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Showing posts with label products. Show all posts
Showing posts with label products. Show all posts
One of my favorite things to share are new favorite things! Here's a couple things I've purchased in the last month, and thought were worth sharing!

Kate Spade Crossbody & Rothy's Drivers in Burgundy 

These two purchases were fun splurges for me, all in preparation for our upcoming Europe trip! This crossbody is just the right size to fit my phone, passport, and other essentials. I also wanted some comfy walking shoes, and because I love my Rothy's flats so much, I took a chance and ordered a pair of The Driver style. So cute and I feel kinda obsessed that these two items coordinate so well. 

Rothy's are great because they are washable. Plus, these will be easy slip on and off at the airport. If you need a coupon for a pair of your own, head over to the Coupons for You tab here on the blog and you can find a discount code! 

Plus! Don't forget to activate Rakuten if you shop the Kate Spade Surprise website. Not only is the Surprise Sale website my secret to great discounts on bags, but they also almost always have cash back with Rakuten. 

Kate Spade Burgundy Crossbody | Rothy's Drivers

Silicone Popcorn Maker

An absolute favorite snack of mine is popcorn! Is there anything better than watching a movie with buttery popcorn? Yes, it's buttery popcorn, with m&ms tossed in. 😋I found this great silicone popcorn maker for the microwave that works so well! Love it and highly recommend. 

Silicone Popcorn Maker

Barre Grippy Socks

Recently, I mentioned that I've really been enjoying the Peloton barre classes. Usually with barre classes, the teacher recommends wearing grippy socks. I found a set of grippy socks on Amazon that are the cutest thing ever! They look like little ballet slippers. Love them and I think it adds to the experience. 

Barre Ballet Grip Socks | Peloton Barre Classes

Soundcore Bluetooth Earbuds

Okay, I can't be the only one with weird ears that don't work with ear buds. I've tried dozens! Still, I really wanted to get a pair of ear buds to keep in my purse or for those times when over the ear headphones aren't practical. Blake and I have several Soundcore products and we love them all. So, I thought I'd give these a try. They are great! Fortunately, these come with a few different sizes of ear grip things and so they end up fitting really well! I'm not sure I could run with them, but they work really well for what I wanted them for. Again, these will be great for our upcoming trip!

Soundcore Bluetooth Earbuds | Airpod Dupe

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-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Recent Purchases!

Thursday, October 6, 2022

(This post is not sponsored, but Grove Collaborative did send me some of these items for free in exchange for reviews on their website)
Rooted Beauty Skin Care Review | www.kristenwoolsey.com

I shared my natural DIY skin care routine over 2 years ago! I loved that routine, and absolutely still stand by those recipes. After awhile, though, it's just nice to change things up! Grove Collaborative sent me a couple of their Rooted Beauty products when they launched the line last fall, and I fell in love with them! I ended up buying almost everything else in the product line up. I've been using this system since November, and I just love how my skin has been looking. 

My Current Skin Care Routine | Rooted Beauty Review

Monday, April 6, 2020

This post is going to make me seem like an old lady, but this is the kind of stuff that gets me excited! Clothes and makeup don't do it for me quite like home improvement does. None of this is super glamorous, but I wanted to share a few things we've purchased this year that have made our lives easier and better!

This post contains affiliate links!
Best Home Purchases of 2019 | www.kristenwoolsey.com

Best Home Purchases of 2019

Monday, December 2, 2019

New Products I'm Loving | www.kristenwoolsey.com

By no means am I a beauty guru, but I do love trying out new products and finding great stuff! With so many 'misses' when it comes to beauty products, I thought I'd share a few products that I've tried recently that I love! 

New Beauty Products I'm Loving

Monday, November 11, 2019

While I don't ever think I will be a zero waste guru, I am always very happy to find alternatives to single use plastics! Wastefulness bothers me, and additionally I find it so much simpler if I can eliminate something that always needs replacing. In this little quest, I've found a few things that have quickly become my favorite ways to reduce waste.

