Friday Favorites: Sun Care

Happy Friday!!

Okay so before I get into the Friday Favorites, I have to tell you a little bit about me. So as we've established, I'm Shawna, I love my husband, pups, Oreos, etc. What you might not know is that last May I made a life changing decision and started school at the National Institute of Medical Aesthetics, or NIMA as we in the biz call it. Its an a-mazing school and I have been wanting to go for years so I finally just took a leap of faith and went for it and honestly, I couldn't be happier! Life might be a little (or a lot) busy right now with work, school and le blog but it will all be more than worth it when I am finished. Not to mention I have the greatest husband and friends who support me who help me get through it all. 

But let's get back to business, I decided to go into medical aesthetics because for years I have been fascinated by skin care. Growing up I had a hard time with my skin and its still a daily struggle for me. I wanted to learn how to properly take care of it and create solutions for people who struggle with their own skin, which is pretty much everyone because even if someone looks like they have perfect skin I'm sure they can list at least 7 things off hand that they aren't completely happy with, am I right? So that is why I felt it  was important that I make this Friday favs about something that I feel and know is an extremely important topic in the skin care world. Sun Protection. It is one of the easiest steps you can take to healthier skin. I know you're thinking, well summer is over so it's not that big of a deal anymore. Wrong. The sun is out all year long. Ultra violet rays penetrate through clouds. You need to be wearing broad spectrum sun protection every. day. The sun is what ages your skin prematurely and causes wrinkles and hyperpigmentation that might not show up now but it will be there later on. Do I even have to mention the scariest part? Skin cancer? Wearing a broad spectrum sunscreen is necessary and I know it is hard to actually commit to it and follow through with it every day. I get it. I'm trying just like you guys are. I have found that it is easier when you incorporate it into the products you use every day so here are some examples of how I make sure I am protected. 

1. NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30: I love this tinted moisturizer, it has just enough coverage that I can use it like a regular foundation and added bonus, it has Broad Spectrum SPF 30. Too easy. 

2. Sun Bum Lip Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 30+: because you might not realize it but your lips need sun protection too. Don't neglect those babies!

3. Coola Citrus Mimosa Sport Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 35: This 98% natural sunscreen helps protect from free radical while also toning, firming and rejuvenating your skin. 

And if you're someone who can't live without a tan, I threw in the Tanwise Dark Bronzing Sunless Mousse. This stuff is awesome and doesn't turn your orange! 

What are your favorite ways to protect yourself from the sun? We would love to know! 

Have a great Labor Day weekend and don't forget your sunscreen!!

xo

Baseball Tee

Tee: J.Crew (old) similar

Leggings: Agnes and Dora

Necklace: c/o Mindy Mae's Market

Watch: Arvo

Bracelet: Taylor Morgan

Shoes: Target

Want to hear some good news?!?! J.Crew Factory is 40-60% off everything online and in stores! Don't walk-RUN to snatch up their new arrivals for fall because I know you'll be sad if you don't. Yes-it can still be a little more on the expensive side, but J.Crew makes such quality items that they will last you a long time so it's worth spending the extra $$$. And guess what else is on sale?! The necklace that I'm wearing. PLUS you can get an additional 10% off if you use the code 'arrowsandapricots'. Oh and one more thing: Agnes and Dora is having a flash sale today until 4 pm MST. Use the code 'HUMPDAY' for 20% off your purchase. So how's that for a happy Thursday?! :)

Favorite Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Fall is just around the corner! Woot woot! It is my absolute favorite season of the year. I just love everything about it. The scents, the cool crisp air, the cute clothes and not to mention the super yummy desserts. With the cool and rainy weather we've been having lately we couldn't help but bust out some pumpkin cookies a little early. My husband has a slight obsession with pumpkin chocolate chip anything (cookies, bread, cake-you name it!) Needless to say we make these quite a bit. The best part is that it only calls for THREE ingredients so they are super quick and easy! For these killer cookies all you need is...

A box of Spice Cake Mix...

A 15oz can of Pumpkin Pure...

And a bag of milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips (just depends on what you prefer-we love milk chocolate.) We use about 3/4 of a regular bag. 

Then you mix all three ingredients together in a bowl. 

Using a large spoon, get a good size scoop of batter and place on a baking sheet. I don't measure exactly, I just eye ball it. You will want to save some batter at the end to eat. Oh my, it's scrumptious! My husband knows to leave the bowl for me to lick... I mean scrape clean :) 

Set the oven to 350 degrees and bake for exactly 17 minutes not a second more or less. We've got it down to a science. They have the perfect amount of crispiness on the outside with a soft gooey center. Just the way we like it!

