Happy September y’all! It’s hard to believe another month has passed. Although the official first day of fall isn’t for a few more weeks, I consider Labor Day the end of summer. Even though it still feels like summer in the South, I have put my seersucker, white jeans, and summery Lilly dresses away. Plus college football has started, which definitely reminds me that fall is in the air. Anyways, since it’s the becoming of a new month, it’s time for me to share some of my favorite things and experiences from the previous month. If you’re new around here, this is a monthly tradition on Palmettos & Pineapples. Here goes my August 2019 Favorites!
(This post contains affiliate links and my Beautycounter consultant website links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support of Palmettos & Pineapples and my Beautycounter business.)
Gilmore Girls Watch Party
My good friend Diane hosted a Gilmore Girls binge-watching party at her house one Saturday in August. We literally watched back-to-back Gilmore Girls episodes from mid-morning until around 9:00pm. Diane is an amazing hostess, and went all out with themed decorations and refreshments. She Luke’s Dinner coffee cup sleeves, and cupcake toppers with various Gilmore Girls sayings. This was actually my introduction to Gilmore Girls, and I am now hooked.
New Lilly Pulitzer Agenda
Although I bought my 2019-2020 Lilly Pulitzer agenda back in June, it didn’t start until August. Even though my days as a student are way in the past, there’s still just something exciting about starting fresh with a new planner each August! I got the large agenda in the Multi Cheek to Cheek print, and you can find it here if you’re still in the market for a new planner. Multi Cheek to Cheek is one of my favorite Lilly prints from this year. I am looking forward to checking out some clothing options in this print during the upcoming September 2019 After Party Sale (starts in stores September 7, online September 9).
North Hills Beach Music
North Hills, a popular shopping & entertainment center in Raleigh, has live beach music every Thursday night from mid-May to mid-August. I finally made it out with a few of my friends back in early August. This was my second time overall going to North Hills Beach Music, and my first time since Spring 2017. I would go more often, but it’s hard to contend with rush hour traffic between Durham and Raleigh.
Beautycounter Romantic Eyeshadow Palette
I tried Beautycounter eye shadow for the first time during August 2019. Consultants are able to redeem host rewards from socials four times a year, and I had enough sales during my Beautycounter Friends & Family Sale social to earn a couple products for 50% off. The Beautycounter Romantic Eyeshadow Palette was one of the 50% off products I chose. I absolutely love it and it’s been so fun to try the different shades. This eye shadow palette comes with nine different shades, and a removable mirror. If you pull the mirror out, the compact says “No Secrets Added,” which is a nod to Beautycounter’s commitment to being completely transparent about all the ingredients in their products. I’ve never had an eyeshadow palette with this many colors before, and haven’t even gotten around to trying out all nine shades. There is a nice mixture of bold and subtle shades in the Beautycounter Romantic Eye Shadow Palette. Some of them have a shimmer to them, which I especially like. I only wear one shade at a time on my eyelids, but if you like mixing shades on different parts of your eyes, you will especially have fun with this!
You can check out the Beautycounter Romantic Eye Shadow Palette here. Even if you pay full price, it’s so worth. The colors are highly pigmented, so a little bit goes a long way. Also, powder eye shadow has shelf life of 24 months once opened, so you won’t feel pressure to use it before it goes bad!
PS. Let me know if you’re ever interested in hosting a Beautycounter pop-up social and potentially earning free or 50% off products. You don’t have to be local either!
ILIA Natural Brightening Eye Primer
I’ve never really worn eye primer before, so consequently have had issues with my eye shadow creasing, especially the darker colors where it’s more noticeable. However, since I finally invested in a nice eyeshadow palette, I decided it was high time to start wearing eye primer so that I could get the most out of the gorgeous shades. ILIA Natural Brightening Eye Primer was recommended to me as a quality clean option, so I gave it a try. I have been pleased with the results and can definitely tell a positive difference in my eyeshadow staying put throughout the day. If you’re in the market for a good eye primer and want one with safer ingredients, I highly recommend ILIA. I got mine from Nordstrom so I could earn Nordy Club points. However, Sephora also has it if you prefer to shop there.
Disney Parks Trivia
Another fun event I went to in August 2019 was Disney Parks Trivia at Leesville Tap Room in Raleigh. My friends and I named ourselves the “Marvelous Minnies,” and we won third place. Considering the first place team had matching light-up ears and Disney College Program alumni, and the second place time had at least twice as many players as our little trio, I don’t think we did too shabby! I did wear my Minnie Mouse ears and a Disney World t-shirt for the occasion. Since I can’t go to Disney World as much as I would like, I have to take advantage of any socially acceptable opportunity to wear my ears in the real world! Next time I am definitely going to study more facts about the international Disney parks ahead of time.
