Enjoying An Unusual Summer | July Highlights + Faves

Summer is in full swing even though it looks a lot different than summers past. I hope that you've been able to enjoy it though. I know I have. I'm spending time in my yard enjoying the sunny weather, watching the Florida storms roll in and out (safely inside of course), watching reality TV, and doing some volunteer work with my church.

I haven't gone to the beach yet though, while I like the beach I'm not a huge beach person so the idea of going now and having to remember to social distance just sounds like too much work. Have you gone on a beach trip yet? If you have one planned be sure to check out my seven summer hair tips that help you keep your hair protected while getting some beach time in.

Keep reading to see my highlights and faves for the month of July. Some of the links below are affiliate links, so if you click on them and sign up or make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Highlights

In July I shared a box of empty relaxed hair and beauty products that I’ve been using while quarantining at home. I also shared whether or not I’d repurchase any of the products. 

My next empties video will probably include the Mielle Moisture RX Overnight Conditioner which I tested out for a few weeks. I shared my experience and results with the conditioner in this video.

My hair tends to be on the dry side and so I’ve had to change up some of the products and techniques that I use on my relaxed hair to not only add moisture to it but keep the moisture there. I shared several of those products and techniques in my Top 10 Tips For Helping Dry Relaxed Hair blog post.

I also showed how I do one of the techniques, baggying, and the results I get in this video. 

While my hair tends to be try, my skin is oily, the complete opposite. This can make wearing makeup a challenge. In a blog post, I shared the skin care and makeup products I use to combat the oiliness.

Faves

As I mentioned above I have oily skin so I try to find skincare products that won't make the oiliness worse. One of those products I found and use every single day is The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. I talk about it in my blog post about my favorite oily skin products. One thing I really like about it is how budget-friendly it is. I can get a jar for less than $6 at both Ulta and Sephora.

When I buy The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% or other products online I like to use Rakuten because I can get cash back on the purchases I've made which is kinda like saving money. Since we're all doing a lot more shopping online nowadays why not make a little cash while we're at it? If you sign up for the first time using my affiliate link you can get a $10 bonus!

Another way I save money when shopping online is by using Honey. It’s a little different than Rakuten as you don’t earn cash back for your purchases, you earn points (called Honey Gold), and Honey looks for coupon codes. 

I’m not exactly sure how it works but it seems like Honey scans the internet for online coupon codes and then will see which can be applied to your purchase. I’ve saved a bit of money and time using Honey. 

You can sign up for Honey by using my affiliate link. When you do, you’ll get 500 in Honey Gold which is half of the way to being able to redeem a $10 gift card.

I’ve been really into watching reality T.V. lately. I’m not sure why. Maybe because it reminds me of how things used to be just a few months ago. I shared in my June Highlight & Faves that I’ve been watching 90 Day Fiance. I’ve also been watching Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles. I used to watch this show back in the day when it first came on the air but stopped when I dropped cable to save money. 

My mom mentioned she had been watching the show and one day I had nothing else to watch so decided to watch the latest season. I am now hooked again. The amount of money that houses go for in LA and how these millionaires decorate their homes (I’m not paying them a compliment) is astonishing!