Hello, my friends! How are you? I hope you’ve had a great week! 

This week was super busy for me. I’m still preparing and filming workouts for the project I’m working on, and I will share all the details with you soon. In addition to that, I taught a couple virtual classes, had several meetings, took Brady to the park, rode the Peloton and worked on the blog too.

This weekend will be full of more work, much like the last one. But I see a break on the horizon, because I should have everything done just in time for us to go on a little road-trip to Tahoe in two weeks, where we’re renting a house for a few days. Yay for a change of scenery and a little time off.

(Wearing Carbon38 leggings and Beautycounter Red color intense lipstick.)

Now let’s get to the faves for today …

Current faves

Books

“Educated” by Tara Westover

This book, “Educated” by Tara Westover, is super popular, and I had seen the name circulating for the last year or so and knew I should give it a try.

I was on the waiting list for it at the library for a long time and finally got it in my hands a couple weeks ago. Well, I read it SO quickly … I’m talking more than 300 pages in about five nights. I stayed up until almost midnight four nights in a row reading, because I couldn’t put it down, which is something I never do.

It’s a memoir, and it’s a true account from one woman about her life growing up in the rural mountains of Idaho with an incredibly strange family dynamic. I don’t want to spoil much, but it was hard to read at times. You know that some people grow up with bad situations, but this was really bad. Her father was always preparing for the end of the world stock-piling supplies, and he didn’t even want his kids going to school.

And yet, Westover came out on top and ended up going to college and becoming a “New York Times” Bestseller with her first book.

(“Educated” by Tara Westover.)

It was definitely a gripping story that pulled you in. If it had been fiction, I would have said it’s not super believable. But, it’s the truth, so that makes it even more riveting. 

After I finished “Educated,” I looked up the reviews, and apparently this book won a ton of awards and was even recommended by Former President Obama and Bill Gates to name a couple. Clearly it had an impact on a lot of people.

If you’re in the mood for an intense real-life memoir from someone who has lived a tough life, but somehow struggled their way out, then this one is for you. But beware, it may pull you in and have you reading for longer periods than you initially planned. 

Beauty

Our new-and-improved lip products

We have a lot of awesome new products coming out in the next few weeks, and this week marked the launch of two new-and-improved lip products.

And I’m always a fan of wearing a lip. It just puts me in a good mood, even if I’m wearing workout clothes. In fact, I was inspired by the decked-out Peloton instructors to start wearing lipstick when I teach my virtual classes a few months ago — love it.

Here are the two products:

1. Beyond Gloss Lipgloss — shiny, not sticky, with color
2. Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick — balmy, hydrating, with color

These products are designed to look good, feel good and do good. Beautycounter spent 2.5 years finding a responsibly sourced vanilla scent for these products, which is a huge deal in the cosmetics industry, and Allure magazine wrote this amazing article all about the ethically sourced vanilla in Beyond Gloss this week.

(I’m wearing Amber Shimmer Beyond Gloss in this picture.)

These two products are replacing the old lipgloss and sheer lipstick. And there are a ton of new shades, new packaging and a new responsibly sourced vanilla scent to all of them.

• Beyond Gloss Lipgloss is a multi-dimensional shine, which isn’t sticky. There are 9 totally new shades, with 14 shades total. I’ve been wearing Amber Shimmer. And the other most popular shades are Magnolia Shimmer (cool, shimmer), Spice (warm, neutral), Clove (no shimmer and more coverage) and Rosewood (the most popular ever and very neutral).
• Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick is a hybrid lip balm with conditioner and color. There is 1 totally new shade, with 10 shades total. I’ve been wearing Rosewood, which is the most popular shade, but Twig, Rose and Plum are also beautiful. Actually, they are all beautiful. You really can’t go wrong.

Thank you to all of you who support my Beautycounter business!

If you have questions about any of the makeup or skincare, please let me know. I’d love to help you choose the perfect products. 

You can also take this skincare survey and sign up for my Beautycounter email list. 

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Here are my workouts from last week …

• Monday: 45-minute weights circuit, 1 p.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 45-minute barre, 12 p.m., 30-minute cycle, 6 p.m.
• Wednesday: 30-minute BODYPUMP via Les Mills On Demand, 6 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute barre, 12 p.m., 20-minute cycle, 6 p.m.
• Friday: 20 minutes of Pilates, 20-minute weights, 11 a.m.
• Saturday: 45-minute barre, 11 a.m.
• Sunday: 30 minutes of light yoga, 6 p.m.

This past week of workouts was pretty good and similar to the last couple. I hit my three resistance sessions and my two cardio sessions, with some barre, Pilates and yoga mixed in too. 

Discounts 

A few A Lady Goes West recommended products

You guys know I only share what I love, so here are some of the brands I recommend …

• Carbon38. The coolest activewear around. Get 15 percent off your first two orders of $100 or more using the code ASHLEYPITT. 
• G2G protein bars. I love these tasty and clean protein bars. You can get 20 percent off your order on the G2G Bar site with the code ALADYGOESWEST. 
• Organifi superfood supplements. I’m all about the Organifi Complete Plant-Based protein powder, the RED powder and the GOLD powder. You can get 15 percent off your order on the Organifi site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Daily Harvest frozen foods. I’ve loved every single thing I’ve tried from this healthy frozen food delivery service, including the smoothies, flatbreads, desserts and bowls. You can get $25 off your first order on the Daily Harvest site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Beautycounter. The best safe skincare and makeup. Send me a message, and I’ll share a 20 percent off code for your very first order.
• Les Mills On Demand streaming workouts. My favorite fitness brand. You can do a whole month of workouts during a free 30-day trial by using my special referral link here.
• Four Sigmatic. These superfood coffees and teas are so good — I especially love the Cacao Chill and Lion’s Mane Latte. Get 15 percent off your order on the Four Sigmatic site using the code ALADYGOESWEST.

Best reads

A few things from around the web 

• Seasonal eating. There are a lot of reasons to eat produce that is in season, especially because fruits and veggies taste better when fresh and not frozen. Here’s a list of what’s in season and the best way to eat it all.
• Get motivated with your “why.” This is a great article about how to make lasting change with your health and fitness, and it all ties back to finding a greater “why.” Love these steps and tips.

And here’s the quote of the week from the Calm app, which I use to do my daily morning meditations …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives 

• Nordstrom sale. Even if you don’t need anything right now, there’s a ton of stuff on sale for when the weather gets cooler … “My must-have pieces from the 2020 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (under $100).“

• Les Mills Barre. This is definitely the most classic-dance-like of any of the barre classes I’ve ever taken, and it feels so good. Here’s what to expect and how you can try it for free … “Review of Les Mills Barre workout class.”

Thank you for visiting the blog today, my friends. I’ll see you over on Instagram! Have a wonderful day and weekend. 🙂

P.S. If you wear a size small in leggings and would like me to send you a brand new pair of shiny black high-waisted leggings, please leave a comment on this post. I’ve got an extra pair that I’d love to give to one of you.

Questions of the day

How was your week?

Have you tried anything new lately?

Did you have a favorite workout this week?