Side Bar: A cultural smorgasbord

May was super busy, super fun, and boy did it cost me. More on that later!

This month was sort of the calm before the storm because summer kicks off some serious and important engagement events. It also marks the first month since December where we did have multiple huge community events (just one, so not so bad!). I leaned into it by attending a ton of cultural events that always makes me so proud to call this city home.

First, with a Cinco de Mayo celebration hosted by the Mexican consulate—who confirmed this is not a holiday celebrated in Mexico but that it exists in the imagination of Americans (and do we really need an excuse to celebrate Mexico?!).

There was the Polish parade, the Greek parade, Eid al fitr, and a reception for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

 

 

It wasn’t all work—a law school friend had an amazing baby shower. 

I also ended the month with a trip to Minnesota, which was great. But…I came back and had a weird tickle and cough (that at first, I thought was was asthma + pollen) but I tested and looks like Ms Rona finally got me.

What a way to end the month. Thankfully, the symptoms moved fast (b/c I’m triple vaxxed!) but still harsh. Please keep taking this seriously and wear those masks! I had been a little lax so I’m not even mad this got me.

 

Ok, but what you really came for is the monthly faves!`

One. Rare Beauty. I don’t remember where I got a rare beauty blush sample but I’ve been using it and the highlighter nonstop. Like all the tik tok videos shows, a little goes a long way and just one drop is enough to blend into a nice flush of color.

Two. Glow Toner. I’ve been using this for over a year on a daily basis (and have only needed to repurchase once!) and it makes such a difference in my skin. I use it in the morning and it’s perfect after a wash, before my other serums. Unlike most toners, it doesn’t feel like it’s stripping my face of moisture. It’s very similar to the Lancome toner, but more affordable.

Three. Naturium lip balm. I bought this on a whim, but it’s super pretty pinky, berry, milky color. I love the applicator (it feels so good!) and it’s not overly sticky for a gloss.

Actually here’s a screenshot where I’m wearing both rare beauty and the lip balm:

 

Four. CBD drinks. I have been on a CBD binge for a while now. I don’t really drink much, especially when I was still getting migraines and I found a CBD cocktail to be a nice balance. I use kin as a base and make mock tails with it. Kineuphorics and Recess are my fave

Five. Tote bag. The straps on my trusty Cole Haan ripped so it was time for a new one. I splurged on a nice bag but it was not working so I bought a new shoulder bag from Amazon that’s a dupe for Beis. It’s perfect! It comes with a strap if you want to cross-body it but I like it a shoulder bag instead. It fits everything and has a safety side for a laptop, if needed.

 

Hope May was as fun (sans the rona) as mine!