(You can shop my Disney Parks inspired look here, including my exact Minnie ears and Minnie pendant necklace.)
Taylor Swift “Lover”
I absolutely LOVE Taylor Swift’s latest album, “Lover.” Back in the day, I was a huge fan of country Taylor. My bestie and I even saw her in concert during her “Fearless” tour in 2009. However, I started to lose interest other than the occasional single when she completely switched over to mainstream pop. The release of “Lover” changed that though. This is the first “pop Taylor” album that I can genuinely listen to and enjoy most of the songs. In fact, I might even try and go see Taylor in concert again when she goes on tour for “Lover.” I have been obsessed with “ME“ ever since it came as a single at the end of April. In addition, I’ve been listening to “I Forget That You Existed“ a ton. It reminds me a lot of the healing that has taken place with respect to a guy who broke my heart. You can listen to the entire “Lover” album on Spotify here.
College Football Is Back + GameDay at Disney World
College football began in August this year, and the season actually officially kicked off the weekend prior to Labor Day weekend, which is a week earlier than usual. I was absolutely in heaven watching the College GameDay broadcast from Disney World the first Saturday of the season. It doesn’t get much better than the combination of college football and Disney World-two of my most favorite things!
I got a kick out of seeing Lee Corso wearing giant Mickey ears, and Disney characters making cameos throughout the show. College GameDay should do a broadcast from Disney World every season!
Lauren James One in a Melon Tee
I had the exciting opportunity to collaborate with Lauren James to promote their new Sweet Tee line in August. This “One in a Melon” tee I got as part of the collaboration is too cute. You can read more about my Lauren James collab in this post.
Pop Chips
So I feel like I’m late to the game, but I have recently become obsessed with Pop Chips as a snack. One of my friends brought some to the pool earlier this summer, and I liked them so much I ended up buying some for my own pantry. If you have Amazon Prime, you can order a variety pack of 30 single-serving bags. I did the math and it’s actually more cost-effective than buying a full-sized bag at Target.
Beautycounter Tinted Eyebrow Gel
Beautycounter Tinted Eyebrow Gel is another new product I tried for the first time in August 2019. I’m officially hooked, and this will be a staple in my makeup routine from here out. If you’re like me and your eyebrows never fully recovered from the over-waxing trend of the early 2000s, this will be your new makeup bag best friend. A little bit of this gel goes a long way, and I can tell a huge difference. I also love how natural looking it is. In the past, I’ve always felt my brows looked so silly when I tried to fill them in with a pencil. That’s not the case with this eyebrow gel. You can check out the Beautycounter Tinted Eyebrow Gel here.
Also, August 2019 was the best month yet of my Beautycounter business, and I’m so thankful for the support of my customers. It’s a pleasure to be able to make a difference by helping people pick out safer products that don’t sacrifice performance.
Wholeheartedly Devoted by Natalie Met Lewis
Natalie Lewis first became my Insta friend back in 2015 when she was still Natalie Metrejean. I found her posts about singleness extremely encouraging, and especially liked that she had experienced the challenges of being 30-something and still single in the South. Fast forward to 2019, and Natalie is now Natalie Lewis. She’s also my Beautycounter mentor. Although Natalie is married now, her heart for encouraging single women to make the most of their season of singleness is still the same. And because she was single for so many of her young adult years, she’s very relatable. The latest edition of the “Wholeheartedly Devoted” devotional that Natalie wrote for single women launched on Amazon in August, and I was on the launch team. I will write another blog post in the future with more details, but if you’re single, you definitely need to check this out. And if you’re not single, I highly recommend buying one to gift to a single woman in your life who needs encouragement!
Labor Day Weekend at the Beach
Technically my Labor Day weekend beach trip straddled August and September. I’m including it in my August Favorites since it began in August, and marked summer’s last hurrah. I took some additional vacation days off from work straddling the Labor Day holiday, so got to be at the beach from the Thursday before Labor Day until the Tuesday after. It was nice to get away and just relax. I loved winding down summer with relaxing morning lattes, afternoons on the beach, and enjoying some of my favorite beach food. (Think Publix subs, Rucker Johns salad, and Michelangelo’s Pizza). Also, few things beat watching College GameDay from the beach house with a Dunkin’ latte and munchkins. One of my favorite things about Labor Day weekend is that it’s essentially the one weekend each year where college football and summer intersect.
PS. I’m praying that this place I love so much fares well as Hurricane Dorian sweeps through tonight. It’s crazy that I was there just over 48 hours ago!
And there y’all have it, my August 2019 Favorites. It was definitely a jam-packed month to wind down summer. What are some things y’all are loving from this past month?
If you enjoyed this post, you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. You can also go to my homepage and subscribe to my blog. Also, if you know someone who would enjoy this blog post, please share with them!
-xoxo Liz
