I Like These Products pt. 1

Quarantine has been an interesting time for most of us. I have gone through spurts of absolutely no online shopping and then some weeks I have so many packages coming I have to make a list. Regardless, I’ve had more time to research products, discover new things, and upgrade a few items that I use frequently.

When it comes to shopping my main goal is to shop small, secondhand, and local when I can. Especially with the current worldwide pandemic, I am being extra mindful to shop small and support all of the owners who are struggling. However, like I mentioned, it can be hard to get everything I need this way. Also, some items are gifted to me from companies or from family and friends. Today’s post is reserved for the things I’m loving that aren’t from a small business; those will be saved for their own post soon because they are deserving of special attention.

I don’t usually try enough things to share a monthly favorite post, so I’ve decided to just call these ‘I Like These Products’ and share them every so often when I have enough I’m in love with. I hope that’s good with you!

Fresh Rose Petal-Soft Lip Cream

This product was sent to me for free for review (Thanks Influenster!) and I am absolutely obsessed. I am extremely picky with lip balms due to ingredients but also if they actually hydrate the lips. This one is light and nourishing and feels so good on the lips. Before trying this one, my favorite was the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask, which I still love but haven’t tried since they reformulated and repackaged it. While I do usually prefer a squeeze tube to a pot, I keep this one in my bathroom and put it on morning and night after I brush my teeth. Kind of debating buying a second one for my purse since it’s that good, but will probably wait until it cools down, since pot balms are not my favorite in the heat in the summer.

PMD Clean - Smart Facial Cleansing Device

I received my PMD Clean in my last Causebox (which is a whole other favorite that I highly recommend if you want a good ethical subscription box. If you want me to get into that more, leave a comment below or DM me so I know you want to hear my opinion on it). Click here to get $10 off your first Causebox

Anyways, while I didn’t pick this out myself, I couldn’t be happier for it. The entire brush is made out of silicone and has a two-sided head. The brush side has tiny little silicone bristles that gently cleanse your skin while the other side has slight divets to help you massage your products in. There are 2 cleansing settings and 2 massage settings and I especially love the massage side. The best part is that the PMD Clean is water resistant and you can use it in the shower. I love to use it once a day after my workouts to get a really good clean! I also love incorporating into my weekly at home facial nights. After my masks, I use it to massage in my serums and oils and it feels so soothing and good.

Welly Face Saver Clear Spot Bandages

I have tried quite a few zit stickers since they came out and these are definitely at the top of my list as far as effectiveness goes. If you’ve never heard of zit patches, they are hydro-colloid bandages that you put on a zit when it’s coming to head. They absorb excess fluid from surface level wounds (i.e. blemishes). This means that they only work on surface level zits, so don’t expect a miracle on anything deep and cystic. I am obsessed with the Welly brand in general because all of their bandages come in cute tins that are perfect to reuse (ex: I love to keep them for travel for small items…well back when I could travel haha). However, these face saver bandages are extra clutch right now with the mask-cne I’ve been struggling with here and there throughout the pandemic. I just pop one of these stickers over my blemish at night and remove it in the morning and it’s way flatter! I definitely recommend keeping a pack of these on hand if you find that you randomly break out!

Morphe Continuous Setting Mist

When it comes to items I use in my makeup kit, I definitely choose performance over ingredients. Unless a client as requested something specific, I use my tried and true products. That being said, I had been using the classic Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray for YEARS. It works well for any skin type and really helps the makeup stay on. However, I’ve always hated the mechanism of the spray bottle because no matter how gentle you try to be, you scare your clients when you spray it. haha Enter the Morphe Continuous Setting Mist. It works just as well as the All Nighter spray, is less than half the price AND has a gentle continuous spray mechanism. Also, whenever I do weddings, at least half of my clients every time tell me how much they love the smell. Highly recommend.

Kristen Ess The One Signature Shampoo & Conditioner

I know I’m probably the last person to try Kristen Ess hair products, but I’m really not a hair person, as you probably know! I don’t do a lot with my hair so I like simple hair products. I randomly picked up this duo over quarantine when Mikey and I were running out of shampoo and we loved it so I’ve already repurchased it in the larger size with pumps. It smells great (Mikey likes it too) and is a great lightly clarifying shampoo for my hair. I have pretty fine and straight hair, but I only wash it every couple of days, so I need a good cleanse when I do.

