What I'm loving

I love to talk about things I'm currently digging, be it entertainment or food or whatever, so I thought I'd write about it too and continue to spread the love for those of you who don't see me on the regular (or ever). Here are some of the things I haven't been able to shut up about lately:

• Nestle Crunch Girl Scout Cookie candy bars - specifically the Thin Mint flavored one. They taste just like Thin Mints, but the texture is different - I actually prefer their wafer cookie texture to the original. The peanut butter creme and caramel coconut are OK as well, but I'm not as inclined to stockpile them.
• Cherries. They're in season. Get on it.
• Santa Cruz Organic Mango Lemonade. Great summer refresher, mixes fabulously with alcoholic beverages.
• Air conditioning. I'm really more of a cold weather person.
• Podcasts. Great for listening during commutes, or sitting outside getting some rays. A current favorite is How Did This Get Made, where actor/comedians get together to talk about awesomely bad and just plain bad movies. The episode where they talked about Twilight Breaking Dawn, Part 1 caused me to get a lot of dirty looks on Metro due to my inappropriate LOLs (emphasis on second L). I'm glad that movie was made, just to enjoy hearing them talk about it. (Though I don't plan to ever see it myself.)
• There are a couple of movies I haven't seen yet but am loving the trailers for, and plan to see in the next couple of weeks.
• First off, Brave. A Pixar movie about a feisty redhead? Sold.
• The other movie I'll be watching opening weekend is Magic Mike. I've been following the production since casting was first announced. Don't judge me.
• I'm in the market for some good summer reading. NOT Fifty Shades of Grey. I'm not opposed to a fun trashy romance with some good character development, but I would prefer something intentionally funny. I definitely prefer my summer reading to be on the frothier side. Some of my more recent-ish reads that I loved and have been recommending are Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and Ernest Cline's Ready Player One - which actually contains Easter eggs!

And because I am a beauty supply junkie, some of my current beauty favs:

• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - they have better color payoff than most lip balms, with the staying power of a lip stain. Makes sense given the name. :) I love the minty scent/taste and that they're not too shiny. They look like a chubby pencil, but no sharpening is required. I have three: Adore, Precious and Rendezvous, and have been wearing them daily since I first picked one up a couple of weeks ago - they are a relatively new release. One drawback is that I don't think they are very moisturizing, if that's an issue for you. They do pair very well with a lip gloss, if you want a shinier look.
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Gel Shadows - I have super oily skin, and it only gets worse with the heat and humidity of summer. Most attempts at wearing eyeshadow in the summer melt before I get to work. This stuff actually sticks around. Plus it's super easy application for when you don't have a lot of time - you can just apply with your fingers. Add some (waterproof) mascara and you're out the door. I own 6 of the 10 shades available (in my defense, I did get them at buy one get one free pricing). My fav shades for a quick swipe & out the door look are Bad to the Bronze and Tough As Taupe.
• As previously mentioned in this blog, I'm obsessed with sunscreen. Finding a sunscreen that does not make my already oily skin look like I rubbed my face in some sort of oil slick is challenging. One I've found that I really like is Coola SPF30 matte finish cucumber. It's pretty pricey, but a little goes a long way, and it works great alone or under makeup. I also really like that it doesn't smell typically sunscreen-y, doesn't irritate my skin, and seems to be natural/organic. As mentioned, it is department store priced, but I've found it for sale at discount sites online like HauteLook, and discovered it qualifies for flexible spending. If you've got oily skin as well, I recommend checking it out.



Zoya Zuza & Maisie top coat 

• Zoya nail polishes. Yes, I own over 30 of them...but there are over 300 shades, so I haven't made that huge of a dent in their collection. The formula is green friendly - free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP and camphor, and lasts as well as any other salon brand. Plus all their polishes have real women's names. Love it! Unfortunately there isn't one that shares my name...yet. I'm currently obsessed with their 2012 summer collection, in particular the gorgeous turquoise Zuza and the red/orange/coral Myrta. Also loving their Fleck Effect top coats (JLo's manicurist agrees!) with reflective flakes that change color. I buy them directly from their website, since you can build up points that translate into freebies, but I believe you can also buy them at Ulta stores (where you can also build up points for freebies. Nothing like being rewarded for feeding your habit.)

So that's what I'm currently into. Anything you're currently digging? Have any good book/TV/music/food/beauty recommendations? Please share and keep spreading the love!