Favorite Products That Help Reduce Waste | www.kristenwoolsey.com

9 Products that help me reduce waste:

Bee's Wrap Reusable Cling Wrap | www.kristenwoolsey.com

The first item on my list is not cheap, but I feel like it's 100% worth it. To replace cling wrap, I picked up this reusable beeswax wrap. It's washable and sustainable! It works best when you warm up the wax in your hands. I don't use this very often but it's perfect for when your bowl doesn't have a lid or you need to transport some food to a party. The one downside is this wrap won't last forever, but when it's time to replace it you won't have to worry about this wrap sitting in a landfill. 


These cute little bags are so versatile! Not only do I use them to store leftover food, they are great for packing lunches and for travel! I use the large size to pack my toiletries. These are dishwasher safe as well, which makes them very reusable. We don't have a dishwasher, but hand washing them is just as easy. 

(Link above is for Amazon, but I got variety pack from Grove Collaborative. If you aren't a Grove member you can use my link to sign up and get a free 5 piece gift set when you make your first order.) 

Make Up Remover Towel | Waste Reducing Products | www.kristenwoolsey.com

Instead of using makeup removing towelettes, I started using this makeup removing towel. It works with water and definitely takes off most of your makeup. Sometimes I still need to use a little coconut oil to remove my waterproof mascara. Recently, I started using the Burt's Bees mascara and it comes right off! I've had this towel for years now, and as you can see it's been well used. 


This was such a great find! I use cotton rounds every day to apply toner, and I always felt guilty about how often I was buying them. Cotton is probably not the worst thing to throw away, but I am all about eliminating something from the grocery budget! These reusable cotton pads are made of a terry cloth material and are completely washable. Super happy with them! 

Cloth Napkins and Other Waste Reducing Products | www.kristenwoolsey.com

Reducing the amount of paper towels we use was a huge victory for me! I feel very proud about that. The main reason we've been successful with that is because we have a clean kitchen towel right by the sink every day. Sometimes you still need a paper towel, but the amount we use is very minimal. Another time we are tempted to use paper towels is at dinner time. I purchased these cloth napkins and have had no problems switching from paper! We leave a small hamper by the back door to collect used napkins and dish towels. Once it's full I'll do a load of washing. It was an incredibly easy swap!

Wool Dryer Balls and Other Waste Reducing Products | www.kristenwoolsey.com

Another painless swap is to use dryer balls instead of dryer sheets! Just throw 2 or 3 balls into your dryer and run like normal. The balls help reduce static and separate your clothes for better drying. If you miss the dryer sheet smell, just add a few drops of essential oil to the balls and that really makes your laundry smell lovely!

Photo from SheThinx.com
I just mentioned these in a Currently Loving post, but they are definitely worth mentioning again. These period underwear are a perfect way to reduce waste. I use them mainly as a back up, but some styles can hold a whole tampon worth of blood. I highly recommend doing the cycle sets, because you get a discount the more pairs you buy. (plus you'll get $10 off when you use my link) The return process could not be easier if you need to exchange for a different size. 

Silicone Straws and Other Waste Reducing Product Ideas | www.kristenwoolsey.com

Almost didn't include reusable straws because isn't everyone using these now? But, I wanted to share our favorite ones. These straws come in such cute colors and couldn't be easier to clean. (Remember that's important to those of us without a dishwasher!) Our niece and nephews love picking out their favorite color when they come over, which I think is so fun. 

Reusable Produce Bags and other earth friendly swaps | www.kristenwoolsey.com

Another really easy swap are these reusable produce bags for the grocery store! A much better alternative to those plastic baggies that are provided. I love these because they are washable and transparent enough the cashier can see what you are buying. The weight of the bag is listed on the tag so they can easily weigh your produce. 

Your Turn to Weigh In! Leave a comment below and tell me the simple strategies you have to reduce waste! Are you a big recycler, or even a composter? What swaps did you make that were easy? How about swaps that were hard?
This post contains affiliate and referral links at no cost to you!

