the best stuff of 2014

Happy New Year! Mine is off to a low-key but productive start. We took down our Christmas decorations, did some semi-deep cleaning, and enjoyed taking a walk in the mild weather. Now we're settling in with our favorite stew (seriously, we've made this probably 5 times this fall/winter and IT IS THE GREATEST THING EVER) and watching some football...which is more like "watching," if you're me. It's on in the same room as me. That's about it.

Anyway, one of my favorite versions of the year-in-review posts I've come across is the 'best purchases of 2014' list. I love lists like this because I a) am just nosy and like to know what people buy/use/love, and b) want to make educated purchases and not waste my own money on stuff that isn't great. So I decided to make my own list because maybe you're the same way! And also...I just like to talk about stuff that I like, and I haven't done that nearly as much since Millie rolled into town. Too many baby pictures, not enough product reviews, right? Ha. Not really.

So! My favorite 'stuff' of 2014...in no particular order.

Shea Moisture Products

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You may recall me waxing poetic about these products back in October. I was initially introduced to the line because it's the shampoo/body wash* that we got for Camilla...but that single purchase quickly turned into...well...this.

I mean, it wouldn't all even fit in one picture. It's a problem.

So that one baby purchase has now turned into nine items (six adult, three baby) and counting...because some of these are already re-purchases because we've used up the original product. I can't help it. If I could offer you one tip for 2015, it would be to buy stock in Shea Moisture because I am single-handedly sending this company to the next level. Or else you could just buy some of their lotion or body wash (my favorite*) and live happily ever after. Your call.

Minnetonka Fringe Booties

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So technically I think I bought these around December 29, 2013...but for all intents and purposes, they're a 2014 Favorite Thing. I barely even knew them in 2013. But this year? Oh, I know them well. Probably too well. If you see me in real life (or even in pictures), you probably wish I knew them less well. But like with the Shea Moisture stuff- I can't help it. When something is this amazing, I simply must wear them all the time. They are COMFORTABLE. They are CUTE (in my opinion). They go with EVERYTHING (also my opinion, but it's all I've got!). 

Exhibit A: wear your booties with a long dress on a bench in a field!

And as an added and unexpected bonus- they are quiet. As in, you can sneak into a room with a sleeping baby and loud floors and NOT WAKE THE BABY. Most shoes (besides slippers...and sock or bare feet, I guess, but those aren't shoes...) can't boast this. Most shoes click (which I normally like, if I'm at work...makes me feel authoritative!). But clicking shoes disturb sleeping babies, so if you want your baby to stay asleep-- get these booties and never look back. (Another added bonus: they miraculously do not get stinky. This is a big deal because I have major funky shoe odor issues (remember this story?) with most of my shoes...but for some reason, these don't. Swoon.) (Also, now that I'm looking at the Amazon page I got that picture from...look at all those colors!! I probably need a pair in gray*, right? Maybe?)

Paul Mitchell Curls Shampoo and Conditioner

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For whatever reason, my hair decided to start transitioning from stick-straight to somewhat-wavy this year. After I got over my complete confusion, I decided to try to embrace the new look- this shampoo (and conditioner) helped enormously. It's a few steps backward from the more natural/less chemicals direction I'm heading in general with my body and beauty products, but...well...worth it, I guess. In the short-term, ha. (It's sulfate-free, so that counts for something, right? Maybe?) Compared to the other shampoos I've used in the last year, my hair is definitely wavier when I use this. It's pricier than I'd normally like, but I caught it at Ulta when they had some ridiculous sale + coupon and it was that huge liter bottle, so it really ended up being comparable to what I'd typically spend. I ran out recently, so this is at the top of my list to re-purchase using gift cards I got for Christmas! My hair is already looking sadder with just a few weeks away from it!

Fitbit One

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I just got my Fitbit for my birthday, so I haven't had it long, but it's definitely one of my favorite 2014 purchases (or gifts, as the case may be). I'd suspected that my job plus new baby minus gym was equaling a pretty sedentary lifestyle that could explain my rapidly growing derriere. The Fitbit informed me that my suspicions were correct. Super correct. I was kinda appalled at how sedentary I've become. But knowledge is power, and now I spend all day taking super long routes to get from my office to the bathroom (up an unnecessary three flights of stairs, down the longest hallway, back down to the bottom floor, then up to the second floor, then across the building to the bathroom way in the back? Sure!) and being more intentional about going on a walk (or three) each day. I opted to get the One instead of the Flex because I am vain and didn't want to be stuck wearing a rubber bracelet that didn't necessarily match all of my outfits every day. I love how small the One is- I usually wear it clipped onto my waistband, but I've also worn it on my sock inside my boot and clipped to my bra. I like how I can get all of the info I want (mainly steps/miles walked, calories burned, and flights of stairs climbed) right on the display, without having to go to the app. Overall, I know that simply walking more isn't going to replace the working out I used to do...but it will certainly help, and the Fitbit plays a big role in keeping me accountable so far!

