Time for another collection of Stuff We Like, because we have so many big and little things that are making our lives a little more cool and comfortable, a little more happy, or just a little more sparkly, and we want to share them with you!
NB: some of these links are affiliate coded, which means a portion of your purchase comes back to us at no extra cost to you. Thank you in advance for your consideration!
Elyse: Jane Austen stitch markers – I love them.
Claudia: WANT!!!!!
Shana: Oooooh.
Carrie: Would wear.
Sarah: It’s not crafty, I bought myself a bottle of cuticle oil and it’s so soothing, it’s almost bizarre. I love it.
Shana: What magic things does it do to your nails? I had a bottle once and I was never quite sure what to do with it.
Sarah: Because I wash my hands All The Time my cuticles get really, really dry and anxiety makes me pick at them, which makes it worse.
Post manicure, once the topcoat is dry, the cuticle oil smooths the top and moisturizes the cuticles themselves, which are dry after the pushing back part and the nail polish remover part.
Jillian at Frolic sent me a video about manicure routines that kind of upgraded everything I do to my nails. My manicures are so much stronger and longer-lasting. Applying the cuticle oil every other day keeps my cuticles soft and will protect the manicure, too.
I have been putting a tiny drop at the base of my nail then massaging it in. It smells nice, too.
Shana: Sarah, this makes SO much sense. I tried putting the oil on my nails before painting them and I’m sure you can imagine how well that turned out.
Sarah: Yeah, the oil won’t work if you do it first.
I also (if you’re curious) added to my manicure routine A BUNCH of ILNP polishes. I talked about them in recent podcasts, and they’re my absolute new favorite. They’re smooth and go on very easily, and are light weight and not gloopy.
I just treated myself to these:
I also ordered a new topcoat – essie Gel Couture, $8 – which has made a massive difference (as has being patient while painting my nails and letting the coats dry while I bingewatch old Bake Off episodes).
My eyebrows might look like caterpillars doing a slow mating dance, but my nails look pretty nice, and I feel happy whenever I see all the sparkles.
Tara: Sarah, we switched our handsoap to the Native bodywash because my daughter’s hands were getting chapped from regular soap. It ended up making a difference for all four of us.
Sarah: No kidding! I might have to do a “Stuff We Like: Hand Care.”
Tara: She literally looked like she had dark pink wool gloves on. Her hands are super soft now.
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Shana: Have I already talked about how much I love the hibiscus Blue Ivy tea from Classy Hippie Tea Company? I rediscovered it last month and have been making buckets of iced tea lately.
I don’t know that making your tea Beyonce themed actually makes it more delicious but, maybe?
Maya: DEFINITELY. That looks sooooo good, I love hibiscus everything!!!!
Amanda: Maybe we could also do a hot weather Stuff We Like? Like your KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment.
Sarah: Also a good idea! This one will be a little of all the things! The ice cream maker attachment is a little pricey but WOW does it make great ice cream.
The attachment works with the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. You have to keep the bowl part in the freezer, but the whole thing works easily and quickly to make homemade ice cream. This summer, we’ve made coffee chip and mint chocolate cookies and cream with mint Oreos.
I think I want to eat some now. Excuse me.
This is our go-to recipe book, and we’ve given copies to friends over the years, too.
Claudia: Jeni’s Ice Cream Book is amazing!
Best ice cream recipes I’ve found and no need for cooking egg yolks.
Amanda: Speaking of hot weather, I recommend this cooling water gel moisturizer:
Maya: I’m a big fan of Brujita Skincare.
I especially love the Hechizo Facial Serum ($21) –it’s so moisturizing!!
Amanda: What skin types, Maya? I am an oil slick, so water-based moisturizer do better for my skin.
“Put a witch on it” is my personal version of “put a bird on it.”
Maya: They have stuff for all skin types, but I’ve got cystic acne so I use the products for that!
Amanda: OOOH! They have a skin quiz. I will literally take a quiz about anything.
Maya: LOL SAME.
Amanda: Might try them out when the restock hits! Also passed along to a a vegan friend.
Maya: Awesome!
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I was sent a sample collection of Kate’s Real Food bars to try. I can attest that they are both very filling and VERY GOOD.
The very filling part: I put one in my bag when taking a brief road trip where I didn’t want to buy food (because road food often makes me feel ill) or stop if I had to (see again: quarantimes). The flavor was my second favorite, peanut butter milk chocolate, and it was perfect: I was full and didn’t feel road-food-gross, and it kept me going.
The very good part: Why is PB milk chocolate my second favorite flavor? Because PB dark chocolate is my favorite. I’d have liked to have eaten more of it but it was stolen and transported away from me by my younger son, who said it was the greatest thing he’d eaten in a week. He also endorses the dark chocolate, cherry & almond flavor and the PB hemp & flax.
There are fewer bars in my pantry and I have only had one and one fourth. SO I have to order more. They’re delicious (and made of good stuff, too).
