As you may, or may not, know, I have spent the last two months at home basking in the glory of free time and good food. In my last blog post I talked about 6 little things I learned to love over the past two months. Not only have I loved those 6 things, I have also found 10 things that make up the following list of my January Favorites:
1. Garnier Charcoal Peel Off Mask
For as long as I can remember I have struggled with blackheads (and acne in general). I have tried pore strips with decent results, but lately they just haven't been cutting it. So when I, naturally, stopped at the Target beauty clearance end cap during my last excursion and saw this peel off mask on sale, I picked it up. Because why not? I tried it that night and was shocked at how well it cleared up the blackheads on and around my nose. Blackhead extraction takes more than one night, so two nights later I applied it again and had the same success. And my nose has never looked cleaner!
2. Pilot G-2 Black Pen
I have bullet journaled since 2016 and always struggled to find the right pen for the basic outlining, lettering, and doodling I commonly do in my bullet journal. Similarly to my last "January Favorite", I found this one on clearance at Target--the Pilot G-2 Black Pen. It is now my holy grail for bullet journaling and writing various things. It writes incredibly smoothly and dries quickly (in my experience), two things that are super important when crafting a new bujo spread!
3. "The Couple Next Door" by Shari Lapena
I have been reading a lot more with the free time I have had over the past two months and one of my favorite books of the five (5!) books I've read so far is "The Couple Next Door" by Shari Lapena. I actually wrote a book review a few weeks back on it. So if you want more info check that post out!
4. ELF Daily Brush Cleaner
I am a self-proclaimed average makeup gal. I'm not awful, but I'm definitely not spectacular. And that's why it took me about two years to figure out that I should probably be cleaning my brushes more often than I had been--and with a brush cleaner and not just tap water. So when ELF had a sale and free shipping I jumped on the opportunity to get some inexpensive brush cleaner. And let me tell you, my skin has been clearer, the products I use the brushes for apply so much better, and the cleaner is so easy to use. I have added it to my (almost) daily makeup routine and love the difference it has made.
5. Amanda Rach Lee
Amanda Rach Lee is a YouTuber and Instagram bullet journal influencer. After watching her content by recommendation from a fellow bujo fanatic I became hooked. I love everything about her videos, but mostly that her spreads are typically fairly achievable! Naturally, mine don't look quite like hers. But the inspiration and (affordable) tips she gives have made me a fan.
6. Fitbit Charge 2
I actually got my Fitbit for Christmas last year (2017), but due to losing chargers, breaking a wristband, and cracking the screen of my Fitbit I have not been able to use it as much as I'd like. Well, I finally got everything fixed and charged and I have been loving everything about my Fitbit. Albeit, I do ignore it more often than not when it tells me to stand up and take some steps. It also makes tracking my sleep in my bullet journal more accurate and much easier, which I love!
7. Otium Bluetooth Headphones
My parents are graciously letting me mooch off of their Mayo Clinic exercise center (affectionally called "the DAHLC") while I've been home. And I am one of those people that needs to listen to music when I workout. With the expansion of more affordable and less bulky bluetooth headphones I decided to invest (not really, they're 20 dollars, but when you're in college that's an investment) in a pair for myself. I decided on the Otium Bluetooth Headphones from Amazon. And I have loved these headphones since the day I got them! The battery life is long, they charge quickly, and the audio is fantastic.
8. Random Acts of Cards Subreddit
My free time has allowed me to do a little internet digging into different types of forums. And I stumbled upon Reddit and found a subreddit dedicated to spreading the love of cards. It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like, and you can ask my parents: I have sent and received an absurd amount of cards in the three weeks I've been involved in the group.
9. Small Town Murder Podcast
Surprise! A true crime podcast made the list. I have truly been obsessed with this podcast and the humor the two hosts have. Each episode they cover a murder--typically less covered media wise--that occurred in a small town. Typically these stories include an interesting array of characters that makes the episode fly by. 12/10 would recommend to any of my true crime junkies out there!
10. Magic Puzzles App
And last but not least, we have the Magic Puzzles app. My family has been working on some 1,000 piece puzzles pretty much the whole time I've been home. And let me just say, I've loved every second of it. So when I found an app that lets me do large puzzles on the go I was excited. And it has been awesome thus far. There are a large amount of puzzles for free and the setup of the app makes it efficient and easy (as easy as jigsaw puzzles can be) to complete fun puzzles.
