Ok, more like a top 13 and will continue to grow because I feel as if these are my #quarantinepurchases mixed with activities that have been keeping me sane during March & April and now May. We are taking this time to stay productive and enjoy projects we never made time for consistently but before we start, quick chat...
I wanted to point out that often people portray being "productive" with a negative viewpoint during such times. I also want to make sure that when we say this on here or on the gram like "now we have time to do all those things we said we do" please don't think we mean solving world hunger or finding a cure for cancer. We really mean a chance to find a better way of living day to day life and simple pleasures.
It is completely normal to feel paralyzed when it comes to the current state of the world, but if there is anything we have preached long enough, is that life goes on and we can either continue to fall deeper and deeper in a place that will be much harder to get out of once this is over or we choose to accept what is not in our control and remind ourselves what we can control; our attitude and our effort!
For some that means figuring out a smart routine -NOT A BUSY ROUTINE- a smart one (I personally love block scheduling) for others it might just be slowing down in general and learning a brand new way of life but with acceptance. I work in entertainment industry along with my fitspo side hustle. You can imagine one side of that is very slow and the other is very saturated but I'm not letting that bring me down. There is a business side to everything I do and I'm going to improve my instincts and tactics.
So now that it's been 6+ weeks of quarantine, if you've felt paralyzed it's time to look within, trust that it will work out and don't forget you are in control of your mind; attitude and effort.
Below I'm listing my top MARCH & APRIL picks. Some are quarantine purchases, others are calming activities that make quarantine like any other day...
1 |DIOZO LED LAMP (FOR GEL MANICURE)|Grateful my friend had recommended me this! It's a strong lamp and I recommend using the low heat setting to stat. Everyone is different, but for me I worked it with low heat they set last top coat with regular setting! [BUY HERE]
2 |GELLEN POLISH| I read the reviews and I enjoyed the colors. They set best when you have the base and top coat to match! You can check out each combo we like via our Amazon favorite picks [VIEW & BUY HERE].
3 |HYLETE ACTIVE WEAR| I found my new favorite sports bra and pants ( and currently having a sale. I think because the material breathes so well and the way the material is cut and woven it compliments my feminine curves while also looking strong. You can see it in real time via our gym style highlight wearing the Lumis Sports Bra & Nimbus Tight [BUY HERE].
4 |WINKY LUX LIP STAIN|Do you remember growing up in the late 80/90's and having that really fun lip gloss that had either flowers or glitter in it moving around like a lava lamp? Well this ph lip stain isn't like that but I pretty much get the same nostalgia looking at it from these gorgeous lipsticks by Winky Lux at Target. My sister, niece and I each have a different one and it's replaced my chapstick and smells delish! lol Treat yourself to this tiny mood booster [BUY HERE] .
5|WE CHOOSE JOY T-SHIRT|I love this graphic Tee that says " WE CHOOSE JOY", a reminder of how we must fight for joy, especially in the times we are living. Of course it's from The Hollis Co and currently are sold out, but they always bring them back so keep an eye out on their site! [FOLLOW HERE].
6|POTTED GARDEN|I once had a thriving vegetable and herb garden, but one too many times in South Florida we would get rotted plants from our very heavy rain season. So this time around with quarantine happening, I started buying herbs the first week as an excuse to start a new garden. Only this time I'm sticking to potted garden incase I needed to move around the pots to deal with the heavy rainy afternoons until I set up my mini greenhouse (yes it's going to be a cute little side shack attached to my she-shed will need to blog that too!). It's now focused as a spice, herb/tea garden; mint, peppermint, basil, rosemary, ginger, lemon grass, thyme, sage etc. All the things for cooking and relaxing. I'll keep you posted if I truly find potted easier than my stationary gardens in the past. I've actually had better luck getting my herb plants from Traders and Publix versus Home Depot for some reason. Need to venture out to our local nurseries but if you do that, call ahead as some hours vary.
