, so deodorant is an absolute must for me! Also, eyeshadow primers are a godsend for the summer since they help my shadow stick on all day no matter how much I sweat.

12. Any summer vacation plans this year? No plans?
No huge summer vacation plans were made this year. However, I had an absolute BLAST with my parents in Washington DC in May this year and then having a mini-reunion with my undergrad friends in Washington DC last week! I also got to spend a few days exploring NYC with my mom last week, which were absolutely wonderful. So although I didn't get to go any crazy fancy places, I got to spend a lot of quality time with close friends and family, which I'm incredibly thankful for :)

July Favorites!

Here are my most used products for the month of July. Woo, almost done with summer! :)

Wet n' Wild 8-Pan Coloricon Palette in Walking the Red Carpet

I purchased this limited-edition W&W palette sometime around May, but I haven't gotten around to using it a lot until this month. I used the 'Eyelid' and 'Crease' shades in the first column last month, but I didn't like it too much because it made my eyes look tired and dull. This month, though, I've been experimenting with the second column a lot more. I've especially liked using the 'Crease' shade in the second column all over my eyelid during the daytime. It looks so gorgeous as a shimmery, yet natural daytime eyeshadow color! Makes me look much more awake and it looks stunning when worn alone all over the eyelid. No smokey crease color needed. I hope W&W releases more natural-colored eyeshadows in the future! Amazing drugstore eyeshadow palette for only a few dollars, what's more to ask for. 

Maybelline Volum' Express Pumped Up Colossal Mascara

My new favorite mascara of the year. I normally don't like Maybelline mascaras because they tend to clump really really easily. I've tried the Great Lash and the Rocket Volume in the past with little success. Therefore, I was initially skeptical to try this mascara, but I decided to give it a shot after seeing the fat-bristled brush and a lot of Youtube gurus rave about this product. In a nutshell, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this mascara. It barely clumps, separates my lashes beautifully, lasts all day, doesn't flake, volumizes without over-lenghtening my lashes, and comes in a pretty eye catching hot pink tube. Love love love. In fact, I love this mascara so much I've been wearing it alone most days with just foundation, without any eyeshadow, blush, or even lipstick. I love how when I'm in a rush, I can just swipe on a few coats of this mascara and I look awake and polished. Truly an express product.

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush in Natural

I've probably mentioned this in a past favorites post, but I've been using this blush literally everyday this month. Alongside the Maybelline Pumped Up Volume mascara, this does a great job at making me look awake and polished within minutes. It doubles as a highlighter and a blush without being too frosty and it's great for when I'm in a rush and want a no-brainer face product to give me a nice, healthy glow. Doesn't require much blending and it's sheer enough that you can't overdose on it.  

Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Quartz

I absolutely love the new Maybelline Crystal Collection!! For years, I've wanted a sheer Baby Lips collection because most of the other Baby Lips collections are super opaque and look terrible on me. I don't really like opaque tinted lip balms, which is what most of the Baby Lips are. I struggled to find a shade that works for me, until this collection came out. I love every single color! I like Pink Quartz especially because it's truly a MLBB color and it's sheer enough that I can swipe it on without a mirror and look great. Again, great for days where I'm just running errands and don't want too much makeup on or when I'm in a rush and need a quick no-brainer lip product. And they're so hydrating and smooth, and the tube is gorgeous and sparkly. I hope I can pick up a few more shades in this collection this coming fall because these are going to be my favorite lip balms for this cold weather season, hands down! The berry and mauve shades are going to look especially beauty for fall time.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Pango Peach

This lipgloss looks so fricken pretty in the tube, I couldn't not mention this in my favorites! It's a really pretty melon-peachy-coral color that is perfect for the summertime. I've been wearing this gloss a ton this month, mainly around the house because this gloss does tend to wear down pretty quickly and needs to be reapplied fairly often. But, it's super shimmery so it looks great when worn outdoors in the sunlight which is how I'm hoping to wear it for the rest of the summer. But it's a really breathtaking, unique lipgloss color and I don't have anything like it in my collection. Great gloss for the fall and even goes with heavier eye makeup, since it is a nudey lip color.  

