My June Favorites

Long time no see, blog! After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, content trends, and overall life changes — particularly a new job — I've decided to try to get back into writing and blogging. I miss writing and not all of my content ideas are best or easiest with short-form video. So without further ado, I'm returning with what I love to do most: share what I love and enjoy! Here are my favorites from the month of June.

Media and Entertainment

The Little Mermaid (2023)

I wasn't expecting to love the new, live action Little Mermaid, but now I want to watch it at least once a week. Halle Bailey was perfectly cast as Ariel and has an impeccable combination of wonder, youthfulness, and talent that make her Ariel one of a kind and a performance to remember. The new scenes and songs — most of them — added a entertaining and valuable depth to the stories, characters, and relationships that I really enjoyed.

Ariel and Prince Eric have never had more chemistry. Eric's motivations are so much clearer, and he has an actual backstory. Plus I loved seeing all of Ariel's sisters. It makes total sense that the king of the sea has daughters who represent all of the different oceans of the world.

My March and April Favorites

At this point in time, we're closer to June than April, so this post is definitely delayed but oh well! Again, I didn't discover enough favorites in March or April alone to dedicate a whole post for those months on their own. In March and April I added a bunch of new music to my go-to playlist, wore new fashion trends, and tried new beauty products that have now become staples in my routine.

I've also tried to group similar things in my monthly favorites posts (music and movies together, clothes with accessories, all makeup together, etc.), but this is the first time I've actually labeled the groups with headers. So if you only care about what music I'm listening to or what new clothes I've found, you can easily scroll to that section!

As usual, click the link in the subhead if you're interested in learning more about or buying a certain product I've included.

Music

"Leave the Door Open" - Silk Sonic

Simply put, this song is Blasian excellence. A Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak collaboration is something I never knew I needed in my life. The song and its sound are so smooth and suave, and the vocals are incredible. It's certainly be a while since Bruno Mars has released a single, and this was totally worth the wait.

Too Young to be Sad EP - Tate McRae

As a dance fan, I've been a fan of Tate's before she started seriously making music. I can't believe it's been six years since I was watching her slay on So You Think You Can Dance, and now she's all grown up, performing at awards shows and having songs on the Billboard charts. I've enjoyed listening to the songs on her latest EP for the past few months now and particularly like how although they're all pretty "sad" songs, they aren't all ballads and do contrast in sound.

"deja vu" - Olivia Rodrigo

I wasn't expecting Olivia to release another single until maybe after the second season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premiered, so "deja vu" was a pleasant surprise! It has a more chill vibe and sound to it than "drivers license" that always makes me want to blast it with the windows down while I'm driving (which I do when it's nice out) but still has a bit of angst to it. "deja vu" also has some synthetic pop/electronic moments that make it easy to jam to. So I think the music video having scenes in a convertible driving down the Pacific Coast Highway fit the song perfectly, and I can't want for the entire sour EP to be released next week!

My January and February Favorites

I've wanted to do resume my monthly favorites posts this year, but all I had down from January was a few songs, and I didn't think that was enough for an entire post. So I'm combining January and February, because February was a lot more exciting and had more going on for me.

I feel like all I did in January was listen to "drivers license" on repeat. (I'm 100% serious.) But I actually gave my attention to other things in February, so here we go!

drivers license - Olivia Rodrigo

Do you know how much I love "drivers license"? I love it so much that it's the song that finally got me to stop listening to Taron Egerton and/or Aaron Tveit on repeat for the first time since late spring of 2019! When it first came out, I listened to it on repeat for at least a few days straight.

Olivia is a genius and a star, and I've been so proud of my fellow Filipina because of her monumental success since releasing her first single. "drivers license" is truly something else. I mean, it's got to be if it finally got to me to stop listening to Taron Egerton every day! I'm 100% one of those people who cannot and do not relate to any of the lyrics in the song, but that's how good it is. It just hits you in the feels regardless. And the bridge? It's a dramatic burst of musical fireworks.

Skin - Sabrina Carpenter

Yes, I am a fan of both Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter.  I listen to both "drivers license" and "Skin." We exist. I would like to never see or hear of any supposed drama relating to this ever again. Pitting women against each other isn't cool. Thanks.

