a few recent favorites to round out summer

I don’t want to wish summer away — we still have a month left! — but once school is in session, it feels way more like fall than summer, in my book at least. Since I haven’t checked in for a few weeks, I wanted to share five recent purchases which have become quick favorites!

• THIS SWEET TOP: I am constantly on the hunt for tops that will fit the bill for work and play. This top accomplishes that feat! Available in navy and “winter white”, it works beautifully over a pair of structured pants (for the office) or even the right pair of shorts (for fun). I tend to gravitate toward higher neck lines, but I adore the playfulness of the back of this top. It isn’t too tight around the mid-section, which I love. Even better yet, it is machine washable, which means I don’t need to add to our growing dry cleaning load. I grabbed it in the XS, but I almost took the S for a little extra length.
• THIS OFF-THE-SHOULDER SALE SCORE: I purchased this fun and colorful dress for our trip out to Napa and Sonoma in July. I haven’t found much that works for me with the off-the-shoulder look, but this one was a winner. I also wore it to our best friend’s wedding in Ontario. I got a few sweet comments when I wore it. With an extra 30% off of sale right now, this dress is under $70. I purchased the XS for reference, just because the S seemed too long for my short frame. They didn’t have petites in my local store, but they do online! Bonus… it has POCKETS! Also, the fun photo above was taken after an amazing dinner in Healdsburg, during our swing out west. We met the sweetest couple there and the husband was kind enough to take this photo. I’m already saving up for a Leica. All the heart eyes.
• THESE NEW HAIR PRODUCTS: For someone who has been using most of the same hair products since 1999, changing something in my hair routine is a big deal. I need to update this post about my curly hair routine a tiny bit, but the truth of the matter is… I’ve lived by the mantra that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” So why change it up? I’ve shared my desire to choose beauty products that are better for me, so this is a step in that direction. (I haven’t said sayonara to my Pantene mousse just yet.) However, in the month I’ve been using this shampoo, conditioner, and hair oil, I have noticed a BIG change in how much more manageable my hair is. My husband even commented on how nice it smelled. (He doesn’t notice these things.) Psst: If you have any questions about Beautycounter, shoot me an email. I signed on as a consultant last fall, after falling in love with their products at their Nantucket pop-up shop. I don’t talk about it much here because I don’t want to be annoyingly sales-y, but I can’t say enough good things about their products or their mission.
• THESE EASY EARRINGS: My ear lobes are really small (weird?), so I can’t wear a lot of the big, chunky earrings which are hot right now. Beyond the sizing issue, my small children also don’t make it easy to wear substantial earrings. I love how light this pair is — no need to take them off halfway through the night!
• THIS RIDICULOUSLY COZY CARDIGAN: I must admit that I snagged this piece during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, but I would buy it again ten times over — and give it as a gift to every person I love. I fell in love with the blankets made by this same company a few years ago, so discovering they made clothing was a game changer. My only real complaint is that my massive iPhone 7+ won’t really stay in the pocket. Other than that, I never ever want to take it off.

In the spirit of trying new things, I’m linking up with Christina, April, and Natasha for Friday Five!