Hey y’all-hope you had a good weekend! It’s hard to believe that it’s August. Despite Summer 2020 being quite different, it’s definitely flown by. Since it’s the start of a new month, I want to share some of my favorite things from the previous month. There were some tough parts of July, like no Olympics, but there were also multiple joys. Keep reading for my July 2020 Favorites!
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4th of July Beach Trip
I spent a good portion of the beginning of July at my family’s beach place in Emerald Isle, NC. Although the 4th of July fireworks were cancelled, we still enjoyed cookout staples like hot dogs and watermelon. And I wore a red, white, and blue outfit for pictures and dinner before changing into loungewear.
The weather was amazing the entire time we were at the beach, and I read a couple great books: Hello, Summer by Mary Kay Andrews and Feels Like Falling by Kristy Harvey Woodson. In addition, I enjoyed lattes every morning, my dad’s margaritas in the evenings, takeout from some of my favorite restaurants, and watching some fun movies with my parents. This extended 4th of July beach trip was definitely a highlight of Summer 2020.
Athlete A Netflix Documentary
I watched the Netflix documentary Athlete A, which is all about the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal in USA Gymnastics. Since I’ve been an avid gymnastics fan for years, I took a special interest in following all the headlines once the Larry Nassar scandal broke. Watching the documentary opened my eyes to additional layers of corruption in USA Gymnastics’ toxic culture. I have so many thoughts from Athlete A that I will save them for a separate blog post in the future. In the meantime, I definitely recommend watching Athlete A if you’re a gymnastics fan or interested in social and psychological issues in sports. My favorite class I took in college was called “Sport in Modern Society.” Athlete A would definitely have been a great piece to discuss in that class!
Briogeo Haircare
During July I tried out some products from Briogeo, a new-to-me haircare brand. All their products are sulfate-free, paraben-free, and silicone free. You can buy Briogeo at Sephora. Although Briogeo does use some fragrance in their products, they omit all other ingredients I try to avoid in my beauty products. And the proportion and type of fragrance Briogeo meets the “Clean at Sephora” standards.
I bought both the Briogeo Volumizing Travel Set and the Briogeo Strength + Repair Travel Set. The Volumizing Set comes with a mini Briogeo Volumizing Shampoo, Volumizing Conditioner, and Volumizing Spray. Then the Strength + Repair Travel set comes with a mini Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Hair Mask; a Don’t Despair, Repair Leave-In Hair Mask; and a Don’t Despair, Repair Intense Moisture Shampoo. Each set comes with a pretty pastel travel pouch with Briogeo logo. And I’m always a sucker for travel-sized products.
I wanted to try the Volumizing products because my long, fine hair definitely needs all the help it can get in that department! I’m pleased with the Briogeo Volumizing Products and will likely purchase the full sizes in the future. My main reason for purchasing the Strength + Repair Travel Kit was to try a mini version of the Deep Conditioning Hair Mask before committing to the full size. Although my hair definitely isn’t dry, it is prone to breakage and split ends. I’m hoping that using this Briogeo Mask will keep my ends better looking between trims. The Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask is Briogeo’s hero product. I definitely recommend checking out Briogeo if you’re looking for clean haircare products!
Elle Woods 2020 T-Shirt
Although I know I don’t need any more t-shirts, I couldn’t resist this “Elle Woods 2020” t-shirt from The Pink Lily Boutique. Legally Blonde is my all-time favorite movie, and I can basically quote it in my sleep. Elle Woods is my here, and I have actually dressed up as her for Halloween twice before. If you’re a Legally Blonde fan, I definitely recommend getting this shirt! I really wish I could actually vote for Elle this year!
The Babysitters’ Club Netflix Series
Ever since I first learned that The Babysitter’s Club was going to be a Netflix series, I heavily anticipated the July 2020 release date! The series definitely didn’t disappoint. The character’s personalities and major plot lines stayed true to the books, but with a 2020 setting. For example, the BSC members have iPhones in the Netflix show, and that definitely wasn’t a thing back when the books were first released. Reading Babysitters’ Club books was. defining part of my 90’s childhood, so I thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgia of this show. If you loved the books back in the day, you will enjoy the Netflix series. This past weekend my best friend and I binge-watched the rest of the Season 1 with a Netflix Watch Party.
