A Few of My Favorite Things

I’m not sure this is the best time of year to run this post, when I have so many pre-spring topics I want to discuss! But I was getting ready the other day, and it occurred to me there are so many things I use on daily basis and buy over and over again, that I should make a roundup sometime, so here we are!

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My Favorite Things

This list is totally random. It includes fashion, beauty, home, and anything else that struck me as I was putting the post together. As usual, I came up with a few more after Amy made the graphic, so there are more listed than you see in the picture, but it’s a good overview of what’s included.

Beauty

A lot of these will be familiar to you regulars. I don’t tend to change up my routine too often, especially when I find something I love.

L’occitane Almond Cleansing & Soothing Shower Oil // This is nothing new if you’ve been hanging around for a while, but I have to include it because I love this stuff. Fortunately I’m pretty well stocked because both my son and a friend gifted me with a bunch for Christmas. This large size with the pump is the best value, and I love having the pump in the shower. I also love the travel size for, well, traveling. In fact, QVC has this whole set.

Lancôme Hypnose Drama Instant Full Volume Mascara // My go-to mascara since high school. I recently saw someone raving about Givenchy Base Mascara with Lancôme Monsieur Big Mascara so I ordered both to try them, and they’re good, but I can’t say I like them better than my Hypnose Drama. I do it in 2 or 3 light coats, and it builds and separates and looks pretty much as good as the other combo so I’m sticking with it. That said, I’ll definitely finish up the other set. It definitely does a good job too.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz // I live by this stuff. My eyebrows are so sparse and only getting worse with age, and this ultra slim retractable pencil creates precise, hair-like strokes that look very natural.

Word of warning, though: it runs out suddenly and with no warning, so I make sure to always have a backup at the ready. I’m also about to start carrying one in my purse for touchups on the go. I wear the dark brown.

Colleen Rothschild Beauty Radiant Cleansing Balm // I know, another product I talk about non-stop, but this stuff is amazing. I just noticed Neiman Marcus is carrying it now, so that’s awesome news for the brand! I’m so glad to see it’s getting into the mainstream marketplace.

If this is new to you, it goes on rich and creamy and smells wonderful. It comes with a muslin cloth you can use, but I often just use my washcloth. I wet it in very warm water and lay it over my face and take a few deep breaths before I start wiping it off. It’s like a mini-spa experience at home.

Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel // This is my favorite at-home tanning lotion, and it’s another product I’ve been using for years and years. I have tried others, and I don’t like anything else quite as much.

Read my post on How To Apply Self Tanner if you struggle with even application.

Coola ECO-LUX Sport Continuous Spray SPF50 Guava Mango // This is currently my go-to sunscreen. I discovered it on vacation a few years back, and I’ve been buying it ever since. It smells wonderful and goes on really sheer, but it works. I looked it up on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database and Guide to Sunscreens, and it ranks fairly well for an aerosol. It gets a 3 out of 10. (1 is best, 10 is worst.)

I also love the Coola Signature Classic Travel Kit Collection for travel because everything is in TSA-approved carry-on sizes, and the little bag is easy to move from my luggage to my beach bag, and even to my purse if I want it while I’m out sightseeing. In addition to a travel-size sunscreen spray, the lip balm with SPF is really nice, it has a travel-sized sunblock lotion with SPF30 especially for the face, and the after-sun recover lotion is sublime.

Aquis Hair Towel // I bought this towel a fear years ago, after reading about it on another blog, and now I don’t know how I ever lived without it. I even travel with it. It’s supposed to help minimize hair loss and damage, and I have very thin hair that doesn’t grow in very well, so I bought it in an attempt to help with that, but I like it for so many other reasons.

It’s super absorbent, and it wraps into a turban super easily so I can put my makeup on without my hair getting in the way. Now that I’m used to using the hair towel, when it’s in the wash and I have to use a regular hand towel, it seems so big and clunky. I finally decided I order a second hair towel so I always have one at the ready; I’m not sure why I waited so long.

CND Solar Oil // This cuticle oil saves my nails in the wintertime. If I use it faithfully, once or twice a day (preferably at night before bed so it has lots of time to soak in), my nails stay strong and healthy. If I start skipping too many days, my nails get brittle and start breaking.

I keep Shellac polish on my nails pretty much all the time, so using this oil is key to being able to do that. The salon where I get my nails done swears by it, and now I do too.

I linked to a regular size bottle that is available through Amazon Prime, but I actually buy this bad boy. It’s a MUCH better value, and it lasts me a very long time.

Fashion

Let’s dive right into the nitty gritty with some of my favorite go-to undergarments, since they’re the clothing items I tend to repurchase most.

Hanky Panky Original Rise Thongs // I know not everyone is a fan of thongs, but I’ve been wearing these daily for years. I can’t even remember how long. I’ve never had much luck with regular undies staying put, and I detest a panty line, so thongs it is.

