Spring 2023 Favorites

Hi friends! Well, it’s that time of year once again; funny how that works! I’m here today to talk about some of my favourite products and things that I’ve been loving since the cold winter months have now passed us. Who am I kidding? It can still get super cold here in April!

SKIN CARE:

My favourite current moisturizer is called Pharmacy Honey Halo Ceramide Moisturizer. I re-purcahsed it again this year during the Sephora savings event. If you can get over the smell of honey, it is amazing for dry skin. Tied for first place is my Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask. It comes in a smaller, portable tube and it smells delicious. It leaves your skin feeling soft and hydrated without feeling sticky. You can use it as a mask or as an overnight moisturizer.

MAKEUP:

My makeup style has changed drastically over the years. I used to love full-coverage, heavier makeup with loose setting powders. Today, my favourite brand hands down is Kosas; basically Kosas everything. I love the concealer because it’s super hydrating and leaves no creasing behind. I love the powders because they are compact baked powders and don’t dry out your skin as bad as loose powder. The formula is super light and pretty. The foundation matches perfectly with my hard-to-match neutral olive skin tone and it is also light and airy, basically making you feel like you’re not wearing makeup at all.

PERFUME:

For my birthday, my mom recently bought me Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum and I LOVE it. It is a perfume that I have been wanting for about two years now. Usually for spring and summer, I go towards more fruity perfumes. One of my all-time favourites for this time of year is Anna Sui Dreams or Vince Cameo Bella, which is a dreamy nectarine mix. Both are fantastic light scents.

PLANNERS:

I am still in love with my Franklin Planner. I have changed my system a bit to reflect my evolving life and business needs. I continue to use a classic sized planner. Despite the fact that I would love to be able to plan in a compact size for ease of carrying, I simply need more planning space. I have upgraded to two binders: one for my personal planning and another one for my business. As switching up two planners monthly is a lot of work, I usually switch out my personal planner to upgrade the covers and dashboards and I leave my work planner in my Black Beautiful Life Binder.

I have also been enjoying keeping a separate health planner. I had purchased a number of melodies from Planners Anonymous. (They are basically convertible planner covers that can fit a wide variety of planner sizes). I was finding that I couldn’t remember if I had taken my medication or not and I wanted to track a few health things. Now that I have a planner for it, I’ve added some self care planner activities and I’ve developed a habit of checking in every morning.

PLANNING SUPPLIES:

I’ve become a recent fan of fountain pens. I had one once, long ago, and I didn't use it often enough because it dried up on me soon after. Recently, I invested in a medium-high quality fountain pen from TWSBI and I love it! It makes me feel so fancy when I write with it.

I’ve also become a fan of Janes Agenda products. I love the quality and enjoy using the dashboard and page finders especially in my planners.

JOURNALS/SUPPLIES:

I’ve become a recent Hobonichi Cousin user. I was looking for a way to change up my journaling routine to something that I could relax into and enjoy more. While I have stuck with my current journal (a Peter Pauper Press Artisan Journal), I find that I’m rushed to write in it and I usually only write one page per day and I find that I’m not feeling fulfilled by it alone anymore.

I’ve also discovered the beautiful world of journaling stickers. There are companies such as Hello Petite Paper, Sterling Ink, Harriet Wright Designs and My Newest Addiction that sell transparent matte stickers which are meant for journaling so they do not bulk up your book.

In addition to the journal and stickers, I’ve also been loving fountain pens as I stated above. The fun thing about journaling is that you can match your ink to your stickers/washi/theme if you want. I’ve ordered from Ferris wheel Press a variety of fountain pen inks to use in fountain pens and/or my glass pen.

I purchased my glass pen many years ago, and never really found a use for it until now. The fun thing about a glass pen is you don’t have to refill and clean it like you have to with a fountain pen. You simply rinse the end off with water, and you can change colored inks at any time. I love to write in cursive with it in my Hobonichi.

BABY THINGS:

When I first had my baby, I would say sleepers were wonderful. I would have them in all sizes, but my favourite were the ones from Costco. They were double zippered, meaning you could open them from the top or the bottom. This way, you can change your baby without having to take their arms out.

Lately, I’ve been loving dressing my baby up in big boy clothes. Now that he is almost four months old, I feel more comfortable putting regular onesies and pant sets on him and it makes him look sooo adorable.

Also, I think I always took booger suckers for granted. I don’t think I have ever used one on my previous children, but my son suffers from constant congestion. I never realized how invaluable they are when your child can’t breathe.

BOOKS:

I recently finished a long series called the Coven by Chandelle LeVaun. It is about this group of teenage witches, but I really got into it. I thought at first it might be too young for me, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Currently, I’m reading yet another series by Chandelle LeVaun. She co-wrote with Megan Montero a series called The Night Realm Magic Marked. I just started, but the more I read, the more it’s drawing me in.

SUBSCRIPTION BOXES:

Previously, I had been subscribed to Cloth and Paper and Planners Anonymous. I had to stop Planners Anonymous for awhile because of funds, but have again recently subscribed. I quit Cloth and Paper because I wanted more color-design focused items instead of just black and white all the time. I really love colourful things. So, I recently subscribed to Sterling Ink. This company provides journaling stickers (look above in the Journaling section for more info). I also subscribed to Janes Agenda because I love the quality and the colorful dashboards.

OUTDOOR THINGS:

Last weekend, I finally cleaned off my patio cushions and tidied the yard to spend more time outside. I would say I love our patio table. It’s glass, and a hand-me-down from my husbands parents, but the cushions are ultra comfortable. We purchased new ones about four years ago, and I love them.

I also love my lounge chair that my husband bought me for Mothers Day a few years back. I use it to read on and just lay down when the day is nice.

I also love sitting on the back step (when I have time), drinking my coffee in the morning and listening to the birds. This is best enjoyed on a Sunday morning when the vehicle traffic is at a minimum. I think this summer I’ll actually be able to do more of this because my husband now works in the city we live and he generally has weekends off :)

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you next week! Let me know some of your favourites!

Sandra