March 2015 Favorites

Sooooooooo. It's been a while, eh? I don't really have an explanation but I decided to take a bit of a hiatus... mostly from blogging but also from commenting for the last few days. I guess I just needed a break. I sit in front of the computer at work all day and then to come home and sit in front of the computer is sometimes really tough for me. I do feel a bit refreshed and I'm going to be catching up on your posts and commenting on the most recent ones! I hope you have all been well!

I'm back with my favorites from the month of March. I'm pretty excited about these, I found a lot of great products this month!

The first favorite from March is this Dr. Bronner's solid bar soap in the scent Almond. I took this pic for a haul that I never posted which is why I have the wrapped soap pic. I purchased it after hearing on YouTube that it was great for cleaning makeup brushes and beauty sponges so I decided to give it a try.  I keep it in a plastic soap tray and it works perfectly.

This is after some use. You guys. You will never use anything else to clean your brushes after you try this. It works perfectly and the Almond scent that I chose is amazing! My beauty sponge ($3 knockoff of a beauty blender) looks brand new... which has never happened even after a thorough cleaning. I highly highly recommend this product and they have different scents like lavender, peppermint, rose, eucalyptus, tea tree, citrus orange and unscented. I got mine at a great price at Harmon Face Values (I'm pretty sure I paid $3.49) which is pretty much my favorite store ever for beauty supplies. I purchased the soap dish there too.

The next item that I have is 100% Pure Jojoba Oil which I purchased from Trader Joe's. I needed something to take off my makeup and after finding out that Coconut Oil is less than ideal because it clogs pores, I decided to try Jojoba Oil because it does not clog pores. This stuff is really amazing for taking off makeup. I like to soak a wash cloth in hot water, wring it out and press it on my face for a minute and this loosens up the mascara and eyeliner. Then I just put the oil on a cotton round and wipe it off and it really does work well. I highly recommend trying this if you are looking for an all natural makeup remover!

The next item was purchased from a store called Five Below where everything is $5 or less.

This is my new spring cell phone case! I'm kind of obsessed with it. It was $5 and I LOVE the floral pattern.

Here it is on my phone. It provides a lot of protection, doesn't feel cheap and the design is really nice. I'm so happy I found this case.

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I have been obsessed with this haircut for the last week or so. I really want to get it but the only thing that holds me back is that I have had very bad luck when bringing in a photo of a short hair cut in the past and when they cut too much there is nothing I can do to make it better until it grows out. I'll probably end up doing it eventually but I need to talk myself into it.

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I found this next favorite through a friend of mine and he is an artist named Oscar "Sketch" Navarro and his work is called The Art of Sketch. I really really love his work, and the piece above is definitely my favorite. I'm going to be purchasing some prints and probably a necklace once I can decide which ones I want! There are SO MANY that I love! This is definitely my aesthetic.

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This may seem a little strange because I already LOVED Trader Joe's but stay with me here. Trader Joe's has become my main grocery store this month for many reason. First, you can't beat the prices. I walk out with a grocery bill that is an average of $30 less than my bill at Whole Foods. While the organic produce selection isn't as extensive as Whole Foods I've definitely been able to get by without missing anything. Beyond this, they have introduced some new, amazing products! I spotted a HUGE bag of organic, raw hemp seeds for $5.49. The equivalent at Whole Foods would probably run closer to $15. I also saw a huge bag of Chia Seeds with a comparable price comparison to Whole Foods. I have been really happy with my full grocery hauls from Trader Joe's and I'm happy to be fully converted :) I'll still go to Whole Foods every once in a while for specialty items but I'm a Trader Joe's girl now.

That's it for March. I hope you all enjoyed this post and that you are all doing well.

Love, Sarah

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well and surviving the cold and snow. We had a lot of snow last week and the piles are getting bigger and bigger. It seems the end may be near as we are going to see temperatures in the high 40s and 50 this week! It's so exciting!

Anyway, I'm here today to share something with you that I've been working really hard on. It's my jewelry. I have my Facebook page set up and I am so excited to share it with you. I have two different kinds of jewelry listed and a lot more in the works!

