May 2017 – Everything and Nothings

My favorite songs of 2017–so far

So far, 2017 has been a pretty bonkers year for music for me. I feel like I’ve been a little stressed this year–haven’t we all?!–so I’ve been listening to a lot more old stuff than I normal do.

Generally, I would categorize my music listening at 75% new music and 25% revisiting old favorites or catching up on things I’ve missed.

But this year–I would venture to say those percentages are flipped–so I’m sure there’s a ton I’ve missed.

What I have been listening to this year can pretty much be broken down into four pretty distinct categories: bands who’ve been MIA with new releases, new artists, solo releases by members of One Direction and Future.

Let’s discuss the first two categories in more detail.

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Here comes the sun–right?

While its dark and gloomy out today–Memorial Day weekend is upon us–the unofficial start of summer is almost here! Nights on the Terrace, days by the pool, endless glasses of rosé and summer jams on a loop are just around the corner. Summer is definitely our favorite of the seasons and we have vowed not to miss a minute of it this year!

But with summer comes the sun–HOPEFULLY!!–and with the sun comes the nasty damage those warm rays can wreck on the delicate skin on our face.

So here are our favorite ways to keep our faces safe while we maximize the three greatest months of the year!

Our trip to San Juan–where ironically–we all got burned! (we blame surfing)

Continue reading Here comes the sun–right?

Instagram-a-rama.

Instagram happens to be my favorite of the social media apps/platforms. I don’t like Facebook. I’m bored (not to mention super irritated) with Snapchat. I don’t even open my Twitter app anymore at all. But I could look at pictures all day. It’s somehow much more soothing to my senses than all of the nonsense I seem to encounter on other social media apps. Sure, they added the very similar to Snapchat “story” function, which I was kind of mad about at first, but I’ve grown to be ok with with it, and even use it over Snapchat now. So, who am I following and why? Here are some of my current favorites.

If I cannot live by the ocean and surf daily, I guess living the beach life vicariously through @roxy is going to have to be enough.

Claire Marshall, @heyclaire, is an amazingly talented, smart and beautiful makeup artist turned vlogger. She has great style, awesome tattoos and a cute cat.

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Pretty good actually: current drugstore makeup favorites

While it’s true—I just spent way too much money during the Sephora spring sale—there’s been a lot of drugstore items I’ve been using in heavy rotation lately.

I have my tried and trues that have already been mentioned. We talk about the Maybelline Eyestudio® ColorTattoo® 24HR Cream Gel Eye ad nauseum, I’ve posted about my love for the Maybelline® Instant Age Rewind® Eraser Dark Circles Concealer + Treatment on our Facebook page (are you following? you should!) and the L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lash Mascara will always be in my makeup bag.

But lately I’ve ventured out and found some drugstore products—some new releases, some just new to me—that I’m totally digging.

Here’s just a few:

Physician’s Formula ® Bronzer Light: This bronzer has been a YouTube favorite for a while, but I hadn’t tried it until a recently. CVS had a little sale going (still does) so I picked it up. It is exactly as promised—perfection! I don’t generally wear bronzer because the color always seems wrong on me and I feel like I look too made up. (always an issue for me—loving makeup but being more comfortable with a no-makeup makeup look.) Since I picked it up, I’ve been wearing this daily. I love it.

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My Recent Amazon Purchases and What They Say About Me

Do you remember when Amazon only sold… wait for it… BOOKS?? And it was so exciting to get your box with books inside? I remember once they even sent along a sheet of penny stamps with my package because postage was going up. Can you imagine?? Mailing letters while you listened to music illegally on Napster?? How adorable and quaint!

Fast forward (holy shit- over 20 years!!) and we now live in a world where if you can’t buy it on Amazon, it must be really special. I can’t be the only one who shops on her phone while in bed at night, right? Anyway, here are some of my recent Amazon purchases, and my hopes and dreams about how they will improve my life.

Pinky Rubber Balls (box of 12)

Yep, that’s right- I ordered a box of rubber balls. I swear it’s for a good reason! See, I’m a massage therapist, and I also really love lifting weights, and I’m in my 40’s, so I know (and feel) the importance of self massage and mobility work. In the past, I’ve used tennis balls and lacrosse balls for self care, but I find tennis balls too big, and lacrosse balls too firm. The pinky ball, however, is the Goldilocks ball I didn’t know I needed until I bought one at a conference earlier this year. It has just the right balance of squish and resistance, so it works your soft tissue without crushing you. I bought a box so I can give them out to my clients, and also to keep one in my bag, one on my coffee table, one in my husband’s gym bag…

Aspirational Jess really thinks she will do soft tissue work on herself all the time. I will be soooooo mobile and pain-free!

In reality, I’m a human being, so I’ve maybe worked on my shoulders here and there, and I do like to roll it under my feet, but the other night it rolled away and I haven’t moved the couch to get it yet, so….

Continue reading My Recent Amazon Purchases and What They Say About Me

Disappointing products I have—or will be—returning

I’m not afraid to return products if I don’t like them. It’s definitely a hassle to make the trip to Sephora or Ulta (I probably buy 80% of my makeup online. the other 20% tend to be impulse purchases at Walgreens or other drugstores) but if a product isn’t worth the price—back it goes.

Recently, I’ve had a rash of products I’ve decided to return. Here are a few and my reasons for taking them back:

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DIY – high/low denim hem

When I started see this new (new to me, at least- I honestly don’t think it’s new at all and I’m not sure how I am just now noticing this is a thing) trend of the high/low denim hem, I at first liked it, then didn’t like it, and in the end decided I had to try it myself to really know for sure. With a quick google search you can find lots of high end brands selling denim with this sort of hem line. Those jeans are all running a hundred dollars or more – keep in mind I could have probably found a pair with lower price point, but I tend to feel like buying a pair of jeans that are already cut off is kind of a silly investment when I can just do that myself. So, that’s what I did. Now, I am a Levis girl through and through, so naturally I have many different pairs at varied lengths and fits, some vintage and some new… but my point is, I definitely had a pair already in my possession with which to give this a go. Turns out with another quick google search I also found that there are quite a few DIY tutorials out there on how to make this hem. I watched a couple of YouTube videos and read a couple of blogs, but ultimately did something altogether different then any of them. Here’s what I did, as well as my results.

I first tried them on and decided what length I wanted to front (the shorter side) to be, keeping in mind I would make the back about 2 inches longer than the front. So, in case you’ve not already gone there in your mind, I’m basically going to be making a hemline that looks like a mullet. Right?

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