Things I’m Loving Friday #561

We've had a good week over here, mostly consumed by back-to-school activities for our two oldest boys. And another two weeks at home before school starts for Rhetty who thought changing the numbers on his back-to-school sign was hilarious. As for the weekend ahead, it’s a free one for our family. Fall activities haven’t begun yet and we’re all home and ready for some downtime together. It should be hot and sunny so I’m fairly certain a lot of pool and lake time will be happening over here.

Now let's dive right into the meat of this post and chat about the things we’re loving this week, shall we? I used my previous hanging toiletry bag to store kid entertainment goodies on our trip to Alaska (you may see this mom hack here!) so I quickly ordered another large-capacity toiletry bag for myself for the trip. The reviews had me feeling hopeful and thankfully I ended up absolutely loving it, both aesthetically and from a functional standpoint. It has plenty of pockets to hold all of my toiletries and makeup and made it all easily accessible throughout our trip. I ended up leaving everything in it and folding it back up to take to Florida a few days later, too!

I recently upgraded my workout mat (I hesitate to call it a yoga mat, as I primarily use it for purposes other than yoga) and my Stakt Mat very quickly surpassed my love of all other mats I’ve used in the past. As I’ve gotten older, my whole body is more sensitive to hard surfaces so I really appreciate the way this mat is thicker than a traditional yoga mat. It stays firmly in place and I love the way it folds up (it doesn’t roll) so I can use it as a block, too. (I especially love this especially for an elevated surface for lower body workouts at home — Bulgarian split squats, hip thrusters, etc., as well as chest presses/flyes, etc.)

Also, this picture of the boys the day my mat arrived a few months ago cracked me up: Nothing is only yours when you’re a mom, especially when your mat makes the perfect picnic spot. Aaand good news! I reached out to the Stackt team through ShopMy and they offered a code in case any of you have this mat on your radar or want to give it a try. PBFINGERS15 will save you 15%! Also, for any of my creator friends, this is yet another reason I love ShopMy! It makes it sooo much easier to directly reach out to some of your favorite brands for discount codes to pass along if you love their product.

I’m also loving two new-to-me clean beauty mascaras: Neen Pretty Extra Mascara + Gee Beauty The Multi Mascara. If there is a beauty product I feel most picky about, it is, without a doubt, my mascara. I cannot stand the vast majority of mascaras on the market, as I feel like most clump lashes or only do one of the two things I desire — either add volume or lengthen. When a mascara can hit the trifecta — make my lashes look voluminous, long and not clumpy — I’ll be a fan for life.

I’ve been using ILIA Fullest Volumizing Mascara for years and love it. (I switched from L’Oreal Volumizing Mascara which I loved for years to ILIA when I was looking for a clean beauty option.) This may make me sound crazy, but I often like my mascara a month or two after I begin using it, when the formula gets a little tackier and less goopy. That’s the sweet spot and then it’s fantastic, and that was always the case with my ILIA mascara. Every so often I get the itch to try a new mascara and I almost always regret it but over the course of the past few months I’ve tried two new-to-me clean beauty mascaras that have both blown me away.

Neen Pretty Extra Mascara: This clean-beauty mascara needs to be on all the top beauty product lists. It fills and separates lashes in a gorgeously feathery way while also adding length and volume. It’s stunning and does so much to make my blonde lashes look lush and long. I love it for both day and night wear and really appreciate the way it stays on my lashes with zero flaking or smudging — even in crazy-hot Florida heat and humidity.

Gee Beauty The Multi Mascara: I wanted to try a brown mascara for a less intense look, especially during the summer months when I will often go makeup-free except for tinted sunscreen on my face. As someone with basically clear eyelashes, a swipe of mascara goes a long way to give my eyes some life and this Gee Beauty mascara is the mascara of my dreams for natural-looking lashes that are voluminous and long.

I’m also loving these little glass jars (on sale for $8.99), as they make it super simple to prep the chia pudding and have it all ready to go with a little spoon and everything as I head out the door. I bought a two-pack and prep two at a time and its worked well for me.

Genre: Romance / My rating: B+ Christina Lauren, the author-duo behind some of my favorite breezy romance novels, did it again with Roomies. I was looking for a light but entertaining read after making my way through some heavier reads and this novel was exactly what I was looking for in a breezy beach read.

You have you suspend your sense of disbelief but that seems to be a theme with a lot of romance novels. The plot wasn’t the most creative (two people agree to get married to help each other out) but I loved the emphasis on the power of music in the novel as well as the slow burn romance.

It was cute, funny and entertaining. Synopsis: Holland Bakker is infatuated with Calvin McLoughlin, a subway musician, mainly because of his incredible talent but also because he’s, well, super hot. One night, Holland is rescued by Calvin in the subway, though she’s confused when he doesn’t take any credit and seems to disappear after the event.

When Holland learns of an opening for a talented musician in her uncle’s popular Broadway show, she thinks of Calvin. Soon it’s revealed that Calvin is in the country illegally and a plan is hatched for the two to marry. Though their marriage is fake, Holland’s feelings are increasingly real and she wonders if, perhaps, Calvin’s might be, too.

Here are your top 10 favs from July 2025! Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Overnight Oats (Forever a favorite!) High Protein Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Made this one this week!) What is one thing you’re loving this week? Be sure to follow PBFingers on Instagram and Facebook!