August Favorites

How is it already September?? Summer has seriously FLOWN by, which makes me so sad since it's my very favorite season! BUT we usually get plenty more warm days into September and October (it was 95 degrees the day before our wedding last year!) so I'm looking forward to that.

With a new month comes a new favorites list, so here's everything that I'm into right now from the month of August!

1. Amazon swimsuit: I ordered a LOT of Amazon swimsuits earlier in the summer in hopes of finding a few good new ones for a couple of beach trips I had coming up. All of the others I ordered I either didn't like or didn't fit properly, but this one is SO good! It's true to size, fits perfectly, and it's super flattering and comfy, I highly recommend it!
2. JSC Skin Frost in "Sarcophagus": I've wanted to try one of Jeffree Star's highlighters FOREVER, I fell in love with this this particular shade when I was in Palm Beach for my bachelorette party last summer and my friend had. They had an end-of-summer sale a few weeks ago and I snagged it for 40% off, and I'm so glad I did! It's a champagne gold that I was worried might be a *little* too deep for my fair skin, but I can definitely pull it off. It's super vibrant, a little goes a long way, and the pan size is HUGE so it's definitely worth the price, even full price.
3. J. Crew embroidered dress: I got this dress during J. Crew's end of summer sale and wore it three times in four days 😂 (pictured here!) It's still on sale for under $45 and in stock in a few sizes! I recommend sizing down at least one size because it runs large, I sized down one size and it's still plenty roomy.
4. Haus Labs matte lip crayon in "Power Move": This is Lady Gaga's favorite lip color according to her contribution to Nikkie Tutorials' recent video, and if it's Gaga's favorite, you KNOW it's gonna be good! I got it back in February when it came out but didn't get much of a chance to wear it once COVID hit. Now that I've been wearing it for several months, I really love it! It's a great rosy pink shade and the formula is great. It's not too creamy but not too dry, easy to apply, and lasts a long time. 
5. 10oz Yeti mug: When coming back to the office after working from home, I wasn't sure what the coffee situation at work would be. We used to all share a coffee pot, but I figured that we wouldn't be allowed to continue to do that for safety purposes, so I wanted a mug that would keep my coffee hot on my commute. I have a 20oz Yeti Tumbler that I use for cold drinks, but I prefer the feel of a traditional mug for coffee. I like the 10oz size because it fits a cup of coffee from my Nespresso perfectly, plus it fits (barely) in my cup holders in my car.
6. Essie polish in "Mrs. Always Right": My mom bought this recently and we both painted our toenails with it, and it's the perfect pedicure color! It's a great fall transitional color (although it would look great all year), and it's not too dark. It reminds me of one of my other favorites, "Just Lanai-ing Around" from OPI, which I just got on my fingernails over the weekend. 
7. AHA Citrus + Green Tea sparkling water: My coworker gave me a box of this and it's SO good! The AHA sparkling water is special because each can has 30mg of caffeine in it, and who doesn't need that? I've tried a few of the other flavors (some of them are really out there!), but Citrus + Green Tea is definitely my favorite.
8. Sephora Favorites "Give Me Some Shine" lip set: The Sephora Favorites sets (especially the lip ones) are my favorite thing to get at Sephora! They're a great way to try a bunch of different high-end products for a great value. This kit is only $29 but it has two full-size lip products and three deluxe-size samples. The NARS tinted balm included in the set costs $28 on its own, so it's worth the price of the set just for that. The product that surprised me the most was the Lancome Juicy Tubes gloss, it's SO good! It has those '90s vibes that everyone loves right now, it's super juicy, and it smells delicious; I'm definitely going to get a full-size one when my sample runs out. 
9. Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano D'abruzzo: This might be my all-time favorite wine from the grocery store. It looks so fancy, the first time I had it I was SURE it had to be something expensive. Then I spotted it one day when I was at the grocery store and was delighted to find that it's under $20 (even cheaper at Costco!) It's super smooth and finishes easy, I'll be keeping a bottle on hand from now on.  
10. Chloe x Halle, "Ungodly Hour": Kenny introduced me to this duo earlier in the summer, and I've been loving their new album! It's both upbeat and chill, my favorite tracks are "ROYL," "Tipsy," and "Ungodly Hour."
11. Taylor Swift, "Folklore": Throwing this one in last because I know everyone's already in love with T Swift's new album. 😂 Chill tracks like most of the ones on this record aren't usually my jam, but I love the direction she took with it PLUS the fact that it was a total surprise!

P.S. The Ulta 21 Days of Beauty event is happening right now and they have some great makeup and skincare bestsellers on sale each day for 50% off! I'm highlighting my favorites each day as they go on sale in the LIKEtoKNOW.it app.

I hope you're having a great week so far, it started off rainy and gross here so I'm hoping for some better weather to finish out the week!

xoxx, Laura