friday favorites

I kinda like this type of post. Won't do it every Friday, probably just when there's new stuff to add or as a weekly recap. Anyways, here are some of my favorite things from the week:

1. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin- This series was in last week's favorites post, so sorry to repeat myself, but I haven't been able to put these books down!
2. CoverGirl NatureLuxe collection- I have the foundation in the color Maple (mentioned here) and the gloss balm in the color Marble. I use the foundation with my fingers as a light coverage/tinted moisturizer-like product, perfect for summer. The gloss balm is an affordable alternative to high-end "shine" lipsticks that gives the tiniest hint of color and lots of moisture.
3. MAC Double Feature 4- Available July 29th from the MAC Colorizations collection or now from the Nordstrom Cinematic collection (yeah, confusing), I love the colors in this duo. I haven't been brave enough to use them together yet, but separately this teal-green and ochre brown are unique to my collection and fun to use :)
4. Homemade Whipped Cream + Strawberries- My last post inspired me to be a bit more "culinary," which to me means whipping cream myself instead of buying a tub of Cool Whip. Hey, everyone has to start somewhere, right? Several pinches of sugar and one sore arm later, I (literally) whipped up a batch of delicious, lightly sweet cream to drizzle over my favorite summer fruit, and I'm never going back!
5. Apartment Hunting (sorta)- Fingers crossed, I found a place! Apartment hunting isn't a favorite per say- actually, it's kind of a pain in the ass- but I'm loving it for the part that will come after: deciding how I'm to decorate my new home, and a big trip to Ikea. Also, Pottery Barn sent my father a coupon for 10% off his next entire purchase, in a brochure that said "welcome to the neighborhood!" even though we've lived in the same house for 8 or 9 years now. Totally a sign.

small kitchen gems

I will be attending grad school in the fall, and part of that requires me to move out of the DC suburbs and into the city. I've just made my first couple appointments to look at apartments, and I'm so excited! I absolutely can't wait to have my own space to furnish and decorate, even if that space is going to be quite small. In anticipation, I've already started buying a couple items here and there. It's probably not such a good idea since I don't know how much space I'll have, so I've stuck to some nice but useful items. These latte bowls from Anthropologie are my favorite purchases thus far:

 

Jewel assorted latte bowls, $30 at Anthropologie

Although they're a bit pricey and mismatched, which might make buying plates to go with them difficult (though I'm thinking these grey & white ones from Ikea, or something similarly neutral), I just absolutely love how colorful and vivid they are. Better yet, they're brighter versions of the bowls my host mom had when I studied abroad in Paris, which I always gravitated towards despite her wide array of crockery. I am in no way a morning person, but having breakfast out of these bowls will definitely add a bit of cheerfulness to the start of my day!