Beauty Time Tuesday-Empties

When I started doing empties posts I used so many products and bought quite a few new products often. When I moved I realized just how many things I have so I am trying to use up what I have before buying more things. I am slowly using things up which is always my favorite thing ever. It’s been a while since I have done an empties post so things have built up quite a bit. 

Dove dry shampoo-this is supposed to be unscented, but it smells to me. I do not like the smell at all. 

Terre mere toner-This came in my FabFitFun box. It is very lightweight and I love it. I actually put it in a spray bottle, and I am loving applying toner that way. 

Batiste volumizing dry shampoo-I love this and need to buy more. 

Bath and Body works body creams-I switched to a cleaner lotion for a while. I really love this body cream. 

Murad Collagen cream-This also came from FabFit Fun and I love it. 

Tarocco foot cream-another fabfitfun product that smells so good 

Morphe lip gloss-light and a slight shimmer

Lancôme eyelash primer-I don’t necessarily have a preference on brand, but I do need a primer

Mary Kay mascara-love this as my final mascara

Tarte maneater mascara-I usually really like this mascara. Maybe this tube is dried out because I didn’t love it as much this time.  

Klorane shampoo-I got this sample with dry shampoo and liked it enough that I wanted to include it in this post. I need to buy the full size. 

Lancôme primer-I have posted about this before. I had no idea there was lotion primer as opposed to a gel. I really like the lotion so much better.  

Utah Family Vacation

I have been holding my breath since March hoping that my family would still be able to come to Utah this summer. Chelsea and Jeff were supposed to have a family reunion with the Vocana family and planned Kyler’s baptism around the reunion since his birthday was the same week. The reunion ended up getting canceled due to COVID, but the trip and baptism still happened. They spent a few days visiting friends before our family time.  

They came over to my house for lunch and to see where I live. It was fun to have them here. 

Mom and Dad flew in that evening and our first stop was Cafe Rio. It was only my second time eating in a restaurant since COVID started. There was almost no one there so that was nice. 

We didn’t have set plans for Tuesday morning so we went up to Silver Lake up Big Cottonwood Canyon to hike around. They kids loved all the little animals and the deer we saw. We packed a picnic and enjoyed the cooler temperatures up there. 

After being friends with Celsey and her family for years and years, she finally got to meet my family. Her parents invited us over to swim in their pool and then have pizza for dinner. The kids had fun meeting each other and playing together and it was fun to get the families together. 

Kyler celebrated his 8th birthday while they were here. He is pretty easy going and wasn’t super particular about what he wanted to do for his birthday. He started the day with birthday donuts and swimming. We went to In N Out for lunch and Classic Fun center for jumping and skating. The main thing he said he wanted was to go to a trampoline place. The kids loved running around and jumping and decided they wanted to skate towards the end. All of the kids ended up skating and having fun. I held Kenzie’s hands and helped her skate. 

It was pretty hot inside the fun center so the kids happily enjoyed a snow cone. 

Malea and her family were on their way home from Yellowstone and happened to be staying in Sandy that night. Malea and Abby stopped by for a quick visit. It was fun to see them. After they left, Jeff’s parents came over for dinner and birthday brownies and more swimming. I haven’t been with any of their kids on their birthday for a while so it was really fun to celebrate all day. 

Kyler’s baptism was one of the big reasons for the trip. With all of the restrictions we weren’t sure at one point if we would be able to have the baptism. Fortunately we were still able to have it, and Kyler had all the people that could be there in person to celebrate with him. It was a very initiate and special baptism since everyone there was there for him. Even his uncle Kyle presided over the baptism since he is in the bishopric. It was a different experience all being in masks, but it was still a special day. 

Kenzie put on my heels during the lunch and refused to take them off. She was very committed to wearing them even in her family picture and walking up the stairs. 

After everything was all cleaned up, we got checked out of the hotel and sent them on their way to spend a couple of days with the Vocana family. I took mom and dad to St. George. It was so nice to spend time with family after not really knowing how long it would be before we could see family with COVID restrictions. 

