June favourites!

Here are my favourite things from the month of June!

Beauty:

My number one favourite new product this month is my Loreal Majic Nude Foundation.  I had been putting off buying it because it is quite expensive ($19-$20 Canadian) for a drugstore foundation, and I just didn't need a new one.  When London Drugs had all Loreal foundations for $11.99 I took advantage and picked this up.  I loved it instantly.  It is a very thin consistency so it blends out really quickly and easily, but it also provides a really good medium coverage that looks really natural.  It tranforms into a powder finish when it sets so it gives a really beautiful finish to the skin.  It gives the coverage of a liquid with the lightweight feel and look of a powder.  Perfect for spring and summer!  I only wish it had SPF protection (that would make it worth the almost $20 price tag!)

My other beauty favourites have all been lipsticks, so watch for a post all about my most loved and hated lip products soon!

Parenting:

This month I have to write about something that has been one of my favourite parenting, beauty, and food products for quite a while, but I use it so often and in so many different ways that I always forget about it!  This miracle multi-purpose product is Cold-pressed Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.  I get mine in a huge tub from costco which stays in my kitchen.  Then I scoop some of it into containers that I keep in my own room and in P's room.  I use this stuff numerous times a day.  I'll stick to its parenting purposes for today, but it also has so many health benefits when used in cooking or as a beauty product.  Google it people!!

P sucks her thumb as she falls asleep, so she often gets sores on her lips and thumbs from this habit.  I apply coconut oil to her lips and thumbs a few times a day and the sores clear right up.  This stuff is perfect because it doesn't matter  if she ends up ingesting it .  For that reason I cant use polysporin or anything like that as it is being applied to spots that will inevitably end up in her mouth.

Once I started using coconut oil for that specific purpose and seeing how well it worked, I started trying it for other things as well.  Low and behold, it works great on cuts and scrapes before you put on a band-aid because of its anti-bacterial and anti-fingal properties. It is great for bug bites for the same reason, and it even soothes and heals diaper rash!  It is perfect as an all-over moisturizer for dry skin (which D suffers from terrribly).

I also use it a ton in baking and cooking because of its health benefits, but I'll write more about that in a future post.  If you don't already have some of this miracle oil in your house, you should consider getting some as soon as possible.  I just keep on discovering its wonderful qualities and uses!  

Cooking and Food:

Cooking: This month I have been inspired by a tall stack of cookbooks that I picked up at my local library.  I love food reading, and I am always interested in cookbooks written by celebrity chefs or cookbooks all about a certain country I am interested in at any given time.  My local library has a ton of cookbooks, and I bet yours does too.  For free!!  Check it out if you're a frugal food lover like me.

Food: This month I stopped drinking coffee to see if it would help me feel better, since I had been ill.  It didn't :( but I did find that I started sleeping better and those terrible headaches I'd been getting went away (the ones that used to start a few hours after I forgot to drink my coffee...).  So, I didn't start up again.  Instead I started making a cup of herbal tea in the morning, and my favourite is the Presidents Choice brand Chocolatey Chai herbal tea.  It smells so good, and with a little splash of milk it satisfies my craving for something hot in the morning.  Also satisfies my craving for something dessert-ish in the evening. Ok, the stuff is delicious any time of day. Its cheap too. Bonus!

Random Stuff:

I have, of course, been watching TV and reading books this month.  I have not, unfortunately, come across anything so wonderful that I feel the need to recommend it here today.  If I'm gonna call it a favourite, it has to be pretty great. 

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!

Waterproof Makeup: the swimming lesson test

A few weeks ago, P and D began their yearly spring swimming lessons.  Normally, I would not make a point of wearing makeup to a toddler swimming lesson, but on this particular Wednesday afternoon I did want to wear makeup, and I didn't want to have to take it off before the lesson.  To avoid ending up looking like I was in a horror movie, I took that into consideration when I put my makeup on, thinking it would be a great test of some makeup that claims to be waterproof and/or long wearing. Since the twins are just two, we still actually have to get into the pool with them.  I do try to keep my head out of the water because I don't like to get my hair wet, but I do participate in some very spirited games of Chop, Chop, Timber which result in quite a lot of splashing on my face. I retested a few items the following week, and here's what I found...

