Five on Friday

Happy Friday! I'm going to jump right in to talk about some of the things I'm loving this week.

1. Wholly Guacamole 100 calorie packs/Vitamin Water Zero Lemondae. I'm always looking for some new afternoon snacks, and when I heard there were 100 calorie packs of wholly guacamole - I literally went to the store on my lunch hour.

I like that there is no junk - just a few simple ingredients. Nevermind that it's slightly disheartning how much 100 calories of guacamole really is - and how much I pile on at the local mexican joint.

I also think I'm the last one to the Vitamin Water Zero party, but the lemonade flavor floats my boat.

2. ELF Eyelid Primer and All Over Color Stick. I know I've blogged about these recently, but after weeks of wear, I figured they deserved their due praises. If I liked them at first, I love them now. The primer works awesome, and I've started to use the all over color stick in the afternoons to touch up the blush. I love the pink lemonade color - granted, it's the only one I've tried, but it's just right for this goldilocks. It's also worth mentioning again, they are dirt cheap.

3. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle. After battling some major summer hair issues, I remembered how much I used to love Aussie's 3 minute miracle and went and picked some up. Confession - I had MS pick it up on his lunch hour since he's closer to Target. So this is his "is this the right stuff?" picture message. The only thing I don't like is that you only use it once or twice a week. It works so well and smells so good, I want to use it every day. First. World. Problems.

4. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer.  In appreciation for logging in all my Real Housewives and Golden Girls watching, Nielsen bestowed upon me quite a few Amazon gift cards. (If you get an opportunity to do Nielsen, the survey/app version is the way to go). I decided to use it to buy this Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer that I've seen in every beauty magazines top beauty products since I was old enough to read. Where has this stuff been all my life???

Between this and the ELF High Definition Loose Face Powder, I'm fighting the good fight against the southern summer humidity - and we all know every win in that war is worth celebrating.

5. Batiste Dry Shampoo - Light and Blonde. I've long been a fan of dry shampoo, since I got off the daily hair washing bandwagon. I think I saw this in the Ulta sale magazine and decided to pick some up there with the coupon. This is the first dry shampoo I've tried with a hint of color, and it's wonderful! Especially for those weeks when you are oh-so-close to getting your color done but have a few stray (brown) roots. Covers them right up. It got high marks among magazines and users alike - you know I read the reviews.

There is also a brown version, and several different regular with no color, just different scents. A little tip - I noticed last time I was in TJ Maxx, they also carried this line for a few bucks cheaper. Which is why it's one of my favorite stores!

There you have it - everything I'm using to stay primed, hydrated and root free this week. Hope you find something you like from these favorites! Cheers to the weekend!

Five on Friday

Today I'm linking up my normal Friday Favorites to Hello Happiness' "Five on Friday". I love hearing about things other people love, and love to share my own as well - especially when it comes to food.

(1) Palmetto Cheese Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Spread - This came recommended by two different people, so I knew it would be good. Continuing yesterday's theme of snacks that are good by the lake or pool (or maybe not, since you're in a bathing suit...) this tasted like homemade. The Jalapeno version had a nice kick. I found it at Costco, but I believe it's also sold at Publix, Wal-Mart and other fine retailers.

 (2) Summer Reading - I did so well reading when I was off over Christmas, but I've kind of dropped the ball and spent more time with Parenthood and the Real Housewives. Shameful. It's not like I'm making a jump to the classics, but I think reading always wins over TV. I was so excited when I saw this sequel promoted on the Today show this week. Perfect to download for a pool read...while I eat my pimento cheese.

 (3) Date Night - I. Love. Date. Night. It's such a good chance to eat some good food, and talk with no distractions. I requested Surin this week, and the Thai Noodle and coconut soup are already calling my name. Don't worry...I'll be there shortly!

(4) Summer Nails - I've let me Thursday night manicure habit go the past couple of months, and it shows. I bought one of my favorites, OPI Cajun Shrimp, to motivate me to paint my toes. The fingernails might need some professional treatment this weekend.

