Trying New Things: July 2015

Ah -- August 2015. We meet at last.

Seriously, this is the month I've been fearing/anticipating/dreading/waiting for for a while now. I'm excited about everything this month is going to bring, but I'm also nervous about my ability to handle it all. Just keep swimming, right?

Or maybe, just keep blogging? My regular Stitch Fix post isn't happening this month, because (a) who knows when the baby is going to come? (b) who knows what my body is going to look like after the baby comes? (c) whether my box arrived pre-baby or post-baby, this month is not one for modeling, if you know what I'm sayin'. But never fear - I'm planning on starting those up again in September!

I can, however, proceed as usual with my "Trying New Things" post! This is just a chance for me to share some new things I've tried over the past month. I really enjoy these posts and I hope they help you find new things for you and your family, too!

(Also, this probably goes without saying, but you should know that nothing in this post is sponsored or officially promoted at all, and there are no affiliate links. I'm just chatting with friends about some chat-worthy things!)


Let's begin with: theSkimm .

theSkimm is a free, emailed newsletter sent out every weekday that gives a brief summary of current, major news stories. It's basically a way to "skim" the news (get it?).

Some things I love about theSkimm:

• Brief summaries of news stories, but with links to full stories if you need more info
• Fun to read. They use a very conversational tone (almost to a fault sometimes, in fact) and they keep things simple.
• Makes it easy to keep up to date on current events. 
• Lately they've been doing interviews with presidential candidates, which has been super interesting. They've interviewed candidates from both major parties, so you can kind of see what each person is like and where their political focus is.
• Even if I'm not interested in any of a particular day's stories, reading through the entire email takes about 5 minutes, tops. 

That being said, theSkimm isn't perfect. If I'm being completely honest, I've gotta say that their tone of writing can be borderline irreverent at times, which kind of rubs me the wrong way. But that's really my only major complaint. I've really enjoyed reading their emails each morning and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to be "in the know" on current events without hopping from website to website.

Pixi Correction Concentrate

I tend to look tired lately. Can you blame me? Something about growing a human while taking care of other humans...it's exhausting. Add to that the fact that you have a hard time sleeping because you have a zillion things running through your brain, and well, your physical appearance starts to suffer a bit.

I've tried a few under-eye concealers/brighteners before, with mixed results. This is my favorite, by far.

Why so good? Well, for starters, a little goes a long way. Just dab your ring finger or pinky in there once, or maybe twice, and that's really all you need. I seriously think a tub of this stuff will last me a year. And it was only like $10! Which is seriously a steal compared to many alternatives. The coverage is good, with peachy undertones to cancel out those bluish circles. It doesn't cake and comes off on my makeup removing wipe at the end of the day (the ultimate test!). It also blends well and is rather idiot-proof when it comes to application, which is kind of a must for me in the makeup department. 

Here's my before and after, with no other changes:

(Okay, so now that I look at it, I might have made one other change and licked my lips in between photos. They look much more lively in the second photo, am I right?)

But honestly, I feel like my entire face is brighter in that second photo!

So if you're tired and you look it (which is very close to being sexy and knowing it), you should try this stuff out. Get it at Target, yo.

And last but not least -- Folex.

Folex has been on my radar for a while now. It's a carpet and upholstery cleaner that apparently tap dances and makes the heavens open and rain down Dove chocolate promises that land in your hand and not on your head (because, ouch). 

Seriously though, this stuff has a good rep. 

So when a mysterious black spot showed up in a very conspicuous place in our hallway at the top of the stairs, I knew it was time to try the infamous Folex. I picked some up at Home Depot for maybe like $7? It's a good sized bottle and will last a while. 

And did it work? Well, you tell me:

Oh yeah, it worked. Fast and well. You just spray it on, agitate with your fingers (yes, it specifically says to use your fingers...which I don't love, but whatever), dab with a cloth, and voila!

While it's sold as a "carpet stain remover," it is safe to use on any color-fast material -- including clothing and upholstery. I already used it on our nursery's La-Z-Boy and our kitchen table chairs. I'm planning on tackling the van floor next. It's also odorless, which I definitely appreciate. I'd say this is a product that lives up to the hype around it!

So there are my "new things" I tried out in July. What do you think -- will you be trying any of them? Or have you tried something lately I should know about?

Except don't recommend the Oreo Thins, because I got a free package of them and am now thoroughly convinced that they serve absolutely no purpose other than to sell Double Stuf Oreos. IF YOU CANNOT TASTE THE CREAM THEN WHAT IS LIFE?

But anyway, I digress. Oreos do that to me. Happy August!