Now that's out of the way, if you've followed my blog for a little while, you may know I've been a fan of Sabrina Carpenter for a while now and have loved her since she was on Girl Meets World. It has been so wonderful hearing and witnessing Sabrina's musical journey and growth, and "Skin" is a great example of that. Plus, it has an A+ message and reminds us that we do not need to give or pay attention to those who don't deserve it. It's not easy, but if people are trying to hurt you or tear you down in any way, you can choose to not let their words or actions hurt you. 

My February Favorites

I meant to get back to blogging on here earlier this year, but we all know it's certainly been a whirlwind of a year even though it's hardly mid-March. However, now felt like a good time to step away from other things for a bit and bring some attention and love to things that I've enjoyed and have made me happy, so here are my February favorites.

I'm going to be totally honest here and say this blog post should honestly just be called My February Favorites: P.S. I Still Love Everything To All the Boys I've Loved Before, but that's too long and there is one thing on here that has nothing to do with my favorite Netflix movie series.

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You

The highly anticipated sequel to the Netflix original movie To All the Boys I've Loved Before (adapted from Jenny Han's novel of the same name) was finally released last month (based on Han's second book in the series, P.S. I Still Love You), and I LOVED IT! I love the movie so much that I actually watched it three times on the day it was released. I even woke up early so I could watch it before work because I didn't want to wait until I got home from work that day to watch it.

While I don't think it was better than the first To All the Boys film, I still think it was a good adaptation like the first and had the same essence and vibes that made us all fall in love with the first movie. Lara Jean is still highly relatable. Peter is still setting the bar high for boyfriends. Kitty is still sassy and up to something. But P.S. I Still Love You actually made me cry at the end, and the first one never made me cry. So that says something.

Lara Jean deals with what it's actually like to be a girlfriend and in a real relationship and the insecurities that can come with that, especially as an introvert, an overthinker, and a hopeless romantic whose only real experience with platonic love beforehand was reading about it in novels. I found that to be very authentic and because the movie showed those flaws, the audience gets to see Lara Jean's growth and maturity progress.

I don't really know what else to say without spoiling the movie, but I will add that the soundtrack is amazing, as it was for the first movie. Also, if you haven't read the books but are looking to, the second book is rather different from the movie. The first movie goes into some of the second book's content, automatically making it so the movies have to be a bit different. I'll stop now because I could probably keep going, but TATB2 is another great, feel-good movie, and Team Lara Jean forever!

Love Letter Signature Embroidered T-Shirt from Something Good Merchandise

I'm going to be brazen and totally honest and include something I designed and sell from my own merch brand in this post. My sister and I designed and released a collection of  To All the Boys-inspired shirts/sweatshirts/hoodies, including this T-shirt, which features my own handwriting embroidered on a shirt!

We wanted this design to be something Lara Jean would like for herself, so we went with something cute and girly with the script, more curved letters, and the envelopes with little hearts on them!

My October Favorites

October was an exciting and eventful month for me as I started a new job, celebrated my birthday, and went to my first comic con. So it definitely wasn't hard to discover new things I became really fond of and liked.

And in case you were wondering why I skipped September, it was because October was such a hectic month for me and I didn't have many things to feature from September.

Disney Princess ballerina prints by Megan Withey

Megan Withey is one of the artists I met and discovered while attending ACE Comic Con Midwest last month. She has tons of beautiful watercolor prints, mostly of Disney characters. I especially love her prints of Disney Princesses as ballerinas since I love Disney Princesses and dance. I didn't buy all four of these prints but did get the Belle and Aurora ones. Belle is one of my top three favorite Disney princesses, and I've always loved Aurora's pink dress.

My August Favorites

Last month was pretty eventful throughout, but some events (like my cousin's wedding) were more enjoyable than others (like getting my wisdom teeth removed). But my wisdom teeth removal wasn't terrible, and I still got to try some new food once I was back to (mostly) normal. Plus, last month I discovered even more new music ― right after my latest "What I'm Listening To" post, of course!

