December 2017 Favorites

December 2017 Favorites
December 2017 Favorites
C.O. Bigelow My Favorite Night Balm, $7.50 / Dove Beauty Bar, varies / Twilight Bath Bomb, $7/ IKEA TOFTBO Bath Rug, $8
Amope Pedi Perfect, $49 / Clarisonic Radiance Brush Heads, $27 (but as cheap as $15 ea if you shop smart)

The one week of free-time I had in December was spent doing holiday things – baking, spending time with family and friends, the like. The rest was spent as pure downtime, regenerating and recharging along with my husband. I could have worn glitter eyeliner every damn day – but I didn’t. In fact, I hardly wore any makeup at all for half the damn month. Instead, I spent time doing self-care things.

So, in short, all of my December 2017 Favorites are along those lines.

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Amope Pedi Perfect Wet and Dry

Amope Pedi Perfect Wet and DryAmope Pedi Perfect Wet and Dry

Do you feel like you have more disappointing nail salon memories than relaxing, majestic ones? I know I do! The natural solution, of course, is is to take matters into my own hands – literally. For me, the biggest parts of a pedicure are correcting my eponychium and cuticles and reducing my calluses. Over the years, I’ve used plenty of products: rasps, Ped-Egg-type solutions, those horribly scary Credo blades, pumice stones, Mr. Pumi bars (which are pretty nice for mild cases and daily upkeep). A few years ago, my husband got me a ridiculous powertool shockingly good, albeit occasionally awkward-to-use motorized callus buffer. It is FANTASTIC! (yeah, caps and exclamation points) at removing the bulk of thick, unwanted calluses, but it can leave things uneven in its wake. That’s where the Amope Pedi Perfect Wet and Dry comes in. 

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Costco Beauty Finds – May 2017

I’ve been a Costco member for a few years now and have shared some beauty finds in the past. Costco Beauty is a veritable treasure trove of desirable products at even-more-desirable prices. Arguably, if you have a makeup/skincare/haircare habit, the savings on some of these finds alone more than pays for the membership if you were planning to buy them anyway.

Here are some neat things I came across recently. I haven’t purchased most of these items, but either want to at some point or think they’re probably interesting enough to some people to share.

Costco Beauty Finds - May 2017 - Amope Pedi Perfect Wet & DryAmope Pedi Perfect Wet & Dry

The standard Amope Pedi Perfect is the recipient of several consumer awards as well as overwhelmingly positive reviews. Between 4.5 and 5 stars virtually everywhere, the Pedi Perfect typically retails for $30-36 for the device itself with only one head. Costco regularly carries the Wet & Dry variety, which is waterproof and therefore safe to use in the shower, for $40; the Wet & Dry variety typically goes for $50+ elsewhere. Costco’s package includes FIVE replacement rollers heads, which retail for $20 for a pack of two, plus a storage bag. Bonus: You DON’T have to be a member to order this from Costco.com, but there is a non-member surcharge of a couple dollars. This is the best value I’ve found via Costco Beauty to date.

Costco Beauty Finds - May 2017 - Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening SerumMurad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum

This popular Murad serum goes for $65 at Sephora and Ulta in the same quantity. Even with a 20% off Platinum Perk or the November VIB sale, it drops to $52…so the $43 price tag Costco has it for is a steal. People have luck fading acne scars, sun spots, and age spots with this.

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