May in Photos

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This month’s photos feature our latest vacation! I am so excited to share these beautiful photos with you guys. This was the first time in over two years that I’ve taken a vacation simply because it wasn’t something I’d ever needed to consider in the past. When you’re in school, your breaks are handed to you. You are free of school and work and get to spend a month doing absolutely nothing while enjoying the summer or winter! After graduating, it didn’t even cross my mind that I might need a vacation but boy did I need one. 

These past couple of years have definitely taught me a lesson in carving out time to practice self-care. I used to beat myself up about not doing enough and as an introvert, this just resulted in a cranky, burnt out me! Nowadays, I’ve learned to say yes to as many breaks as I need so that I can be the best that I can be during all the other times 😃 What were your favorite moments of May? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Oh and more on our cruise experience will be up on the blog soon! 

New Favorite Snack: Kale Chips!

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I never thought I’d be saying this, but I am in love with kale right now! I’m a somewhat healthy eater but I’m not one to keep very good tabs on health trends. More than anything, I try to eat a balanced diet but I don’t always make the healthiest choices in every situation - especially when it comes to restaurants that serve brunch and pasta 😃 Since my eating habits are more about balance, I always try to incorporate easy-to-make veggies in all of my meals. 

When I came across a recipe for kale chips (and heard that they tasted almost as good as regular chips) I knew I had to give it a whirl - and boy am I glad I did. Kale chips are incredibly easy to make, provide tons of nutrients, satisfy my junk food cravings, and taste delicious to boot! So today, I thought I’d share with you my extremely simple kale chip recipe! 

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Ingredients:

  • Kale (one bunch)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Olive Oil (2-3 Tbsp)
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Directions:

  • Keep kale away from hungry kittens! ♡
  • Chop or rip kale into bite size pieces
  • Mix kale, olive oil, and salt in a big mixing bowl making sure to cover all kale evenly in olive oil. I typically put 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, adding more salt at the end if needed. I’ve accidentally put too much salt a couple of times so err on the side of caution! 
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees
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Voila! Yummy, healthy, kale chips! ♡ Have you tried kale chips? Let me know what you think! Do you have any favorite healthy snacks? I’m always looking for new ideas and I’d love to test them out! 

Spring Favorites!

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Ever since I started blogging, I've been trying to do a seasonal favorites post but have found that I tend to churn through favorite products way too quickly! Even though I start a list of favorite products every season, by the time the season ends, I've already moved onto a completely different set of favorites. This may be the first time I’ve ever managed to crank a favorites post out before I’ve gotten ahead of myself. Fingers crossed for the summer favorites post! So without further ado, onto my favorite products of spring! 

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Elf Brow Pencil

For the past month, I've been testing out a bunch of different brow pencils to try to find the best fit for me! Most of the brow products I've tried in the past end up being too dark or the consistency of the product is too thick for my sparse eyebrows - but at last, I've found one that is the perfect fit for my nonexistent eyebrows. Elf products can be kind of hit or miss but this brow pencil is definitely a hit for me! If you have sparse eyebrows like I do, this pencil is great because it creates very natural, light lines that don't immediately come across too strongly. 

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Colour Pop Ultra Satin Lip in Magic Wand 

This lipstick has become such a favorite of mine that I now own not one, not two, but four of this shade! I’ve been wearing this shade non-stop every day so having a couple of duplicates is so nice for throwing in my bag or bringing along with me when I travel. I love this nude shade because it truly is a “your lips but better” shade for me. While it doesn’t necessarily make a bold statement on its own, it does a wonderful job of bringing together all of my makeup by creating a very smooth, neutral finish. Plus, the formula is extremely comfortable and it’s easy to swipe on without worrying about the lipstick moving around. I’m in love!

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Frozen Bubble Bath

So, this is what happens when you go to Target too much. You end up falling in love with bubble bath for children. Yup. I have very neutral feelings towards the movie Frozen so I didn’t specifically buy it because of the theme, but I always search for kids' bubble bath products because I find that they’re often a lot more fun than bubble bath products made for grown-ups. Bath salts are great, but I’m all about the colors and bubbles when it comes to baths 😃 While I love lush products, they’re not the most affordable things in the world so I like to supplement with drugstore bath products. This bubble bath creates awesome, fluffy bubbles for a tenth of the price of a lush set. I’m sold! 

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Long Denim Shirts

If you’ve seen some of my recent style posts, you’ll recognize these photos of a denim jacket I’ve been wearing a lot over the past couple of months! I picked this long denim jacket/shirt up at H&M and also own another one from Zara that was originally meant to be a denim dress. (Similar one: Here) For me, this has been a great way to incorporate denim into my wardrobe in a way that suits my personal style. Short denim jackets always seemed to look a little off on me and I’ve found that longer style denim shirts look just as cool but don’t cut me in half like the short ones seem to do 😃 Plus, they are incredibly versatile and easy to throw on at a moment’s notice! 

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Straightener Curls

I’ve never been the best at curling my hair but this past month, I decided I really wanted to improve on my curling skills! After much Googling and YouTubing, I have fallen head over heels in love with curling my hair via straightener. It’s so much easier, more convenient, and safer (curling irons are not my friend) than curling my hair with an actual curling iron. If you’re curious, RachMartino does a great job of explaining the how-to’s in this video. I’ve been using my conair straightener which has worked wonderfully for me! I also love that this allows me to bring just one tool to both straighten and curl my hair when I’m traveling! 

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Kindle

This one’s an oldie, but a goodie. I've re-fallen in love with my kindle! My most recent read? Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (so good). If you’re a bookworm like myself or someone trying to get into reading, I highly recommend getting a kindle! They make reading so much more convenient and accessible. There are tons of free kindle books online as well as e-books to check out at your local library. I’ll be bringing mine on vacation with me this summer and it has been amazing to be able to store hundreds of books on there but not have to add the weight of 100 books! The most affordable kindle starts at $80 and I think it is well worth it. My kindle is now going on 7 years old and still has great battery life and functionality. If you’re thinking about getting a kindle, take the plunge, I promise you won’t regret it! 

What have been your favorites of this season? Anything you are looking forward to trying? I'd love to hear your thoughts!♥