8 Things I'm obsessed with right now

This is a list of my favorite things.

Not because I got paid for writing this (although I did insert Amazon affiliate codes below, because why not), but because these eight things make my life BETTER. And while you may think it’s random, it encompasses all the things I find important: self-care, food, travel, fitness, and….socks. I guess I could bucket socks under self-care?

I wrote and/or featured each of these on my Instagram sometime, somewhere. There were a lot of questions regarding each, so I want to consolidate them in one place.

Dry Brush

Have you heard of the dry brush craze?!

For as long as I can remember, I had really bad acne on my back, shoulders, and chest. I’m a sweaty human, and my pores easily clog up. After trying everything, I saw on Instagram that dry brushing is great for acne because it stimulates the lymphatic system.

Not gonna lie, the first time I tried it I was like, “Why the fuck am I doing this.” And it kind of hurt, honestly. Now, I LOVE how it feels. Maybe it’s a placebo effect, but it really calms me down. Most people dry brush before they shower to exfoliate, but I’m such a sweaty mess I choose to dry brush afterward. You can dry brush every day, but I usually do it 4X per week, on days I shave. I’ll shave my arms, legs, and *cough* area, dry brush for one-to-two minutes, then apply lotion—and my skin is so soft!

Air Fryer

This was a game change for me in the kitchen—GAME. CHANGER.

Since I don’t eat meat, a lot of my meals include tofu, potatoes, and chickpeas. If you want to see the absolute worst side of me, watch my level of annoyance and boredom build for the NINETY MINUTES it takes to cook tofu in a toaster oven.

Fact you should know about me: In no meaning of the phrase, am I, a gadget person. That would be my boyfriend, Teddy. But my friend Brandi told me about air frying and it’s the BEST purchase we made for our kitchen. Does it take up prime space on the counter? Yes. Is it worth it? Totally.

Air frying uses 70-80% less oil than you typically use, and a helluva lot less time. We still toss ingredients in avocado, coconut, or olive oil before “frying,” but it’s a fraction of what we normally use. We make potatoes (chips, fries, breakfast potatoes, you name it), fried fish tacos, and, on one occasion, the boo made chicken wings. We haven’t gone as far as to health-ify jalapeno poppers, cheese curds, or other highlights from the bar food menu, but who knows? Football season is upon us.

Takara Leggings

If you think these are just another pair of yoga pants, know this: YOU CAN WEAR THEM OUT. LIKE, OUT OUT. Do you know how cool you feel when you walk out to the bar and a friend goes, “OMG you look so cool what’s so cool about your outfit?” and you can respond, “They’re yoga leggings,”?! I mean truly, it looks like you’re wearing leather pants.

Oh yea, and they’re great for sweating too. But you knew that already, because I post them on Instagram once a week and always forget to post my code, so here it is: TARALAF50. Grab a pair!

Lash Boost

For two years, I had fake lashes. They were my favorite thing in the world. I rarely wear makeup (other than Sweat cosmetics!), but long lashes gave me the feeling of a hint of coverage.

What I didn’t like? The cost, time, and my real lashes slowly disappearing. Every two-to-three weeks, I went to the salon and coughed up $135 for an hour of my time. Plus, it's unnerving how much claustrophobia can set in from sitting in a chair for sixty minutes, unable to open your eyes.

When I took my fake lashes off for good, they weren’t there. They were few and far between and incredibly thin. I tried out Rodan+Fields, a company usually known for curing blemishes and wrinkles, and was shocked. You pay $125 up front for a tube that lasts three-to-four months. After eight weeks, it’s CRAZY how much your lashes grow. They’re fuller, longer, and best of all, they’re your REAL lashes.

Stance Socks

These are my favorite! Socks n’ backwards hats are kinda my thing, and I love a good pair with crazy designs.  Plus, with all the barefoot workouts I’m trying, a girl’s gotta look good, you know? They’re just fun. There’s a million colors and designs. They’re cool. I have nothing else to say.

I’ll let you in on a secret: My designer, Ashlynn, the badass behind my website branding (who we just interviewed for our new podcast!) has a pair of TL socks in the works.

Sweat Cosmetics

Before my boy Teddy came into the picture, I had many a gym crush—grym crush(es) I wanted to look good for. I wanted something to put over my acne-prone face, but every makeup line ever only made it worse.

I SWEAR on Sweat. I always have it in my backpack. I have a lot of blemishes and scars from when my skin was much worse, and love how SWEAT makes my skin one, even tone. I live in a gym so I don’t need a full face of makeup—just a little coverage for the ‘gram, you know?

PS: We just interviewed co-founder Emily of Sweat Cosmetics on the A-Cup podcast! The episode goes live on September 10th.

Scott’s Cheap Flights

Does this fit in this post? It’s not really a product. Eh, I don’t care. It’s AMAZING.

Scott’s Cheap Flights comes with a free and premium service. I loved it so much I subscribe to the paid plan, just $40 for the year (and so, so worthy it). Here’s how it works: Airlines make mistakes. Scott’s Cheap Flights finds those mistakes, and emails them to you. For the paid version, you enter your home airport and the destinations you’d love to see. One of my dream destinations was Japan, and Scott’s Cheap Flights landed me a $490 ROUND TRIP TICKET from LA to Tokyo.

So what’s the catch? You have to be fast. Sometimes you have to make a decision in three-to-six hours before the fares change. To me, it’s worth it. I’m taking a round-trip ticket to South Africa for $700 in January.

CBD

Ok, first things first, CBD is not marijuana. I explained this in my entire post on CBD, but I’ll give you the CliffsNotes: CBD is a cannabinoid, a compound found within the cannabis plant. No, it doesn’t get you high. Yes, it’s legal nationwide.

CBD is SO great for sore muscles. It applies like a salve, feels better than Icy Hot (and smells way better), and is the best way to fight inflammation (that I’ve found). For the past month, I applied CBD daily to my ankle after rolling it.

That’s it!

What are your favorite tools for travel+food+self-care? Have you tried any of the above? Do you want ME to try any products and let you know what I think? Tell me below.