Friday's Favorites

Hello everyone! I am so excited to share my first "Friday's Favorites" post. Every Friday I will be posting what I am loving for the week. Below I will share what I have on my Amazon List! ALL of these items are Prime (gotta love fast shipping). Click the photo to purchase! 

1. The T3 Bodywaver 1.75 curling iron! I am obsessed with this. I did a YouTube tutorial (barely) of me using this to show how much volume you can get with it. If there is one tool I would have, this would be it. I found it at Nordstrom for $126, but the next day the price was back up. I was able to find it on Amazon for $126 which is awesome! There are different heat settings and prongs on the bottom of the front of the iron so you don't have to worry about setting it on your counter.

2. The Invisibobble hair rings -- I got a few of these in my Allure Beauty Box this month and I didn't understand the hype at first. I used on and now I understand. They don't leave a crease in your hair AT ALL. I had my hair in a ponytail all day yesterday and when I got ready for bed, I took my hair down and BOOM no crease. Not to mention, the hold of the hair ring is great. I hardly have to adjust my pony throughout the day. I am so ready to get over this cold so I can see how these hold up during a work out. 

3. These backpacks are the cutest! I was trying to find a bag for my nieces and I came across these on Amazon. I found ones similar at Justice but they were asking around $50. This one is only $29 and BELOW -- a total steal. They also have different colors, so if your girl isn't a fan of pink, you can get these other two styles above. 

4. The Norvell Venetian sunless tan system! I have tried so many products for sunless tanning only to be left with orange hands and feet (ew), but I saw Jessie James Decker used this for a photoshoot she had with South Beach Diet and I decided to give it a try. I absolutely love the color -- I will be posting a whole separate blog on this product, because the before and after is a little crazy. It is the perfect brown color. I love this set too because it's only $32 and comes with everything you need. I usually apply the facial spray with a Kabuki brush on my face, neck and shoulders. You need this in your life. 

5. I am very picky when it comes to perfume. I got this as a sample with a Sephora purchase and decided to wear it one night and this is the best light, pretty scent. It's not too strong, but it is long-lasting which is awesome. I am putting this on my Christmas list (HINT HINT TOM). 

This wraps up my favorites! Again, to purchase just click the photo and it will direct you straight to the product on Amazon. Have a great weekend! <3 

Gift Guide for Her

You know what's worse than getting a gift that you know you will never use or dislike (sounds ungrateful, I know)? Gifting a gift that you bought last minute for the sake of just buying a gift. 

I LOVE purposefully gift giving. I love being creative with the buying process, wrapping the gifts and then the sight of seeing the person open a gift-- their eyes go wide and your heart feels warm -- now that is the beauty of giving.

 I try to do my best a couple months beforehand listening to what people around me want. Thomas, my fiance, will blatantly tell me, but for him I need him to tell me because if he wants something he will buy it himself -- he has no patience LOL! For the women around me I love giving a gift they will actually use or that I can see in their home when I visit, because I know they love it that much. 

So, I know most of the items I have posted were found during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales, so please refrain from telling me so, procrastination got in the way, but I still think these gifts are still worthy of gifting. Here we go!

So this first item --- I have been drooling over this Bluetooth speaker for months now. It's originally around $300, but it is still on sale for $224!! but the style of it makes me wants to sit this on my kitchen counter and bake all day while listening to playlists. I included the black color because it was on sale, but the off-white option is just dreamy. I also love the leather strap so you can take it anywhere. I've read reviews and the sound quality has been ranked fairly high (right under Bose). 

This tote is no longer on sale, but I am a sucker for anything that is simple and leather. It's $158 right now at Nordstrom. I think true leather, forget the name-brand, withstands the test of time of wear and tear. I love this tote. It's large enough to fit your tablet and planner, but not bulky. It also has a long strap so you have the convenience of wearing it as a cross body. If you have daughter/niece in college or a friend starting a new job -- this would be the perfect gift. 

When I found this silk pillowcase on Amazon, I was ecstatic! I was looking at the pillowcase by Slip, but was not willing to spend nearly $100 on a pillowcase. I can find nearly anything on Amazon for a fraction of the price, so I found this within minutes of searching. I love the color options - I am a neutral queen so this taupe color goes great in our bed room. There is a zipper closure, which is awesome because your pillow isn't half out by the end of the night. The benefits of silk vs. cotton are pretty great -- keeps moisture in your hair, so you avoid the frizzy mess in the morning and it keeps your skin moisturized. My skin has been great since sleeping on this pillowcase. Thomas loves it too because the silk stays cooler longer! This would make a great stocking stuffer!

SPEAKING OF STOCKING STUFFERS -- these were on sale for $8.40 at Nordstrom during the sales, but originally they are only $12.00. I can't find them on the website now, but I did find the larger size and those run for $30. Everyone raves about these candles. The design of the jar is gorgeous and they smell heavenly. If you are looking for stocking stuffers, buy a few of these --maybe a few more in case you decide to keep a couple for yourself. 

