Thursday, September 14, 2023

Stuff I Like: So Much Stuff

I've been super busy lately but I keep a running list of things I want to talk about on the blog. The list, it's getting long, so time to do something about this. Here we go:


This Candle That's Not Expensive For Once.
I can't remember where online I read about it, but the Salt candle at Target got such raves I had to check it out and it's a good one. It's not a seasonal fragrance (because no thank you pumpkin spice nonsense) it's just kind of fresh and soft and ocean-salty in a very non-offensive way. It's maaaaybe a touch sweeter than I usually go for, but it's mostly just nice and it comes in a bunch of sizes and decorative options. Plus, the biggest one is less than $20! Yay.


This Lip Oil I Really Love.
I had a mini-spree at Sephora recently because I just really wanted to try a few new things and found this Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil to be intriguing. I have a Rare Beauty blush that I really like (reviewed here), so I thought this might also be worth trying. Y'all, I freaking love it. It starts out as a non-sticky but very pigmented gloss and dries down to a lip stain. I have the berry shade called Affection and have been wearing it a lot lately. So pretty and it's easy to apply, smudgeable, layerable, etc. 


My (end of) Summer Reading List.
Okay, first of all, my apologies if anyone tried to read The Secret Book of Flora Lea because woof, it was not for me and I DNF'ed it hard. (Sorry, Leandra!) I did read and enjoy I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai and Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson and liked both of them, but I also feel like they both could've been more and also less? I had minor issues with both but also enjoyed reading them. (I'm happy to expand in the comments if you want to discuss!) Finally, I just started The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner who is reliably good and yay, bikes. 


Definitely Not a Stanley Cup.
I didn't need the new bkr insulated cup but I love my old bkr water bottle so much that when they came out with an insulated cup I basically broke my brain trying to talk myself out of it and then I bought it anyway. No regerts! It's double-walled glass and keeps your ice from melting for quite a while. It's not, like, Stanley-level insulated, but it's also not huge and heavy and tiresome either. And it's pretty! I have the January Demi and it's just perfection. I use it for iced coffee for my commute days and it fits nicely in my cup holder and doesn't leak. I do worry about the little stopper button but so far I've managed to not lose it. We shall see! (PEE ESS they're doing a F&F sale right now - 25% off everything with code BKRFAM2023.)


This TV Show That Is The CUTEST.
OMG ARE YOU WATCHING HEARTSTOPPER BECAUSE IF NOT YOU MUST. I am not the target audience for this show but I needed something sweet and kind and adorable to watch on my lunch breaks and this is definitely it. It's based on the graphic novel series by Alice Oseman and uniquely captures exactly what it feels like to have a crush when you're young. Plus, Olivia Coleman! Just go! Enjoy! Weep a little! 

Another Good Quince Purchase.
I’ve been using my Quince credits for good stuff, lately! Mostly bedding, which is reliable but not exciting to talk about. My new favorite though is the Apple Watch leather band I bought. I got a taupe-y grey color that somehow goes with everything and it looks expensive. I am seriously impressed by the quality. I’m usually too lazy to switch out my band, but on the days I’m going into the office, I like to switch it up to the leather band. (They also have an Hermès Cape Cod band knockoff which I was tempted by, but I thought the wrap design might drive me crazy.) If you’re new to Quince and want $20 off a purchase of $50 or more, please feel free to use my referral link! (Full disclosure: I also get $20 in credit.) 

That's it for now! I'm very easily influenced, so please tell me what I should try/buy/read/listen to next!


10 comments:

  1. Ha! No need to apologize to me about Flora Lea. Her books are not for me, (I’ve tried a couple) which I kind of hate because the author is SO NICE. I also read I Have Some Questions for You and also have mixed feelings about it but I can’t quite put my finger on why? The main character was super frustrating to me because she kept doing things like someone else was controlling her actions? Like, she kept making bad decisions but wouldn’t own up to it? I don’t know how to explain it.

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    1. Agree - like, she was meant to be something of an unreliable narrator but it didn't quite work. It just made her seem avoidant and squirrelly instead of having some kind of ulterior motive. I kept waiting for some big revelation from her that never happened.

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    2. That is it exactly. Squirrelly. Unrelated, I meant to also ask about the lip oil/ stain you mentioned. Does the stain last?

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    3. Yes! Not all day, but if you do two layers, it lasts for a while.

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  2. Yeah Flora Lea wasn't for me either. I finished but it was a struggle (and you didn't miss anything by not finishing). I really enjoyed My Last Innocent Year but it's a little disturbing and definitely not for everyone, but it totally brought back all of the college in the 90's memories.
    Have you ever tried the Owala bottle? I used to be a serial water bottle purchaser until I bought an Owala and I will never buy another brand (more Owala's are not off the table though, LOL). Keeps cold all day, doesn't leak at all, sturdy and easy to drink from. I have a big one for my desk and then a smaller one when I am on the go.

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    1. I'm pretty sure I figured out the plot secret and thought it was predictable and not particularly clever. Mostly, though, the writing was just not for me. I haven't tried the Owala bottle but I'll keep it in mind for the future when I eventually break one of my bkr bottles. :)

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  3. the audiobook of Nothing To See Here somehow hits differently from the book for me—I re-listen all the time!

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  4. I read I Have Some Questions for You and was fairly annoyed by the end. It felt like a long time to spend with those characters.

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  5. I finished the breakaway and really liked it! Happy reading!

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  6. I love to hear your book opinions! I thought the Makkai book and the Wilson book were not their best, but I still really enjoyed them, probably because I just love the authors in general. I recently fell head first into the Ruth Galloway archaeology mystery series, written by Elly Griffiths. There are 15 books and I am reading them all in a row. Binge reading. I have a virtual stack of books on my e-reader, but can't stop with the Elly Griffiths.

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