It’s sunset season!
I know what you’re going to say: sunsets occur on the daily. This is true – sunrise, sunset – but since I retire so early I don’t generally see sunsets from May to August. Sunrises, I see those every day. But sunsets? No.
I really do believe that The Best Things In Life Are Free, like sunsets, but also, I believe that You Get What You Pay For. This is a fun dichotomy, which involves me feeling very Mary Oliver about my surroundings, and also being a complete snob about yoga wear.
One thing I genuinely, desperately miss is the Sears catalogue, particularly around the holidays. Remember the Wish Book? The first few pages would be dedicated to gifts under a certain dollar amount and I absolutely loved looking at those pages. Did anyone I know need a pair of Maple Leaf themed mittens or a cubic zirconia brooch in the shape of a snowman? Probably not, but I loved looking at them. I was thinking of that recently, realizing that so many of my Favourite Things tend to be on the pricier side. But there are many things I love that are not so expensive, and so I decided that this month, every Favourite Thing would be under ten dollars. Cheap, cheerful, and immensely helpful to my life, all of these things give a lot of bang for the buck.
Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Cheap Trick Edition
Fly Away, Bye Bye
It’s fruit fly season! I do not remember ever having fruit flies in Calgary – perhaps the nights were just too cold for them? I have no idea – so wow, was I in for a shock last fall when my fruit-full kitchen was descended upon. Of course I made all those homemade traps with coffee filters and red wine and jars covered with perforated cling wrap, and they all worked fine, but I kind of hated the look of them. I found these cute little traps that I fill up with apple cider vinegar and a drop of dish soap, and voila. It’s a watery graveyard filled with those tiny little bastards.
Bzzzzz
Did you love Lip Smackers back in the 80s? I sure did, and I remember clearly graduating from those fruit-flavoured lip balms to Kissing Potion, a truly grotesque lip gloss that came in a little bottle with a roller ball, like those old-school roll-on deodorants. Younger readers, I’m sure you have no idea what I’m talking about, but girls of a certain age, you know what I mean.
My point is that I have had a lifelong love of flavoured, tinted lip balms and glosses, and I expect this love affair to continue until I become human compost at the base of a tree. I have graduated from Lip Smackers and Kissing Potion to Burts’ Bees. I love their entire line of balms, tinted balms, shimmers, and glosses. Typically if I’m going out I wear lipstick, but tinted balms, shimmers, and glosses are good for when I’m just hanging around the house or walking the dog. Life is too short to go without lip colour, I say.
I’ll tell you what I don’t love: plain lip balm. Variety is the spice of life and I like to be spicy. I cannot be confined to plain. I’m not going to walk into an ice cream shop with 100 flavours and order vanilla, you know?
Colour Me Happy
Speaking of colour, I spent two decades of my life paying for professional hair colour, and when the pandemic hit and I started doing it myself, I knew there was no going back. To say I regret the time and money spent on professional hair colour would be a vast understatement. Well. There is no going back, only going forward, and as god is my witness I shall never pay exorbitant prices for hair colour again, not when I can buy a box of Garnier for under ten dollars and be done and on my way in 30 minutes.
I feel so strongly about this that I actually broke up with a hair stylist who gave me the best haircuts of my life, because she just would not stop hassling me about colouring my own hair, even after I asked her not to. I did have a worrisome moment recently though; I had applied my colour and was practicing my DuoLingo while it set, and then when I went to rinse I noticed that I had dripped colour on my beautiful white bathroom cabinet. It had been soaking in for thirty minutes and was not budging. I felt actually sick.
I turned to the internet for advice, and discovered, as in everything else in life, that I was not alone. The internet suggested a Mr Clean Magic Eraser with hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol; I had both items in the house, and lo, it worked. It worked! It didn’t take the finish off the cabinet, but just…magically erased the hair colour. TRULY MAGIC. ERASER.
It’s Good But Not That Good, If You Know What I Mean
Since I seem to be revisiting my youth, remember back in the 90s when Herbal Essences first came out, and the entire marketing campaign centred around a woman using the shampoo and having an orgasm in the shower because it smelled so good? Oh, to have been a (fruit) fly on the wall at that executive meeting.
I don’t use that shampoo, but I do use Herbal Essences Touchable Hold hairspray (touchable hold, is this also a sexual euphemism? I need to get IN TOUCH with the marketing team.) Anyway, it is honestly the best hairspray I have ever tried; it doesn’t make my hair sticky or crunchy. IT MAKES IT TOUCHABLE.
This is not to say that hair that is crunchy or sticky is not touchable. I mean, anything is touchable. WE CAN TOUCH THINGS. I really need to talk to the Herbal Essences people. Anyway, the long and the short (heh) of it is that this is really good, long lasting (double heh) hairspray and it’s about six dollars a bottle. I’ve never had an orgasm using it, but it does smell pretty good.
Happy Snoopy Dance
Circling back to the Sears catalogue, the one thing I wanted and never got was a Snoopy Sno Cone Machine. Friends who did receive this item have since told me it was an absolute disappointment of a fake appliance that broke immediately; this does not stop me from coveting it, somehow. I suppose it’s because Snoopy is my spirit animal; I feel like my whole personality can be summed up by that beagle.
