Hi there, my friend. This flower up top is for you!
Hopefully it brightens your day a little. 🙂
I went to Costco last week to buy an XXL bag of blueberries because El Hub is convinced that eating copious amounts makes his brain work better. Side note, I’m all for it, because maybe all those blueberries will help him realize that all I want for my birthday in June is expensive Jan Marini skin care, haha! Just for fun last night, I put everything and the kitchen sink from her line in my online cart, and OMG, you don’t even want to know the final price before checkout.
Anyway, Costco. While we were there, I saw some good beauty deals…
First up, this three-piece Essie Gel Couture Polish set for $19.99. It includes two different nail polishes and the awesome Gel Couture top coat. If you bought all three items separately at Ulta, you’d pay $35, so this is a steal.
I’ve got mad love for the Gel Coutures and think they’re among the best things Essie makes. The polishes dry quickly, last a long time, and they’re soooo easy to remove (no special gel-removing accoutrements or any complicated processes with foils). They also have high-shine finish, which I love.
FYI, at the Costco in Novato, the color selection’s pretty limited. There are two sets — one with a darker blue and navy (Brocade Crusade and Embossed Lady) in it, and another with a light taupe-pink and dark brown (High Sewciety and Pearls of Wisdom). Still a good deal though!
I also saw a three-pack of L’Oréal Magic Root Cover Up for $9.99. One bottle is usually $9.99 at Target, so this is another great deal. Lots of colors to choose from too.
Root sprays are basically like concealer, but for your hair, and they’re great for when you’re between coloring appointments. You pick a shade that matches your hair color, spray a little on your roots to hide them, et voila! MAGIC! The color comes out the next time you shampoo your hair, so FYI, they aren’t permanent.
I used to use root spray back in the day, and the L’Oréal one is pretty good (although the best one, hands down, is Rita Hazan’s). If I were still coloring my mane, I’d definitely be stockpiling.
As you know, we’re all fastidiously washing our hands these days, so, with that mind, when you get a moment, place the following items into the trunk of your car: a big bottle of water, hand soap and a towel. That way, you can always wash your hands — WITH SOAP AND WATER! — when you’re out and about and return to your car.
I don’t know why I didn’t think to do this until now, but a friend of mine recently told me that she whenever she has to drive to the store or go out into the world now she always washes her hands when she gets back to her car with her portable water and soap, rather than just using a hand sanitizer.
I just started doing it too, and I don’t think I can ever go back to sanitizer alone now, because it feels so good to have my hands clean, truly clean, when I get back into my car. I pop a squat next to one of my tires, and I wash my hands right there in the parking lot. Sometimes people stare…but honestly I don’t even care. To each her own. I feel a little less gross, and that’s all that matters to me.
Connor’s back to preschool this week, and I miss her terribly. We didn’t have the most exciting spring break. There wasn’t any skiing or beaches involved, but it was so nice to do little things with her every day, like going to the pet store to visit the guinea pigs, and going to the park together. We went down so many slides!
Sometimes, I can’t believe that one day she’ll probably live far away from me. For now, at least while I can, I’ll keep sliding with her…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Aw, she’s growing up so fast!! Such a cutie. 🙂 Hey, Lovelyskin.com has a 20% off sale going right now, and they carry Jan Marini skincare. Not affiliated, but I’ve ordered from them scads of times, always with great results!
Just thought if you were really keen on getting alla JM skincare, you might as well save some shekels on it! 🙂
That’s a great idea, Kimkats! Did you get anything from the sale? Would love to hear about your favorites. I hope they have fast or free shipping…
I recall shipping being free, and it is SUPER fast! 🙂 I haven’t bought (yet) but I’m going to try a coupla new sunscreens – the LRP gentle mineral spf50, which I have a sample of and like, and an Elta MD one – have a sample of it too and can’t think what the name of it is, so hafta check the little packet at home for the name! But it’s a really good company, owned by a dermatologist in my hometown of Omaha, NE!! So – yeah, I’m kinda partial, but they get good reviews from nearly everyone who’s used ’em! 🙂
I’ve used and loved the Elta MD UV Clear sunscreen — SO GOOD! I’m going to head over to the site now and put a bunch of things in my cart just for fun. 🙂
Go down every slide you can. I’m taking our oldest to buy her graduation dress tomorrow. ?