Summer Break 2020

There are a lot of great things about my job. One of them is our frequent breaks. Every year we get a week off around the 4th of July. I often like to go on vacation, but with COVID this year was a little different. I really wanted to go somewhere but couldn’t decide if it was a good idea. I went back and forth a few times and ultimately decided it was best to stay home. I took advantage of the time to relax and also get some things done. Chelsea suggested a goal to get one productive things accomplished each day. That really helped me to not waste the whole week. I also made some time to do a few fun things too. 

Ale and I hiked around silver lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It was nice and cool and so beautiful up there. It was nice to get outside and enjoy nature. 

July is wildflower season and I tried to take full advantage of flowers I saw

Lisa was in town so we met for an outside lunch with Jackie. 

I am hiking more this summer than over before and it has been so fun. Brooke, Ale, Stacha, and I hiked in Suncrest on a Friday evening. The weather was perfect and the sunset was beautiful. 

This summer and summer break like most of the rest of 2020 are different than the norm, but I am trying to make the best of it. It is much slower paced and home based which is kind of nice at times. 

At Home Spa Weekend

I think we can all agree that 2020 is anything but normal. Like many others I have fond myself at home way more than ever. I went from being home basically to shower and sleep to being home most of the time. It has taken some creativity to adjust to being at home so much, and I am finding there are some things I really like doing at home. This article gives me some new ideas of things to try. If you are looking for some good things to try, check out this article for things to enjoy some relation while we are all stuck at home.

A Spa “Weekend”: Right in Your Own Home

By: Robin Noble

After the longest semester of my life—one that was spent almost entirely in “Zoom” classrooms instead of on-campus—I’m finally all wrapped up with my courses, and I’m ready to wrap myself up in a cocoon of self-care. Two weeks ago, after a particularly grueling writing session for a few classes’ worths of final essays, I drew a hot bath, mixed in some “bath bombs” and Epsom salts (along with a splash of tea tree oil), cranked up the Enya Spotify station, read a dozen chapters of my favorite Jane Austen novel, rubbed a deep conditioner into my scalp for at least thirty minutes, and scrubbed my body with an exfoliant. I felt like I was in figurative heaven. After that well-needed soak, I indulged in a glass of wine, and decided that I’d need a “spa night” as many nights throughout the week as possible—and, why stop there? Why not develop daily practices that would revitalize me every day? I started experimenting with a morning and evening routine that—once I had it dialed in—made me feel as fresh as the morning dew: even before I’d had my morning coffee.

Clear Skin, Clear Mind

The first step in maximizing my self-care “spa” treatment time, I dedicated myself to waking up a half-hour earlier than usual to give myself more time to complete my skincare routine. If I'm going to be outside facing the harshness of the daytime sun—or wearing makeup—I have to take care of that skin barrier first. After a few weeks, now I just feel a little incomplete if I skip what I’ve come to learn is a vital step for my health. In the wee hours of the dawn, I rinse my face with cold water (for now, I’ll skip the cleanser, as I will typically cleanse the night before), apply an alcohol-free toner, and then let that dry for a few secs. Then I'll apply a vitamin C serum and let that dry for a couple of minutes, followed by moisturizer and sunscreen. No matter how rushed I might possibly be, I never leave the house without applying an appropriate sunscreen. I give all of that time to sink in as I finish other morning steps (eating breakfast, preparing work correspondences). I sometimes struggle with the tedium of using multiple products, so I’m considering investing in a sunscreen with moisturizing properties that will allow me to skip the moisturizing step. By the time I’m done, I feel fresh and ready for the day—even if I’ll still be working from home, the sunscreen protects my skin whenever I head out for brisk walks about the neighborhood or garden breaks. 

Yoga, You Will Do

In the evening, after enjoying a day of awakened skin, I also want to “awaken'' my entire body as a part of my new “spa” routine. Depending on the day, it takes me a while to get warmed up to full strength or flexibility, so I practice with a specific intention in mind. Since sleep “resets” me every night, I like to prime my body to be fully warmed up by the end of my evening movement flow, to maximize my nightly rejuvenation. I start with dynamic stretching, do some semi-ironic “sun salutations” for ten or so minutes while focusing on strengthening my core; afterward, I loosen myself with backbends and downward dogs to ensure that my back will tighten up less as I sleep. 