What I wore and what I thought:

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation: thumbs up
This foundation claims "lasting power of primer, coverage of a concealer, and blendability of a foundation in one. Shine free" (that is straight off the bottle).  I used this all over my face to even out my skin tone and I also used it as a concealer by building it up on spots where I need a little more coverage, like under my eyes and on blemishes.
I like this foundation a lot, but I do have to use it sparingly or it will get pretty cakey.  I love that it works (for me) as a concealer as well, and it does last a long time.  After I got out of the pool, my skin tone still looked evened out, but the foundation had definitely worn down on the spots I had build up as concealer.  It did still have a matte finish once I patted my face dry.  Pretty amazing.  I highly recommend it, especially since it also has SPF 20 so its great for being by the outdoor pool or on the beach. 

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder: thumbs up 

This product's catch phrase is: "for those movie star brows" (again, straight from the package).  This is my go-to eyebrow product.  I wear it literally every day and I love it.  I am brunette, but I use the colour 06 Blonde.  I had put it on as I always do, not really expecting anything to remain after getting out of the pool, as it doesn't even advertise being waterproof.  However, my brows looked exactly as they had before the lesson.  What a fantastic product!

The Balm Instain Blush: thumbs up

This blush claims to be "long wearing staining powder blush". This is another product that I use often, and already really liked.  I have the colour Lace.  It is extremely pigmented so I use it sparingly.  When I got out of the pool, it was still firmly in place on my cheeks. Score!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain: thumbs up

I wear this stuff all the time and love it because I can just apply it in the morning and then add clear lip balm as the day goes on and the colour remains on my lips. I usually only have to reapply after 4-5 hours, even if I eat (unless it's something super messy).  No surprise, this stuff didn't budge in the pool.  I wore the colour Honey, but I also have Smitten and Adore.  All gorgeous girls!

Maybelline Colour Tatoo by Eyestudio Eyeshadows: thumbs up

This cream eyeshadow claims to last 24 hours.  Another of my favourite products, this stuff lasts all day and NEVER creases.  I used Bad to the Bronze on my lid, and blended a little into my crease, then I used Barely Branded (from the Metal collection) on my brow bone and inner corner of my eye.  These are quite a bit too shimmery for me on their own, but I applied some ivory matte eyeshadow into my crease and up to my brow bone, and that worked for me.  My eyeshadow looked exactly the same when I got out of the pool, it even held onto the powder shadow I applied as liner.  I don't know about 24 hours, but this stuff survived swimming lessons for sure!

Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Mascara, Waterproof formula: thumbs up
This is a really great mascara.  It gives me volume and length and it doesn't clump, even if I apply numerous coats.  It didn't budge at swimming lessons, and when I wore it on vacation in January it did really well both in the ocean and in the pool with the kids.  My only complaint is that it is very difficult to remove, but I use coconut oil and it comes off with a little gentle rubbing.  

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner: Mixed Review

I use this eyeliner on my waterline or when I want a smudged look. I don't love it because if I'm wearing it on my upper lash line, it transfers a little to my lower lash line.  If I apply it to my waterline, it is gone in a few hours.  It is fairly long wearing, but after a long day it doesn't look that great.  For swimming lessons, I wore 001 Black on my upper lash line, smudged out.  The results were no different than any other day.  I could see it on my lower lash line when I got out of the pool.  Not a terrible result, but not a great one either.

Before swimming lesson

Before swimming lesson

After swimming lesson

Lots of this makeup would be great for a vacation if you plan on spending a lot of time on the beach or in the pool.  It think it would also be perfect for working out (not that I EVER do that, lol).  Hope this was helpful! Let me know if there's anything else Saskatchemom can review for you!