Favorite Waste Reducing Products

Monday, July 8, 2019

Recent Favorites on kristenwoolsey.com

Who doesn't love a good tote bag? I recently got rid of almost all of my bags, and downsized to a small crossbody. I noticed that I really needed a tote to take to work for all the extra stuff I usually lug with me there. LL Bean was having a pretty solid sale, and I was able to pick up the medium sized boat and tote for a great price! (Plus Ebates!) I love this thing more than I ever expected. The material is very stiff, so it stands upright and I know it will last forever. There is a reason these bags are so famous. 
LL Bean Boat and Tote Medium on kristenwoolsey.com

Burt's Bees Makeup 
I was nervous to try this makeup, because I wasn't sure if it would be any good. It's hard to tick all the boxes of being a more natural product, budget friendly and a good product. I'm really happy with what I've tried so far! The eyeshadow and blush have great pigment and last all day. The mascara is way better than I expected. It is good with one coat, but even better with two. It lasts all day- and the best part is it doesn't take a miracle to remove! 

I got mine from Grove Collaborative, but they are on Amazon too: Eyeshadow, Blush & Mascara
I'm a die-hard liquid liner person, so I don't think I will try their pencil liner.

Burt's Bees Makeup Review on kristenwoolsey.com

My Steve Madden Cache sandals have been well loved. I have worn them hard! (You've seen them here!) I went to buy the exact same pair again, and saw that they are completely sold out in my size. I've looked on Poshmark, Ebay...you name it. I was getting desperate, and I found this great dupe from Target! They've got the right look, and they are actually way more comfortable than my previous sandals. And half the price! I'm calling that a win. 

Can you tell I loved those shoes?
The best brown sandals on kristenwoolsey.com

I'm not sure if this falls under TMI, but I love this underwear! Basically, it's period underwear. It works fantastically, and I have been very impressed. I love that it helps reduce waste! Size up if you are going with a traditional underwear style, go with your regular size for a thong. The return/exchange process is the most painless I've ever experienced too. My suggestion is to get the 3 pair pack to save 10% and use my $10 referral code! 

I don't think you need a picture on this one, haha!

This one is for all you dog people! Lots of dogs suffer from skin issues due to allergies. Pugs are definitely one of them. We've specifically had a problem with Bailey. She gets an allergy shot, and the vet was even talking about getting her on a 2nd medication. I wasn't really thrilled with that. I found this excellent skin soother for dogs and I can't recommend it enough if your dog has similar issues! 
Skin Soother Review on kristenwoolsey.com

Skin Soother Review on kristenwoolsey.comSkin Soother Review on kristenwoolsey.com
I'm not sure if this picture helps you see the difference. On the left, her little armpits were scabbed over- hence the darker color. On the right, it's so much better! Still a bit red, but every day it's better!

Pug Life on kristenwoolsey.com

I've also been applying the skin soother to her belly and she loves it. Her belly used to have little scabs all over it from her constant itching and dry skin. It's now healthy and normal looking! She literally rolls over on her back so I can put it on, she loves it so much. 

This might be one of the most expensive beauty products I've ever shared! I received this as a gift, otherwise I may not have ever tried it, despite the stellar reviews. It smells fantastic, and works wonders. I use it about once a week to remove dry, dead skin from my face. It's worth every penny, and I've barely used 1/4 of the bottle. 

Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion Review on kristenwoolsey.com

I will admit to totally impulse buying this a TJ Maxx the other week, but it quickly became a favorite! You apply your face wash as normal, and then rub it in with these silicone tools. The tool helps really get the product in and gives you a much deeper clean. I seriously saw a difference within one use! Here is a similar one on Amazon. 

Recent Favorites on kristenwoolsey.com

Let's Chat! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of my recent favorites! Do you have a pair of shoes that worn in your closet? What is the most expensive beauty product you've tried? Would you try period underwear?

This post contains affiliate and referral links at no cost to you!

Currently Loving # 16

Monday, June 17, 2019

Every morning when I'm standing in our walk in closet I call out "Hey Google! What's the weather today?" It makes me smile because there was a time when I thought these Google Homes or Amazon Alexas were frivolous and not something I'd get much use out of. I'm not exaggerating when I say we use these things every single day, multiple times a day!

In case you were on the fence about making your home 'smart', I thought I'd share a few of our favorite ways to use our Google Home(S!) We have several. We have the traditional Google Home in our living room, a Google Home hub in the kitchen, and then Google Home minis in the office, dining room and our bedroom. The hub is my favorite, but the minis are just as useful and very inexpensive! (Seriously, shop around...we got one of our minis for free for signing up for Spotify.) 

