I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and for those of you stopping by the blog today to check out this week’s roundup of favorites, keep on scrollin’!
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Things I’m Loving Friday
Ya know my skincare empties review post from earlier this week? Well, I have a few more coming across a few different categories (body care, hair care, household items, etc.) but couldn’t resist sharing one a little prematurely. We ran out of this Cyklar Vanilla Verve In-Shower Body Balm this week and when I say “we” ran out, I really do mean “we” because my entire family decided to hijack this balm after I put it in our shower. Even the boys love this stuff! (Not exactly sure how I feel about that, to be honest, because it’s kind of a luxury shower product in my eyes, but here we are…)
I ordered the Cyklar Vanilla Verve In-Shower Body Balm a while back after one of you recommended it to me following my rave reviews of the hanni splash salve in-shower moisturizer. This is similar in that it’s a product you use in the shower but the texture is very different. (You also apply it after cleansing once the water is off, unlike the hanni product.) This body balm is luxuriously silky and easily melts into your skin leaving it feeling incredibly hydrated and so, so smooth. The smell is lovely and lingers just enough to feel subtle without becoming overly perfumey. This is the kind of product I am keeping on my radar for holiday gifting, especially for those hard-to-buy-for people, as it feels uniquely elevated. Plus, it clearly was a hit even with those waaay outside their target market (my kids — haha)!
I’ve tried a few different things for storing jewelry when traveling over the years. My all-time favorite for years has been putting the jewelry I want to bring in these individual velvet pouches and then putting those into a larger pouch. It’s worked well and is still the best solution I’ve found for keeping everything organized as I even leave some pieces in their pouches in my dresser drawer at home.
When I saw this mini velvet jewelry pouch pop up on Amazon, I was intrigued because it looked like a great compact way to bring my jewelry essentials on a shorter trip. At $13.99 I figured it was worth a shot and I was surprised by just how much I liked it during my long weekend trip to NYC and Rowayton. (Also, I’m a sucker for anything chartreuse, so I had to get that color.) It kept everything organized in one spot and the way I could easily flip through the small compartments made it a breeze to find the jewelry pieces I was looking for (and they weren’t tangled — hooray)! It was expecially helpful for bracelets, rings and earrings which is what I’m primarily planning to use it for in the future.
These Barefaced Toning Pads II got a little shout out in my blog post about my Skincare Empties but I wanted to highlight them here as well because they’ve been such a wonderful find for me. I’ve followed the nurse practitioner behind the Barefaced brand since before she launched her skincare line finally gave these toning pads a try a few months ago. I jumped right into the Toning Pads II despite reading that they can be intense and beginning with the original Toning Pads is recommended for sensitive skin. (I would definitely echo this sentiment!) My skin isn’t overly sensitive but even with some fairly resilient skin, can feel these working their magic! They’re now a crucial step in my skincare routine and something I use 3-4 times a week. While their main benefits include refining skin texture (aka smoother, more even-looking skin), improving skin clarity, clearing pores and calming skin, I’ve come to really LOVE the way they exfoliate and enhance the absorption and efficacy of the additional skincare products I apply after using one of these pads. I swear I can FEEL my serums working more deeply after swiping one of these pads over my face, neck and chest.
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Health-Ade Ginger Cheers Kombucha
I’m sharing this one for my fellow kombucha fans! My all-time favorite Health-Ade seasonal kombucha flavor is BACK!!! But it’s been rebranded: Holiday Cheers is now Ginger Spice & Everything Nice and I am 100 percent okay with this name change if it means we get a few more months of this seasonal favorite. If you like a snappy, gingery flavor with warmer notes of vanilla, cinnamon and allspice, you’ll love this one. I’m so happy it’s here again!
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How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / My rating: A
I absolutely adored this book!!! The writing was phenomenal, the characters compelling and flawed yet likable, the storyline interesting and thought-provoking and the unexpected humor from four parrots made the book a true joy. The cover of the book is not at all reflective of the contents and it reads like a scrappier, funnier, deeper version of a typical beach read.
From Amazon: Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed. When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.
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Weekend Sales
30% off everything at Athleta (including a few items I have and love: eleation ultra high rise leggings — the best for long torsos and pictured above!! / 4” super-soft shorts / 1/4-zip pullover / this skirt which you may see on me here /And if you need a good gift idea, this large cosmetic pouch is $16 — the red is gorgeous for holiday gifting — and the small sherpa version is $10. These pouches are the kind of thing I like to fill with an assortment of favorites and I ordered a few for teacher gifting!)
Stanley Last Call: Stanley just launched an outlet website and it’s filled with lots of great Stanley finds at a steep discount. They even have some limited edition finds like their 30 oz adorable candy cane tumbler for only $16!
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September 2026 Top 10
Sharing your top 10 favorites from September 2026 below!
Top 10 Blog Posts
- Lasagna Recipe Using Cottage Cheese
- Cottage Cheese Baked Pasta
- 6 Months Later and I Still Miss My Dog
- Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
- Greek Yogurt Rotisserie Chicken Salad
- Apple Picking with Mae and Pop
- Best Building Toys for Kids
- Oatmeal Apple Crisp
- Cottage Cheese Zucchini Breakfast Casserole
- How to Make German Pancakes
Top 10 Favorite Finds
- Brainy Knots (The untangle-the-knots game our boys love to do in the car)
- Pix Brix (Mini brick building toy that results in some amazing kid creations)
- adidas Sambas (Such a fun new print and I love the subtle pop of pink)
- Quince 100% Organic Cotton Boyfriend Cardigan (One of my all-time favorite layering pieces)
- Old Navy Fleece (I adore the color and cozy fit of this one)
- eby Juicy Bra + Underwear Set (Color me shocked how much I’ve loved this one on my smaller chest but it’s been such a lovely addition to my underwear drawer that’s the perfect combination of cute and a lil’ sexy!)
- Lands’ End Flannel Top (So cozy and I love the ginger/pink color combo that feels a little more unique and feminine than what I typically see on a flannel.)
- Amazon Travel Barrel Pants (A similar fit to my beloved RUTI pants but with a slightly sleeker fabric)
- ILLUME Woodfire Candle (One of my favorite fall candles with a cozy, unique and woodsy smell)
- Glass Air Fryer (Non-toxic, large capacity and I love that I can see my food cook)
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Weekly Looks
A few outfits I wore this week + last weekend!
(Tank: Target / Bra that works well under this tank: True & Co. / Flannel: Lands’ End/ Pants: Z Supply / Sneakers: Nike / Bag: Clare V.)
Pants: Amazon / Button-Up: Bella Dahl (gifted) / Shoes: Nike / Bag: Walmart)
Pants: Amazon / Bodysuit: Nuuds / Sandals: Amazon (the memory foam in these makes them so comfy — I wore them to walk miles in NYC)
Terry Denim Jacket: Z Supply / Tank: Amazon / Jeans: Target / Shoes: Adidas (also available on Revolve) / Bag: Clare V.
Pants: Amazon / Chicago Bulls Tee: Amazon / Shoes: adidas
QUESTION OF THE DAY
What is one thing you’re loving this week?
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