April Favorites

Hello, hello! It’s that time again, and I think I’ve got some gooduns to share!

I should mention that my cat is currently rubbing her face on my face and I’m struggling to find the backspace key. (Yes, my cat who only loves me at 5am and/or when I’m busy, and acts like I’m a predator the rest of the time.)

It’s been a long haul getting this to you as  few weekends ago, my husband and I both fell victim to the plague, then our dryer died, promptly followed by our dishwasher, my car, and yesterday,

]”””””””””””(<—— cat) we had a family of birds removed from our vents. Now that we’ve finally washed the barf from our things and find ourselves again breathing clean air, I’ve got a free second, and I’m glad. Let’s jump right in!

1. Podcasts. I teetered back and forth wondering whether to generalize that, and I decided ultimately yes, because I think podcasts are extremely underrated. The girls at work mentioned a popular podcast when I first started and it sounded kind of novelty to me. However, I’ve since discovered a few great ones, and this is where I’ll get specific. Not too Deep with Grace Helbig  fuels my work days. I am partial to a few other Youtube driven podcasts (the likes of Psychobabble and Jenna & Julien) but Grace’s is by far my favorite. Not only are the guests relatable, but Grace speaks to me on a different level. (too deep?) She is awkward and hilarious, open about her flaws and bodily functions, and I can’t get enough. Join her weekly as she asks every guest their, “Worst pants shitting story?” and takes to Twitter to see what the world wants to know. The best part about podcasts, many of them are free. Take a break from Spotify and trust me on this!
2. Keebler Simply Made Cookie Thins. Since the plague hit our home, I’ve vowed to stop working out, forever. Just kidding. But for real, I’ve been eating a lot of junk and being incredibly lazy. While we were doing three weeks worth of laundry at my in-laws house a few weekends ago, I discovered these cookie thins and have not turned back. They’re buttery and vanilla-y? And, just let me live, okay? In their defense, the ingredient list is very short and is comprised wholly of things I can read, which I’m told is a good thing.
3. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer. Life post this long Ohio winter (is it even over yet? It’s so cold outside) has found me even paler than usual. Bronzer used to be a staple in my routine year-round (cat is back) until a beauty blogger friend of mine told me that shimmer might be to blame for making my acne scars stand out even with makeup on. I stopped in Ulta at the beginning of last month to see if this was the real deal, and sure enough, it is. The matte powder smells just like your favorite candy bar, is cruelty free, really blendable, and also affordable. And I would 100% agree with my friend’s pro tip, matte does wonders for hiding the not so pretty.
4. Sisters. If you’re a fan of Tina or Amy, and definitely if you’re a fan of both, as you should be, this is a can’t miss movie. We hardly ever go to the theater anymore unless some super hero is beating the shit out of another one, or like the villain, so I had been waiting quite some time to find Sisters available in redbox. We sat down a few weekends ago and promptly laughed until we (I) cried. Follow two sisters: Tina, the wild one, a stray from her usual as the Liz Lemon or Miss Norbury of the cast and Amy Poehler, a sort of straight shooter, as they’re on a pretty ridiculous mission to keep their childhood home from being sold to some uppity prepsters.  The plot is just as silly as you’d think, but heartwarmingly relatable too.
5. Sally Hansen Miracle Gel. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but wanted to plug again as I do have faith that sandal season is upon us. I love Sally Hansen products in general, but have actually not gotten a different type of nail polish in over a year. Her 2-4 dollar range is also great for the price, but these can’t be beat and absolutely trump the other options in this price range by brands like Essie and OPI. Sugar Fix is my favorite color, but I’ve not been disappointed yet. Every time I bust these polishes out on the feet, people cannot believe I’ve done my toes myself. Combined with the top coat, you’ll have an incredibly shiny color that looks thick and lacquered just like a pedicure would, and lasts a long time. That being said, please don’t have reservations about removing this polish as it removes just as easily as any other. And finally, while I can’t find Sally on PETA’s exhaustive cruelty-free list, (which I believe has a bunch of stipulations regarding parent company, and who knows what else) I have found her on a multitude of cruelty-free blogs, and I’m running with that for now.

I hope you can find yourself a favorite among these as well! Or, they kind of read like “5 things that might make your lonely Saturday night less depressing,” but oh well haha.

Until next time…

xoxo cookiemonster