Here are some more things that I’m lovin’ these days –
Scentsy
Blog reader Erin is a Scentsy consultant. Knowing how much I love good smells, she asked if she could send me a Scentsy light and a few scents to try. She surprised me with Newborn Nursery (!!), Peony Petals and Thunderstorm.
If you aren’t familiar with Scentsy, the heat of a small bulb works to melt a scented wax pod. It’s a light and a home fragrance all in one. Newborn Nursery is my favorite, but the other two scents are really nice too. And there are a million to choose from in the Scentsy store! Super fun if you love good smells wafting about : )
Paula’s Choice Skincare
A few of you have asked me to follow up on my skincare choices after my consultation with Anna Lise a while ago. After debating the price and availability of the products she recommended, I ended up choosing the Paula’s Choice line. I have been SO happy with everything I got as well as the company itself – in every order you can choose some free samples of other products (which is how I got hooked on a few more of their products.) I pretty much got the whole RESIST line (about $160 all in) and have been using it faithfully (after washing my face!) at night. If you don’t want to commit, you can do what I did and buy a sample kit of the line first.
My very two favorite products are the Resist Anti-Aging Toner and the RESIST Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% Alpha Hydroxy Acid. I tried the Clinique toner years ago for my wedding, but I didn’t buy it again when my stash ran out. I always thought you had to use a cotton ball with toner, and for lame logistical reasons that made me an inconsistent user. But then I had the light bulb moment that you could just sprinkle some on your hands and dab it onto your face and I have since loved toner again. The Daily Smoothing treatment smells really good and tingles a bit when you apply it. I also love the Weekly Resurfacing Treatment, but that one with a higher acid concentration burns a lot more! Both of them really feel like they are working when I apply them and I will definitely get more when they run out (although I use such a small amount I don’t think that will be anytime soon).
The Perfect CC Cream
Also on the beauty front, let’s talk about CC creams. I used to be 100% faithful to Bare Minerals, but when I discovered the Supergoop CC Cream in my Birchbox, I have been a convert. It makes my skin tone so even and leaves it glowing!
As much as I love it, when it was time to restock I went to Sephora to see if there was something a little less expensive (the Supergoop is about $30). I came home with a $26 Sephora brand CC cream and a sample of a $48 brand that slips my mind. After trying them both, I can confidently say that NOTHING compares to the Supergoop! The $48 one was actually the worst, and the Sephora just doesn’t blend in like the Supergoop does. What I like most about it is that it blends in so well that I don’t have to worry about “foundation lines” or streaks. So Supergoop it is for now!
Samsung Galaxy S5
Lastly, my dreams came true when Samsung offered to send me a Galaxy S5 in exchange for a blog review. I’ve had an S3 and the S4 and wondered if the S5 was worth the upgrade (which I was coming due for soon). After using the S5 for a few weeks now, I can say that YES there are several features that I love so much they are worth the upgrade alone. But the thing is: they aren’t the features you hear about in the S5’s promotional materials (like the heart rate monitor, water resistance or Kids Mode.) They are little usability features that you have to see in use to know about. Here are some of those features:
// Pop-up text messages. I’m not sure I would have even known about this had I not been exploring the settings area of texting. I enabled pop-up messages to see what that was and suddenly my texts were coming through as pop-up windows (obviously!) instead of just status bar notifications. This means if you are in the middle of writing an email and you get a text the text pops up and you can either reply on the spot without switching windows or ignore it until you are ready to respond. SO helpful if you need to write a quick response (like YES or NO) and need to keep working in another app.
// Text Sticky Favorites. At the top of the text messaging app you have the option to select favorites – those you text most often. Usually when I go to text someone I just search for the last text I sent them and click through to that. But that requires some searching and scrolling. The sticky favorites stay at the top of the app and you can find them oh-so-quickly.
// The camera improvements are outstanding. It’s definitely better than the S4 and miles better than the S3. All of the photos in this post came from my S5 and I can hardly justify taking my DSLR in public anymore. While I would if I wanted to take very artistic photos or extremely low light shots, the S5 is pretty darn good for lifestyle shots around town. I am thrilled to have one less giant thing in my diaper bag, purse or carry on. In addition to a crisper and more colorful camera, the photo editor has options for collages, adding text, pretty detailed editing and even stickers (like banners – not just smiley faces). The built-in editor does the job of a lot of extra apps.