To be clear, this post is not sponsored. I genuinely love our Google homes and I wanted to share some ways we use them. I would like to stress that I don't think you should buy anything you can't budget easily for!

Ways to Use Your Google Home (kristenwoolsey.com)

Setting A Timer
There is just something about not having to take off your oven mitts to set the timer on your oven! In fact the button on my stove was always smudgy because of pressing it with dirty hands. We have Google set timers for us almost every time we cook. It's also really helpful to set a timer when you want to do a 'power hour' of cleaning or need to know when to go switch out the laundry. 

Turn Off, On and Dimming Lights
We recently added smart bulbs into the lamps of the main areas of our house. It's absolutely wonderful to crawl into bed at night and have Google turn out the lights for you. Or have her dim the lights when a movie is starting! 

Playing Music Throughout The House
You can play music in a single room, but we've also set up our speakers to play simultaneously. This might be my favorite feature! You haven't lived until you've blasted Disney music throughout your entire house and got to town cleaning! 

Ways to Use Your Google Home (kristenwoolsey.com)

Watching Youtube While Doing Dishes
As I mentioned we have a Hub in the kitchen, and it's so fun to watch a vlog or informative video while doing the dishes. You can actually cast anything to this screen, so I can catch up on a tv show too. This video feature is really neat, because you can even pull up a recipe how-to video and follow it while you cook yourself!

White Noise
We've set up an evening routine that is started by saying "Okay, Google, good night." This triggers our lights going out and setting an alarm for the morning. But then it plays soothing sounds to fall asleep to. It has easily become one of my favorite features! I love the sound of chirping crickets. It really does help you fall asleep faster. 

Digital Photo Frame
I absolutely love displaying photos around our house. The reality is that we have thousands of photos and you can only frame so many. You can set your Hub to display random photos from Google photos, but we found that it was a little bit too random. Instead, we created an album on Google photos for it to display. I selected all of my favorite pictures and it created such a great slideshow!

Ways to Use Your Google Home (kristenwoolsey.com)Ways to Use Your Google Home (kristenwoolsey.com)

Broadcast System
This makes me sound super lazy, but one really cool feature of having more than one Google home is that you can broadcast a message into another room. If Blake is in the office and I'm in the bedroom he can't really hear me, so this is a really useful feature.

Connect to Your Other Smart Devices
While we only have one other smart device, I love that we have the potential to have a very 'smart' home in the future. We do have a Roomba, and it's so nice to be in my living room doing stretches after my workout and be able to have Google start the vacuum. Totally unnecessary? Yes, but really cool! 

Entertaining My Niece & Nephews
We don't have kiddos, so when my niece and nephews come over I'm always trying to find new ways to keep them entertained. Sometimes they get tired of the same old legos we have stashed away. One fun thing to do with them is ask Google questions. Our favorite is asking what different animals 'say'. They love hearing the roar of a lion! Nothing makes my heart want to burst like hearing my nephew Carter try to say rhinoceros. 

Leave a comment for me below if you have some of these smart devices! Are you team Google or are you an Alexa person? What are you favorite features?

This post does contain affiliate links at no cost to you!

Favorite Ways to Use Our Google Home

Monday, February 11, 2019

Recent Favorites // www.pugsandpearls.com

Lennox
I had my nephew Lennox for a morning a few weeks ago and I just couldn't help but do a mini photoshoot in the backyard! He is just absolutely the happiest and most photogenic baby. I had to share a couple of my favorite shots!

Recent Favorites // www.pugsandpearls.com

Recent Favorites // www.pugsandpearls.com

Recent Favorites // www.pugsandpearls.com

Home Body
I told myself I wasn't going to buy this book. I just don't believe in collecting coffee table books. I find that they clutter spaces and just end up collecting dust. So, as much as I really wanted to buy Reese Witherspoon's book, I didn't. I wasn't going to buy Home Body either, that is until I started flipping through it at the store. This is not just a book of pretty pictures, it's actually helpful! She shares different design styles, and helps you identify what you like. I'm not finished with it yet-it's giant! But, so far, I'm really glad I bought it. And when I'm done I'm going to pass it along and not let it collect dust. 