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nailpolish in Speedy Sunburst 

Hands down my favorite nail polish this summer. I love neon colors for the summer and since pink is my favorite color, this is of course my favorite nail color this season. In fact, it's been on my hands or toes most of this summer and I'll probably be reapplying it next time I do my nails. Sally Hansen Insta-Dri also happens to be one of my favorite nail polish lines because it's affordable, has a great color selection, and has a really nice applicator brush. Plus, it dries in a jiffy and doesn't chip for a while. Don't know how much more I can gush about this nail polish color!

S'mores!

Favorite summertime treat! My brother and I have been loving eating smores for dessert once every few weeks. We finally figured out how to make the perfect indoor smores and have been obsessed! I forgot how wonderful summertime smores taste and smell, ahh! Hoping to carry on this tradition to fall time, maybe even on an outdoor fire pit! 

Evol Sausage, Egg, & Smoked Gouda Breakfast Burrito

Not gonna lie, on most mornings I barely have time to put on makeup, let alone make a proper breakfast. I always struggle to find grab n' go breakfast options, because most of them are sweet and I'm definitely a savory breakfast kind of girl. I've always hated cereals, yogurts, granolas, or anything sweet in the morning because they make me kinda feel sick. The sweetest thing I can scarf down in the morning is a banana. But when I went to Target a few weeks ago, I found these on sale and grabbed a few to try. And I am IN LOVE. First off, these burritos taste so fricken' delicious and hearty! Definitely my kind of breakfast. Second, it takes only 2 minutes to heat up in the microwave. Third, it's actually good for you and keeps you full for hours and hours!!! Not many things I can say that about. It's packed with protein, only has 35g carbs, and only 300mg of sodium!!!! The last factoid there is the reason why I love these babies. It's so hard to find frozen meal options that aren't saturated with salt and other nasty preservatives. They're on sale at Target for $1.66 until the beginning of August, so I stocked up on a bunch for rushed mornings where I have to grab n' go my food. I wish they made other flavors, but for now I'm going to stockpiling these in my freezer like crazy. 

August Recipes

New recipes to try this month!
Leggo :)

BREAKFAST

Bob's Red Mill 7-Grain Pancakes

Breakfast casserole -- chicken sausage, potatoes, onions, peppers, and cheese 

Strawberry cream cheese waffle sandwiches

LUNCH

Ham & cheese with mayonnaise on a wheat baguette

Tomato & mozzerella sandwiches

DINNER

Chicken broccoli pesto pasta

Creamy vodka pasta with meatballs 

Chicken fried rice

Tofu with Saffron Road lemongrass & basil simmer sauce

SINFUL EATING

Hash brown casserole

Banana nut muffins

Trader Joe's pumpkin bread mix

My 2-Minute Makeup Look

Good news: I'm done with Ob/Gyn!!!! Thank God! It was a very rough month. I had to fake interest like crazy and it was incredibly hard dealing with bitchy residents and getting on their good side. Didn't even get to deliver a baby or the placenta. Got to do some cool stuff with C-sections and watch babies come out though. But still, I feel like it was really hard to be proactive, like they're always wanting us to do. Ugh whatever though, it's over. I'm kind of scared about my evaluations, but hopefully I can still maybe muster a High Pass? *Fingers crossed*. Should have my expectations as low as possible though, just in case my evals and grades were lower than I had thought. Argh, I hate the guessing game of clerkship grades. The good thing is that no matter how bummed I am about my Ob/Gyn performance, it won't matter too much because I'm not planning on going into the field and now I have a better idea on how to boost my performance in clerkships. It's a little easier to be proactive in medicine rather than surgery, so looking forward to beasting my medicine-based rotations. In fact, I'm planning on studying medicine during my research month in August so I can be prepared to wow them with my clinical knowledge :)

But anyway. Just as I had expected, I barely have had any time this past month to get ready in the morning. Usually, it's a successful morning if I remember to pack a sandwich for lunch. However, since I had been on outpatient medicine last week, I figured it would be unprofessional if I went in looking like I just woke up. For the surgical part of Ob/Gyn, I was able to throw on a eyeshadow on most days and sometimes even do a full-face makeup. But for some reason during my last week in outpatient medicine, I slept right up until 30-45 minutes before I had to leave, so it was a challenge to put on makeup with only a few minutes. 