Fine-Tip Multi Colored Gel Pens

Am I the only one who is obsessed with pens? I always have been, but I hadn’t had a good set of gel pens in a while. When I was little I had every kind and color under the sun! There’s something about writing in fun colors in my planner that makes me happy and more productive. I am a firm believer in making your planner a happy and creative place so that you are more likely to want to use it and accomplish tasks. These are a great dupe for the Muji gel pens. I didn’t realize they weren’t actually Muji brand until I received them, but they are still great. I love the 0.5 mm fine tip and the range of colors is great too!

Meilliner 25 pack of Assorted Dual-Tip Highlighters

On that same note, I bought this huge 25 pack of Dual-Tip Highlighters thinking they were actual Zebra Mildliners (Mental note: ANDREA READ THE FINE PRINT). I like the color range and again, they do a great job of making my planner happier and prettier. I prefer to highlight tasks when they are completed instead of crossing them out, so this wide range of colors allows me to always have the colors I need to coordinate with my different weeks.

Dried Lavender

In May when I turned 30 one of my best friends gave me some dried lavender. I put it on my dining room table in a vase and it is still going strong. I can’t recommend this enough for yourself or when you need a little something for a friend (instead of flowers), because it lasts so much longer and smells amazing too! Plus you don’t have to worry about watering anything because it’s already dried. The only thing I would warn you about is that it is very delicate. If you touch the branches too much, the dried lavender buds will fall off, so keep it out of reach if you have kids or animals so it doesn’t get everywhere! Dried Eucalyptus is also a great one to try.

Amazon House Dress

I discovered this dress from Meredith over at @tinybitsofhappiness_. If you don’t follow her on IG, you need to. Her words are great, her recommendations are great, her dog Stella is so adorable. She’s basically gold and you should be following her. If you saw my studio redesign from about a year ago, she made my beautiful custom Andrea Fontana Beauty doormat! Anyways, back to the dress. She introduced me to this Amazon dress and it has quickly become my go to at least 2 times a week (likely more haha). It is so comfortable, makes you feel like you are way more put together than you are, and comes in SO many colors. I would suggest sizing up if you want that really comfortable flowy fit like I wanted. Also I do not dry because I’m always worried Amazon things will shrink. It’s not the most amazing quality, but it’s pretty damn great for under $30! Pre-COVID, my 2020 goal was to only buy secondhand clothing for the entire year. I’m proud to say that even despite quarantine, I have done a pretty good job at sticking to this goal. I think this is the first time I’ve broken it to buy something new. Well worth it, thanks Mere!

OLLY Sleep Melatonin Gummies

I used to have a solid bath routine as a pre-wedding ritual the night before weddings. I would always make sure that I had a calming evening to ensure good sleep the night before a big day. However, moving from my old apartment means that I no longer have a bathtub so I had to adjust my routine. Now, I take a nice long hot shower, get in bed early to read, and enjoy some OLLY Melatonin Gummies about 30 minutes before I want to go to sleep…haha I only use these a couple times a month, but I love them whenever I do. Obviously, make sure you check with your doctor before adding any new supplements to your routine.

What have you been loving lately? Comment below and let me know!

Best,

Andrea

Disclosure: Some of the above links are Affiliate links meaning that I make a commission off the purchase of the product through my link. This does not affect the price of the product on your end. I would never recommend a product that I didn't love and all opinions are my own. I am thankful for you choosing to purchase through my links, as it helps me create more content for Andrea Fontana Beauty. 

January 20x20 Fashion Challenge

When Katie over at @whatkatefinds, first mentioned that she was going to do a 20 x 20 for the first 20 days of January, I was instantly intrigued. After doing my mini capsule for Chicago in September (Click here to read about that), I knew that a true capsule closet was never going to work for me. However, I still love the principal of it and that it forces you to be more creative when putting your outfits together. As Katie encouraged others to join her, I knew that I wanted to try it out and see what happened. So today I’m sharing just that. My thoughts on choosing 20 clothing items only to wear for 20 days.