So it’s no wonder that I immediately snapped up this little cutie:
I know most people in the modern age now keep grocery lists on shared apps or digital notes or what have you, but I am old-fashioned, and I like a piece of paper with a pen. I don’t want just any piece of paper, though. I want a cute piece of paper. This little notepad is absolutely perfect, and I smile every time I note down yet another thing to buy at the grocery store, why do we eat so much food.
Outfit of the Month
In keeping with the theme of the month, I bought that tee on Maui in 2016 for FIVE AMERICAN DOLLARS. The rest of the outfit was definitely over my ten dollar limit, unless I think of each piece in terms of cost per wear, in which case I’m in the clear. The grey yoga tank and the shoes I bought in 2017, and I have worn them many, many times. The jeans, as you know from my ongoing saga, are new, but let me tell you a little about them. They are Silver brand, and are called “Infinity Fit.” It’s a strange thing because they are JEANS, but they come in sizes S, M, L, etc., rather than regular numbered sizes. I was pretty skeptical but they were on a major clearout from – wait for it – Mark’s, as in Work Wearhouse, and so I thought I’d take a chance. PEOPLE. It is like wearing slightly stiffer yoga pants. Yes, they are jeans, with a button and a zipper, but they are so incredibly stretchy. And yet they keep their shape all day long! Needless to say I ordered more than one pair in different washes and styles. It’s the dawning of a new era, the era of my stretchy jeans.
Oh, September! It’s such a beautiful month, especially here in Kelowna. It’s absolutely gorgeous, friends – cool, crisp mornings followed by warm, sunny afternoons, the leaves juuuust starting to change colour, the garden and neighbouring farm stands absolutely filled with produce. Right now I can step outside and cut a bunch of perfectly sweet, ripe Concord grapes for a little snack, and it’s the most joyfully delicious thing. I hope wherever you are, September is just as sweet. xo
One of my favorite things is a “cheap trick” version of a Favorite Things post!!! i had to laugh at your hair coloring story- I’ve been down that road a couple times. My daughter dyes her own hair, and I’ve come into the bathroom to find huge smears of blue (or pink, or red) on the vanity. It does come out, with a lot of frantic scrubbing. I’ll get the Mr Clean scrubbers for next time- sounds like they would make the job a lot easier.
I don’t wear lip balm often, but I do have a scented Burt’s Bees one. It’s peppermint, left over from last Christmas, and I smile every time I put it on. Hmm, maybe I’ll splurge and get a new scent!
Ha, I love Snoopy so, so much! We have a lot of Peanuts-themed things around (blankets, and lots of holiday items) and now I’ll always think of Snoopy being your spirit animal.
It worked really well on the hair colour, Jenny – with the addition of hydrogen peroxide. I can just imagine the bright colours would be even harder to get off.
Snoopy is my spirit animal, and you know the dance scene in the Christmas special, the little dark-haired girl with a pink dress, that’s also me!
Magic Erasers are…magic.
I remember those rollerball lip glosses. They were so sticky! Wow, haven’t thought about them in years. And I remember that orgasm commercial, too. I know I’m a young’un, but clearly not as young as I thought.
I don’t ever – EVER – order plain vanilla ice cream, but I do love my plain Nivea lip balms. Then again, I don’t wear anything on my lips ever other than plain, untinted balm!
SO STICKY, ELISABETH. If anyone actually tried kissing with Kissing Potion, it would be messy.
I only wear untinted balm to bed! I like my colour I guess!
So much relatable material here! I also wanted that Snoopy Sno Cone machine and saw one on FB Marketplace yesterday! Also, I love seeing handwriting of bloggers, so thank you!
I also broke up with my hairdresser during Covid. After 30 years! For me, it was price of a haircut and difficulty of getting an appointment. A friend of mine now cuts my hair for $20 and it’s a lot closer of a drive. I use Clairol Root Touch Up because it looks more natural on dark hair. And I was going to suggest a Magic Eraser to you because they really are magic!
I had the jumbo black raspberry Lip Smacker, which lasted forever. I coveted my friend’s Dr Pepper one. And I had a candy apple Kissing Potion, which I loved.
Oh the jumbo!!! I love that. I think my Kissing Potion was strawberry, it was definitely a fruity one.
I have considered using the root touch up, but there is only one shade of red/ auburn so I’m not sure if it would work. I could just try, I guess!
Hee hee I guess the only downside of summer is that sunset is after bedtime.
I’m a Plain Jane for lip balm, but I’m sure that we’ll find a way to still be friends. I only wear Burt’s Bees original, which has a little bit of peppermint in it. I have to have a stick on hand at all times, so I have bedside stick, TV side stick, and purse stick.
I’d love to hear everyone’s best uses for the Magic erasers. I don’t use them very often, and I feel like I’ve been overpromised on the things they can do – example I heard that they are great for soap scum in the shower, and all that they did for me was to crumble up as I scrubbed. I do like them for getting scuffs off of counters, cabinets, and floors. It’s one of those products that I always have around the house but I don’t use very often.