Jeni's Ice Cream

I love ice cream and most things sweet, so I'm always down to try new ice cream, places. I've known about Jeni's Ice Cream for a few years now. But I haven't had the chance to try any of Jeni's flavors that aren't sold in pints in stores because I don't often go to the areas of Chicago where they have shops. Luckily for me, a shop opened at one of my mom's favorite malls that I go to often, so I finally got to try some!

I got the trio, which is three half scoops. The flavors I got were milkiest chocolate, Texas sheet cake, and Boston cream pie. All three were delicious, but I think my favorite was probably Boston cream pie. The combination of vanilla custard, dark chocolate fudge, and yellow cake pieces is a nice and decadent treat. Texas sheet cake is unlike anything I've ever had before as it's chocolate ice cream with cake crumbles and fudge and is also dairy free and vegan, so it's not as creamy as ice cream normally is, but it was still good.

Desert Moon - Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud

If you didn't already know, Alan Menken and Pasek and Paul are musical geniuses. While all of the original Aladdin songs are great, they've done an outstanding job with the new ones for the live action remake, and "Desert Moon" is no exception. "Desert Moon" is a song that was cut from the live action film, but Disney has released it ahead of the DVD/Blu-ray release.

This duet from Jasmine and Aladdin is short, sweet, and simply beautiful. The song itself is supposed to be a song both Jasmine and Aladdin's moms taught them, which just adds some more beauty and emotion to the song. Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud also just sound really great together.

Rain - Ben Platt

I feel like it was just yesterday that Ben Platt released his debut album, and now he's out here with a brand new single just a few months later. It's more upbeat than most of the songs from his album, which is a nice change and shows he can sing more than just emotional ballads (and showtunes but those aren't on his albums).

My July Favorites

July was a more chill month for me, so I didn't discover too many new things. However, I added a bunch of new music to my current summer playlist and found my new favorite workout shorts!

Aerie Move High Waisted Bike Short - True Black

Bike shorts have been one of my favorite recent trends, and I've especially wanted ones to run in. I've gotten into a good rhythm with running this summer, but I've discovered that I don't like running in normal running shorts. Actually, I've discovered that I don't like running in non-high-waisted bottoms of any kind because they often just fall down at the top if they don't have a drawstring. And it's quite annoying to be pulling up your pants every minute while you're running.

So these Aerie bike shorts are great because they stay up and are nice and high-waisted. They don't budge when I run. They're super comfy and pretty durable and thick. These are a bit stretchy but not too much where it's like I'm running in compression shorts that move and bunch up at the leg whenever you move. I want like 10 more pairs of these for running and doing nothing at all.

"Something's Coming" from West Side Story - Aaron Tveit (The Radio in My Head)

I've actually known who Aaron Tveit is for probably like 10 years now since I know him and first watched him as Tripp van der Bilt on Gossip Girl. I didn't know he was a theater/Broadway actor for I don't even know how many years. But I found out he could sing and was on Broadway sometime in between him being on GG and him being cast in Grease Live, so I wasn't surprised or anything that he could sing. 

Anyway, because of the recent Broadway transfer of Moulin Rouge the Musical!, my interest in Tveit has piqued. So I've been watching a lot of videos of him on YouTube, watching and listening to all of this old content and music that I missed out on before. And if you know me, you'll know that West Side Story is one of my favorite ― actually, it is my favorite ― musical, and his cover of "Something's Coming" is one of the best I've ever heard.

My June Favorites

For me, June was a month of fashion. I got to wear a bunch of new outfits and clothes that I'd been looking forward to wearing and found some new wardrobe staples. I also tried some new food, particularly some delicious ice cream that I may have gotten my cousins hooked on.

Express Strapless Sweetheart Neck Jumpsuit - Neon Pink

I first saw this jumpsuit on @dresslikebway's Instagram, which is a page that shares where to get some clothes Broadway performers wear, whether it's a costume from a show or something they wore in real life. Carrie St. Louis wore this pink jumpsuit for a photoshoot promoting a concert where a bunch of Broadway performers were going to sing the music from Legally Blonde the Musical.

