Summer Lovin’

How in the world is it the end of June already?  January through March dragged, possibly because we had a long winter, and the next thing I know it’s officially summer.  Anyway, I thought I’d share some things that I’m loving this summer.

Beauty.  I’ve been using Smashbox primer for years and years (seriously probably like 10 years).  I ran out of my last bottle and realized that I had a free sample size of Hourglass primer.  I decided to try the sample to hold me over until I received my new bottle of Smashbox.  I fully expected to not be impressed with the freebie because I never really seem to get anything earth shattering in the form of a free sample.  However, I was blown away with it on day one.  I texted my youngest sister immediately because she loves to hear about my new beauty finds.  I didn’t want to speak too soon about my obsession with it because maybe I was just having a good makeup day.  I’ve been using it for several weeks now and I still love it.  It’s a little more expensive then my previous primer but I think it’s worth it.  Plus, a little bit goes a long way so it will last for a long time.

I’ve been using Vita Liberata self tan mousse for the past 2 or so years, which I love (at the recommendation of my mother-in-law).  I ran out of my bottle at the beginning of this summer so I decided to try a new brand to see if there was something better on the market.  The new one I tried was awful because it did not apply evenly.  Ever.  No matter how careful I was.  This is not my first self tanner rodeo so it’s not like I had no idea what I was doing.  (I don’t want to mention the brand because I don’t like to criticize brands.  I only mention the brands that I like.)  I decided not to waste time or money on trying any other brand and I went back to my trusty Vita and still adore it.  It looks natural and it lasts longer than any other one I’ve tried.  It dries fast and doesn’t stain my clothes.  Plus it has very, very little smell.  I say that because you really can’t smell it unless you put your nose up to your skin (or if you’re my husband and you have a strong sense of smell, seriously he can pick out literally any lotion as one that has tanning because his nose just knows some random ingredient they all have, and from several rooms away).

Sandals.  I bought these Jamie Espadrille wedge sandals (in the peach color) back in May and I’ve been anxiously awaiting warmer temperatures to wear them.  They are super duper cute.  I’ve worn them with jeans, shorts, and dresses.  They’re comfortable and versatile, but maybe the best of all, they make me a few inches taller!  #shortpeopleproblems

Hat.  I hate hats because I feel like I look like an idiot in them, but I still wear them in the summer time because I like to protect my face.  I only have one straw hat so I wanted to buy a new one.  I hemmed and hawed about a big floppy hat at Forever 21 because my other hat has a very small brim.  The tag said it was on sale for $5, down from $15 or so.  I figured if I hate it tomorrow then I won’t feel so bad about only spending a few bucks on it.  When I went to check out, the hat rang up at $0.50!  What a steal!  Now I feel even less bad if I end up not liking it later.  They don’t seem to have this particular hat online, but I’ve linked a similar one (unfortunately, it’s not as cheap though).

Sunscreen.  If you’ve been following me for a while then you know that I’m really big on sunscreen.  I’m talking like being covered in the stuff head to toe.  I’m obsessed with Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment (in the color Rose).  Not only is it SPF15, but it feels good on my lips and gives a hint of color.

Sunglasses.  I’ve seen a lot of fashion bloggers wear heart shaped sunglasses and they look so cute.  Could I pull of heart shape sunglasses too?  My initial thought was “nope.”  However, when I saw these BP sunglasses for $14 I knew that I had to try them for fun.  When I got them, my husband thought that I bought them for my 5 year old niece.  Womp, womp.  He wasn’t being mean about it, he just never imagined that “bigger people” wear them in that shape.  What do you think about the heart shape sunglasses trend?

Ciao for now!

P.S.:  Sorry for those of you that bumped into issues getting to the blog over the last few days.  We were having some trouble and that resulted in a rather long list of upgrades and updates.  The side effect is that we had some down time and subscription emails weren’t going out.  We’re hoping this is all behind us now and thanks for sticking around.