On its way to me: Linea Pelle Bracelets; A Couple April Favorites & tonight is your LAST chance to enter the giveaway!

This week, we were trying to think of something to do, and because the weather wasn't so great we decided to see a movie... nothing was really playing, but The Back-up Plan with Jennifer Lopez looked sort of cute, so we decided to see it. I thought it was a cute chick flick over all! Sure there are some super cheesy parts and its not going to win any awards... but we were entertained and we laughed and I think thats all you can ask of a decent chick flick on a Tuesday afternoon, no?!

Anyway, getting to my point, J. Lo (yeah yeah, I know she goes by Jennifer now... hah) was wearing a super cute leather bracelet in the movie and I loved it so much I just knew I had to have it.


This was the only pic I could find, but, check it out! Look at her leather bracelet - super cute, no?! I love it! I searched around a little bit and finally found a site claiming that this bracelet is one of Linea Pelle's Double Wrap Sliced Leather Bracelets.


I don't know if its the exact bracelet, but it looks pretty similar to me! I think gold is a great neutral so I bought mine in gold. You can also find it at Luna Boston where you can receive 25% off (on everything except sale and Rebecca Minkoff) by using the code FACEBOOK.

The bracelet comes in several different colors including black, a dark chocolate brown, a lighter brown I call "camel," vintage gold (what I bought), and vintage silver (very pretty!). I keep imagining all the different things I can wear it with and can't wait until it comes in the mail!

It also comes in another (and cheaper) version called the Sliced Leather Bracelet.



I'm actually really glad I stumbled upon these bracelets because Linea Pelle makes the coolest leather bracelets!



Uh oh. I think I found a new obsession!

I have also seen on a few blogs some "Favorites of the Month" posts and thought they were cute & fun and decided that I DO have a couple new favorite things to share with you guys.

MY FAVORITES FOR APRIL

1. Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Um, love? How did I ever live without it?! It really curls my lashes and makes them look longer! If you aren't using an eyelash curler you are missing out!

2. CeraVe Moisturizer

Seriously, its like I was blind to the possibility that anything other than something expensive could work on my sensitive skin. I kept trying ($$) product after ($$) product, to no avail (other than my daily moisturizer which I still love, La Roche Posay Anthelios SX Daily Moisturizer with SPF). Anyway, I love this. Its gentle, doesn't cause breakouts or clog pores, and isn't greasy... its just an awesome moisturizer! I have dry skin and it keeps me hydrated (no small feat!)

I wish I had stocked up on THIS for China.

3. La Roche Posay Physiological Scrub (thanks to Veronika for recommending it!)


This is a fantastic scrub. Its great for sensitive skin (I have it) but at the same time its a really great exfoliator. It leaves my skin feeling clean and amazingly smooth and fresh. I replaced my DDF Acne Pumice Scrub (because I am suddenly allergic to Benzoyl Peroxide) with this scrub, and I think its a great alternative!

4. MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer

I am REALLY liking this concealer! It doesn't settle into fine lines and its moisturizing enough so that if your skin is dry the concealer doesn't accentuate it, it helps it even.

5. Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Dream Bath Sleep in Lavendar Chamomile

This stuff is seriously amazing. It smells SO good and is so relaxing! I love taking a bath with this stuff ... I've taken a bath in my mom's huge jacuzzi bath tub every night since I've been visiting. I really recommend this bubble bath!

And lastly, not fashion/beauty (well, in a roundabout way it is!)

6.Chobani Greek Yogurt


I love this yogurt. I am not a big breakfast person - I can't eat cereal because I can't drink (straight up) milk, but I can eat greek yogurt, and its awesome because its FULL OF PROTEIN! and low in fat. Chobani is amazingly delicious, comes in great flavors, and is overall just a great thing to add into your diet! Its an easy way to get 15g of protein! Great for breakfast or after workouts, and its all natural, too.

Well, thats it! Those 6 things are my favorites for this month! And GAH I know I am so wordy, I'll try to curb that.. lol.

DON'T FORGET! If you want to enter the giveaway you have until tonight at midnight Pacific-Standard Time. Link is at the top right of the page.

Steph

Stocking Up for China

You might be wondering what someone's house would look like if they were planning to move to China really, really soon. Well, I can tell you, the answer is... somewhat of a disaster. It sort of looks like a tornado blew through my house. As if this house wasn't small enough already, we also have a ton of stuff we are collecting & stocking up on so we can bring it to China with us. As a person who is really particular about my products, you can bet I've been stocking up on certain things! My husband keeps reminding me that we are not moving to Mars.... but, I have friends in China whose Sephora orders have been returned and who have found it to be really expensive to buy anything that is foreign and makeup related. I'm not taking any chances.

The closets in this place are way too small. Let this be a warning - when moving into a new place, don't just look at square feet - look at closet space! I apparently wasn't thinking when we moved into this place... our condo in San Diego was smaller than this place, but with much better storage space and walk-in closets. Since we've moved here, the second bedroom has doubled as my closet. Now, its our moving-to-China storage room.

So what's on my must-bring-to-China-with-me packing list?


Apparently - 300 pounds of tampons and other feminine products. LOL. We are also bringing some snacks - Cliff Bars, Zone Bars, Power Bars, granola bars... if you know me, you know I am a monster when I am hungry. To spare my husband and anyone else we travel with, we decided it would be a good idea to have some of these bars on us at all times, just in case!

You might also spy a Kerastase bag and an Aveda bag - which means, yep, you guessed it, I am bringing some of my coveted shampoo & conditioner with me! Can you blame me?! With dyed blonde hair, quality shampoo & conditioner is key! Friends have also told me that these foreign brands of hair products are also extremely expensive there. There are also a lot of limitations on shipping liquids into the country, so I am going to bring as much as I can with me during our move.


BTW I haven't actually tried the Kerastase green line yet, but comes highly recommend by some Fashion & Beauty Nesties, and I can't wait to try it! I also bought an item from the pink line - Chroma Thermique - its supposed to be really great for color treated hair, very nourishing, and also gives amazing shine.


In this you see my Mac sheer pressed powder, Makeup Forever HD Foundation, various DDF cleansers that I love to use, my La Roche Posay daily moisturizer that I've already blogged about, and my go-to dry shampoo by Oscar Blandi. To sidetrack a little bit - I love this Oscar Blandi dry shampoo. This small container is only 11 dollars, and I've had it since December and have used it about 3 times a week since then. I still have over half left. This not only takes away oiliness, but it also adds volume for that just-washed look. I love this stuff!

And finally, the really fun stuff...


Various over the counter medicines, primarily including, as you can see, medicine for GI discomfort! I hear while in China, Immodium is your friend, at least for the first few weeks.... haha。。。免得措手不及！

I know once I am there, I may look back at all this and laugh... but, maybe not!

I have some really great MAC products to RAVE about really soon!

Thanks for reading -

Steph