I am quite the planner, so you better believe I started a list in December, categorizing tops, bottoms, jackets, etc and even going as far to assigning each clothing piece a number. I knew that I wanted to choose some versatile classic pieces like a graphic tee and high waisted denim Levi’s, but I also knew I wanted to have some fun. I didn’t want to just wear a top and a bottom and call it good (although as you’ll see below, sometimes that’s all I had the energy for haha).

Here is the list of 20 items I chose to work with for the 20 days:

1. Sleeveless leopard blouse

2. Mustard cardigan

3. Cream crew neck sweater

4. Tan/Beige crew neck sweater

5. Orchid Redefining Beauty Graphic Tee

6. Gray embroidered floral sweatshirt

7. Black & White striped tee shirt

8. Long sleeved White Redefining Beauty Graphic Tee

9. Light Wash Denim Button Down Shirt

10. Camel Brown Turtleneck

11. Olive Green Short Sleeved Maxi Dress

12. Gold Pleated Velvet Skirt

13. Leopard Skirt

14. Black Paperbag Waist Pants

15. Burgundy Leggings

16. Medium Wash High Waisted Levi’s

17. Black Levi’s

18. Black Adidas Leggings with White stripes

19. Black & White Hounds-tooth Blazer

20. Olive Green Blazer

One thing that I wanted to be really conscience of with this 20 x 20 challenge, was to choose a lot of thrifted items since that’s all I’m purchasing this year and to show you guys how versatile and on trend thrifted pieces can truly be! 11 of the 20 items ended up being thrifted.

There were some exceptions that I wanted to share before I get into the outfits and what I thought about this whole experience…

• Shoes were not included in this because I live in Michigan and during this 20 days we experienced rain, sun, lots of snow, and more.

• While I did include two pairs of workout leggings, I did not wear them to workout and didn’t include my workout clothing. I knew I would need clean workout clothes for most of these days and that would make for a LOT of laundry, so I wore other items to workout in.

• Accessories for me were also not included because this is what I think truly helps you change up a look and style a few items many different ways.

Below are the 20 outfits I created with the 20 pieces of clothing (Scroll to the right):

Overall, I loved this challenge. I created some outfits that I probably NEVER would have put together had it not been for the limited choices I had for the 20 days. I definitely think that if you plan this challenge properly, i.e. plan in advance and think through your items and how you could potentially style them, it makes for a much more successful 20 days. Here are some other pros to this challenge:

• Getting dressed was so much quicker in the morning because I only had a certain amount of clothing laid before me to work with. If I knew I wanted to wear a particular item, I would start with that and quickly build around it.

• I purposely planned this challenge to coincide with a No-Spend month, which was perfect timing because I wasn’t tempted to go thrifting since I knew I couldn’t wear any potential finds until the 20 days were up.

• I can tend to wear a lot of easy outfits like sweaters and leggings in the winters so I like that this challenge forced me to wear more dresses, skirts, pants, etc, during the week.

• I definitely felt a sense of gratitude for the items I have in my closet and really thought about how excessive we can be when it comes to fashion. You don’t need hundreds of items to create a bunch of unique outfits. I love that I did this challenge during January because I think it set a good tone for the rest of the year.

However, I will say that by days 18, 19, & 20 I was starting to be over the challenge. I have to admit that while I did technically style a 20th outfit for day 20, I didn’t wear it because I only left the house to go workout and ended up putting PJ’s on after my workout so that I could be comfortable for the rest of my snowy, work from home day.

I am really happy to be back to creating outfits from my entire closet now, but I will definitely do another 20 x 20 this spring or summer! I am really happy that I chose this as one of my 2020 goals (click here to read the other 19 goals), and I encourage you to try something similar if you want to test out a capsule wardrobe, but don’t know if it’s realistic for you!

Have you ever done a challenge like this? What are your thoughts on the matter? Comment below and let me know!

Have a great day,

Andrea

Mini Windy City Capsule

I have seen capsule closet’s talked about a lot recently and while I have never been tempted to actually convert my closet into one, I wanted to challenge myself with creating a ‘Mini Capsule Wardrobe’ for my trip to Chicago last week. When you take the train to Chicago, you can only bring what you can carry, so I knew I wanted to pack as light as possible, and figured now was the chance to try this.

