LUXE LIFE // SMALL BUDGET - Page 10 of 20 -

What I read: March 2022

March 28, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

After the slow month of reading in February, March was just the opposite! I read 7 books last month and all but one were fiction:

-Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
-Old in Art School by Nell Irvin Painter
-The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
-The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
-The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
-Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski
-The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

I listened to three of these as audiobooks, which I don’t usually do for fiction, but I was impressed by how good all the voice actors are! I may need to listen to more fiction going forward.

Let’s dive into those reviews.

What I’m Into: March 2022

March 24, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 3 comments

Happy spring!

I hope the new season is treating you well. I’ll admit, I’m still struggling with the whole time change, though I do love how late the sun is up! It makes me crave all things summer: lounging by the pool, enjoying a glass of Frosé, and fun beach reads!

With all the changes lately, I wanted to share a new list of my recent obsessions.

BEAUTY REVIEW: BYBI Night Nutrition Protein Night Cream sold at Target

March 11, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

After trying (and loving!) the BYBI Strawberry Booster Facial Oil back in August, I was excited when my local Target put BYBI products on a major sale. I ended up picking up the BYBI Night Nutrition Protein Night Cream (among other things.. ) for nearly half the price! Now, that I’ve used the entire tube, I’m ready to share my thoughts. About the BYBI Night Nutrition Protein Night Cream Let’s start with the basics. According to the BYBI website, the…

What I read: February 2022

March 2, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 2 comments

It was a quieter month of reading for me.

I took a break from audiobooks after listening to Dr. Michael Greger’s How Not to Diet for nearly 24 hours and instead focused solely on Kindle books thanks to the Overdrive App and my local library.

Even with only four books last month, I still had quite a mix including self-help, a serial killer thriller, and one of the most unique books I’ve read:
-A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
-Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
-Discover Your Dharma by Sahara Rose
-The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Let’s get into the reviews!

New to Visualization & Manifesting? Me too

February 21, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

I’m a bit late to the party on this one, but I’ve been recently exploring the power of visualization, manifesting, and the law of attraction. Before you roll your eyes and close the tab, stick with me a minute.

I’ve long had my doubts that visualizing something you want could help actually bring it into existence, but a recent two-part podcast series made me reconsider my assumptions. Or at least give it a try.

DIY: Replacing Your Window Screens

February 13, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

Spring is still technically over a month away, but I’m already starting to feel the spring cleaning/home improvement urges sneaking in.

This weekend, I decided to tackle a project I’ve been putting off for years: replacing window screens.

Nothing about the project is particularly hard, I just didn’t want to do it. But after staring at ripped up screens day after day, I realized it was time. Now, I wish I had done it sooner!

What I read: January 2022

February 1, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

After the extremely slow month of December, I feel my reading is off to a strong start in 2022!

I read 7 books this month, though to be fair, two were very short (like read in one sitting kind of short):

-Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
-Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
-For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing
-This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley
-Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
-How Not To Diet by Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM
-Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

As you can see, genres ranged from fantasy to psychological thriller to health & nutrition.

Let’s get into those reviews!

The Best Books to Help You Accomplish Your New Year’s Resolutions

January 22, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

It feels like we just celebrated the new year, but somehow, we’re already nearing the end of January?! It’s bizarre, because I remember last January feeling like it stretched on forever. Time is weird.

While the end of January typically marks the end of people’s new year’s resolutions (some of mine included), I’m hoping a fresh surge of inspiration will help keep the momentum alive. For me, that usually involves sitting down with a book related to the goal I’m trying to accomplish. Whether your goal is related to fitness or creativity, I hope these books will help you as much as they’ve helped me!

BEAUTY REVIEW: Pure Daily Care NanoSteamer Sold on Amazon

January 13, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

So, you know how dermatologists say you should NEVER pop your own pimples or pick at other bumps on your skin?

Yeah.. that’s easier said than not done.

But for 2022, I’m making it a goal to establish some healthier skincare habits, which includes trying to leave my skin alone (for the most part!). As part of that goal, I’ve been trying out the Pure Daily Care NanoSteamer available on Amazon. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing my experience using a facial steamer for the first time and my thoughts on whether it’s worth the $49.95 price tag.

Year in Review: A Breakdown of My 2021 Reads

January 5, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

I’m having a hard time believing it, but my book journal is telling me it’s true- I read 72 books in 2021!!

While I don’t view reading as a competition, I was excited to see that I read more books in 2021 than in 2020: 72 books vs. 65 books. This was especially surprising after my sloooww month of reading in December.

This is my second year of actively tracking my reading, so it’s exciting to be able to compare the numbers and reflect on my favorite books of the year. Hopefully, you enjoy them too!