High Five for Friday: September 8

Let's see what put the sparkle into this week!

• Remember how I planted flowers on the 4th of July and realized that I hate gardening? Well, the poor plants had been looking pretty beat for awhile and I was convinced I had killed them. BUT LO AND BEHOLD:  

So beautiful! So not dead! In fact, there are several other blooms in progress! I feel like such a proud plant mom!

• THREE cats visited us this week!! First up is Cinny, who fled from me even though I called her "Tina." 😿

Then we had Blackie, who sat outside our window meowing, but hid in the hedges when I came out to smother him with affection. Why are you meowing if you don't want to make friends?!

And lastly we had...

I think this might be Brindle Pinky, Cinny/Tina's housemate who rarely comes to our side of the block. And probably will not be back anytime soon, as she was the most terrified of me. Womp.

• Over the weekend, I had a little family birthday party! I recently discovered that Wegman's cake is AMAZING (I usually hate store bought cake), so I drove all the way there to get the delicious chocolate buttercream/yellow cake of my dreams! My aunt was teasing me about doing all the work for my own party, but how else are you going to get what you want?! 🎂

• And among the awesome cards and gifts from the fam were William Shakespurr, a cat water bottle, and PUSHEEN IN A DONUT FLOAT.

"To bday or not to bday" 😂 

• Lastly, a Weird-Ass Show of the Week! Has anyone watched the Syfy show Haven? Despite my occasional love of Supernatural, I really don't love the supernatural--it's all about the pretty boys... and the same was/is true for Haven, which stars the foxy gent below, Lucas Bryant. (My bffl and I first fell in love with him when he starred in the Canadian hockey soap opera MVP, which is seriously a real show.) Haven is as weird as I remember, but I'm enjoying it a lot more on my second viewing. (I only got through a handful of episodes the first time around.) This season one moment killed me in 2010 and still does now. ❤️

Hope you have a great weekend! xo

August 2017 Budget

I know we're now in September, but I didn't get my act together to post this before vacation, so here's some August shopping retrospection for you!

Ok, I spent more than I wanted to last month, but I've already worn/used all of these items multiple times, so I'm ok with it. As much as I still don't feel in control of my spending, I am getting better at buying things I know I'll actually use--and returning things I don't. (More on that in a minute.)

1. Blue LulaRoe Lindsay (LulaRoe by Dre Lydon): $48- $10 off = $38
2. Tori Whipstitch Camera Crossbody (Francesca's) $38 on sale for $20
3. Makesense Color Correcting Tinted Moisturizer (Lips that Last with Becky): $48
4. Black faux leather backpack (Primark): $15

Not pictured:

1. Lavender LulaRoe Irma (LulaRoe by Dre Lydon): $34
2. Merona Relaxed Scoop T-Shirt (Target): $8 on sale for $6
3. Super Stretch Skinny Jeans (Primark): $15
4. Drape Collar Grey Cardigan (Primark): $14
5. Solid Brush Cleaner (Sephora): $15

TOTAL: $205

Buuut because I bought the Makesense CC cream, I returned the Sephora Airbrush Foundation I got in May, which takes $28 out of my overall spending for the year.

So $205 - $28 = $177 = Only $7 over my $170 monthly budget, but I still feel somewhat guilty because I know I can do better and spend less on clothes, accessories, etc. Sigh.

MOVING ON! If you follow me on Instagram (@jessie_face4), then you've already seen some of these pieces in action while I documented my OOTDs in August! I LOVE the lavender Irma, it's so darn soft (oh and PURPLE!). And although I was on the fence about the Lindsay, I love that too! And it was part of one of my favorite August outfits:

This tank top is from 2011. When I do find something I love, I wear the heck out of it.

I was also iffy on the Primark jeans, but I really wanted another pair of jeans to take on my trip, and these are AWESOME. Super skinny without being tight, great wash, and best of all, SO SOFT! For $15?! I definitely want to go back and pick up another pair.

The Primark backpack is super cute and very roomy. I used it as my carry-on for my trip, and it was great! I kept my baggie of liquids in the front zip pocket for easy access, attached my pillow with a carabiner, and fit all of my tech stuff, snacks, and magazines in the big compartment. Plus, it looks way more expensive than $15. I'm not a huge backpack person, but for $15, you can't go wrong. And the Francesca's camera bag, which also came on our trip, is the small tan crossbody of my dreams (conveniently, something I'd been looking for).

And my love affair with the Makesense tinted moisturizer (previously discussed here) is still going strong, don't worry!

What did you buy this month? How have you been able to control your spending/stick to a budget?

High Five for Friday: September 1

Happy Friday, everyone! I missed you last week! My trip to SoCal definitely put the sparkle into the past week+, so let's see what I can remember despite post-trip delirium!

• I guess the biggest thing we did was celebrate my birthday (Monday 8/28) at Disneyland! 

This wasn't the reason we went to CA, but once we started looking at potential dates at the end of August, I was like, "If we're going to be there on my birthday, we're definitely going to Disney!" So we did! And I even got a birthday button!

