Friday Faves

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday. By the time you’re reading this I’m traveling to New Haven, CT for Bridal Shower #1! Yesterday was a whirlwind of getting packed, getting homework done,  and trying to rest up for the long travel day ahead. This post is a mash up of food and products and random thoughts in my head. Hopefully it’s somewhat cohesive.

This salad was amazing! Spinach with farro, goat cheese, apples, and a balsamic vinaigrette. It’s so easy to make a delicious salad, I really need to do it more often.

I packed this book to read on the bus ride to NYC. As a marketing student I love psychology books that talk about the human brain and why we do what we do and how we’re affected by internal and external sources. Malcolm Gladwell revolutionized the way marketers think with The Tipping Point (and subsequent books). Jonah Berger is a UPenn Wharton School of Business professor who in Contagious pays homage to Gladwell and his work but also points out that Gladwell’s research is over ten years old and science has come a long way since then. I’m loving the book so far and the examples he’s giving as to what makes ideas and products catch on and become successful. Here’s hoping I can learn some things for future businesses I work for, and for this blog! I got the book for being a BzzAgent to check out and give my opinion on. So far it has been a fascinating read and one I definitely recommend.

I got my Mrs. Fairchild hanger in the mail! I ordered this off the Etsy shop Highfills Hangers and could not be more happy with it. The quality is amazing. I’m so excited to get a shot of my wedding dress hanging on this beautiful hanger in less than four months!!

I love Twitter chats. They let you connect with other people with similar interests, grow your following, and win awesome free stuff. The other day I participated in a Reebok Twitter chat co-hosted by FitFluential and Chelsie Hightower. I had so much fun talking about fitness gear and fitness trends and was so shocked when I woke up to an email the next morning saying I had won a pair of Reebok Dance Ur Lead Mid Shoes.

They are so adorable and PERFECT for Zumba. My school offers free Zumba classes every Tuesday and Thursday that are always such a blast. My problem is that I only have running shoes and running shoes are not meant for dancing. As my local running store explained, running shoes are made for front to back movement. They are not meant to rock side to side, as that would be indicative of you rolling/twisting your ankle while you run. This is why every time I tried to shimmy or shake and spin in Zumba my running shoes would resist a little bit. He said that for dance/basketball/tennis you need shoes that are made for quick side-to-side movements and turns. I tried these on and immediately started moving around in them and loved how they feel. They’re so light and responsive and move with my foot when I bounce and twist and turn instead of fighting against it. My back has been feeling sore these past few days so I skipped Zumba yesterday but it will be back with a vengeance when I get home from Spring Break!

As a part of Influenster I received a Sweetheart Vox box in the mail. Companies basically want to hear your opinion on their new products and hope that if you like them you’ll tell others about them. It’s a smart strategy. I definitely found some items I love in this box. I learned that stress causes you to sweat just like exercise and temperature change and that stress is usually the worst smelling form of sweat because of how your body changes and reacts to it. I am no stranger to stress. This is just reason #9584 why I need to work on stressing less. Secret makes a a line of deodorant specifically targeted to stress sweat. And thankfully it still takes care of all the other types of sweat too. ;p I love the smell of the deodorant and how easily it applies.

The one product I did like so much in this box? The Not Your Mothers Beach Babe hairspray. It’s supposed to texturize and beach-ify your hair. Maybe it’s just me but when I think of my hair at the beach after swimming I think of a hot mess. This hairspray just made me feel like my hair needed to be combed out and tamed.

I was really curious about this Olay Va-va-vivid machine and cleaner. Full disclosure here: I have a Clarisonic Mia that I absolutely love. I haven’t used it in over a year though because of my eczema. Last winter my skin was so sensitive and so raw and red because of the cold that I was dealing with horrible eczema as a result. I went to my Dermatologist and he told me to stop using all my expensive soaps and creams and brushes and to use Dove soap and nothing but my hand to get myself clean. It was so funny to me because that’s what my mom and grandma used on me when I was little. Topical steroids and lots of TLC with non-irritating products have gotten my skin happy again. This product feels like the perfect way for me to ease myself back into using my Mia again (with a delicate head attachment instead of a regular one I was using) and like a great little travel cleaner. It’s tiny, it’s lightweight, and it’s so simple to use. My skin felt so happy and clean afterwards. I’m taking this to Connecticut with me to make sure my face is clean for the bridal shower. 😀

I love Bethenny Frankel and her reality TV show. Is anyone else saddened by her upcoming divorce? I get way too attached to celebrity’s lives. That said I wasn’t sure what to expect with her granola bar but I figured I would be optimistic. The flavor is coconut peanut and it ended up being so tasty. While it is essentially like a candy bar I like how the protein and sugars are the same amount. That’s always a selling point for me because it lets me know that there’s just as much long-lasting fuel as there is short-lasting fuel in the product. Really bad meal bars have like 2 grams of protein and 12 grams of sugar.

Another opportunity I had through BzzAgent was to try out the latest in Neutrogena products. I love makeup. It’s kind of funny since I rarely wear it but I have a huge makeup collection. I think sometimes I buy makeup hoping I’ll start wearing it more or that it will make me feel prettier without even having to apply it. That’s pretty stupid logic, since you definitely need to wear the makeup for it to do anything. Regardless, I love Nars, Benefit, Too Faced, Urban Decay, Makeup HD, MAC, Stella, and have amassed quite the collection of it all. One thing about this collection though: it is expensive! When I’ve been running out of makeup lately I’ve been switching over to Clinique because of how skin friendly it is and the much more wallet-friendly price tags. I’ve heard similarly great things about Neutrogena so I was excited to try out their stuff. I’ll start with the negative to get it out of the way. Their mascara was so lackluster. It did nothing for my lashes, they barely stood out after applying mascara. For the best mascara I’m going to recommend Benefit’s Bad Gal Lash.

As for the Neutrogena crease proof eye shadow and moisture stick, I really liked the products. The eye shadows were easy to apply with a nice little touch of sparkle and a strong pigment that wasn’t too overwhelming. The  moisture stick is perfect for cold days and winter lips that need some TLC. I love the color of the lip stick and how soft and refreshing it felt. I was a huge fan.

I hope you guys are all having the best day! I can’t wait to tell you all about the shower on Monday! I’m so excited!

Questions of the Day: What are your weekend plans? Any new products you’ve been loving lately?