Hey friends! Who else is struggling to find consistency in their life when everything feels so up in the air? Is it just me? I’d like to blame it on the changing seasons. Each year, when fall comes around, I feel a sense of refresh and rebirth hit me. Something about the season has always caused that. Maybe it has something to do with my birthday being in the fall? Who knows? 🙂
Now, onto some favorites from this week!
Pacifica eyeliner
Just like mascara, quality eyeliner is difficult to find. I use so many Pacifica products already so I knew I could trust them for sustainable, cruelty-free ingredients. To my surprise, the eyeliner is very smooth, but not oily or soft, and has great wear-time. It applies with ease and just a bit of powder around the area keeps the liner from transferring. You can find Pacifica makeup in select stores but I buy mine from iHerb! (Code: MUS0884 for 5% off!)
Lauren Gleisberg Fall Challenge
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’m trying to kick my butt into shape. I started Laruen Gleisberg’s Fall Challenge this week and boy, oh boy, does she mean business. My arms hate me as I write this. They’re so sore–in a good way! Though, the reason I like her workouts is because her workout plans target every muscle. Most workout programs will boast that same hook but Lauren splits up workouts by muscle group so every day you’re targeting a new spot. I personally find this to be extremely helpful for arm workouts in particular. You can work “arms” on back-to-back days as long as you’re targeting different muscles! Anyway, I’m following her free challenge and loving it so far!
Spiralized and “riced” vegetables
In addition to hitting my workouts harder, I am trying to ease off of the carbalicious life I’ve been living all summer. When I was having all sorts of stomach issues, soaked and soft-cooked grains were one of the foods I leaned on. Thankfully, I’m better able to digest the vegetables that I couldn’t at the time. So now, I’m trying to make meals with vegetables playing main stage. I’m looking to non-starchy veggies, breaking out my inspiralizer, and getting creative. Here is a dish I made myself earlier in the week:
A bed of mixed greens, topped with sauteed zoodles and onions, a beet and carrot “rice”, hummus, and fresh cilantro.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Back in high school, I was able to read many classic literature novels thanks to my Honors English classes. I’d say those classes really opened up my eyes to some interesting and impactful works of fiction. I’ve always been a fan of reading but usually YA fiction. Somehow, I haven’t really kept up with classic lit into adulthood but I’m glad I picked this one up.
The novel is downright eerie. It follows a young girl named Esther Greenwood as she has a sort of quarter life crisis. She feels she should be appreciative of her accomplishments but she just isn’t happy. She is frustrated with her job and the company she keeps. Her passion for writing is dwindling and her interest in life overall. The melancholic story was almost hard to read at times because, as a reader, I felt I could put myself in her shoes. I cringed at the sinister thoughts that crossed her mind but I understand them. It isn’t a feel-good read but, nonetheless, I think it is an important book to read because it portrays a very real and personal idea of what depression is like.
Daniel Caesar’s music
My taste in music is rapidly expanding this year! I never used to listen to soulful, bluesy, or rap music but look at me now! All of Daniel Caesar’s music is so, so good—check him out on Spotify! My favorite songs are Japanese Denim and basically everything from his album Freudian. I’ll include a video of a song from that album called “Hold Me Down”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX8_Tau-LRs
Thank you for being here and for reading! Enjoy your last day of summer! I’m counting down the minutes until it’s officially fall! 😀
xoxo,
Melanie