September Favorites
I feel like it’s been October for a while now but I’m also super confused about how we got here because it was literally just August. Somehow two months have flown by, so it’s time for our bi-monthly favorites post woo hoo *airgun noise here* *confetti*
My first favorite of the past two months have by far been my half lemon slice earrings handmade by my friend Amber! I wore these earrings SO MUCH in September. I feel like they’re absolutely perfect for the transitioning season. The fruit screams summer and fresh, but the dark red of the dried lemon gives you strong fall colors. I absolutely love them!
I don’t think she has any of the half slice lemon earrings left, but she does have a full slice version that I have linked up top! She also has full and half slice orange earrings that are beautiful. There are a bunch of other really fun jewelry on her etsy page, definitely check it out if you like unique jewelry with natural vibes!
I’m not really sure what sparked this, but somehow at the beginning of Quarantine I decided now was the perfect time to train my hair to be able to last five days without washing it. I’m sorry if that grosses any of you out (I know my sister gets grossed out by it). You’re technically not supposed to wash your hair that often because it strips away the natural oils in your hair and can dry it out. If you go five days without washing your hair cold turkey, when you’re used to washing your hair everyday or every other day, your hair is just going to be a greasy mess. You have to ease into it, slowly adding more time in between washes. I have been doing this since April maybe? And there are definitely some pros and cons of not washing your hair so often. Pros are that your hair is pretty soft and I am only now noticing split ends (I have gone 10 months now without a haircut), and I don’t run out of shampoo/conditioner as quickly. The cons are that my hair can get really greasy by day 3 or 4, and also my hair has a tendency to get very flat around those days.
My saving grace has been this dry shampoo from Billie. I was looking for an eco-friendly and clean beauty dry shampoo that wasn’t super expensive and this one was perfect. I was using Living Proof’s dry shampoo before this, and loved it (especially for the smell!) but I felt bad about using an aerosol can. Powder dry shampoo is the eco-friendly alternative to a spray, but I had never used a powder one before, so I was skeptical going into it. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised! Floof is odorless, does a great job of minimizing the grease and it gives me enough volume, but nothing crazy. It also comes in a blonde color and brunette, which is great because I have struggled to find dry shampoo that matches my hair color. I used to use a spray dry shampoo back in high school that would dry white and it was impossible to rub into my nearly black hair. The best part is that Floof is EWG verified, meaning all their ingredients are clean!
My honest cons about this dry shampoo is that the product description says the hole at the top of the bottle is small enough that it won’t get on your clothes, which I don’t find to be the case. I usually do end up with some product on my clothes and face BUT the good news is it doesn’t leave any marks, you can just brush it off! The only other thing I didn’t like is when I put a lot in my hair, and then go to scratch my scalp later in the day, I will get some product in my nails. Not a huge turn off for me, but something I had to get used to. Would definitely recommend this dry shampoo though!
Girlfriend Collective Compressive High-Rise Leggings
After learning more about how climate change could potentially increase the chances of future pandemics, I am committed to being more eco-friendly. I have especially been trying to be more sustainable with my fashion and beauty choices (as you may have noticed). I have been wanting to try Girlfriend Collective products for a while now, but they kept selling out of everything so quickly over the summer! If you aren’t familiar with this brand, they are 100% committed to being eco-friendly and sustainable. I absolutely love their mission. Their clothing items are made from recycled plastic water bottles, they ensure that their factories give back to the communities they are in, and leave behind a better environment. Go read their ‘about’ page because they are a super cool company!
They finally had leggings in stock in a color I wanted so I acted fast! After reading a lot of reviews, I was still unsure what size I would be, so ordered both a small and medium in the navy blue of their compressive high-rise leggings, with a 23 3/4th inch inseam. My hips are 39 inches, and I usually wear a medium in bottoms (size 27 in jeans or 2-4), but I’m glad I got the small too because that was the one that fit better. I feel like their sizing is actually more true to size than most brands these days (I feel like a lot of clothing brands are making their sizes smaller. Is that just me?) I also have a big waist-hip ratio, and a lot of the time I struggle finding bottoms that don’t gape around my waist. But the small fit perfectly, no gap in the back around my waist or anything! The 23 3/4 length was also a perfect ankle length for me (I'm 5' 2 for reference).
Their shipping took a little longer than I would have liked (three weeks) but it was worth the wait because these leggings are so comfortable!!!! I was genuinely shocked how comfy they were. They aren’t quite as soft as Lululemon Align leggings, but they’re up there, definitely comfier than Fabletic leggings in my opinion. I read in other reviews that they do have a tendency to get a little hot when you’re doing HIIT workouts, and I did find myself getting hotter than usual doing pilates. I know they have a lighter legging (the Float) that I'll maybe buy one day, but for yoga the regular compression leggings are perfect! If you need leggings, I would 100% get these over Lululemon or any other brand- think of the future pandemics!!!
I listened to an interview with Mystic Michaela about color auras on Girls Gotta Eat (linked above) and I was blown away! If you were like me and had never heard of color auras before, they are basically ways of defining your energy/vibes/personality traits. There are five main colors and then there are other less mainstream colors. It’s SUPER interesting, I would highly recommend looking into if you are into mystic things! I used to think I was a super yellow aura with pink, and maybe a little purple, but after doing A LOT of research and (I’m pretty sure) reading my color aura off my hand, I think I am turquoise with yellow and some purple. I know this might sound a little crazy, but do your own research and then we can chat. I am super interested in knowing what you are, so let me know!
Someone recommended I listen to one of their episodes on freelance career advice when I was looking for advice on how to charge social media clients. The hosts, Becca and Grace give good, practical advice for anyone doing freelance marketing, PR, social media/influencer careers. Becca worked in corporate marketing and now freelances and Grace also worked a corporate job and is now an influencer. They are a bit on the older side compared to who I normally listen to, but they never come off as old- just experienced, which is actually very helpful. They cover all the bases in their career episodes, with an emphasis on making sure you are not devaluing your work and your time!
I had actually started following Grace Atwood, one of the hosts, on Instagram after the two of them were guests on my favorite, Girls Gotta Eat. Unlike most of the podcasts I listen to, I feel like Bad On Paper covers a broader range of topics- they do book reviews, interview guests about interesting topics and also talk about careers. I find them super interesting and also kind of relaxing. I’ve been listening to them in the car a lot and while I do dishes.
My friend (and sorority sister) Stephanie recently launched her own podcast and I’m so excited for her!!! She talks about anything and everything on her podcast, but I really like how honest and real she is! Not to mention she has a very relaxing voice to listen to! In her first episode she talked about what being Latina meant to her, and being half Colombian myself it made me think about what being Latina means to me. Definitely a blog post for another day, but follow her on Instagram and show her some love!