// Incoming calls interrupt less. Just like the pop-up texts, when you’re working on your phone and you get a call you now see a window with the option to answer, ignore or close right there. Again, since so many people are actually being productive on their phones now, the call interruption is so much less intrusive than it used to be. You can also sort your phone app in different ways – like All Calls, Missed Calls, etc.
// The menu button shows all open apps. This button used to lead to extra settings, but settings have now been consolidated to the three dot options and the button next to home allows you to easily switch between open apps. This is super handy when you’re working between a few apps at once.
// These aren’t changes from the S4, but my two favorite things about Samsung/Android are the widgets and the keyboard. Widgets let me check my email, calendar, texts, etc. Without opening an app. I’ve had iPhone fans tell me that opening an app is “just one click!” but I still think it’s so much easier just to glance down and be able to see what’s going on in the home screen. And I also love the Samsung keyboard. The numbers are sticky at the top so I don’t have to open a second layer of keyboard (something that drives me nuts when I type on iPhones!), and I use Swype text all the time. I love that they keyboard learns my most common phrases (like my email address) and can predict them for me. Less to type is more!
// Other small improvements to note: better clean fonts, folders can be colored, app list can include folders, the Gallery is organized much smarter, the battery lasts longer, and shared apps are in a grid not at list so you can see more at once.
I’ve been loyal to Samsung for years now and still think the Samsung Galaxy is the best phone on the market! As a Google-obessed, widget-loving, multitasking, daily Instagramming, big-screen loving, smart-phone dependent gal, it works for me.
Lumi Juice
A few weeks ago I had the chance to meet with the founder of Lumi Juice here in Cville. Hillary is a Darden Business School grad with a passion for…everything! Lumi, which stands for Love You, Mean It, makes 100% organic cold-pressed, high pressure processed juice. They have a bunch of amazing flavors that you can buy in stores in the mid-Atlantic states (and growing) as well as online (to a select list of states).
Hillary gave me a sampling of their flavors to try at home. Mazen loves them!
My favorite is the Mountain Mint – truly the best juice I’ve ever had! Mint is magical.
I feel lucky to have Lumi juice at my fingertips…I mean lips!
Maryea {happy healthy mama} says
Is the Paula’s Choice line natural? I’m always looking for good skin care choices without chemicals. Thanks!
KathEats says
I’m not sure it’s completely natural but it’s free of irritants, fragrance and the like
Leah (goodnight cheese) says
Maryea, be aware that the term “natural” has no legal definition and its use is not regulated by the FDA. So when a company brags that their product is “all natural” or “natural,” it’s much more marketing technique than product information.
These links might be helpful:
http://www.fda.gov/aboutfda/transparency/basics/ucm214868.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_foods
Katie @ happygokatie says
Ugh. I’m so torn. I’ve been an iPhone girl for a few years, but I’ve heard so many good things about the Samsung Galaxy from friends who have it. I can’t decide if I should make the switch when my contract is up for renewal. The improved camera is a huge draw for me!
KathEats says
You should try it! I used to be an iPhone user until I realized how integrated Google products are into android. Love it! Esp. The widgets
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
I’ll have to poke around to find out more about Supergoop products. I’ve been hearing a lot about them lately. Good to hear one more positive review!
Allison says
Love my scentsy warmer! Also, I used to work 1 mile from their corporate offices and manufacturing plant….the air smells good!
Molly says
How do you apply the Supergoop? Do you use a sponge/brush/hands? Thanks!
KathEats says
I dot it around my face and then blend it in with my fingertips
Sara says
My husband switched from an iPhone to the LG2 and he loves it. It’s an ongoing debate at our house–he’s all for Droids and I’m all about the iPhone! iPhone all the way!
I’ve been looking for a good CC Cream! Thanks! Every one I’ve tried, I don’t love… so disappointing.
And love Lumi juice (have gotten it through Relay Foods) but it’s too $$ of a habit for me 🙁
These posts are fun! Thank you!!
Jackie says
I’m dying to try scentsy!
Erin says
It’s awesome! I keep mine on 24/7. 🙂
Erin says
Yay! So glad you love your Scentsy! Thanks for mentioning it!!
Sally says
I was turned on to Paula’s Choice from one of your other posts, and absolutely love her products, especially the toners. Really affordable, too!
