April 2013 Favorites

Am I the only one who felt like April just dragged on and on?  Here are my favorites for this long-ass month:

Food

• Progresso Light creamy potato and bacon soup:  SO delicious, and only 4 WeightWatchers points per can. 

• Lean Cuisine Paninis: I've been eating these like it's going out of style.

Beauty

• Self-Tanning: For fair-skinned people like myself, it's not so easy to get a real tan from the sun.  Usually, I just end up burning to a crisp, which is not good considering I have a family history of skin cancer.  So, I rely on self-tanning products during the warmer months of the year.  This year, I've been loving the Jergens Healthy Glow moisturizing lotion and Neutrogena mist. 

• Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Cuticle and Nail Moisture Treatment Pen:  This keeps my cuticles hydrated, and I do really think it helps make my nails grow.

• CoverGirl & Olay Eye Corrector: This yellow-toned undereye concealer helps hide darkness, and the Olay moisturizer swirled throughout helps hydrate. 

Fitness

• New Balance sneakers: I got these for Christmas, and I've been loving them for going on walks as the weather has gotten warmer.

Fashion

• Pointy-toed black flats from Old Navy:  I got these for my birthday back in March.  I had to wear bandages around my Achilles tendon/heel area for the first several times I wore them to break them in, but I'm getting to where I don't need to do that anymore.  I always love a good black flat, and these feel sophisticated.  Especially now that they don't make me bleed. :)

• Jeans: Since I've started losing weight (14 pounds so far!!), my clothes are fitting much more loosely.  I've even been able to fit into some jeans that had not seen the light of day in a LONG time. :)

Music

• "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake- I seriously JAM to this in the car when it comes on the radio.  Sure to get a lot of plays on my iPod.

• "If So" by Atlas Genius- Adam introduced me to this band a couple of months ago, and like clockwork, the local college radio station has started playing them.  Listen below! :)

• "Song for Zula" by Phosphorescent- I don't know why, but I love it. 

Oh, how I need changing.

Happy Thursday!  Thank goodness, too.  This week has been LONG.  I really don't have anything to talk about today.  However, Monday will be my April Favorites post, and then Thursday...I'll be at the beach! :)  I'm going with my family, so it's not like it'll be the time of my life or anything.  But, it will still be very nice to get away and get some time to relax.  

'Til next time!

 

Been loving this song lately.

The Quickest Way to Make Me Hate You

We all have our pet peeves, but there is one thing a person can do that will send him/her straight to the top of my "Can't Stand" list.  And that, my friends, is the act of treating me like I'm an idiot.  Sometimes it's the way something is phrased, but usually it's the tone in which it's said.  That kind of tone like the person talking to me is just SO far above me and better than me that they couldn't possibly be wrong...you know the one?  That kind of attitude which is all the more infuriating when you know for a fact that you're right.  See, I work for a real estate attorney, and we deal with a lot of older realtors who think that because they've been in the business for years, they hardly ever make mistakes.  I know I'm young, and I do respect my elders.  However, I will lose that respect in a heartbeat if you treat me like I'm just some throw-away person who brings nothing to a situation.  I'm smart, thank you very much, and you will get no favors from me if you don't at least recognize that.

So sorry to rant--it's just been a rough Monday.  But really, aren't they all?

An Open Letter

To anyone going through a tough time:

I have one piece of advice: Hang in there.  We all go through periods of feeling lost or stuck.  But, the only way to survive it is to KEEP GOING.  Wake up in the morning, do what you can, go to sleep, and do it all over again the next day.  The world doesn't stop turning, and you should not stop being an active participant in life.  Plans get derailed--trust me, I know.  But you HAVE to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and find a new path, whether you still want to reach the original destination or discover a new one.  And, if you're feeling alone, just remember that you're not.  You do have people who love you very much.  Reach out to them.  How can they know what's going on in your head or your heart if you don't tell them?  I've been where you are.  If you keep pushing through, it will get better.  We don't really know what's ahead of us--no one does.  But life is worth living.  Always.

And, I know this might be cheesy along with this post, but I love the message of this song:

Birchbox: April 2013

I missed my Monday post again!  I had a stomach ache, sue me.

This month, Birchbox partnered with Women's Health Magazine for the theme "Tiny Tweaks, Big Results".  If you are interested in Birchbox, click here to learn more!  Let's take a look at what I received for April.

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle: "Great for all hair types, this nourishing elixir performs seven hair-healing functions. Among them: locking in color, adding shine, and instantly detangling." Full-size $21.95, Sample size $2.74

This stuff smells SO freakin' good.  Very coconut-y.  I like.  And, it does a great job of detangling my hair and making it feel super soft and shiny.  I don't know if this is typical, but mine was really hard to get the spray mechanism going at first.  The product itself is pretty thick in the bottle, so I had to add a little bit of water to thin it out so that it would spray. (Also, my nail polish is definitely orange...dunno why it's showing up pink.)

Caudalie Divine Oil: "Made with a blend of grape, argan, hibiscus, and sesame oils, this multitasking wonder gives skin, hair, and nails a gorgeous glow." Full-size $49, Sample size $1.47

I always hear very nice things about Caudalie, and I feel like this was a coveted sample among Birchbox subscribers this month. So, I feel lucky to have received it!  So far, I've only used it on the ends of my hair after it has dried to smooth things out and hydrate my locks.  As with most oils I've used, a little goes a long way!

LAFACE Laboratories BEAUX YEUX Beautiful Eyes Concentrate Intensive: "A hefty dose of hyaluronic acid amps up moisture levels, while an advanced peptide complex halts wrinkle formation." Full-size $160 (what!!), Sample size $16

This is definitely the most expensive sample I've received from Birchbox.  I've been using this for the past few days, and I really like it.  It's not as thick as some other eye creams I've tried, and even though this is a small sample, you don't need to use much.  The first time I used it, I kind of felt like it tingled, which made me think it must be working.  Or doing something, at least.  Ha!