And if you have a huge sapphire and diamond ring, and drive a tractor, this is what Cajun Shrimp would look like on you. Thanks, Google Images.

(5) National Running Day - Apparently Wednesday was National Running Day. By some stroke of luck, I actually ran on Wednesday - albeit a 3 miler around the neighborhood. In recognition, one of my favorite running pictures, post marathon. In related news, today is National Donut Day.

Anything else that should be on my reading list, or in my pantry? Hope you have a weekend of sunny skies!

Friday Favorites - Budget Beauty Edition

Last Friday I took a lunchtime stroll around Target and ran across the ELF display and found myself fascinated at all the goodies. I remember when ELF (eyes, lips, face) came on the market several years ago, and there was a lot of buzz about the products and the prices, but haven't thought much about it since.

I'm big on reading the reveiws of just about everything. So I was pumped to read this, this, and this review.

All Over Color Stick - I got this in Pink Lemonade. I've never used a cream blush - and that's what I use it for. It says you can use on eyes and lips (hence the all over verbiage), but I cannot imagine the atrocity of me having pink lemonade on my lids. And I prefer a gloss for my lips. It's worked great thrown in my makeup bag to touch up blush during the day.

Eyelid Primer - I bought the Urban Decay Naked Basics pallete a few weeks ago. I've loved playing around with all the colors, but didn't love the look of it sliding off my eyes by  2 p.m. This stuff has worked wonderfully and made my shadow last all the live long day.

HD Powder - I was running low on my Bare Minerals Mineral Veil, and read on the reviews this was a good replacement. I think it gives a nice soft focus finish - if you know what that means, you're a product junkie like me. Or a photographer.

The best part? I think my grand total was under $10 for all three products at my local Target. A steal. If you hate it, you're barely out your lunch money. As if you needed an excuse to go to Target.

The weather forecast is looking beautiful for the weekend - so we are looking forward to breaking in the neighborhood pool and getting in some time with friends. Hope your weekend is full of much of the same!

Friday Favorites

A few little beauty treats I'm loving this week as we're welcoming the spring season.

My cuticles have been extra dry from the long, hard winter. Couple that with the scalding hot showers I prefer, (seriously, I like to be a nice shade of pink when I come out), I was fighting a losing battle. No lotion was up for the task.

I really wanted a pure vitamin e oil rather than the Sally brand -  but was a victim of the CVS inventory. Proof I don't always know best. This stuff has worked wonders. It is what it says - oil. So, I find the best time to put it on is before bed, and then wear a pair of gloves for a little while - at least until it sinks in and won't rub all over your sheets. This is not a sexy look. But neither are snaggly nails. So as in all things, find some balance.

Since Sally proved herself once, I put her up to the task again. Girlfriend works hard for the money.

Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover Gel

Get's the job done painlessly. Love to multitask with this one as well. Put it on right before the shower and get rid of those cuticles while you're enjoying the scalding hot water. You have to rinse it off with warm soapy water anyways, and there is an abundance of that in the shower. Who said this blog wasn't green?

I recently had to buy some apple cider vinegar for a recipe, and thought, "Hey...you've read something about this." It was not hard to find loads of beauty tips revolving around apple cider vinegar. I liked this page.

I've only tried the hair rinse, so it's all I can vouch for. A couple of tips:
1. Don't use a bottle of water you pulled directly from the fridge. See shower temperature preference above.
2. Expectations. It does not smell like apples. Or cider. It does smell like vinegar. You will have to buck up for 4-5 minutes.

I do think it did a great job of removing a lot of product buildup that was in my hair. It was much lighter, bouncier and just generally fancy free after the rinse. I'm a little concerned about the effect it will have on color, so I probably won't do it more than once a week.

Finally, some oldies but goodies. You have to welcome spring with a hint of color. These two do the trick.

