Hey y’all-it’s hard to believe August is over, and summer is coming to a close! Fall doesn’t officially begin until the third week of September, and actual fall weather is even further in the future here in the South. However, I still consider Labor Day the unofficial end of summer. Despite being in quarantine for all of spring and summer, they’ve really flown by! As another month draws to a close, I want to share my August 2020 Favorites.
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My New Place
Much of August 2020 was preoccupied with moving into my new apartment. I’m still in the same complex, but in a renovated unit in a different building. I found out earlier this year that my complex is renovating all the units, and I wasn’t going to have the option to renew my lease for my previous unit. Although I technically could have stayed in my old apartment until early 2021, I wanted to go ahead and get settled into a new place by early fall. I knew I would have to move eventually, so I figured it would be better to get it over with!
Since moving isn’t exactly fun, I don’t think i would exactly call this a “favorite” part of August 2020. However, since it has been such a huge part of my month, it definitely deserves a mention here. It wasn’t exactly my choice to move, and I was dreading both the hassle of the process and rent increases. But it actually ended up being a really good thing. I really like being in an updated apartment. With more intentional budgeting and God’s provision, I can deal with rent increase. Also, the moving process really forced me to go through and purge things I don’t use or need anymore. As a result, I’ve been able to organize my belongings more efficiently in the new place.
It’s been two and a half weeks since I moved into my new apartment, and I feel like it’s coming together nicely. There’s still a box of dishes left to unpack, plus a handful of additional dishes sitting on the counter that I need to wash and put away. And there’s still a few boxes/bags of things to purge/organize. In addition, I’m getting a new TV stand soon. Therefore, I’m holding off on hanging in pictures on the living room wall behind my TV until I get that. However, the new place is definitely starting to feel like home!
New Vera Bradley Disney Collection
Promoting the launch of Vera Bradley’s new Disney prints featuring Mickey & friends plus everyone’s favorite Mickey-shaped treats was hands-down the highlight of my August! This is also my favorite blogging opportunity I’ve had since I started my blog two and a half years ago! Vera Bradley pieces are colorful, timeless, and feminine, making them very on-brand for me.
And I’m still not over how adorable the Mickey’s Sweet Treats and the Sweet Treats Ditsy prints are! Vera Bradley generously gifted me Vera Tote and RFID Small Convertible Crossbody from the new Disney Collection. I loved my tote and crossbody so much that I got the Weekender Bag as an early Christmas present from my parents and ordered the Medium Cosmetic Case for myself when they launched to the public.
There’s still pieces from the New Vera Bradley Disney Collection available online at both Vera Bradley and shopDisney. Check out this post for more details on the pieces Vera Bradley gifted me, and why I love this collection so much!
ILIA Beauty Limitless Lash Mascara
I’ve gone makeup-free many days during COVID. However, though I’m working from home and not going many places, sometimes I still just want to put on some makeup for fun. I have an unopened Beautycounter Volumizing Mascara that I got right before COVID. But since I’m not wearing makeup as frequently these days, I didn’t want to open it up and expose to air and bacteria quite yet. So I decided to order a mini-size of ILIA Beauty Limitless Lash Mascara from Sephora. ILIA Beauty is another clean makeup brand, and I had heard good things about their mascara. I’m very impressed with the ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara, and definitely prefer it to the Beautycounter Lengthening Mascara I had been using prior. Once I finish the ILIA mascara, I will try the Beautycounter Volumizing mascara to determine my favorite clean mascara!
Beautycounter Mattifying Powder
I finally tried Beautycounter Mattifying Powder after eyeing it for awhile. This translucent powder helps my foundation wear better throughout the day, and reduces shine on my face. I also got the Beautycounter Fan Powder Brush, which works really well to apply it.
