March 2020 | Monthly Faves
One of my favorite posts to read/videos to watch are people's monthly faves.
I don't know why. There's just something appealing about learning which things stood out to someone over the span of a whole month.
We all know this has been a wack-a-doodle month with COVID-19, and nothing has been "normal." In the midst of these crazy, scary, unique times, here are the things that stood out to me...
1) TV SHOW: Love Is Blind
So, I totally binge-watched Love Is Blind on Netflix in a day and a half. No regrets.
If you haven't seen it, the gist of the show is that people date each other in "pods," which are basically rooms with a divider so that one cannot see another. They talk until they find the person they are compatible with and want to get engaged to, and then they propose without ever having seen the person. After the couples are all matched-up and engaged, they are put to the test to see if they can survive out in the real world for a month before they get married—IF they get married.
It kind of reminded me of The Bachelor in the sense that "contestants" are finding love in unconventional ways and within controlled environments. Bash me all you want, but it was TOTALLY entertaining.
I don't mind reality TV because, like most things, it teaches you something—even if it's what NOT to do in a situation. I have no problem learning from others' mistakes!
2) SONG: "I Hope You're Happy Now" - Carly Pearce & Lee Brice
On the first day I listened to "I Hope You're Happy Now" , I legit abused the repeat button. I was hooked. I memorized all the lyrics that very day and told my friends how addicted I was to the song.
I still love it. It's fantastic. And when Lee Brice sings, "I'm a wreck / I'm a mess," it makes ME a mess. The music video is entertaining too.
Click here to read a list of my favorite country songs of all time.
3) BOOK: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
My friends and I started a wine & book club (though a pin was put into it with all the virus stuff), and the first book we are reading is called The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
I actually haven't finished it yet, but man, is it something. I naturally gravitate toward fiction, and even though this technically IS fictional, it is based on a true story in history. And I'm enjoying reading something beyond my normal realm of familiarity.
The story revolves around a Slovakian Jew in a concentration camp in 1942 who was forced to tattoo numbers on prisoners' arms. The story is compelling and insightful, and I think it's a glimpse into the harsh truth of what life was like for millions of people back then that we all need to experience, even if just through a page.
4) MOVIE: Daniel Sloss (not a movie)
I'm replacing the movie category with stand-up comedy this month because my friend, Lauren, and Thomas and I watched a lot of stand-up comedy this month on Netflix to preoccupy ourselves.
Out of everyone we watched, Daniel Sloss was by far the funniest. He's definitely got a darker sense of humor, which I find hysterical, but isn't enjoyable to some.
He has a way of making you scrutinize your beliefs with his convincing skits. He's also more than a funny joke, as at the end of his shows, he spend about 10-15 minutes talking about real-life topics—basically like a TED Talk.
He's definitely an 18+ comedian, so if you're under 18, please get your parents' permission before you view any of his material. There is a lot of swearing and talk about subjects like sex, drugs, and death.
5) CLOTHING PIECE: Cheetah dress
I didn't get a full-length picture of it on, but basically it's a stretchy, form-fitting, sleeveless cheetah-print dress that goes to just above my knees. I wore it with black stockings, brown riding boots, a black cardigan, and the chunky brown jewel necklace you see in the picture.
The riding boots were cute, but I'd probably try some black booties next time.
Anyway, I was feeling good, lovin' the look!
NOTE: This was before quarantine. I've only worn pajamas since. Yikes.
6) FOOD: Chocolate Turtle Layer Cake
I followed this recipe I found on Pinterest by a blogger named Queenslee Apetit, and mannnnn, was it scrumptious.
This was how our cake turned out (and actually, the recipe is big enough to make two full-size, two-layer cakes, if you choose to go that route, like I did, instead of making one giant four-layer cake):
It is admittedly a very complex recipe, and it took my friend, Lauren, and I probably around FIVE hours to make—no joke. But that's also because we didn't have two, let alone four, of the same size round cake pans, so we had to make each cake layer individually and let it cool before baking another.
Also, I would make ALL the salted caramel together in the same batch and then divide it after, as opposed to making it in separate batches to save time. I didn't realize until after I finished the first batch and started rinsing the pan that I'd have to make another.
Nevertheless, it was allllll worth it for this decadent cake. Lauren and Thomas liked it but weren't as crazy about it as I was. I DO have a taste for complex, flavorful foods, though, so if you do too, this may be a perfect recipe for you to try. If you prefer simpler tastes, maybe try something different.
7) ACTIVITY: Doing nothing
I know that sounds like such a cop-out answer, but what I REALLY enjoyed doing this month was... nothing. The activity of doing nothing , if you will.
