happy friday! tomorrow is S’s birthday (yay for june babies!) so this weekend will be dedicated to celebrating him. bowling, woodranch bbq, and a day at the san diego county fair are all on the agenda and i really can’t wait.

but before we kick-off another weekend of birthday shenanigans, here are the half dozen things i loved this week!

one || my beauty uniform. one of my favorite features on cup of jo (a lifestyle blog written by joanna goddard + co.) is a segment called “my beauty uniform”  in which she interviews fellow bloggers/friends about their daily beauty routine. i am always so intrigued to read what philosophies these ladies live by and the products they simply “can’t live without” –each is as individual as the woman herself. so with a week of being 30 already under my belt, i used some of these posts as inspiration for upping my beauty –and more importantly -skincare routine. based on their glowing reviews (i used gemma’s beauty uniform as my biggest muse), the following products are currently on their way to me. i’ll let you know how they fare!

 

 

la roche-posay anthelios 50 tinted mineral ultra light sunscreen (say that five-times fast!). we’ve all heard it time and time again, heck, they even made a song about it  –wear sunscreen. the best favor you can do for yourself. a small act that will reap big rewards, especially as the number of candles on your cake increases. while i’m relatively good about this, there is always room for improvement. so i’m devoting myself to be an avid sunscreen-wearer this year. this particular brand has some pretty glowing reviews on ulta’s website and came recommended from gemma, the beauty muse referred to above. so i’m hopeful that it’ll become a staple in my skincare routine!

yu-be moisturizer. having fairly oily skin, i’ve always been a bit leery of moisturizing. but i’ve since come to realize that it is an essential part of a good beauty routine. according to the interwebs, the yu-be brand, a japanese import, is the best thing since sliced bread. so i’m anxious to see what all of the fuss is about.

kiehl’s eye cream. because nothing screams, “i’m 30!” quite like purchasing eye cream for the first time. but since the skin around my eyes has nowhere to go except for down, i suppose i should take some preventative measures to get ahead of the game. i’ve always been a fan of kiehl’s products and from what i’ve read thus far, the midnight recovery cream will continue to make me a believer.

two || h&m home. psa: h&m sells housewares. (record scratch -what?!) yep, you read that correctly, h&m has a home section! in searching for pillow covers to cover up the hideous design that came customary with the new couch (think lime green floral print a la the brady household), i stumbled upon h&m’s collection. they have everything from bedding to bath towels, and thankfully, cute AND affordable pillow covers in an array of designs. i managed to find one with grey and white pinstripes, ordered a set, and in a matter of days they arrived and have become the perfect compliment to the charcoal-colored sofa.

 

 

three || homemade granola. sometimes i dog-ear recipes in hopes of recreating them one day and then life happens and i never get around to making them. but on sunday after we returned from our trip, S and i went shopping for the ingredients to finally recreate the sea salt and olive oil granola i had eyed on camille styles some months ago. it was so easy to make and the result was that glorious combination of salty and sweet. if you’re tired of store-bought varieties, this is a great homemade alternative. we ended up making yogurt (almond yogurt for me) and berry parfaits with it, but from experience i also know that it is just as delicious right out of the jar.

 

 

four || the j.crew we knew. as a loyal j.crew customer myself, even i have to admit that i haven’t been impressed with the brand’s designs for the past few seasons. aside from a few staples i’ve purchased from j.crew factory (their styles are luckily a few seasons behind), i’ve almost completely transferred my allegience to j.crew’s big sis- madewell (as you probably have already learned). but this week news broke that not only is j.crew returning to “classics,” but they’ve also hired the head of madewell’s design team to revamp the brand. hopefully the shake-up in management will bring us back the j.crew we know and love. in the meantime, you can find me using up my birthday gift cards at madewell.

 

 

(i remember this catalog very vividly!)

five || these boots were made for walkin’. i received many wonderful gifts for my birthday this year (the trip to santa barbara was in and of itself an incredible present), but one that made my heart melt a little bit was the one i received from S. if you recall back in january, S and i spent a day wine tasting in temecula. what i didn’t tell you was that while we were up there, we stopped by boot barn to peruse its aisles. it was there that i ended up falling in love with a pair of authentic leather justin’s cowboy boots. at the time, i just couldn’t justify spending the money, despite how smitten with them i was. well, fast-forward five months and a certain someone remembered how much i had loved those boots, secretly purchased them, and gifted them to me for my 30th year. what a guy! i can’t wait to wear them.

 

 

six || go shorty, it’s our birthdays. as i mentioned above, tomorrow my love will celebrate another year of life. to honor said event -as well as a now 8 day belated birthday for yours truly, my parents are treating us to dinner at vintana. in the busyness of our trip to santa barbara last week, we never had the opportunity to celebrate with them, so i’m looking forward to not only continuing the birthday shenanigans, but more importantly, to indulging in another big slice of vintana’s scrumptious mud pie. 

 

 

(i just wanted another excuse to post this photo because i love it so much).

however you’re choosing to spend your two days away from the office, i hope they are tony the tiger -ggggrrrreeaaattt!

xo

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image credit: one // two // three // four // five // six

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