August Favorites

          

     Hello readers! Sorry I've been MIA. I've been quite busy and then I fell into a slump, but I think from now on i'll try my best to start blogging more often. I know it's a bit early for an August favorites post, but I thought it was a bit too late to do a July one. Better early than late??? Enough with my rambling..let's get to the items!

OVERVIEW

        Here is an overview of what I'm going to be talking about today.

Planner

I really got into planning recently. I think I would have to blame Youtube for this. I kept watching planning videos that really showed me how fun it is to plan. Also I think having a planner does make a difference. Hopefully this keeps me more organized. I really recommend the Me and My Big Ideas happy planner, because it is inexpensive and super cute. It is $24.99, which is a lot cheaper than many planners that are out there. I recommend getting this planner at Michaels or Hobby Lobby, because if you go online you are able to find a 40% coupon which makes the planner come out to be around $15-17 after tax. This planner goes all the way to December 2016 and starts around July 2015 which is totally amazing! That means I will not have to buy another planner until 2017. Each month is slightly different from each other. They all have unique designs and a very useful page before it where you can add birthdays, important dates, goals etc. (pictured below). Another thing I like about this planner is that you can change the cover, the spiral, and take out pages you don't need if you don't like how thick it is getting. The boxes for writing is pretty big, which is quite rare to find in planners, which makes me very happy. There is a place for notes on the side and some pages have cute quotes at the bottom. There are five in this line with different colors and designs. To be honest this one was not my first choice, but they literally only had two more planners in stock! I really do like this design and cover though so it does not bother me too much. Can't wait to design and get organised with this.

PENS

I love big bang so much and when I saw these I knew I had to get them. They are from their line of tour items. I didn't expect much from these pens, but I'm pleasantly surprised. They feel really nice when I write and I like the size of the tip (though it's not the best pen out there...but come on you can't expect much from it..it's more for collecting haha). Plus they're super cute! I ordered these two from ktown4u. Price+shipping was actually very good. It was my first time ordering from them so I got a few other things and I think this is one of my favorite sites to order kpop stuff from! It actually didn't take a long time to get to me (I chose the cheapest shipping option) compared to my yesasia order (which hasn't even shipped out yet ugh..[a story for another time]). I actually ordered two more. I'm waiting for Daesung and Seungri to come! I actually ordered these from yesasia before I purchased GD and TOP lolol (I somehow forgot to order taeyang omg, so i'll order him next time on ktown4u). Hope to keep these forever and ever HAHA. ((p.s anyone else seeing big bang live?? so happy they have a tour date here.))

SUNGLASSES

 Trendy and inexpensive? I'm in. I got these sunglasses and another pair (I don't know where I placed them, but they are my favorite as well) at Aldo. They were 2 for $20 I think?? Something around there. I'm very picky with sunglasses, because I feel like a lot of them don't fit my face shape (I have a pretty round+chubby face imo). So when I tried them on I knew I had to pick them up right away. I had seen this design before, but it was way too expensive because they were designer. This is a cheaper alternative and I don't think they'll break that easily. I would check out aldo for other sunglasses, because they had a lot to choose from.

SANDALS

Everyone and their moms have rainbows. People say it's a California thing, but I'm not quite sure haha. I'm not an expert on these sandals so here is a short description I found on them from the nordstrom website. "An easy flip-flop designed with soft, braided leather straps and a memory foam insole that molds to the shape of your foot for a customized fit." When it says it molds to your foot shape it definitely does! One of my best friends got me this for my birthday this year and I got to say this has become one of my favorite things to wear. It's comfortable and easy to slip on. I'm not really a sandals person, but once I got these I think I became one haha. They're a bit gross looking I apologize, but once you put them on they look super cute. Once they mold to your feet they'll have imprints kinda and the sandal gets a bit darker, but it's not noticeable when you wear it. They last a very long time and they have a great warranty. I got the "flirty braided flip flop" in size medium (I think). I'm around a size 8. At first the straps were a bit tight, but after wearing it for a day or two it was no longer tight so do not be scared. I recommend trying these in person or googling what size would be best for you.

PHONE CASE

I got this phone case set (comes with a charger as well) from Nordstrom Rack. They come in different colors, materials, and for different phones. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it also does a good job at protecting my phone because it covers the front of my phone, kinda like a bumper, which is hard to find nowadays..especially with cute phone cases. The phone case brand is techcandy. You can mix and match a bunch of designs and colors. It was hard to pick what set I wanted, but ended up choosing this one.

TINTED CHAPSTICK

This is quite popular and this post is getting quite long so I'll make this short. I got this in a fresh set from sephora. It keeps my lips super moisturized+gives a nice tint. This is the first one I'm using out of the set, but I like them all. I personally would not get a full size of these and just wait for a value set, because they are quite pricey. The only thing I don't like about them other than their price (for a full size one) is the consistency (probably not the right word). It kinda always looks like its a bit melted and isn't as solid as normal chapstick so i'm afraid I'll break it when I use it. I guess it's kinda like that because of the ingredients+how moisturizing it is. Nonetheless, I still love it and it hydrates my lip right away. If you see a value set for this I would pick it up right away, because they sell out SOOOOO fast.

BLUSH+BRONZER DUO

Moment of silence for the cute ass packaging and the fact that it's named Ross and Rachel. There are two choices in this soulmate line. One of them is Ross and Rachel and the other one is Carrie and Big (Sex and the City, i'm screaming!). I ordered mine from hsn and it came with a too faced brush. It's limited edition so I don't know if you can find this in stores. I would call my local ulta and sephora to check. This gives me such a beautiful bronzed/flushed look, I love it. I got it awhile ago, but didn't fall in love with it until recently. I didn't take a picture of the inside, because it looks really gross because I used the heck out of it! Has a decent size mirror inside. Wish the blush to bronzer ratio was a bit better. The blush part is a lot smaller than the bronzer part. I hope too faced comes out with more color selection for this line. Crossing my fingers for a Beyonce and Jay-Z one haha! The bronzer is a bit more on the orange side, but it doesn't show up super orange when you put it on. Hopefully they'll make it a bit more neutral if they come out with more colors.

BOOK

I got this book (Happiness is...) as one of my gifts from one of my best friends during our Christmas exchange while she was here in SoCal. The book is really simple, but I love to look at it. The concept of the book is super cute. I try to read a page every day (i'm failing at this) or when I'm sad, because it brings a smile to my face. I really recommend this book as a gift or just for yourself. Sorry I forgot to take a pic of the cover, but here is an example of the content. P.S ignore my nails, I'm going to redo it once I'm done with this post haha.

POLAROID PRINTER

Probably one of my biggest purchases this month. I'm a big fan of polaroids and the idea of being able to print some is amazing to me. I do own a instax 7s, but it is quite a hassle for me to carry around when i'm going to events because it is a bit bulky/heavy and I tend to carry a lot of things with me. There is something though that I don't really like about the printer (other than the price), but I don't want to get into too much detail, because I think i'm going to make a separate post on this. I was thinking maybe a review and comparison to the other polaroid cameras out there. I tried almost all of them before so I thought that would be an interesting post! Especially for people who are looking to get one, because they are quite the investment. Not only can I give a review, but I also can give suggestions for cool items that will make your polaroid experience better and where to find the cheapest deals. Let me know what you guys think.

That's a wrap! Those were my August favorites. Sorry the post was kinda long, i'll try better to make it a bit shorter. Hope you find this post interesting. Follow me on instagram (@elysepham) and tumblr (@neverphamous) if you like! Hope to post again.