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July Favorites

August 4, 2017 By Penny

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After finding a sweet deal on a vintage king size headboard at a thrift store, Lucas and I decided it was time to upgrade to a king size mattress. Our previous mattress was a hand me down, so this was our first new one together, and we wanted it to be super comfy. I’d also heard that many mattresses are made of non-vegan materials and chemicals, so I also wanted to find something vegan and high quality. (Apparently some mattresses are made with wool, silk, or latex ((which often utilizes casein, a milk protein)).)

After searching around, I found Casper matresses, which are vegan and don’t contain chemical flame retardants. We went tried one out at a store in Austin called West Elm, and we liked it, so we ordered the mattress as well as the foundation. They also have a 100 night trial period, but we’re definitely keeping it because it is SO comfortable. It’s like sleeping on a cloud. It’s also awesome because you can’t really feel it if the other person gets up because of the memory foam, so we’ve both been sleeping so much better with it. Not to mention the king size is amazing. We love our new megabed.

If you decide to get a Casper mattress, you can use my link to get $75 off a mattress+another product. (If you use it I will get an Amazon gift card, but I’m not sponsored by Casper/bought it with my own money.)

FOOD- RECIPES

One of my favorite recipes this month was The Vegan 8’s Fat-free Vegan Mac and Cheese, which I made and shared in my last What I Ate Wednesday. It was easy to make, creamy, and delicious, and I definitely plan on making it again soon.

I also shared three new recipes of my own this month (all of which are gluten and oil free)–delicious apple pancakes, baked home fries, and a rich, decadent chocolate cake that I made for Harry Potter’s birthday. Try them out, and let me know what you think!

FOOD- RESTAURANTS

A post shared by Penny (@pennysportal) on Jul 12, 2017 at 3:08pm PDT

When Julien and I went vintage shopping in Giddings, we stopped at  Tough Cookie Bakery in Bastrop on the way back. Tough Cookie has a bunch of vegan pastries and desserts (a few of which are also gluten free) as well as some vegetarian and vegan food. I got a vegan/gf cinnamon roll, cookie, and an almond milk latte, and it was all delicious! The person working was really nice and the cafe itself was cute as well–I’ll definitely stop by there again if I’m in Bastrop.

I also went to Güeros for the first time since going vegan when my Dad was in town, and the soy taquitos al pastor were quite tasty. My mom used to love Güeros and going there brings back good memories–I’m glad they have a vegan menu. I was a little disappointed though because I heard they had amazing vegan queso, and they don’t have it anymore.

COFFEE

I’m adding a coffee section this month because after trying various coffees and vegan creamers, I’ve finally found an all-time fave combination: Third Coast Coffee Italian Roast and So Delicious Creamer. Hazelnut is my fave flavor, but French Vanilla is good as well.

BEAUTY

One of my favorite beauty items this month is the Marc Jacob’s Re(marc)able Foundation (Ivory 12). I got a sample of it from Sephora to try it before I bought a bottle because it’s expensive, but I love it. It’s full coverage but doesn’t feel heavy or cakey, it’s easy to apply and blend out, and it stays on well, even in the Texas heat. I’ve also been enjoying the Kat Von D Shade + Light Glimmer Eye Contour Palette. Honestly the glitter shades are kind of hard to work with and do have some fallout, but they’re still really pretty, and I’ve been using them daily. If you have any fave vegan eye-shadow palettes, let me know.

FASHION

I don’t buy new clothes often and prefer to thrift shop, but I had to get some goodies from Hot Topic’s amazing Buffy the Vampire Slayer clothing line. Check out my post about it to see more photos!

TV

This month Lucas and I watched The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian drama on Hulu based on Margaret Atwood’s novel ((which somehow I never read?)). It’s very dark, but it’s a powerful show, and the acting is incredible.

I also started watching The Vampire Diaries after a friend was talking about it, and I’m hooked. It’s surprising it took me this long to watch it since I love vampire stuff, but better late than never! And since I’m late that means the entire series is on Netflix, which is both awesome and dangerous. There’s a lot of Buffy influence in TVD, and I’m loving it. Damon Salvatore gives Spike a run for his money. And now I’m sad I didn’t meet him at Dallas ComicCon while I was there, but maybe he’ll appear at the next one, fingers crossed.

What were some of your fave things this month? Let me know in the comments!

Filed Under: Beauty, Beauty Favorites, Fashion, Favorites, Food, Lifestyle, Makeup Tagged With: Buffy, Casper, coffee, creamer, eyeshadow, eyeshadow palettes, fashion, foundation, gluten free, Güeros, home, Kat Von D Beauty, mac and cheese, Marc Jacob's Beauty, mattress, oil free, So Delicious, The Handmaid's Tale, The Vampire Diaries, The Vegan 8, Third Coast Coffee, Tough Cookie Bakery, TV, vegan leather, vegan restaurant options

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About Penny

Hi, I'm Penny! I'm a writer & photographer in Austin, TX. I blog about vegan food, cruelty free beauty, lifestyle, & more! Read More…

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