Mix (Drink) it Up

The final step of the evening? Getting myself into that tub, with snacks and a mixed drink to wash down as I wash away my COVID cares and torrid troubles. When I think about my favorite spots in my hometown of Salt Lake City that I frequented before the pandemic, nothing can beat some of the downtown hotspots that turned up the “beat” every night: like the open-air stages at Gracie’s, or the sexy underbelly at Lake Effect. However, since I’m trying to work through some of my tensions at home, I’ll just have to borrow some of the best meal and drink ideas that my favorite establishments have to offer. For me, nothing—and I mean nothing—tastes better than chocolate-covered strawberries paired with Rosé: except chocolate-covered strawberries paired with Frosé. I play myself some of the melodic, moody jazz themes that others might be listening to live at Lake Effect’s “The Rabbit Hole,” and I float away on a musical cloud, with a pink, slushied wine in my hands. Throughout the day—and well into the evening—I’ve created for myself an experience that others would pay top-dollar for: all in the quiet and safety of my own home. Bring on another month of lockdown—I’m ready for even more time to myself.

Let me know if you decide to try any of these ideas. I definitely want to implement more of a self care routine.

Blogging the Bach...Greatest Seasons of All Time 4

Who’s watching: Amanda, Alicia, Alicia’s niece

We loved JoJo’s season the first time around, and we’re so excited to watch. Amanda was and maybe still is obsessed with Luke. 

Getting through the limo exits in less than 5 minutes is pretty perfect. There are so many guys we love and forgot about. 

Daniel is so funny. Can we bring him back?

Wells and Sarah are the cutest. It is fun to have them going through the whole episode. Wells was kind of the dork of the season but so cute at the same time. Poor Wells on the fire date was just sad. 

I don’t know if anyone really wants to re-visit Chad on this season, but here we are. Chad did not appreciate Evan’s stand up routine. The 2 on 1 date per usual is intense. Bye bye Chad. 

Besides saying goodbye to Chad that we were all happy about, the goodbyes on this season were brutal including the final goodbye with Robbie. 

Chase is really cute and we can’t remember what happened to him. I looked it up and he looks happily in love. Everything worked out for him. 

The proposal was great. JoJo and Jordan are so cute. We loved this season!

Blogging the Bach..Greatest Seasons of All Time 3

Who’s watching: Celsey, Amanda, Alexis

The limo exits were the best. We all forgot JoJo wore a unicorn head and the horse entrance. It’s fun to re-live all of these memories. 

Swimming with the pigs was the funniest thing of the season. Amanda had some funny stories about swimming with pigs. 

Olivia was definitely the villain of the season. Her interview was so good. She talked about her experience with the show and her growth since then. They brought Ben on to chat with her. It was good to see where she was and where she is now, and she looks amazing. 

We talked our way through the recap of Caila’s relationship, breakup, and interview. 

We can’t figure out why they choose to interview the people that have noting to do with the season, but we were excited for the Dean and Caelynn interview. They finally addressed the rings they wear. They don’t feel the need to get the government involved to be committed to each other. 

Ben falls in love with two women and tells them both and we got to watch it all over again including the breakup with JoJo, proposal, etc. That as probably not so fun for him or them. We get to catch up with Ben and his other fiancée. As awkward as it probably is to see this replayed, it is fun for us to watch it back. 

Blogging the Bach-Greatest Seasons of All Time 1 and 2

I have been blogging about the bachelor for years and years. I love the show and all of the spin off shows and all the people and all of the things. I initially wasn’t positive if our Monday night crowd planned to watch, and even then I didn’t know if I would lost about it. I was happy to find out several people did want to watch. We all know it is more fun to watch with friends, and I always prefer to watch with them than watch alone. 

Celsey and I (and Amanda for a little bit of the show) watched episode 1-Sean Lowe’s season. We watched the whole season together the first time. We loved the season, all the girls, and everything about it. It was so fun to watch it again. We loved the interviews with everyone and especially loved seeing Sean and Catherines relationship develop. Even though I follow them on social media, it was still fun to catch up with their lives now with the interview with Chris Harrison. We forgot about some of our favorite things and loved reminiscing on the season. 

