Feel Good Friday
TGIF! Am I right?
what we've been up to...
I have still been just working in my classroom & doing lots of planning. We FINALLY get students next week & I could not be any more EXCITED!! My sisters started school this past week & even with masks & social distancing, they are just darn happy to be there! Avery plays volleyball & is a cheerleader too & Bethany plays the trapset in pep band. I am hoping to watch them every chance I get! So thankful I made the choice to move a bit closer to home!
In case you missed it, this week I shared ALL of the things that were bought from Amazon during the month of July. It's a big long list but there's some really good stuff including my makeup organizer! Linking that post here.
friday favs...
Typical morning work day view. Love having my homemade iced coffee in my cute little personalized plastic Starbucks cup! (Linking to my school counseling office post here in case you're interested in anything).
My skin has been feeling really good lately which is surprising because I was having issues with breakouts due to wearing a mask. #thanksCovid. Anyway, posting the pic below because it feels GOOD to feel good makeup free. The past six months I've absolutely fallen in love with The Ordinary products. They're extremely good quality & I'm truly shocked at how affordable they are! Like I think almost everything is under $10 or very close to. My current favorite The Ordinary products are listed below!
above picture details linked here:dark grey lounge top / red glasses / pinkish-orange fingernail polish (shade is called "exhale") / white marble loopy phone case (get 10% off using code smalltown10!)
hyaluronic acid 2% + B5: Over the last couple of years, I've found that I really love hyaluronic acid & the way it reacts with my face. Hyaluronic acid takes the moisture out of the air & brings it into your face throughout the day so you constantly feel moisturized. I’m fairly oily so I was worried that it would make me even more greasy, but it doesn’t AT ALL! I had been using Peter Thomas Roth’s water drench hyaluronic cloud cream which was absolutely wonderful. It’s very thin & didn’t make my face feel greasy or caked down at all which I loved. But, it was a little too expensive for what I was willing to spend regularly. That’s why I love The Ordinary’s product because it makes my face feel the exact same way for a fraction of the price! Win win!
caffeine solution 5% + EGCG drops: Their purpose is to help with dark under eyes & also help with the puffiness. I’ve been using these drops, both at morning & at night, for a few months & I feel like I can really tell a difference! Especially about an hour after I’ve used the drops — my under eyes look much less baggy.
glycolic acid 7% toning solution: I'm a big fan of evening out my skin tone & texture. Who isn't? I ordered this product since I've loved so many of the other products from The Ordinary line & it came in about a week ago. I've used it every night since (like it says to on the bottle's instructions) & my skin feels GREAT! It feels so smooth & texture-free. It's such a freeing feeling to feel comfortable makeup free!
(Linking to my most recent skincare routine post here in case you're interested in looking through all of my recently used products).
One of my favorite methods of self-care is doing my nails. Do you regularly get your nails professionally done? I never got into the habit of doing this, but I was painting my nails frequently with regular polish because I like having them done. It makes me feel put together & as weird as it sounds, I honestly feel like I’m more productive & more myself when I have my nails done. I’m sure it’s just a mind thing, but hey, I’ll take it. In college, I got a shellac machine & it’s been one of the best things that’s ever happened to me! Since it's officially September & we had a cold front come through this week, it definitely feels like fall & I thought it was only fitting to paint my nails a fall-inspired color. This polish is called "exhale" & it makes me do just that. It's so soft & soothing & is a really pretty mixture of rust orange & pink -- love it! I'll link to my post all about my shellac machine + colors here.
Also, can you tell these mood boxes are my favorite Instagram story filter right now? ;)
Lol okay so I apparently need to clean my mirror. I apologize for that because it's probably going to show up in almost all of my photos. My bad! I'm currently clearly just surviving instead of thriving!
One of my favorite outfits from this past week! Like I said above, we had a cold front come through late Monday morning & I am HERE FOR IT! Fall is my favorite time of year & I couldn't be more excited to start pulling out some of my favorite pieces to wear! Y'all know I'm a big fan of layering, especially stripes. Love the length of this layered tank & soft long sleeve.
Also, did you know Abercrombie is having a long weekend sale? 40-60% off throughout the store! These jeans are marked down to less than $45 which is such a steal! They're true to size & offered in different length options as well. Love the minimal distressing at the hem line & the high rise waist. They suck me in, but are incredibly comfy + stretchy at the same time. Earlier this week I ordered them in a couple different washes!
PS - do you see the Walmart & Target boxes? I got some super cute stuff in this week that I'll be sharing below & in the coming days!!!
above picture details linked here:light wash jeans / black + white striped layering tank / gold Kansas necklace (mine is from Acme, but here is a similar one from Etsy!) / telephone cord ponytails / black sandals / black side-vent long sleeve / leopard apple watch / trestique lip glaze (color is called “english rose”) / favorite comfy padded bra / red toenail polish (shade is called “red carpet reddy” / pinkish-orange fingernail polish (shade is called "exhale") / white marble loopy phone case (get 10% off using code smalltown10!)
