Hey Friends! It’s been a while since I’ve shared a life update on here. I figured this time around, it would be fun to change it up with the addition of a handful (or five) random things thrown in the mix – from what series/movies we’re watching and wedding planning updates, to beauty buys and favorite things I’ve found on Amazon, to what’s on our calendar for the rest of the month & so on. I hope you enjoy!

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Things To Watch

The White Lotus (HBOMax) – Just finished this Limited Series the other night. In terms of the ending, I found it predictable but also great in the sense that it wasn’t trying to be anything but what you’d expect for these characters & where they’d end up by the finale. It already got picked up for Season Two, new hotel/staff/guests but curious if it’ll start with another mystery murder fresh out the gate…

Jungle Cruise (Disney+) – AMAZING, FIVE STARS! I’ll admit we bought Premier Access to watch this (along with Cruella – another fab movie worth purchasing) and both were 1000% worth splurging for, by on-demand movie standards.

Ted Lasso (Apple TV) – Low-key hilarious and definitely one of the better, comical series I’ve watched in a long time. The humor is actively present within the interactions of the characters, but not in a way where you’d expect like in The Office.

100 Foot Wave (HBOMax) – Starting this series now and finding it so fascinating. Also the cinematography is epic so far – like I can’t believe people see waves this large and go, “Yeah, I’ll give it a shot..” INSANE & SO COOL!

Beauty Items I’m Using (+ Restocking)

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Tinted Moisturizer: One of my fave tinted moisturizers with repairing hydration & necessary SPF 30 formula for my dry skin. Safe for sensitive skin and something I wear under my makeup (sometimes as a primer) all year round. I use the “Sand” color during the summer & in fall/winter/spring, I alternate between using 1-2 of the lighter tints underneath “Sand” in the foundation color wheel. These tints seem to run a shade or two darker than the name it claims, just an FYI.

L’Oreal Voluminous Superstar 2-in-1 Waterproof Mascara + Primer: I picked this up at my local drugstore along with the below product and it’s quickly become my go-to mascara for whenever I grace it over my lashes – which is more often now thanks to this! My eyes tend to water and melt mascara under my bottom lashes, and I purposely don’t put anything on the bottom layer because of this. I strictly only do my top lashes AND have gone so far to gently blow dry them to prevent this (once inevitable) unwanted, smeary under eye. Since using this wand with the primer, I’ve had ZERO raccoon eyes – yay!

Revlon Photoready Insta-Fix Concealer Stick: I’ve tried a lot of concealers for my dark under eye circles – TONS. And until stumbling across this drugstore find, I haven’t found one that lasts long enough where I don’t have to bring it with me in my bag. I wasn’t sure which shade would match my skin under the eyes best, so I got both the 140 Nude & 150 Natural Beige and use them interchangeably. Sometimes I like a lighter stroke of concealer there, especially after a long day (& night) of work.

ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream: Been needing to restock this overnight wonder moisturizer and currently have it in my Amazon cart (TG ELEMIS has an Amazon storefront!) I find this airy, lightweight cream packs a punch when it comes to restoring the skin and making it irresistibly soft upon waking, while doing the very least to disrupt or anger my skin.

Necessaire The Body Wash: Just ran out of this last night and have both the ‘Eucalyptus’ and ‘Sandalwood’ fragrances in my cart as I type this. Both scents are so delightful and the price point for what you get from this body wash can’t be beat. There’s also a fragrance-free one in case either of these two sound too strong in smell, but I personally find both so spa-like to use in a hot shower.

Wedding Updates

Invitations have been ordered & will hopefully be delivered sometime this week! I’ll be sure to share more details soon but here’s the design we chose from Minted. Honestly, I can’t say enough great things about working with Minted – they’ve been SO helpful throughout the entire process & answering my every question then and still now, no matter how insane I sound while typing it out to them lol.

Side Note: While on the topic of Minted, I recently got these 3 gorgeous pieces of framed artwork for our bedroom. Also wanted to share an exclusive code for my readers to get 20% off frames on all framed art prints! Use code TILDENFRAMES at checkout & click here to explore all the amazing artwork Minted has for your walls!

OK BACK TO WEDDING UPDATE(S)

We’ve also booked 90% of our honeymoon – flights, hotels, and dinner reservations all secured! Will be sharing where we’re headed in an upcoming post (along with our entire invitation package) but here’s a hint: sand & salt everywhere.

Here’s what’s next on our to do list to confirm:

Menu Tasting at our Reception Venue – aiming for sometime in mid-late September!

Wedding Rings – Thomas has his all picked out but I’m still deciding on what I’d like to do with my band design. I’m planning to visit the jeweler where Thomas (& I) designed my engagement ring – Johnsen Diamond, as they’re familiar with working alongside us, in terms of customization, as well as extremely approachable when it comes to working with your personal budget. Shared all about the process that went into designing my engagement ring here.

