The Essentials: June 2015

An FYI before we indulge, I went heavy on the skincare this month and am loving every second of it!

I reduced my aimless and frivolous spending on clothing to purchases that round out my closet and replaced basics I've worn to bits. Trying to live life outside of Zara's has definitely helped shape me into a conscious shopper but at the same time I refocused my efforts on skincare and beauty, like whoa. It's like I transferred one addiction (Zara.com) to another (Sephora.com) but I digress. It is what is and in the end a lot cheaper and the core of this month's essentials.

This all started when I ventured into the world of reddit, more specifically their Asian Skincare subreddit - so many amazing fascinating discoveries (!!) I would have never found on my own. I even developed a very specific AM + PM regime with remarkable results - a post for another day.

Shop my wants below:
1. Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream, 2. Patricia Nash Dante Crossbody, 3. Hallmark Signature Cards (so cute!), 4. Madewell Striped Tee, 5. Vanity Fair July Issue, 6. Hada-Labo Goku-jun Hyaluronic Milky Lotion, 7. Svelta Tanner, 8. PocketDerm, 9. Molton Brown Rhubarb Rose Collection, 10. Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator, 11. Warby Parker York Eyeglasses, 12. skyn ICELAND Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, 13. Beautiful Textures Rapid Repair Deep Conditioner, 14. Smith's Mandarin & Rose Lip Balm Tube

Share your essentials in the comments below!

Five Friday Favorites

What a whirlwind of a month. Decided to end this month with a few favorites that really stood out to me.

1. Pure Ice 'Butterfly Effects'
I absolutely love treating myself to a weekly mani, at the same time an at-home treatment is pretty bomb too. Me time is the best time. I went to an event earlier this month to learn about Pure Ice's Butterfly Effects Collection and absolutely love the new iridescent shades - great for summer or applying as a top coat. The price is also very hard to beat at $2 a bottle.

2. Governor's Ball
I gave up Coachella to save up for a few trips, but I certainly will not give up GovBall. This music festival is basically in my backyard and has an amazing line-up (read: Drake - the only thing that matters). The only real problem standing in my way is rain - dear rain gods, please hold off!

3. SVELTA Tan
Sunscreen and I are besties, even in the dead of winter it's something I constantly slather on. So when summer rolls around and it's time to pull out those bikinis I'm always the first out of my friends to hit up every spray-tan groupon deal and try every sunless tanner available in NYC. I absolutely love looking tanned but without the sun damage. Recently I came across SVELTA All-in-One Tanner and had to give it a test drive since it's 100% vegan and contains only natural + good-for-you ingredients. One thing I loved was it subtle shimmer and left no embarrassing orange streaks.

4. Beautiful Textures Rapid Repair Deep Conditioner
I'm really not a huge fan of curly hair products smelling too fruity (like a tropical cocktail) but if the product really works, then I can definitely give the scent factor a pass. This past training season my curls were suffering from the intense sweat sessions and then obligatory shower sessions. They were looking extremely brittle and meh, then I used this deep conditioner once - simply to test the waters - and I could feel the difference after one use. Not a huge difference but they were noticeably softer. I upped that to to twice a week and curls were definitely looking revived and full of life again. The price point and amount given in the container were also nice factors.

5. Quilted Koala Joyful Collection
Makeup Bags that can contain all of my new Asian skincare obsessions (I'll have to do a youtube video on that!!) are giving me life after AM workout classes. I've been using this one from Quilted Koala to help stick to my AM skincare regimen and it's the perfect size for my small bottles of goodness, makeup, and creams. I'll definitely be using their a few of their bags for travel when the moment presents itself.

Got any favorites I should know about?! Let me know in the comments :).

TSB: May Rack Up

This rack up should be called "what I wore during the worst allergies of my life." Anyone else affected by the pollen tsunami. Somehow I managed to look put together and get through the entire month with my nose still attached. A good thing because I don't have much to start with. This week however I'm feeling so under the weather - everything feels impossible. Bear with me and send me ALL of the good vibes.

Here's looking back at May:

Shirt: Equipment  Skirt: Amour Vert (similar style)  Necklace: Baublebar (similar style)  Purse: Miu Miu  Shoes: c/o Easy Spirit  Lipgloss: Maybelline's Color Elixier in Breathtaking Apricot via PINCHme

Shirt: American Apparel  Skirt: American Apparel (similar style)  Jacket: Mo-Ka  Necklace: Custom  Purse: c/o Ora Delphine  Shoes: c/o Elliott Lucca  Watch: Timex  Sunglasses: Asos (similar)  Lipgloss: Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Megan

Shirt: c/o Lucy  Pants: c/o Lucy  Purse: Zara  Sneakers: Nike  Sunglasses: Asos (similar)  Rings: Rita & Royal  Lipgloss: Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Megan

Top: Viva Aviva  Skirt: c/o Long Tall Sally  Earrings: Target (similar)  Purse: c/o Sakroots  Shoes: Birkenstocks  Belt: Vintage  Sunglasses: Supers  Lipgloss: Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Megan

Dress: c/o Tobi.com  Bangle: Kenneth Jay Lane  Purse: c/o Quilted Koala  Shoes: Boohoo.com  Sunglasses: Ray-Bans  Lipstick: Cruella via NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

The weather was pretty awesome (minus the trees attempting to suffocate me) so I took full advantage of baring my legs. Now that we're headed into a rainy week I'm glad to have shown off these hard earned gams - running 13.2 miles ain't easy. 

Which looks were your favs? Any you'd love to see restyled a different way?

Photos by Lydia Hudgens, Victor Cerejo, Briana Balducci, and Emma Nieradka.