So instead of attempting to do a full-face makeup everyday, I chose to focus only on the parts that take twenty seconds to put on, but make a big impact. For me that means mascara and a blush. As much as I love eyeshadows, I knew I wouldn't have time to put any on since that requires longer (gotta put under eye concealer, primer, eyeshadow, blend, blah blah...TIME CONSUMING!). I know I look a lot more zombie-ish without concealer under my eyes, but it takes me quite a while to put it on properly...much more time than I have in the morning. So, I think it's better to have dark circles under my eyes rather than have patchy concealer put on or put too much concealer on and look like a cakey mess. To each their own though. 

The part of the look that makes the biggest difference is the blush. I bought this one back in March and have been in love since. I love it's packaging (obviously), but I've been especially loving it recently since it's such a multi-tasking product. It's a blush, but because it's so shimmery it doubles as a highlighter. It is quite shimmery, but not so shimmery that you're going to look like a disco ball and can't wear it to work. Plus, it's not super opaque, so if you put on a little bit extra, it's not going to be a mess and can easily be blended out to be as sheer as you want. Shimmery blushes are the best for when you're in a rush or can't pack too many face products because they have this multi-task perfectly as a blush + highlighter and make you look incredibly awake and fresh faced.  

Second, I put on a few coats of mascara, which perks up my eyes. I'm absolutely in LOVE with the new Maybelline Pumped Up Colossal mascara, and have been using it like crazy. Again, the packaging is adorbs but I love the fact that it doesn't clump at all, even when I rack on three or four coats. That's the biggest complaint I have from most mascaras I've used, but this one hasn't clumped on me even once yet (knock on wood!). Maybe because it's waterproof? Plus, it makes my lashes look so much fuller without over-lengthening them. No flaking either! Since it's so low maintenance but has amazing results, it's been my go-to mascara this month and I cannot leave the house without putting on a coat of it. 

So that's it, that's my 2-minute makeup look! It's basically just my usual foundation routine + blush + mascara. Choosing the correct blush and mascara is important because you want a multi-tasking, shimmery blush paired with a fuss-free mascara so you can dab them on and head out the door in a jiffy. Of course, it's not as glamorous as a full face makeup look would be (especially with the uncovered dark circles), but when you're pressed for time and can only put on a few products, I think these few will make you look much more awake, refreshed, confident, and ready for a full day of work while taking only a few minutes. 

Products

St. Ives Even & Bright Pink Lemon and Mandarin Orange Scrub

Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Moisturizer SPF 30

Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum (best used on damp hair; really makes my dry hair alive, smooth, and frizz-free. went for a week without using this product and my hair was a giant mess.)

bareMinerals Matte Foundation in Golden Tan

Milani Secret Cover Concealer Stick in Medium

bareMinerals Mineral Veil

CoverGirl Volum' Express Pumped Up Colossal Mascara

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush in Natural 

New Milani Goodies! ♥

Milani Secret Cover Concealer in Medium

Photo credit = www.storenvy.com

Milani Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro

Photo credit = www.sarahassansblog.com

Milani Baked Blush in Red Vino

Photo credit = www.musingsofamuse.com

Milani Baked Eyeshadow in The Intermix

Photo credit = www.vsmakeupsecrets.blogspot.com

NOTW: Watermelon Pink Glitter

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nailpolish in Speedy Sunburst

Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in Punk Rock Pink

Ain't nothin' like rediscovering old nail polish faves! I recently re-organized my nail polish box and was sooo happy to dig out this really pretty hot pink watermelon shade, which is literally screeeeammms summer. I remember it being one of my absolute favorite summer polishes a few years ago. So very glad I found it again!

I decided to pair it this week with a shimmery gold topcoat and I love love love the texture and sparkle it adds. It makes the polish pop so much more and jazzes it up so it's not just another boring, flat pink nail polish. Just makes it much more summery, girly, bright, sparkly, and fun! It actually reminds me of the Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Strawberry, since the color and sparkle is so similar. Hot pink/neon pink shades look amazing on tanned summer skin and are perfect for this time of the year! Also would look amazing on the toes (new nail polish idea?!?!).

Overall loving this combo and will probably be wearing this quite a lot until the end of the summer! Yay for neons!!

