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!! 

pretty dang shallow.

We had a really good weekend. It was the kind that started out with ZERO PLANS going into it (my favorite) and yet ended up being both productive, relaxing, and fun-- the trifecta of awesomeness, no? For starters, we hung out with actual real live friends on Friday night. WHAT?!? You have friends that exist outside of a screen? I know, it surprised me too, but it happened!! Impromptu dinner plans! Kitchen ice skating with a kid! I mean, serious good times.

Although I'm sure we did some non-shallow stuff this weekend, I'll be honest: all the stuff worth talking about is pretty shallow.

1. Killing it at the gym.

2. Shopping.

I know, it's kind of first-world-icky, but there it is. 

We've been doing GREAT at getting back in the swing of healthy living. I'm not calling it a 'New Year's Resolution'...it's more like a get back to the life you were living before failed adoption wrecked you for a couple months. We joined a new gym a few weeks ago and are LOVING it. There are tons of group classes-- but better than that, I have friends that actually GO to these classes and they make plans with me to be there...which means I don't punk out at the last minute because I'm tired or my toe hurts or whatever. Plus this new gym (waaay fancier and huger than my last gym) has loads of super cool machines, 90% of which I don't even know how to operate, but it doesn't stop me from trying! Anyway. Matt and I have been great at going almost every day and I'm sore like 100% of the time, so I guess we're doing good. As a result, most of the pictures on my phone from the last week look something like this:

Please ignore 1) the fact that I've already shared these pictures on Instagram, thus breaking my own cardinal rule of not sharing the same picture on multiple social media outlets, and 2) the fact that in order to get these shots, I was obviously TAKING SELFIES WHILE WORKING OUT and am therefore probably the lamest person you've ever met and the laughingstock of my new gym. 

For bonus points, please try your hand at diagramming my massively run-on previous sentence. May the force be with you.

At any rate, working out is once again fun and novel, which means I'm more likely to stick with it, right? It's at least gotta be better than laying on the couch for another hour of watching Bachelor specials and playing Mahjong, so I call it a win.

So we spent a good chunk of time playing at the gym this weekend. We also spent some time burning through the rest of my Christmas money (I know, you're surprised there's any left. ME TOO!!!). Public Service Announcement: there are some GREAT sales at Old Navy and Gap right now! I got some fun new duds (and shoes. And makeup...SHOCKER!!!!) and really considered having a fashion show for yall. Then I decided not to. But then I got to work this morning and the internet was broken (so I couldn't blog or read blogs), so I really had no choice but to go have a mini fashion show (with a full-length mirror and phone camera) in the bathroom upstairs, so...you can at least see my new jeans.

I really wanted some distressed skinny jeans and Gap totally delivered. Yay!

In other fashion news, Zooey Deschanel was wearing the same lipstick I do (Tarte LipSurgence) last night for the Golden Globes...so basically, we are twins and soul mates. As though you had any doubts about that.

In final fashion news, in order to make room in the closet for the new arrivals, I went through and got rid of a TON of clothes and shoes this weekend. This was WAAAAY overdue, but...better late than never, right? I have serious clothes/shoes hoarding issues, I think. This is evidenced by the fact that I finally (finally. FINALLY.), after at least 12 (15?) years together, decided that I should get rid of my beloved high school Timberlands.

I know, I know- another Instagram re-share. Breaking ALL my own rules today!

Despite the fact that I haven't worn them in probably 10 years, I have never been able to convince myself to get rid of them. It's because I wanted them for soooooo long, for sooooo bad before I ever got them in high school. Seriously. These boots were the high school edition of today's infertility struggles. (HA!! Totally just kidding, but there are certain similarities. Everyone else had them....) So even though I don't want or wear them now (see, infertility metaphor stops here. I wouldn't just stop wanting my own kids.), I can't bear to toss (donate) them. And for the record, all of the events I 'might need them' for (rain, snow, hiking, camping) have definitely happened during the last 10 years and I haven't 'needed' them, so...I've really run out of excuses. So I added them to the bag of Shoes to Donate, but not before putting the picture on Instagram.

AND NOW EVERYBODY HAS ME DOUBTING MYSELF!!!! First of all, at least 30 (not really) people have similar memories of their Timberlands and/or burning desire for Timberlands. Some of you are still holding on to yours. And a FEW of you have indicated that they might be coming back in style? Which-- shut the front door-- if they freaking get trendy again right after I get rid of mine? And I have to go through Timberland Lust 2.0?? I just don't think I could handle that emotional trauma. 

In conclusion, I'm seriously considering pulling them out of the donation bag and hanging on to them for a few more years. Please feel free to offer compelling reasons that I should or should not do this because the whole situation is making me feel like the biggest hoarder on earth.

i'm wearing a blanket & telling you about you (part 2)

It's been a pretty uneventful week over here. In a good way, I mean. I feel a lot better. We go to work. Hit up classes at the gym. Fix dinner. Read. I can't complain...it's just not lending itself to a lot of exciting blogging, that's all. Womp womp. 

You know what is exciting? That I can wear a knitted poncho and moccasins to work and call it an outfit. And even be semi-fashionable.