We had more of a crowd for week 2 for Kaitlyn’s season. Celsey, Amanda, Megan, and Alicia and Adam for a while watched this week. Her season was one of the best and she had such great guys on her season. I was wondering how they would do this season since Kaitlyn and Shawn aren’t together anymore. I loved the way they did it. They showed a lot of the season-the funny parts, the embarrassing parts, and everything in between. They showed the relationship with Nick and the final rose with him, but they didn’t show the final rose with Shawn. That was a really tasteful way to show the season. They interviewed a few people from the season and a few other from the franchise and ended with an interview with Kaitlyn and Jason. They teased a surprise the whole time and it ended up that Chris Harrison asked Kaitlyn to be on the next season of Dancing with the Stars. I am so excited for her to be on the show. She is such a good dancer and has wanted it for so long. It was a really fun ending to the show this week. 

I am excited for Ben Higgins next week. I love him and I’m excited to watch. 

Beauty time Tuesday(on Wednesday)-recent empties

It has been a while since I have done an empties post. I have definitely still been using a lot of products and replacing them with old favorites or trying new things. 

Everyone lotion-I really like this lotion and the mint scent a lot. It is cleaner than my usual favorite, but I am still not sure if I can switch forever 

BedHead hairspray -I like to mix up my hairspray sometimes and this is a good one

Kristin Ess dry shampoo-love

Coconut oil dry shampoo-not my fave. 

Murad vitamin c toner-very light and I love it a lot

Wander mascara-LOVE

A

Lancôme primer-lotion rather than silicone based primer. I love this 

Whipped body soap-smells so good and love it

Moroccan oil hair mask-made my hair feel really soft 

I will definitely replace some of these products and use again. I haven’t tried many new things lately, but I am always open to product suggestions. 

Blogging the Bach..Listen to Your Heart 1.6

Since this show is only 6 episodes I had every intention of being spoiler free. I didn’t look up any of the people on the show on social media. I haven’t read Reality Steve or looked at any of the spoiler accounts..until Monday. Watching on Tuesday has been fine until the finale. I just really wanted to know what happened. I saw the start of a spoiler story on Instagram. I knew what I was getting by watching the rest of the story. I had some pretty good guesses of what was going to happen, and I didn’t really want to wait another day to see. I don’t really know what that says about me and my patience, but here we are.

The episode starts out with everyone traveling to Nashville. Chris and Bri and Trevor and Jaime are so excited and so happy. Matt and Rudi but mostly Matt are so awkward. Things are not good. They see Christ Harrison and get the plans for the week-2 songs and a date with a fantasy suite. They get their song assignments. The 2 solid couples are so happy about their songs. Rudi is fake happy about their songs, and Matt says nothing. 

People start practicing and Rudi and Matt aren’t even pretending they are singing. Matt tells Rudi he doesn’t think he can get to the same place as the other couples. He wants to be true to himself. Rudi is understandably so upset. She cries and cries. I don’t know if it’s quarantine, tired, or what, but I cry right a long with her. I am actually genuinely sad. I am not sure what the bigger issue is-Matt giving up on something before giving it a full chance or my reaction to a TV show. Rudi and Matt leave, and I am still sad. 

The other couples have their final dates. Jamie is falling more and more in love with Trevor and Trevor is falling more and more for Jamie. Chris and Bri have been so solid the whole time. Bri starts talking like maybe they aren’t as solid as we have all thought. A few minutes later they get the fantasy suite card and decide not to go. They don’t want to compromise what they have. It seems like they are both on the same page and we are back to thinking they are solid like they’ve been. 

Who knows what is really going on with Bri and Chris. It seems like they are trying to throw us off that they are having problems. It seems like it might be an editing trick. The performances start and they continue to make use think Bri and Chris are having problems. No one is buying it. Unless something happened that we didn’t get to see, they are nervous but otherwise fine.

