Top 5: June 2019

Sunday, June 30, 2019






               For this top 5, there are some affiliate links, but I only work with people and brands that I like and that I would, myself, use. I would never lead you astray!!! Now let’s talk about my favorite things this month!


1) Book Outlet. I’ve seen #BookOutletHaul hastags on Instagram and as a reader, I was interested. Instagram users were taking pictures of piles of books and it looked beautiful. I decided to order a book I’ve always wanted: It by Alexa Chung. I ended up loving the book and loving the company. They have SO many books for a lower price. They have books 50%-90% of their list price! I got my book for $5.50 instead of $18.00. I was so happy. Click the banner below to check out Book Outlet and shop! 





2) Simple Syrup. I've been making syrups this summer like crazy. Mint and Lavender are my specialties. I've been selling them too and people really like them. You can use them in tea, lemonade, coffee, and cocktails. Or other things that you can think of! I don't want to give away MY recipe, but you can find other recipes on Pinterest!

3) Mother's Daughter by Miley Cyrus. This song is not for everyone but I think it's really catchy. Her new EP, in my opinion, was more than terrible. Just...so bad. This is the only redeeming song. I play it all the time.








4) Connecting with Creative People. I'm the worst at keeping secrets when it comes to myself. I'm darn good at keeping other people's secrets, though. But I'm usually doing things and little projects by myself, which I really like. I have a new project coming up where I asked a friend to help me out a bit. It was really cool to partner with someone! I'm still doing it mostly by myself since she's all the way across the ocean, but it was still fun to talk creatively. 


5) Chinese Food. Yes, my taste buds are finally liking Chinese food and yes, I'm late in the game. My favorite is honey chicken from my local Chinese takeout right in front of my house. I also love crab Rangoons but I just had some last night with so many onions in it that I was turned off. It was a new place I tried and it WASN'T WORTH IT!! 





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Java House and Daily Buzz

Friday, June 28, 2019



              I go to Wisconsin, not a whole lot, but more than some people. I have a grandma who lives there, some friends, concerts are held in good venues there, and vacation spots are all around. Maybe I’ll do a post sometime on good spots in Wisconsin...ANYWAY, I decided to go on a mini solo road trip to visit my friend in Green Bay and then visit my grandma on the way, in Cedarburg. And surprise! I stopped at some coffee shops. It’s my THING these days, coffee shop hopping. But I did some reviews on 2 places I visited and wanted to share them with you! So if you’re in either of these areas, both of these shops are worth it!

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Java House

Cedarburg is a historic city with an even more historic downtown. It has all kinds of festivals and the winery there is a staple. Whenever I go there, I go to my favorite coffee, either when I get there or when I leave. Or, honestly,

sometimes both. I went the other day when I was on my road trip and I learned it was under new management. It’s still the same place I love, but I wanted to share my review of it for others to see!



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Pros: 

* My go-to drink, the peppermint patty mocha, is made all year long, it’s not seasonal!

* A large is 5.20 which I always get because it’s so darn delicious


* They have SUCH a variety of things in this little shop. Everything from foods like breakfast sandwiches with Canadian bacon to Italian soda. 

* All the drinks on my menu are under $6. But that doesn’t include things you add, so take that into consideration!

* Even though staff come and go, they are great at hiring. I have always had the friendliest interactions with the

employees!

* The decor is cozy yet rustic. By rustic I mean, the walls are peeling. BUT BUT BUT: the new owner is doing something about it and it’s going to be great (I overheard her conversation about her future plans...) There’s also a lot of worn looking wood that adds such a good touch to the vibe.

* This needs it’s own bullet point: I don’t know if they’ll keep all the furniture, but the Java House has always had these 2 sets of arm chairs that you literally sink into, they’re so comfortable. I hope they DO keep them!

* Gluten free options!

* They roast their own coffee and you can buy one of there bags of coffee (which I’ve never bought but want to!)

* It’s located in a very old and historic building which is always cool to visit. 

* The owner, who’s name is Lisa (I believe that’s what I overheard...?!), talked to me briefly and I loved her

personality so much that it made me want live closer so I could work there! She’s very bubbly and I predict that she and the Java House will thrive.


Cons:
(My least favorite part)

* My bagel was pretty dry, but really, it’s not a big deal. I had cream cheese on it, so I definitely still ate it. 

* Very small and can feel cramped at times. No one’s fault for that, just wanted to point it out so people with

claustrophobia don’t go during busy times.

Other things I want to point out:

* Java House is located on the main street of Downtown Cedarburg. The noise of the cars aren’t loud per say, but you can still hear the roar of engines or honking. This coffee shop isn’t a place to “relax”, there are always people talking or laughing (which I love), but it’s not my first choice for a place to bring my laptop to and get some work done. It has more of a jaunty atmosphere!






Location:

W63N653 Washington Ave

Cedarburg, Wisconsin

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Daily Buzz Espresso Bar






I've never been to something labeled as an "espresso bar" and I was real intrigued. I love coffee and I am always ready to try new things. It was in downtown Green Bay and it was pretty near my friend's place (where I was staying for the weekend). I didn't get to wear my "going out" outfit during this trip, so I put on my sparkly pants and gold eye shadow and went on down to downtown.


