BEAUTY MUST-HAVES

FIVE THINGS ON FRIDAY – VOL.3 – GUILTY PLEASURES

Lavanda Cafe in San Miguel de Allende on Belle Meets World blog

Happy Friday, friends. My happiness theme from last week worked so well that I’m trying another theme with this week’s Five Things, too – guilty pleasures.

Let me tell you something about me. I do not like to feel restricted at all, ever. That means I like to indulge. Sometimes a little too much on the wrong things.

In the past it’s been too many sweets or too many drinks or too many clothes. But lately, as I cultivate my grown-ass womanhood, I’m seeking a balance to my indulgences. I’m still going to have them, but I’m trying to find joy in healthier ways – like with harmless and cheesy books or TV shows, drugstore makeup that doesn’t break the bank, or fun blogs. One of the indulgences I’m looking forward to most in the next week is a trip to my favorite coffee shop in San Miguel de Allende, Lavanda Cafe, for their lavendar latte and cherry tart. We have it every time we visit. And it is heaven.

But back to this week’s reality, here are the Five Things on Friday I’m loving…

1. BookBig Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – Did anyone else watch this mini series on HBO? I loved it, but even more fun has been reading the book after I watched the series so I imagine Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman or Shalene Woodley in each of the pages. It’s total fun beach or bedtime or bathtime reading – not intellectual at all. But hey, I can’t ALWAYS be working out this big sexy brain of mine. A grown-ass woman needs a little fun every now and then.

Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies

 

2. Article24 Things Women Over 30 Should Wear from Jessica of Warning Curves Ahead blog. This article is about a year old, but damn is it funny. She wrote it in response to all those bogus articles out there about all the things we shouldn’t wear after 30 (pretty much everything is off limits to us in these articles – my favorite no-go item is the tutu. I love tulle more than life itself so I simply will never. stop. wearing. tutus.). So what should a woman over 30 wear, she thinks? ‘Whatever the fuck she wants’ (x 24). I can’t stop scrolling through and looking at all these fabulous grown-ass women and their fabulous outfits. Of course the irony is not lost on me that I too write articles about what you should and shouldn’t wear…eeek. P.s. Iris Apfel is MY QUEEN.

Iris Apfel

Iris Apfel

3. DrinkMocktails with LaCroix – I know, I know – the word mocktails sucks and wouldn’t I rather be drinking wine? YES. But one of the top things I’ve been working on in 2017 is drinking less. I can’t function the same anymore when I drink everyday – even though I love wine so much! My sleep is messed up, I’m cranky, my skin is bad, I get depressed. So now I try to keep drinking only for weekends and during the week, I let myself drink as many mocktails as I like! I’ve gotten REALLY good at them. My fave is Lime LaCroix with ginger beer and a squeeze of fresh lime for a faux Moscow Mule, or as Evan likes to call it a ‘Moscow Fool.’

Lacroix for Mocktails

4. Beauty – L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara and Nyx Matte Makeup Setting Spray . I cannot help myself with drugstore makeup impulse buys!! These are two I’ve recently heard about and had to try. The first because I already have 60 mascaras and most definitely needed one more that promises to take my lashes to kingdom come but doesn’t actually do it. The second because I read a hilarious review by a woman who got hit by a car (this has gone viral, scroll down to 8/6/2017 review) and claimed this setting spray kept her makeup on all the way through her hospital visit and back. Not kidding – obviously had to buy it. Here’s hoping I’ll fare better than she did.

L'Oreal Lash Paradise and Nyx Matte Finish on Belle Meets World blog

Lash Paradise and Nyx Matte Finish

5.TVReal Housewives of New Jersey – Okay I’m a sucker for any Real Housewives show but New Jersey in particular is my absolute favorite. Teresa Giudice is finally out of jail, so of course I was hanging on her every word – which isn’t easy since she has a very limited and often wrong vocabulary (she says edamame when she means enema). But man is it entertaining. And though I wouldn’t wear their styles, I love that they dress up and do their hair and makeup to the nines every single day.

 

Real Housewives of New Jersey

RHONJ

WHAT ARE YOUR GUILTY PLEASURES?