I've been loving jumpsuits for the past year or so, and I've always been a fan of pink, so I definitely thought the jumpsuit was super cute when I first saw it on Instagram. It actually wasn't one of those clothing items where I saw it and immediately went "OMG. I want that." But when I saw it in Express at in mid-May and saw that it was on sale, I just couldn't pass it up.

When I bought it, I didn't know when I'd wear it. I didn't have a specific occasion in mind for it and wasn't sure what it would be best for since I didn't have anything coming up super soon. I ended up wearing it to my soon-to-be cousin-in-law's bridal shower last month. It was a nice balance between formal and casual, and because it was a rather gloomy and not hot day, the jumpsuit provided some good coverage while also allowing me some breathing room in case I got warm.

Usually I hate strapless anything because it always falls down, but this jumpsuit actually rarely fell down. I do admit I had to pull it up a teeny bit every now and then, but that's really only because I don't have the chest to fill the entire bodice. Otherwise, it stayed up really well and was super cute and comfy.

Talbots hot pink ruffle trim denim jacket

I've been saying "I wish I had a hot pink jacket" for months now, and I finally found one! When I was at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago, I found this adorable hot pink denim jacket in the women's section and had to have it! It's originally from Talbots, which I have never gone into or even window shopped at, but since I got it at TJ Maxx, it was only $20! I really could not pass this up.

Obviously I love the color, but I also adore the cute little ruffle trim by the buttons and button holes. I've never seen any detailing like that on a denim jacket, and it's such a fun touch. Despite hot pink being my favorite shade of pink, I actually don't have a lot of tops in this color, so this jacket will be great for when I want to add a pop of hot pink to my outfit. I actually wore it on National Pink Day (June 23), which was the perfect occasion for it!

Yellow Charlotte Russe outfit

If you saw my Charlotte Russe haul post from earlier this year, this outfit will look familiar to you. I'd been waiting for the perfect opportunity to wear this outfit, and I finally wore it at the start of June when I saw Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of West Side Story for the fourth and final time.

I love dressing up, and going to Lyric Opera is always a good time to do it. I went to see the matinee that day, so I wanted to go for a more casual but still a bit fancy look. This yellow off-the-shoulder top and tulip hem skirt was perfect for the warm, late spring/early summer day. I just love how bright it is, and the stripes and floral contrast yet pair really nicely.

Rock & Candy white platform espadrille sandals from TJ Maxx

These are the shoes I'm wearing in the three photos above, so I clearly have been putting these shoes to good use. I didn't own white sandals before these but had been looking for a pair. I kept putting outfits together over the past two years or so and always thought how useful white sandals would be. So when I found these at TJ Maxx, the only pair ― and they were my size! ― I felt like it was meant to be and bought them.

I really like the cross strap at the front of the shoe, but my favorite thing about these sandals is that they're platform sandals that add a little height while keeping my feet comfy since my foot is still flat and level, unlike wedges or other heels. I've worn these pretty much every week since I've gotten them, and my feet have never hurt in them ― even after walking around for hours of shopping ― so this was definitely a good investment.

Trader Joe's ube ice cream

The odd man out in this fashion dominated monthly favorites post is food. My sister discovered that Trader Joe's sold ube (purple yam) ice cream after seeing it on Instagram from a Filipino food account, and we went to Trader Joe's to find it the next day.

Ube is very popular in the Philippines, and it's my favorite Filipino flavor, so I grew up eating ube foods, including bread, cookies, cake, and more. I was definitely curious to see how good and authentic it tasted, especially because I had some delicious ube soft serve ice cream in New York two years ago that I've missed since. We actually had other ube ice cream in our freezer, so we decided to compare the two. One was a Filipino food brand's ube ice cream, and then there was Trader Joe's.

My sister, my mom, and I all were pleasantly surprised to find out that Trader Joe's ice cream tasted better. It wasn't as artificial, both in color and flavor. (A lot of the time, ube stuff can look super duper purple because of food coloring.) Trader Joe's was a lighter purple that tasted more natural and not like it had extract in it.

My May Favorites

May was the most eventful month I've had in a while. There were a lot of things I wanted to go and see, like movies and shows, and I discovered a lot of new music that I'll be listening to on repeat for the entire summer probably.

