Another week has come and gone. I’ll leave the intro of this one short since I have a lot to get through in this Friday Five, but here are five things that I’ve liked or things that have been on my mind over the previous week.
As as I said last week (because I believe in transparency), any link you click on may be a commissionable link meaning I get a small kickback for your click and/or purchase. With that said, I will never link something on my blog or elsewhere that I don’t use personally or fully believe in.
Routine
I’m trying to get back into a routine in 2022. I got away from my routine toward the end of 2021 for a couple of reasons. First, we lost our dog Jacks and that was really hard. I pretty much stopped working out the day he passed away. Second, we were in crunch mode for our wedding. That was a doozy of stress and we had a wedding planner. How do some of y’all do it without someone helping??
Anyway, now that we are in a new year, I’m trying to get back into the swing of things. That includes a plan to start working out again (I miss my Peloton bike and tread, so I need to get back to it). But it also includes my morning podcasts. I’ve found listening to a couple of podcasts every morning helps me stay on top of the daily news without overwhelming myself.
Here’s what I regularly listen to:
I don’t get through every episode every day depending on my schedule, but I’m trying. I’ve felt more in control the last week as I’ve gotten back into this routine too, which is the point.
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The LSU Tiger Girls
I’ve talked a lot about the LSU Tiger Girls this week. Here’s the short version of the story: LSU did not allow the Tiger Girls to compete at nationals in 2021. Despite the national competition—the Tiger Girls’ ONLY competition every year—being moved from January to April due to Covid, the university couldn’t make it happen even on the extended timeline. Was it because of Covid or budgetary concerns? No, it was because of the inability to provide an athletic trainer to them. You can read the full story here to get a greater understanding of what happened.
One year later, the Tiger Girls arrived at nationals in Orlando and made a statement. They performed a hip hop routine to Ciara’s Like A Boy, a statement on their treatment as athletes in comparison to their male counterparts. After all, the LSU Tiger Girls had been allowed to perform at a number of LSU events all 2020-21 but they couldn’t find the support for their one competition.
Anyway, the LSU Tiger Girls are national champions for that routine and they’re now going viral on TikTok because of it. It still hasn’t picked up the national media attention I believe it deserves—although I’ve seen some more news stories published in recent days—but TikTok is certainly moving the conversation along.
I made a couple of TikToks discussing this as well, and we also talked about this—and Taylor Swift!—in the latest Mind Your Own Podcast. Feel free to check it all out (but more importantly, go support the LSU Tiger Girls).
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OLEHENRIKSEN Wrinkle Blur Bakuchiol Eye Gel Crème
One of my goals for 2022 is to fully use the products I buy. I went through my cosmetics and medicine cabinet the other day only to discover a number of things had expired before I had gotten through the item. Ugh.
Anything that wasn’t expired is going to be used before I can buy anything else (unless I empty something I really like and want to replace it). That’s a new rule I’ve made for 2022. I’m often tempted by Sephora and Ulta sales, but I need to chill. I have plenty.
For now, one I discovered I have officially emptied is this eye cream from OLEHENRIKSEN. It is supposed to help with wrinkles and fine lines, which is always a bizarre concept to me because I’m not sure how these creams actually do that. With that said, I do notice my under-eyes feel more hydrated when I use this eye cream. I also think it has improved the dark circles under my eyes a bit, because we know I haven’t suddenly been sleeping more for it to be that.
Overall, I like this product and did rebuy it.
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Leggings
It’s that time of the year when I live in leggings. I basically change out of my sleep leggings into my work leggings every single day. Now, I’ve been trying to get ready every day (admittedly not that well) and wear something other than leggings, but . . . you know how it goes.
Zella Live In High Waist Leggings
I’ve shared these leggings a number of times before, and I’m sharing them again. They are my go-to leggings and have been for a few years. I think the price point is fair, especially considering how well they hold up. They’re a thicker legging (so I especially like them in winter), they feel casual enough to wear at home and structured enough to wear out and about.
The reality is that I was sucked into the Zella legging world during a Nordstrom Anniversary Sale awhile back. Despite most Anniversary Sales panning out to be so-so in my history with the sale, the leggings have held up as the best purchase I’ve made. I also haven’t had to replace a pair in a long time so that makes me happy too.
Colorfulkoala Women’s Buttery Soft High Waisted Yoga Pants Full-Length Leggings
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Colorfulkoala Women’s High Waisted Yoga Pants 7/8 Length Leggings with Pockets
These leggings went viral on TikTok last year (but they keep popping up on the app pretty regularly still). There’s good reason for that too. They are very similar to the Lululemon Align but at a much friendlier price point ($22.99-$25 when I linked them).
Look, I’ll be honest: They are not *as soft* as the Lululemon Align but they’re very close. And they come in a lot of colors, have plenty of support and are a really good pair of leggings. The ratings (and the fact that they seemingly go viral every couple of months) make sense to me.
And yes, I got sucked into a purchase because of the clock app last year. So it goes.
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This Song
It’s damn catchy.
I’ve listened to it one million times already because that’s how I enjoy all music. I listen to it obsessively until I hate it. I’ve also added it to the playlist of songs I’m listening to right now, because of course I did.
There was a running joke on TikTok that Charlie would never release this song. I’m glad he finally did though because, again, it’s damn catchy.
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And with that, another Friday Five comes to a close.
Thank you for being here, for reading and for supporting this journey. The last two weeks have already been filled with doubt and with me wanting to quit on this blog already, but I’m determined not to. Just taking it day by day for now.
Until next week, friends.
Erin