Fave Five for July!

Holy Moly! How did July get here so fast?! We are in full summer mode around these parts! We have been spending a lot of time playing outside with the water table, ice chalk, spray bottles and just swimming in the pool! It's my favorite time of the year! So, most of the favorite things for me right now are things that have made living it la vida loca outside a lot easier! I'll put links for where you can find these items on the bottom of the post!

Hope you are enjoying your summer!

Bio Ionic Curling Iron

Thank you, again, to my hair stylist Susan for turning me onto a fantastic product! She got me this curling iron and I am in lurve! I have tried several curling wands and while some of them worked on my hard-to-curl hair, it did it at the expense of several burned finger tips! Curling wands are sort of tricky and it's a trick that I cannot seem to master (safely)! But, low and behold, Susan turned me on to this curling iron that you can wind and rotate to get all of your hair curled! There is sort of a learning curve but once you have it down, it is extremely easy to use! Some of the great things about about this iron is that it has a digital display, heats up super fast, has a swivel cord so it doesn't get tangled and has a plastic end cap to protect your finger tips! And, even though it has a curling clip, it does not leave an indent in your hair! I have super long hair but it curls it super fast!

Kidz Gear Wired Headphones

These are fantastic headphones for my little kiddos. We use them on our long walks for the boys to play/listen to their iPads independently and without disrupting the neighborhood with our obnoxious iPad Apps. The boys also use them in the car to watch videos so my hubby and I can listen to adult music that doesn't involve animated characters with equally annoying voices. The great thing about these headphones is that they are comfy and kid sized so they don't fall off of their tiny heads every 2 minutes. The other great feature is that the headphones come with an independent volume limit cable which can limit the volume to approximately 80% of the original maximum volume to make it even quieter for super sensitive ears. We also bought the carrying cases and they are easy to take with us on the go! They come in super fun colors, but because I like things to be pretty boring, I bought grey ;0)

Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker

With summer here, we are spending a great deal of our day outdoors! And, this mobile speaker set from Bose is coming in super handy this summer! It is super small, but it produces wonderful, crisp sound and best thing is that it has a rechargeable battery so you can use it without needing a power source to plug into! We have even taken it with us to the park! I can easily use my iPhone with it as well! 

E.L.F. Essential Shimmering Facial Whip 

With the warmer weather, I rarely wear foundation or powder because it feels as if I just sweat it all off!  But, I sort of feel naked without a tiny bit of makeup on. I picked this up at Walmart a few weeks ago and it gives you just a tiny bit of "glow on the go" and for $1, you can't lose. I use it as a highlighter above my cheekbones, under my eyebrows and a tiny bit on my forehead. I even put it down my shins last date night to give my legs a little bit more of a summer glow!

Hobie Neon Stripe Adjustable Hipster Cheeky Bikini Bottom and T-Back Band Bikini Top by Aeropostale

This bikini is seriously cute! And, the best thing is that it is super cheap! I love the T-back bikini top that ties in the front. I hate tops that tie around the neck because for some reason it hurts my neck and a lot of the time pulls out my hair! Ouch! The bottoms tie on the sides so you can make it fit better by tying it tighter or loosening it up when needed to avoid that ol' muffin top! The cheeky rouching on the back make them even more flattering, too! They have this style in a few other prints as well but these bright stripes really feel like SUMMER to me!

What are some of your favorite things this summer???

Here are the links to the products above...

Aeropostale Bikini Bottoms and Bikini Top

Fave Five of the Month - June

When did May happen? Gosh darn it, time really flew by last month. Before I knew it, it was the first of June! HELLO! My husband will be glad he won't be getting texts with this in them...

Love me some Timberlake...

I thought I'd share my five favorite things of the moment, just like May! Just little things that make me a happy girl (If you click on the text of the photo's caption, it'll take you to Amazon).

