Despite July being a crazy [good] month, and me being MIA for most of it, I still made sure to take note of some of my favorite foods, beauty products, and odds & ends so that I could share them with you guys in a monthly favorites post. And since these posts usually turn out to be pretty epic in length, let’s keep it simple and jump right into it without any fancy intros, shall we?
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. food .
Speaking of simple, this first foodie favorite is just that….
I mean, what’s more basic than good old Rice Krispies? I ate these a lot growing up (both with milk and as Rice Krispie treats), but I haven’t had any in years. When J came to stay with me, he bought a big box (a cereal-loving man after my own heart) that he didn’t manage to finish, and since I hate tossing food, I figured I may as well eat my way through the rest. Good decision on my part. So simple, but so tasty. I usually end up mixing them with other cereals, and I have a feeling a good amount will go towards a batch of Rice Krispie Energy Bites, but I’m perfectly happy with eating them on their own too.
Just like I’m perfectly happy with eating Justin’s vanilla almond butter straight from the jar…
And admitting that I have no problem with fast food coffee…
Say what you will about their food, but McDonald’s knows good coffee. Aaaaaaand that’s pretty much all for foodie favorites. I couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that all I took note of this month was cereal, AB, and coffee, but I guess you guys know me well enough by now to know that I’m kind of smitten by those three things.
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. beauty .
I had one goal for the month of July, and that was to dry brush my skin every morning.
After 31 days, I’m proud to say that I managed to stick to my goal, and that it’s definitely a practice I’ll continue to keep up with because the benefits I’ve been experiencing are fantastic. The most notable ones? Definitely softer, smoother, brighter skin, more energy, and, while I might possibly be misattributing something, I swear better digestion. I’ve noticed bloat and water retention go way down, so there ya go 🙂
And thanks to this after sun moisturizer from Hawaiian Tropic, I’ve noticed a big reduction in how irritated my skin felt after the time I spent by the pools in Vegas.
Despite slathering myself in SPF 50, I still managed to come home with a slight sunburn (Canadians just aren’t made for the dessert, apparently). Not only does this moisturizer provide your irritated skin with a calming and cooling effect thanks to the aloe, shea, and cocoa butters, but it makes you smell absolutely delicious.
And speaking of smelling absolutely delicious, that’s exactly how I’d describe Guilty by Gucci…
Sephora describes it as: “A sheer, floral-oriental fragrance, it opens with a bright burst of citrus and a dangerous hint of black pepper. This arresting introduction gives way to full-throttle femininity as its heart pulses with fruity and floral notes. The fragrance dries down to a rich, ambery base with notes of patchouli. The overall effect is young, stylish, and eminently wearable a daring edge of sexiness and sensuality that captures the essence of Gucci…” but that’s getting too fancy. Basically, it’s a great sensual scent for a fun night out.
But back to skin care… I had to stop using this next product for a bit while my skin finished healing up, but I’m seriously loving this Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner from The Body Shop.
I have acne prone skin that tends to flare up if I get lax on my skin care, and I love things with tea tree oil in them because of their healing and antibacterial effects. I don’t really cleanse my face in the morning because I find it a little too harsh for my sensitive skin, so I’ll wash my face with water and then apply this to a cotton pad and gently sweep it over my entire face to remove any residue instead.
And while I was taking good care of my skin, I kind of slacked on my hair care for the first 3/4 of the month… I know I’ve mentioned this deep-repair hair conditioning mask by Moroccanoil before, but after not using it for a few weeks, just starting up again, and already noticing the huge difference it’s made in the health of my hair, it bears mentioning again.
And last but not least, on the nail polish love list this month are two colors from Essie.
Over the Edge // In the Cab-ana
If I had to guess, I’d say that this combo was on my nails for a good 3/4 of July, and I can’t even tell you guys how many compliments I’ve received on it. I usually opt for pinks and purples on my nails, but I’m glad I decided to branch out into the blues, especially since this shade suits my skin tone really well. And who doesn’t love a glittery accent nail? Smitten.
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. odds and ends .
I’m a little late with this one, considering it came out in 2010, but… Despicable Me.
J was actually the one who introduced me to the wonderfulness that is Gru and his minions because he wanted to take me to see the second one and I hadn’t even seen the first. If you’re like me and put off seeing this movie, do.it.now. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, and now I’m completely obsessed.
I’m also doing a happy dance over the fact that I finally found scented candles that don’t give me a headache or make me sneeze.
These would be soy candles from Target. I was a big fan of the candles from B&BW until I noticed that they were giving me some pretty unpleasant allergic reactions. I happened across these soy candles while I was out buying puzzles in Target a little while ago, and I was happy to see that, not only did they smell amazing (Red Velvet Cupcake is my favorite – reminds me of Frosted Cupcake from B&BW), but they didn’t cause me any allergy-related grief. Win all around.