Beautycounter Collaboration with Sephora
Another July 2020 highlight was Beautycounter launching their limited time collaboration with Sephora! I shared all the details in this post, but had to mention again here because it’s so exciting to see Sephora, the leader in beauty, get behind Beautycounter’s mission of clean beauty. And I was also able to get this adorable mini bottle of Beautycounter’s Overnight Resurfacing Peel as a freebie with a recent Sephora purchase.
Speaking of Beautycounter, new customers can save 20% through August 10, and our Band of Beauty loyalty program has an additional perk through August 7. Please email me for additional details!
Drunk Elephant E-Rase Milki Micellar Water
It’s always exciting when one of my favorite companies launches a new product. In July, Drunk Elephant’s new E-Rase Milki Micellar Water hit the shelves. E-Rase works great as a makeup remover, and is safe to use on your eyes. Even though I wear minimal makeup these days, I still do a double cleanse as part of my nightly skincare routine. I have enjoyed using E-Rase as step one. In addition, Drunk Elephant’s new micellar water works any time your face needs a quick refresh. No rinsing required!
My New Mini Ebook
I had been wanting to create a new freebie for my email subscribers for awhile, so I invested in some Canva templates. Although my taste is somewhat expensive, I’m on a budget. Therefore, I have to be intentional with how I spend my money. Over the years, I have discovered some great ways to score some of my favorite brands for less. Since I’m sure others are in the same boat, I wanted to great a mini ebook to share some of these hacks. I’m really happy with how my “How to Build Your Wardrobe on a Budget Guide” turned out. If you would like your free copy, you may get one here.
Lilly Pulitzer Face Masks
I missed out the first round of Lilly Pulitzer cloth masks at the beginning of the summer, so I was really happy when Lilly released another batch! Although I am still working remotely and get all my groceries delivered, it’s still good to have a collection of masks for the occasional instance when I need to go somewhere and can’t social distance. I’m really pleased with the two randomly selected prints I got for my Lilly masks. Lilly doesn’t have any masks in stock right now, but you can sign up here for notification when they do come back in stock. Hopefully Lilly will make another round of the classic face masks. Their most recent release was a three-pack that was more expensive, and the prints weren’t as cute.
UPDATE: As of August 20, 2020, the classic Lilly Pulitzer masks are back in stock in a three-pack, available here.
Heart of Dating Podcast Conference and Community
I learned about the Heart of Dating Virtual Conference through Stephanie May Wilson, one of my favorite bloggers/podcasters. The heart behind this virtual conference was to provide singles with Biblical encouragement during this season where a global pandemic furthers complicates the difficulties of singleness. I was definitely due for some encouragement in this area, so I signed up, especially knowing that I would have access to all the video sessions for a year. I haven’t had a chance to really dive into the conference material yet, but I’ve already been deeply encouraged by a Zoom hangout I did as part of the conference, and in the Heart of Dating Facebook Community. In addition, I look forward to listening to Heart of Dating podcast episodes. If you’re single, you can actually still purchase access to the conference sessions here.
High School Musical The Musical: The Series Soundtrack
In July I watched a couple more episodes of the Disney+ Original Series High School Musical The Musical: The Series. I discovered two original songs from the soundtrack that don’t appear in any of the original High School Musical movies, and have been playing them on repeat the past week. They are “Born to Brave” and “Truth, Justice, and Songs in Our Key.” Both are really catchy and I definitely recommend giving them a listen. Also, if you enjoyed the High School Musical movies, you will like the Disney+ Original Series.
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I hope that you enjoyed reading about my July 2020 Favorites. Now, tell me something you’ve been loving lately in the comments!
Ps. To keep in touch, you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. In addition, I’ve become more active on Pinterest and would love for you to follow me there. I’d also love to add some extra happiness to your inbox with my weekly e-newsletter, and you can sign up here. I like to think of my newsletters as a weekly virtual coffee chat. You will also get my FREE mini ebook on “How to Build Your Wardrobe on a Budget”!
-xoxo Liz