Jamie and Trevor perform first. It is the best we have seen from them. I still don’t think they will win. I also don’t think they are still together. I didn’t read any spoilers on that, but I just don’t see it lasting. 

Bri and Chris are up next. Once they get on stage, they seem totally fine. They sound good together. They are in love. The win the whole thing.

In conclusion, Bri and Chris are cute and sound good together. I listened to their album today, and it was really good. I am still sad that Rudi and Matt left. I want to hear them sing more, and I am hopeful based on their interviews and social media posts that we will hear them sing together. Rudi released a new single the night of the finale. It’s really good, and she’s no dummy. Overall, I really enjoyed this show. It was the perfect quarantine show, and I’m sad it’s over. I also wish there would have been some time of virtual reunion show.

Bedroom sneak peek and a quick tip

I moved about 6 months ago, and I think it is about time to get my room decorated. I got settled pretty quickly, but I have not done much decorating at all. Part of me is scared to put holes in my brand new walls, and the other part of me hasn’t exactly figured out what I want. 

I was really excited when Emily from Photowall reached out and offered me a piece from their collection. The hardest part of the whole thing was choosing what I wanted. They have so many good choices, and many of the choices a can be customized beyond size. 

My room is very neutral. I wanted to add a little bit of color but still keep things pretty neutral. After going back and forth between several good options, I finally chose this print. It adds the perfect pop to my room while still blending in with what I already have. It also gives me a little color to build on as I continue to decorate my room.

     

 The package arrived quickly and I was excited to put it together. 

The instructions were so easy. It was as simple as lining up the frame, flipping the canvas up, and screwing in an L shaped bracket to keep it all in place. It took less than 10 minutes and was ready to go. 

It was easy to put together and easy to hang on my wall. Photowall provides a bracket and screw for easy hanging. I chose to add a wire rather than use the provided screw, but they do provide everything you need if you choose to use it. 

Photowall was so easy to work with and understanding of my delay in getting things done. If you want to get your own print or check out their wallpaper or other things they offer, Photowall is offering all of you 25% off your order with code aubreyzaruba25. The code is valid until June 19 so go check it out and do a little (or a little more) quarantine shopping. 

The walls in this house are brand new, and I love them. That was not the case in my last house. In fact I never actually decorated my room in my last house because the first thing I needed to do was change the walls. The thought of doing anything to the various colored walls (seen below) was so overwhelming that I never actually even looked into it. Even when I got a new bed and more neutral bedding, I still didn’t do anything about it. In hindsight I wish I wish I would have looked into skimming the walls. Now that I know more about it, I realize it is not that hard at all. It only takes a little time and effort to smooth out the uneven lines and cracks, and provides the perfect surface for a nice neutral wall. I could have had a fully decorated neutral room in the colors I like within a day or two. Do you ever avoid a task because it seems complicated only to realize years later that it would have been so worth it? Yeah me too. 

One of the other moving projects that happened was painting my yellow dresser. This dresser is solid wood, very durable, and not something I wanted to get rid of. However, I was tired of the yellow color. Initially I thought I might wait until the move to paint it to give myself a little time, but I decided a few days before I moved that it would be better to get it done in order to have help moving up my 3 flights of new stairs. 

After a few late late nights, the yellow was gone, and my dresser is now grey. I did a rush job, but overall I really love it. I wanted to paint the handles gold, but I found they are stuck. It seemed easiest to paint them the same grey. I finally did some touch ups last week (6 months later). Here is a bit of a sneak peek. Once my room is finally all the way done, I will come back with a full bedroom reveal. 

Decorating is always a work in progress for me. I want to get it done quickly, but I usually take some time to fully commit. Now that I have had some time to sit on it, I am ready to make some decisions and get things done. Getting this print from Photowall was the push I needed to get going on my room again. If you need a little push or just something fun, check out their site and use code aubreyzaruba25.

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. 

Blogging the Bach...Listen to Your Heart 1.5

This week’s episode can be summed up with one thing..Holy crap Rudi and Matt can sing! The end

I usually blog while I watch the episode, and this week I did not. I was busy doing other things at the beginning. I kept meaning to sit down and actually type, but it never happened. Rather than a recap of the episode, here are my thoughts.