Another favorite outfit from this week! This soft green button-front top is SO comfy & I truly don't have anything like it in my closet which is part of what convinced me to buy it. It has a functional drawstring at the waist line so you can decide if you want it cinched like I have in the below photos, or if you'd like to loosen it up more (which I'll most likely do when I wear it with leggings so that it covers my booty). It's a pretty thin material but so stinkin' soft & cozy. I would say it fits a little bit over-sized just because of the width & extra room in the arms, but length-wise it's true to size. I think this top will look super cute with booties & a vest during the fall as well! Love that it can be so easily dressed up or down. It comes in four other colors that I now have my eye on lol.
above picture details linked here:green button-front top / Madewell jeans / brown birkenstocks / leopard apple watch / trestique lip glaze (color is called “english rose”) / favorite comfy padded bra / red toenail polish (shade is called “red carpet reddy” / pinkish-orange fingernail polish (shade is called "exhale") / white marble loopy phone case (get 10% off using code smalltown10!)
This black top is actually the same one that I posted about above with light wash jeans & a striped layering tank underneath. It's super versatile & can be worn with literally just about anything -- that's the blessing of a basic top! It goes especially well with my matching Old Navyshorts. ;)
above picture details linked here:black side-vent long sleeve / pinkish cream running shorts (color is called "icelandic mineral") / grey new balance tennis shoes / black seamless sports bra / leopard apple watch / trestique lip glaze (color is called “english rose”) / red toenail polish (shade is called “red carpet reddy” / pinkish-orange fingernail polish (shade is called "exhale") / white marble loopy phone case (get 10% off using code smalltown10!)
I'm prepared to get some criticism for clashing my brands here ... I've got Adidas & New Balance on at the same time! Maybe I'm weird but I personally don't really care about it, like it truly doesn't bother me either way, but I know there are some people out there who have to wear ALL Nike or ALL Adidas. To each their own I suppose! Anyway, even though the weather is really starting to feel like fall, I'm always on the look for staple pieces to add to my wardrobe, like these Adidas shorts! They're a very thin + light + breathable material & are just around $25!
above picture details linked here:grey burnout tank / Adidas running shorts / grey new balance tennis shoes / black seamless sports bra / leopard apple watch / trestique lip glaze (color is called “english rose”) / red toenail polish (shade is called “red carpet reddy” / pinkish-orange fingernail polish (shade is called "exhale") / white marble loopy phone case (get 10% off using code smalltown10!)
Okay how STINKING CUTE is this babydoll denim dress!?? I'm literally obsessed! It is super precious on its own, but I wanted to show how easily it will transition into fall! Pair it with a long sleeve + some booties (& even some tights or leggings depending on how cold it is) & you're good to go! This dress is going to be worn just about year round & I'm pretty dang excited about it. Unfortunately this darling dress is no longer in stock, but I'll link a similar one here!
above picture details linked here:denim dress dupe / black + white striped long sleeve / kid’s black wedges / women’s black wedges (less than $25!) / leopard apple watch / trestique lip glaze (color is called “english rose”) / favorite comfy padded bra / red toenail polish (shade is called “red carpet reddy” / pinkish-orange fingernail polish (shade is called "exhale") / white marble loopy phone case (get 10% off using code smalltown10!)
I've always been a huge fan of babydoll, peplum, & subtle frill tops. I just think they're pretty flattering for my (& probably any!) body type. I found this tank on Amazon & love it! It fits just a little bit oversized, but is great quality material. I love the frills at the bottom! Looks super cute on its own or paired with a cardigan or denim jacket. It comes in a bunch of other colors as well!
above picture details linked here:grey frill tank / ivory tassel necklace (mine is from Elisabeth Ashlie, but here is a similar one from Amazon!) / green jacket dupe / light wash jeans / brown birkenstocks / leopard apple watch / trestique lip glaze (color is called “english rose”) / favorite comfy padded bra / red toenail polish (shade is called “red carpet reddy” / pinkish-orange fingernail polish (shade is called "exhale") / white marble loopy phone case (get 10% off using code smalltown10!)
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Yay for a three day weekend! I'm heading home tonight to hang with my family for the weekend. I get to watch Avery cheer & Bethany play the drums Friday night at their first football game. Saturday is our last day for Chill, the sno cone shack our family runs during the summers. One of the local churches is paying for free sno cones for the community the entire day! Isn't that incredibly generous? It should be a fun (& busy) day! Hoping to celebrate my dad's birthday at some point & then get ready to welcome students on Tuesday morning!!
What are your plans for the weekend? Drop them below in the comments, or feel free to message us on Facebook or Instagram! We’d love to hear what you’re all up to. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
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