Hey y’all-can you believe it’s already August?! Is it just me, or is this the fastest summer ever? August brings about mixed feelings. One one hand, I want to savor every last bit of summer-wearing my favorite seersucker and Lilly dresses as much as I can, and enjoying several more weekends of pool/beach time. But on the other hand, I can’t help but get excited that fall is just around the corner, which means college football season is so close! In fact, since Labor Day is early this year, I can say that college football starts this month! Anyways, before August gets underway, I want to share my July 2019 Favorites. If you’re new around here, it’s a monthly tradition here on Palmettos & Pineapples to round up some of my favorite things from the previous month. Here go my July 2019 favorites!
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Packing Cubes
It took me awhile to catch on to the packing cube craze, but I’m so glad I did. I ordered three sets of these packing cubes from Amazon during Prime Day. In addition to using them for organizing my luggage on trips, I had the idea to use a couple sets of packing cubes in my dresser drawers at home. Storage space is at a premium in my apartment, so my dresser drawers are stuffed to the gills. Thus, they would quickly get disorganized as I rummaged through to find something at the bottom. So, I organized items by category and put them in different packing cubes. Now when I sift through my drawers, I pull out a whole packing cube, as opposed to completely wrecking stacks of clothes! Shop these packing cubes here.
4th of July Beach Trip
Spending five days at Emerald Isle surrounding the 4th of July holiday was definitely one of the highlights of my month. It was a great break from my normal routine and a chance to relax and spend time with family. You can read more about my patriotic outfit details and why I love spending July 4 at the beach in this post.
Chick-Fil-A Cow Appreciation Day
Another one of my favorite July traditions is dressing up like a cow to get a free entree at Chick-fil-A on Cow Appreciation Day. This is the sixth consecutive year I’ve participated in Cow Appreciation Day. I’ve actually worn this same top every year. I bought a plain black shirt at Target, and then used fabric glue to attach the white felt spots. The cow ears are a new addition to this year’s costume. I picked them up at Target for just $3 during Halloween season last year. Of course, I was more excited about the photo opp with the Chick-fil-A cow than free food!
Beautycounter Countertime Launch
Beautycounter launched their new anti-aging collection, Countertime, in July. They had been developing this line for three years, and it’s most notable feature is the Retinatural Complex, a plant-based alternative to retinol. The Retinatural Complex mimics the anti-aging benefits of retinol, but without the harmful effects and irritation. Countertime includes the Lipid Defense Cleansing Oil, Mineral Boost Hydrating Essence, Tripeptide Radiance Serum, Antioxidant Soft Cream, Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream, and Ultra Renewal Eye Cream. So far I have used the cleansing oil, essence, serum, and eye cream. I love how luxurious the products feel on my skin, and can’t wait to see how they impact my skin after continued use! Plus, I love how beautiful the blush pink glass bottle packaging is.
Sunflowers at Dorothea Dix Park
I know I literally just posted about these the other day, but I have to mention them again. Visiting the sunflower field at Dorothea Dix Park was definitely a highlight of my July!
Driftwood Southern Kitchen
July also brought a visit to a local restaurant for the first time, Driftwood Southern Kitchen at Lafayette Village in Raleigh. I got macaroni & cheese and tomato salad, and both were delicious. Macaroni & cheese is always a favorite Southern comfort food of mine. The tomato salad had pesto and feta in it, which made it different from anything I’ve ever had.
Lauren James Pineapple Shorts
After hearing people in some of my Facebook groups talking about Lauren James printed shorts at Sam’s Club, I went and checked out my local store. I got these black and white pineapple print shorts. They have an elastic waistband and drawstring, and are super comfy for lounging around or a casual outing. In addition, they have pockets, which is always a bonus! These shorts are a Sam’s Club exclusive, so they aren’t on the Lauren James website. Sam’s Club doesn’t have them online either, but if you have a membership you can check out your local store. They came in a few other prints as well.
Beautycounter Swag
Beautycounter recently had a sale on some of their swag items for consultants, and I ordered a few things. My favorite thing I got is this gray t-shirt that says “Beauty Should Be Good for You.” It’s a nod to Beautycounter’s mission to get safer products in the hands of everyone. Plus the shirt is so comfy!
I also got this canvas tote bag with the Beautycounter logo, and some fun pencils with other clean beauty sayings. My favorite is the “No Secrets Added” one. Sidenote- if you become a Beautycounter consultant, a tote similar to the one pictured comes in your enrollment kit. If you have any questions about becoming a Beautycounter consultant, you can check out this post, or shoot me an email!
Christmas in July Party
My BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) class had a Christmas in July party. This was actually my first time going to such a party, and I took advantage of the opportunity to wear my pink sequin Santa hat with my Pandamonium Lilly dress. The white elephant gift exchange was good to me too- I walked away with a Target gift card!
“Remember the Titans” DVD
So the movie “Remember the Titans” is nearly 19 years old, but somehow I didn’t have it on DVD. It’s one of my favorites, so when I found it for $5 on Amazon I couldn’t resist, especially since it’s not on Netflix or Prime Video. My favorite characters are the coaches’ daughters, Sheryl Yoast and Nicky Boone. I’m convinced that if you took sports loving Sheryl and super girly Nicky, combined their personalities into one person, and aged her 25 years, you would have me! This is a movie I can watch over and over and never get tired of. Plus since I’m familiar with the plot, it’s a great one to pop in while I’m working on blog stuff or doing other things around my apartment. In addition, I love that the soundtrack features good Motown music. When I rewatched it this week, I discovered a Temptations song I wasn’t familiar with, “You’ve Got to Earn It.” I’ve added this to my Apple Music library.
Girls’ Beach Trip
Last but not least, I went on another girl’s beach trip with my bestie. This time we went to Emerald Isle, and the weather was absolutely perfect. Not a single rain drop the entire four days we were there. During my 4th of July trip, we had showers pretty much every day, so this was a welcome change! Our beach routine consisted of going out for breakfast or grabbing coffee every morning, relaxing on the beach during the afternoon hours, and heading out to one of our favorite Emerald Isle restaurants at night! After dinner we would head back to the house and watch either a Hallmark movie or Fuller House.
Morning coffee run
Before heading out to get ice cream for dinner.
Gorgeous beach and gorgeous weather!
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Hope you enjoyed reading all about my July 2019 Favorites! What is something that you’ve been loving lately, and what was one highlight of your July?
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-xoxo Liz