All my favorites for making coming out of winter hibernation a little prettier. Happy Friday!

Friday Favorites - Sort of.

The weeks continue to get away from me.

The views from the top of Red Mountain were beautiful last Thursday. Just in time for a beautiful Good Friday. 

After a productive afternoon preparing for Easter, Namath and I headed to the back porch to unwind. Doesn't he look relaxed?

Pottery Barn, Southern Living, nail maintenance, cheese, olives and wine.

 MS came home and joined us. Namath does not like to be cuddled. It wasn't his lucky day.

 As a reward for all my productivity, I picked myself up a little treat. I decided to make the jump from naked eyelids to Urban Decay's version of Naked - some nice earth tones.

 Venus, Foxy, Walk of Shame, Naked 2, Faint and Crave. There are about a million YouTube videos of tutorial of how to use this pallet, if creating different eyeshadow looks isn't your specialty. If it is, I've probably watched your YouTube tutorial.

 I'm nothing if not true to a theme.

 Saturday I headed out for fresh flowers to create this Pinterest inspired centerpiece for Sunday's Easter lunch. As a side note - do you know Starburst jelly beans now have a "Fave Reds" option? I bet you could get them for 75% off about now - even though they are worth full price.

 Good Friday service provided some new inspiration for the chalkboard. I won't tell you how many times I rewrote this. I need to brush up on some alternate fonts.

 By Monday morning, this blonde was needing a Venti Blonde to get the week started right.

I hope you and yours had a wonderful week. Beautiful weather for the weekend ahead. I dare say - Spring has sprung!

Friday Favorites - Christmas Edition

I could get used to this three day work week. Next week will be brutal, but fortunately, I have a few Christmas goodies to share to make every week better.

1. Olay Pro-X Facial Brush

My mom put this on her Christmas list. I've been eyeing the Clarisonic for some time, but just couldn't bring myself to spring for a $150 facial brush. I thought I would do the 'one for you, one for me' gift game and got one for myself as well. Plus, it was $20 with free shipping. Add to cart, proceed to checkout please.

I clean my face at night with facial wipes, but there's always a little makeup left behind. This gets the last of it off and does a great job exfoliating. I started using it Christmas Eve, and can tell a difference in my skin already. It really has helped my products and moisturizers to work better as well, and my makeup goes on a lot smoother. The reviews on Amazon are great, if you don't believe me. Plus, it's just fun to use.

2. The Kennedys

Last year over Christmas break, we watched the entire first season of Homeland (another favorite. If you aren't watching, you are seriously missing out.) This miniseries was on over Thanksgiving, and it caught my eye. We added it to Netflix for Christmas break. We are three episodes in and are loving it. I would not have guessed Greg Kinnear to be such a great JFK....love him or hate him (JFK, not Greg. I don't think anyone has strong feelings about Greg Kinnear). Great way to pass the grey month of January. After all, it's an EPIC movie EVENT.

3.  Gone Girl

A few people recommended this book, so I was excited to start it over Christmas.

I read it in one day. It was that good. Pick it up at your bookstore, library or via iBooks. However it is you roll, this one is worth the read. Even better if you have some Christmas Blend coffee to go with.

Happy Friday, folks. Hope you have a great weekend mentally preparing for FIVE DAYS OF ALARM CLOCK WAKE UPS. Sigh.

Friday Favorites

While I prepare to sign my life away, (God willing. Why are closings tentative until the last possible second?), I thought you could enjoy a few of this week's favorites that don't involve pictures of my house or Namath's nasty scar. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

I've talked before about my love of Bare Minerals. Recently, I ran out of the mineral veil, I headed online to scope out the word from the street internet. I hardly buy a pack of gum without reading reviews online. Bare minerals now makes a pressed mineral veil, so you can just carry it right around with you. Perfect for those balmy 102 degree days. Reviewers raved about it, and since people on the internet know everything, I went out and bought myself a Friday treat.