In case you are unfamiliar with a Capsule closet or wardrobe, it’s essentially a minimalist approach to setting up your closet. There are no set rules, so you are able to customize as it choose, but you basically choose a set number of items (say 30) and only have that many in your closet to choose from when styling yourself every day. Most people change out their capsules every season because of the weather changes.

So here were the rules I determined for myself with this mini capsule challenge:

1. Only pack 5 items to create my outfits with for 3 days, 2 nights.

2. Pajamas don’t count since they are for sleeping (and grabbing donuts in my case haha).

3. Shoes and accessories also don’t count because 5 is a very small number!

4. I allowed myself one light jacket to keep in my suitcase only in case of emergency. I knew that the weather in Chicago this time of year could be very temperamental so the last thing I wanted to do was get too cold and have to buy a jacket. That felt like it was defeating the purpose of the challenge.

Items I chose:

1. Black Levis

2. Black Slip Dress

3. Graphic Tee (bought from my artist friend Jilly Makes

4. Red Blazer

5. Leopard Short-Sleeved Button Down Top

The really cool thing about the items I chose was that 4 out 5 of them were thrifted! I wasn’t planning to do mostly thrifted items, but I ended up loving that I was able to show you how versatile thrifted clothing can really be!

2 Daytime Outfits:

2 Nighttime Outfits:

What I loved about this challenge:

I loved how easy it was to pack for this trip! Since I wanted to make sure that I loved the outfit potential of the pieces together, it forced me to think about it ahead of time. I normally wait until the last second to pack for a trip, so this helped me plan ahead and sped up the process a little. Am I the only one who throws a bunch of stuff in a suitcase when they travel, hoping that they can create an outfit out of it when they get to their destination?

I also loved how easy it was to get dressed during my stay in Chicago. It forced me to be more creative with my outfits overall, but I loved how it took me no longer than a couple of minutes to get dressed every time I wanted to change.

Lastly, I loved how this challenge forced me to play with accessories more. Since I wanted to make each outfit unique, I loved how I was able to transform my vibe with hair clips, scarves, shoes, earrings, etc.

What I hated about this challenge:

The hardest thing for me about this challenge was that I wanted to break free of it the first day! It probably didn’t help that I bought some fun new pieces as soon as I got to Chicago, so I wanted to wear them, but I found myself not being as excited about my outfits. It was fun the first day, but after that, I was wishing I had just one more item to choose from!

I didn’t love that I chose to do the challenge during the unpredictable fall weather. It ended up being really hot the first day and I wish I had had a tank or something to swap out or my tee.

What I learned:

I learned exactly what I thought I would. Capsule closets are not for me. I love getting dressed in the mornings. It’s fun to pair different things together, especially now that I’m doing a lot of thrifting. The challenge was fun in the beginning but as soon as I knew what outfits I could wear, it lost the excitement that I normally have when creating an outfit.

Would I do it again and what would I do differently?

I would totally do this challenge again, but only if it was for another trip or a short period of time at home. I know that I would not enjoy turning my entire closet into a capsule, but I think it’s a fun way to get a little creative on a trip. I just love having options and as long as I’m not buying everything new and contributing too much to fast fashion, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a bigger closet.

If I were to do it again though, I would do it during a season with more consistent weather and I would try 7 or 8 items instead of 5, which is still really good!

Have you ever tried a capsule closet, big or small? What are your thoughts on the matter? Tell me below in the comments.

Have a great day!

Andrea

Current Favorites

Beauty

1. Bobble Hair ties: I have been so curious about the Invisi-bobble hair ties that I have been seeing everywhere. People swear by them, but for some reason I just didn’t understand the hype. This past Sunday I went to the Grand Opening Sale for Apricot Lane Jackson and I noticed that they sold them indiviually for $1 so I knew it was a great time to try them! I am so obsessed now. They even pass the test for when I’m running. I think it’s some kind of sorcery because they hold my hair back so well and tightly, yet you cannot feel them. They are SO comfortable on my head. The only thing that I notice is that they do crease my hair a little, which they claim not to do, but I don’t really care about that because I’m so obsessed with the comfort.

2. Milani Baked Blushes: If you do not own at least one of these baked blushes you are seriously missing out on one of my favorite drugstore makeup products EVER. Luminoso is a cult favorite because it’s a stunning peach glow but I’ve recently fallen in love with Rose D’Oro because of the slightly deeper color and gold shimmer. They are long wearing and have SO many colors. Plus who can go wrong with that price?!

