I thought June was hot … but this July was brutal. I will NOT miss this about moving to New York, although remind me I said that when I’m shoveling three feet of snow! This month some of my favorites are geared toward moving and packing, for obvious reasons, but I hope you’ll save them for future reference!
1. New Foundation
My Sephora foundation didn’t quite make it a full year, but it was pretty darn close! I bought it last August, and loved it. I squeezed every last drop out of the bottle, which wasn’t easy to do considering it was a glass bottle.
As much as I loved that foundation, I’d also heard great things about the “Fit Me” Maybelline foundation at Target, and for only $5.99, compared to the Sephora foundation’s (very reasonable) $20, I decided to try it. Having used it a couple of weeks, I’d say the coverage is a bit lighter. I find myself using more of my Sephora Foundation and Concealor stick to compensate. But the matte finish is great, and I love all the color options. I was also told that it contains SPF, which I don’t see on the bottle, but it might be true.
2. Packing Cubes
With my birthday coming up, I decided to treat myself to a couple of packing items. Packing cubes were at the top of my list. The set I bought included seven pieces for $19.99. They come in all sorts of colors and patterns on Amazon!
I must mention that although I bought light pink ones, the color is much more bubble gum than I expected. Also, the pink drawstring back and one of the pouches say “Wish U Have A Colorful Life” on them. I think it’s a clue that they’re not made domestically. But the quality looks great – the zippers, mesh, clips all look great, and they all flatten and fold up very small. I’m looking forward to using these very soon!
3. Travel Toiletry Bag
Another Amazon find – let me say that in real life, it is not as large as it looks. The full size body wash gives you an idea of the scale.
It’s waterproof, and the elastic and mesh compartments are great for keeping my toiletries organized, and I like this color of pink. So far, I’ve been using it to hold my bath stuff to go back and forth between my bathroom and the main bathroom when I want to take a bath instead of a shower, but I’m planning to use it to hold my toiletries during our move too. Travel sized items would be perfect for this, but I can fit my full-sized bottles of shampoo (which are small), conditioner, body wash, and razor inside.
4. How to Stage a House Blog Post
Photo by our Realtor’s Photographers
I’ve been a fan of the Young House Love blog for ages, and I also highly recommend their book, “Lovable Livable Home.” So I was thrilled to find their blog post on how to stage your your house for selling. Sherry’s track record is pretty great, so I trust her advice! In addition to painting our cabinets, we even went so far as to move out our couch to make our living room feel more open, and it definitely worked. The realtor told us several times that the house looked fantastic, and suggested we list it for considerably more than she’d originally thought.
Whether you’re selling, or just want to simplify your home, you’ll find her tips and before and after photos helpful!
What’s been making your life better this summer? Share your favorite finds with us in the comments below!