Rock 'n Play Sleeper

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Number one baby 'thing,' hands down. This unassuming little guy just may be the thing I'd run back into a burning house to save (you know, assuming all humans and pets are safe). I can't sing its praises enough. Millie has slept in this every single night since we came home from the hospital. Five months. Right next to me. She will stay in it until she either grows out of it or can talk and tell me she wants to go sleep in her own room...whichever comes first. It's small. It's easy to fold up and move around. It keeps her inclined and cuddled and it can rock and vibrate and it's cheap and easy to wash and I WISH I HAD INVENTED THIS BECAUSE I'D PROBABLY BE A ZILLIONAIRE. But oh well. The best I can do is recommend it to everyone I know that is expecting a baby. Like even if you think you don't need one, get it anyway. Or maybe two. I kinda wish I had two. Fun fact: for some reason, Amazon doesn't carry nearly as many of the good colors/patterns. Also, the pricing on Amazon can be super wonky and variable (some for $47...others that are exactly the same except the pattern is different are $119!). We got ours from Target, the only place that carried this (way superior) pattern. So just a heads up in case you never venture past Amazon for your shopping...it's worth looking around for this one!

Chew Tuff Dog Toys

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Yeah, a dog toy. Random, but it seriously made our lives better...

Gotta thank my mom for this one. She noticed how neglected Lola had become after Millie came on the scene, so she bought one of these Chew Tuff toys at Target. It was a turquoise and orange alligator that matched Millie's nursery- our thinking was that all of Lola's toys end up in there anyway (it's her preferred place to play/sleep/be), so it may as well coordinate! Now, Lola has no shortage of toys, but they're all disgusting and ripped to shreds. She has a gift for immediately dismembering, unstuffing, and thoroughly murdering any new toy. Then she plays with the scrap of fabric for the next five years. But these? She hasn't (can't?) destroyed. And what's even cooler is that they (we have two now, the alligator and this penguin) have some 'silent squeak' technology. So they squeak, but mere humans can't hear it- but dogs sure can. I have done some highly scientific research on this, so I can confirm- I hear nothing. Lola hears SOMETHING. It's awesome because we can play with her without the obnoxious squeaking disturbing a sleeping baby. Also if you happen to trip over the toy in the bedroom of said sleeping baby...again, won't bother the baby. But may bring the dog running. At any rate, these are the best toys we've happened upon in a long time. Lola gives them four paws up!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation

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I know I've been singing the praises of this stuff all year, but that's only because its excellence cannot be overstated. This foundation is basically life-changing for those of us not blessed with gorgeous, flawless skin. I will cut corners a lot of places before I ever get desperate enough to write this one out of the budget. It is perfection. That said, I've heard it's not so fabulous if you have dry skin, so...if that's you, beware. But otherwise, I think everyone should give it a try. And go ahead and buy the foundation brush they sell with it. It's overpriced but it seriously makes a difference.

I'm going to have to stop myself here. "Best"  and "favorite" start to lose meaning if there're too many of them, right? 

On an unrelated note (because it's not something that has to be purchased), my best webpage discovery of the year was absolutely Budget Bytes. On any given day, there's an 85% chance that whatever I'm eating is a recipe from that webpage. If you're in a cooking rut and/or need budget-friendly-yet-still-healthy-and-tasty-and-easy recipes...this will be like Disneyland for you. I can't emphasize how much I love whoever it is that runs that page. Genius. I would list out my favorites, but there are too many. (That stew recipe I talked about at the beginning of this post is from there, though!) (But seriously, try her crock pot chicken and dumplings.) (And the kale sausage skillet.) (And the taco rice bowls.)

I'd be a terrible person if I put you through this whole long post with no baby pictures as a reward, so here ya go.

I can't remember if I've shared this picture already, but even if I have...it probably merits a second look.

Hope your January is off to a great start...and that you have tomorrow off like me!! Wooo!

*Amazon affiliate link

highest praise & a supermodel

After all my waxing poetic about body wash yesterday, you'd have thought I got it out of my system. But nope. In the course of 'researching' for my post and looking up the products on Ulta and Target's webpages, I happened upon some user reviews that a) made me pee my pants laughing and b) made me need more products by this line. Please enjoy:

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Both of these reviews are for a different scent (Superfruit Complex Bubble Bath/Body Wash), but obviously I will be buying it (or begging Matt to get it for me) at my earliest convenience because it SMELLS LIKE ANGELS DESCENDED FROM HEAVEN AND DID A SWEET SMELLING DANCE IN THE BATHROOM??? It FEELS LIKE YOU ARE BEING LOVED?? Who are these reviewers and why aren't they writing poetry?! And why won't they be my best friend? We obviously have similar passion towards bath products, so like...man. 

Then I did end up going to Target last night specifically to buy some of the lotion (even though the humidity is still 700% most days, my skin is so dry it is ridiculous), but I just went with the tried and true frankincense & myrrh scent (because that Superfruit Complex is apparently only carried at Ulta). I also got the body scrub, because better safe than sorry and all that. Soooo...if you want to come hang out in my bathroom and smell all my products this weekend, I totally understand.