Gelous Nail Base Coat
I'm in love with this base coat. I used to NEVER paint my nails with colored polish because it just didn't last past a day without a chip. Now I can paint my nails and most times it lasts without a chip for 5-7 days. The way I use it is I apply a thin coat on clean, dry nails and let it dry. Then I paint a coat of colored polish and let it dry. Then, again, I paint a coat of Gelous base coat and repeat with another coat of colored polish. Last I seal with a glossy top coat (I like Essie). It's hard for me to paint my nails with the boys around and I NEVER have enough time to do it all at once. So, I kind of do it throughout the day, which is why I let each coat dry. I don't know if THAT'S why my polish lasts so long, but it does! If I see a chip starting to develop, I slap a seal of Gelous on the ends of my nails and it prolongs the polish! I'm not gentle on my hands and I'm amazed this stuff works. About $5 to boot! I found my bottle at my local Sally's Beauty Supply.

American Classic Gelous Nail Gel Base Coat Nail Polish

Sofia Champagne - Francis Coppola

I picked up a bottle of this champagne a few years ago and really took a liking to it. But, what's made me love it more is that I found it in a four-pack of cans with straws! WHAT!?! So, extremely cute and portable (and discreet, haha!). How can you NOT love this!?! It's a perfect little addition to a girls night out, a bridal shower or a night at the fire pit! I try to keep a couple cans in the fridge for good days (ANY good day!). With summer here, I will find any reason to crack open a can of bubbly! "We made it through the day? Where's the champagne!?" I find it at Target and it's about $11! BAR-GAIN! SCHWING!

Francis Ford Coppola Sofia Mini Blanc de Blancs 4-Pack

Le Mystere Lolita Convertible Bra

Summer is finally here and for me that means the torture of putting my lady lumps in a strapless bra. Man, why is it that strapless bras don't do anything they are supposed to? I spend most of my time hiking my bra up! I know! CLASSY! I've been eyeing the Le Mystere Lolita Convertible Bra for a while. But, at $78, I was not rushing to Nordstroms to buy it. I keep seeing it pop up on Zulily for about $30, so I took the plunge. I was pretty hesitant because you can't return to Zulily, but I heeded the advice of many reviewers and ordered a cup size larger and band size smaller. It is a little tight, but maybe that's the last few days of Sonic and milk shakes. 

What I WILL tell you is that this thing perks those suckers up (which is impressive in itself) and does not budge. I'm not tugging up on my dress and it probably is worth $78 but heck, wait until you see it on Zulily and snap one up for yourself! My regular bras are mostly all le Mystere, so I really love the brand, but I've NEVER paid full price for one. You can often find them on sale on Zulily, Amazon and Nordstroms.

Le Mystere Women's Lolita Strapless Bra #7759

Redken Rewind

My hairstylist is one fantastic gal! She's really helped me understand my hair! She's the one that introduced me to Redken Rewind. One thing I've ALWAYS had a problem with is fly away hairs. That paired with the fact that I have two cowlicks at the nape of my neck, my hair has driven me bonkers whenever I've tried to do anything fun like chignons. I used to try and hairspray and gel everything into place and I ended up with super shiny, super rock hard helmet hair. 

I use a tiny, tiny bit of Rewind on my hair most days to smooth out my fly aways. When I put my hair up, I use it on the unruly hairs that don't want to cooperate, like those pesky nape cowlicks. It doesn't make my hair flat or hard. It's consistency is between a gel and pomade. Use it sparingly, like a half a pea size and use more if needed. The jar is huge, so even though it about $20, it lasts a gazillion years! 

Redken Rewind Pliable Styling Paste, 5-Ounces Bottle

Silicone Ice Cream Cones

I bought these for a sensory play activity I wanted to do over the summer months (more on that this week!). But, I've used these cones in so many ways. I use them to do sorting and a memory game we've created. We also use it for pretend play and just for being silly. These cones have even made their way into bath time, too! The set I purchased was about $12 and it came with cupcake mix and a ton of sprinkles. I used the cake and frosting mix in one of our faux ice cream sensory activities and the sprinkles have been used in several different activities, including over applesauce at lunch (by Wes' request). 

Brand Castle Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes Kit, 6-Count

What are some of YOUR faves this month?

Fave Five of the Month - MAY

I love hearing about other's favorite obsessions! Mainly, because I'm not the least bit creative. So, I thought I'd share with you a few of my faves of the moment. Just random things that tickle my fancy. (I almost typed fanny. And, I almost left it. But, that word reminds me of fanny pack and I don't do fanny packs. Just sayin').

Essie Mamba
This is one of my most favorite nude nail polishes right now. Sucker is hard to find. I found a bottle at Walgreens! It's a really versatile color that looks great on most skin colors.

