We lost Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain in the same week this month and there are a lot of thoughts about it. I was most struck by the way the media made it sound so sensational and exotic without any care for the safety of their readers. Kate Spade’s suicide: Another example of how the media fails people with mental health issues.

Anthony Bourdain and the Power of Telling the Truth. 

As long as we’re talking about hard, impossible things, I can’t even talk about the situation with the children and immigration and anything like that. I physically can not talk about it anymore. But I’ll tell you about Unlock Hope, a company I totally believe in. I’m ready to buy this shirt. Plus, $15 from each sale to do the RAICEStexas.org Family Reunification Bond Fund.

• If you want to reach out to your US representatives about the shit going down at the border:
• Go to http://callyourrep.co to find the contact info for your representatives.
• Text RESIST to 50409 and Resistbot will guide your through contacting your representatives.
• Sign up at https://5calls.org to stay in the know about issues that are important to you.

I loved, loved, loved this piece written by friend of the blog, Brooke: No, I Don’t Have a Boyfriend, and 12 More Interesting Questions You Can Ask Me Instead. BONUS: there’s even a section about how to be a good listener. I know it sounds basic but this is actually super duper brilliant and helpful for having all kinds of conversations.

We’re in the middle of summer (ish, not technically). We don’t have any big trips planned but we may do some impromptu quick trips for a weekend here or there. I like going to Airbnb to dream about trips we could take. If you’ve never used Airbnb before, you can use my referral code to get $40 off your first booking!! That’s no small amount of travel credit.

Anyway, here’s what I’m dreaming about:
This cozy lil A-Frame house in the Redwood Forest.
We’ve heard great things about this sweet, sweet place in Lawrence, Kansas.
This spot in Chicago is dreamy, dreamy, dreamy!! Oh man, I have a lot of internet friends in Chicago I could go visit…

My summertime skincare routine got a bit of a refresh! I got 3 packs of these Olay daily facials. They’re sooo handy and they do an amazing job. They’re also ideal for traveling since they’re a just-add-water kind of thing. I also bought this Mario Badescu botanical exfoliating scrub on impulse recently (an expensive impulse, I had buyer’s remorse the whole way home until I was able to try it and then my whole face felt brand new, so, worth it) and I’ve been using it in conjunction with their rose, aloe toner. Between these three things, I barely need any makeup at all. Still looking for a delicious moisturizer for oily skin though. [these are all affiliate links through Amazon]

And also, I restarted my Birchbox subscription for fun. If you want to sign up, do it through this link and I’ll get $5 credit in my account! And just remember, as practice, that if you’re going to sign up for a new service, send a quick feeler out to your friends to see if they have any referral links–help out your buddies!

Seriously considering making something like this for framing my next collection of original paintings or prints. (Speaking of, my shop got a face lift and a whole bunch of new things added. Go take a look if you haven’t seen it yet.)

I’m in desperate need of a new wallet but I’m one of those people who are always looking for something perfect and never find it. But here are a few I’m considering [affiliate links]:
This one looks like it can hold so much without getting bulky and soooo many colors.
I like how I could pop my phone into this one and free up my hands a little bit more.
I really love the look of this color blocked one–and there’s room for loose change which the other ones don’t have.

Finally, I want to remind you about Dia and Co. I had trouble with my last box and it bugged me so much that I thought about cancelling all together. But listen to me! I emailed them and told them how bummed I was and their customer service was so cool with me. I was so impressed that I’m going to keep it up with Dia. Sign up for your own box/ help support a cool business that wants to serve you the very best they can by clicking here! And if you’re in the mood for athletic wear they have a whole box for that now, too! [affiliate link]

Other places I could be found on the internet this month:

On Fridays, I’ve been taking over the Fat Girl Flow Fam Instagram account. So on Fridays I get to hang out with a whole new community of babes who believe in body positivity, too!

What was your month like? Did you find any products or services that you fell in love with? Did you do anything you’re proud of? Did you listen to the new Beyonce album (it’s a Beyonce album, ok.)