I've decided to call my business "Love, Sarah." I make each piece of jewelry with a lot of care and love and I love how it sounds like I'm signing a card, because in a way, I am. If you are interested in checking out my page you can click here! If you have Facebook and feel inclined, please click the "Like" button, it will help me out a lot!

Here are a few samples of some of the jewelry I've made!

First up are the glass pendants. They are $25 each. They can be customized with whatever shape, color and design you like best!

This is my Green Galaxy Pendant. I LOVE this pendant :)

Champagne and black with a little silver glitter!

This is my "Faux-pal!" It didn't photograph so well but it shimmers blue and red in different angles and is very reminiscent of an opal!

Purple Galaxy pendant!

I've made quite a few Clay Pendants but I'm just going to share two with you here. You can click the link to see the rest ;) They are $15 each and you can customize the colors!

Lavender and majenta.

Red with black!

Thank you all so much for your kind words in my last post! I hope you like what you see! Everything I make is customizable in terms of color and design :)

I hope you all have a great day! Enjoy the warm weather! ;)

February Favorites!

Hey everyone! I'm back with my monthly favorites for February! Here are a few things that I was loving last month :) I'd love to hear what you have been loving lately too!

First up is a product from my recent e.l.f. haul! I am obsessed with this lipstick, it is the most beautiful wine/berry color. It is perfect for the season and I've been wearing it a lot before the season changes! I've also been enjoying dark, bold lips in general. I love pairing a bold lip with a neutral eye, it's fun to wear a funky lip color :) This shade is called "Wine Tour" and it is one of the e.l.f. Studio Moisturizing Lipsticks.

These next two favorites are for my fellow dry skin sufferers! My skin is horrifically dry during the winter and I have to constantly be on top of it. If not it is a pretty bad look for me. Two products that I have been LOVING are the Skin Drink facial moisturizer and Charity Pot body and hand lotion, both from Lush. I'm not going to lie, the scent of the Skin Drink moisturizer isn't my favorite (to be kind) but this stuff works like a dream! It leaves my face feeling hydrated and soft. The Charity Pot is amazing in so many different ways. First, it is a great moisturizer (I use it as a hand cream) and it has the most lovely, light scent. More importantly, every penny paid for this product goes to the charity found on the lid of the pot. You can choose any charity you would like your money to go to. The one above is the closest I could find to an animal charity. It is called Seven Ravens and they are working to "improve the lives of people, animals and ecosystems worldwide through permaculture."

This is totally random but I have been enjoying grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches lately (not too often but when I want a super comforting meal!). I make my bread all crispy and toasty using a coconut oil cooking spray and it comes out perfect. If you have never tried this please try it! Sooooooo good!

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I have two more podcasts that I've been obsessed with this month. The first is The Moth Radio Hour. The podcasts is basically true stories being told live in front of an audience with no notes. Some of these stories are so captivating you just hang on every word. I highly recommend checking it out! You can listen by clicking the link above or through iTunes.

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The second podcast I loved this month was another NPR podcast called Invisibilia. According to their site, "Invisibilia (Latin for all the invisible things) is about the invisible forces that control human behavior – ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions. Co-hosted by Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel, Invisibilia interweaves narrative storytelling with scientific research that will ultimately make you see your own life differently."

I was going to wait to talk about this until I had everything all organized and settled but I am too excited to hold off!! I started working on creating my jewelry to sell in February and I'm so happy with the pieces I have created so far! I will show you just a teaser of what I have just until I'm ready to actually launch my "shop" (which is actually just a Facebook page). This is considered a February favorite because I'm having a really good time creating everything and it has been a really fun hobby for me. Sorry if this is shameless self promotion ;)

I have created a few embossed painted Clay Pendants and the one pictured above is one of my favorites. The copper paint shows up so beautifully. I have other color combinations as well and I will be making custom pieces based on specific color requests :)

I am SO HAPPY with how these pendants came out!! I especially love the square (which is supposed to be a galaxy design) and the rectangle. I can't wait to make more and to share everything with you! I just couldn't wait ;)

That's it for this month! Let me know what you have been enjoying this month! Especially food recommendations. I'm in a total food rut, I could use some ideas!

Have a great night!