7|PROPAGATION|From trimming my marbled pathos, to regrowing kitchen scraps, It's now a fun challenge to see which kitchen scraps are easiest or worth regrowing! Just type in kitchen scraps or propagation in Instagram and Pinterest and you will get lost with all the things already in your kitchen ready to regrow! * Easy way to test it out is putting a fresh cutting from an herb or plant in a jar or bud vase with water by the window sill. Some only take a few days to sprout roots others a couple weeks. Herbs are waaaay faster than traditional plants.
8|YOUNG LIVING ESSENTIAL OILS|Finally replenished my Young Living oils after so long! I'm obsessed with thieves, lavender, peace & calming and frankincense. I basically add a few drops of frankincense to all my skin serums. It calmed my skin after a bad mix of PMS and a stressful emotional week. [BUY HERE]
9|NEXT 90 CHALLENGE|If you have followed Rachel Hollis long enough, then you know about her next 90 challenge and the FREE classes that come with it. Once a week the Hollis fam delivers a 30-60 minute class with printable and all the cute class note taking. It's like their podcast except you get to watch them. It's also possibly the closest thing you get to any of their intensive coaching weekends or private streaming classes. Themes of perspective, habits, leadership and the latest organization have all been really great ways to apply to Covid-19 and generally any moment of life. Some might be repetitive and other things different from the usual chatter of Rach and Dav's content! I'm just enjoying it and think anyone who wants a little class time once a week to ground the mindset would enjoy it too! [FREE SIGN UP HERE] * These classes are available until the first week of July 2020.
10|COVID 193 Virtual Running Group|I've already posted this on insta a few times, but if you still don't know "Run 193" is a virtual running group that I fell upon on the gram. I'ts free and any donations go to the CDC. After all our new year resolution runs got canceled, my husband and I looked for virtual ones. We ran our first on on April 19th and the next one is May 31st! There is swag you can order, medals to purchase and a nice facebook group you can join for extra motivation! Happy they got their instagram page up, @run193_virtual_race, and hope to see some of my friends join in! Let us know if you will be partaking in the run at the end of the month! [FREE SIGN UP HERE].
11| Agua Santa Cross Earrings | I'm loving these hanging gold dipped crosses. I'm even thinking of wearing one and paired with a gold stud on the opposite ear for a 90's vibe. Oak apparel and home has been uploading a ton of new pieces by this one collection and let me tell you it's the perfect layering pieces if you enjoy the dainty pieces. [BUY HERE.]
12 | Azur Oil Face Serum | I've been diving deep into my essential oils and recently found this particular serum has blue tansy oil. I use it as a day serum and so far found it hydrating and calming to my stressed skin but not overly saturated. Night time I'm sticking to my blend of Argon Oil with frankincense & lavender for a lengthier hydration while I sleep. I feel like my skin has officially calmed down after a terribly combo of hormones and stress. [BUY HERE]
13 | 21 Day Guided Meditation by Gabby Bernstein | It's not the first time I bring her up, and surely wont be the last. Gabby released a signup for her 21 day challenge I decided to go for it. I needed a little extra help in structuring my days but also a stronger guidance in alignment. I love that I am able to keep these for life and can go back to them as often as I like! She does a variety of challenges a year, so I recommend signing up on her mailing list or follow her in instagram to get updates. These meditations are great for all levels of those who wish to meditate. I personally keep going back to DAY 5 (I'm currently on day 10) as it is a meditation to aid in sleep. Which has been beyond helpful. Even my husband enjoys it and requests to play it as well. [FOLLOW HER HERE FOR UPDATES]
I hope you all enjoyed our TOP picks of the last few months! Hopefully by this point you've establish a routine again and are getting your groove back. Where ever you are in this, remember that this too shall pass. A shout out to all our essential workers who are giving it their all to keep us safe and healthy! Wishing everyone light and peace during this time!
Enjoyed these top favorites during quarantine? Pin to your corresponding boards i.e. gardening, wellness, home, lifestlye etc...
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