Guys, I cannot even lie about being ready for August. We’re one month away from my favorite season (…and latte flavor) and the kids will be back in school in roughly three weeks. *insert twerk emoji* July wasn’t necessarily a BAD month, but I don’t know which list is bigger for my July favorites + fails list. Was it the favorites or the fails? Keep reading to find out everyone!
Let’s Start With the Good!
Living for Style
Pink Snake Skin H&M dress
I don’t even know what possessed me to buy this dress. I was drawn to the print but that was about it. Until, I actually put it on and fell in love. I quickly found myself going to put it on multiple times a week!
This dress is really comfortable and stylish. I love how you can dress it up or down. It was definitely worth the coins PLUS it’s currently on sale for $8!
Faith Necklace
I used to wear jewelry all the time before I had kids, but I slowly stopped over time because of other priorities.
Buying bottles, diapers, toys and running after crying babies was my first priority. I had no time to worry about earrings or necklaces. Now that both my kids and myself are a bit older, I want to get back into the swing of things. Adornia reached out to me and gave me the option to pick a necklace to try out.
This FAITH necklace was perfect for me and where I’m at in life at the present time. You can read my post about my story with faith here, if you’d like.
Steve Madden Barclay Bag
Guys, I purchased this bag on a whim during a Nordstrom Rack sale and do not regret it one single bit. I love this bag! It’s clear for the most part, with the exception of the trim and the threading. It also came with a smaller white tote bag to hold cosmetics or any other personal items you’d like.
Diba True sandals
I have been wanting to hop on the snake skin trend for a while, hence the snake skin dress purchase above. So, I guess the fashion gods saw fit for me to own a pair of snake skin wedges too!
Diba True is a shoe company that’s local to my home town, St. Louis. I am a huge supporter of shopping local so this was a complete win for me! They’re made with real leather and the soles feel like they have memory foam in them. I literally feel like I’m walking on cloud 9 lol. Check them out and be sure to use “VOICEOFVERA” to receive 30% off of your purchase.
Body+Beauty
Spongelle Body Buffer
This Look does not have an image.When my Spongelle order arrived, my entire bedroom smelled like this Bulgarian rose fragrance. I had the biggest smile on my face. Floral fragrances are my favorite, so this definitely made me happy.
I like this body buffer, not only because of the smell, but also because it’s already infused with body wash. It’s also a really good physical exfoliator for your skin. You can definitely tell the difference just after one use.
My husband gave me few extra compliments on how soft my skin felt. It was then that I knew this buffer would make it to my July favorites + Fails post.
Pixie Glycolic acid body wash
So, I mentioned this body wash in a mini haul last month. Since then, I have been using this body wash a few times per week to give my skin extra exfoliation. I am a huge fan of glycolic and lactic acid, which are both in this body wash.
I also love that is has rose in it to help calm your skin and relieve stress from the day. The bottle is almost gone guys. I definitely plan on buying more. Have you guys tried it? If you have, please let me know how you like it below!
Colorpop concealer
Who would have thought a $6 concealer would be so bomb? Ulta got me with the Colourpop section close to the checkout line. How smart is that? I see you, Ulta! Go ahead and get them (I mean…MY) coins!
Anywho, I was there to re-up on my Tarte Shape Tape Concealer, when I came across both the Morphe and Colourpop concealers for less than half the price of the Shape Tape. I’ve tested it out on my IGTV and love how creamy it is.
It helps brighten my under eye and makes me look more awake…especially for those days when my kiddos didn’t let me get enough sleep the night before. Sometimes my cameral latte just doesn’t cut it, and I NEED that extra under eye brightness. Don’t judge me lol.
Bioré witch hazel toner
Recently, I received the entire Bioré Witch Hazel line via Octoly but I’ve been using the toner for months now! I find myself using it more than my Glow Tonic from Pixie!
I started using witch hazel as a toner when I was in cosmetology school. While I like using the Glow Tonic, I wanted something for when I didn’t need the added glycolic acid. This did the trick for me. Witch Hazel is a great antiseptic, helps combat blemishes and tighten pores.
It does have a bit of salicylic acid in it too. If you are going to give it a try, add it to your skincare regimen, be sure to check the compatibility of salicylic acid with the ingredients of your other products girl.
Elf Foundation Brush
I was in Target, getting some new brushes for an upcoming photoshoot and noticed ELF recently did some rebranding. I remember when I first started doing makeup, I loved their $1 brushes. Eventually, I upgraded to some of the $3 brushes and would sometimes splurge on the $10 ones when they came out.
Anyway, fast forward to July. I’m in the store and I see this new pink packaging. The brushes that used to be $3 went up to $6. I didn’t really complain. Inflation, right? But after using the brushes, I now see why the price doubled. The brushes are twice a good! The foundation brush was my favorite out of all of them.
It blends my foundation flawlessly. Well, as flawless as it can get for my texture, of course. I loved them so much that I actually went back to stock up on a few more. I used to heavily rely on my beauty blender to apply my foundation but this brush right here, it’s giving my beauty blender a run for it’s money!
Fenty body lava
Don’t get me wrong. I love me some RiRi and want to support Fenty. I was slow to hope on the Makeup brand, due to all of the reviews about shade matching and stores staying out of stock in certain colors.