Let's see. In non-bath product news...

...is there any??...

Oh yeah.

Millie's eyelashes continue to grow at an alarming rate. It's almost like God is forcing me to turn her into a baby model. Just kidding. But not really.

I tried to get a good picture of them while she was on her activity mat the other day.

That one was close, but they really are more impressive than that...just hard to capture on camera, I guess. But at least I captured this face:

Since Matt and I both make that ridiculous expression about 50 times a day, I'd say there's no question where that came from!

She may not decide to go into baby pageants, but she does seem to already understand the importance of accessorizing. She managed to wiggle the plastic ring on her elephant toy up onto her arm like a bracelet yesterday!

She was pretty proud of herself. Or maybe I'm just projecting.

We received an order of headbands and bows from Turbans for Tots yesterday- I was SO excited, as I've been scoping out proper head decoration since long before she was born. Naturally, Millie was napping when the mail arrived, so I had to wait several excruciating minutes before she woke up and could model them all for me. But it turned out to be worth the wait!!

I probably need to start watermarking my pictures so that unscrupulous companies don't steal her beautiful likeness and market their products with it. GAHHHHH she is beautiful!!!

After our post-dinner trip to Target last night, I spent a few minutes pretending there weren't a million other things I needed to be doing around the house and sipped hot chocolate and started a new book (that I've had on hold forever and FINALLY came in!).

It was delightful (and the book is good so far, although I'm not far in). I look forward to doing it a few more times this weekend. Yay fall!

good enough for him, good enough for me

I'm working on getting Matt's Walking Dead extra interview together. But in the meantime, let's chat about something cleaner, shall we??

Body wash.

(Nope, not a sponsored review or post. Just a current passion.)

The preppy fashion and mommy bloggers have all but beaten the word obsession to death. I can't even think it without rolling my eyes. So we're just going to say I'm a big fan of these products. Not obsessed, because that would be lame. Just really enthused.

So before Millie was born, I was focusing on registering for and buying the things we'd need for her to come home. Baby bath products were on the 'buy now' list, since I assumed she'd need to be cleaned before we'd be able to have a baby shower. At one point in my life I was really interested in researching and analyzing and comparing every single product and thing related to babies, but at this particular time, I was long past that point. I just needed to get some stuff without expending too much emotional energy getting it. But I still had standards- when it came to bath products, I didn't want weird-chemical-filled and artificially-fragranced crap. I don't put that stuff on my skin; I certainly don't want to put it on an infant's skin. So I knew I couldn't just waltz into Target and buy the first thing I saw on the shelf. 

I made the logical decision to just ask my coworker/friend who has a baby and appropriately hippie standards. Ooooooohhh!!! she said when I asked. I love what we use!! It's ummm...yellow. You can get it at Target. I don't know what it's called, but it says 'frankincense and myrrh' on the front of it. It smells awesome and it doesn't have a bunch of weird stuff in it.

I asked what frankincense and myrrh smelled like- she said that she couldn't describe it, but it was great. Unusual, but great. And so it was decided- off to Target I went, searching for the baby body wash that was yellow with frankincense and myrrh. I couldn't help but smile at those two ingredients. I mean...frankincense and myrrh?? This is like the body wash Jesus would use or something.

Sure enough- there it was. And now flash forward to present day and you can go ahead and note that the bottle is half empty because IT IS SO DAGGUM AMAZING. I feel happy just thinking about this body wash. I go to the bathroom multiple times a day just to smell it. No wonder the Wise Men took Jesus gifts of frankincense and myrrh. They knew what was up. It's freaking awesome.

Not long after my discovery of this amazingness, I discovered that this brand ALSO has a whole line of adult bath products!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those exclamation points are a mere shadow of my real-life excitement. I caused a scene in Target, I'm afraid. There are body washes! Lotions! Hair masques! Massage oils!! I need it all!! I can be scent-twinsies with my baby! (And stop borrowing her shower gel...) I can use the body wash that Jesus would use!

I finally got some this past weekend (I had to use up my other shower gel first, wahhhh). For the record, I got it at Ulta- they also carry the line, and the products appear to be mostly the same (or comparable) prices. But at Ulta you can use your $3.50 off $10 purchase coupon (plus earn points), soooo...Ulta wins this one. I'm happy to report that the adult version doesn't disappoint. It's even better because it's super moisturizing. I seriously spend all day long looking forward to taking my shower so that I can use it. It's kind of sad, really. Or maybe not.

Just like the baby version, it's free of lots of sketchy things.

So this is possibly the most boring post I've ever written, but I just felt like I'd be doing you a disservice not to alert you to this most holy of bath products. Frankincense and myrrh, folks. If it's good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me. Also, now my Christmas list is started and finished. EVERYTHING THIS BRAND MAKES. Done.

less wordy wednesday

I tried to go for wordless Wednesday, but wordless just doesn't work for me. But less words is almost possible.

