August Favorites

We’re almost officially to football season, y’all! Just a few more days!! I seriously can’t even wait. This month was crazy stressful and honestly, I’m kinda glad it’s over. I know the stress will continue because that’s life, but I’m hoping it at least gets better. It has to at some point, right?! I actually have a ton of favorites to share with you from this past month, so let’s not waste any time and just get straight into it.

You might remember from last month’s favorites, I’ve been loving baseball caps lately. This obsession has been going on for a few years now, but it’s getting worse. I rarely ever style my hair anymore because I’d much rather just throw a hat on and be done with it. This specific hat is actually what started it all and it’s still my absolute favorite.

I got it when my husband and I lived in California, during one of our regular trips to Knott’s Berry Farm. I seriously love that place so much! The sun was giving me a headache, even through my sunglasses, so I went in a store for a hat. I never expected to love it as much as I do and it was only like $8! The stitching and the font are my two favorite things about it. I wish I could find another one like it to switch back and forth with because I wear this multiple times a week!
This is kinda funny (and totally not planned btw), but I included this black romper in last year’s August favorites too! I got it at Marshalls and it’s still one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing that I own. The material on it is so soft! Since the weather’s been super hot lately, I brought it back out and became obsessed with it all over again.

It’s actually kind of embarrassing, but I just realized a month or two ago that this is supposed to be an off-the-shoulder style romper. Clearly I’m not a fashion blogger because I had no idea! Oops. Although, it doesn’t really make a difference to me because I am so not wearing a strapless bra. If anyone knows where I can find one that’s comfortable, I’m open to all suggestions. But until then, I’m wearing this on my shoulders. #sorrynotsorry
Speaking of rompers and past favorites, I still wear this cardigan all the time. I got it during Macy’s Black Friday sales last year. I might look a little silly wearing something so big and heavy looking during Summer, but I’m literally always cold. One weird fact about me is that when I get too cold, I get a rash on any exposed skin. It doesn’t matter whether I’m inside or outside. So I don’t care how silly it might look, it’s comfortable and it keeps me warm so I’m wearing it!

Most of the time I pair it with shorts or a romper for when I sweat outside and freeze inside. I featured this romper in a recent Forever21 haul and I’ve been loving it. The pattern is unlike anything else I have and I appreciate that the style covers what needs to be covered. The material is also super soft like pajamas!
Obviously, comfort comes over everything with me and because I’m a full-time blogger I stay at home every day. If I’m not leaving the house, I don’t see the point in changing my clothes and making more laundry so I just stay in my pajamas all day. At this rate, my pajama collection is going to outgrow my normal clothes! I’m not mad at it either.

I found the most soft, comfortable pajama pants I’ve ever worn and they’re only $10 at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I think these are from two different brands, but they feel the exact same. I got the gray ones first and loved them so much I had to go back for more. Either I wear mine really low on the waist or they run long, but I got an x-small in both and they still drag the ground. It helps keep my feet warm, though, so I’m not complaining.

Sidenote: I totally cannot say “TJ Maxx and Marshalls” without automatically singing Anjelah Johnson’s (aka Bon Qui Qui) Alexander Wang song. I love her!
I’ve mentioned how much I love Pilates a few times on my blog so far, but I’ve never actually gotten into the extent to how much I really love it. I started Pilates for the first time last year in February in order to get toned for my wedding. I’m not gonna lie, I laughed almost the whole way through my entire first workout. It didn’t look like much, but I quickly learned how difficult it was. Eventually, I started seeing results and that brought out motivation I didn’t even know I had.

Besides the effects Pilates has made on my body, I also just love the actual work in the practice. I think it’s so much fun. After an hour, my body feels worked and refreshed. I started with just regular Pilates, then upgraded to a resistance band, and recently discovered the yoga swing. I bought this one during the Amazon Prime Day sales. There aren’t many online guides to aerial pilates, so I’m having to do quite a bit of research to figure out a good routine. But, man, does it add a challenge!! It’s also great for stretching!
Earlier this month, GhostBed reached out and sent me one of their pillows to test out. The shipping was incredibly fast, so it arrived with plenty of time to test it before getting this post up. I’ve never had a memory foam pillow before, but I was really interested in their cooling claims because I get so hot when I sleep. While I did find it super cooling, this wasn’t the pillow for me. I’ve realized I sleep much better with a fluffy microfiber pillow.

My husband, however, absolutely loves this GhostPillow! He was in love with it after the first night and has continued to go on about it ever since. I’m not kidding, y’all. I seriously have to hear his speech about this pillow every single morning. I love that he loves it, though. It makes me happy to see him wake up feeling so refreshed.
Normally, I don’t buy new planners until the beginning of the year. It’s something I always look forward to because I see it more as an official fresh start. When I was walking around TJ Maxx recently, this one caught my eye. Not only because I love the teal and gold, but I very much appreciate the hard covers it has on the front and back. It includes the rest of this year from July forward and all of 2019. I’m not interested in thinking how close the New Year is already, but I’m loving the quality of this. And it was only $8 too! What?!
Moving onto skincare, I finished up a pack of the Nip + Fab Glycolic Daily Fix Cleansing Pads and now I’m on to my second pack of their Night version. I do prefer the original ones more, but I got found these on super sale so that’s what I’m using and enjoying.

