Weekend Mode: Activated

Tablespoon tea, a perfect Pilates kit, a glow stick, a back smoothing bra and some spectacular salads

Hello, Gorgeous!

First off, welcome all you wonderful new readers and lurkers. I see you. I appreciate you. I wish you’d subscribe!

Moving right along.

Summer weekends are not meant for long information heavy posts. For that reason, for the next few weeks I’ll be mixing things up a bit, and who knows? It might be permanent.

Roundups will move to Thursdays. Friday’s feature will be a short cute tidbit. Because who wants to stare at a screen when you could should be frolicking or merrymaking?

Pilates Essential Kit

Better Me created the perfect Pilates kit you can easily pack in your weekender. There’s a toning Pilates ring - (hello inner thighs, it’s been a minute). You’ll also find long resistance bands that are stretchy but not too strong, Pilates loop bands to help you work that squat, a soft Pilates ball to target core and balance and super cute grippy socks. You can always add weight bands, a mat or an actual mini Pilates reformer ($198 for the kit, betterme.world).

A wire-free bra with back support

As someone with bountiful boobage I wear an underwire bra during most of my waking hours. But sometimes I feel like I need support that’s less significant. I picked up this Jockey Seamfree Back Smoothing Bralette on a recent Target run. I gotta say, I’m pleasantly surprised most of all by the amount of back support it provides, even when I’m hunched over a keyboard for hours. While I’m not thrilled with the side-boob spillover, this isn’t a serious bra, so I won’t deduct any points. In all, this is a great option for when you’re lounging at home or only partially committed to getting dressed. Sewn-in molded cups also mean you can wear it to run errands without feeling too self-conscious. It comes in 10 colors and sizing up to 3XL ($32, Jockey.com).

Boba-ish tea

I love bubble tea. I don’t love the excess sugar, calories and cost. Meet my new crush The Republic of Tea Tablespoon Milk Tea Concentrate. Is it sweet? Yes. But just the right amount of sweet. If you add dairy or plant milk the taste will change, but will still maintain its delightful taste. Simply shake the bottle, measure out a tablespoon and add a cup of milk. If you’re feeling daring, you can add some tapioca bubbles as well. It’s an easier way of having milk tea without the graininess of a mix. It’s also gluten free, dairy free and kosher ($15, Amazon).

Butter Glow & Go

For someone so enmeshed in the beauty industry you’d think I’d carry a small suitcase of makeup with me wherever I go. I do not. In fact, I carry the bare minimum whenever possible. Right now I’m digging Physician’s Formula Butter Glow & Glow Multiuse Stick. It’s a nice way to pare down or at least combine your contour/bronzer/blush and in a pinch, lip or eye color in one. The blush tinted end is also the most perfect sheer and slightly sparkly combo ($17, physiciansformula.com).

ALL the salad and dressing recipes

I love salad. I’m also bored of the basic lettuce/tomato/onion/mushroom combo I seem to chop up most often. Life-Changing Salads: 100 Plant-Based Salads and Dressings Beyond Your Wildest Greens by Danielle Brown of HealthyGirl Kitchen has so many amazing recipes, including the often shared spring roll salad. I’m really excited to test out some of the dressings as well. Best of all there are so many gorgeous pics. I know it’s expensive to print cookbooks, but the luscious photos make all the difference to me. I treated myself to a copy early this week. I’ll keep you posted if I try any interesting recipes over the weekend ($20 sale price, Amazon.com)

Do you have any fun weekend plans or will you be summer hibernating ? Let’s meet in the comment section to discuss!

Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋

P.S. Are these Teva Aventrail Trail Running Sandals cute or hideous? There are times I wonder about the things I’ve started to covet.

I’ve been singing this one all day