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. blog .
Unlike June, which was spent waiting for things to happen, July was all about getting swept up in change. Things were pretty quiet on Spoons considering I was MIA for most of the month, but some notable happenings include:
- J coming to visit, and changing my relationship status from single to attached,
- a trip to the Canadian Rockies,
- starting my classes with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to get a certification in health coaching, and
- a trip to Las Vegas.
. – . – . – .
July was definitely the best month of the year for me so far, and I’m super excited for August and the future in general. I have a good feeling about things, and can’t wait to see how they turn out 🙂
Happy Friday, friends!
. – . – . – .
What’s your favorite brand/type of nut butter?
What was the last good movie that you saw?
Anything exciting happen in July? Any big plans for August?
I can’t believe you hadn’t seen Despicable Me! And I’m not surprised you loved it, is is seriously adorable and so you. 🙂
I totally agree with you that McD’s food is meh but their coffee is rather good! 😀
My favouite nut butter is definitely Barney Butter. I really hope it comes to Canada one day.
I love Despicable Me (it’s so fluffy!!!)! I really want to see the second one. The last movie I watched was Almost Famous. I’ve seen it a bunch of times before, but every time I see it I’m reminded of how good it is.
Nothing majorly exciting happened in July, but I really enjoyed visiting and catching up with a lot of friends this month. Nothing super exciting is happening in August either, except for the John Mayer and Phillip Phillips concert which I’m pumped for!
We actually have Barney Butter in our regular grocery stores. I mean, not in all of them, but there’s one chain (Save on Foods) that stocks them regularly… so I’d definitely look around to see if any of your stores do too!
Totally in love with those polishes!! Rite Aid was having a buy one get one half off sale the other day so I picked up some new foundation and a new polish color by Revlon. Its a silver color and I am IN LOVE with it! I paired it with a bright orangy red on the nails. I think I look like a rockstar now 😉
And Despicable Me is probably in my top 5 of kids movies!! Although I must say that the 1st one is better than the 2nd, but isn’t that usually how it goes?! Unless its Kung Fu Panda. I adore the 2nd one!
Absent or not, it seems like you had a wonderful July. I’ve been on a rice krispies kick lately too, and I’ve been dry brushing thanks to you! I swear I can feel/see differences, but I may be imagining things 🙂
What’s your favorite brand/type of nut butter? Justin’s Almond butter or homemade peanut butter!
What was the last good movie that you saw? Despicable Me 2 (weird, I know!) and 27 dresses.
Anything exciting happen in July? Any big plans for August? Vacation the whole month. If that’s not exciting then I don’t know what is!
Your nails look gorgeous! I may have to steal that glitter idea!
I absolutely love rice krispies, I should buy them more often but I’m always hungry an hour after eating them. Do you have that problem too? I feel like tons of bowls wouldn’t satisfy me!
Yep, big plans for august, going to the states for 2 weeks. I live in France so very very excited!
They definitely don’t do much for me when it comes to satisfaction, which is why I try to mix them with other cereals or make sure to eat something else on the side. But what they lack in satisfaction factor, they more than make up for in simple deliciousness.
Love your nail polish!! Don’t you love candles? They always seem to make me happy!
Your giddiness is honestly just pouring out of every word in this post. Love it!
Rice Krispies!! I haven’t had any in so long! As soon as I whittle down my cereal stash just a bit I think I may have to go out and purchase some..and Coco Pops too mmmmm.
I LOVE Despicable Me as well; I’m literally obsessed..I want a fluffy unicorn haah!
My favourite nut butter….ooh hard..I like Peanut Butter & Co Mighty Maple..mm
I’ve pretty much given up on trying to whittle down my cereal stash before opening another box. I think I have something like 7 or 8 boxes open at the moment? Yeahhh I think it’s safe to say that I have a slight obsession…
I LOVE JUSTIN’S ALMOND BUTTER! <3 And yes, I eat it out of the jar as well 😉 Despicable Me is probably the greatest kid's movie of all time. Agnes is the sweetest!
I’ve been on a rice krispie kick too! I got the brown rice ones and have been loving them with banana slices and just a little sugar sprinkled over. That “snap crackle pop” really does make me feel like a kid again :-).
and my favorite nut butter is a tie between trader joe’s sunflower seed butter and trader joe’s crunchy unsalted almond butter. yummmmy.
Favourite nut butter for me would be a crunchy almond butter or an extra crunchy peanut butter! It must be the texture of them!
July was abit of a decent break before hitting my final semester of university- doing honours has been a drag but the end is near! I’m looking forward to following your journey studying IIN- you clearly show passion and knowledge in the area! Hope the weekend starts well for you!
I haven’t had Rice Krispies in YEARS and they were my absolutely favorite as a kid. Now I’m really craving a big bowl with almond milk….need to make that happen.