We are Team Paper Grocery list as well, though we use a large, lined post it note pad – it’s so easy to stick the list to the back of my phone.
Yay for $5 tees! Also I’m jealous of you tall folks who have legs for days and can wear cropped jeans – it’s such a good look on people who are not me.
We can still be friends, I’ll just hand you the plain ones and you hand me the flavoured/ tinted ones, and all will be harmonious.
Birchy, I hardly ever use the Magic Eraser, I only use it when something like this comes up. I do think they are a little flimsy and don’t hold up to elbow grease.
I don’t used tinted lip balm, but I have a little jar full of different flavored ones (including a Burt’s Bees Wild Cherry) on my bedside table, plus more in my backpack side pocket and various jacket pockets. I am well stocked in flavored lip balm, but I recently lost a chocolate one I got at Hershey Park and I’m sad about that.
Herbal Essence is older than you think. I remember my mom used that shampoo in the 70 and 80s. It was dark green, the color of grass, which you could see through the transparent bottle, and there was a groovy 70s-style cartoon girl in pool of water on the label, maybe surrounded by flowers.
Oooh now that you say that I totally picture it! Steph, do you remember a shampoo from the late 70s or early 80s called Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific?
CHOCOLATE LIP BALM FROM HERSHEY! I love a cocoa flavoured lip balm.
I agree, grocery lists are for PAPER. I cannot abide taking my phone out and scrolling and ticking a gazillion times. Phone in pocket, paper list (colour-coded and highlighted by store section, natch) and pen in hand, happy me.
Don’t disparage Marks! I love Marks! Probably 80% of my wardrobe is from Marks! I don’t claim to be especially stylish, but I’m unobtrusively, comfortably clothed and that’s what I like.
Ariana, no no no! I am not disparaging Mark’s at all! I love it there, and have bought winter boots there for well over a decade. Their Wind River boots are unmatched for warmth, in my opinion. And now I have SIX pair of jeans from there as well and I will be writing extensively about all of them, you can bet on it!
Nicole, you never fail to crack me up! I hope you get those Herbal Essences folks on the phone. This line is killer: “I cannot be confined to plain.”
I WISH SO MUCH that I could have your confidence with hair coloring. I did it during the pandemic and hated it so fiercely that I practically throw money at my hair stylist every 8-12 weeks. It’s disgusting, the expense. And yet I cannot go back! My husband once said HE would dye my hair for me, and I know he would do an excellent job, but saying he would do it hasn’t translated so far into ACTUALLY doing it, you know? Anyway, your hair is truly glorious and I am forever envious.
Hmmm I wonder if it’s the shade I have? Perhaps your colour is trickier. The thing is if it was every 8-12 weeks I would maybe consider going to a salon but I have visible grey roots by the three-week mark, so I just can’t stand it! But thank you for the lovely compliment!
I have so many tubes of lip balm. They are everywhere. And I have no regrets because my lips shall never be dry! But I do not actually use Burt’s Bees because they refuse to say if their products are gluten-free and I’ll just be over here with my Chapstick and Blistex because those companies can actually tell me the ingredients in their products!
When the Winter Olympics were in Canada (checks the internet) in 2010 (HOLY TIME FLIES – that was 14 YEARS AGO), I had Ted’s cousin buy me a pair of mittens with maple leaves on them because she went to see some events. I still wear them sometimes! I didn’t realize they were a ubiquitous Canadian item.
Magic Erasers are magic. There was an…incident at our house on Tuesday night that involved copious amounts of clean-up and an incredibly important part was using Magic Erasers to clean the walls because Magic Erasers to not take the paint off the wall.
Oooh yes I guess you do need to know if something is gluten-free or not, even if it’s a skin care product. Or, lip care. Maybe ESPECIALLY lip care *cue sexy music*
My husband went to Vancouver when the Olympics were there, and we had all sorts of merch for the boys – they still have their stuffed mascots!
I’m completely jealous that you have fresh grapes right outside your door!
I’m also on Team Paper Grocery List. I tried a digital one, and it was way too hard. I love your snoopy paper! Snoopy is the best.
Mr. Clean (Monsieur Net!) is great for all kinds of scuffs and stuff. I have a big box of them.
And hooray for stretchy jeans! They look super cute on you!
I always say in my head “Monsieur Net!”
I am becoming SO spoiled with the delicious fruit that is here!
So far September is just as hot and sticky as July – even August wasn’t this bad – but it looks like next week might be better.
I NEED those fruit fly traps. Right now is horrendous – I don’t even know why – and my little glasses of vinegar are so ugly.
I agree lip gloss should smell delicious, but I do on occasion order vanilla, because really good vanilla is not boring to me at all.
Sign me up for literally anything Peanuts themed, although I am probably more of a Charlie Brown, sadly. I also do a paper grocery list, but mine have not been cute, and now I’m wondering what I’m even doing with my life.
“Mary Oliver about my surroundings while being a complete snob about yoga wear” is brilliant.
My comment is weird and episodic, and I can’t see any way to remedy that.
I love everything about this comment!
Sorry September is hot and sticky, do you want to come here? I have a guest room! And no fruit flies!