-Rudi and Matt are my faves! Their voices sound so good together. I have rewatched their performance several times because it was that good. I really want it to be available on Apple Music, but I did find out it is on you tube. I am low key obsessed with it, and I really hope they make some post show music together. 

-Still on the topic of Rudi and Matt..I think he does really like her. Their relationship is the most real of all bachelor relationships in that he is not falling in love in 3 days. It is a slow burn, and I am crossing my fingers they can figure it out. I am nervous though. He was on a few interviews this week saying his biggest regret of the whole show was his response when Rudi told him she was falling for him. We can all agree it was pretty bad. 

-Bri and Chris are predictable. I have liked them all season. They are clearly very very into each other. Their performance was fine. It started out kind of boring and picked up towards the end. They sound good together. The wedding was a little bit of an eye roll. I don’t know. It seemed a little too cheesy, but they seemed to love that date so I guess it was fine. 

-Jamie is very young, and it shows. I can’t tell if Trevor really likes her or knows he is sort of stuck with her and might as well roll with it. Either way, I don’t really care much about them. They are fine. Their performance was their best one yet.

-Ryan and Natascha has a rough week. It was pretty obvious they were going home.  

It is crazy that there is only one week left of this show. I am excited to see how it ends and also a little sad that it is ending. 

Blogging the Bach..Listen to Your Heart 1.4

I already know there is going to be some drama this week. Watching the day after the show airs means I hear a little even if I am not trying to. As short as this season is I am trying to avoid spoilers. 

We’re less than 5 minutes in and Chris Harrison tells them he is putting their relationships to the test. People are going on dates with others besides their partners. Let the drama begin.

Rudi and Chris are on a date and clearly just friends. Chris tells Rudi how into Bri he is, and Rudi is totally worried about what is happening with Matt. They go back to the house and straight to Bri and Matt. 

Jamie and Ryan have a spa day. We see almost nothing of their date, and it seems like it is not noteworthy at all. 

Brandon and Julia are at the Roxy writing music. For all she has said about Sheridan, she doesn’t seem to care about that right now. Julia said it would be a disservice if they don’t pursue it. That’s not exactly the word I would use to describe this situation. They sing together and Julia says she wants to end up with Brandon. They get back and she has no regrets. She comes back knowing what she wants to do, but then she can’t just tell Sheridan. She finally kind of says it and he walks away. She doesn’t want him to walk away so he comes back to talk a little more. I’m pretty done with the Julia storyline, but I am pretty sure it is not over. Sheridan leaves, and I feel like she is going to have some regrets about that. 

Brandon asks Savannah for some private time. He tells Savannah he and Julia both have feelings for each other. He then basically blames her for all of this. She tells him she can’t do this. He is kind of mean. She walks away. He searches for her and tells her he wants to choose her. The whole thing is not great, and they should both probably leave. 5 minutes after Savannah leaves Brandon tells Julia he is choosing to do this with her. 

Chris Harrison comes in to tell them the next thing they are doing is singing together again. They get their song assignments. Brandon is not excited about their song. Julia is much more optimistic about it. They are not on the same page, and they’re kind of a mess. Natascha tells Julia she asked Brandon about Savannah and that he would have stayed with her if she stayed. While that might be true, it’s kind of mean girl to say that right before a performance. 

Rudi and Matt-wow! They can sing, and they sound really good together.

Jamie and Trevor-Jaime was so nervous and it showed in their performance. 

Bri and Chris-Lover was the perfect song for them. Their performance was so good. Their chemistry is so good. Bri whispered to Chris that she loves him. He didn’t hear it so she told the audience (and him). He responded he loves her too. It was so genuine and sweet, and they continue to be the it couple. 

Julia and Brandon-awkward

Natascha and Ryan-that was a big performance! Everyone loved it.

The final roses go to Jamie and Trevor which means Julia and Brandon go home. Julia is so mad. She feels like she deserves to be there. I don’t know why she thinks she deserves it more than anyone else. She blames it on Brandon and Natascha. Does she forget what she did to Sheridan one day before? It’s not a pretty exit, but they are gone.