1. The Clinique “My Happy” perfumes
When I graduated from college and got my first “real job,” one of the very first things I treated myself to was a bottle of citrus-y Clinique Happy, a scent I adore to this day.
All I know is that every time I wear it, good things seem to happen (it’s also what I was wearing when I met El Hub!), which is partly why I’m so enamored with these six new Happy versions.
Of course you can wear them separately, or combine two or more of them together to create a layered scent, which is what I’m doing today. I did two sprays of grapefruit-y Happy Splash (the orange bottle) and two sprays of vanilla-y Cocoa & Cashmere, and the combo is bright and cozy.
The bottles are $22 each and feel like you’re getting a good deal, but they’re also still small enough to fit in your purse.
2. Practice runs
This morning I had Connor go through her new preschool morning routine so we could get in some practice before her first official day on Thursday.
I’ve learned that she seems to feel better and enjoy herself more when she has some familiarity with new places and situations ahead of time (don’t we all?). This morning she put on some school clothes, filled up her backpack, walked down the block to her school, and talked about her plans for the day.
I wish I’d done this myself more often when I was younger and was starting a new job, or anything else really, to take away the jitters.
LOL! It only took me 40-something years to figure out. (Better late than never!)
3. Bandages for different skin tones
Even though I’m more of a Hello Kitty Band-Aid girl, I have to give MAY-JAH props to these Tru-Colour Bandages. I stopped in my tracks at Target today when I saw them. They come in shades for deeper skin tones!
I wish there were more than just two colors…but it’s still so refreshing to see options.
4. Trader Joe’s Crispy Crunchy Mochi Rice Nuggets
If you’re an MBB regular, you’ve probably caught on by now that I’m completely obsessed with Trader Joe’s…
Next time you go, grab, like, eight bags of these rice nuggets, because you won’t be able to stop yourself from finishing that first bag in one sitting.
They taste kinda buttery and cheesy, like a mellower version of white cheddar Cheez Its, and have the most satisfying crunch. For comparison, they’re softer than TJ’s Roasted Chickpeas, but harder than the TJ’s Baked Cheese Crunchies.
OH, SO GOOD!
5. This Must Be the Place
This has been my first song of the day for the past few days.
Oh, are those flutes in the opening bars? 🙂 (I played flute for years.)
Your turn, friend. What are some things you’ve been loving lately? Inquiring minds want to know.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Those mochi rice nuggets are so life! I was mad at myself at first because I bought them for the cute packaging (mochi rock band, anyone?) and then thought, “Did I just pay $4 for rice crackers?” But then I ate them and wow – so worth it! Definitely bought another bag immediately 🙂
Or two bags immediately, LOL! And funny you should mention the packaging… I may or may not have bought that first bag because I thought the rock band was adorable, too!
Oh man, that is one cute kid!! =)
Aww, thanks Meeyeon. She’s fun. 🙂
I love getting up super early (well, 5 am) to get things done before the world wakes. I am most productive in the mornings, and I am much less stressed throughout the day knowing that I actually did get stuff done already.
Yes, I love it when the world is quiet during those early hours!
Karen,
I cannot believe your little one is now old enough to go to preschool! It seems like you just had her! I will most definitely have to try the Mochi Rice Nuggets especially since I have had a small obsession with white cheddar popcorn lately. I LOVE the fragrance Happy and could sit around all day smelling it, but its one of those fragrances that gives me a headache 🙁
My 5 things:
1. My new stethoscope (nursing stuff)
2. Birkenstocks (I never knew feet could feel so good)
3. The new spray tan place where the tan is actually dark enough for my skin tone and not orange
4. For some reason, I have been loving and eating a ton of scallops lately…
5. Wood Sage and Sea Salt Fragrance from Jo Malone. I think it is my all time favorite.
Good luck to Connor! My goodness she is growing up fast!
Hi Renee,
I know. It feels like I blinked and all of the sudden she turned two!
BTW, awhile back we talked about running shoes and I’ve been meaning to ask you about yours. How did the Altras work out for you? Or did you end up going back to the Ravennas?
