Five Things Friday

This week was a fun one, with a lot of outings and mommy groups. I snagged a few minutes this morning to finish up my list and get it out there before the kids and I are back in the truck and onto more adventures. I hope everyone has been jumping all over Ulta's big sales this month in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I spent way too much money but have loved everything I bought. I'll be posting individual reviews for some of those things in the near future. In the meantime, the stars of the show for me this week are as follows:

1. OPI It's Always Oktoberfest

If you look at the bottle it looks just like a burgandy red polish with golden specks. But when you paint it on you quickly realize that the red pigment is set in a blue base. So when painted on the look is a red-toned deep purple with a gold shimmer. Holy cow is this a beautiful polish. I've worn it on its own (and two coats are absolutely necessary because it goes on streaky) and also as a base to some nail art looks I've tried, and it's held up well. In conjunction with OPI's Top Coat I've had the same manicure on my nails for five days straight now and it's only just started to chip. Baring in mind that I'm crazy busy with my hands daily, with dishes, laundry, kids, dirty diapers, etc. ...that's a HUGE feat. So I highly recommend the OPI brand and in particular this color. It's crazy perfect for fall.

2. Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser

 

I was lucky enough to receive this stuff as a sample in this month's Birchbox. I heard Essie Button on Youtube rave about it, so I couldn't wait to try it myself. I love that it's a cream and you rub it directly onto your skin dry. I wish it was also a lotion, because the texture is smooth and creamy and luxurious. The fragrance is fresh and natural. I could pick out eucalyptus oil and geranium oils in the mix, but a few things I couldn't name. I even rubbed it all over my eyes to get my eye makeup off and it didn't sting at all and perfectly removed all of my makeup (full face). You spread the cleanser on, then soak your muslin cloth with hot-to-touch water from the tap and then use it to wipe the cleanser and dirt right off your face. No fuss, no mess and it really works. I leaves my skin smooth, clean and hydrated. This cleanser is quickly on it's way to becoming a holy grail for me. I'll report back after I've used it a month or more with a final declaration on it one way or another.

3. be Delectable from cakebeauty Ultra Nourishing Hand Cream

Ipsy sent me the Vanilla & Creme sample of this lotion in my bag this month. Let me start by saying that I'm extremely particular when it comes to hand creams. I have insanely dry skin on my hands and my cuticles split all of the time. So it's like a life's mission to find the perfect hand lotion. My favorite is still my CrabTree & Evelyn lotions, but this Be Delectable is what I'm keeping in my purse for now. To start, the smell is mouthwatering. It literally smells like I just rubbed cake all over my hands. Something about baked goods is very fall for me, so it works perfectly right now. It soaks into the skin quickly enough that I'm not rubbing and rubbing my hands together for an hour trying to get the lotion in. And it leaves my hands smooth and soft. It really is a quality hand lotion. And this week, it's been all that I've used. Maybe it's the smell, I don't know. But it makes me so happy!

4. Big Sexy Hair Volumizing Blow Dry Gel

I have never been a fan of hair gel. Every time I used it, my hair felt brittle and sticky. So I stuck to hairspray and mousse for styling. Then Ipsy sent a sample of this gel to me this month and I knew I had to try it. Pair that with my pursual of my own criteria for a polished look, and wanting to start showering in the morning and blow drying my hair and ...voila! Perfect opportunity. I shower, wrap my hair up in a towel, put on my makeup, then pour about a nickel sized amount of this gel onto my palm and work it from the roots down to the tips of my hair, rub some of my India Oil into the ends of my hair, and then blow my hair out with my round brush. Talk about pleasant surprise. My hair is shiny, it's soft, it looks polished all day and it holds any style I put it into better than ever. I'm a convert. What can I say?

5 Lady Gaga Fame

I get sent perfume samples all of the time after I order from Ulta, Sephora or in my beauty subscription boxes. And most of them start smelling like something I've already smelled before. I do a lot of work with aromatherapy, so I'm not easy to impress when it comes to fragrance. And then I got a sample from Ulta of Lady Gaga's perfume Fame. It was love at first sniff. I used up the entire sample. Then I bought a full-sized bottle during their sale earlier this month. Let me tell you, I'm spraying it on in the morning after I shower, at night before I climb into bed, behind the ears before I head out the door. The smell is deep and musky, like a warm deep citrus fragrance with sweeter top notes. Part of the fun for me is that I can barely describe the smell to you. It's so entirely unique. I'm not into sweet candy-like smells. It's a mysterious, feminine, sultry smell, like caramel poured over some high-end soap sprinkled over a full-moon lit field of orange blossoms. Strange, I know. If you can get your hands on a sample - do yourself a favor and do it! I've had so many compliments on my perfume recently, and even better - I am so in love with how I smell.

That's it for me. What about you? What are some of your Friday favorite things? Share your wares in the comments below, and have a safe and amazing weekend!

Thanks for your time, and stay beYOUtiful! xoxox