The Friday Five

The 3rd full week of Summer is in the books and we are feeling the heat! The boys have spent the mornings at camp and the afternoons in the pool! I traveled back home for a wedding last weekend which was the first time I’d been in a year – crazy!! A few things from my trip made it into this week’s The Friday Five!

I love our Friday chats so I can fill you in on random happenings from the week, new finds, sales you don’t want to miss & more! So grab your coffee or wine and let’s catch up!

If you’ve missed any past posts in the Friday Five series you can get caught up here.

ONE // WEDDING GUEST DRESS

My high school girlfriend got married in our hometown last weekend, so I packed up [sans my crew!] and headed back for 3 short nights to celebrate on their special day. There really isn’t anything better than getting together with friends of 30+ years and reminiscing about the good ol’ days!!

I received a ton of questions about the dress I wore and shared it on Instagram, but always want to be sure I keep my blog readers in the loop, too!

I actually ordered this dress as an option for two weddings that were supposed to take place in 2020. When they were both rescheduled for 2021, I forgot it was in my closet! This was the perfect opportunity to pull it out and put it on.

This dress absolutely stunning in person and the pictures don’t do it justice. It is a fitted style dress with embroidered flowers, sequin detail throughout, and the prettiest tulle ruffle on the shoulders. And the most subtle beaded straps and trim around the waist to finish it off!

I’m in a size small. I would say size up if you’re in between for a little extra breathing room in the body and especially the chest area.

This gorgeous dress is surprisingly still in stock all these years later and bonus – it’s under $100!! It sure beats the [much more expensive] alternatives I ordered as back-up options.

Here is how I styled it:

shop the look

TWO // PACKING CUBES I CAN’T TRAVEL WITHOUT

I conquered my fear of traveling with just a carry-on!

I know I couldn’t have fit all of my things in the small suitcase without the help of my ride-or-die packing cubes! I’ve shared them before, but now that I’ve put them to the true test, I know I wouldn’t have been able to downsize my luggage size without them.

I have this basic black set, but am thinking about letting the boys use them and getting another set for me. Maybe pink or animal print – this option and this option are so cute!!

You can see the rest of my must-have travel / packing essentials in this post here.

THREE // MAKEOVER BEFORE & AFTER

I had the opportunity to have my make-up done by Jojo [@everyday_jojo], who is a local Seint Artist. Long story short, I had actually been following her on Instagram for a while, and then our boys ended up on the same baseball team this Spring. I didn’t immediately recognize her and couldn’t pinpoint the familiarity when I saw her at the first few games of the season. One day it clicked so I sent her a DM and asked if her son played in the league and if he was on the Pirates. We ended up connecting the dots and i finally got her booked for a makeup consultation to try out the Seint products.

Here is my fresh bareskin face before…

and the after…

Needless to say, she did a FABULOUS job and I was hooked! The concept is its one compact for your whole face. No need for multiple eye shadow palettes, foundation bottles, concealer tubes, and bronzer compacts. It’s all in one! They are cream-based products and are super lightweight.

Everything blends seamlessly and leaves you with a dewy finish that isn’t cakey or over-the-top. It still looks so natural!

I built my own custom palette with most of the products Jojo used on me and can’t wait to start playing around on my own. Jojo has graciously opened up a party link if you’re interested in trying it out. She’ll do a free virtual color match to get you started or set-up a colormatch appointment in her studio by clicking here if you are in the Phoenix area.

You can check out her site & follow her at @everyday_jojo on Instagram. You will love her gorgeous feed filled with before & afters, “Makeover Mondays”, & more. Her makeup application videos are stunning and her tutorials are loaded with amazing beauty tips, tricks & hacks.

She’s beautiful inside and out and I’m thankful to have her as a new friend! And for making me look & feel like a million bucks 😉

Try it for yourself here.

FOUR // THE $15 BRACELET I’M OBSESSED WITH

Ladies, this is a good one! Definitely a great dupe! I’m always looking for new and inexpensive pieces to layer with my Stella bracelets and some of my higher-end pieces. And I landed on this beautiful tennis bracelet with a pully chain for under $15!

This new one is sparkly and so easy to put on and take off!

I have tried a number of beaded bracelet stacks from amazon, most recently this acrylic tube bangle set. Remember this cuff & this bangle from a couple of years ago?! I always love continuing my mission to find the hidden gems for you!

FIVE // ON THE HUNT FOR FLOWERS TO LIVE IN MY NEW PLANTERS

Speaking of hidden gems, there are soooo many at HomeGoods. I get such a rush when I leave the store with a good find! With about 15 minutes to kill the other day, I decided to pop inside. I immediately spotted these massive planters just inside the entrance. There were 2 so I took them up the front and made a lap. I grabbed two other trinkets and headed to the checkout and then loaded them up in the van.

I put them on either side of the double garage door, but am not sure what to put in them!! Its very different here not being able to have flower-filled pots May through October. The Midwest rule is don’t plant before Mother’s Day weekend. A little too risky with the unpredictable Spring season. In Arizona, there is such a short window to plant before the Summer heat arrives. Maybe I’ll do a desert plant or even a faux plant this Summer and then do some research for the other seasons.

Do you have any advice for me?!

I still can’t believe the size and quality for the price tag of $69.99. They are taller than waist-high!

We’ll see what I can come up with.

I hope you all have a wonderful Father’s Day weekend. We’ll be celebrating T and then rolling right into Winston’s 4th birthday on Monday! Wish us luck 😉 Next week here on the blog, I’m kicking off a “Fun in the Sun” Summer series, so be sure to stop back for some Summer style inspo, pool essentials, recipes & more!

Lately on the blog…

• Neutral Summer Statement Earrings from Amazon
• The Books on my Summer Reading List
• Summer Home Tour
• Father’s Day Gift Guide
• May’s Most Wanted

If you’ve missed any past posts in the Friday Five series you can get caught up here.