I've been focusing on simplicity and practicality lately. After adjusting ourselves back into our day-to-day lives, I really didn’t have any energy leftover for much else. I’ve been going sans makeup since we got back, so I’ve been putting extra emphasis on my skincare. Late last year I went out and purchased several things from The Ordinary after giving in to the hype. I loved them, but left them untouched when I began testing other products. After sitting on my beauty shelf for some time, I’ve finally picked them up again and am more in love than ever. I’m actually about to place an order for their 100% plant-derived squalane and their caffeine solution 5% + EGCG. Other things I’ve been dipping my toes into lately are new nail polish colors. I love a good red, but I’m trying to branch out a little more. OPI’s Tiramisu for Two and I Am what I Amethyst quickly caught my eye, as did Essie’s Gel Couture in Style Stunner. I know Style Stunner is basically a bright red (it's technically classified as a coral), but I can't resist!
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| I Am What I Amethyst here // Style Stunner here // Tiramisu for Two here |
I’ve been gone from my last job for over a week now and it’s been quite an adjustment. The first couple of days didn’t feel like anything special, it felt like I had a couple of days off, like I do every week. But as the week went on, it slowly started sinking in. For a while, it felt like I was gonna get in trouble for not showing up for several days straight. In all seriousness, I can tell a definite improvement in my overall mood. I'm loving the fact that we can see family and friends like we weren't able to before because while everyone else was enjoying their weekend, we were working all day.
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| We get to take actual walks in the park! |
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| He's getting the hang of the DSLR and liking it! |
Because I've had so much time off, I've been organizing and cleaning the apartment to make it look like we've actually settled in. I've recommitted myself to the gym, and it's been going pretty great these last two weeks. I've had a rollercoaster relationship with my gym attendance. I'll go really consistently and begin seeing results, and then something will happen that will get me to stop. I have a good feeling about this time, though! Andrew's Nana was kind enough to grab me some vanilla Premier Protein on one of their Costco trips and I'm mixing it with matcha powder for perfect green tea latte goodness. It's a nice change from the chocolate flavors I typically use.
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| I finally had the time to dig up my favorite summer bags including this Avery Crossbody from Rebecca Minkoff. The pattern almost scared me away, because I'm so used to solid colors. But I'm really excited to use it! |
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Currently reading:
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| This one's taken me quite a bit longer than normal to finish, but it's set in a restaurant and you can understand why I've been so slow to finish. |
It's pretty odd being at home most of the time, and I'm still trying to get over the guilt I feel about so many things. But I'm slowly letting myself relax and take a deep breath that I haven't been able to take in a long, long time. Next up: finally finishing school. And I finally have the time to figure out how exactly I'll make that happen.
I know I haven't been consistent about this series that I really wanna make work, but it's been a bumpy couple of weeks since my first template went up while on vacation. I promise I'm gonna try really hard to make this a weekly, or at least bi-weekly thing!
Thank you guys so much for reading, and be sure to check back for more soon!