These are by far the most comfortable I’ve tried. They are more commonly found in the low rise version, and I have some of those, but I prefer the original rise. These undies do go on sale from time to time — often the ugly colors, lol! But that’s when I snap them up. Right now, this set of low rise thongs is 25% off.

When I don’t want to wear a thong — usually with shorts and dresses, or baggy lounge pants that might creep… #TMIalert — my favorite briefs are these Natori Bliss cotton girl briefs. They do stay put for the most part, and they feel nice on. I wear the medium, for reference.

SPANX Shape My Day Girl Shorts // I wear these under all my dresses and skirts. They help keep everything smoothed out, and they don’t roll down. I finally, after several years of wearing the same pair over and over, ordered a 2nd backup pair. For reference, I wear the medium.

Chantelle High-Impact Multi-Way Padded Sports Bra // This is the only sport bra I wear for high impact activities and running. It has great support and a nice shape to it, and you can hook the back together for even more support and also to look better under racerback tops.

It runs true to size. I tend to run between a 34F and 34G, depending on my weight and the time of the month, so I have one of each.

Freya Idol Underwire Balconette Bra // This is my favorite daily bra for daily wear. The sizing is a bit odd because this bra runs in UK sizing, so pay attention to that. Otherwise it’s pretty much true to size, although it stretches some as you wear it, so sometimes I go down to a 32 back size. FYI, you can also get this bra at Amazon.

Wacoal Red Carpet Convertible Strapless Bra // This is another tried and true foundation garment that I’ve purchased in several sizes. In my opinion, there is no such thing as a comfortable strapless bra, but when I have to wear one, this is the best I’ve found.

Okay, that got rather personal, didn’t it!?!

I used to be very discreet when writing about my undergarments and didn’t mention sizes or the type of underwear I prefer to wear, but everyone else just seems to be up-front about such matters, and I figure that’s what a fashion blog is for. We discuss all matters of fashion, and it doesn’t get more elementary than undergarments. Let’s face it, it doesn’t matter how cute your outfit is or how well it fits, if your foundation garments are ill-fitting or inappropriate for the clothing on top, you’ll still look frump-a-dump.

As far as other types of clothing, I guess I don’t buy a lot of duplicates or repurchase items very often. Styles change, and I get bored. But here are a few that come to mind.

Nike No-Show Socks // These are what I wear with my fashion sneakers when I want a buffer between my foot and the shoe but I don’t want my socks to show.

Sam Edelman Hazel Pumps // I think I have 4 pairs of these. I have a hard time finding pumps I can walk comfortably in, and these are the best I’ve found in their price range.

AG The Legging Ankle Jeans // And I guess I would be remiss if I didn’t mention these. I have these jeans in black (currently 35% off!), grey (currently 20-25% off!), and various shades of blue, and I just ordered a white pair to test out. What can I say? When they’re good, they’re good!

I’ve worn so many other styles of denim, but I’ve never bought duplicates of the same style in any other than the Paige Verdugo — which probably also should deserve a mention in this post, but I haven’t bought any of those in a while.

Oh, and I guess I’ve also purchased the 7 For All Mankind Ankle Skinnies with the released hem in a few colors as well. I hope they bring those back this spring; they’re so good.

Home

I also thought of a few things around the house that we can’t live without.

Nespresso VertuoLine Melozio Coffee Pods // These are our new favorite coffee pods. If you have a Nespresso VertuoLine, you must try the Melozio! Before we found these, Stormio was our favorite, and we still keep a few boxes of those on-hand as well.

Wool Dryer Balls // I’m on-again/off-again with using natural household products, which really makes no sense for as passionate I am about eating clean, organic foods. I know dryer sheets are full of harmful chemicals, but I hate static-cling more than I fear chemicals, so I kept using them. I recently heard about these wool dryer balls, so I decided to try them, and I have to say, they work fairly well! I still have some issues with static with certain types of fabrics, but overall, I’m willing to compromise for the health of our family.

I do miss the scent of the dryer sheets, but I keep meaning to bring my lavender essential oil up to the laundry room, so I can apply that to the wool balls for a fresh scent. I usually keep it in the kitchen because it soothes burns, but I probably need it more in the laundry. Or I could order a backup. ANYWAY! If you’re trying to rid your home of toxic chemicals, dryer sheets are some of the worst, and these wool balls are a nice alternative. Plus also, it saves money!

I also recently ordered some Mrs. Meyer’s laundry detergent to use instead of Tide. There are probably some better places to order this stuff from. I know some websites cater to natural household products. If you have any you like, I’m open to suggestions!

Zarbee’s Elderberry Gummies // I’ve mentioned these before, but maybe only in my email newsletter. I’ve been taking these religiously all winter for immune support, and so far *knock on wood* I haven’t gotten sick. I have the girls on them as well, but they’re not as consistent with them as I am. Paul rolls his eyes at me, but whatever. He’s been sick, and I haven’t. I also just ordered these lozenges to keep in my purse for travel.

Alright! I better stop here for now. I’ve gotta get myself gussied up for a brunch date with a girlfriend in honor of Galentine’s Day!

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