De-bloating After The Holiday Weekend

BLOAT. I effing hate hate hate that word. I absolutely HATE being bloated and for some reason, my body is super prone to becoming bloated even after one salty meal. This past week, I've unfortunately been cheating a lot on my diet and as a result, have become bloated like a pregnant lady. But no fears, I refuse to look back and instead choose to be optimistic and focus on the future.
But yes, as a result of eating as much salty fatty yummy foods as I want, I'm feeling incredibly bloated and hate hate hate hate haaaaaaate that feeling. So, for this week, I have some specific fitness/health goals I want to try and adhere to. I will be undergoing a schedule change this week, since (starting Wednesday) I begin night duty in the labor and delivery suite. Not totally excited for the crazy circadian rhythm change, but still excited since I'll get to deliver babies!! But, I'm still going to try and follow these few simple diet rules even through my crazy schedule change in order to reduce bloating and get a fitter, flatter core. I don't bloat as much on my upper/lower body (does anyone?) but when I bloat, my back and my stomach area puff up like crazy. And that's just not very pretty.

1. Water, water, water
By far the best thing to reduce bloat for me is to drink copious amounts of water. I'm hoping to drink 4-5 bottles of my 24oz bottle for the next two days for a total of 96-120 oz of water per day. Crazy! But, this is literally the best thing to fight bloat. After that, I'm probably going to drop back down to drinking 3 bottles per day (72 oz) and try to continue drinking that much each day to prevent bloat in the future.

2. Salt
Next best thing: cut out sodium from my diet. Dropping my sodium intake down to 1500 mg is the best way to lose my bloat. Now, the issue is that eating only 1500 mg of sodium on normal days is kinda impossible. So, after I go back to normal, I'm planning on resuming my 1500-2000 mg sodium regime and this time, strictly adhere to it!  No more venturing above the 2000 mg line because that just bloats me right back up.

3. Cardio sweatfest
While drinking water and cutting sodium are the two most crucial things for me to reduce bloat, I will say that exercising also helps. How? Because I sweat like cray cray when I do any form of cardio exercise, which is another great way to drop water weight. Sure crunches help, but a cardio sweatiest is golden. Since I have a lot of abdominal fat, crunches and planks and abdominal exercises won't help as much in visibly reducing bloat for me. But, they do give you a feeling of having a tight core, which also helps.

4. Drop the carbs
I've read in several magazines that eating a lot of carbs causes water weight retention....which leads to bloating. So, I'm also hoping to cut down my carb intake to less than 150g per day. I'm finding that to be easier said than done however, since I'm out of my apartment for most of the day and don't have a fridge to keep food in during my rotations. Most perishable snacks tend to be carbohydrate-rich, which can be a problem. I have found that nuts are great snacks though full of protein and healthy fats and tend to hold me over for a long long time. Plus, the Babybel prepackaged cheeses also hold up well in my lunch sack. I'm hoping to stock up on these healthy, low-carb snacks and munch on those in between my rotations instead of grabbing a granola bar or pretzels.

June Favorites ♥

Lots of beauty products I've been loving this month! I've had a lot of time this month to experiment with new stuff and have hauled up a lotttt of goodies that I've fallen absolutely in love with. Here they all are. It was really hard to narrow them out, but here are the main products I've been loving. I wanted to mention a lot of products I mentioned in my Summer/Spring favorites, but I left them out so I wasn't talking about the same products again and again. But, I still loveee those products and have been using them a lot still, but here are some of the newer products I've loved and discovered this month.

PINK Sweet & Flirty Body Mist

Photo credit = www.iamlinderella.blogspot.com

Smells like summer in a bottle! Super light, breezy, and fruity. I've been wearing this in the morning as a light fragrance and it makes me smell amazing! Doesn't last a long time, but that's just the way I like it for an everyday scent. 

BBW Candle in Lilac Blossom

Photo credit = www.todayiadore.com

I usually don't like floral candles, but this one is an exception. Very light floral, lilac smell and the mason jar version is strong enough to fragrance my entire bedroom! 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

Photo credit = www.makeupyamind.wordpress.com

I normally don't mention makeup tools in a favorites post, but this foundation brush is soooo nice! It's nice and dense and it applies my foundation like a dream in less than 3 minutes without any fallout or streaking. 