New Beautycounter Lip Products
Beautycounter launched new lip products in late July, and I finally got my hands on them this past month. The Beyond Gloss is a new and improved version of Beautycounter’s original lip gloss. Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick is an upgrade to the Sheer Lipstick. Both of these lip products contain ethically sourced vanilla. Allure even wrote a feature on Beautycounter’s efforts to source their vanilla ethically, and why it’s important.
I got the Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick in Rosewood and the Beyond Gloss in Magnolia Shimmer. Both lip products come in multiple colors. The Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick is my favorite because it’s longer-wearing than the gloss, but still smooth and moisturizing.
(Wearing Beautycounter Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick in Rosewood. Also wearing Beautycounter Mattifying Powder and ILIA Beauty Limitless Lash Mascara featured in this post. Other products in this makeup look include: Beautycounter Skin Twin Foundation in Medium 310, Beautycounter Cream Blusher in Hibiscus, Beautycounter Brilliant Brow Gel in Clear, and Beautycounter Romantic Eyeshadow Palette.)
(Wearing Beautycounter Beyond Gloss in Magnolia Shimmer)
Beach Trip
This past weekend I took a vacation day to close out August with a long weekend at the beach with my parents. It was actually my first time at the beach since the second week of July, and it felt so good to be back. Saturday was extremely windy, but I still got to enjoy a few hours on the beach. And on Sunday the weather was amazing. We got takeout from my favorite Emerald Isle restaurant both Saturday and Sunday night. I also created my first Instagram Reel showcasing my Saturday morning at the beach. You may check it out here. On Sunday night, my parents and I watched Life as We Know It, starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, on Netflix. It actually left Netflix on September 1, but we really enjoyed it, and it’s definitely worth renting.
Gossip Girl
Technically I started Gossip Girl in late July, but I’ve watched the bulk of episodes in August. I never watched a single episode of Gossip Girl back when it originally aired from 2007-2012, so I’m joining the party late on Netflix. I’m currently halfway through Season 2, and there are six seasons total. With all the moving tasks, I haven’t had much time for binge-watching the past couple weeks. And since there’s a lot of drama and different plot lines on Gossip Girl, it’s a show I need to pay attention to 100%, rather than multitasking. The characters and story lines have definitely reeled me in, and I can’t wait to watch more to see how everything pans out by the end of the series.
If you haven’t watched Gossip Girl yet, I would do so ASAP. It’s supposedly leaving Neftlix sometime during the first half of 2021. A Gossip Girl reboot is reportedly coming to HBO Max. When that releases, Gossip Girl will leave Netflix for HBO Max. I will have to figure out how to watch the Gossip Girl reboot next year! If you’re a Gossip Girl
Bare Republic Mineral Sunscreen
Last summer, shortly after my initial switch to clean beauty products, I switched to mineral sunscreen. A mineral sunscreen contains a physical UV filter, like zinc oxide. Traditional sunscreen contains chemical UV filters like avobenzone and oxybenzone. Mineral sunscreens are better for your health, and better for the environment.
However, I realized that even with my consultant discount, Beautycounter’s body sunscreen is simply too expensive for me, considering how frequently I need to replenish. Last spring I tried a Coppertone mineral sunscreen that was more budget-friendly, but it was runny, sticky, and a PAIN to apply. So this summer I searched for other less expensive mineral sunscreen options.
Bare Republic is the clear winner. It costs about half as much as the Beautycounter consultant pricing for sunscreen (which means it’s less than half the price of Beautycounter if you’re a customer). I tried it out at the beach this past weekend, and it works just as well as the Beautycounter sunscreen does for me. So, I’m definitely going to stick to the Bare Republic mineral sunscreen for my body. The spray sunscreen I tried has an amazing Coco-Mango scent, but no artificial fragrance. Bare Republic is available at Target. You can also find Bare Republic at Ulta. While Ulta doesn’t have this specific scent in stock, their other Bare Republic products are currently buy one, get one 50% off!
Stay in Touch!
I hope that you enjoyed reading about my August 2020 Favorites. Now, tell me something you’ve been loving lately in the comments!
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-xoxo Liz