Oh my goodness! How the time flies, Suzanne! When is her graduation?
It’s at the beginning of June. Everything is late because of Covid. School usually ends the last day of May, but they have to go a couple of extra weeks this year because of days missed. They are less than thrilled, lol.
It’s good that they’ll be able to have a ceremony to look back on, even if it’s a little late.
What are her plans for after graduation?
She’s going to be a nurse, although she hasn’t decided exactly what kind yet. She’s leaning towards labor & delivery, but I don’t really think she has the patience for moms in labor and she’s not tough enough yet for the deliveries that go badly. It will be a big eye-opener when she gets to school and sees what nursing is really about, so I’m not too worried about it. She’s going to be a great nurse and she’ll find her spot.
What a great career choice! It’s so in demand; she’ll be able to move anywhere she wants. Congrats to her and congrats to you. You helped get her this far. Now it’s time to fly!
Dalaga Connor Claire! That “one day” is not today, though, thankfully.
I think the physical scrubbing of hands with soap and water is the best way to sanitize them. I love that hack. Also, popping a squat is such the thing to do in a parking lot when you’re washing your hands; or waiting for the bus; or just relaxing on the beach.
Popping a squat: I do it sometimes when I’m playing on my phone while I’m sitting in my kitchen or my living room or anywhere really, haha!
Honestly I don’t know if I can go back to life without water and soap in my trunk. I have a feeling I’ll be doing it until forever.
Doing yoga every day makes popping a squat effortless. Yoga also means never having to sit on a public toilet, unless you want to.
I can’t believe how grown up Connor looks!!! What the heck?
El Hubs is right about the blueberries. There have been a lot of studies about effects on the brain.
Yes, and so does stretching and doing actual squats! I’m a fan!
I really do hope the blueberries help him figure out the Jan Marini gift situation, haha.
Thanks for the tip about carrying soap, water and the towel, Karen! I feel like that is way better than using hand sanitizer.
Dear Husband laughed at me because I have a box in my trunk with toilet paper, paper towel, a jug of water, soap and hand sanitizer. That is until we went to one barn that just had a cobweb filled porta-potty without water and no TP. The stuff in my trunk came in handy. I’ve ridden at enough barns to know it’s always good to have emergency cleaning supplies in my trunk.
Slide down lots of slides with Connor. Paint your nails together. Do makeup together. Bake together. Take long hikes together. Kids really do grow up too fast. I’ve got about two weeks left before Dear Daughter leaves for grad school.
That’s too soon! I’m happy for her and hope that the trip out there goes smoothly. Were you guys able to get your vaccines?
Dear Husband and I got the first shot of the Pfizer vaccine. We’re scheduled to get second one next week. Dear Daughter was able to get the J&J one and now they’re finding cases of blood clots in women under 40. It’s 1 in 1oo,000 shots, but I’m still gonna worry about her for the next three weeks. Oh let’s be realistic, I’m gonna worry the whole time she’s in NYC. Lol. And it’s not like I need to, because I lived in NYC in my 20’s and was perfectly fine and she lived in NYC for a summer internship while she was in college and she was fine. Sigh.
If I could figure out how to turn off the unnecessary worry gene, I would.
I am a huge fan of the Essie Gelpolishes as well, but these three-packs never seem to be available with two colors I like (and wear).
And yes, they grow up so fast – my daughter spends all day with her best friend now, and I already miss all the cuddles I used to get.
Definitely keep sliding. And taking pics/vids. 🙂