I got glasses a few years ago to help me see at a distance. Although those black frames are super cute, I never loved them. They sat crooked on my face, and I found that they didn't really help enough to make them worth how much eye strain they caused when I switched between up close and far away. So, I quit wearing them. 

When work picked up this summer, I found myself leaving the office with a headache all the time. My screen time has increased tenfold this year, so I was very interested in getting a pair of blue light filtering glasses! Eyebuydirect has some EXCELLENT prices on frames! (Plus cash back with Ebates!) It's easy to add your prescription and add in things like a blue light filter. Love these! 

Kind of a weird thing to be excited about, but we recently added a stack of cloth napkins to a tin next to our kitchen sink. I really love it! It's a great way to save on paper towels and napkins. These are mainly for drying hands, because they aren't super absorbent for spills. I also grab a few for the dinner table and use them instead of paper napkins. I keep a little hamper out for dirty dish towels anyway, so these are easy to toss in for the next load of laundry. The little bucket and sponge holder are from Grove Collaborative, and if you use my referral link to sign up you get a free 5 piece gift set. (Ebates has cash back for them too!)


Recent Favorites // www.pugsandpearls.com

We are such a Google family! We both have (and love!) Google phones, and several Google Homes around the house. And sharing a Google calendar has literally been one of the keys to our successful marriage! Being on the same page is so, so important. 

Anyway, I didn't know how much I would love the Google Home Hub until we got it. We got a really good deal for Cyber Monday, and now I want one for every room. We use our Google Homes every single day, but having the screen in the kitchen is even more useful! Seeing your daily schedule, the weather, easily setting a timer, watching Youtube while cooking...oh! and it displays photos too! 

Recent Favorites // www.pugsandpearls.com

One thing that didn't arrive in time for our office tour was my Erin Condren mouse pad! It's so cute and it matches my planner. Am I a nerd for loving office supplies? Probably. ($10 Erin Condren gift certificate here!) 

I haven't used a mouse pad in years, but my new desk just doesn't work that great with my mouse for some reason. 

Recent Favorites - Erin Condren Life Planner and Mouse Pad // www.pugsandpearls.com

Gallery Wall & Fiddle Leaf Fig
When I visit other people's homes, I really love to look at all of their family photos. I don't care if I don't know who the people in the pictures are! It's just so fun to see glimpses into time. 80s hair...wedding dresses...I love it all. So, for a person who loves that so much, I realized I had very few photos around our own home! When we moved our Disney prints into our office recently, that left two empty walls in the dining room that I thought would make a perfect place to do a gallery wall. 

We bought some great frames at Walmart, and drew up a diagram! Blake is probably holding a grudge against me because I made him lower all the frames after he had already did one wall. (He should have asked me where I wanted them to begin with, I will argue!) 

The fun part was going through old photos trying to pick what was print worthy. I'm still singing the praises of our Canon printer! It's maybe the best purchase we've made all year. It took no time at all to print out some photos, and it will be easy to print new ones in the future to swap out! 

Recent Favorites // www.pugsandpearls.com
The pattern repeats on both sides of the door, each with 7 frames. 

Additionally, I sold our little bookshelf that was in the dining room on Facebook marketplace, arguably the easiest way to make a sale like that! It wasn't really storing anything important anymore, and it became just something else to dust. Instead, I found a great faux fiddle leaf fig tree to take it's place! It's so cute and a really good fake if you are the in the market! It's from Hobby Lobby, and don't forget that HL always has a 40% off one item coupon on their website! Not to mention 2 % cash back with Ebates right now....can you tell I'm Ebates biggest fan yet? I put the tree in a cute bucket I picked up at Ikea a few weeks ago. It fits perfectly even though I took a gamble and bought it without measuring. 

Recent Favorites // www.pugsandpearls.com

I may need to do an updated dining room post for our home tour! Since I shared those photos I've removed the dog kennel, redecorated the blue dresser, sold the bookshelf, and now added the gallery wall...It's definitely got the same decor style though, so it wouldn't be a jaw dropping transformation or anything.

The Netherlands!
Our plane tickets and hotel are booked for our trip to the Netherlands next year!! We are so excited and overwhelmed with this trip...but mostly excited! Have you ever been before? I need tips!


