Friday Favorites

Let’s start again, shall we?

I suppose I should begin with a little life update so here it goes, I downloaded TikTok.

JK. Well I mean I did download TikTok and I did get addicted but the real news is that I’m not flying.

Before everything got really crazy my company offered a special leave of absence til October and I took it. While I have my ups and downs with it, I’m ultimately very happy with my decision. I truly miss flying but I have begun to wrap my head around the fact that in all honesty I won’t be flying in the foreseeable future. It’s not been easy, add that to the fact that we don’t know where we’ll be living when A graduates lineman school here in a few weeks it’s all been quite a bit to take in. I’m just so thankful I have a great support system in my family and friends and I am really looking forward to the new adventures life has in store for me.

This also means if ever there was a time to pivot this little blog of mine out of the strictly travel realm it’s probably now.

Enough of that serious nonsense though, I’m now here to #influence.

Here are a few things I’ve been absolutely loving over the last few weeks…

Okay so Grace Atwood is one of those bloggers that I have been following for the better part of a decade now. I appreciate her voice and honesty so much especially now that the whole world flipped upside down she’s continued to be a blogger I trust. While not everything is in my price point I do tend to look to her when I’m in the market for a skin care splurge. Insert: Supergoop’s Glow Screen a tinted, hydrating primer/sunscreen. I bought it during the Sephora sale and have been using it pretty religiously for about a month now. Honest opinion: I absolutely love it. As I told a friend recently the “glowy tint” part was a little scary for my fine Irish skin as I was concerned I would look like Edward from that sunny field Twilight scene.  As directed I’ve been using it as the last step of my morning skincare routine and if that’s all I do for the day it doesn’t look too “glowy” at all. When I do add make up after that it becomes a great primer and is easy to re-apply on top of everything if I’ve been in the sun for too long. This was my first Supergoop! product but everything is 20% off right now on their website with code SUNSALE so I figured it was a perfect time to order the PLAY sunscreen mist as well. I’ll be sure to let you guys know if that is worth the hype!

Speaking of primers, I finally tried the cult classic Elf Poreless Putty Primer and let me tell you what, this shit is legit. I have a pretty basic make up routine but my pores have always been an issue to conceal so I tend to try everything. It comes out of the jar feeling like something you’d put on your hair to spike it… not that I ever did that in middle school… unlike that unfortunate time in my life and for my poor hair, the putty doesn’t feel thick on my skin at all though and it makes adding foundation a breeze. Sometimes I put it on without any other make up just to hide the pores a bit and it works great. I got mine at Target but I’ve seen it at most places that Elf products are sold, for $8 it virtually fits into anyone’s beauty budget and I would highly recommend giving it a try!

I’ve been in Boise for about a week now which has been a nice change of pace from the routine of nothingness I got myself into in Denver. Since A’s been in class or studying I’ve had ample time to catch up on some reading which I admit I tend to look over in favor of watching television.

First up is American Royals. I read this in about a day and loved it. I had been reading more expand your mind kind of books if you will so when I picked this up I hoped it would be a light and fun beach type read for me to get lost in. Boy did it deliver! It was so fun to imagine America with a Royal family. I loved the way it followed the very different characters from each’s perspective. Who doesn’t love every twist and turn that comes with young romantic drama à la Gossip Girl? I will say that I didn’t love the ending, it sort of took awhile to build up everything and then it felt rushed to end it. I get that there is a sequel which I am very excited for but still if I had to nitpick it’d be for that.

Regardless of my thoughts on the ending, I still loved how fast I fell for the story. If you’re looking for a solidly fun time waster this is it.

I’m halfway through Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and it makes me so sad to think it’s almost over. My sister has been telling me to read it for months now and I am hooked. It’s so witty, so heartbreaking yet so warm all at the same time. I’ll report back next week when I have no doubt finished it!

In the kitchen this week I made another shakshuka which has easily become my favorite breakfast meal since quarantine started. I love the heartiness of the chorizo (Trader Joe’s soy chorizo for the win!) mixed with warmth of the cumin and tomatoes. I’m in the camp that an egg on top makes everything taste better so really you cannot go wrong with this dish. This is the recipe I’ve been following/tweaking (I use half the amount of canned diced tomatoes, don’t really have a reasoning behind it but I like it that way).

Now that the weather is almost 100 (I do not miss New England humidity & bugs one bit) I made this little summer salad I saw on Julia from Lemon Stripes’ Instagram stories and it was a real hit as a side for salmon burgers last night. It’s just a diced avocado, heirloom tomatoes, nectarines, feta cheese and some basil. I literally have never thought to add nectarines and feta together but it was delicious.

As a self-admitted post card and travel print collector I’m desperate to find out where we’ll be living mostly to you know, know where but also to find out what the space looks like because I have my eye on so many beautiful prints. I mean how about this Lisbon print from Travel Poster Co?

I recently added this gem from Travel Dashery to my collection that I am so in love with.  Missing Vermont is a common occurrence in my life so it makes me irrationally happy to see it on my little gallery wall.

I’ve been catching up on The Office Ladies podcast which is a must listen for any major Office fan out there. I love hearing about what was going on behind the scenes catching some of the bloopers they kept in when I re-watch the show. It may be a silly hobby but it’s one I’ve definitely been enjoying. Though I will say they have listeners send questions/catch things in the episodes and DAMN people go HARD. I must place myself in the casual listener category.

Oh and I can’t forget to include these comfy sleep joggers I got from Target that have essentially become my wardrobe staple of late. A hates them because he says they shed (in all honesty they do til you wash them a few times) but I choose not to notice that because they are so freaking comfortable. Arguably the best $20 I’ve spent all pandemic, well besides that Jumbo Margarita on Cinco De Mayo. Size up for the ultimate cloud-like experience!

I think that is all I have for now then friends. I literally don’t know where this blog is going now but I also don’t know where I’m going so I suppose that’s pretty on brand for me right now 🙂

I hope all 3 of you reading this are staying safe! As always, thanks for reading.

Love, Kari