Five Things Friday 11-15-13

I'll apologize once more for the delayed posting for our Five Things Friday this week. Every week I try to get it up first thing in the morning. Blogger was having technical issues this morning, however. I'm going to guess it needed it's coffee before it would cooperate.

So this week has been a fun one. Don't laugh, but I signed up for the Oprah/Deepak Chopra 21-Day Meditation. It started on Monday and I have to tell you, it's been eye-opening. So much we're taught from childhood onward really works against us in a big-picture cosmic sort of way. I'll spare you the details, but I'm learning a lot about myself and the abundance of love in the universe.

I did some shopping on Ulta, Birchbox and Makeup Geek this week. So hopefully I'll have some reviews up for you soon. I don't typically do Haul posts. I'm not interested in what someone bought. I'm more interested in Empties posts. There's no greater testament to a product than whether or not someone would repurchase it.

Having said that, let's get to the best part. This week's Five Favorite Things. The products I reached for again and again and was really wowed by.

1. Benefit Eye Primer Potion

I'll be honest, I'm a bit of a rebel. I like to buck the status quo and forge new trails. Which is great in life, not so much when it comes to beauty. I saw over and over again mad love for the Urban Decay Primer Potion. But the price point gave me pause, and so I've tried everything else under the sun. I've tried Nyx shadow bases, I've tried eye primers by L'oreal and Lorac. They were all just okay. I received a sample of the UD Primer Potion from Sephora and decided to try it. Suddenly my shadows are popping like never before and last all day. I'm talking 12+ hours and they're going strong. So I'm sold. If you can afford it, or have the patience to save up to buy it, I'd recommend this primer. It's worth the hype.

2. Rimmel BB Cream

This BB cream gets a lot of love/hate reviews. I'm firmly in the love camp. The formula is creamier and thicker than a liquid foundation. It's a warm-tone cream (as opposed to the beigey-toned foundations and bb creams that make me look a-la-zombie). And it blends in better than most of the drug-store foundations I own. The coverage is better than most of them. It's got SPF and skin-health benefits. It lasts all day without going splotchy or moving around and I love the stuff. When I need to look good - this is the stuff I reach for.

3. Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara

Sephora sent me a sample of this stuff and it was love at first try. I have mascaras that volumize. I have mascaras that lengthen. And now with this stuff - I have a mascara that does both. It looks like my lashes are falsies, or just ate a big meal while watching something kinky. They are big and bold, and I love it. I'll be buying the full-size when my sample dries up. This is the mascara I reach for every single time I do a look. 

4. Elnet Hairspray Super Hold Scentless

If you ask the professionals what hair spray they prefer, Elnett by L'oreal is what they'll tell you. At least, that's what Real Simple magazine told me. I scoured Amazon.com and looked at reviews and price points and decided to go for Elnett. What sold me was that it claims to hold your hair and look in place but stays soft and maleable afterward. Which has proven to be true. I love this stuff, and I don't feel like my strands will snap after I use it. A word of caution however - a lot of the reviews on Amazon talked about a horrid smell that prohibited them from using the hairspray. I bought the Super Hold UNSCENTED version and think what little smell there is, is pleasant and not obnoxious.  Just a word to the wise.

5. IT Cosmetics Brow Pencil

In my never-ending quest to get perfect brows I've decided to grow them out a little bit. My problem is that back in the 1st grade I had chicken pox, and have a few scars in my brow region. There are two places where hair just won't grow. It's sad, I know. I've tried every pencil in the book (except for the Anastasia brow pencil, which I'm going to sell a child and mortgage my home and try some day), and none surpass my IT brow pencil. When I'm doing my brows I use a combination of this pencil and my ELF brow kit. 

Bonus. Hugh Jackman

I had a dream last night that Mr. Jackman was very politely trying to get to know me better. I was so overcome with the magnitude of his gorgeousness, however, that I spent the entire dream running and hiding from him. I could slap myself. But let's just admit, this is one beautiful specimen of a man.

So that's it for this week. Hope you enjoyed. And as always, I'd love to hear some of your favorite things from this week. Share your wares in the comments below.

Thank you for your time, and stay beYOUtiful! 

- Becky, xoxox