Leave a comment below with what you have been loving recently! Are you a big fan of Ebates, like me? Let me know if you also love office supplies and geek out about them. Do you love to look at people's photos when you go over to their houses to visit? And, if you've been to the Netherlands please leave your best travel tips for me!!

*Don't forget to enter the giveaway in my last post!*
This post contains affiliate and referral links at no cost to you!

A Few Recent Favorites!

Friday, November 30, 2018

I first shared the brand Formulate with you back in July when the company launched! So, I'm really excited to tell you about my personal formulation today, and give you the opportunity to win your own! A huge thank you to Formulate for gifting me my set of shampoo and conditioner and for sponsoring a second giveaway! (Blog Disclosure Here)

Formulate Custom Hair Care System Review // Pugs & Pearls Blog

The Brand & It's Concept
Formulate has such a cool concept! My hair is naturally stick straight, thick...but fine, and I have to wash it every single day. My husband's 100% the opposite-his hair is coarse, wavy and water rolls right off of it. And I'm willing to bet your hair is nothing like either of ours. So, it doesn't make sense that we would all use the same shampoo and conditioner. 

Formulate is a company that makes a custom shampoo and condition to match your hair. First, you fill out a hair profile, and you will be asked questions like what texture of hair you have, and what climate you live in. You also get to select your own scent! It's a completely custom system just for you. Here is my hair profile, where you can see what kind of hair I have, and what my goals are when shampooing.

They get major bonus points from me for being cruelty free!

Formulate Custom Hair Care System Review // Pugs & Pearls Blog

Formulate Custom Hair Care System Review // Pugs & Pearls Blog
The Process
After you fill out the Formulate questionnaire, that's all you have do! Their chemist (yes, literal scientists work on your shampoo!) will get to work formulating your shampoo and conditioner set. Then, just check your mail! I found the shipping to be lightening fast, so if you are running low on shampoo this is a great time to switch! 

Included along with your shampoo and conditioner will be a complete list of all the ingredients in your set! There are no parabens, sulfates or preservatives in any of the formulas. 

So, what happens if your formulation isn't right? Well, that happened to me! My formula needed some adjustments. That's okay! Formulate's customer service is off the charts. Abby was SO helpful and was adamant about getting my system perfectly tweaked. Formulate has an app where you can give feedback to the chemists and make any adjustments. (Plus, if you aren't happy they promise a full refund.) 

I love the scent I chose, and I've absolutely noticed a decrease in the amount of split ends I usually get. 

Formulate Custom Hair Care System Review // Pugs & Pearls Blog

Formulate Custom Hair Care System Review // Pugs & Pearls Blog

The Price Point
After you fill out your hair profile you will be given two options: You can try a 4oz bottle of shampoo and a 4 oz bottle of conditioner for $19.95 or you can get the 14 oz of each (which is what I have!) for $49. The 4 oz bottles are a great way to give it a try (or you can enter the giveaway below and get a set for free!)! 

I'm an advocate for spending money wisely, so please make your own decisions about what you are willing to splurge on! This is not a budget shampoo and conditioner. But, neither is it budget quality. This is much more comparable to salon grade products. You would also expect to pay more for a personal cosmetic chemist creating a product just for you! 

If you are a person who has tricky hair and you've struggled for years to find something that works, I really think this would be worthwhile. If you are a person who can pick any bottle off the pharmacy shelf and it works great, then you go girl! 


Formulate Custom Hair Care System Review // Pugs & Pearls Blog
Giveaway
Wanna give it a go? Please, please enter my giveaway to win your own custom hair care set! One winner will be chosen to receive 1 shampoo and 1 conditioner. The giveaway ends on December 6th, so pop over and enter! 

Leave a comment below to tell me you've entered the giveaway! What shampoo and conditioner do you use? Are you happy with it, or would you like to try something else? 

Formulate Custom Hair Care System Review & GIVEAWAY

Monday, November 19, 2018


Hello!

Hi friends! I'm Kristen, and this is the Life and Style of a mid 30's Floridian living the Best Life Ever, with her husband and two pugs. Runner | Avid Reader | Small Shop Owner