Yesterday the photographer for Alyssa's wedding posted all of the pictures. Basically every single one of them is the most gorgeous picture I've ever seen. It's kind of overwhelming. But even more exciting- the way the photographer's online picture portfolio thingy is set up, you can easily (and legally!) share and/or download the pictures-- sans watermark, totally legit! I'm not sure how this works, but I love him for it and I regret times infinity the terms of my own wedding photographer (not the pictures themselves...just the lack of rights/accessibility to them).

In addition to the hundreds of amazing ceremony, reception, and bridal party shots, he got dozens of shots of us while we were getting ready. Since I was doing the makeup for the bridal party, this means he took tons of artistic shots of me playing makeup artist! Those have been SUPER fun for me to look at, for some reason. I've just never seen myself doing that, you know? It's not like Matt's snapping shot after artsy shot of me putting on my eyeliner in our bathroom every morning (but maybe he should?). So these pictures all made me really happy, so I thought I would share (more, as I already shared some on Facebook yesterday...sorry if you hate pictures of me doing makeup!).

Alyssa used Chris Guzzardo Photography and if you're a Georgia bride looking for a photographer, I recommend him times infinity. He was fabulous the day of, and the photos are amazing. I want to get married again (to Matt, of course) just so that he can be my photographer. For real.

Some of the arsenal

Caitlin, Alyssa's sister

It doesn't take much to make Alyssa gorgeous, but I used 47 products just to be safe.

Couldn't have done it without a few Naked palettes!

 And just a few of the 'afters'...

another favorite thing

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's. And I feel super sorry for any of you unfortunate enough to not live within road tripping distance of one. But not sorry enough to stop gushing about my favorite stuff I buy there. I've preached extensively about some of my favorite TJ's beauty steals before, but during my trip there yesterday afternoon, I realized that I've never shared about one of my other MOST FAVORITE THINGS EVER that they sell.

But first, some back story.

Greeting cards stress me out. They just do. I feel like I have an unusually long list of Things That Shouldn't Be Stressful But Are, and this is yet another item on the list. Having to find a card to accompany a birthday present or shower gift or whatever...it reaaaaalllllyyyyy troubles me. First of all, they're too expensive. IT'S A PIECE OF PAPER. Second of all, they're mostly WAY too cheesy, fake, or dumb. Occasionally I'll find a great funny one, but then it's $5 and I want to cry. I have never, ever liked a card as much as I like a latte, and so spending $5 on a card is out of the question. And I feel like most card recipients would agree. If I'm going to spend $5 more on your gift, wouldn't you rather it be in the form of the actual GIFT and not the piece of paper you're going to throw away in ten minutes? And that's the last thing that stresses me out. Knowing that no matter how pretty/inspirational/cute the card is, it's just going to get tossed in the trash. This makes me want to just write "Happy birthday, I love you!!!" on the back side of a post-it note I've already used or something...at least I don't have to feel guilty when it lands in the landfill. Oh, and the $1 cards that they usually have at Target or the grocery store or whatever? Vomit. Just because I'm frugal doesn't mean I automatically love obnoxiously bright colors on glossy cardstock with even worse words/phrases/poetry. Ick.

So anyway. As you can guess, I avoid buying cards at all costs. 

Except at Trader Joe's.

In keeping with their general commitment to excellence, Trader Joe's does their cards extremely well. So well that sometimes I actually just browse the cards for fun. In direct contrast to the card aisle at Target, the (very small) card selection at TJ's makes me smile and feel happy. AND THEY ARE ALL ONLY A DOLLAR. That's right. The cards are lovely, not cheesy, appropriate, AND CHEAP. I swear, if the typical TJ's card was at Target, it'd be $5. The paper is thick and lovely. Depending on the design on the front, often there is texture to it...like, you can feel ridges and outlines, highs and lows. I mean, they're nice. And surprisingly generic. Many of them have a quote or something on the front, but they're real quotes (spoken by people you've heard of...not random card designers in the Hallmark laboratories) that don't make you squirm with discomfort. And if there's something on the inside, it's also generic-ish enough that you could use the card for a variety of occasions. Like this (which is currently serving as inspirational office decor, hence the lovely tape on the top):

Please excuse my horrid iPhone photography and how it makes this card look like a piece of crap. In real life, it's pretty.

Pretty, right? The inside simply says "Thank you." Which means that I've given this card for birthdays, Mother's Days, and just because. 

Here's another one currently sprucing up my office:

I should really consider taking better pictures. But you get the idea. This one is a really nice paper and the lettering and designs are all textured and raised...and just lovely. This one is blank on the inside. IT WAS A DOLLAR. I really can't stress that point enough. Only a dollar, AND pretty enough to not be immediately thrown in the trash-- when Matt gave me these cards, I didn't have to awkwardly wonder if it was okay to trash them or debate whether saving them made me a hoarder...I stuck them up on the wall of my office and called it decor!

I bought this one yesterday. I don't even need a card, nor do I plan to give it away. It just looked pretty and I thought I'd like to frame it or hang it up somewhere. Because for a buck, I can do that.

