Happy Friday! I hope you all have had a wonderful week. After lots of travel the past two weeks, it has been so refreshing to be home this week. I’ve focused on spending time with Bo and Katie, getting lots of sleep and catching up on errands and work.  Other than a long run date with Melissa, we don’t have any plans this weekend. Since Katie loved our bike ride adventure so much, I think we may ride to Prospect Park Zoo. Do you have any fun plans this weekend? Also, in other news, it’s no surprise but I’m already down looking forward to fall weather. The August heat and humidity is not my favorite time of year in New York City. In fact, I took two showers today just to rinse of the sweat and stickiness.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

• Okay guys, the hype is real. I am so impressed with the Beautycounter Overnight Resurfacing Peel.  I’ve only been using it nightly for a week so I can’t tell you whether it has help improved my melasma, but I can tell you that I wake up each morning with brighter, smoother skin without the sting and chemicals of other options. The name is a bit confusing as it does not peel your skin nor do you peel it off. Instead, it “peels” off dead skin by dissolving dead skin cells which helps resurface skin to reduce dryness, dullness and discoloration. Once it absorbs, I apply the their No. 1 Brightening Facial Oil and Countermatch Eye Rescue  cream. As I mentioned last week on Instagram, I know that chemicals may be required to truly improve my melasma, but my dermatologist recommended that I come in for a follow-up visit in late September, after summer, to assess next steps. If you want to see more of my favorite Beautycounter products, check out these this post.
• Over the past month, I finished Educated, The Identicals and When Life Gives You Lululemons. This week I picked up Marriage Vacation, The Perfect Couple and The Wedding Date from the library. Once I make it through those books I’m going to switch back to one of the memoirs or historical novels on my reading list.  I’m hoping to do a full review of last month’s books in an upcoming book review post. Until then, what’s on your reading list?
• During the summer months, we tend to get fruit flies in our house when we have floral bouquets or fresh fruit on the counter. I finally made some of this apple cider and soap concoction to put on the counter in hopes of killing the annoying little guys. Guess what!? It worked and after just 24-hours we had over 15 of them captured!
• Bo and I have been doing a great job of cooking during the week, due in part to making sure we have a well-stocked pantry, freezer and fridge each week. I owe you guys a full post with more details, but a few of the items we have been consistently loving are Banza, Rao’s Homemade Sauce, perfect roasted green beans, homemade turkey burgers, and frozen shrimp from Costco.
• I was so surprised to slide my feet into these adorable, block heels and realize that they are not only comfortable but also very cute! For $24.99 you can’t beat these tan block heels as a staple for weekends, business and weddings alike. I’ll be wearing these for both of the upcoming weddings I’m in this fall as well as pairing them with jeans and fun skirts or dresses in between. I recommend ordering the wide if your feet tend to be wide as they run pretty narrow but otherwise, they’re great!
• Recently, I feel like Brooks gear has become so fun! While it’s always been a great, reliable brand especially for running gear, their colors and cuts have taken a step towards being more on trend and fun while still delivering the quality you’d expect. I ordered these mesh leggings after seeing them on a few of my fellow ambassadors when we were in Seattle and have quickly FALLEN IN LOVE with them. The mesh makes them the perfect weight for summer running, walking or Pilates classes as well as more fun that my usual black legging. Unlike a few of the mesh leggings on the market, the mesh on these leggings is flattering.
• I realized last month that my wardrobe was missing two staples – a blazer and a pair of flattering work pants. I’ve worn the few business dresses or skirts that I have on repeat for customer and team meetings over the past couple of months and was craving a change. I ordered this flattering, updated blazer to add a bit of polish to my dresses and jeans. I knew I wanted to get a pair of pants that I could wear year-round so I opted for these slimming crops, which are perfect paired with nude heels and a bright top in summer or a sweater and flats in the cooler months. I hope that J.Crew continues to offer so may Tall styles on their site!

 

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!