The Weekly, 03.29.21

It has been a few weeks since I put together a weekly post, and I have been taking down notes all week so I can remember all the goodness I want to share. I am on Spring Break this week, and while the stretch of school from April to the end June seems quite ominous on the horizon, I am so relieved to have a week to sleep off a really terrible week’s worth of sleep and anxiety.

This pandemic is a whole roller coaster of emotions, and it just really hasn’t been easy. But on the bright side of life, almost everyone in my family has at least their first vaccine, and we are, at the very least, moving closer towards some tiny piece of normalcy.

Chris and I have just been soaking in all of the sunshine we have had over the last few weeks, and eagerly waiting for our building’s new roof deck to open. If we had to make a list of something that our apartment doesn’t have, it’s pretty much just a second bathroom and some outdoor space. Our roof has been under construction for just about…ever…so we are so anxious for it to finally be put in our new lease and have somewhere to sit outside that isn’t the park.

I am feeling like it’s easiest to jump into skincare first, and one of the big projects on my agenda is to do a Spring cleaning of all of my skincare this week. I somehow just collect product, and while I really do use a lot of it, I am wasting so much real estate with products I just never loved enough to finish. I’ll be following these four steps to clean out my skincare routine this week, and am looking forward to the feeling of clean.

This week, I finished yet another tub of my all-time favorite cleansing balm from Elemis– I will not quit. And I also finished off one of my jars of Tatcha’s ageless moisturizer, which was another love, but not necessarily a gotta have again (I think they Dewey and Water cream are just as great for less a steep price tag).

Target was also having an excellent sale on my favorite eye patches this week, so I stocked up big time, and grabbed a set of each of their patches – detox, brightening, and firming. I have never met a Pixi patch I didn’t love. These are just some of the best eye patches on a budget (less than $1 per set), especially considering they are a single-use product.

Whenever I clear out some product, that definitely gives me an excuse to bring in something new. Sephora will be having a big sale in a few days (starting April 9th for Rogue members), and I am already stocking my cart with product. Two new brands I am dying to try? This retinol reform from a skincare brand I am seeing all over the internet, Shani Darden, and this BHA exfoliating toner from Paula’s Choice, a brand I’ve seen and heard about through Caroline Hirons, that is finally being carried in Sephora. I’ll be sharing more of my sale picks later this week, but in the meantime, I shared my Spring beauty favorites that I’ve been playing with for the last few weeks on the blog last week.

In beauty news, I have a new eyebrow product that is to die for. If you’ve always lusted after those full, soap brows that you see all over Instagram, then you must try this product. I could not get soap brows to look right, and I always found the soap I used left a film on my brows when they dried. But when I heard about this product on Breaking Beauty podcast roundup of the best beauty products for Spring, I had to try. It’s the Anastasia Beverly Hill Brow Freeze, and it’s a potted gel that you basically rub your spooly into and press into the hairs. I’m thinking I might throw together a quick post and video for you on how I do this, but the results are incredible. If you like a medium hold, but you want that stylized, brushed up look, then this is for you.

If you aren’t already listening to the Breaking Beauty podcast I keep talking about, then you need to hop on board. I listened to a few episodes this week, but in particular, loved this episode featuring Cardi B’s aesthetician, who shared her thumbs up or down on some at-home skincare remedies. On her absolute no list? Peel off face masks, witch hazel, and pore sucking vacuum tools. Her stamp of approval? Washing your face for 60 seconds. You know I am a proponent of double cleansing, but she said that even one wash for 60 seconds can break down and remove so much of the residue that gets left behind in quick cleansing routines.