I wouldn't ever trade so many innocent lives lost to this pandemic for some free time, but since I had to stay home anyway, it was just really nice to not have any responsibilities to worry about.
Aside from being lazy, I've actually done a lot in these recent few weeks. I've done a lot of blog work, I've set up my office, I've organized and cleaned, I've binge-watched shows and made recipes... But what really takes the cake is knowing I didn't HAVE to do anything.
I think I was getting a little spread thin before this quarantine with my many jobs and responsibilities, and the ironic part is that I was actually planning on taking an in-home vacation before I was forced to by the Coronavirus.
8) APP: Tik Tok
Y'all.
Y'all.
I promised myself I wouldn't get into Tik Tok. I had just seen so many cringey videos over time that originated from Tik Tok, and I declared it as officially "not my thing."
And what did I do? What did I do y'all?!
I GOT SUCKED INTO THE BLACK HOLE THAT IS TIK TOK!!!!
I didn't know it was so... entertaining! Ugh. I didn't know there were so many cute videos of animals and babies, either. And I'm a sucker for animals and babies.
Thomas put a setting on my phone that tells me when I've reached my daily 45-minute Tik Tok allowance. And guess what? I IGNORE IT EVERY SINGLE TIME. #sorrynotsorry
GUYS, look at this stupid, cute-ass video. I've watched it so many times.
I've also made the trending "whipped coffee" and memorized the little song, "When I wake up in the morning, touch his little floofster, see his little mittens, give his nose a BOOPSTER!"
(If you don't know what I'm talking about, you've probably not been sucked into the Tik Tok vortex, and you should STAY THAT WAY!!)
9) MAKEUP PRODUCT: Wait for it...
This time, I am NOT doing my favorite makeup product of the month. I really didn't have one given that 1) I haven't been wearing much makeup while being in quarantine, and 2) when I DID wear makeup, I didn't try anything new.
So, for March, I'm doing my LEAST favorite makeup product instead of my favorite. And that's this:
The Milani Conceal + Perfect.
I also obviously picked a shade that's way too light for me (I always prefer going lighter than darker when in doubt), but that had nothing to do with my distaste for this foundation.
No matter how many times I tried to make it work, I just couldn't get behind this product. I did end up mixing it with other foundations, which helped, but I would never buy it again. My skin didn't absorb it well, so it just sat there. It made my skin look awful and texturized and somewhat cakey. I'm not sure if it's the concealer in it that made the formula like this or what...
I don't have any pictures to show because I always tried my best to make it look as nice and smooth as possible. Maybe this will work on others' skin types, but it didn't with mine.
Have you tried the Milani Conceal + Perfect? Did you like it?
10) PROJECT: This blog!!
This blog has been my passion project for quite some time now, but I really put a bucket-load of hours into it this month, especially since I had the TIME to. Plus, I had to, given that I set my launch date as April 1st (and I write this on March 30th).
I'm so excited to finally go live with it soon.
11) MEMORY: Thomas kissing my friend's foot...
Despite being in quarantine, this month as a whole contained a LOT of memories. It was hard to choose just one.
But the one that I will NEVER forget is a drunken Thomas kissing my friend's foot. Here's a brief Story-Time:
Thomas doesn't drink much at all—he maybe gets drunk like once, twice a year—but this day, he decided to get hammered at home. Many fruity mixed drinks, a few shots, and hours later, he's drunk as a skunk. To the point where he would look at my friend, Lauren, and me and ask, "Who are you??"
Lauren, sober, goes to leave for home at night and calls to Thomas to say goodbye. However, she used my nickname for him, "T-Mons," and he goes, "Babe, is that you?!"
She says no and walks over to give him a hug as he lies on the couch. They hug, but then Thomas yells, "Babe!" and FLIPS HER OVER THE COUCH ON TOP OF HIM.
At this point she's screaming, and I'm dying of laughter. But wait, it gets worse...
Apparently, as she's flying on top of him, he begins nibbling her big toe. And then he starts KISSING HER FEET, thinking she's me. She's hollering that she's not "babe," and I'm doing this combination of laughing, recording, and trying to help Lauren off of him (he's gripping on tight).
This is the footage I got. Excuse the poor lighting.
Thomas couldn't believe he did that when I told him later! He says he still had a really fun, carefree night, though, and he didn't even wake up with a hangover!
Lauren said it's a story she'd tell at our wedding.
12) PICTURE: Thomas and Elena
Men + babies = hot.
My friend, Morgan, has this beautiful, almost two-year-old named Elena. We all find her adorable, and I find Thomas finding her adorable to be, well, adorable.
Thanks for reading!
What are your answers to these categories? Which items and memories stand out to you? Comment below!
Until next time...