West Side Story at the Lyric Opera of Chicago

I could go on and on about how much I love Lyric Opera's production of West Side Story, but I already raved about it in a previous blog post about my experience as a WSS Insider and on the blog I share with my sister. So I'll try not to write too much. West Side Story is one of my top two favorite musicals of all time, but I'd never seen a live stage production of it until this year. I've watched the movie several times, but it simply cannot compare to live theater, especially Lyric Opera's production. Corey Cott and Mikaela Bennett were amazingly outstanding as Tony and Maria. The supporting characters and ensemble were also just as talented. I've simply never loved live theatre more than I have during the four times (yes, I saw it four times) I watched Lyric Opera's WSS.  

"Exhale" by Sabrina Carpenter

If you've seen any of my recent monthly favorites posts, you're probably familiar with Sabrina Carpenter and know she's one of my favorite musical artists. She released another song from her upcoming album, Singular: Act II, and I love it. "Exhale" is kind of short at only 2:50, but it has such a clear and strong message. It's a great reminder that we all need to take a break every now and then, and it's quite calming and relaxing to listen to, which goes along with the message of the song perfectly.

My April Favorites

April was a rather busy month as I had a few events on my calendar, went to new places, and tried and found new things. But most of all of my favorites for last month came from the April 2, when I went to downtown Chicago and had a great day in the city. This monthly favorites post is full of fun pictures and entertainment, including movies, musicals, and more.

Winky Lux Experience Chicago

I knew I wanted to write about this fun, awesome place and experience on my blog, but I didn't know if I wanted to dedicate an entire post to it. Well, now it's been nearly a month since I went to Winky Lux and went through the Winky Lux Experience, so it felt too late to give it it's own blog post. So I'm just featuring it as my top favorite from April in this blog post!

Simply put, the Winky Lux Experience is like a super cute, interactive, Instagrammable exhibit inside the Winky Lux store in downtown Chicago. There are a bunch of different rooms featuring different Winky Lux beauty products, and they're all adorable. I didn't get a picture of every room, but I did get a picture of most of them. 

One of my favorites is the first room, picture above, which is the floral room. It's no secret I love pink and florals, so of course I'm a fan of that room. It promotes Winky Lux's signature flower lip balm, which is what it's known for. Someone please tell me where I can get a pretty floral backdrop like that entire room! Thank you. 

Up next is the watermelon room. If I recall correctly, this room promotes its watermelon lip balm, which is a reactive pH lip balm, so when you apply the lip balm, it reacts to the pH of your skin and lips to change to whatever shade of pink/red goes with your skin. 

I absolutely love the neon sign in this room. I love a good pun and reference, and I 100% want a pink neon sign for my room. 

My March Favorites

Apparently last month was all about the "M's": March, music, magazines, and more. I discovered a lot of awesome new music last month that I've been listening to on repeat for nearly a whole month and got to read some great magazine features on a few of my favorite actors. In addition, there's typically some sort of new food or clothing item I try or wear for the first time, and that certainly applies here.

Sing to Me Instead EP - Ben Platt

Ben Platt's debut album was released just before the month ended, and I've been playing it nearly nonstop since. The first four songs he released were so beautiful and passionate that I knew I would enjoy the rest of them, and I do. From ballads about love and breakups to songs for and about his parents to a song about the wise words of an old man, there's a variety of content in the songs themselves while still telling an overall narrative. Plus, there isn't a single song I dislike.

My February Favorites

Being the shortest month of the year, it's not a surprise I didn't have much going on in and didn't discover a lot of new things I loved in February. But I did find a few, including some beautiful music, Target finds, and custom tech decor!

"Bad Habit" and "Ease My Mind" by Ben Platt

You may or may not recognize the name Ben Platt, but most people probably know him as one of two characters: Benjamin Applebaum from Pitch Perfect or Evan Hansen in the Tony Award-winning best musical Dear Evan Hansen. Either way, you probably know he's a great singer, but it wasn't until last month that I felt I truly got to hear him sing as he released his first two original songs from his upcoming album. "Bad Habit" and "Ease My Mind" are two of the most beautiful and vulnerable songs I've ever heard. Of course I enjoyed hearing him sing in Pitch Perfect and listening to him in the DEH cast recording, but I feel his original music does him more justice.

