things of lately + recent eats

Hi friends! I hope you’re enjoying the morning. Some exciting news news today: Beautycounter friends and family is here! Click here to get 15% off my favorite makeup and skincare + 30% off holiday sets. I’ll share some of my top picks in the bottom of this post.

What are you up to today? We’re doing the usual hangout and pool rotation over here. A new development: I’ve woken up early to work out the past two days in a row. I’m not a morning person AT ALL but since the Pilot had to leave super early to fly, I went to bed early, too. I can’t decide if I’m a fan yet or not. I’ve gotten pretty used to my late-night popsicle and Queer Eye routine. 😉

Some adventures from lately:

It was madre’s birthday, so we went swimming at her house and brought a cake with us. Nadine’s bakery here in Tucson is RIDICULOUS for all of my local friends. We got a triple layer white cake with strawberry jam filling and vanilla buttercream. It was a lovely night to celebrate someone we love so much!

 

Sitting with my fave guy, watching the girls giggle and splash in the water is one of my fave spots:

When the Pilot got home from his recent trip, I wanted to surprise him with a fancier dinner than our usual rotations. I also figured that since we haven’t had people over in so long, I should probably practice more challenging cooking skills. Use it or lose it, right?

He loves braised short ribs, so I gave them a whirl, using this recipe.

You guys. They were SO GOOD.

I only have red meat maybe once every 3-6 months or so (I love a good steak and then I’m usually good on the meat front for a while), and this was amaaaaazing. The sauce made the entire house smell ridiculous, and I served the short ribs with mashed sweet potatoes, garlic and lemon asparagus, some fresh baguette Kyle dropped off,

and blueberry and peach crumble for dessert.

I had mine plain and the Pilot and the girls had theirs with French vanilla ice cream.

More recent eats:

One of my usual breakfasts! Egg with gluten-free avocado toast and toast with Kite Hill cream cheese + everything but the bagel seasoning

Greek dinner bowl, inspired by PaleOMG. Rice (cooked in instant pot), chicken thighs (cooked stovetop with oregano, salt, pepper, onion powder, and made a sauce scraping the bits up from the bottom of the pan with a little white wine, garlic, and butter), cucumber, Kalamata olives (we ran out or I would have added more!), hummus, romaine with Greek dressing, and topped with mint. I added tzakziki sauce to the girls’ and they went crazy for it.

And now since this post is already all over the place, here are the details for friends and family 15% off and 30% off holiday sets and last-chance items.

If you haven’t tried Beautycounter yet, now is the perfect time! Our gorgeous skincare and makeup products are formulated without harmful ingredients and endocrine disruptors (1800 and counting!) and they’re incredibly high-performing.

For so long, I paid a lot of attention to the foods I was eating and how I was working out, and neglected to pay attention to the ingredients of the products I was putting on my body. When I started to do more research, I was shocked that there hasn’t been cosmetics reform since 1938. What did people even use for cosmetics back then? I also realized that I was being exposed to hundreds of harmful chemicals and had no idea. Beautycounter has completely changed the industry by creating products that are safe for the entire family. I’m excited to partner with this brand and their mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone.

Some of my very favorite picks:

Color Intense lipstick – this lipstick lasts all day and isn’t drying like so many long-wearing lipsticks. My favorite color is Brunch, which is the perfect pinky nude

Skin Twin – this is our newest tinted moisturizer which is skincare and tinted SPF moisturizer all in one. It’s smooth, buildable coverage in SPF 20, and is available in 18 different shades. Need help finding your shade? Here ya go!

Overnight resurfacing peel – This leave-on AHA/BHA peel contains 15 botanical acids (9 resurfacing and 6 soothing acids) that gently break down the surface of your skin. It promotes cellular turnover for a smoother complexion, reduces the appearance of fine lines, minimizes the appearance of pores, evens skin tone and reduces the appearance of dark spots.

Charcoal mask –  Ten minutes to a purified complexion: this nutrient-rich kaolin clay mask with activated charcoal purifies and balances, absorbing excess oil and drawing out impurities. Salicylic and lactic acids aid in a gentle exfoliation, giving skin a smooth, polished look with a minimized appearance of pores.

Countertime supreme cream –  Featuring our plant-derived Retinatural Complex, this collection is designed to visibly firm, brighten, and plump the skin. To create Retinatural Complex, we took two of the most powerhouse plant-derived ingredients available and created a scientific breakthrough. Bakuchiol has been shown to provide skin-care results that are comparable to retinol—without harmful side effects such as skin irritation and increased sun sensitivity—and Swiss Alpine rose boosts the skin’s antioxidant defense. This night cream is super moisturizing and luxe.

Our new Vitamin C serum – like sunshine in a bottle, this serum instantly brightens skin and helps reduce the appearance of existing dark spots, while antioxidant-rich turmeric and camu camu extracts help protect against new ones. The formula also helps defend skin from the damaging effects of envi- ronmental stressors—revealing a more youthful-looking complexion. Apply in the morning after your regular serum and before your moisturizer.

I notice a huge difference when a use this on my skin! It feels brighter and the texture is smoother when I apply my makeup.

Check out the full sale here.

I hope you have a wonderful day and I’ll see ya soon. Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today!

xo

Gina