Daily Buzz is in a building that shares it's occupancy with a bar-type of place, but you know right away which way is in and out. It's more long than it is wide but it has many seats. So I ordered and sat right down! Here's my review!




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Pros:

* I ordered 2 drinks: The honey and lavender latte and later on, the Cupid's Matcha (which was matcha, honey and rose). I loved both but I loved the Cupid's Matcha the most. My friend thought it was way too floral-y, but I love the flower taste and it was right up my ally. If you want something funky and it's still around, Cupid's Matcha should be on your radar. 

* I really loved the decor in this place because of it being cliche and being "rustic", like what is very popular these days, it's more industrial. It was metal around the lights and metal/glass decor on a table. It has a black and white theme with cute little plants in all the right places.

* They have outlets everywhere! PERFECT FOR ME! My laptop doesn't work without an outlet because of the old battery and they literally have a little bar with outlets lining the top of it. Plus if you want to sit on the couch instead, there's a plug right next to it (which is where I am right at this second)

*They have a little table in the back where there are games you can play and there's some books you can read. It's super cute and fun!

*They have coat hooks. Thank heavens. A lot of coffee places don't!


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Cons:

* The staff was very monotone with me. There were a couple people working but I kept getting a barista who wouldn't smile, even when I was very bubbly to her. She could have definitely been tired AND she makes really good coffee, so I let it go. 


*The vegan brownie was...interesting. They have a bin where you can buy day old pastries for $1 and I think this brownie should have been in that bin. BUT, I usually don't eat vegan food so I don't actually know if the dryness was suppose to be acceptable with vegan food? I DON'T KNOW!!!





Location:

130 E Walnut St
Green Bay, Wisconsin

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Review: Tanologist Self Tan Water

Tuesday, June 4, 2019








I would like to just come out and say it: I have never tanned before. Except when I went to Miami in 2018 and my body burned so badly that I still have a line from my bathing suit a year later. Other than that, not a drop of tanner has touched my ghost-colored body. Why haven't I even tried before? I really have no idea. 

But all that has changed. 


I follow Lottie Tomlinson on social media and have for years. I have always loved seeing her endeavors and admired her beauty, inside and out. So when she came out with self tanning products, I of course wanted to support her. Since I'm from the US, I knew she recently launched some of the line at Target so I went right away to get what I could.

The face drops were already sold out and so was the mousse and I really didn't want to wait for a restock, so I grabbed the light tanning water and checked out. I went home right away, shaved my legs (because that needed to be done probably 3 months ago...don't judge me...), and then read the back of the Tanologist bottle because I had no idea what I was doing. 

It said to spray onto dry skin, use a tanning mitt to rub it on with circular motions, then shower 1-4 hours after application. 

I took a before picture of my legs (to let you know, I didn't paint my toenails and I'm allergic to mosquitos so my foot is red from a bite. I'M SORRY.) (These pictures aren't really aesthetically nice and I apologize, but they are real).





I sprayed a good amount on my legs until it was dripping a bit then started  to rub my legs in circles. The bad part was, Target doesn't sell tanning mitts so I used my hand. I know, not the smartest. The other dumb thing I did? I didn't rub any water on the tops of my feet...I DIDN'T KNOW. Make sure you include the tops of your feet! 





I waited 15 minutes until I laid on my bed and waited. And waited. After 4 hours passed, no color showed. I was confused. I DM'd Tanologist on Instagram and asked what I should do. Should I have gotten a darker color of water? Or should I wait longer? They didn't respond before I went to bed (which I get because they're in England. Time zones are different!) and my mom said to sleep with it on. So I did. 

When I woke up, I was surprised at my legs. I saw some color but lots of patches. Checked my phone and Tanologist responded and said to keep it on overnight for more color. So I was set. I took a shower right after, hoping to get rid of the really dark patches. I then noticed the back of my ankle. It looked like streaks ran down my legs. But I know I rubbed it in and I waited a while until it dried. Not sure what happened and it didn't come all the way off in the shower, just the surface of it did. 







Other than that, color definitely showed up on my legs! Some people couldn't really see it as much as I could, but then I pointed out the line on my feet and THEN they saw it. But my legs were no longer blinding! It was such a subtle difference, but I noticed. 


(OMG LOOK HOW WHITE MY FEET ARE!! But it shows that I got color!)


I decided to make some bullet points of things I've learned from all of this:


* Tanologist water smells AMAZING. It just smells so...clean. 10/10 on the smell department. 



* The water is definitely a build-able product. If I kept it up, the color would show even more (they say it lasts about 5 days and every 3 days to put more on to upkeep it!)



* 2 days after having it on, it was a nice color. The patches on my knees were gone and it was very smooth looking

*It says to wash your hands right after application, but to be honest, it wasn't messy! I of course washed my hands, and the little bit on my hands came right off!


*Check out the Tanologist Instagram! It gives you everything you need to know about the product and I wish I checked it out first. Even for newbies, they tell you it all!


All in all, I really enjoyed this product. I would love to try the mousse version, too! The parts that went wrong could definitely be on my part, since I was so new to it. Every time I contacted them, they really were SO nice, which always makes me feel good about buying a product! I'm going to put links below to Tanologist, which I think tanning enthusiasts should 10000% try!



Tanologist Instagram: XX
Tanologist Website: XX
Tanologist products on Target.com: XX




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