April favourites

Here are my favourite things from the month of April!

Beauty:

Nails: I have really been enjoying my Milani nail lacquer.  It claims to be a high speed, fast dry, one coat formula. These really are a very fast drying formula and one coat usually does the trick, which I love because I usually want to be able to do my nails in 15 minutes or less. I don't use a topcoat (takes too long!) but I usually get a at least a few days out of a manicure with this stuff even though I am cooking, cleaning and gardening a lot. The colour selection is bright, vibrant and perfect for spring and summer. I have the colours Pink Express and Jiffy Orange.

Makeup:  My hands down favourite makeup purchase this month is from Tarte Cosmetics. The Brow Architect is a brow shaper, liner and definer.  One end is a brow pencil, but instead of coming to a point, it comes to a flat tip, much like the shape of the tip of a pair of tweezers.  The other end has a spoolie, and then in the middle is a neat little compartment that contains a concealer/highlighter with a sponge applicator tip.  I use this product along with my NYX brow powder, and my brows have never looked better or more natural.  I have the colour Fair.

Hair: I was hooked in by the bright orange packaging on the Herbal Essences Body Envy dry shampoo, and it's also one third the price of my old favourite, Batiste brand.  I like the Herbal Essences one for a day when I am wearing my hair half up or in a ponytail, because it it gives me great texture and volume. I can pull my hair back and pin it or tie it and it always has a perfect bump of volume on top and smoothes out easily.  I also like that it soaks up all the oil but it doesn't turn my hair white (at least, not once I rub it in), and it gives me quite a bit of hold as well.  For a non-washing day when I want to wear my hair down and have it feel really clean and soft, I will still use my Batiste because the herbal essences one leaves my hair quite stiff.

Parenting:

Colgate children's electric toothbrushes: So about a year ago the public health nurse suggested I try electric toothbrushes for P and D.  And then she gave me some free toothbrushes.  Being the frugal Saskatchemom that I am, I did not run out and pay money for more toothbrushes.  It took me until this month to finally check out the options in children's electric toothbrushes, and to my surprise there were a ton! I choose a few that came with stickers for decorating and P and D were hooked as soon as they heard that word "stickers".  They love using these toothbrushes, and now it is them who remind us it's time for teeth cleaning! It also makes the job quicker and much less work for us.

Food:

Youtube: I have been loving youtube channel Food Wishes this month.  Host Chef Jon Inspires me to try and make things I would never imagine I could do at home (like baguette at Easter, or pita bread! Who knew such things were possible for a simple home cook!?! ... he did I guess).  His videos lay out complicated recipes into simple to follow instructions, with every detail outlined so that if you follow his guide, the recipe is pretty much foolproof.  I love this guy and he really cracks me up too.

Snack:  At costco a few weeks ago I picked up a box of Calbee Snap Pea Crisps.  While I was reading the label and being pretty impressed with the common list of ingredients and acceptable-to-me nutritious value, a random woman told me I had to try them because they are delicious.  So I did, and they are.  P and D like them too.

Random Stuff:

Television:  Suneil and I have really been enjoying Big Brother Canada.  I am rooting for Neda by the way!  but our true addiction this month has been BBC's Downton Abbey, a period drama about a wealthy family adapting through troubled and changing times.  We got our hands on all four seasons, and two weeks later we had watched it all.  I know it's crazy.  How can the busy parents of two year old twins possibly find the time to watch quite so much TV???  I promise our children were not neglected, but I did neglect all of my other favourite pastimes in favour of watching this show.  It has the ability to make me laugh out loud and sob uncontrollably, sometimes in the same episode!

Books:  I am somewhat ashamed to admit that due to my insatiable addiction to Downton Abbey, I have read only a portion of just one book this month. I am just halfway through Markus Zusak's The Book Thief and I am really enjoying the story about a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany.  Sounds like it's been done before, but the story is very original, written from the point of view of the Grimm reaper.  A definite page turner, even after you've just finished an emotionally exhausting marathon (of television watching).

People: This month my favourite people are a little more personal for me.  A few weeks ago something shocking and terrifying happened to one of my siblings.  With my parents out if the country, it was up to myself and my other siblings to deal with everything that needed to be done and to support each other emotionally with the usual leaders of our family absent.  My fave people this month are my in-laws, who seemed to save the day over and over.  My sister-in-law was a rock, providing moral support, much needed information, a listening ear and babysitting whenever she was needed.  My (future) brother in law silently took care of all the tasks that no one else had the time or motivation to do.  So many times I remembered something I should get done, only to find he had already taken care of it.  My husbands parents arrived early this week and provided all kinds of support, providing a less chaotic and much more upbeat environment for P and D, supporting everyone in my family with heartfelt concern, and helping out with daily tasks wherever they were able.  These people are all so very dear to me and I had to give them props this month.

Hope you enjoyed this random list of goodies!  Happy May!