Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Beauty Products (and wine) Edition

This morning while I was driving to yoga, I noticed the moon. The sky was perfectly black and the moon looked exactly like an illustration in a children’s book: a perfectly golden crescent shape. When I left the shala, the sky was beginning to brighten. One of my favourite things about this time of year is that you can see the amount of daylight increase, day to day. The sun is fully up by 7:30 and doesn’t set until almost 6:30, all of which is going to change next weekend, with the start of one of my least-favourite things, Daylight Saving Time.

Well, we can’t have it all. I’ve been noticing a gross trend lately, and that is a complete inability by many people to look outside their own worldview and experience. I know! It’s like I’m on the internet or something. But it’s kind of ironic, since as a society we are all about inclusion, and open-mindedness, but apparently those qualities are reserved only for people and ideas that one already agrees with. Examples include but are not limited to: methods for school fundraising, clothing purchases, and dietary choices, as well as the usual inflammatory topics of children’s birthday parties, charter schools, and whether or not it is acceptable to get a puppy from a reputable, caring breeder.

It’s funny what gets people up in arms, isn’t it? And by funny, I mean completely disturbing and disappointing. I like to think that I’m a person who tries to not say anything at all if I can’t say anything nice; this doesn’t always happen but I try. In this light, I always feel a little deflated when I mention something I love, only to have someone tell me something unsavoury about it. Oh really, you like Lululemon? Don’t you find it disturbing that they are an overpriced cult? Oh really, you BUY almond milk? Don’t you know how easy it is to make it? Oh really, you like thong underwear? I thought only hookers wore thong underwear. Oh really, you wear sunscreen/ use dental floss/ wash your dishes in Palmolive? Don’t you know that it is carcinogenic/ leads to greater tooth decay/ smells weird?

I don’t know; I don’t like celery or running, but I’m not assuming that people who do like them are mentally unstable or inherently uneducated or misinformed about life.

All of which is to say that I have let Nicole’s Favourite Things lapse for too long. You read it here first; I’m bringing my Favourite Things back because when I find something I love I want to tell you about it. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t. But the beauty of the Favourite Things is that nothing is sponsored, I received no compensation to write about these things, and I did not get any free samples. These are just things I love and maybe you will too.

Eye Cream

A while ago I posted about finally using eye cream, and I chose Kiehl’s Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate, not least because the name itself just seemed like everything I wanted in an eye cream.

 I’ve been using this for about two months now and I think I see results. I think my eyes are line-reduced and brighter, in a powerful-strength kind of way. Here’s a very poor photo of me in January, taken late in the evening (meaning 7:45) with no makeup on, so as to show my undereye circles.

Sorry about the crazy eyes. It’s hard for me to take photos of my eyes. Here’s me, yesterday evening at about 6:30. Now, I do have makeup on but still, I think there is an improvement, and not just because I don’t have psycho eyes.

Even better? Instagram filters. Put a good filter on and suddenly I have the skin of someone two decades younger.

 If only life had an Instagram filter, am I right?

Hair Care

I’m always on the lookout for products that make my hair less orange-straw-like. My hair therapist recommended HOME Ultra Bond Seal once a week, and it really does help with the dry hair/ breakage/ orangeness. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it is a bit of a process; you have to wet your hair, towel dry it, massage it in, comb it, and then let it sit in your hair for ten minutes before following with regular shampoo and conditioner. I save it for the weekend but it is still worth it.

I bought this Garnier Whole Blends Hair Mask after the big launch last month; I had some friends at the launch and the reviews seemed good, so I picked up a jar at Superstore one evening, being seduced by the vanilla/ coconut scent. I will pretty much buy anything that is vanilla/ coconut scented, but this was a good buy. It’s a nice moisturizing conditioning mask, but my only complaint is that it’s in a JAR, which is marginally less convenient than a traditional squirt bottle.

Marc Anthony’s Coconut and Shea Butter Conditioner is really a fantastic conditioner for those days near the end of my hair colour cycle, when everything is ashes. It actually gives a lot of bounce and makes my hair look healthy. I used it today – and I’m ten days away from Hair Therapy Day – and I don’t actually want to cry when I look in the mirror. See?

And that’s after a whole day of activities.

Mascara

I have so many feelings about mascara. My all-time favourite is Maybelline’s The Falsies, but I was lured – LURED, I tell you – into purchasing The Falsies Push-Up Drama at the drug store. Same manufacturer. Basically the same name. This, my friends, is why you should buy into the old adage that If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It. It is the kind of mascara that goes on really wet, with a poky-sharp brush, that makes your eyelashes mold into four or five giant clumpy lashes. I informed my friend Hannah (HI HANNAH) of my angst and she panicked on my behalf. “I thought it was just your favourite lipgloss that was discontinued! What happened to your mascara?” Oh no, Hannah dear, you misunderstand me. My favourite mascara was not discontinued. I just stupidly tried to improve on near-perfection and was seduced by the display. JE REGRETTE TOUT. Never again, I swear.

Middle Sister Wine

This has nothing to do with beauty products, but I am drinking a glass of this as I type this, so I feel it deserves a mention. Middle Sister Wine – not only is it a lovely beverage, but the label speaks to me. I am a middle sister! I wake up at stupid o’clock every single day! On Fridays I look forward to wine o’clock! I like big sunglasses, flowy scarves, and boots too! I IDENTIFY WITH THIS WINE LABEL.

And on that note I shall pour myself another glass and wish you all a very lovely weekend. xo