My January Favorites

January certainly felt like a long month to start the year off, but right now it's a new year celebration for those who celebrate the lunar new year. Happy Lunar New Year to those who celebrate! Anyway, back to the long month of January. The -40 degree weather certainly made it seem longer and definitely contributed to what I loved last month. From keeping me warm to taking care of my skin, several things caught my attention last month.

My Oh My Supply Co's THE SNUGGLY DUCKLING x DREAMERS DESTINATIONS Unisex Crewneck - Pink

I got this for Christmas and actually featured it in my What I Got For Christmas 2019 post, so it may look familiar. I wore this a lot last month. It's super soft inside and definitely comfy. I can even wear another shirt underneath it if it's extra cold (which it was last week in the Midwest). I love the color, and I love Tangled, so it's a sweet, subtle way of showing my love for the Disney princess movie. My Oh My Supply Co actually has lots of variations of this design  for other Disney movies, like the Cave of Wonders and Agrabah for Aladdin, so if you love Disney, you should definitely check it out! (You can click on this subhead if you want to go to their site.)

My December Favorites

Before we get too deep into the new year, I wanted to share my last monthly favorites post of 2018. December was a great month as I got to spend a lot of time with my family, and I also just love Christmas and the holidays. Last month, I tried new recipes and food, watched new movies, and bought new things that I adore.

As usual, any of the stuff I've featured and found online will be linked in the subhead.

Disney "Being a princess is exhausting" pajamas

I found this super cute pajama set at the Disney Store at the outlet mall on a clearance rack for only $18 and instantly loved them. I've always been a fan of Disney princesses, but my love for Disney ― especially the princesses ― has grown within the past year. At first, I was upset because the only size left was extra small, and I haven't worn an extra small anything since middle school probably. However, when I took it off the rack and got a better look at it, I realized it was a big extra small and would totally fit me.

I love the light pink color as it goes great with the gray princess print and text and the gold accents. I love the sketches of the princesses everywhere and like how they all have different expressions. I do wish they included more of the princesses, but that's alright. These pajamas are super comfy and I even like to wear the pajama top when I'm not sleeping.

My November Favorites

November was a pretty eventful month as I saw new musical productions, tried new restaurants, heard new music, and read new books. I even put together a lot of new outfits with some new clothes, which was evident in my November OOTD post titled "New November". So I had some favorites from all over the place last month.

Blush pink Gap bomber jacket from TJ Maxx

If you saw my October Shopping Roundup or November OOTD post, this jacket should be familiar. I won't say too much about this since it's already been in two of my blog posts, but this has easily become one of my favorite coats. Also, I always feel the need to mention how it reminds me of Regina George's jacket.

My October Favorites

Last month was pretty eventful for me since it was my birthday month, I went to see Hamilton, and I went on a road trip with my family. However, I still had a hard time picking things for this monthly favorites post, which is why this is coming over halfway into the next month. Basically, I tried a lot of new, good food in October and got a new top that I love.

Silver Lining Creamery

Sea salt cookie butter fudge in a sprinkle waffle cone and chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone

Silver Lining Creamery is definitely my favorite food place my family and I tried in South Dakota during out fall road trip. It's in downtown Rapid City, which isn't too far from Mount Rushmore. If you ever go to Mount Rushmore, you're probably going to end up in Rapid City to eat at some point anyway, so this is definitely a must-go even if it isn't summertime. (When we first got to South Dakota, it was freezing with snow on the ground and everything. But it warmed up after a day or so, and then I didn't even need a jacket anymore.)

My September Favorites

When I first began thinking of what to include for this post, I only had two things on my list. Then I found one more to include but still felt like it wasn't enough. Two things didn't feel like enough content for a post, and it all related to one person, so it was kind of weird. Plus I didn't want to leave it at that. Eventually I found something else to include to diversify it a bit, which is partially why this post is happening so late into the next month. The first few weeks of October have been pretty busy, so although this installment of my monthly favorites series is still a short one, it's a great one for anyone who likes dance or performing arts or even just art in general.