My feet look weird here. Not sure why. They look normal in real life, promise.

If you'd told 16-year-old me that one day I would wear a blanket and slippers to work, I would have laughed in your face. But here we are. Sometimes life doesn't turn out the way you expect it to.

So in lieu of having actual deep thoughts or funny stories to regale you with, I figured it was time to share some more of the results of last month's Reader Demographics Survey! I shared Part 1 of the results (where you live, blogging likes/dislikes) a few weeks ago. Today we'll look at a few more cut-and-dry (but still interesting!!) questions.

How old are you?

Surprisingly (or not), no one had any comments to make about this! I guess you've all accepted your ages-- congrats! I wasn't really surprised by the results here. It's good to know there are no underage kids reading, now I can be as x-rated as I've always wanted to be! Mwah ha ha...

How many blogs do you regularly read?

 I like how two people skipped that question. If I had to guess, they were people who decided to go count all the blogs in their readers and then they got distracted and overwhelmed by the sheer number and forgot to come back and answer. That would be me. I was definitely surprised by how few blogs you people read!! Most of you read only between 4-20 blogs?!??! WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL YOUR FREE TIME?!?! I got one additional comment on this one:

Amen, sistah. (I didn't ask for your genders, but I feel like I can safely assume it's 98% female, and the guys secretly reading probably wouldn't fill out the survey anyway...so, sister it is.)

What are your favorite types/genres of blogs or blog topics, in general?

Looks like we have A/L/I blogs coming in first place, with Lifestyle and Parenting/Family coming in close behind. Humor, Food/Recipe, and Fashion/Beauty also had a strong showing. Shockingly, no one likes political blogs or posts? I mean...high five to every single one of you. I wish this trend would spill over onto my Facebook newsfeed, where apparently everyone LOVES POLITICS AND HAS ALL THE OPINIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME. 

There were "six" (one of them was a duplicate, though) comments on this question:

Organizing blogs? That's a thing?!?! Whoever said that, please share the details of this amazing genre I'm missing out on. And I totally failed to include crafting/DIY/decorating in the choices. That's embarrassing. I bet a lot of you would have picked that. Who writes the surveys around here, anyway? They should get fired. 

That's all I've got for ya today. We've got an exciting weekend ahead: trying out more classes at the gym...going to Ulta (WEEEEEEEE!!!!!!)...reading books, maybe even by the fire...all happy things in my book! Have a wonderful weekend!

today i was a pioneer!

This morning we awoke to discover that our power was out. (Please see also: Southerners aren't prepared to live in the cold) Naturally, we decided to stay in bed an extra 20 minutes to a) see if it came back on and b) research the situation from the warmth of the covers. Unfortunately, my main news source (Facebook, of course) isn't working on my phone any more. I don't know why. There are no updates, I've tried everything I can think of...but for the last 4 or 5 days, it won't work. It hasn't really bothered me until this morning. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND OUT IF THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM IF I CAN'T USE FACEBOOK?!?! What, Twitter? That's a joke. It was too dark to take a picture, so Instagram's out. I mean seriously, people. 

I tried the local paper's webpage. Useful. They still had all of YESTERDAY'S headlines up. Very helpful. 

Finally I was able to find my electric company's webpage and report the outage. Then I found their live 'outage map' that showed all the current reported outages. That's how I discovered that my house wasn't an isolated event-- looks like all the power was out within a few miles of us. That's cool. Whatever.

By now it was way too late to get out of bed, but I just wasn't sure how to proceed with life with no power. Plus it was probably going to be really cold. And there was no way to make coffee. These are all good reasons to just call the day off and stay in bed forever.

As I listed all of the ways the No Power was ruining my life and reasons for getting out of bed, Matt was agreeing with me. Yep, it's gonna be cold. Yep, we're going to have to dig out some candles and flashlights. Yep, we can't make coffee. Agreed, agreed, agreed.

"...and...I can't get ready. I can't fix my hair with no power!!!"

At this, he was momentarily silent.

And then he responded.

"You can't do a ponytail in the dark?"

Busted. Apparently my penchant for low-maintenance hairstyles hasn't escaped his notice. That Mattie. Nothing gets by him.

"Okay fine, I can probably fix my hair. BUT NOT MY MAKEUP."

He had to agree with that. I do wear makeup. Which, for the record, I had to pack up by candlelight and bring with me to work to put on once I got here. I'll cut a lot of corners, but you couldn't pay me enough to spend a day at work sans makeup. 

Ahhh...teeth brushing by lantern-light. So romantic. Not. I was gagging from the odor of 10 differently-scented candles all burning at once. Ick.

So that's today's adventure. We made it to work only about 20 minutes late (Matt's late, that is...I'm still 40 minutes early!) after making two different stops for nourishment (Bojangle's) and fuel (Starbucks). Now my makeup is on and I can think about starting my day. Whew. So much drama...so early. And I already got a call from the power company that the power's back on, so that's good. Obviously my pioneer skills aren't really all that impressive, so I'm glad I won't have to 'rough it' tonight as well.