This one says "Here's to new beginnings" on the inside.

So there you have it. Next time you're card shopping (or just grocery shopping), make a stop by Trader Joe's. It's a slam dunk every time. Oh, but be warned: like most of the best things at TJ's, the card selection changes frequently. If you see a card you love, don't assume it'll be there next week. Go ahead and buy it while you can-- there'll still be great cards next week, but they may be completely different. Learn from my tragic experiences!!

a new look, a new name

Hey look!! A new design!! Yaaaaay!!

I really didn't know yesterday morning when I posted that the new design would be up so soon. Obviously I never had time to really think through the whole FAQ issue and make a page/add a link...oh well. I guess if there are any truly frequently asked questions, I could always put them on the 'about me' page. I love the new design, but I'm still working on some things-- like updating the info on the About Me page, maybe the Infertility/Adoption page (if I'm feeling ambitious), and trying to figure out how to make the mobile page look right. Right now it looks like if I enable the mobile version, then I lose my header at the top (and it's just boring text saying 'something beautiful'). If I disable the mobile version, then obviously you see the whole blog and all of the design, but...it's not a mobile page, so it's a lot more scrolling and squinting and kind of annoying. I'm hoping to figure out how to get the best of both worlds (the way it used to be...with my header visible in the mobile version), but haven't gotten there quite yet.

Anyway. All in all, I'm thrilled with the new look and very thankful to The Fairy Blogmother for her hard work! If you're bored with your current setup and want to let someone else do all the hard work of redesigning it for you, I would definitely recommend checking Erika out! And if you do, you should also let her know that I sent her your way-- she's going to give me 10% of any purchases (that I refer...not like, all of her purchases for the rest of her life. Sadly.)! So if you love me and you want me to buy more lipstick, you should totally do that. If you don't, you should definitely not. 

I've probably mentioned this a thousand times before, but Matt and I spend a lot of time in the car together commuting to and from work. I'm glad we get to ride together, because that means the time isn't quite so 'wasted'...at least we're spending time together, right? Even if it's not particularly fun. To be honest, I spend most of the time zoning out on my phone, but sometimes you reach The End of the Internet and even that can't entertain you. 

Then you take selfies and have long mental debates over whether trying to wear your decidedly not-curly hair 'curly' for the day was actually a good idea or not. 

Jury's still out, but we're going with it for the day.

All throughout our commutes we listen to NPR (who FINALLY finished the annual 'membership drive' that felt like it lasted two years), which is both educational and entertaining. For the past few days, we've been noting how exotic and unusual all of the NPR reporters'/correspondents'/anchors' names are. It was one of those things where Matt pointed it out one day and I was like "okay, sure..." but then you start paying attention, and after a few days it was like no seriously, why are all of their names so fancy??! We have some theories.

1. They are highly discriminatory in their hiring practices. They throw John Henderson and Linda Johnson's resumes in the trash the minute they see them. No boring name people need apply.

2. They're all pen names or stage names or whatever. FAKE. When you get hired on to work with NPR, you get to pick your new name.

3. It's all real and legit. Somehow, people with fancy names are drawn to liking NPR and going to journalism school or majoring in international affairs. Then they apply to work for NPR, and they are both qualified AND have the bonus of a lovely name, so they get hired and put on the air.

I have no idea what the truth actually is, but in the event that it's number 2 (heh heh, number 2), Matt and I decided we'd better prepare ourselves. We picked out our NPR names. This could come in handy if we ever need to use aliases for anything. Or go into Witness Protection. Or maybe if we just get tired of our regular old boring names.

I'm Alessandria Morelli.

He's Jorge Ricochi. 

These are both pronounced with lovely accents and lots of flair.

So now that you know THAT, it's time to go. For NPR in Athens, Georgia, I'm Alessandria Morelli.

back to the land of the living

That's what I felt like shouting this morning as our car pulled out of the garage. I'm bacccckkkk!!! Look at that sky! Those trees! The chilly breeze! The stupid stray cat that's eating my cat's food! WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!!! Apparently seeing nothing but the four walls of your own bedroom for 48 hours starts to wear on a person. But now I'm back.

I feel much better, thanks in equal parts to Percocet and this text that I received yesterday from my coworker/friend:

One should never underestimate the healing powers of the knowledge that new makeup is waiting for you at your workplace. Now I had something to live for. 

Thankfully I am also legitimately feeling a lot better, so it wasn't too hard to convince myself to pull it together and get to work today. And as a reward for my efforts, I went straight to the mail room and picked up my package as soon as I got here!

the buffer airbrush finish foundation brush | Amazonian clay waterproof liner | clean slate flawless 12-hr brightening primer (free sample) 

You're probably (not) wondering why I'm cheating on Ulta and Sephora and ordering directly from Tarte, aren't you. Well, I'll tell you. I went to Ulta twice looking to buy this foundation brush and both times it was out of stock. That was irritating. So I resigned myself to buying it online. Then I did some quick makeup math involving coupon codes, free shipping thresholds, free sample options, and voodoo magic, which resulted in discovering that ordering from Tarte was a better deal (this time) than from either of the stores. And as it turns out, I placed this order on Monday afternoon and it arrived Thursday afternoon. You can't beat that for free shipping speediness-- nicely done, Tarte!!

