On My Radar

Today is going to be a bit of a ramble here. Apparently, I have a lot on my mind!

I’m really missing my fam this week. That’s the worst part visiting… I always feel the homesickness a little more intensely when I’m back for a week or so. While I was in Tampa, I ended up working on a campaign for Mother’s Day with Elizabeth Arden. My mom is such a good sport (and loves the extra attention if you can’t tell from the vlog ha) and my dad helped take some of the photos– and we all lived to tell the tale 😂 Anyway, I wanted to bring up a couple of things about blog sponsorships.

1) I would not be where I am today without your readership. I want you to know how much I appreciate your loyalty. I’d love to meet every one of you guys at some point, but for now, I relish your comments and emails. They mean SO much to me. I read everything and try my best to respond. I always always always respond to emails. (Sometimes things slip through the cracks, so if I haven’t responded to your email I’ve probably accidentally archived it from my phone– resend it!) Working with these incredible brands literally would not happen if it weren’t for you and I take that responsibility seriously.

2) I’m very picky when it comes to partnering with brands. I always look at the partnership to see what you, the reader, is going to get from it. Often it’s a brand I already know and love, and sometimes it’s new-to-me and an exciting opportunity to try something new. I’m most particular with beauty and alcohol partnerships. I never work with alcohol brands because I feel like it’s super weird to be paid to promote alcohol and I rarely drink. For beauty brands, more often than not I have to say no because the brand’s proposal doesn’t give me enough time to test the product before signing an agreement. I don’t want to use a face wash once, for example, and love it for a day and then realize that it dries my skin out a month later. I think it’s in the best interest of the brand to let us test the product, so we have legitimate things to say, but alas, the PR companies are usually under deadlines, and I get that, so I pass.

A huge product category within beauty is fragrances. If I took on every fragrance campaign that came in through my inbox, I could probably retire by 35. There is a lot of money in the fragrance industry.

This Elizabeth Arden campaign that I did was one I said yes to… because I’ve been using the perfume on my own since January! I went to the launch of the White Tea fragrance back in January. (I also went home craving warm cups of tea haha) A lot of perfumes give me migraines so when I love a scent, and it doesn’t give me a headache, it feels like winning the lottery. My mom is also super sensitive to smell, so I thought the Mother’s Day campaign was especially apropos.

That ended up being way longer than I expected it to, but I wanted to explain some of the behind the scenes of my decision making for campaigns!

Speaking of which… I’m heading to the Preakness Stakes this weekend with BMW. They dropped off the car the other day, and I’ve had so much fun zipping around town in it. It’s definitely the coolest car I’ve ever driven. My Subaru must be feeling jealous though, and I think it knows I am cheating on it because this week I had a dead battery and a flat tire! It actually wasn’t that bad and happened in parking lots, so I was completely safe. (And yay for warranties that cover everything!) Made me feel like an official car owner because it’s the first time has happened to me when it’s my car!

Okay… still with me?! Onto the fun stuff on my radar this week:

ONE // Tuckernuck’s Jewelry Line

Tuckernuck has just raised the bar by releasing a line of jewelry! The earrings are to die for. I’m realizing now that I haven’t shared it on my blog, but I love wearing a plain t-shirt, ripped jeans, flats, and statement earrings! Such a fun really simple look, but the earrings make it look like you put in a lot more effort. Loving this navy drop and these turquoise fireworks!

TWO // Claire Crosby sings “You’ll Be In My Heart”

When Tarzan (the animated Disney version) came out in 1999, it’s safe to say that it was my favorite movie. My sister and I were obsessed– to the point where we would dress up like Jane Goodall and play in our backyard as if it was a jungle. Anyway, we also loved the soundtrack and the song “You’ll Be In My Heart” used to (aka still does) make me cry. Little Claire Crosby singing it on Ellen MELTS MY HEART.

THREE // A Girls’ Soccer Team Joins the Boys’ League… And WON!

What an inspiring story about a girls’ soccer team in Spain. They joined the boys’ league and just won the regional tournament! It didn’t happen overnight, but I’m sure there was plenty of work and effort from the girls and the coaches. I love it.

FOUR // Belle Force’s Instagram

I found this line of activewear inspired by ballet while aimlessly scrolling through Instagram one night. I think the line is super adorable (I’d feel like a ballerina for sure in yoga class) and the Instagram account is quite pleasing on the eyes. Makes me wish that I had never quit dance back in the day!

FIVE // Goat Rehab

Ending on a cute note, as always. Does anyone else watch goat videos on Youtube? I think it’s so funny when they hop around– I kind of want to live on a farm so that I can get some goats! This woman rescues goats with disabilities and gives them a new lease on life. You guys, I was legit crying by the end of the video. So sweet.