I ended up not being able to take the Altras on my calves and so I went with Brooks Transcend 5s. They are expensive but I’m so glad I splurged. They really cushion every aspect of my feet. I think that I am about 250 miles or so into them now and they’re still going strong!
I used to love Happy back in the day, as well. It’s been ages since I’ve smelled it. I love the look of the my happy bottles.
That’s a great idea and Connor looks adorable in her new role as pre-schooler! 🙂
I’ve never even thought about the band-aid colors but I’ve just realized that it’s because I always buy clear.
Hi Kim,
It still smells just as good as you remember it. The closest one to the original Happy in this new line is the orange bottle, and it’s yum!
Um… color me cray but I had no idea clear bandages were a thing (maybe that’s because I’m always buying the Hello Kitty ones, LOL!).
I’m going to try to sniff them all – I should be around a Clinique counter tomorrow so I’ll swing by. 🙂
Oh, for sure. Don’t get me wrong – I appreciate a patterned band aid, too. It just seems like I always choose the clear. And, to be extra clear (see what I did there), it’s just the adhesive strip parts that are clear. The center bandage portion is still tan.
Talking Heads are in my top 5 favorite bands!
1. Great British Baking Show. But the person I wanted to win didn’t win so I’m mad!
2. Fresh salsa with garden tomatoes and onions! Yum!
3. Vacations. I had last Friday off and went to a blues music festival, and next week I’m headed to Sacramento to visit a friend for a week.
4. Crisp mornings. It’s been in the 50s at night here which is perfect sleeping weather!
5. Zucchini muffins. My mom has a ton of zucchini and so far I’ve made blueberry and chocolate muffins with them!
Good luck to you and Ms. Connor Claire with her first day at preschool!
Hey lady! Share that zucchini muffin recipe, please? 🙂
Have fun Connor! You’re growing up so fast and so cute!
I played the flute in High School too. My girlfriends and I joined the band to get out of gym. We didn’t want to mess up our pin straight hair. Crazy!
1. Green gazpacho
2. Replica Beach Walk shower gel
3. Mio fruit punch
4. Reading fiction
5. Morgan Taylor nail polish Woke Up This Way
Conner looks like a big girl already!! You dress her so cute. I’m so going to check out those bandaids on my next Target run.
O. M. G!!! Connor is just so stinking cute!!!! I hope she has a good time in preschool.
Props to you mom for figuring out a way to make things more comfortable for her as she makes this transition.
You are such a great mom! Taking practice runs with her, my heart melted. Can’t believe she’s off to school this week!
Loving Jo Malone Blackberry& Bay this week ?
Connor is such a cutie-pie. Her pictures always make me smile. 🙂
Five things I’m loving lately:
1) Banana-flavored popsicles. I blame my brother for buying a huge bag of them. lol
2) Physician’s Formula Eye Booster Lash 2-in-1 Boosting Eyeliner & Serum. I don’t know if it is really “boosting” anything, but it’s super-quick and easy for doing wings.
3) Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette. Normally, I’d find it pretty boring. However, it has lots of shimmery nudes I can use for “one and done” hot weather looks. I put my color focus on my liquid lipstick, which won’t melt off like eyeshadows do in the 85°+ F temps we’ve been having all summer. The palette is small enough to fit in my handbag and doesn’t pop open, either.
4) My BREO Elliptica asthma inhaler. One puff lasts 24 hours and it works better than my former two inhalers combined.
5) The Cyanide & Happiness Random Comic Generator. NSFW. It can get pretty smutty, but it’s pretty hilarious.
1. Trader Joes Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
2. Pacific Bone Broth
3. Starbuck Strawberry Green Tea with a splash of lemonade
4. Kora Organics Noni Face Glow
5. Dr. Jart Cicapar cream (non tinted)
4 and 5 have been really helpful this week after a bad sunburn!
Coywolf is TOO CUTE in her pigtails! Can’t believe it’s preschool time already!
I’ve been loving reading e-books from the library on my kindle, watching old kids movies with baby girl (she gets extra excited when there’s singing), chicken salad on saltines bc it’s too hot to have hot food, late afternoon swims with the baby and most of all home shopping! We’re just looking at modest condos but we’ve worked so hard to get to this moment, I can’t wait to be a home owner instead of renter!