Michael Dameski's routine to "Madness" by Ruelle on World of Dance

If you've seen any of my monthly favorites post from this past summer, you know I love Michael Dameski and his dancing, so it really should come as no surprise more of his dances are in the latest installment of my monthly favorites.

What I loved about this dance was that it was different and much more theatrical and dramatic than the preceding ones. The ninja concept was awesome and wasn't overplayed or too gimmicky. Dameski literally put on a show with this routine by taking advantage of everything he could, from the costume to the graphics and the video board to the lighting effects. His performance was amazing here, and I don't know what you were watching if you didn't believe he was an actual mad ninja in this dance. 

My July Favorites

With this post, I've officially done a monthly favorites post every month for a year! Despite this July being busier than I expected, I don't have too many things to include for last month. However, I did get to try new dessert places, found my new favorite dancer, and even read an entire book series in July.

Cream Bar

If you're from the Chicagoland area, you've surely heard of Woodfield Mall, one of the best and biggest malls in the area. Not far from there is a fun ice cream sandwich place called Cream Bar. This little restaurant has lots of ice cream flavors and kinds of cookies to create your perfect ice cream sandwich. You can even make a brownie ice cream sandwich or a brownie cookie ice cream sandwich like I did!

While it can be difficult to eat the creation like an actual sandwich, it's delicious all the same ― spoon or no spoon. The ice cream is nice and creamy, and I believe the cookies and brownies are baked daily, so they're fresh! I had a chocolate chip cookie and Oreo brownie with chocolate ice cream and almonds. The cookie was nice, soft, and chewy, which is how I like my cookies. The Oreo brownie was nice and decadent, and the Oreo pieces were a fun touch. If you're ever in the area, I'd definitely recommend going there.

My June Favorites

Nearly a year has gone by since I first began my monthly favorites blog series, and I've definitely enjoyed sharing what I've really enjoyed each month since then. This edition is full of music and dance, so it's definitely a fun post to go through if you like the arts but also includes some fashion (as always).

Almost Love - Sabrina Carpenter

This lead single for her new album has reminded me how much she's grown in her music and just as a person since I started watching her in Girl Meets World a few years ago. "Almost Love" is such a perfect summer song and just makes you want to get up and dance or at least sing along while blasting it in the car. This is like the definition of  a bop.

My May Favorites

I know I probably say this a lot, but I really mean it this time. How is it already June?! I can hardly believe it because I don't really feel like I've been out of school for over a year. Anyway, I got caught up and a bit busy last week, but I finally got around to working on my May favorites.

Steve Madden purse from Marshalls

Sometime in the past six months or so, I've realized that most of the purses I have and use often are either quite big or quite small. I don't own a lot of medium sized purses, which is a problem when I don't have a lot of stuff I want to or need to carry but it doesn't fit in my small crossbody bags. I also don't have a brown purse, so this bag solved both of those problems.

It's Steve Madden, which I love. Most of my purses are either Steve Madden or Kate Spade. It has a little pocket in the front, as you can see it the picture as well as a zipper compartment at the front. The inside is lined with hot pink fabric, which I adore, and then there's a leather divider so everything inside doesn't get jumbled around.

Youth feat. Khalid - Shawn Mendes

This song and this performance are so moving and so powerful. I love the lyrics and the message and find it so inspiring.

Smallcakes chocolate cookie cheesecake cupcake

Doesn't a chocolate cookie cheesecake cupcake just sound delicious? Well it was. This cupcake was nice and decadent with nice chocolate flavor and a touch of cheesecake. Nothing was too sweet, and the Oreos on top added a nice crunch.

Disney x Target mermaid Minnie water bottle

Mickey Mouse & Friends Minnie Mouse Stainless Steel Water Bottle

This water bottle is part of Disney and Target's new collab collection, which is full of fun stuff for Disney fans of all ages. This is a smaller water bottle since it only holds 12 oz, but it's great for when I don't want to carry a lot of stuff with me. I love the mermaid Minnie graphic! It's so cute and perfect for summer. The pink and sea foamy green are an adorable color combo, and the gradient background is a nice touch. The best part of this water bottle is that it keeps my water cold since it's stainless steel.