Fresh Face: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: August
By: Jordan
IG: @jay_lasoul
I am a brand junkie, especially when it comes to haircare and skincare products. But this month, I have FINALLY decided to list my favorite things that I have picked up during the month of August:
1. Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel treatment
My aunt noticed the annoying break out that decided to write brail across my forehead and offered me her most recent solution: a mud mask and these Dr. Dennis Gross Pads. And I must say, they are working like a charm. I have to be honest and say that I have only used them two times, but in those two uses over the course of 4 days, those pesky pimples have decided to slowly (but noticeably) retreat. A 30 day supply is pricey ($84 from Sephora which is why I still have not purchased them to continue this regimen, but if I don’t purchase lunch every day this week, I will get them at the end of the week and keep y’all posted.
2. Angelic Resin Blend by ResonanceApothecary
A couple of months ago, when I attended Fran’s Supernatural Wellness Tour, Mayram Hasnaa burned resins throughout the entire experience. Part of her portion of the wellness tour was about smell association and how you can train your mind to assign meanings and reactions to scents. I burned incense prior to the resins, but I was ready for something stronger. I tried to go to WholeFoods and buy a resin blend there. But let's just say the smell was NOT what I was going for. Then I remember Fran saying Hasnaa had an Etsy shop of her own so I decided to give it a go. The most potent scent is frankincense, but it has a unique, light, cleansing smell that I burn often throughout the week. Make sure if you purchase, you tell her Goddess Culture sent you!
So on August 30th, I decided to take Jessica Castro’s Absolute Beginner Heels Workshop at the best dance program in the worlds, Ailey Extension at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I digress. So, I brought clothes to wear to the dance class after work, but I truly do not know that I was thinking. Luckily, there is a TJ Maxx right down the block from my job. Shout out to the convenience of New York City. Any who, I found Kyodan leggings and they are so perfect. I am a girl with a big butt and a small waist so bottoms tend to fit me in a really stupid way. But these leggings hug my curves, are good quality, are thick enough to not show my undies, but thin enough to give me maximum stretch. Check them out!
I write and record everything. I love to capture quotes, thoughts, and moments, so I am the girl who always has a pen and paper in her bag. I usually have phases of the style of books that I like, so for a while, it was Bando spiral notebooks because the covers were hard, but they aren’t the full 8.5 x 11 size. Then I gravitated toward the non-Moleskine soft cover small journal notebooks because they are convenient to stow away. Those books work when I get to sit down at a table and work, but not when I am reading or listening to podcasts on the train and do not have a hard surface. On top of all of my pickiness, I am really weird about the type of paper I write on. So I could have gone to target and purchased any small notebook with a hard cover, I knew it would be a dummy mission. So I decided to go to Moleskine and feel the pages. Boom! I fell and love and now we have #4 on my favorite things list.
5. Mango Shea Butter from Alma’s Legacy
At the beginning of the month (I think), I was looking for a skirt to wear to my god-son's baby shower. Thank God for random festivals in Newark because not only did I find a super cute skirt, but I found a mango shea butter that smells absolutely delicious! I won’t go on about the benefits of shea butter because I’m sure y’all know. But just know that the scent lasts all day long, sticks to your clothes (in a good way), and leaves your skin silky smooth until you shower.
I did not pick this book up for the first time this month, but I picked it back up and was reminded just how magical this book is. Paulo Coelho is a hell of a writer and I firmly believe everyone should experience his greatness. Without spilling all of the beans, it serves as a reminder that our only obligation in life is to realize our own destiny and that “when you want something, all the universe conspired in helping you achieve it.”
So at the beginning or middle of the month, my life changed drastically and I had to get some things in order. Of course, I write everything down. But seeing reminders to stay on track it in my passion planner and scattered on post it's around my journals in not enough. I needed to see reminders to keep my sh*t in line every morning when I wake up, every evening before I go to sleep, and every time in between. So, I bought this white board from Target (you can honestly get one from anywhere) because I really liked the size. Once I deiced to get the décor for my room together, I will spray paint the silver frame gold to make it prettier.
8. Summer Nights: Summer’s Over
I’m always looking for new music and good playlists. Luckily, we have poppin’ playlists by Wavy Sounds all of the time. This one is a feel good mix of old and new jams that make you think of summer and not so much about the fact that beach days and short are almost a thing of the past.