Happy, happy Friday. This day was a great end the week and I am currently parked on the couch with Zoey watching Love is Blind on Netflix. This time next week, Finn and I will be in Florida and I cannot wait after our last trip was postponed. 🙂

It’s a random but fun list of Friday favorites to share with you today.

WHERE HAVE PEANUT BUTTER PUFFINS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?

Finn likes to snack on dry cereal and I’ve bought both traditional and cinnamon flavored Puffins in the past. During a recent two for $5 special I decided to try the peanut butter version and I am now kicking myself for waiting so long. They are so delicious! I’ve been eating them by the handful straight out of the box and as a smoothie topper. FYI: one of the nice things about them is how crunchy they are. They do not get soggy on top of the smoothies.

DONE WITH GEL FOR NOW

I have been doing gel manicures for many years but recently I got to a place where I was over it. The biggest issue for me was the take-off. It ruined my nails to do it at home but I struggled to find time to do it at the salon. And if I went to the salon to do it, I usually told myself “well, you’re here so you might as well get gel again.” I’ve never had problems with my nails being weak with gel polish but after one desperate at home take-off session where I filed the polish off, they were in a sad state.  I told myself it was time to take an extended (maybe permanent!) hiatus from gel. This is good for both my nails and my wallet.

Enter Expressie. The main reason that I ever switched to gel polish was that I have zero patience for the drying process. I could never get a manicure or paint my nails at home without messing it up before it dried, no matter how careful I tried to be. Recently, I’d heard a lot about Expressie so I decided to pick some up at Ulta.

I’ve only used it once but first impressions are good! I went about 4-5 days before taking it off with some minor chipping around the tops of some of my nails but it was 100% worth it given that I could do it at home, it dried in 2 minutes and I could take it off in under 30 seconds. HIGHLY RECOMMEND as long as you go into it knowing that it’s a short-term thing!

Crazy side note: I haven’t had a pedicure or even painted my toes since last June/July before my big toe accident/injury! Quick update on that…the break healed fully but the nail…not so much. I have half a toenail on that toe but the other side isn’t pretty. Still holding out hope. 

BEDROOM FLOWERS

I think it’s lovely to buy yourself flowers. I love having flowers in my living/kitchen area and whenever possible I get extra or split the bouquet so I can have some in my bedroom too. It just feels extra special. How gorgeous are these tulips I found at Trader Joe’s yesterday? Side note…see that photo of my family in the background? Finn loves looking at it and naming everyone in the photo. 🙂

L’OREAL LOVE

For years L’Oreal Waterproof Voluminous Million Lashes was my go-to budget mascara but recently I discovered the Lash Paradise version and I like it even more! I have always been a mascara addict and this is one priced around $9-10 and I can honestly say that it’s just as good if not better than some of my favorite $30 tubes.

Switching to concealer, my friend Bess recommended the L’Oreal True Match concealer in her Insta stories last week. I always trust her recommendations and bought some last weekend. It’s in a clickable stick that is very easy to use and apply. I can honestly tell you that I like it as much if not more than the $30+ concealer pen that I’ve been using for almost two years now. For reference, I got the Light W3-4 color.

THE GIVER OF STARS

My grandmother and I share a Kindle and she recommended that I read The Giver of Stars. It took me a minute to get into it but I’m so glad that I stuck with it. This book ranked up there with how much I liked The Great Alone and Where the Crawdads Sing last year. Apparently, there’s been some drama around the story and it’s originality but I enjoyed the book regardless.

On a less serious note, next up on my list is Jessica Simpson’s memoir!!! I am going to listen to it on Audible.

ALL THE BUTTER BANANA BREAD

I baked a banana bread recipe this morning with a whole stick of salted butter, a cup of brown sugar and four bananas. I loved that it was baked in a square pan instead of a loaf. I might never bake banana bread in a loaf pan again! It was much more cake-like than banana bread-ish. Finn was a big fan and was pinching pieces of it and going “MMMM” while I took photos. 🙂

FINN’S FRIDAY FAVORITE: M-I-C…K-E-Y…M-O-U-S-E

Y’all…in the 21 months of Finn’s life, he has never once cared for a stuffed animal. We have had this Mickey for 6-9 months and he could care less about it. At one point Zoey and Bear Bundon had it out in the backyard as a dog toy. Well, in the last week Finn has decided that Mickey is his BFF and now wants to hug Mickey, kiss Mickey and carry him around. It is very sweet. Note, I washed Mickey after he was a dog toy for a short amount of time but he spends a lot of time on the floor with dog hair. Finn does not care!

QUESTIONS

Favorite dry cereal?

Do you have your nails done or paint your nails?

Favorite mascara and concealer?