If you've noticed a recurring theme in my makeup purchases lately (you haven't? Don't worry, my AmEx has...), you may correctly conclude that I am obsessed with Tarte. It is definitely my current favorite brand. For one, almost everything I've used of theirs is fabulous. And then as an added bonus, all of their products are formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, and synthetic fragrances...so that is an EXTRA huge win!! Cost wise, they're comparable to all the other mid-upper range product lines (benefit, Smashbox, Bare Minerals, Lorac, etc.), so...it's true love. 

Speaking of true love: you people LOVE you some 90210, don't you?? I was definitely surprised to see so many of you choosing that as your fantasy high school experience yesterday! I'm going to be very honest here: I have never seen an episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Not even one. I'm so ashamed. I can't even relate to what yall are talking about!!! I hope you'll cut me some slack- it's not my fault...my parents were very particular about what we were allowed to watch on TV back then, and shockingly...90210 didn't make the cut. By the time I was old enough to make my own decisions about TV viewing (cough*college*cough), no one was watching that, so...I never caught up. I hope we can still be friends. I would say that I plan on watching it some day, but that'd be pretty much lying. I'm just not inspired by early 90s clothing, hair, and drama, and I have no nostalgia attached to the characters, so...I'll probably never be bored enough to watch it. :)

Alright, well...we've covered makeup and TV, so that's basically the extent of my passions these days...guess we're all done here! Have a wonderful weekend!

the truth about my purse

 Alright friends. You can quit your frantic calculating and psychological deductions. The "guess how many lip products are in my purse" contest is about to be over. So is all the mystery (haha) surrounding just which fascinating objects I choose to weigh down my shoulder with on a daily basis. 

Please note: if you're new here, please skip this post. I beg you. This is ridiculously vain and silly even for me and I'd hate for you to walk away thinking that I actually think people care about what's in my purse. Ha. Save yourself! Come back tomorrow, when I'm sure I'll have something much deeper and more important to ramble about. Or...probably not, but one can hope. 

I explained yesterday that I've seen people doing these 'what's in my bag' things on Instagram. It inspired me. That probably says something about me as a person, actually. But let's not delve into that too deeply, shall we?

Onto my purse!

I've been carrying this bag for pretty much the last year. I love it. It's a lot smaller than most of my other bags and so I tell myself that that means I'll carry less, therefore it will weigh less, therefore I won't exacerbate my neck and back pain. It's a nice theory, but as most people who have actually tried lifting my purse can attest-- it hasn't really worked out. I'm not sure how or why, but this purse still weighs like 50 pounds. (Not really, but I don't have a scale handy to come up with a more accurate figure) Since you're about to see that there really isn't all that much IN it, I can only assume that the leather is heavy. SCIENCE. You can't argue with that, folks.

I should also probably state that this is really a nearly best-case scenario today. I greatly cleaned out and pared down the contents of the purse before our trip to Texas a few weeks ago. There was probably at least 30% more crap (primarily gum wrappers and...lip products, yes.) before the Great Clean Out. 

An aerial view. It might look like a mess, but I promise things are really quite organized. I can locate anything I need within 10 seconds- blindfolded. Promise.

Here's a bird's-eye view of the whole shebang. See? This doesn't seem so bad. Don't worry, we'll go deeper now.

 

Some obvious purse non-negotiables: my Kindle, sunglasses, wallet, and a penny. Because I like to flaunt my wealth.

Two packs of gum (watermelon and original bubblegum flavor...a girl needs variety!) and some TicTacs that were in my stocking at Christmas. Obviously I don't really ever eat them, but...where else do you put TicTacs? Also some concealer (and its accompanying receipt) that I'm going to return at Ulta. I forgot to stop the other day, so...they're still traveling around with me. Also that's the corner of my planner. The papers inside are a) a copy of our 2014 budget...you never know when you'll need to reference it!!...and b) some concert tickets.

All of this stuff above goes in the big inside pocket of the purse. Pens (alright, seven is probably excessive. After the photo shoot, when I put stuff back into the purse, I moved three pens to my desk pen holder. Four should be sufficient for the bag.), a flash drive, a mini hairbrush (that's the purple circle thing), my inhaler, a comb, a few hair things, keys, and a few lip products: two Baby Lipses (hate that name AND the pluralization) and an eos balm. 

And my keys. 

So far so good, right?? Only three lip things?! I'm normal!!

Oh wait, no.

The little bag. Guess what that bag is?

My beloved LIP GLOSS BAG!!!!!!!!! Wanna see what's inside?

IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! Really, this brings a tear to my eye. Is there anything more heartwarming than a lovely array of pinky-red products for your kisser? I think not. Sunsets and puppies be damned!