You might have seen on Instagram that I’m also loving quite a few Neutrogena products at the moment. The Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser has such a fresh scent, it’s a wonderful pick-me-up type of product to use in the mornings or at the end of the day. The Hydro Boost Water Gel is also nice because it’s just a standard gel-type moisturizer that really does leave the skin feeling extremely smooth. Although I’ve never tried it in this way yet, I could see it working very well as a makeup primer!
Another skincare product that I recently brought into my nightly routine is the Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint body wash. Because of my skin type, I don’t typically ever use body wash but I remembered this was sitting in the back of the closet and it needed to be used. I’m (kinda) trying to work on my product hoarding tendencies! I do find that this leaves a slight slickness to my skin, which might just be the moisturizers in it that I’m not used to. My favorite thing about this is the scent. It’s delicious!
It’s a very rare occurrence that I ever change up my shampoo. I’ve been a loyal Pantene user for years. Of everything I try, I always end up going back to Pantene products. But after using a few samples of the Finesse Restore & Strengthen shampoo, I decided to buy the full size and see how I like it. The scent isn’t my favorite and it does take quite a bit of product to get a good lather going, but it leaves my hair extremely smooth. And at $1.98, it has to be the most affordable option available. I’m really impressed!
Clearly I’m being a little more adventurous with my hair care lately. During my last trip to get my hair trimmed, I asked my stylist about the It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In plus Keratin. I have heard so much about it for years, but was too nervous to actually give it a try. She used some on my hair that day and I ended up purchasing a bottle so I could see the effects of continuous use. So far, so good! It smells wonderful and leaves my hair really smooth and soft, although I’d still like to see more shine. Do y’all have any recommendations?

The OGX Coconut Curls Styling Milk has been the curling cream I’ve used the most lately. My sister suggested it to me and I really do like it. I love the coconut scent and that it doesn’t smell like hot product after blow-drying my hair. I’ve also never gotten any extra grease or tackiness either, which is a common struggle with other curl creams. This has been getting a lot of use this Summer after swimming when my hair’s already wet.
The L’oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation has always been a favorite of mine. I love the finish of it and how it feels on the skin. The Shell Beige shade that I have matches me perfectly right now, so that’s the one I’ve been reaching for the most.

I gave up on sponges a long time ago and switched back to brushes when blending foundation and concealer, but this new Miracle Body Complexion sponge really caught my attention. The original Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge was my favorite, so I just had to pick up this bigger version of it. It definitely took some getting used to and I don’t think it’s as squishy as my smaller one. It does blend in foundation very quickly and provides a beautiful, natural finish. I actually think I get more coverage out of this foundation when I apply it with this sponge rather than a brush, which is completely opposite from what I expected.
The only powder makeup product that I have to share as a favorite this month is the Ofra Rodeo Drive highlighter. This is one of my absolute favorite products ever and I’ve included it in countless posts already. It’s so smooth and intensely pigmented. The pan size is huge, which is a good thing since I love it so much. I mainly use this on my eyes, but it’s also beautiful as an actual highlight like it’s intended. I’ve been using different products almost every day when I do my makeup (for testing purposes), but this is one that has stayed consistent in the rotation.
I have three lip favorites to share, two of which I’ve included in previous monthly favorites. I love the Pixi MatteLast Liquid Lips on their own, but I love them even more when I layer the Pixi Cake Lip Icing over top of it. That little bit of golden shine makes the biggest difference! The shade I’ve specifically been wearing the most recently is Evening Rose. That is the combo I wore in my Forever21 Haul pictures and it matched with every outfit!

The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Lip Shine has been a new favorite of mine. The shade I have is Velvet Wine. I think berry lips are so flattering and this is one of the more comfortable glosses I’ve tried. This even helped ground the look in my Crown Brush Fuego palette tutorial. I know this is going to make for the perfect Fall transition shade!
As you might have seen in my most recent blog post, this Essie First Base base coat has seriously impressed me recently. I’ve tested it with numerous different brands of polish over the past few months and every single time, there has been zero chipping after an entire seven days of wear. This stuff is magic! If you don’t believe me, just check my full review for proof pictures.
I apologize for this post being unbelievably long, but it makes me so happy to find such good things to share with you. I feel like I’d be doing you a disservice if I left anything out! I hope I was able to give you some good recommendations and a little sneak peek into my life behind the blog.

If you have any questions about anything I mentioned, please feel free to leave them for me in the comments. Have you tried aerial Pilates? What were some of your favorites this past month?
~Christina~

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