February Favorites 2015

I thought I would bring back these monthly favorite posts since I tend to shop too much and love trying new things. So why not share them on here? (Ironically I noticed the last time I did this was February as well...but two years ago, oops).

• Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple. I actually first noticed this book because of its cover. And this was before I even saw it in full color since it was one of the covers on my Kindle box when I first received it. My friend started reading it (and never finished) but she did rave about it so I decided to pick it up when I was feeling in the mood for a real, physical book. It was a pretty easy read for me so that was nice. Not too heavy but entertaining. Most of the book is written via correspondence between all the different characters. The narrator's mom (who is Bernadette) is hilarious. Definitely my favorite character throughout the novel.
• Symphonized Noise Isolating Headphones. Small, portable headphones that also isolate noise are a must for a public transportation commuter like me. I live pretty far from work so I have to get up extra early to arrive on time. Every morning I try to at least get some more sleep on my train ride, though it gets difficult when the moving train makes so much noise. I never cared about noise isolating headphones till I started commuting. Now I can't survive without them. I used to use these white Skull Candy ones that I was obsessed with, but after having to re-purchase them for a second time after they broke I decided to look into a different brand. I saw all the good reviews on Amazon and for the price I couldn't pass them up! They are made out of genuine wood and on top of looking pretty darn cool they work amazing. The only gripe I have with them is that they don't have volume control. This is a bummer since I try to keep my phone tucked away on the train (I've seen way too many people have their phones snatched). 
• Ariella Collection Crystal Ear Jackets. I have been looking for some ear jacket earrings ever since they started becoming popular. I know Bauble Bar usually has a good collection, but never got around to making an order since the ones I had my eye on were always sold out. I decided to browse through Nordstrom's earrings when I was making an online order and saw these. I had never heard of the brand before, but they appealed to me right away. I have pretty much been wearing them every single day since I've gotten them. I have never gotten more compliments on a pair of earrings until I got these (the fact that my hair is shorter probably helps too). They aren't too flashy that I can't wear them to work, but are noticeable enough that I've gotten comments on them from patients, coworkers, and other strangers alike.
• Laneige Multi-Cleanser. I originally was buying a cream from this brand for my mom at Target when they happened to be having a special where if you bought something from Laneige you got a free mini sample set. In it happened to be this cleanser. I'm pretty happy with my Cetaphil cleanser but decided to try this out one evening after I had finished taking most of my makeup off with a wipe. The description claims to "melt away sunscreen and makeup." Most cleansers that state this are usually too harsh and drying for my skin, but this one didn't give me any of those side effects. It almost gives your skin a squeaky-clean feeling without making it feel too stripped of essential oils. The cleanser does contain "exfoliating papaya" but I wouldn't recommend it if you're just interested in an exfoliater since the papaya dissolves pretty rapidly. I don't mind since I have a separate cleanser I use just for that and I don't want my main cleanser to have that property anyways. I now switch off between this and my Cetaphil cleanser.
• NatureBox Strawberry Greek Yogurt Pretzels. I've had a subscription to this company for a while since I love snacking. I try not to get them every month though since I'm the only one who's usually eating them and it takes me a while to get through them. I recently made a new order after not getting a shipment in a while and loved these pretzels. They are just the right amount of sweet and crunchy. I almost finished the whole bag in one day...(You can find promo codes online if you're interested in signing up for NatureBox. I also am able to send three invites to anyone interested in joining where you can get a free deluxe box [the size I get] for the first month).

Unboxing: Wool and The Gang Giles Eek Hat

Yep, I just bought that hat. I do remember seeing it here and there but I don't know where my sudden obsession came about. One day I just decided I needed to get my hands on it. I browsed through their site and noticed that they had a lot of cute designs in the same type of hat, but I had to get the Giles Eek one. And by had to I mean that it has EYEBALLS on it. C'mon. Do you know how hard it is to find stylish/unique/cool items with eyes/eyeballs on it? VERY. (See my I Heart Guts post below. It is so much easier to find dental-related items versus optometry-related items). 

So I thought about the purchase for a few weeks before deciding to order it when the website proclaimed that there was only "1 left in stock" for this style and color (though how true that is I do not know. The grey one did disappear after I put in my order, but then I noticed it back again the next day. Either way I did not want to risk it!) Ironically it looks like the hat is out of stock in the grey color as I am typing this post. But they have three other colors available here.

It arrived pretty quickly considering it was coming from out of the country. The package was simple but was just another reason I liked it. It came with a few #shareyourknit stickies and a REUSABLE BAG. (I get very excited about these, especially if they're cool like this one).

The actual hat itself came in a simple white "brown bag." And the product is exactly how it looks in photos. The huge chunky knit is amazing and I love the eyeballs knitted on there as well. On top of just looking cool it does a fantastic job of keeping your head warm. Unfortunately the weather isn't cold enough to be wearing such a thick beanie, but luckily it seems like it'll be getting cooling down again soon.

Life Lately

My friend's corgi is the cutest! I just can't with the slicked back ears. In all honesty I was never that into corgis until recently when my boyfriend and I were discussing potential pet options in the future. We were hanging out with my "nephew" on a rare Saturday I had off when these photos were taken. Not gonna lie I definitely miss having weekends like normal people.

In other news, it is now day three on the 21-day no sweetened beverage challenge I'm doing. And so far so good surprisingly. I thought Monday would be harder since I work, but it wasn't too bad. I just started my day off with an unsweetened iced tea and I was good to go. (Though I was enviously looking at the boba drinks a few of the students that were checking in were carrying). It was actually a little bit harder on my days off, especially since the fridge was recently stocked with an iced coffee brand I really like. I almost gave in during my study session, but fought against it. While I do love my drinks I'm the type of person who hates to lose. Guess that's working in my favor!

Tomorrow will be the only "slow" surgery day we've had all year. Even though I'll be doing pretty much everything besides assisting, I'll have to go in early to set up the trays. Luckily we only have two patients (when we normally have around 13), so hopefully it'll go smoothly.

I'm pretty excited for the week to be over with since I've actually got fun things planned for the weekend (another rare real weekend). Some of my friends are super excited about the premiere of Fifty Shades (I've read the book...wasn't a fan. Only finished it because I can't stand leaving books unfinished). This will probably be the only time where I'll prefer the movie over the book, but we'll see. I'm also planning to watch Kingsman, a movie I've been looking forward to ever since I've seen the trailer. I don't really watch too many movies in theaters ever since my boyfriend went out of state for his residency. He'll be coming back for the long weekend though so we'll finally be able to spend some quality time together aka eating and watching movies.