February 2018 Favorites
February was a crazy month! Mr. San Diego and I went to Hawaii for a week, had our apartment tented for termites, celebrated one year of marriage, and experienced our first trip to the Emergency Room together. We are finally getting back into our normal rhythm and we have some good favorites for you this month!
Enjoy!
1. MoroccanOil Curl Defining Cream - $13
- Random SnapChat photos to show to well the cream worked.
My hair is very interesting. It is naturally wavy but VERY frizzy, and for that reason, I have been blowing out my hair for about half my life. My curls were never beautiful and air drying made me look like Hermione Granger in her First Year. However, Mr. San Diego and I had planned a trip to Hawaii and I knew that blowing out my hair would be completely pointless. I needed a solution and this Curl Defining Cream has been absolutely incredible. I slather this all over and let my hair air dry, and I end up with really nice beachy waves and almost no frizz. It is a heaven sent and it was the only thing I used in my hair while we were in Hawaii! Now I just let my hair air dry every day at work and give myself an extra 20 minutes of sleep!
Where to Find It: sephora.com
2. Tarte Pout Prep Lip Exfoliant - $16.00
Normally I would balk at spending $16 for something I could easily make at home, but this lip scrub from Tarte is fantastic! The sugar they use is very fine and I prefer this stuff to what I make at home. It has a very minty smell and taste and it is very thick like a paste, which keeps the scrub on your lips and not dripping down your face. With this recent change in weather, my lips have been needing some extra TLC and I have been gently using this stuff every morning. A little goes a long way and it lasts a lot longer than other brands I have used in the past.
Where to Find It: sephora.com
3. Peeps Soft Touch Dry Lens Cleaner - $15.99
If you wear glasses, you need this in your life! Before this beautiful little gadget, I would go through glasses wipes and cleansers like crazy! Now I can just bust out my Peeps, quickly clean my glasses, and throw it back in my bag. On the little "tongs" part is a material that was designed for NASA and was developed to repel dirt and dust from carbon. I've been using it for a couple weeks now and it perfectly cleans my glasses every single time. The price point is a little high compared to other glasses cleaners, but the results and convenience make it worth it for me!
Where to Get It: carbonklean.com
4. Sand & Sky Brilliant Skin Purifying Pink Clay Mask - $49
Honestly, I got suckered into buying this face mask because I kept seeing advertisements for this product all over social media. With claims to tighten pores, detoxify skin, and brighten complexion with super fancy Australian pink clay, I was a little skeptical and the price kept me away for a while. Then I saw a coupon code and decided to finally try it out. I am SOO glad I did - this stuff blew me away! It comes with a very cute little applicator brush and the product goes on pink and dries white. It only takes about ten minutes for the mask to dry and when it does, you can visibly see the spots where excess oil and gunk has been drawn out. Before I used this, my face had some spots with annoying texture that wasn't going away. After just one use, the texture was completely gone! My skin felt fantastic and actually looked better. I've used it a few times now and I LOVE IT SO MUCH.
Where to Find It: sandandsky.com
5. Aquaphor Ointment Body Spray - $9-ish
After I came back from Hawaii with a beautiful glowing tan, I started peeling like crazy and my skin was so dry and itchy! I was like a dog with fleas - I could not stop scratching! Normally I use coconut oil as a body moisturizer but it was not enough. One of my recent beauty box subscriptions came with a small sample of this ointment body spray from Aquaphor and it worked so well that I had to run to the store and get a full sized bottle because I became an addict. It feels like petroleum jelly being sprayed in a very fine mist, which gives an almost cooling sensation, and it has been the only thing that has kept me from scratching my skin off. I wouldn't use this as a daily moisturizer, but it is incredibly soothing to use on areas that are very, very dry and is like an emergency treatment for your itchy skin.
