I’m trying something new - I’m putting together a few things that I’ve found recently that I think are worth buying. This idea is not even kind of original (yikes, sorry) - but it is something that I enjoy reading on other blogs, so I thought I’d give it a try.

Not to mention, I’m always a sucker for recommendations from real people.

I’ve picked several things that I’ve purchased in prep for the ever-nearing summer. If you click on the orange text, it will link you to the items.

So, now for my first round of favorites (in no particular order):

1. Madewell Heartstrings Choker - Last summer, I wore my Show Me Your Mumu choker every. single. day, and because of that, it’s turned completely copper (it was originally gold, but chlorine, salt water, and sweat were not kind to the finish). So now, I’ve been on the lookout for a cute summer choker, and I’ve found it.

The necklace is $28, and is 15 1/2" long with a 3" extender chain for adjustable length.

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2. OPI Sun, Sea, and Sand in my Pants - I’ve seen a lot of images of yellow nails (from polish, not fungus lol) floating around the interwebs, and I wanted to try it out for myself. I don’t feel like the bold neon yellow really works with my skin tone, so I decided to go with a more muted yellow… and to my surprise, I actually really love it. (Plus it goes great with my cheetah prints haha.)

I did have my nails dipped, but you can buy the polish on Amazon for about $10.

Also, where exactly do I apply to be the person who names OPI nail polishes, I think I’d be good at it.

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*I am not cut out for hand modeling. Image is not filtered. Also, my top coat is matte.*

3. Knotwork LA Birdie Garden Pot from Anthropologie - Okay, this is my quirky suggestion. The pot is the perfect size for a succulent, and for only $12 (it’s on sale), I justified buying 2 haha. I think only one of them is still available for purchase online though.

4. Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Crush Body Fragrance and Bum Bum Cream - Again, where do I apply to name beauty products? Okay, so here’s the deal with this product and why love it: IT SMELLS LIKE YOU LIVE ON A CARIBBEAN ISLAND. Several times while riding an elevator, I’ve had the person on it with me tell me I smell good. Oh, and an Uber driver did one time, too. Creepy, but complimentary.

For summer perfumes, I lean towards more tropical smells, which makes no sense since I live in the most landlocked state in the US, but alas, here we are. I bought the body mist and the “bum bum cream” as a set from Amazon for $32, which was about $10 cheaper than it was in Sephora. (In hindsight, I would have bought the larger option rather than the travel sizes.)

FYI - The cream is supposed to tighten and firm your butt, but TBH I just use it as a hand lotion, which makes my hands super soft. Is that weird? Probably.

5. Thayer’s Witch Hazel Toner in Coconut - Thayer’s Witch Hazel toners aren’t a new product for me. I began using the alcohol free toner in the rose petal scent about a year ago to help with redness and blotchiness on my face. I can honestly say that my face is much more even toned, and I no longer deal with the issues I had before (AND it leaves my skin feeling so soft, because unlike many toners, this one doesn’t dry your face out).

Now, I’m completely hooked, and use it twice a day. The reason I’m including it now is because I loveeee the *new* coconut scent (back to my tropical obsession), and if you’re looking for a solution to redness, give this a try! I can’t say whether or not it helps with breakouts, but this toner does have over 3500 5-star reviews on Amazon.

I buy mine from Target for about $9.

PS - If coconut isn’t your thing, they also carry their toner in lemon, lavender, rose petal (my original favorite), cucumber, unscented, and original (just smells like witch hazel).