Feel free to share... Or not. It might be hard to not eat them all in one sitting (they have pumpkin in them so they can't be that bad, right?)

We may or may not have already made them twice this week... :) 

Enjoy! 

Mad for Plaid

Tee: target 

Jeans: H&M 

Flannel shirt: PacSun 

Shoes: target 

Hat: target 

Necklace: handmade by me. 

This casual look is one of my favorites for fall, you just keep it simple with your jeans and tee and top it off with a plaid flannel shirt tied loosely around your waist. At first I wasn't sure about this trend, it brought me back in time to the 90's and I questioned whether or not I could pull it off, but I just went for it and I have definitely changed my mind, now I love it! Thanks for stopping by!

Gray Dress

Dress: Target (old) similar

Shoes: Steve Madden

Necklace: Francescas (old)

Rings: Mindy Mae's Market c/o

Watch: Arvo

When I saw this dress at Target, I knew that I needed it, but I didn't buy it right away. I waited because I knew that in a week or two it would go on sale. And guess what?! It did! It's such a great casual dress, that I can dress up for date nights or dress it down for running errands. So once again-bravo Target! You make my closet very happy. 

Friday Favorites

Vest: J.Crew Factory

Chambray Top: J.Crew 

Bracelet: Mindy Mae's Market

Jeans: American Eagle

Boots: Nordstrom

Purse: Nordstrom

Happy Friday! I am so glad that the weekend is just a few more hours away. We don't really have any big plans this weekend, but sometimes it's nice just going with the flow and not have a schedule.

Can I just say that I want this outfit in my closet right now?! I feel like this would be an outfit that I would wear to a BYU football game. I bought the blue crystal dot bracelet from Mindy Mae's, and when it arrived I immediately thought "this will be perfect for game days!" I just ordered the J.Crew herringbone vest a few weeks ago, and I'm so excited for it to get here before fall officially hits.  I have coral Hunter boots, and I love them. They are comfortable, and they even work perfect for snow days. I'm hoping to add the black ones to my collection soon! The cross body bag has been on my wish list for quite some time, but I just haven't been able to pull the trigger and buy it yet. I feel like it's the perfect neutral for any outfit, and it's perfect for those times that you just don't want to be carrying a large tote around. 

I hope you guys have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by. 

Funfetti Cookies (Recipe)

This is one of my favorite recipes! It is super easy, and the perfect dessert. Also, this recipe is a little bit cheaper than buying the cookie mix at WalMart. So let's get started!

You'll need:

• A medium bowl
• A funfetti/ranbow chip cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup of oil
• Funfetti frosting

Set your oven to 375 degrees. Mix the 1/3 cup of oil, 2 eggs, and cake mix together until it's well blended. I use a spatula because I find that it mixes better than a whisk. 

Every time my mom comes to visit, she brings me a cute (and much needed) kitchen utensil. When I moved out to college, she gave me this handy dandy lil cookie scooper that I have used probably a million times because it is the perfect size and it makes my cookies bakery worthy round. 

Spray your cookie sheet with pam spray, then scoop out your dough and place about an inch apart on your cookie sheet.

Bake for about 6-8 minutes. (I typically bake mine for 6 minutes because I like a gooey middle-but it's not too gooey). Let them cool. 

Now to my favorite part! Frost those bad boys right up! (and maybe put a spoonful in your mouth if you're feeling dangerous). 

So confession: I completely forgot to take pictures of all of the cookies together, and these were the last of the cookies when I remembered...4 hours later. (Don't worry I didn't eat them all myself-I shared with family and the neighbors who brought us cupcakes after my husband's surgery). Enjoy!

Kimono Love

Kimono: Purchased at a blogger closet sale 

Black Tank Top: H&M (from the basics department)

Jeans: Target (found on clearance)

Shoes: Target (found on clearance)

Necklace: H&M

Watch: Arvo

I'm going to be completely honest with you, I have been loving this kimono trend lately. And when I say loving, I mean "I wear them at least 3 times a week" kind of loving. They are so cool, light and flowy and really you can dress them up or down and make them work for any occasion. I am a total jeans and t-shirt kind of girl so adding a kimono into the mix just tops off my look and I can't get enough of it. Seriously, I will probably need a kimono intervention here soon. I've also tried switching out the sandals with some tan booties (I'll have to post a picture of that soon) to give it more of a fall look and I fell in love all over again. This is definitely a look I will be keeping around for a while.

FYI this outfit was a steal and was completely purchased for less than $50. Make sure you are giving those clearance racks a chance and watch for blogger closet sales because what's better than getting new clothes for a great deal? Okay, maybe like eating a pack of Oreo's, but not much else!