As you can probably tell, I like to buy my lip products in gift sets. That helps me avoid having to make hard in-store decisions about colors. JUST GET ALL THE COLORS!!! Problem solved. The nineteen lip products in my Lip Gloss Bag are those deemed most essential and most likely to be needed in the course of a day. Trust me, there are plenty more at home. Sometimes I change them out...like when I fall in love with a new product and get 20 of it, of course. Also in the Lip Gloss Bag: a few bandaids, some cough drops, foldable scissors, and a hair clip. Nothing but the health and beauty essentials! 

This one's a framer. Dang. And in case you're wondering what my current favorite lip product is, not shockingly I'm going to go with the tarte LipSurgence. I LOVE THEM.

So let's do the math, people. Nineteen lip products in the designated bag (isn't that smart of me? So they're not all floating around, losing their lids and painting my purse red...) plus three out in the General Purse Population means that there are currently 22 lip products in my purse. The winning guess goes to Amanda J (she guessed 23), which is not altogether surprising. I would give her a grand prize in the form of a lip product, but since I believe she only uses clear chapstick, I think this amazing prize would be lost on her. I'd hate to waste my money like that, so I think that instead I'll just buy myself a new lipgloss in her honor. The Amanda Joiner Honorary Lip Gloss. Everybody wins!!!

Thanks for playing along, friends. And also thanks to all the people who guessed I might only have like 4-8 products in my purse. It blesses me that you think I have that much self-control. Now yall can start planning your Purse Intervention or something. Have fun!

favorite steals

It's no great secret that over the past few years I've become a HUGE fan of makeup and beauty products. I mean- I've been using makeup for like...I don't know, 20 years? I think my mom started letting me wear Cover Girl face powder (in a shade that gave me a certain Ooompa Loompah-esque glow) in 6th grade or so, when I started having acne. But I didn't really care about makeup or have fun with it until much more recently. A few years ago I discovered Sephora (and then Ulta) and beauty blogs, and...well, buh-bye extra cash. Despite my enthusiasm for makeup and Ulta, though, I don't think I have any great skills or knowledge to impart. Sometimes one of yall will ask for a tutorial or tips and I feel entirely inadequate to do anything like that. I just like to buy stuff and have fun with it, but at the end of the day, I'm not really one to be creating fabulous "looks" or doing anything spectacular with all my products. I still just look like a normal person. With more expensive products. And I hopefully don't look as much like an Oompa Loompah as I used to. Ha.

ANYWAY! That's kind of neither here nor there, really. Not for today. Because today I want to share with you a few of the beauty 'steals' that I'm a huge fan of. I mean, I have to cut corners somewhere in order to afford my current love affair with $24 lip glosses, right? Right! So I've been trying to take mental notes the last few days of my favorite budget-friendly products-- and the great news is, I have a few things that I love and choose and actually prefer over higher-end counterparts. They may have started as a cost-cutting measure, but now they're repeat purchases because they're actually BETTER. And healthier. And cheaper! So let's get to it.

Before we get started-- if you don't live near a Trader Joe's, I'm really sorry. So, so sorry. My heart aches for you and what you're missing out on. I would suggest that you move near one at your earliest convenience. Unfortunately, they don't sell their own products online. Amazon sells some of their health and beauty stuff, but at RIDICULOUSLY MARKED UP prices...which really takes away from the savings you could be scoring. So if you find yourself desperate for any of the TJ products I'm talking about here, either a) make a road trip to your nearest TJ's and stock up, or b) maybe I'll be nice and be your personal shopper and ship it to you. Because I really think you should try this stuff.

Let's start with my favorite face wash.

I have bad skin, people. BAD. It's been bad for years. It hasn't shown signs of stopping its evil ways even though I'm in my 30s. I've tried every single drugstore product/system/potion over the years. And a few pricier, fancier products too. Sometimes things work for awhile. Sometimes they don't. But inevitably things get bad again. A couple of years ago I decided to try the oil cleansing method. The logic behind it made sense and I was willing to try just about anything, especially anything cheap and non-chemically. 

I actually really liked the OCM. I did it for a few months and was really impressed with the results. And the cost. BUT then I got tired of it. It was a lot more time consuming and messy-- I like being able to wash my face in the shower and be done with it. I didn't like having to boil a kettle of water AFTER the shower and then make a mess of my sink with my water, wash cloths, oils, etc. It got tiresome. And so one day I was grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and thought I'd peruse the beauty products. I saw this stuff and took a few minutes to read the bottle:

Trader Joe's Spa Face Wash with Tea Tree Oil

Source

 I wish I'd taken a picture of the ingredient label at home, but I didn't. Basically this is a blend of a bunch of different kind of oils, plant extracts, and...that's about it. It's not a blend of chemistry-experiment-sounding ingredients, like most face washes. Everything sounds like something you could find in a (large) garden. And that appealed to me. I was already semi-convinced that washing my face with oil, while sounding crazy, actually seemed to be working. And at this point in life (Bird Food Diet, anyone?) I was starting to try hard to avoid a lot of weird chemicals, both in my food and the stuff I touched and put on my body. So I figured-- why not? This stuff was cheap, maybe $5 or something...it seemed like it'd be worth a shot.

