Lloyd Local

Shopping Local this Holiday Season with Lloyd Center’s Lloyd Local Initiative

This holiday season, I paired up with Lloyd Center to introduce their Lloyd Local movement! Growing up, Lloyd Center was the mall closest to my house and I have many fond memories there. It is where I took ice skating lessons, where I have gotten all of my piercings and where I would head at midnight to wait for the release of the newest Harry Potter book. Therefore when Lloyd Center reached out about their newest initiative, I was excited to be a part of it! The Lloyd Local movement is a new thing this year starting just in time for the holidays!

What is Lloyd Local?

Lloyd Local is a new initiative starting this year where a wide range of local businesses are doing pop-up shops throughout the mall. The local businesses range from restaurants to plant shops to clothing boutiques and several will remain past the holiday season.

When it comes to holiday shopping, I love being able to go to one place, on one day and check off the majority of my shopping list. In the past, I have had to divide up my Christmas shopping into a trip to the mall and then many trips to all of the local businesses around Portland that I want to buy gifts from. By having both local and larger stores in the mall, I am able to do more of my shopping during one trip while also supporting local entrepreneurs.

What Businesses are Included?

Adorn/Rachelle M/Gild Shoes

Animal. Plant. Mineral

B Store

Bobablastic

Bricks ‘n Minifigs

CBD World

Cracked Pots

Cultural Blends

Five O’ Tree

Frock

Migration Brewing’s Burger Shack

My People’s Market/Pallet42

Portland Pedal Power/MUJI

Reis & Irvy’s

Seven Virtues

Shoeshineboyz

Sock It To Me

Stubborn Stiles

Ugswea

Xray Radio

The Lloyd Local Incubator (rotates different businesses)

{I’ve tagged all of the Instagram accounts so just click on the name to check them out!}

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For more information on Lloyd Local and all the fun events coming to Lloyd Center this holiday season, check out Lloyd Center’s website and follow along on Instagram.

You can also shop this outfit and many others here.

[This post is sponsored. Photographs by Shauna Dullanty and Linnea Havener]

Overnight Oxygen Eye Mask

As I have gotten older, I have noticed my body craving more and more sleep! These days, I would ideally get an average of 10 hours each night. I would also ideally wake up looking well rested and not feel the need to drink caffeine each morning. In reality however, I am pretty busy and very rarely do I get to sleep that much. Only getting an average of 6 hours of sleep each night has definitely taken a toll and I have started to notice the development of some dark circles under my eyes. Because of this, I have been on the hunt for some under the eye masks for awhile to help eliminate my dark circles. Although I had heard of VIIcode eye masks, I had personally never tried them before. Considering I had only heard good things, I figured I should try them for myself!

One thing that really sold me on the VIIcode Oxygen Eye Masks are that they can be worn while you are asleep! Since I am pretty busy during the week, I am all for products that make a difference while you do nothing! It is recommended to wear the masks for 8 hours max at night or you can wear them for 2-4 hours during the day - this is a great alternative for all you ladies out that who don’t like sleeping with something on your face!

Each box has 6 individually wrapped packages containing one pair. I definitely appreciate that they are individually wrapped because this way you don’t have to worry about them drying out and they are perfect for travel. I know some people will wear one of these masks every other night (or about 3 times a week) in which case one box will last you 2 weeks.

One side of the mask is made from white breathable fabric while the other side has a thick clear jelly layer. The gel is sticky enough to keep the masks from moving on your face during the night but is mess-free and does not leave any residue or cause any irritation making them very comfortable to wear for the full 8 hours. I’ve noticed that the skin under my eyes feels hydrated in the morning and I wake up with no signs of puffiness! In the winter, the skin under my eyes can get a bit dried out so these have been perfect for that.

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For more information on VIIcode Oxygen Eye Masks as well as VIIcode as a company, you can check out their website here as well as their Instagram

[sponsored post - all opinions and photos are mine]

Hot Toddy

I love a good cocktail as much as the next girl but one of my biggest complaints is that most cocktails include ice. I'm one of those people who is always cold so having to hold onto an icy glass especially in the colder months is the absolute worst! Because of this, I am a huge fan of hot alcoholic drinks and hot toddies are by far my favorite! It is practically like drinking warm tea which is perfect for this season plus they are super easy to make! Below is one of my hot toddy recipes using a locally made liqueur I picked up this weekend at the Portland Bazaar

Ingredients:

- Mason Jar

- Townshend's Bluebird Alpine Liqueur

- Teavana Maharaja Chai Oolong Tea

- Honey

- Cinnamon Sticks

- Star Anise

 - Lemon Juice

Directions: 

First brew your tea of choice. I am a huge chai fan and one of my friends gave me this loose-leaf chai blend from Teavana that I decided to use.

After brewing the tea, pour it into your glass of choice and add as much honey as you would typically use for a cup of tea. Next pour in a shot of the alcohol. Typically hot toddies are made using whiskey but this past weekend I picked up some liqueur full of herbs and spices which I figured would add a nice touch to my hot toddy. The quantity of alcohol can be adjusted based on how strong you want your drink. Mix until honey is dissolved before adding lemon juice for a bit of flavor. Finally, garnish your hot toddy with a few star anise, a cinnamon stick and if you wish, a slice of lemon and then drink up!