Again, this was on sale during the crazy sales, and it is STILL $90. If you have a wife who works her hiney off, comes home and cleans the house, puts dinner on the table and puts the kids in bed, then do her a favor and RUN out to buy one of these! I am personally terrified of pressure cookers, but Thomas can cook a mean pork roast in our Instant pot. He has no fear when it comes to venting. You can cook frozen meat in a matter of minutes and Pinterest is full of easy recipes that make you realize why your grandmother/mother always used on of these guys. The best part of this specific Instant pot is it's wifi enabled. DOUBLE WIN!

Last, but certainly not least (this post could go on for hours, but I'm going to spare you some time), a planner. I know, I know, what a lame gift, but you would be surprised to know there are women taking over Instagram with their planning tools, designs, planner accessories -- it's nuts. Those women are far more capable of planning out their entire year, than I am planning a full day. I try though, which is why a planner for Christmas is a great reminder that a new year is coming up, and it's time to start with a clean slate. This one is gorgeous, but is no longer on sale. Right now it is $34 at Nordstrom.  

That concludes this gift guide post, but if you have have any recommendations or know of any great sales, please comment below! 

Winter Skincare!

Soo, like everyone and their brother, Winter is harsh on my skin! I have tried for years to find the perfect products that are still affordable (sorry, but $300 on a moisturizer? nah) We moved back to Dayton about a year ago and the first thing I noticed is how dry the air is. We lived in Cinci before and never did I think the humidity would be so different.

After moving back I had to completely change up my routine. Instead of using a normal body lotion, I immediately switched to a medicated lotion, starting drinking lots more water and freaking my face out a bit trying new products. Luckily, I have a skincare regimen down and my face is very thankful!

To breakdown my favorite products, I will start with my eyes -- I HATE wearing mascara and rarely do during the week, but I use an oil based eye makeup remover whenever I do. I have tried plenty of cleansers, but I have found the drugstore ones work best. I have always loved Maybelline's Moisturizing Eye Makeup Remover (the one with the pink lid). I just gently put is on my eyes/eyelashes and let it sit and work it's magic while I clean my face. I try not to rub my lashes or eye area, so just letting it sit allows for the oil to melt through the makeup without damaging your skin. I also like Almay's Eye Makeup remover wipes -- but it is sold out a lot, so I just use the Maybelline.

While my mascara is "melting" (EW), I move onto face wash -- I love everything Shiseido. It is a Japanese-based skincare company and they really tend to sensitive skin. I first heard of them from Birchbox - I got a couple samples in a box about a year or so ago and ever since have fallen in love with their Perfect Cleansing Oil. I use this at night with no water -- just a pump on my hands, work it gently onto my face/eye area and it melts the makeup away. I just wet my hands after I'm done massaging it into my skin and the water activates the soap and VOILA! All of the makeup and dirt is gone and my face is still so soft. I use Shiseido's cotton pads (again, soft and gentle) to remove my eye makeup remover and then my whole face is clean!



I don't typically tone my skin. I just haven't noticed a huge difference when I do and it dries my skin out. If I use a toner during a breakout, or summer months, I will use The Body Shop's Tea Tree toner (great for acne-prone skin), but I always make sure I moisturize after.

For moisturizing -- I am going to preach this to the rooftops, because I found this product on a fellow blogger's page (she is much more popular and well-known than me, so you can trust her LOL). She compared this moisturizer to La Mer's $300 cream and I had to try it. It is under $15 and I slather this sh*t everywhere. It is the Pond's Rejuveness Anti-Aging Face Cream. I bought it on Amazon in this huge tub. I put it on dry spots all over my body, not just my face. It is worth every dime and I haven't noticed any sensitivity with it or breakouts. I apply this morning and night.





Weekly facial treatments: I try to exfoliate once a week, especially in the Winter months. I have found a few things I love -- 1. St. Ives Oatmeal Scrub is great for sensitive skin and does enough exfoliating while still being gentle. I use this once or twice a week and it smells like summer in a bottle. 2. Glow Toner Pads - I do love Pixi's Glow Toner, but I have to be careful because it will cause my skin to have little breakout areas because of the Glycolic acid. These are great to use before you have an event because it truly makes your skin glow. 3. Dr Jart's PoreDermabrasion treatment is great too! It really gets all the dead skin off and my skin feels amazing after moisturizing.

NOW moving on to body skincare -- I love a tan during the winter months. There's nothing worse than matching the snow outside, in my opinion. To cope with my winter-blues, I use Loreal's sunless tanner lotion. I do love the spray, especially for my face, but I use the lotion more often. The best way I have found to apply it is to mix it into your normal lotion (after you shave and exfoliate -- no one likes streaks or patches), put it on as normal lotion and WASH. YOUR. HANDS. when you're done. I have made this mistake too many times. I have recently fallen in love with Aloe Vera After-Sun lotion. It's affordable, smells great, and works fantastic, even on the drier areas of my skin. Another body lotion I love is Eucerine's Medicated Lotion. It's around $10 for a bottle, but it does wonders if my skin gets too dry.

What are your favorite products to use to combat Winter?