LOVE IT. My first impression of it wasn't great, I'll be honest. It smells WEIRD. Kind of masculine, really. It was a huge turn off. I like my products to SMELL GOOD, dangit! But I convinced myself to get over that: after all, what makes them smell good is CHEMICALS, okay? This smells like oils and essences and not man-made perfume, and that's fine. So now, a year or so later, the smell doesn't bother me-- but at first it did. But other than that, this has been a total winner. My skin has (knock on wood) never been consistently better. It seems to have found a balance between being oily and dry. It's not irritated and red. I still get zits sometimes, but they're way fewer and further between and they clear up much more quickly. The kicker is that I sometimes will deviate and use one of my old (drugstore) face washes-- mostly if I'm traveling, since this TJ's stuff packaging truly sucks for packing. And within a day or two my skin totally revolts. It starts getting freaky again. And so I rush home to this beloved cheap 'spa' cleanser, thankful I've found true facewash happily ever after.

As a bonus, this stuff takes off my makeup like. a. boss. Seriously. As I may have mentioned (?), I like wearing good makeup now. And primer. And my makeup STAYS (especially now that my face isn't so oily that the makeup slides off by lunchtime!). True story: if I just get in the shower and wash my face with some Clearasil or Neutrogena facewash, when I get out it still looks like I'm wearing my 'full face.' I mean, my mascara is probably smudging, but my eyeshadow will still be perfectly intact. But this TJ's facewash does a GREAT job of getting it off. I almost never still have makeup remnants after I get out-- and this is just from washing with the facewash, water, and my hands- I don't scrub with a washrag or anything. So...yeah. It's amazing. Plus my skin feels soft. I never have to wear moisturizer.

In conclusion, it's AWESOME. Get some. 

One of my other favorite beauty weapons also comes from the shelves of Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's Spa 100% Pure Jojoba Oil

Source

As you can see in the picture (that I didn't take), this stuff'll run you about $7. And it's awesome. I use it primarily for makeup removal (in the event that there are still remnants after I get out of the shower) and intense moisturizing. If I have particularly chapped lips or dry patches of skin on my hands, I'll rub some in before I go to bed. And it's freaking awesome. It's also fantastic as an eye makeup remover. AND-- now this one may sound far-fetched, but I'm throwing it out there.

A few years ago, around the time I was turning 29, I started seriously stressing because I was getting fine wrinkles around my eyes. Crow's feet, I suppose. I was so upset! I started using random eye creams and stuff, hoping to reverse the damage. Nothing really worked and then I just got used to the crow's feet and quit trying to fix them. Fast forward a few months-- I started using this stuff to take off my eye makeup (this was prior to discovering the face wash, so I was still requiring makeup remover after I washed my face). Now fast forward a few years...I use this stuff on my eyes maybe twice a week-ish. The oil face wash every night. Other than makeup, I don't use any other face products regularly-- no moisturizer, creams, lotions, etc.

I don't have wrinkles around my eyes anymore.

SO. I'm not trying to make any miracle claims here...correlation doesn't necessarily imply causation and all that. BUT. You draw your own conclusions. I've drawn mine, and I'll be sticking with my TJ's face regime, thankyouverymuch.

One more. This is getting really long!

I love some nail polish. I own an obscene amount of the stuff...and I keep buying more. Wanna know one of my favorite brands?

Ulta's store brand. Seriously. Cheap old store brand polish. Wanna know why?

This is my hand this morning. "But Erika!! It's chipping!! This isn't a good picture of a product you supposedly like!"

True. It is chipping. But you know how long that polish has been on there?

TEN DAYS.

This is the TENTH day of this polish!!! And that is ALL the chipping that there is!! I didn't use any fancy topcoat or basecoat. I haven't touched it up. Just a few layers of Ulta's regular ol' polish that I got when they were 5 for $5!!! So like...A DOLLAR. The truth is, I don't even really like this color. I've been wishing it would chip so that I could justify taking it off and putting on a better color. But DANG if this stuff isn't lasting forever! I'm leaving it on just so that I can see how long it'll go for!!

I do love some Essie and OPI. I do. But seriously, they look good for MAYBE 3 or 4 days before there are serious chips. This Ulta stuff is consistently awesome. I've been using it (not this particular color, but just the line in general) for over a year and have probably 8-10 different colors...and it always impresses me. Sure, the color selection isn't as amazing as higher-end brands. But the price is really, really right. Full price, these are I think $6ish. I wouldn't buy them at that, though. They are REALLY frequently on sale for $2 or $3, so I'd just wait and stock up then.

Trust me. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

So there you go. If you were super ambitious, you could try out ALL THREE of my favorite beauty steals for less than $15 (assuming you have access to a TJ's). I mean...you're welcome. You're just really welcome. ;) And now that I've been nice and told you MY favorite steals...quid pro quo. Your turn! Let's all save money together! Yippeeee!!