Therefore, once the body lava came out, I similarly wasn’t in a rush to go to the store to purchase it. Boy did I play myself! Like, why did I do that? I was in Sephora picking up some other items I had ran out of at home and decided to give the foundation a try.
You guys know what that means? Yes. I also picked up the body lava. I love the body lava just as much, or if not more than, I do the foundation! It just gives me this sort of God given glow. I simply cannot explain it. It’s a bit on the pricey side, at least for myself, but I must say it is still worth every penny!
Health + Fitness
Healthish water bottle
I’ve been using this water bottle for a few months now. I get so many compliments on it and a lot of people ask me where it came from. It’s from Healthish Co.
It is extremely chic and stylish but its also very functional. The shape is very slim and easily lifts into my cup holders and backpack. I really like the cute gold hardware on the cap. AND it has the hours in the day on it to help you track and keep up with your water intake.
I have a constant struggle with getting enough water and this bottle has definitely been helping out A LOT.
Uptime Energy Drink
I’m not a big fan of energy drinks. The last time I had one was back in 2010 when 5 Hour Energy was really popular. Is it still a popular drink? Back to the topic at hand. I recently did a collaboration with Uptime Energy on a new Blood Orange Flavor.
I only find value doing a collaboration if it’s a product or service that I truly believe in. So, why did I do this one if I don’t use energy drinks? Well, because ya girl is a mom of 4 and needs every more times that I’d like to admit!
I did a lot of research on the brand and the ingredients before I decided to give the drink a TRY, not share it on my social media, but actually try it out and see how it affected me.
Well, not only did I fall in love with them but so did my husband! It really helps you on a mental level and really focus to get things done. It is made with natural caffeine and also come in both sugar free and regularly sweetened flavors.
We like them so much that we actually go to our local 7 Eleven to stock up on them when we know we have things coming up and need the extra energy to get the job done.
Crystal Light
Ok. So, I feel like I have been rambling a lot in this post. Im sorry, but I guess I just have a lot of cool things I want to share with you guys. To keep this one short, I mentioned above that I struggle with my water intake. One reason is because I don’t like the taste, or lack there of, of water. So, I have been treating myself to these two flavors or Crystal Light to help me drink more water.
I did decide to only use half of a pack in my water bottle, since I do want to still limit my intake of artificial sweeteners and apparently still haven’t grown a pair to just suck it up and drink plain water 100% of the time.
Do you guys add flavors or sweetness to your water? If so, let me know in the comments so I can try it!
On to the Bad Ish
The Créme Shop Eyeliner
I purchased this eyeliner at CVS while I was in Dallas for a salon interview. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like it once I took the lid off and saw how the product sort of separated from the walls of the jar. My guess is the Texas heat dried it out?
I don’t know but when I tell you I wasted $10 and am mad about it! That could have been a couple of new ELF makeup brushes. LOL. Long story short, save your going sis, and DO NOT buy this product.
It was dry, ashy, and crumpled easily. -_-
Using My Planner
While is actually a failed tangible item I purchased, it was definitely a failed goal. I have been working on setting better habits for myself. Plus, I have a slight obsession with my Happy Planner.
I like staying on top of things and keeping track of what I am doing for the day, week, and month. I’m a very visual person. So doing it the old school way helps me out a lot. Well, I don’t know what happened in July because I didn’t use my planner one bit. This intention/habit was a complete flop but I plan to get back on track for August and beyond, especially since my kiddos will be back in school and into after school activities.
Photography Bookings
Again, another failed goal. But, while I haven’t booked many more photography sessions with people, I have been working more on creating content for brands, sans posting on my own social media and also booking more hair and makeup services. So this is not a complete loss. When one door closes, God will open several window for you!
Keto Journey
I’ve been wanting to start my keto diet for a while now. I made plans to start in July. That was a silly idea to do because we went to New York in the first week of July. If I though I wasn’t going to partake in a couple of NYC styles pizza slices, I was lying to my damn self!
Needles to say, I haven’t started my diet and I really want to soon, so be on the lookout for a future post when I do start and share your keto stories and tips with me if you don’t mind!
Self Doubt
Whew Chile. We are ending this post on a pretty thick topic here. This month has been extremely hard when it comes to doubting myself. As you all know, I recently graduated from cosmetology school. It has been a journey since then.
I really enjoy doing hair, but I really want to start fresh. I just don’t feel at home in my own home. On top of that, I don’t think it helps that I’ve always wanted to move to another city and see what else is out there.
God has blessed me with several different opportunities to spread my wings, but I really struggled this month with stepping out of faith. I feel like I spent a lot of time worrying about things too far ahead instead of what’s right in front of me.
This caused me to being to doubt myself and even the gifts God has given me. Maybe it was the Mercury Retrograde kicking my ass or me just going through a weird phase, but Im slowly coming out of it and getting deeper into God’s word and back to believing in myself!
July Favorites + Fails
Welp, that’s all folks! If you’ve made it to the end of this post, you are a real champ and I appreciate you so much!
Do you have anything you want to celebrate or share? Please let me know in the comments!
I hope you all enjoyed this post and please share it with anyone you think may find it useful or enjoy.
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