You have me intrigued with dry brushing. I actually had never heard of that until you mentioned it and was super skeptical but it sounds like the results are worth it. I’ll have to give it a go!
Have a lovely weekend. (:
A few other people mentioned giving it a try in the comments, and pretty much all of them said they had really great results so I’d definitely recommend giving it a try 🙂
The last movie I saw was “The Heat” and it was hella funny ahaha. I think our month was perfect and LOVE that you were able to get away from the blog for a while! No crazy plans for me for a while, but I am A OK with that!
Your nails are fab! I love glittery accent nails and that blue color is so fun.
Tea tree oil is the best thing I’ve ever used for my acne. It clears up my spots in just a day or two and I’ve grown to like the smell. I still haven’t invested in a dry brush but I’m planning on it soon because I’ve heard such good things about dry brushing.
I saw Girl Most Likely with Kristen Wiig a few weeks ago and The To Do List with Aubrey Plaza last weekend. Both were pretty good, but not as funny as I was expecting!
I’ve been wanting to try out Gucci Guilty for forever! I’m very particular with my perfumes and scents, but I just know I’ll love it. I also love the color combination on your nails, that blue really is so pretty!
Can I tell you how happy I am that you are back? 🙂
I’m excited for all the wonderful changes in your life. You deserve all the happiness in the world.
Thank you so much, Lisa 🙂
Happy Friday Lady! And can I just tell you again how glad I am that you’re back? I LOVE Justin’s Nut Butter but usually go for Trader Joe’s brand for $$ 🙂 And all I have to say is that THANK goodness it’s Friday! Enjoy your weekend lady!
Mt fave peanut butter is from Peanut Butter and Co. – Crunch Time and The Mighty Maple are my favorite and I have a recurring order of a case every 6 weeks or so delivered so I am never without at least 6 jars on reserve lol. I take my peanut butter very seriously.
gr I still need to see despicable me 2. I can easily quote the first movie like it is no one’s business. Nothing tastes better than rice crispy cereal, I still love that stuff!
I love GF rice krispy cereal! YUM! I just had a bowl actually for a snack.
I need to come over and paint nails with you! Yours are so pretty, and I’m too lazy to paint mine. lol I just get tired of waiting for them to dry.
And.. I STILL haven’t seen Despicable Me! I’m such a loser… 😉
Love love love that tea tree oil facial cleanser! I use it all the time! It’s so great for black heads and acne! Plus I love the smell too!
Haven’t read Harry Potter and only just saw Despicable Me?
…girl, I’m seriously going to have to disown you as a friend.
(that’s all I’m commenting today because I’m so sad. :P)
But… but… I’ll try to do better. I promise 🙁
My fiance’s obsessed with Gucci guilty (for men, though!) Beautiful picture of the Rockies…one of my dream destinations!
You’re making me super jealous with those candles! I get the same effects from the bath and body works ones! Now, I’ll have to be on the hunt for the soy ones. Hopefully they’re better for my head!
I have that Gucci perfume as well! It’s definitely one of my favorites on rotation. My other being givenchy hot couture. That’s probably my all-time favorite.
I’m also jealous you got that vanilla almond butter! I’ve heard only great things about it.
Love those nails on you! So pretty.
Rice krispie cereal is so good! And there are so many things that you can do with it. A handful from the box, in a bowl with milk, in a bowl with milk + sugar (<<< probably my favorite way. That's how I learned to eat it growing up 🙂 ), and my mom found a recipe on Pinterest that she used for a snack at my church's summer reading program- take a banana, put it on a popsicle stick, dip it in yogurt, roll it in rice krispies and freeze overnight. She said the kids loved it!
I actually bought a dry brush a few weeks ago and have been using it consistently about 5 nights a week. I think I am seeing results but I've had some flares these past few weeks so I'm not sure. It really does make my skin softer though and it's pretty calming.
Have you seen Despicable Me 2 yet? I think it's so much better than the first one, which was pretty good, but oh if you haven't seen it, put that on your to-do list for this weekend!
I have seen it! And I have to agree that it’s better than the first one… some parts had me laughing so hard I started to cry 😆
Ah everytime you talk about J or July in general, I can’t help but feel so happy for you…so much really can change overnight! Despite my love for peanut butter, my snobbery tends to only extend to it being natural. I know loads of fancy (read: expensive) brands exist and while they are nice, I’m equally (if not more) content with good ol’ Skippy Natural…smooth preferably! Have you seen The Internship yet? If not, I really recommend. That and The Heat (with Sandra Bullock) are great films if you’re looking for something light-hearted and funny!
Have a great weekend, Amanda 🙂
I have to admit that as fun as some of these sweeter flavours are, my favourite nut butter will always, always be a natural roasted almond. And I’ve been hearing such great things about The Heat! I’ll definitely have to check it out.