Supergoop! Daily Correct SPF 35 CC Cream: "This next-generation CC cream provides corrective coverage and triple protects against UVA, UVB, and infrared-A rays." Full-size $32, Sample size $2.03

The BB cream craze has escalated into a CC cream craze.  These products are supposed to be better than tinted moisturizers, but in reality, I think they're about on the same level.  I received the shade "Light/Medium", which is the lightest shade of the two shades offered.  I do think it's a little dark for me, but I'm just super pale.  It's supposed to be self-adjusting, so maybe it'll match me better once I get a little more sun.  Other than that, I think it offers good coverage, and I always love SPF.

LIFESTYLE EXTRA:
Hail Merry Chocolate Macaroons: "It tastes too good to be true: These decadent treats are raw, vegan, gluten-free, and made with only natural, non-GMO ingredients." Full-size $5, Sample size $1.26

These were...interesting.  They weren't what I thought a typical macaroon is like; they were more like little organic brownie chunks with a lot of coconut.  They definitely tasted "healthy", if you know what I mean.  I probably wouldn't buy them again on my own, but they were neat to try out.

ALSO, because this box was a partnership with Women's Health Magazine, every box included a card with a free year's subscription to the magazine, exclusively for Birchbox subscribers. Worth $9.99, this subscription by itself pays for this month's box. I'll definitely be mailing this in soon!

So, my Birchbox for April is worth $43.48. Very nice! Definitely mostly because of the eye cream and magazine subscription, but I'm not complaining.

Blah

Blah day, blah mood.

Good song to keep my head up:

Got my Birchbox yesterday, so Monday's post will be about that.  Got some pretty cool things.  Have a good weekend!

Monday Musings

I have a neighbor who is an aspiring musician.  Specifically, he's a "WGWG" or "white guy with guitar" (a term coined by a favorite blogger of mine, Lyndsey Parker)--which would be cool if I didn't have to listen to him practice/warble all the time.  He's doing it right now, and I'm not kidding when I say the dog at the house next to my apartment complex is barking at him.  That bad.

Let's move on to someone more talented: Justin Timberlake.  I know, I know...I'm probably just biased because I am from the generation that was obsessed with *NSYNC, BSB, etc.  But it's no secret that JT's really grown into a successful artist on his own, and with that, I am very pleased.  His newest single "Mirrors" is quickly becoming one of my new favorite songs. Video below! Sorry it's stupid long.

The weather has warmed up quite a bit here, but the pollen is out of control.  I think it's supposed to rain sometime this week, so hopefully that will wash some of it away. Fingers crossed!

Spring Cleaning

Seriously lacked motivation to blog today, but here I am!  

Well friends, it's been a dreary, chilly week.  However, the forecast for this weekend looks beautiful!  And, you guys should see the to-do list I just wrote out for myself for the weekend...it's about a mile long.  I'm so thankful for nice weather; it'll be a joy to actually be out in it getting stuff done.  I will also be pet-sitting two little doofuses until Tuesday, which will be wonderful.  I love all animals--especially these two.

Did I say I love all animals?  Can I take that back?  Because I do not love spiders.  Although, they're technically insects/bugs/creatures-from-depths-of-hell.  And, with the warmer weather upon us, it seems that spider season is making a comeback here in my lil' apartment.  Joy.  

That's about all I have for y'all today.  Have a great weekend!

March 2013 Favorites

Spring is in the air, and I'm absolutely LOVING it.  Not loving the pollen or forthcoming allergies, but I will take the bad with the good.  Also, thinking about enforcing another no-buy for the month of April.  I did quite a bit of shopping this past month for my birthday, and though I didn't go crazy with it, I could still probably reel it in a bit.

Home:
Tiki Beach candle from Bath & Body Works- I don't burn candles as much in spring/summer as I do in fall/winter, so I picked up a few of their smallest candles in a variety of scents. This one smells summery and divine.
Kitchen Lemon Anti-Bacterial Hand Soap from B&BW- Soap should always smell this good.

Food:
Healthy choice greek froyo- my Kroger carries these in two flavors (Vanilla Bean & Strawberry), and both are delicious! And only 2 WeightWatchers points a piece.
Subway- Again, keeping WeightWatchers in mind, I've been frequenting Subway and getting my favorite turkey sandwich.

Beauty:
MAKE Cosmetics matte eyeshadow in "Burnt Umber"- Got this in my Birchbox this month (the other color I got in my 2nd box is "Santa Fe"--long story, see this post), and it is just wonderful. Very pigmented and blendable.
BalmShelter tinted moisturizer from theBalm- I've had this for a while, but I still love it. I think it offers pretty good coverage as a tinted moisturizer, and it feels very lightweight when worn. I know I'll continue to reach for this instead of foundation as the weather gets even warmer.

Style/Accessories:
New sunglasses from Target- Gold toned aviators.
iPod Nano- Birthday gift from a special someone!

TV:
Pretty Little Liars- I mean...who else was freaking out during the season finale a couple of weeks ago?? I know I'm not alone.
Nashville- Yes, please.
Smash- I'm loving the rebooted season 2 (and literally ALL of the songs from "Hitlist"), but I'm very sad to be hearing rumors of impending cancellation. Say it ain't so!

Music:
Pink "Just Give Me A Reason"
Tegan & Sara "Closer"
Smash Soundtrack "Heart Shaped Wreckage" 
CHVRCHES "Recover" (below!)

Hope everyone had a great month of March!