My ring finger has muffin top!? 

Feel Good Brush

My hair stylist told me about this brush. It's awesome. My hair is now really, really long and when I have to comb it while wet, it's like raking out a mangey mutt. And, in the process, I ripped out a lot of my hair. This brush detangles you hair while wet, without detangler. I swear by it!

Autism With a Side of Fries - Personal Blog

http://autismwithasideoffries.blogspot.com/

Yes, I have a child with Autism. When they diagnosed him, they didn't revoke my right to vanity or humor. Thank goodness, right? So, when I stumbled across this blog, I fell in love. It is honest and raw, with a hilarious twist. At the end of the day, all we can do is laugh, ya'll! And, ironic because Brady's "currency" is fries. We can get him to do anything for fries. And, if you follow their FB feed, not only is it funnier than heck, but you can ask or answer questions others ask. 

Can I Play Too by Mo Willems

Originally, I purchased this book for Brady. But, Wes is the one that has really taken a liking to this book. I think it's hilarious and don't mind reading it over and over to Wes. With Brady we are really trying to use it to talk abstractly about the story and other's feelings (since it doesn't have a lot of words in it). We have a couple other Mo Willems books, but this one is by far my favorite (so far)!

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Red Velvet (040)

I have always loved the look of a red lip with simple winged black eye liner. Simple and classic. But, every time I have tried it I thought it looked kind of, well, whore-like on me. Nothing says "Mother of the Year" like red hooker lip, bleeding in my fine lines and flaking off my lips like I was a dehydrated drunk. When someone recommended this lip butter, I hopped in the hoopty and drove to the local Target right away to scoop it up and I've been using it ever since. It's got the feel of a lip balm and pigment of a lipstick. PS...I hate selfies, but here is my lame attempt at one to show you I don't roll out looking like a lady of the night.

What are your faves right now?

Moni-what?

I have to admit...I love me some makeup. It's kind of embarrassing how much makeup this girl owns, since I normally look the same day in, day out. Makeup and nail polish are those things that I seem to always pick up when I'm out and about. Eye shadow here. Nail polish there. Lip stick to try. Mascara to have as a spare. And, don't even get me started on chapstick - tinted or otherwise.

And, since having kids, I've discovered drug stores dupes and gems. While I used to be a name brand whore (um, *cough* a MAC diva), I have learned that there are some super things out there that are just as good! 

One must-have product that I have used is Smashbox's Photo Finish. I have used it for a really long time. But, at $42 a bottle, it was on the chopping blocks after kids. So, slowly, I tried using less and less, make justification for the expense, but really, it was just not a necessity. One day, while perusing Pinterest, I saw someone wrote a blog post on a dupe for this swell serum. I was on it like white on rice. Take a deep breath because you'll never guess what the dupe is.

MONISTAT CHAFING RELIEF POWDER-GEL

Yes, the makers of MONISTAT INTIMATE CARE makes the Smashbox Photo Finish dupe! 

I have to admit, I was kind of dying reading it at first. I mean, it is made by the same people who make princess part care products. We all know that "intimate care" is code for your thang needs some help. But, according to the review, Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel was like one ingredient off from Smashbox's product. So, at $6, I really had nothing to lose by trying it. Plus, if I needed some chafing relief, I can save it for that FUN day!

So, off to trusty ol' Target I went. I put it in my cart with all of my other impulse buys, I mean, necessities. I made sure to say, "I hope this is the right product that my sister needed" when they scanned the Monistat. I mean, I knew what I was using it for, but I think I caught a slide-glance at my thighs when it went on the conveyor belt. Maybe it was the king sized Snickers, but I THINK that they were looking because of the Monistat. 

And, the verdict? It's pretty damn close to Smashbox's product. It is a little bit thicker and creamier than Photo Finish. It has a very different texture as well. But, as far as effectiveness? It's really right on par with Photo Finish. I still occasionally use Smashbox for evenings out, as rare as those are. But, on an every day basis, I mainly use the "Stat". I put it on after my moisturizer has soaked into my skin, but before my foundation. And, you know what? It's pretty damn good! 

So, give it a try! I saved myself about $36! SCORE!

What's your favorite drug store find?