Coming Soon: #WCWs

The only thing I know fa sho is that I know nothing! The other only thing I know fa sho is that I am lucky to have the coolest, smartest, kindest, bravest, and most talented friends on the planet. Combine these truths and what do you get? A new feature series on this blog!

Starting in October, on Wednesdays, I will be featuring women who inspire me and I'm so excited to get started. Y'all are in for a dang treat!

As Humans, we are always growing, always learning, and while I do have some stuff figured out, there is SO MUCH I have yet to learn. I can't wait for us to get to hear from others and share in the different life lessons they've been presented with.

I want to feature the women I know from every walk of life so that collectively we can support and learn from each other. Hearing other people's stories is such an important part of understanding, vulnerability is such a key ingredient to connection, pizza is knowledge*, and badass babes are everything. It's gonna be a blast.

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*Ten points if you understood the pizza reference.

So make sure to be on the lookout in October for the Queen Parade and let me know if you or someone you know should be featured! Hit me up on Instagram or Facebook. 

8 Best Plus-Sized Picks From The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

Thanks to my lovely and generous Mother I have been shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale since I was smoll. It's a time to do your fall shopping when you can't imagine ever wearing a sweater again, but it's a brand new sweater that's on sale! So you save it in your closet as a present for the future cold version of yourself. 

Here are my  favorite picks that are available in extended sizes plus a few of my accessory picks for everyone!

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8

9.10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17

What do you think? Are there things I missed? Tell me which picks are your favorite over on Facebook!

FACE MASKS! (An Introduction)

It's time to talk about my truest love: Face Masks. The millennial treat. Pop a mask on and take 15-20 minutes to yourself to relax and pretend that you're fancy. Face masks are my favorite form of self-care for many reasons and the skin benefits with the right mask aren't too shabby either. Let's chat about 'em!

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My favorite face mask, you ask? Thank you for asking! My favorite face masks are from Kocostar. I will be doing a full post about my all-time favorite masks from many different brands in the future, but for now, let's talk slices and petals! 

I've linked a few of my favorite flavors ;)

lemon.rose.tulip.sunflower.cucumber

Here are the reasons to love these masks: 1) The mask is not one large sheet that doesn't totally fit your face but instead is made up of small sheets that you can place around your face/body and focus in specific areas. 2) They legit look like flower petals!!!!!! Or slices of fruits!!! It's a true treat and it feels like you're in a fancy and romantic spa. It's fun when a mask is pretty enough to selfie in. 3) They make my skin feel amazing. The formulas are great and I really feel like they do what they say they're going to do! 

Taking time out of your week to do a little something nice for yourself is important! And if you need more of an excuse to do one, it's scientifically proven that putting wet things on a face calms us down. It's called "Mammalian Diving Response" and it's why we love swimming and showering and bathing and those flotation pod things! It's necessary for your mental health as a human being tbh. 

Lemme know if you'd like to read about more mask recommendations from me, and tag me in your petal mask selfies if you try them! I'd love to see! 

What's In My Bag?

Hey! Today I wanted to share the essentials I carry with me that help me get through the day! It's a "What's In My Bag Challenge" post. You ready? Leggo:  

Wallet. I have three wallets of various sizes that I circle through depending on the day and what I'll be doing. First is this giant Kate Spade with a zipper all the way around. The exact wallet I own is a few years old so the exact color isn't available now, but the style is called Cameron Street Lacey. There's tons of space for everything I would ever need and then some!

Next is another Kate Spade, the Cameron Street Stacy. It's open all the way around with just one snap to keep it closed. Stacey is a little sleeker and smaller, but still has more space than I need.

Then there's this little baby I picked up at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale last year. It's a small card holder that fits the few cards I need in a day, my ID, and some cash. Perf for going out or running to the store and slipping it in a pocket. 

Lippies. Carmex is my number one holy grail product. I have about eight floating around my house and bags at any given time. I like the Strawberry flavor in Carmex, but classic is always nice too. I love the two balms pictured above as well. The Burt's Bees Flavor Crystals and the Kiehl's Lip Balm #1. The Burt's Bees balm has sugar crystals so it's like a lip scrub in a tube! The Kiehl's is super moisturizing and smells amazing. My favorite lipstick if I want some true color is the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Amazing Grace. I'll dive deeper into lip products and makeup in general in a different post. :) Stay tuned! 

Keys. I got this keychain at a Toss store in San Francisco a million years ago and I LOVE it, but they don't offer it anymore. I couldn't find my cablecar design on the company's website either, but this heart is a cutie! 

Phone. For cases, I always go with a Sonix. Sonix cases have always done a great job of protecting my phone from any damage (knock on wood) and they're super cute. The rose-gold phone grip is by PopSockets.

Mints. Trader Joe's Ginger Mints. You're welcome. 

Notes. I always keep paper and a pen with me, you never know when you'll need them! I like to keep my Liberty London planner, but when my purse isn't big enough I keep tiny pretty notebooks at hand. My Liberty planner is actually from the Liberty store in London, but Anthropologie has a similar one! I couldn't find my exact current small notebook on the Paper Source website (it was from a local Paper Source store in Chicago), but here are some other cute ones! 

Mist. I was introduced to this Mario Badescu Facial Spray by Valeria Lipovetsky and it's honestly amazing. The spray is so refreshing and wonderful. I love to keep it in my bag as a refresher throughout the day. (Also I'm going to link Valeria's YouTube because she is inspiring and lovely.) I also love The Organic Pharmacy Rose Facial Spritz as mists go.

Clean. These Moist Towlettes by Herban Essentials are so insanely useful. Keep them around for your hands, your face, a dirty bus handle...anything. You never know when you will need one, they smell heavenly, and they're all natural. 

Sunnies. I always like to keep a pair of sunglasses handy. This pair is by Diff and I'm in love with the vibes. 

So what did you think? Let me know on Instagram or Facebook the essentials you loved and what you thinking I'm missing! I love to try what you all recommend for me.