Thomas’s Wedding Gift (hehe)

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Recent Amazon Purchases (For The Beach/Pool)

Lightweight Buckle Sandals: So prefer these $17 sandals over the $60+ original; they’re practically plastic, which means they’re extremely lightweight while entirely waterproof and NOT worth spending a stupid amount of money on… Also, these are way more “fitted” aka less wide on the foot and have a slight arch in the footbed that kind of feels like it’s meant for me & my size 8’s.

Cabana Striped Oversized Beach Towel: If you’re looking for a great, luxurious-meets-soft (and even softer after every wash) beach towel, this is the one. Measuring at a glorious dimension size of 40″ x 70″ & comes in a handful of stripe color options.

Splash-Proof Zipper Pouch: I have a handful of these handy pouches of all sizes, but love them most for keeping my wallet/phone/keys safe from unwanted water exposure (which is almost inevitable in a beach/pool setting.) Along with the “Important Items” designated pouch, I also use various sizes of these pouches to hold my sunscreen/sun-care products along with beach accessories such as below.

Cup Chair Clip Drink Holder + Towel Chair Clips: You might not have thought you needed either one of these items, but trust me when I say they’re GAME CHANGERS in the name of sand-free beverages & wind-resistant draped towels.

Beach Backgammon Set: My dad is really, really good at this game & I’ve been wanting to get better myself. So I bought this smaller-scale version of the game to play on the beach. I’m sure there are better, more portable options out there but I like this one for its design as well as its size in case I want to pack it in luggage.

Upcoming Plans on the Cal

We only two Newport, RI sailing trips left for this year’s season – including one this weekend! My parents are coming up with us this time so it’ll be way more exciting for me to play “host” to them while Thomas is sailing. Also, I promised to put together a Weekend Travel Guide & I’m holding true to it – planning to post sometime next week so stay tuned if you’ve been wanting to venture up there this summer before it ends or in the off-season months.

I have my first dress fitting next week! I’m excited yet nervous I won’t recognize the dress for some strange reason (even though I look at photos of myself in it almost daily as a reminder haha.) For those new here or in case it was missed, I shared all about my experience saying YES to the dress (quite literally) along with what it was like to try on dresses during the height of a Pandemic winter.

We also have our Engagement Shoot (aka “practice shoot”) with one of our wedding photographers later this month (yes, you read that right – I hired two independent photographers for our wedding, which will be shared in more detail very soon too!) Although we have shots from the day the actual engagement happened, this session is part of our wedding package & honestly extremely important for us to take part in; for reasons of learning how to pose with one another, as well as to get more comfortable being photographed & working with our photographer directly. So there’s nothing but easy, breezy smooth-sailing on the actual wedding day when photos happen. Now I need to figure out what to wear! Thankfully, this Dress Edit roundup is giving me lots of inspo.

My best friend’s wedding is coming up so soon – Labor Day Weekend. I can’t wait to stand by her side & watch her marry the love of her life (again!) They got formally married last year during COVID, so this celebration is going to be extra special now that we can all be safely together this year #TeamVaccine! Plus – our Bride told us Bridesmaids to pick any formal black gown to wear as her Bride Squad (yay!) I picked out this one & didn’t even have to get it altered! Plus – imagine all the formal events I can wear it to later on.

PS – If you’re attending a wedding as a guest in the upcoming September month & have no idea what to wear, highly recommend checking out these Best Dressed Guest options.

New Arrivals I’m Loving

Two Dresses From Petal & Pup: Snagged these two pink beauties (polka dot midi & coral above the knee) as possible rehearsal dinner outfit options for an upcoming September wedding. BTW – my discount code still works now until September 5! Use TOBEBRIGHT at checkout for 15% off your order.

See By Chloe Mini Camera Bag: Been eyeing this one for a while & finally went for it. Honestly find it so perfect not just for summer, but for all throughout fall and wedding season! I got it in the white color, but it also comes in black & what they call a ‘motty grey.’

Senso Black Sandals: These are in limited stock as of now, but found similar styles here, here & here.

Mom-Jean Fit Denim Shorts: The perfect length above and below the waist! Got these in two washes – light ‘Fitzgerald‘ & regular ‘Burdette.’ Recommend sizing down if you’re in-between sizes when it comes to denim shorts – these have a lot of stretch in the waist. There’s also a handful of similar Mom-Jean fits worth checking out in this denim shorts roundup here.

‘TILDEN’ Earrings & Eyewear: Ok, I know I grouped these together but OMG – these two items have MY NAME! They’re called MY NAME. This never happens to people named Tilden, so naturally I had to purchase both. First, the Tilden Earrings aren’t lightweight but aren’t heavy, plus the back is substantial enough to support it on your lobe (a big must for someone like me who rarely wears heavy or dangle earrings with weight.) As for the Tilden Frames, big fan big fan – love eyewear with a tortoise frame.