I love scented candles, especially the ones coming up in fall!!! It’s such a shame you’re allergic to the B&BW ones because I have a feeling you would love the pumpkin caramel latte candle. MY FAVORITE! I haven’t seen Despicable Me, yet, but I want to soooo badly! I love animated movies and considering regular movies stink these days… I definitely should catch up! My favorite nut butter is something which changes about every day but right now I’m loving earth balance pb & coconut spread! Have a great Friday, love!
I’m going to have to get some of that lotion for my beach vacation later this month. I have really sensitive and acne prone skin. I always have a hard time finding something that works for acne without over drying my skin.
Shame on me for still not having watched Despiccable me. Granted, though, I’m currently ‘saving’ for it by buying bananas – why buy it if you can get it through a sales campaign ;)?! [Yes, I realize it’s ridiculous as the DVD doesn’t cost a lot anymore in anyway but sometimes I make even myself laugh.]
I know you can’t eat it but hazelnut butter is my favourite and yes, I’m specific about the brand, too, but it’s a German one so who’d mind :)?
Exciting plans for August? Maybe not in my life directly – unless starting a job/internship counts – but it’s my sister’s wedding. This weekend, in fact. I still can’t believe it’s happening already.
Hope you’ll have a great weekend! I’ll reply to your mail either Sunday or early next week.
A new job definitely counts as something exciting, and who doesn’t love a wedding? 😀 Congratulations to your sister… I hope you have an amazing time dancing the night away!
Yes! Big plans for August. Hubby’s bday, my bday, my baby shower, Clemson football, food truck fest, and more fun. 🙂
You always have the most lovely looking beauty products. Compared to my place, it’s like you live in a spa!
My favorite nut butter is naturally more! It’s nt overly expensive so I like it! We are going to NYC in a few weeks for my sisters 21st birthday so that will be fun! We saw Heat on joes birthday and it was hilarious!!!
This is my third comment agreeing with you on your Nut Butter choice. I swear we are NutButterTwins!!
And I am with you on the drybrushing train too! Since you blogged about it and I got one immediately, I brush every single morning and I LOVE it. Such a great feeling when my body wakes up and my skin is glowing, I can see it especially on pictures.
You definitely had a month of living which is fantastic! Seriously, as much as we love our blogging, is say you had an awesome month because you were out enjoying your life instead of sitting at the computer writing about it! I like skin care products with tea tree oil in them too- I use this special cream before bed with benzoyl peroxide that keeps my skin clearer than it has ever been. Here’s to August and hopefully a month filled with more incredible things!
You actually reminded me at the beginning of the month that I also have a body brush at home and used to dry bush regularly. But I have to admit that I only did it like 2 times in july and hope to do better in august… it’s just that with the heat at the moment the first thing I want to do in the morning is to jump under the cold shower.
And I haven’t seen Despicable Me 2 yet, though I’ve been waiting for the movie like a crazy kid. Somehow always something came in between 🙁 and now it’s August already. Oh well, anticipation is the greats pleasure.
Taking a cold shower after dry brushing can actually amplify the benefits a lot, especially when it comes to circulation! And you don’t even have to be that thorough – even a few minutes is better than nothing 🙂
I haven’t had rice krispies in years! I don’t know why because I like them! I think I need to get a box! I love the Essie nail colors, especially the blue one. So pretty!
I saw Pacific Rim a week or so ago. It was awesome!
Ahhh rice crispies are the best! Try some with chocolate milk…definitely one of my favorite desserts or bedtime snacks 🙂 i haven’t seen despicable me either and everyone says i need to, so i might just do that this weekend 😛
I love your nails!! I’ve been leaning towards blues and greens the last couple of months and it’s definitely a fun change from typical pinks and reds. And the accent nail is amazing, I may be borrowing that idea 😉 And you’re seriously making me think that I need to go buy a dry brush – never would have thought that you could get those sorts of benefits from it. Where did you find yours?
Favourite nut butter – my beloved peanut butter. Although, that Justin’s Vanilla is the only thing I’ve had that can beat it!
I got my brush at a local health food store, but I’ve seen them in a lot of drug stores and supermarkets as well! Just make sure you get one that has natural bristles – so either animal hair of vegetable fibers.
I’m suddenly craving rice krispies- not even in treat form- just a big bowl of rice krispies with milk and sliced banana, yum 🙂 and oldie but very goodie. also i’m loving the blue with the black sparkly accent nail. i always stick to pinks but that blue is gorgeous. and isnt despicable me the best? lol minions 🙂 have a great weekend!
I was actually surprised by how good the Krispies were! Definitely a testament to keeping it simple. And I’ve always been a pink girl too, but there’s something about this blue that just rocks with my skin tone.
I LOVE those Essie polishes! Such pretty colors, and I agree with you about Rice Krispies, it can be refreshing to go back to basics when it comes to cereal.