Where to Get It: target.com
6. Glasses from EyeBuyDirect - $ Varies
I have been wearing the same pair of Warby Park Laurel's for a few years now and I decided it was time for a new pair of glasses! I hate how expensive glasses can be and I love that there has been a boom in affordable eye wear available online. EyeBuyDirect has A LOT of different options and some of their frames are only $8! They seem to have a very reasonable return policy and allow you to return your glasses 14 days after they're received, which is great since you can't try on the glasses before making your purchase. After placing my order, it took 13 days to receive them - not too bad considering they are prescription glasses. They came with a microfiber sleeve and a little tool to tighten or loosen your frames. They don't feel cheap and I loved both pairs of glasses I ordered! I love their price points and will definitely be ordering more soon.
Black Frame Glasses: "Decadence" Frames - $29
Tortoise Sunglasses: "Paige" Frames - $49
Lenses Vary in Price
1. Fresh Balls - $11.99
This is not a joke.
Mr. San Diego's favorite for this month is a quick drying lotion-to-powder hygiene product that keeps the family jewels moisture-free. While we were in Hawaii, Mr. San Diego would not stop raving about how incredible this product was. It is talc-free, mess-free, and worked all day (except after we went swimming). If your nether-regions get swampy during hot and humid outdoor adventures, you may want to keep this in your arsenal. Mr. San Diego swears by it.
Where to Get It: freshballs.com & amazon.com
Favorite Movie: Annihilation
Image Source: IMDB
Annihilation is a visually stunning sci-fi thriller with an incredible female-lead cast. While the main plot of the movie is an unknown "Shimmer" that brings the characters together, it is the focus on the characters themselves that really makes this movie incredible. Seeing how desire impacts their actions and how it is refracted in their lives is incredibly thought provoking. It makes you wonder whether the true desires of humanity is to purposely lose control and find our own obliteration.
P.S. Mr. San Diego has the biggest crush on Natalie Portman, so this movie would have been his favorite regardless of how good or bad it was. #hallpass
Favorite Binge #1: Queer Eye
Image Source: IMDB
Go and watch the first episode. Watch it and you will binge the entire series in one day, because that is exactly what Mr. San Diego and I did. Grab some tissues while you're at it because you will be sobbing like a baby.
This eight episode series does more than just give makeovers - it really focuses on acceptance in some capacity with men who come from areas where the political and religious beliefs may not necessarily align with those of five gay men. They take on each made-over-man with love, understanding, and compassion and it is beautiful seeing things like toxic masculinity broken down with benevolence and acceptance instead of judgement and force.
Also, I very much want to be best friends with Jonathan Van Ness because he is a basket of sunshine and makes me smile with how authentically joyous he is.
Favorite Binge #2: Ugly Delicious
Image Source: Rotten Tomatoes
That's right - TWO Netflix binges this month!
Ugly Delicious is an eight episode documentary series featuring David Chang, the widely acclaimed chef. Each episode focuses on a certain style of food and cooking from different demographics, and breaks down the different ways certain foods are cooked, what the histories are behind them, and discussed some of the stereotypes and prejudices against them. Chang breaks everything down in an honest, casual, and often hilarious way with people who are well versed in the subject matter, or with friends around a dinner table. Chang is passionate, funny, brutally honest, and completely opposed to the "shoulds" of cooking and perceptions about food. You really learn a lot. Definitely a great show if you love food!
Favorite Other: Slow Burn Podcast
Image Source: Slate
If you say "Richard Nixon", you immediately think "Watergate" - but do you know what Watergate was really all about? I didn't and it never crossed my mind that I knew nothing about it. Slate's Slow Burn Podcast breaks down the events surrounding Watergate and Nixon in eight episodes and it is SOOO FASCINATING! I listened to the entire series in one day and then spent several more days Googling everything that came to mind about the scandal. It feels so topical in today's current political climate and it is an amazing history lesson about the powers of the Presidential Office, the effects of its abuse, and how the attitudes of the American people can support or completely destroy that power.
You can listen on the Podcast app on Apple devices or stream on the Slate website.
Hope you enjoyed my favorites! What were the things that you loved in February?