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And, it’s not going to be hot and humid and sticky forever (at least, I’m telling myself that) so this final rec from Amanda is for all of us who are trying to look forward to…anything.
Amanda: Do I need?
Sarah: I think so?
Maya: I think you can never have too many fleecy things.
Sarah and Shana: 
Amanda: The navy color is on sale with a coupon, too.
Tara: Yes, future Amanda will thank today’s Amanda when it’s cold this winter.
Amanda: Thank you all for the validation.
What about you? What things have you bought for yourself that made you feel better, more sparkly, cooler, and happier? And what are you looking forward to?
After suffering from skin problems for the past two years I finally went to see a dermatologist yesterday and got prescriptions for a few things that I look forward to trying out tonight. Turns out you can get acne at 32 even if you didn’t have it as a teen, sigh.
Your list has also inspired may to do a manicure tonight with a lovely pearly nailpolish I bought last week. Might pick up some cuticle serum on my way home for a bit of extra care~
Speaking of treating ourselves I’ve been eyeing the lovely book carts all over bookstagram, any recommendations? Specifically available from Amazon? The Michaels cart doesn’t look sturdy enough for books and I don’t have an IKEA close enough to make the trip.
Also, Amanda I live in Florida where it will continue to be hot and sticky for two maybe three more months and I love fleecy things. Coats are what I miss most about living up North. I’ve been wrap sweaters all summer for …. air conditioning, I guess?
*been buying wrap sweaters, I haven’t actually been a wrap sweater (although that sounds kind of cozy)
@Emily C: We have a book cart! We got it from Target and had it delivered.
@EmilyC, I’ll bet there are some good used furniture/antiques places around you, I would start there (lucky!).
I am in favor of ice cream…all the ice cream.
I bought the fleece cover for my daughter last Christmas and she wore it all through the winter. Just loved it! Probably the best gift I’ve given her (that she didn’t pick out herself!) Was big enough to snuggle in, but wasn’t a big blanket that she could trip over.
@Lynn-Turns out that you can get skin problems at 58! That was something I wasn’t prepared for! That was two summers ago for me, after trying many things-Clinique Acne Care finally cleared it up. For some reason they seem to be discontinuing that line, which is sad because it flared up again this June. Anyway, after many decades of clear skin, it was a shock to be dealing with major acne issues, and like you mentioned-I got off very lightly as a teen.
Love that oversized blanket hoodie! That’s a really nice dark blue. Where can one buy it? I did a reverse image search but got results for others that don’t look quite the same.
@dd The image should be linked! But in case it’s not working, you can buy one right here!
@Amanda- thanks for the recommendation for the Target cart! They have a gorgeous blue color and I just picked it up curbside. Book and supply organization will be my weekend project and I can’t wait!!
I love hibiscus tea and drink it daily. Happy to learn that others are fans of this amazing tea. I’ll order the Blue Ivy hibiscus above and try it.
I’ve discovered to my dismay that I’ve been in the doldrums the longer the pandemic goes on, like so many. I decided a month ago to repaint my kitchen and kitchen cabinets and then I spent hours and hours researching cabinet handles. I finally found these big chunky and boxy looking brushed nickle silver ones to go with my new grey cabinets and it is satisfying. I keep finding reasons to walk through my kitchen now.
The fleecy thing is now unavailable. Sigh!
Not a thing, but a word: Komorebi, a japanese word meaning both sunlight through trees and a kind of nostalgia for things past. Something unspeakably beautiful and a little melancholy. Knowing there is a word for it clarifies things.
@Maria Vale, thanks for sharing that. I love learning new words that describe super specific emotions or concepts. I recently read a BBC article about Fernweh, an acute aching to travel far away (the opposite of homesickness), which resonated. Would love to see a Things we like on super-specific words!
I am a single mama to two (one teen and one baby) and therefore my self-care budget is limited. HOWEVER, I have been putting a bit of money aside and buying one small thing for myself when I can. This month, I ordered a romance book box (just a small 1 book box) from a company that lets you pick your favorite tropes so that you can get something you like. It arrives this coming week and it will be a welcome surprise for this tired, stressed out mama.
I bought a house last fall – my first, ever – out in the country, across a dirt road from my parents’ property. It has been my quiet oasis during the pandemic. The house came with two small fenced garden plots. I planted butterfly gardens in both, and have loved watching the flowers blossom, and the bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies visiting, and now, looking for caterpillars that will be new butterflies. I am extremely fortunate, and I am grateful.
I love/rue the day I discovered INLP nail polish, I have spent so much money there. But that doesn’t hold a candle to the number of and amount of nail polish I’ve purchased from Live Love Polish: http://www.livelovepolish.com. I just spent $50 on four nail polishes – Larkspur, Oleander, Worth it, and Dreamer. If I could embed pictures (technically challenged), you would drool. Especially if you had an inner teen like I do. I love their holographic, glittery, color-changing polishes SO much.