3. Physician’s Formula Murumuru Butter Highlighters: Another standout find from the drugstore are these butter highlighters. The texture is a cross between a mousse and powder. They blend so easily on the skin, last so long, and are the perfect amount of glow. If you don’t like glittery highlighters, you should definitely check one of these out. I’ve been loving ‘Champagne’ which is a gold shade, but the other shades are pretty too.

Fashion

1. Chiringuitas Sandals: I have been so obsessed with these sandals that my dad bought me back from Brasil for my birthday. They are the most comfortable flats I’ve ever owned. They don’t rub and I don’t get blisters from them if I walk a long distance in them. They feel like one of those shoes that get more comfortable the longer you wear them. I’m not sure if you can get them in the US, but I do know that they are similar to the Pons Shoes and you can get those easier here. You can see the pair I’m obsessed with in the photo above!

2. Acrylic Earrings: I don’t have a link for the pair I have specifically because I bought them in Grand Rapids at Rebel GR. I wanted to share them though because I love how light they are for summer. I have one ripped earlobe, so I can only wear stud earrings that are big enough to cover the hole/rip but light enough to not pull on the rip. Sorry if this is TMI. haha It’s a serious struggle though! If you can get to Grand Rapids check out all of the lovely earrings they sell. If you are not able to get to GR, I highly suggest looking into a pair of acrylic earrings if you like funky statement earrings that are light and comfortable to wear!

3. Levi’s: I can’t get enough of them! I own three pairs now that all have been thrifted for under $7 each! I love the higher waist and relaxed fit. They are so much more comfortable than the jeans I have been wearing. I also love that they aren’t crazy stretchy and tight so I feel like they breathe a little bit better in the summer. I have been obsessed with my black pair especially that I cut to ankle length and frayed because they are slightly wider legged at the bottom. I highly recommend checking out your local thriftstores if you want to score some already broken in, comfortable, yet stylish Levi’s.

4. Sun Jellies bag: I am absolutely obsessed with my large white bag that I got again at Rebel GR. It’s the perfect summer bag. I’ve used it as a pool bag, a produce bag at the grocery store, a regular purse, and more! It’s so versatile. As you can see in the photo above, I jazzed mine up with a little vintage thrifted scarf. I use a Glossier pouch to put all of my small important things like medications, my wallet, etc. This way I have a little privacy if someone were to look into my bag (since it doesn’t close and is see-through haha).

Lifestyle

1. Silk Sleep Eye Mask: I used to sleep with an eye mask every night but that was probably over 10 years ago. In June, with all of the rain and thunderstorms we saw here in Michigan, I was struggling with really bad tension headaches and migraines. I happened to stumble upon this mask and it has changed my sleep at night and helped with headaches. It looks like a simple black silk eye mask, but the insert comes out so you can freeze it. When I get a bad headache or migraine, I need darkness, pressure and something cool over my eyes. I used to use a wet washcloth, but I hated how it always moved around and got stuff wet. Enter this eye mask and it exerts just the right amount of pressure on my orbital bones to help with the headaches. I also have been loving it for warm summer nights, to cool me off so I can get to sleep easier.

2. Welly Bandages: I discovered these on IG and due to an unfortunate finger injury, I picked up a few different ones on a Target trip and I love them for multiple reasons. First the patterns are fun. I don’t know about you, but plain beige band-aids are gross and boring to me. Second, I love the tins that they come in. They are definitely perfect to be reused later to hold small items in your purse. Lastly, I love that you can buy different kinds for different uses. They have a set for fingers and toes, a waterproof set, ones just for blisters, hydro-colloid blemish bandages. Plus they are called Bravery Badges, which I think is a really great name if you’re buying them for your kids.

What have you been loving recently? Have you tried anything that I mentioned above? As always, I look forward to your comments on this post!

Have a great weekend,

Andrea

Disclosure: Amazon links are Amazon Affiliate links meaning that I make a commission off the purchase of the product through my link. I would never recommend a product that I didn't love and all opinions are my own. I am thankful for you choosing to purchase through my links, as it helps me create more content for Andrea Fontana Beauty.