The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale starts today for Icon card holders. I combed through page after page of the sale and pulled together a curated selection of items that I love and think are worth getting. I will also be posting all of my personal purchases on this post when I shop later this week.

I don’t drink and haven’t for the past 10+ years. I never enjoyed alcohol and HATE feeling drunk. I’ve also never smoked marijuana or tried any recreational drug in my entire life. That tells you a little bit about how much I hate the feeling of being in an altered state. However, a few years ago I began to see a ton of CBD + THC products being recommended by people I follow on social media and even some of my close friends.

Being consistent with a skincare routine is the first step to having great skin. Next is identifying the best active ingredients that will help target your own specific skin concerns. Retinol is one of the most effective skincare ingredients available, but knowing the right way and frequency of using it can be confusing. When I first started a skin care routine with retinol, there was definitely a bit of a learning curve. Recommendations vary across products and skin types. Using it incorrectly often leads to dryness, redness, and irritation, but using it correctly delivers long term improvements in fine lines, acne, texture, and discoloration. Today’s post is going to be a guide on how often to use retinol based on experience level, skin tolerance, and product strength.

I typically use cleansing balms every night to remove my makeup. I haven’t used a cleansing oil that I enjoyed in yearssss until now. I have been testing this one for a few weeks and LOVE it! Silky, smooth and gets off every last bit of makeup without making my eyes sting or get cloudy.

The year is already half over so I love to look back and share what my favorite items were from beauty, fashion, accessories, etc. Rather than breaking this up into multiple posts, I thought I would put all my favorites from the first half of 2026 in one post! These are all items that really impressed me and would continuously recommend over and over.

While I am already seeing fall clothing launching at some retailers, there is still many more weeks of hot weather ahead. Here are some of my favorite summer styles under $200.