I bought the tinted version, to complement the tan I've gotten thus far in my dimly lit gray cube.

At the end of the day, when it's time to remove that makeup, I've returned to an oldie but a goody.I don't know why I keep straying from the tried and true.

There's something about the breeze of the sea that seems to help in the summer months. Maybe it's all in my head, but I think it helps smooth my skin, but I'm sure any astringent would work.

I've been wanting to try Maybelline's Falsies mascara for quite a while. In the spirit of saving, I wanted to wait until I could get a good deal at CVS and I was out of my current tube. Mission accomplished. I'm really liking it so far, and I think it just about lives up to its name.

There's no reason to have a shiny face and lackluster lashes while signing yourself into massive debt. That's what I've always said, anyways.

Friday Favorites

This week, I feel like the fact that it's Friday is my favorite, but since it's payday (for me, anyways) let me share some ways to help you spend a little cash.Operative word, little.

Love red wine. Even better if it has an animal on the label. The zinfandel is the best, in my opinion. Let's clarify, there's a red zinfandel. No pink wine in my house.

Pink shampoo on the other hand - yes please. I'm all for a good deal, but when my blonde seems to be fading faster and faster between appointments, I broke down and asked for a recommendation.

The bottle AND the shampoo is hot pink. What's not to love? While we're on the subject, I've been working on not washing my hair every day to preserve the color. This is really starting to sound like a lot more trouble than it's worth.

I've been meaning to jump on the dry shampoo boat for a while, so when I saw this for the low, low price of $2.74, I grabbed a can. I have nothing to compare it to, but it has a great scent and gets the job done. If you have some spare change rolling around your car, give it a try.

There you have it. If you drink too much rooster wine and sleep in, you can still wash your hair.
Happy. Friday.

Friday Favorites

Ahhhh...Winter. Fighting all of nature's elements to try keeping skin clear, moisturized and looking like I've seen the sun before. I'm on week one of this raging battle, since it just turned cold this week. I can always tell when the steam rises off Namath's pee in the mornings, winter has arrived. I'm no Robert Frost, but I speak the truth.

I've only been using these two for about a week, but I really like the foaming facial cleanser. It cleans well without leaving my skin feeling dry. Make sure you get the FOAMING face cleanser. I'm not sure why this is so key, but it was emphasized to me dramatically, so I'll return the favor. FOAMING face cleanser. Green top. (tip: It's on sale at CVS this week - and that never happens).

Where there's smoke...another CeraVe product. I like this as a night moisturizer. It's a tad to thick for the mornings, I think. Also, I'm pretty sure I heard McSteamy mention it on an old episode of Grey's a few weeks ago. So consider that a consult from a world renowned plastic surgeon. Because everyone at Seattle Grace is at the very top of their field, performing ground breaking surgeries while I watch steam rise off my dog's pee.

I tried this earlier this year as a facial self tanner and it did nothing for me. But now that Saturday's aren't spent lounging by the pool, I pulled it out again. I really like it for legs and arms. I think with self tanner,the key is to apply, and then immediately follow up with lotion. It helps blend in some of the uneven spots and help with streaking. I've had the best luck finding this at Wal-Mart.

I started this and a multi-vitamin this week. My doctor wanted me to start a multi-vitamin (last December), so I jumped right on board (11 months later). I can tell her I followed instructions now, right?

 Vitamins were BOGO at CVS and I've heard this does great things for hair and nails. Anyone have good experience with it? I've wanted to try it for a while, but the blonde doesnt come cheap, and I didnt want to rush to the roots. I caved in the name of thicker, stronger hair and nails. The OPI isn't cheap either.

There you have it. My other favorite will have to wait, as it is still under testing and deserves a post of its very own...

Paint the Rainbow

I don't consider myself too much of a girly girl. MS and the false eyelashes in my makeup drawer may beg to differ, but I think I'm pretty low maintenance. That being said, I don't think anything makes you feel more put together than painted nails - toe and finger. In another life, when I have buckets of money, or am a Kardashian, I'll hit up the salon weekly.

