More Rain, Some New Finds, and a Few Old Favorites

After the rain ceased yesterday morning, the sun came out and it was the perfect day (though, for the record, I would have gladly taken a whole day of rain!).  However, right after we ate dinner, a thunderstorm started and it continued raining steadily until we went to bed.  I took these two pics from our front porch before it got too dark out. 



Isn't the rain pretty?  All I wanted to do was sit on a rocker on my porch and watch it, but we just got the rockers out and they are filthy and have to be wiped down and my son was yelling for me to come inside before I got struck by lightening and I still had to load the dishwasher and do the bedtime routine and take a shower and finish this post.  So life got in the way of my grandiose plans!  Oh, well.  I know I'll miss these crazy times one day!

 

HOWEVER... there is always time for ice cream.  If you've been reading my blog, you already know that my all-time favorite ice cream is Ben & Jerry's "Phish Food."  I can't even describe how good it is in words because it turns X-rated, people.  Just trust me.  IT'S THAT GOOD.

 

But when I was at the grocery store the other day (racking up a huge bill, remember?), I figured I'd try one that seems to be new... at least new to me.  I don't ever remember seeing this one before: "Peanut Butter Fudge Core."  With that description, I mean, you just can't go wrong.  And if it IS wrong, I don't want to be right.

 

 

Holy moly is this delicious!  It's seriously right up there with Phish Food.  If you like peanut butter, RUN (don't walk) TO THE STORE.  It is sooooo good and this mamacita ate a big bowl of it.

 

Okay - shifting gears here...

 

After our playdate yesterday morning, I stopped at Old Navy to return a bunch of things.  I should have just walked up to the register and returned the bag of stuff without looking around.  But I had to pee because I had just downed a huge iced coffee, and - of course - the bathroom is all the way in the back of the store - so you know what happened.  I swear... I need blinders like horses wear.  I just can't help myself.

 

I picked up this great jacket (and it has a hood!) for my son.  It was on the clearance rack for $6.99, and then I had a coupon for an additional 25% off.  Done and done.   

 

I also got him a few pairs of shorts for around $5 each and found a black long sleeve v-neck for me for $3.99 (sorry, forgot pictures).  With my returns and my coupon, my final total came to 50 cents.  Yup.  How exciting is that?!?!

 

Keep reading because I have some beauty finds to share with you all today, too.  Some of the items are newer ones I've recently picked up, while others are some of my tried and true favorites.

 

This first item is new.  I didn't have much time at all, but I quickly ran into Bath and Body Works yesterday afternoon because it's their semi-annual sale and I LOVE their aromatherapy collection.  I was like a speed racer, though, and it was not enjoyable.  I seriously had like five minutes in there - if that - but I grabbed a few wallflower refills and this: "Tangelo Woods" aromatherapy lotion. 

I had never seen that one before, but I smelled a tester and liked it.  It was 50% off, making it around $6 and, for some reason, B&BW's aromatherapy scents seem to last on me.  This one is citrus-y and fresh.  There was another new scent next to this one - verbena vanilla or vanilla verbena or something, but I'm picky about my vanillas.  Someone once told me that she hates wearing any sort of lotion/perfume with any trace of vanilla scent because it reminds her of bathroom spray that you use after you poop.  So that ended that.  I joined her "I don't really wear vanilla" club.

Two of these next items are oldies but goodies, and one is new. 

I always have two tubes of this Neutrogena baby sunscreen on hand.  I keep one in my bathroom and one in my purse.  I put it on every morning and will touch up throughout the day if I'm outside for extended periods of time.  SPF is one of the most important things to include in your skincare regime to prevent signs of aging, after all! 

The Dove dry shampoo is a new product I picked up.  I was at the end of the can of Tresemme dry shampoo, and I had heard good things about the Dove one.  I've only used it a few days, but so far I really like it.  The scent is lighter than the Tresemme one, and it doesn't feel as heavy in my hair, either.

The e.l.f. eye primer is from Target and costs $1.  I have tried SO MANY different brands of eye primer because I have super oily eyelids and my eyeshadow would NEVER stay on.  I read on a blog (I can't remember which one) that this brand's primer is actually quite good and definitely does not break the bank, so I tried it one day. 

And I concur. 

I mean, the amount of product you get isn't as much as more expensive brands (like Urban Decay or Bare Escentuals), but you can buy a few of these for less than half of the price of a different brand!  I've been using this eye primer for several months and plan to continue.

Next up are two more eye products - and I can't live without them.  I know it sounds a bit dramatic, but I'm dramatic.  So there.

 

 

My undereye area gets incredibly dry, and Clinique's eye cream has been one of my favorites for at least ten years.  I can't be without it.  When I get close to the bottom of the jar, I start panicking because I CANNOT. BE. WITHOUT. THIS.

 

#canyousayhighmaintenance

 

It's not the most expensive eye cream on the market, but it's not as cheap as the drugstore brands.  For me, though, it all equals out because I use so many other cheap products.  This is probably my most expensive item of skincare aside from my philosophy purity made simple face wash.

 

The other item pictured is my undereye concealer.  It's by CoverGirl and is around five or six dollars.  I have a medium skintone and use the fair shade in this concealer.  I could use the light shade, but the fair really brightens up my undereye area. 

 

And bonus - it works SO well with the Clinique eye cream.  I put a light layer of the eye cream on and immediately rub some concealer over it.  They blend perfectly and make my dark undereye circles (thank you, genetics) much less noticeable and the whole area much more hydrated.

 

Alright, next...

 

In an effort to find a cheaper foundation, I've been sampling some less expensive options.  My favorite, favorite foundation is from a brand called Prescriptives.  It used to be available at Macy's and now is only available online.  The one I like by them ("Traceless") is $38, so it's not ridiculously expensive, but that 1 oz. goes fast... at least for me.

 

 

Recently, I've been using Oil of Olay's CC cream.  I like it, but it's a bit thick, so I mix it with moisturizer to blend it better.  Since I've been self-tanning my body, I'm using the medium to deep shade of this on my face because I don't self-tan my face.  I like that it includes SPF, too, and there's no funky smell.  I think it's a little less than $20 a tube, but I've been getting a ton of $5 off coupons for it and now won't buy it without one.

 

I had heard lots of good things about this e.l.f. BB cream from Target, so I grabbed a tube this past weekend on my Target haul.  I tried it yesterday and it, too, is a bit too thick for my liking, but - again - I'll mix it with some moisturizer.  For $6, it seems just as good (if not better) than the Oil of Olay one.  I'll keep you posted.

Okay -  I found this next item for $1 at Target in with the travel items.  It's Garnier Fructis' "Hydra Recharge" conditioner.  The ends of my hair have been so dry lately, so I thought I'd try this.  It smells really good and it was okay, but it didn't overly impress me.  In fact, it took a while to rinse out and I still wasn't sure I got it all.  I probably would say to skip this.

And, just for kicks, here are my son's current favs:

 

We are still missing Michaelangelo - the orange one.  Can't seem to find it anywhere.  Mikey must be popular. 

 

And since we're talking about favorites, here is one of my favorite things - - watching my son sleep.  He looks so sweet and peaceful. 

 

Take note of the Ninja Turtle pillowcase.  (I had to buy it for him.  I mean, I had a New Kids on the Block one when I was a kid, so it's only fair.)

 

Here's what's on my to-do list today:

 

Seriously, how did I let it get so bad?  Well, in fairness, we haven't been home much lately.  This is unacceptable, though!  Messes like this drive me crazy!  I'm off to get on it now.  Hope your Tuesday is more exciting than doing laundry!

(source)

So, so true.

Happy Tuesday!