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Dust (Naked 3 Palette)

Photo credit = www.beautyjunkiesunite.com

I mentioned the Naked 3 Palette in one of my spring favorites, but I've been using this shade in particular the entire month! It's such a pretty frosted pinky-rose color and I love this shade in particular because it doesn't look too light or too pink on me. It almost looks like a light mauve on me. It's the most natural looking pink in this palette (for my skin color) and I've been loving it on days where I want a non-brown, but still natural eyeshadow. It makes me look refreshed and awake without looking like I applied a ton of pink eyeshadow.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara

Photo credit = www.musingsofamuse.com

bareMinerals READY Blush in The Aphrodisiac

Photo credit = www.loveshelbey.com

A beautiful blush I recently rediscovered. I've owned this blush for a few years and I have a love-forget relationship with this. This summer, I've been loving how beautiful and glowy this shimmery apricot blush makes me look while still appearing natural! The best part? No need for a highlighter since the shimmer specks in this blush do all the work and light me up instantly while giving me a healthy, pretty, sun kissed glow. 

Clinique Cheek Pop in Berry Pop

Photo credit = www.musingsofamuse.com

Another blush favorite this month. I've always been afraid of bright pink, fuchsia blush colors but I gave it a shot when the new Clinique blushes came out, and I'm soooo happy I did! This color looks gorgeous on tan skin and has been my go to blush on most days since it makes me look extremely well rested, fresh, bright, youthful, and like I just worked out...in a good way! I like to wear this color on days when I want my cheeks to pop a little bit more since this isn't as natural appearing as a peachy-apricot blush. But yet, it doesn't look like you slapped on blush. Just enhances your look in a very pretty, doll-like way! Next to a shimmery peachy blush, this is definitely my new favorite summer blush color -- probably will look great in the colder months too! 

CoverGirl Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Gloss in Hot Stuff

Photo credit = thebeautybudgetblog.wordpress.com

I was browsing around Ulta a few weeks ago and picked up this gloss because I had heard good things about the Smoochies line. And ohhh my gosh this gloss smells and tastes just like cherries! I really like to wear this on days where I'm wearing minimal makeup, usually on weekends on days off when I can get away with wearing glitzy makeup (this gloss literally has chunks of glitter!). Beautiful sheer peachy, glittery gloss for the summer, especially with the fruity taste and smell! I'm pretty sure I'm halfway done with the tube, thats how much I've been wearing it recently. 

Maybelline Baby Lips in Rose Rush

Photo credit = www.musingsofamuse.com

I'm usually not a big fan of the Baby Lips balms because they're quite opaque and I don't wear tinted lip balms as much anymore. However, they recently came out with a Pink collection and this color looked absolutely beautiful in swatches. On me, it translates to a gorgeous mid-opaque hot pinkish color. This shade in particular is gorgeous because it's sheer, but yet opaque enough to enhance my lip color. Plus, it smells like watermelons mmm! I really like Baby Lips because they're so incredibly hydrating and for only $4 a tube, they do well in terms of pigmentation. I'm glad I finally found a wearable color in this line!

Trader Joe's

Photo credit = www.mediabistro.com

Oh my gosh, I recently discovered TJ and I'm in LOVE. Their frozen section is absolutely amazing! They have cheap food, but the best part is that it's so much healthier than the grocery store frozen foods section in terms of sodium, sugar, and ingredients. Their other sections are good as well, but the frozen foods section is a total winner. Things I've been loving are their potato pancakes (with only 5 ingredients!), pad see-ew, and a pesto pasta TV dinner (with only 390 mg sodium and 300 calories!!!). I'll definitely be going here every single time I need to restock my freezer! 

Sesame Oil! (hahaha)

Photo credit = www.budgetbytes.com

Totally random favorite, but I've started using sesame oil to cook my Asian dishes and ohmygosh it makes SUCH a big difference in terms of taste! I love love love Asian cuisine and I've been experimenting with cooking my own Asian dishes at home. So far, I've used sesame oil to make chow fun noodles and fried rice, and it definitely gives these dishes more flavor than olive oil. Definitely a must ingredient for any Asian dishes...olive oil definitely won't cut it! I'm so surprised I didn't discover it sooner, but never again will my pantry be without this!!

"Keep Calm And Have A Cupcake" Desk Notes

Photo credit = www.scribewritingessentials.com

Last but certainly not least, my new favorite desk accessory. I found this at the clearance section of my university book store, and it is SO fricken beautiful. Love the light pink casing and the cupcake imprinted notes. I love baking and love love love cupcake-baking and decorating in particular, so this message is me in a phrase. I love everything about this...the box, the notes, how big the notes are, the design, the elegance, the font size, the message. Ahh, love love love. So me in every single way. Plus, it's been keeping me organized and top of things this past month so it's a total win win!