But, working with what I have, I usually go with a few new OPI colors each season. My stash has been running pretty low lately, so when I saw a great deal at CVS, I cheated on the OPI in the name of budget beauty.

I think I spent around $18 and got back 18 extra care bucks to use on my next purchase.

I'm really liking the third from the left - its more of a bright purple than a bright pink. No, your eyes didn't deceive you, some shades are scented. All I need is some Dr. Pepper flavored chapstick and Hello Kitty pens and I'll be ready for the 4th grade.

Now that I've bought all bright nail polish, I'm sure the weather will turn to fall any day now. Thank me later.

Any fall color suggestions? I have some money to spend at CVS.

Not to Beat a Dead Horse

But it's freaking hot. Yes, that's the scientific term. It's too hot to run, walk to your car or even sit near a window.

Which led to last week's last minute decision to chop my hair off. Ok, it wasn't that long before, but I consider 4 inches a chop.

Excuse the cheesy picture, I sent it to Matt when he was out of town.

Of course he was jealous. That, or after a hot run on Saturday morning that involved stashing Gatorades along the route like a vagabond, a buzz cut seemed like the best idea ever. Rooftop, so there's no hair to clean up. Some birds lucked out big time for their nest.

It was a little stressful. You know, since I've never cut hair before. And it quickly got too dark to see.

Fortunately I had a trusty assistant.

Watch out buddy, you're next.....

Fantastic Friday - My Swag Bag

I'm linking up with Kelly today for Show Us Your Life - Beauty Secrets. I have virtually zero authority on this subject, but it's Friday, I'm working with unflavored coffee creamer and a high in the 40s, so I'm throwing caution to the freezing wind and joining in the fun.

I picked up some new favorites last time she did this, so in true philanthropic spirit, I'm attempting to pay it forward.

I don't have many secrets, per se, but I do love some beauty products. I could roam the aisles of Sephora, or heck, CVS for well, a while. Read: this post could be slightly lengthy.

I love a fairly consistent skin care routine. LOVE this stuff. I think I've used it since high school. Wash, tone, moisturize. Love that it has sunscreen as well.

Now, on to the more fun stuff.

I think I've talked about this before, but since I've kept it around, I think it deserves another shout out. I hear rumours there is a body scrub. Perfect when it's time to trade the turtlenecks for tank tops. If you don't believe me, look...it was vetted and deemed worthy by the Glammie committee. Which I'm sure is an arduous process.

While we're in the shower phase of this post, lets move to a great product I discovered last Show Us Your Life. It claims to "shampoo away yellow, and refresh faded highlights." It does a great job. Not to mention, who doesn't love a bright purple shampoo? And it is PURPLE.

Post rinsing out all the purple shampoo and pre-blow drying, this is a must. My hair isn't super frizzy, but it leaves it really smooth. Bonus points for thermal protection.

In an effort to keep it summer all year while simultaneously avoiding skin cancer, which is no fun for anyone, this has a permanent spot in my makeup bag. It works great on mornings with the St. Ives.

I've had a good relationship with bronzers since college. I prefer it to blush, but I don't think I've bought the same kind twice. Physicans Formula has a great line, and I usually end up back there. In the winter, this has also become a favorite for weekends, since it has a little sparkle that I think my workplace would frown upon. Much like Martha Stewarts egg nog, you need just a little.

An old trick I've been re-introduced to is using your blow dryer to heat up the lash curler. I had forgotten what a difference it makes. Caution - it only takes a second. I don't think the burned eyelid look is the one anyone is going for.

Always fun to try new stuff. Just in time for this post, Rossi blogged about my wedding day makekup. She did a great job and I loved seeing all her products and brushes. Still trying to muster up the courage to try these lashes by myself!

Happy Friday!