Carly says
This may be a silly question – but – does CC cream replace a morning moisturizer? Or do you still use a moisturizer, then CC cream as well?
I really like these posts!
KathEats says
I still use one, but if you don’t have dry skin then you probably could just use the cc cream
Amanda says
You had mentioned the supergoop to me in a comment and I realized that I had a birchbox sample as well. I tried it and totally agree with you. The stuff is AMAZING. I’ve been using the Paula’s Choice salicylic acid toner and it has made a huge difference in blocked pores for me! Great line!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
scentsy sounds really cool, I love the concept and that it’s not a candle (ie no flames!)
Erin says
It’s fantastic! I leave mine on even when I’m not at home and I love coming home to a great smelling house!
Carrie says
I just got my shipping confirmation for my Quarterly box. It’s expected to arrive next Wednesday. I can’t wait!!!! I’m so excited for it!
KathEats says
Yay!
Emma says
Laughing at myself for being such a not-girly girl after I had to google “cc cream” – and it turns out “toner” isn’t what I thought it was either!
Michele says
I’m girly and love makeup but I have no idea what BB cream or CC cream is!! I think it’s because I’m old though, lol!
shannon says
Thank you for the follow up skin care post (as I was one of the individuals who asked)! I bought the supergoop cc cream and love it! I mix it with my moisturizer and it has replaced my cover up (foundation) except on those days where I still need a little something under my eyes! I actually left it at my mother-in-laws last weekend and have really been missing it! I am also looking forward to my Quarterly box!
Laura @ She Eats Well says
Ohhhh, I am super curious now about Scentsy. There is nothing more I love than coming home and burning a candle or making a room smell really good. Thank you for sharing!
Erin says
Our family loves it! I keep it in all day so the house smells good when we get home. I even have one on my desk at work and we have the best smelling office in the building!
Alex @ Kenzie Life says
I just bought my first two Supergoop products (the sunscreen oil and acai lip gloss) to use at the beach next week and I’m so excited to try them! I have seen so many glowing reviews of all of their products so I hope these two live up to the hype!
Livi @ Eat, Pray, Work It Out says
I have BB cream right now but I really want to try some CC!
Meg says
Where did you get that painting in the first picture? I grew up going to OBX in the summer, and it brings back so many memories. Love it!!
KathEats says
It was in the beach house we stayed in !
Emily @ Life on Food says
I love these posts to find out what is new.
joelle (on a pink typewriter) says
This just reminded me I should really give Birchbox a try! I’ve been hearing about it for years, but have yet to sign up.
KathEats says
I lover it! Have found so many great products and good samples for travel
Michele says
I love LUMI juices too. My favorite is mango. i like Mint too.
Erika @ fortheloveofpeanutbutter says
I may have to try that CC cream! I’m stuck to using creams/tinted moisturizers because even the lightest shades of foundations are too dark for my super fair skin…
Ella says
“Lumi” means snow in Finnish, a good name for a juice.
Ella from Helsinki
Lauren says
Lumi is a very impressive product name! Good work!
Danielle says
You are selling me on the Samsung Galaxy and all of its cool features, especially the phone. Your pictures from your trip had a great quality and I just don’t know that all the “cool things” the iPhone has really make it that much better for the price. Thanks for the post! 🙂
Rachel says
I just bought the Paula’s Choice line at your recommendation. I’m really excited. I’ve been looking for a new skin care routine, and this one sounded great. I’m pregnant right now, and was able to find some products that I felt were “pregnancy safe”. Thanks for the recommendation. I enjoy these posts!
Melissa says
Thanks for the tips, I have been looking for a good CC Cream and just purchased the Supergoop to try out!!
Kelsey @aslolife says
I use the Supergoop CC Cream and am obsessed with it too. I love that the ingredients are safer to put on your skin too, which makes it worth the higher price tag in my opinion. Plus, it just looks so natural!
Ella says
Hey Kath, I know this is an old post, but I remembered you raving about the Supergoop CC and it’s time for a new foundation so I’m seriously considering it – but I’ve read a few reviews about the light to fair shade being verrrrrry very light. Have you had any issues with the color range? Thanks!
KathEats says
Mine is light to medium…which I find a tiny bit dark for me bit it seems to adjust. Maybe try that first?