The Power of Polish

Just as I began to have hope for a fall filled with socializing the Delta variant has me thinking, “noooo, not again!”

To fill this feeling of “blah” I decided to splurge on a set of mini nail polishes from Ciate London. Silly? Maybe. But you know what I find? When I take the time to actually get dressed and maybe even paint my nails, I just feel a little better.

It’s like that saying to “dress for the job you want, not the one you have,” I’m going to paint my nails as if I have lots of outdoor barbeques to go to , and maybe, just maybe, it will happen soon. Fingers crossed.

Products featured in this video (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases):

Ciate London Mini Mani Month 2020: https://amzn.to/3lfaixr

From Ciate London Website: https://us.ciatelondon.com/products/mini-mani-month-2020

Ciate London Mini Mani Month 2019 (not shown in this video, but also available): https://us.ciatelondon.com/products/mini-mani-month-2019

Additional Mini Colors: Risky Business (Opal blue glitter): https://us.ciatelondon.com/products/risky-business-mini or https://amzn.to/3feWOy1

Star Struck (light blue / silver sparkle): https://us.ciatelondon.com/products/star-struck-mini

Putting on the Ritz (rosy-bright gold): https://us.ciatelondon.com/products/putting-on-the-ritz-mini

Antique Brooch ("movie star gold"): https://us.ciatelondon.com/products/antique-brooch-mini

Emma Lewisham Refillable Packaging

This is a brand I haven’t heard of before, but I’m beyond pumped (pun intended) to find another brand focused on reusable & refillable packaging.

Lab Muffin Beauty Science does a great job of breaking down why it’s so difficult to reuse or recycle skincare and makeup packaging and how Emma Lewisham is designing into these challenges to help solve them from the outset (rather than try to fix a broken system).

Refillable Makeup at Charlotte Tilbury

I was on the hunt for some eye cream and didn’t know where to start. I had received a sample of Charlotte Tilbury’s eye cream, so I decided to check out the full size. I liked the product and I really liked the packaging (silly, but it makes a difference!)

I’m so excited to find that Charlotte Tilbury offers a wide range of refillable product (including their eye cream!)

https://www.charlottetilbury.com/us/products/refillable-makeup-skincare

Sure, yes these things still come in some packaging. But the amount of packaging is significantly reduced and you' aren’t left with a giant compact and nothing to go in it.

I will be buying that eye cream now!

Upgrade My Bag 👛

I LOVE this Vera Bradley bag I got from Poshmark recently (unfortunately it’s a discontinued style so only avail second-hand). However, after a day or using it at Disneyland I realized the narrow strap was quite uncomfortable to wear all day long.

SO! I went on the hunt for a better strap and I found this one! I absolutely love the colors, and even though the hardware doesn’t match, I’m still into it.

Bag - Vera Bradley

You can use the coupon code: RACHELA for 10% your Vera Bradley order (as a VB associate I earn from qualifying purchases).

You can also check out Poshmark for a great selection of second hand items here.

Strap: by Zooeass on Amazon

https://amzn.to/3BOu8oe

(as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Goodr really are...Better!

I love it when form meets function, and Goodr has done a great job with this!

You can shop Goodr here:

www.goodr.com

The style shown in this video are the “Runways”

Vera Bradley Neon Blooms

I have recently found myself in a love affair with Vera Bradley’s Neon Blooms pattern.

How did this start? Well, since moving to California at the beginning of 2020 I have slowly been transforming my closet from the fancy things I used to wear around Manhattan to for practical items for being outside and living the SoCal life in.

Sure, people here do dress up, and my goal is not to look shabby. If I had a goal it would be to feel cute + fun + practical. I want to wear shoes I can go on a leisurely beach walk in and then eat lunch somewhere all while feeling like my clothes empowered me to live my best life doing both.

How does this turn into a VB obsession? A few things:

1- I want bags that are lightweight and good for being on the go. I love that VB bags are super light but also somehow well structured and don’t collapse on themselves. Great user design.

2- I want to invite more color into my wardrobe. I have long been accused of wearing “too much black” and I’m tired of it. It’s time to introduce some colors into my life. It’s oddly hard to find a good bag with a cute print on it, particularly when you narrow it down to lighter-weight, travel-like bags. Again, VB fits the bill.

So, I went in my closet, organized my clothes by color & outfits, then reviewed all the Vera Bradley prints while staring at my collection. Eventually I found the perfect print that I believe will go with almost everything I own. The print feels modern and fresh, not at all stodgy. I bought three bags in it (a few sizes) + some matching facemasks (btw, Vera Bradley makes some great face masks with space for a filter!) and am still eying the backpack and some other sized bags. How many is too many?

Check out the Neon Blooms collection here: https://bit.ly/2Y56Hsr

You can get 10% off by using this code at checkoug: RACHELA

*As a Vera Bradley Ambassador I earn from qualifying purchases

Zero Waste Mascara

I finally found a mascara that allows me to both wear mascara and not feel so guilty about it!

It’s Besame’s Cake Mascara!

Besame is a beauty brand started by a makeup historian in Burbank, CA. All of their products have beautiful, (mostly) plastic-free packaging and offer refillable interiors so you never have to waste again! Yay!

You can shop Besame Cosmetics here: https://besamecosmetics.com/

They also have a great blog and podcast where you can learn about makeup & beauty history: https://besamecosmetics.com/blogs/blog