I used to be crippled by birthday anxiety, but now, I just try to embrace the love and attention that comes with that one special day. Pops and I had a great time wandering around Disney and California Adventure, tracking down the Dole Whip, and going on a few tame rides. (I am so not a rides person.) Even though it was 90+ degrees and I legitimately got prickly heat, it was a wonderfully fun birthday!

• While in Cali, I also treated myself to a manicure because my chipping nails were driving me nuts. Because I rarely get my nails done, I decided to go with SNS, aka Tif's nail polish of choice! It's so crazy that they use colored powder and it turns out like this:

Best of all, it hasn't chipped! It still looks the same, one week later! 💯

• Pops and I got to spend two days at Crystal Cove, which is both a beach and a state park! Friday was grey and kind of chilly, so we just wandered around taking in the beautiful scenery.

Tidal pools!

We only encountered one cat in California but so.many.birds.

And then Anaheim entered a ridiculous heat wave (see prickly heat above), so we went back to the beach on Tuesday and actually took advantage of it! I finally got to sit on the beach with a trashy magazine, which is all I'd wanted to do all summer!

• We also managed to squeeze in a Dodgers game, which was a blast, even though getting to Chavez Ravine was hell on earth. (Once we got close, it took roughly 30 minutes to crawl three miles.) Luckily, the game and "Friday Night Fireworks" (almost) made us forget about all that!

• On our last day, we went to Downtown Disney, and I finally found an ear hat that I like! A pink bedazzled bow always helps.

• Amid all that activity, we also got a few nice moments of normalcy/relaxation, like when I discovered that Grey's was on in the hotel! 

👌 

Whew, what a whirlwind two weeks! Hope you have a great weekend! xo

High Five for Friday: August 18

Here's where I found the sparkle despite being generally disheartened this week:

• I went to the mall near work on Saturday, which was a major accomplishment because a.) I left the house! b.) I went on a "frivolous" outing that included highway driving and nothing bad happened! and c.) I was able to keep in mind the things I've actually been looking to buy, rather than just buying everything in sight! I also discovered the joys of Primark (anybody else love it?!) and made the very important purchase below. (For the record, I had been looking for a key cap for awhile!)

As Timmi put it, "Pusheen with a Stormy hat!" 💯

• I bought this ridiculous contraption on Amazon and BY GOD IT WORKS!

The last few times I've been to the hairdresser, I've marveled at how well their fancy salon dryers preserve my curls (not to mention that they dry my mane in a MUCH shorter amount of time than usual!), so I finally decided to get a bonnet hair dryer attachment. And I'm quite impressed! (Although I think I'll clip my hair at the roots next time to see if I can get more volume.)

CURLS 🙌

• This week's Weird-Ass Song of the Week is more morose than usual... not to mention that it's by Bon Iver, who I hate myself for sort of liking. (But this song is in Grey's, so that explains a lot, haha!)

Bon Iver - Blood Bank **lyrics** (I do not own song)

• This time next week, I'll be in sunny California! I can't believe our trip is here already! Conveniently, Pops and I will also be out there for my birthday (8/28)! :)

• And finally, my Lipsense party with Becky ends TODAY, friends! So join the fb group and come party with us! ("Come party with us"--there's a phrase I've never said in my life! 😂) You can also learn more about why I love Lipsense here!

Hope you have a great weekend and a great next week (in case I don't get my act together enough for H54F next week!)! xo

Why I'm kind of obsessed with Lipsense

I've teamed up with the lovely Becky from ByBMG for a Lipsense party this week! Won't you come join us? :)

Here are some reasons why I <3 Lipsense:

Because I'm lazy. Lipsense seriously lasts all day. After I put the color on in the morning, all I have to do throughout the day is apply the clear gloss if my lips start feeling dry. Clear gloss? I can handle that!

Because I used to bite my lips all.the.time. It's kind of a nervous habit, I guess. Once my lip product of choice would wear off, I would start biting my lips. But Lipsense takes forever to wear off--so minimal lip biting!

Because it's saved me from buying every drugstore and high-end lip gloss in sight! (Seriously, I used to be the lip gloss-buying QUEEN. It was a problem.)

Because I know I'll get my money's worth. The starter kit for Lipsense is a bit pricey, but since I use my Lipsense a minimum of four days a week, it's money well spent. I've actually gone through a tube of Glossy Gloss and a tube of Bombshell (my favorite color)! Who uses up an entire tube of lip gloss?!

Because you can mix and match colors and glosses to get the shade and finish of your dreams. (Or just tone down the nude colors, like I do!)

Because there are more options than just lip gloss. The MakeSense Color Correcting Tinted Moisturizer has been a godsend for my naturally ruddy complexion. 🙌

Before and after!

If you want to see what all the hype is about, you can join my party here!

And if you do decide to buy something, guess what? Shipping is FREE! :)

(Btw this is not a sponsored post. Tif and Becky simply introduced me to Lipsense last fall, and it's been all downhill from there!)