New Favorite Things

Ready for an all-new list of my recent "Favorite Things?" Wish I could be like Oprah and mail you samples of them because they're all great!

I'll start with a back-to-school item. My mom and I were shopping together last weekend while she was here and we popped into my favorite store in the mall, Francesca's Collection. This store alone could be listed as one of my Favorite Things. There are so many wonderful items in there, I just adore it! Anyhow, this book of "Instant Happy Notes" caught my eye and I'm so glad it did! They are over-sized post-it notes that have little sayings on them.

For example: "Why I'm happy now: YOU!"

And: "Awesomeness Grade: A+"

I've been sticking them in Payton's lunchbox each day along with a little note. He loves them and I love that it only takes a couple seconds to do. 

(There are also notes included that would be more appropriate for friends & spouses.)

My second item, is also sort of school-related because it has to do with runny noses. Parker picked up a little cold this week and since he can't blow his nose yet, he tends to get such a red, sore nose from me wiping it all day long. That's where these come in:

Yes, "Boogie Wipes." I know, they sound ridiculous, but they really work! They are almost like baby wipes, but they have a touch of saline in them and they're a bit smaller. (I'm sure my parents/in-laws/relatives are saying, "Really? We raised X amount of kids and we never had such things!" But if you were raising kids today, you would totally want a package of these babies for your babies. Trust me.


Next up, makeup! I love good makeup. The kind that doesn't necessarily cost a fortune, but that works really, really well. I also love the store Sephora. The only problem is, there are SO many products in that store, it's hard to decide which ones are worth buying. Fortunately, one of my favorite brands has helped me solve this issue.

Smashbox has come out with a "Try It Kit." It's little sample sizes of their most popular products.

  

For $20 I got a 5 products (that's less than what you'd pay for a drugstore brand) and let me tell you - these products are AWESOME! I'm totally obsessed with this lip gloss:

It's not sticky, or slimy and it doesn't goop up after an hour. It's the perfect sheer color to wear by itself if I'm heading to the grocery store or park. Or, it adds awesome shimmer on top of colored lipstick for a date night out. LOVE, love, love it! In fact, I'd give a "thumbs up" to all of the products in this kit. I really like the mascara as well.

And one more facial product to share. If you've ever used any Philosophy brand products, you know they are amazing. Well, I've been wanting to get into a better skincare routine seeing as I am pushing 40 and the wrinkles/sun spots, etc. are starting to show. I've tried a lot of other OTC wrinkle creams, but this baby takes the cake!

First off, it's easy - which means, you'll actually use it. If a skincare regime has 5 steps, you probably won't use it on a daily basis. This product reminds me of the old Noxema/Oxy 10 wipes that I used as a teenager. You simply take out a little pad and wipe it all over your face & neck and "Voila!" you're done. It makes your skin so much smoother and softer! I will warn you though, your skin will be much more susceptible to sunburn, so be sure to put on sunscreen (which you should be doing everyday any ways). It is a little pricy, but there are a ton of pads included and IT REALLY WORKS!

Okay, that's it for now. I have several more items to share, but I'm still in the "testing" period, so I want to make sure they are worthy of sharing before I post them. I hope some of these products become your new favorites too!