I’ve been doing quite a bit of spring shopping since I have been sleeping terribly at night. While this is not a habit that can stick around, I have bought some pieces I think are going to bring me some real joy as we enter into warmer temperatures, and honestly? I can’t ask for much more rationale than that. First up? Pretty dresses. I snagged this adorable smocked top floral midi-dress from Old Navy, not a place I often shop, as well as this cute jean jacket that hits at the perfect length, that went a touch viral on Olivia Muenter’s instagram. Both buys are super budget-friendly, and I can already say the jean jacket is going to be worn on repeat. I also grabbed this cute little flutter-sleeved mini-dress on Amazon after seeing it on Kendall of Styled Snapshots – just $25 – I took the Large and it fits great! I’ve also got my eye on a Hill House nap dress, but am waiting for the size and print I want to be restocked. If you haven’t seen these dresses, they are all over social media, touted as comfortable and effortlessly chic; I saw one on my friend this weekend and confirmed they are adorable.

J.Crew has also been perpetually on sale, and I took the chance to buy a few blouses. I don’t know about you, but if I have to look at one more outfit of t-shirt and jeans/leggings, I may lose it. I just want to wear something fun and pretty, so I grabbed this cute square-neck red and white seersucker blouse, a cute white ruffled eyelet blouse, and this striped, ruffled wrap top. Even if I pair them with shorts, I think they will just give me a little pep in my step, which clearly I could use. And speaking of shorts, I pretty much live in denim shorts for most of the summer, and I wanted to try a new pair after finding a lot of luck with the Curve Love line at Abercrombie with jeans. So I grabbed their Curve Love 4-inch mom shorts, and I will report back if they compare with my other favorites.

The other thing I’ve been buying is taking advantage of the ongoing sales that Tommy John seems to be having the last few weeks. If you have somehow missed me talking about how these really are the greatest underwear (just Google it- you will see them on every list), then let me tell you now. These are just superior underwear, and I haven’t met a style I didn’t love. I’m very into their Air, Second Skin and now the Micro-rib fabrics – you can’t go wrong with any of them, but I definitely suggest buying the value packs, like this one with Spring pastels. Slowly but surely, I’m switching over everything in my underwear drawer to Tommy John. Take advantage of the sales, as they are pricier than your 5 for $25 deals at other retailers. And while I know I just posted about how underwire is out in bras, I did go into work for a few days which required a bit of lift for the ladies. I just ordered two more bras from cuup, a brand that exclusively sells unlined bras. They are très chic, and I am still on the hunt for the best underwire bra – I will report back.

One of the things I am trying to be better about is waiting to buy things that are larger purchases until I am positive that I really want them. If you’ve been following the blog from the very beginning, then you have seen me post these hexagonal Ray-Ban sunglasses in some of my styling posts last Spring. I finally grabbed them for myself, as I felt like coveting them for a year was justifiable. My other wire-rimmed Ray-bans are really on their last leg after a good five years, so I am looking forward to these coming in just in time for Spring. Anyone else feel like sunglasses are so much money for pieces of plastic and metal? If I really wanted to splurge, I’d go for these classics from Celine. Until then, they will be on my wish list. In other random purchases, if you’re sunglasses are loose or wobbly, you can buy a sunglass repair kit on Amazon – I just fixed up a few of my pairs of older shades to get them back in tip top shape after a few seasons of using them and throwing them in bags constantly. It’s really the little things…

And on a final note, I was finally influenced to buy the pan you see all over the internet and TV – the Always Pan for Our Place. Sure, I’ve clicked on the ad one too many times, but could never seal the deal and purchase. But they recently released a version that came with a plate that they used to make tahdig – a crispy Persian rice that ranks in my top five favorite foods of life (sadly, no longer available, as I think it was limited edition). I got the green pan, and so far, so great. I really like that it is aesthetically pleasing and I can keep it out on my stove. It cleans super easily, cooks very evenly, and while it takes a while to get hotter than my other pans, I think it is really great and can see why it’s a one stop shop kind of situation. I think between this and my LeCruset dutch over, you really don’t need that much else. Great if you’re just starting out on your own or building your kitchen.

Looking forward to taking advantage of the week to try and get some great content your way! Happy Spring holiday season for those celebrating over the next few weeks.

Thanks for shopping my blog post! For transparency, some of the links in this post may be affiliated, which means I might make a small commission off of any of the purchases made using them at no additional cost to you. I only share what I love on Pretty Busy Brooklyn, especially in the Weekly.